Chapter 20 – Bound (Part 3)
Jack rushed toward the monsters without hesitation or fear. At this point, he was already familiar with fighting, and it was becoming second nature to him. Granted, he was far from good at handling the sword or even fighting in general, but he was learning rapidly, and each battle was another positive addition to his experience.
Reaching the group, he used Mind Manipulation.
"Stop," he said coldly before slicing with the sword, cutting two heads without hesitation.
[You have killed…]
[You have killed…]
He ignored the information as he shoved his leg into a nearing monster and then stabbed it in the face, killing it with ease. At the same time, another monster tried to lunge at him, only to suddenly slam into the ground. Jack looked up and realized that Luna had used her ability on the Undead.
Then, she pierced its brain with her weapon. She looked at Jack and nodded her head. The two then dashed forward and swiftly killed the other three monsters with ease and without making any noise or alerting the ones inside.
"Fuuuh… Good," Jack muttered and gave Luna a thumbs-up after checking the situation inside. 'First part of the plan is going well so far.'
The two then slowly continued toward the open gates. The sound of monsters grew louder, and along with it, the feeling of danger loomed over their heads. Eventually, they found themselves merely a few inches away from the gate. Any more and they would risk exposing themselves.
"We'll be making some noise to attract their attention. Then I'll close the gate shut so all of them cluster around it and try to reach us. That will create some space at the back where the others can go in."
The plan was simple and straightforward. Pull them in, close the gates, prolong their escape as much as possible, and give the group as much time as possible.
"Got it." Luna nodded. "But… be careful, ok?"
"Hm, I will be," Jack said.
Sucking a deep breath, Jack focused on the open gate before he slowly stood up. Time for the real plan — and he had to do it flawlessly. If he made a small mistake, the entire flood of monsters would be able to leave immediately, and he would be completely exposed.
There was no room for mistakes — or he would die.
'Not bad odds,' he scoffed. 'Well, here goes nothing.'
With that, he stepped forward, standing at the door's steps and staring at the monsters. Some looked at him too and roared. However, before they could attack, he slammed his sword against the door and yelled,
"Come here, you fools!"
His voice was loud, booming across the entire place and catching every single monster's attention. For a second, the entire area turned silent before…
"ROARRRR!!!"
Roars erupted everywhere. They were so loud that for a second, Jack's ears rumbled. Then, a wave of monsters flooded toward him. The sight was enough to send someone into panic. However, the boy remained calm as he quickly grabbed the gate and slammed it shut right as the first monster approached him.
BANG
The door closed shut, and a moment later, the monsters slammed into the iron wall. The door immediately bent under the immense pressure as dozens and dozens of Undead rammed into it.
Jack took a step back before he hit the door again with his sword, making the monsters even crazier.
"Now, Luna!" he said.
The girl quickly nodded and climbed over the wall, giving the signal to the other group on the other side.
Meanwhile, Jack kept grabbing the monsters' attention with continuous noise and shouting. He noticed that it got a very strong and clear reaction from them.
'Are they sensitive to human noises? It could be,' he mused. 'In any case… this door won't hold for long.'
BANG BANG
'Let's hope it's enough for them to get in.'
"She gave the signal! Let's go!" Alex yelled as he climbed over, followed by Emi and Evan. The group landed in the field and quickly snuck behind the horde.
The sight of the creatures gave them chills. It was unimaginable.
"Let's hurry, don't stop," Alex whispered as he rushed toward the gate. However, just as he was about to run in, a monster emerged from the door, making him come to a halt.
'Shit! Why did it come out now?!' he cursed as he tried to step back and hide. If the monster noticed him, it might alert the rest.
Ducking down, he warned the other two. Evan and Emi reacted almost instantly, falling to their stomachs. They watched the monster wander out slowly.
'Move, move, move!' Alex thought as he held his breath. Luckily, they were slightly hidden behind a bush. But if the monster turned its head even a little, it would see them.
Waiting for what felt like several years, the monster grunted and continued moving, following the noise.
"Fuuuh…" Alex exhaled as he slowly stood up, then, with the two, snuck in and closed the door shut behind them.
"That was so close…" he whispered. "We need to stick together."
"Yeah."
"This place is dark…" Evan whispered as he pulled his phone out and turned the flashlight on. "It seems the energy's been cut off across the city."
"..."
The entire floor was dark and quiet — eerily so. Flashing the light in every direction, all they saw was blood and chaos, but no monsters. Relief washed over them, and for a second, they stood there to catch their breath.
"Let's go…" Alex said and stepped forward. Passing over the broken furniture and food scattered everywhere, they walked toward the stairs that led to the second floor.The only sound they could hear in that dark place was their footsteps as they walked through the mess.
'This place gives me the creeps.' Alex instinctively hurried his steps. Luckily, nothing attacked them, and they reached the stairs, climbing to the second floor.
There, they came across their very first batch of enemies. Roaming the dark kitchen area aimlessly, the monsters wore white aprons covered in blood, indicating that they were the chefs previously.
"Shh. We can pass without alerting them," Alex said to Emi and Evan. They both nodded, and the group started slowly making their way up the stairs to the next set that led to the final floor.
Their steps were careful and deliberate, avoiding casting light on the monsters. However, that naturally made it really hard to see where they were stepping. There were shards of glass, blood, even broken wood and other materials everywhere.
Alex was able to pass swiftly, getting to the stairs. Then Emi followed successfully. Finally, Evan followed them. However, right when he was about to step in, his shoe pressed on the ground and…
crack
Small shards of glass cracked under his weight.
"Raa…"
All the monsters turned around immediately, staring directly at him.
"Shit!"
"Run!!"
Without hesitation, the group turned and dashed up the stairs as rapidly as they could. The monsters ran after them, stumbling into everything in their path.
They were exposed.