Chapter 21 – Bound (Part 4)
The trio hurried up the stairs and rushed through the door before it closed shut, just before the monsters could get there.
"Lock it!" Alex yelled, and Evan didn't wait a second before doing so, trapping them inside. The monsters slammed into the doors again and again, shrieking and groaning, but couldn't break through.
"Hah… Hah…"
"Dammit, they heard me!" Evan yelled as he slammed his fist against the wall. "I didn't see the stupid broken glass!"
"It's ok, Evan. There was nothing you could do there," Emi said with a worried look.
"We can't stop now. Let's grab the stuff we need, and then we'll figure out how to escape this place," Alex said as he turned around and looked around him at the rather large room. It was filled with boxes and shelves everywhere, and at the end of it was another door that had the word 'Freezer' on it.
This was the storage room where all the goods were. It was filled with vegetables, fruits, and all kinds of ingredients needed for cooking. The perfect spot to find supplies.
"Grab the trolleys. We'll carry as much as possible," Alex said as he pulled one of the trolleys used to carry heavy materials and started putting boxes on it.
"I'll go into the freezer and get meat and other things!" Emi yelled.
With that, the trio rushed to fulfill their mission. They only had a handful of minutes before they had to carry whatever they picked up and leave immediately.
It was either that or putting Jack and Luna's lives on the line — and they didn't want that to happen.
'We need to hurry! I hope they're fine outside!'
BANG
The door kept getting hit violently, bending at an unreal angle. Jack and Luna watched in eerie silence as the monsters kept piling around the area, trying to barge through. They stacked on top of each other like dead corpses.
'This scene is interesting…' Jack almost felt like it was artistic in a sense — so many creatures looking to shred them to pieces. It was unreal.
"Are you ready? They'll be breaking through at any moment," Jack said as he brandished his sword.
"You don't need to ask, I'm more than ready," Luna replied.
"RAAA!!"
At that moment, the two saw one of the monsters emerge from the top of the door as it climbed over and fell to the ground. Then, it grunted and rushed toward them.
"You can have the honor," Jack said.
"..." Luna smiled faintly before she stepped forward and, with ease, thrust the iron rod into the monster's head, killing it on the spot.
'She's getting stronger,' Jack noticed as he crossed his arms. 'Well, that's good. She won't be a dead weight.'
Luna was unsurprisingly very talented and a quick learner. She wasn't going to hinder him in this mission, which was why he was glad she was the one to follow him here.
'Now… more are about to come.' Jack thought and focused on the door as three more emerged. Putting his sword to the side, Jack stepped forward, too.
With swift moves, he killed two of them, slicing their heads in half. Meanwhile, Luna took care of one herself.
At the same time, five appeared. The number kept increasing rapidly as the door bent forward more and more. The hinges were getting destroyed.
'At most, thirty more seconds before the door gives up and we'll have to run,' he mused as he dodged an attack and stabbed the monster before kicking another and plunging his sword into it.
[You have killed…][You have killed…]
'I'm getting close to leveling up. I need a few more targets,' he thought as he stared at the incoming enemies.
Jack channeled his Aether and dashed forward. The mysterious energy fueled his body and boosted his physical power considerably. It was almost like a constant buff he could cast on himself.
He was far faster and stronger than his targets, and so… it didn't take him a second to kill three of them.
His sword moved like a flash, harvesting lives without hesitation. Blood spewed everywhere around him as he sliced one monster after another.
Meanwhile, Luna wasn't falling much behind, killing the other two shortly after. The two stared at the dead corpses before them and then up at the horde of monsters that was about to be unleashed.
Ten more monsters emerged from the pile.
"Let's retreat a bit — they'll be out at any moment," he said.
The two then moved out into the street, making sure not to attract the attention of the roaming monsters outside.
"RAAAR!"
Swish
Cutting through an enemy, Jack kept his eyes on the door. His body moved almost by instinct, killing every creature with impressive efficiency for someone who had just grabbed a sword merely an hour ago. It was almost as if Jack was born to hold a weapon and fight.
His body screamed with happiness as he moved that blade and sliced enemies. A satisfaction Jack hadn't felt before. This was perhaps what he was missing in his life — this thrill, this constant feeling of power that kept growing.
'This is what I want.' His eyes flashed as he stabbed another monster. 'This is what I need.'
Without realizing it, he killed several other monsters. Then, he looked up and saw Luna getting surrounded by three of them.
'Hm.' He squinted before he stepped forward and sliced through another. Luna quickly took that opportunity and killed one before she pushed the other away.
"Hah… Hah… Thank you," she said as she stared at Jack with a sincere smile.
"Hm, focus," he said and looked up.
Just at that moment, he saw what he was waiting for. A loud banging sound shook his eardrums. Then, he saw the door hinges give up, and the metal gates flew into the air, landing a few feet away from them.
At the same time, a large wave of monsters rushed out in a crazed state. The creatures stomped on one another trying to reach them. Many were crushed, and others fell to the ground, getting swept by the rest.
The sheer amount of noise was terrifying as the entire ground beneath their feet shook violently.
"Let's move," Jack said and turned around to start running. Luna didn't wait and followed him. The two quickly rushed through the street, chased by the large horde.
"We'll run around the area and lead them back here!" he yelled.
"Got it!"
"Don't fall behind, or I can't help you!"
As the two ran, the monsters followed them relentlessly. Their speed, even for a horde, was shocking. They were even closing the distance rapidly.
However, Jack didn't panic as he kept looking behind him. 'We won't be able to lead them for long. Annoying.'
Jack had expected it to be a bit easier, but he still somehow underestimated these creatures and how strong they were.
Taking a sharp turn, the two cut through an alley near the cafeteria. The large horde naturally followed suit. However, the alley was far smaller than the main street.
Many got stuck at the entrance as they tried to force their way through, jumping on top of one another.
As the two ran, Jack suddenly came to a halt.
"Jack?! What are you doing?!" Luna stopped too.
"Run ahead. I want to bait them a bit more. We can't risk losing some of them," he said. 'They're bound to lose us if we don't keep pulling them in.'
"What?! No, I'm stay—"
"No! I'm following you shortly. I'm faster, so I won't be caught."
The girl stared at him before she bit her lip and nodded. "Ok! But don't take too long — I'll be at the end of the alley!"
"Yeah."
'I won't take too long.' He stared coldly at the incoming enemies. 'I just want to get a bit stronger.'