CHAPTER 6: SURVIVING THE SYSTEM TRIAL (I)
1194 Words
Alex moved, his eyes darting between the dangers of the horde and the safety of the building by his side.
He was standing behind the horde, and any wrong move or sound would mean his instant death.
A loud crash echoed across the area, resembling the sound of a massive building collapsing.
Whatever that was, it was enough.
The horde of crawlers rushed forward, attracted by the deafening sound.
Masked by the aftermath of the sound, Alex rushed forward, stumbling and picking himself up.
The building was just right there.
Just as he got to it, he tripped again, crashing into the door of the building.
The previous noise had disappeared, and this crash drew the attention of the horde.
“Oh No.” Alex gasped, picking himself up.
Something glistened in the corner of his eyes, and he went for it.
The advancement of the horde was like an earthquake, accompanied by the growls and snarls of hungry monsters.
“I have to get out of here,” Alex said to himself. His mind was scattered, and he didn't know what to do.
The warning of the system came to his mind.
‘Instant termination.’
Alex yelled like his life depended on it. “Cancel System trial!” He gasped. “I'm not doing this anymore. End it!”
However, there was no response.
The walls seemed to close in on him, and breathing became heavier.
An image appeared in front of him; it was his mother waving at him, with his father by her side.
“No, not now. I'm not dying here.” He shook his head. There had to be a way.
Jumping out the window, he looked around, and there he saw it, an escape route.
“Yes!” He ran towards the broken-down vehicle, an old Beetle-shaped car.
It must have belonged to the owners of the house.
Within five breaths, Alex had climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut, the windows rolled up tight.
The crawlers slammed against the four windows, claws scraping on the reinforced glass in an attempt to break open the car and take the gift that was inside.
If Alex had dawdled for another minute outside the car, he would have been eaten alive.
He looked around, his hands went everywhere, but there was no key.
“Okay!” Alex raised his hands in frustration.
He bent down and ripped out the panel below the steering wheel.
There were a bunch of wires, and when watching those movies, he had never learnt to focus on which color started the car.
Three wires, and he needed to find a way to combine them.
Alex licked his finger and stripped off the red wire. “Just three wires, it should be simple.”
The bangs outside the car made his back wet with cold sweat.
“No time.” Alex bit his lips; his fingers were trembling, making it hard for him to work.
Soon enough, he had stripped all the wires, and he connected them at once.
The car’s engine coughed out, but soon enough, it sputtered and died again.
“Don't play with me!” Alex slammed the steering wheel in annoyance.
A crawler hit the front window, causing cracks to spread on the glass.
Alex bent down again; he had to try again.
He reconnected the wires, and the engine of the car came on, coughing, sputtering, and just as it was about to shut down, the car roared to life!
“Yes!” Without wasting another second, Alex slammed his feet onto the accelerator, and the car moved, shooting through the horde and leaving a gust of smoke in its wake.
In the long distance before him, the highway was filled with countless cars. He turned back to realize that the horde was still chasing after the car, but he was already too far gone.
The city was ahead of him, and he knew it was heavily populated.
“I'm still in the outer region,” Alex muttered, and when the car was closed, he slammed the brakes.
The car skidded to a stop, and without waiting for another moment, Alex ran out of the car.
His gaze focused on the skyscraper ahead of him.
“Those things could be countless in there,” he said to himself, looking at the number of windows in that skyscraper.
When he came close, he realized it was a hotel.
“I can work with this.” Alex exhaled, his eyes looking upward.
There was a ticking clock above his head; he had barely spent three hours in this forsaken area.
Alex ran through the door, and his eyes went around. The only thing providing light to the inner room was the sunlight.
His stomach grumbled, fueling his next thought.
‘I need to get supplies.’
There was no limit to what a hotel would have in its storage, if some scavengers had not yet raided it.
The scavengers were those people who refused to accept accommodation in the Safe Haven.
Alex moved, glass cracking beneath his feet.
The hotel looked okay apart from the scattered furniture, and, no matter how, Alex tried not to notice.
He couldn't ignore the glaring blood stains and the pool of blood on the floor.
A picture of the hotel structure was placed on the wall by the staircase.
On the map were places drawn in red, which were specifically for the official staff.
Alex tore off the map, making a mental note of the storage and kitchen area.
His legs moved fast, and within minutes, he was right in front of the kitchen door.
“I need a knife,” he said, holding his breath.
The nauseating smell of rotting food was too much to handle.
He held the iron rod he had taken from the first building close to his body.
With a knife, his weapon collection would be complete.
Alex paused, listening for any strange sounds.
When there was none, he moved into the room.
His eyes spotted one of the knives, and he headed for it.
Alex placed the knife into his pocket, and his breathing became lighter.
He would be able to defend himself.
“But…” Alex muttered, remembering the cure he had.
“No, it's a game now, I'd be able to kill them.” He reassured himself, heading for the next location.
Just as he got closer to the stop, the slow shuffling of feet reached his ears.
“Why now?” Alex harshly whispered.
The footsteps were getting closer, and it was obviously coming to his location.
Alex turned back. There was no other place to hide.
Except!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he moved, closing the door softly and skidding under the large kitchen desk.
In less than ten breaths, the kitchen door creaked open, and a soft growl echoed in the room.
Alex held his breath and watched as a pair of discolored feet stood right in front of him.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
Above him was the ticking clock; he had 20 hours left in this forbidden area!
- Writer
