Beyond the Walls

Back Up

“Those fuckers really.” Alexa kicked the flattened tire of the car as she cursed out loud.

“Pipe it down. We barely go out.” Adam, who is looking at his nightvision, is watching the surroundings.

“Argh. How in the world will we be able to get out of here? The walls is f*****g miles away.”

Nobody is saying it but Apollo was right when he asked everyone if they really thought a car would be waiting for them outside. It’s really there but all tires are flat, even the spare.

“Ha. Gabrielle, this is crazier than what I signed up for.” Alexa complained but she is starting to unload their things.

“I know how to manually start a car, is there any car that we can use around?” Xian said, pushing his eye glasses back.

“We all knew how.” Alexa answered, sighing. “We were all taught how. We are from the military, remember? … It’s not knowing how, the problem is. The problem is it’s been twenty years. Do you think there would still be a car lying around that can be used?”

He threw the bags in the center and one by one they went for their share.

“Ah…”

“Sometimes you are smart but mostly you are dumb.”

“I am just lacking experience, outside the walls. That’s it!”

“Why don't you broadcast to every undead that we are here?” Adam hissed.

“Let’s go, now. We don’t have much time.” Gabrielle intervened..

“Are we going head back or head in?” Alexa turned to Gabrielle after swallowing her retorted words to Adam.

“We are going to my warehouse.”

*Whistle*

Adam whistle. “We’ve raised you well.” Adam put his hands around Gabrielle as they walked out the stadium area.

Only one had stayed behind as they all walked in the same direction.

Something made Gabrielle stop for a second but as she turned around, Apollo who had been quiet all this time was walking towards her.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

“Hm… nothing… It’s just that…'' Gabrielle was forcefully turned straight back.

“C’mon, It’s cold. Where are we going huh?” Alexa joined in wrestling Gabrielle.

Gabrielle tried getting out of their grip but she was caught again by a different person. Adam.

“Seriously! Could you let me go already?!” She snapped.

Adam and Alexa laughed a little, Xian only sighed and Apollo had a small smile in the background.

It took two and half hours for their group to reach Gabrielle’s Warehouse. It was a run down house with no roof and 20% of the remaining walls were left standing. It was like any other house in the vicinity.

They went in using the open wall part. Gabrielle took the lead and went on fallen cement wallings.

*SCREEEECH

She pushed the piles of it and dust of her hands as an underground passage was revealed. Opening it, a ladder was revealed. Throwing a light stick to it they waited and it was quiet after a minute Gabrielle went in first. They all turn their own flash lights as they trace the dark path.

From the looks of it, it was a tunnel that used to be a water tunnel. From the structure of it. A stream used to be there.

They turned onto the third corner and walked in a maze-like place.

“Are we lost or do you really know the way?” Xian asked. He is placed just right behind Gabrielle.

“I left markings.”

“Where?”

“You don’t have to know.” She said as she walked faster.

“Give it up. This is her warehouse, do you think she will want to share the whereabouts of her stocks? Alexa said as she flashlightining the surroundings. The place had been abandoned for years so that there were no rats and cockroaches in the surrounding area.

*Swish

“Shh.” Alexa suddenly said as she turned back her flashlight. On the corner from the far end of the tunnel, she caught an image of something standing.

Everyone turned off their flashlights except for Alexa who was looking for the image she had seen and Xian who didn’t know what to do.

Gabrielle snatched it and turned it off.

“Gabrielle.” Alexa called in a very low tone.

Gabrielle concentrated but there was nothing beside the smell of sewers but then don’t undead’s smell was similar to it.

“... I can’t tell.”

Alexa is scanning the area but the trace of the image she had seen is not there.

“Negative.” Adam said as he and Apollo take charge of the back formation, they are looking through their night vision.

“Negative.” Gabrielle said so from the frontlines.

“I think you are just lacking some rest.” Xian said after a minute or two of holding into the position. If there is an undead nearby, it would probably attack them as soon as they are spotted.

One last sweep and they went along. With Apollo at the backest positioned, he looked at the space before he started moving again. One more second and he would have caught a slowly moving shadow from the empty stream line.

Dead end.

The road from above looks like it collapsed but strange enough the whole from above was covered too but something unknown.

Maybe a building had collapsed above it.

That’s what it looks like after they turn on the last corner.

“You can just say if we are lost or something.” Xian runs his fingers through his hair.

Gabrielle put her gun to the side and pushed a massive stone to the side. It revealed a space which she tightly squeezed herself into. *Click

She opened the door and got inside of it.

“Oh ho… That’s genius.” Next to squeeze in is Alexa followed by Xian, Adam and last is Apollo.

Seconds after they all came inside and the door was shut, a screeching sound was resounding a little.

A gas light lamp was lit and inside the room were a stock pile of random things. From weapons, canned foods, and other things.

“Don’t touch anything.” Gabrielle said as soon as Adam and Alexa started rummaging to the shelves.

“Aren’t you too uptight?” Adam said and made himself at home by opening a canned good and settling down in a chair.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes as she opened a cabinet and got a key in there. She also get some medicines, checked guns and ammos.

“You stole this in the armory, didn’t you?” Alexa arched an eyebrow at her.

“They are from my dead comrades.”

“Hah!” Alexa was impressed and took a couple of grenades.

“Why did you build a place like this?” Xian asked.

“You’ll never know what situation you’re gonna find yourself in.” She tested the gun’s weight and ammo as she answered the question.

“All set. Let’s go.”

“Ah urm…. Hmm- *munch munch*” Adam, who is eating quickly, finishing his canned goods.

In the room another door was there beside the one they came in. With the light from the lamp Gabrielle showed her collection of cars.

“I often heard that you have a habit of disappearing during ventures. So this is why you are so busy.” Alexa said, admiring both pre and post apocalypse designed cars.

“We’ll use this.” Gabrielle said as she pulled the curtains out and revealed a same type of jeep with an open back.

“Let’s be clear. Which place are we exactly going to?” Alexa asked.

Gabrielle opens her item which displays the map of the city.

“We are going somewhere spacious, closed and far from the walls.” She answered.

Spacious is for the undead or mutants to move around. Close to trap both undeads and participants and of course far from the walls, just in case things go awry.

“There are not many establishments left that can be used. Considering we are around the vicinity, chances are they move somewhere further. Is that the risk we are taking? And… of course we are nearing the promised land. I doubt they would hold it there.” Alexa said.

“Promise land? What is that?” Xian questioned.

Meanwhile, in the games, it was Lucas' turn to sleep. He pressed his head down the glass window of the ferris’ wheel cable.

“Why is he like that?” Kiko asked, whispering.

Lucas was not entirely sleeping, his eyes were slightly opened like he had lost his soul.

“I also don’t know. Leave him be.”

“He is really weird.”

“...”

They stayed silent and came to look on different sides of the windows.

“Huh?” Kiko rubbed his eyes and looked again.

‘I thought… I saw something flying.’

[...]

*Brooooooom

The car has started, Apollo and Adam opened the man made gate. They also pulled it close after the car went out.

*Click

Adam locked the door and went straight up at the car’s back and tapped it. The car roared and not far from it was a collapsed road. They used it to make it to the main highway.

“Are we really going to the promised land?” Xian asked. With worry.

“Hahaha. We are not going in there, unless we want a sure way to die… in the most painful way. Afterall, The Promised Land is the Land of the Mutants.”