In Return

"Then, let's go!" Hachiro stood from his position. "Shi-chan, we should hover around. Let's see what's inside the building."

The Hawk circled around the tower guiding the carpet to see the insides of the building from the broken glass windows.

"It's too dark inside.. we can't catch an eye of it.." Shichiro muttered.

"Yeah... I can see anything, too. I mean, I see that I can't see anything." Hachiro replied. "I guess we really have to get inside to see how things are going.."

"Yeah right.."

They went down the streets with deafening silence and jumped off their flying carpet. Gusts of wind blew from side to side slapping the shattered glasses and immobilized vehicles scattered around the area.

"I don't like the feeling we have here..." Kath complained.

"I know. I can smell danger as well." Shichiro replied.

"So, what do we do?" Drake coughed.

"Ahh.." Hachiro said. "I guess we have to split. The other group will get inside and the others will stay here as our reckon. We need people to guard our escape route and our vehicle."

"Then, I guess I will stay here." One raised her hand immediately. "I don't want to get inside that dangerous place anyway."

"Me too.." a boy with the same uniform raced his hand as the girl said, "I'll stay here with her."

"Okay, so, we need 1 more..."

"I will!" another girl exclaimed.

"That's fixed. Everyone else come with us to do the rescue." Hachiro said. "Don't get caught, okay? Don't let your guard down and most especially...." He looked every person in the eye. "Don't die."

"Hai!"

They entered the front door and the darkness of the building swallowed them.

"Where are we? I can't see anything.." Kath whispered.

"Don't stray too far, I guess we're in the way before the lobby.." Hachiro replied.

"I feel something behind..." Michiyo muttered.

"It's just your imagination, Michi.." Drake replied.

They walked past the red light flickering since they entered the building. It seemed as their guiding light towards greater danger.

In a few seconds, they heard a loud noise, the sound of something heavy fell from a height.

"What was that?" Michiyo said. "I guess we've heard that thing before and I don't like what happened after.."

Blinding lights followed and they saw a long path built like the walls of China transferred in the middle of a rainforest.

"What in the world is this?" Kath exclaimed and suddenly a loud roar came from their behind.

They all looked in the sound's direction and a 10-feet hairy black gorilla-like monster greet them with bloodshot eyes. It came from the side they came from, blocking their only exit.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Kath exclaimed.

"Anyway, we have to get away from it," Hachiro said without moving an inch.

"I agree, but where to?" Michiyo asked.

"Forward," Hachiro replied. "There is no other place we can go. And we still need to find the other's location right?" he tried to reach his sword. Fortunately, the gorilla hasn't decided to attack them yet. "Ja, where are they, Kath?"

"Seth gave a distress signal and it's still working," Kath replied, watching her watch with a blinking red light. "I guess they're up ahead. I hope they are still alive."

"Good," Hachiro replied. "Just keep the track and we will run as fast as we can to get to them. I bet this game's like Temple run."

"That old game in this era?" Drake exclaimed. "Laughable.."

"Can't you tell the similarities?" Hachiro replied. "We have the walls with cracks and traps, a monster from behind, and a seemingly unending path...I'm pretty sure we're in a Temple run."

"Is this that kind of game, huh.." Michiyo said "Old school."

"But I'm sure it's as deadly as the one we just played."

"We didn't actually play with the chickens, they came after us as if we're the chickens," Michiyo emphasized.

The monster noticed them, smelling the air, and stepped forward. The floor shook and everyone took a step backward.

"Oi, oi.." Drake exclaimed.

In just a matter of seconds, the monster multiplied. There stood 15 monsters standing tall in front of them.

"Run..." Hachiro whispered. "I said, RUN NOW!" he screamed and they all started scramming.

The monsters followed in a stampede.

"Eyes forward! Watch out for the traps and the cracks." Hachiro shouted. "Don't get caught!"

"AHHHHH" everyone screamed, running.

The monsters are reaching their stinking hairy hands to the group, trying to get a member and bring him to his end.

"Just don't get caught!" Kath exclaimed.

That being said, the other members fell behind their footing and slowed their pace, and the monsters came after one of them.

"HELP!" she screamed. The monsters stopped and did something to the poor girl.

Kath tried to see what happened but Hachiro told her not to.

"I told you not to look back, right? We can get them back later, probably. All we have to do now is to run for our lives and to get to our friends. The rescue takes precedence."

"But.." Kath tried to argue but she decided to keep running.

The scream faded and their pursuers started pursuing them again.

"Hear that? They're on our tail again." Hachiro said as he ran, catching his breath. "Dodge!" he screamed.

A chain saw hangs from tree branches swinging from left to right, cracked on the floor alternating from the right and left, and tree roots cover the whole area.

"Watch your steps people!" Shichiro exclaimed.

"Can't you go directly to them, Shi-chan? I mean, Kath's friends?"

"I can but it will take longer than follow these tracks..." Shichiro replied.

"What do you mean?"

"There's a barrier up there. I can't get past it unless I'll make a glitch and that will take time."

"This is getting worse.."

"But I can buy time. I'll slow the monsters down." Shichiro spoke in his head.

"No! Don't do that."

"Why?"

"You're my only hope. I can't win the games if I lose you. Besides, we're connected, right?"

"I won't die, I just have to.."

"I won't risk that!" Hachiro screamed in his head. "I can't risk you yet. Just..." A conversation happening only in Hachiro's brain.

"Haro? You're slowing down!" Kath exclaimed. She was a few meters ahead of him now.

"I'm sorry. Is everyone still here?"

"They got one of us and the other kid..." Kath's voice turned coarse. "He fell on the crack behind."

They took a right turn.

"So that means there's just a 4 of us now..."

"I don't like this!" Michiyo screamed.

"I'm sorry. I know I've just got ahead of myself a while ago, I mean..." Kath said. "We could have had asked for help first.."

"Don't say that!" Drake said. "We're all in this right? We all agreed on the rescue, so don't blame yourself."

"He's right!" Hachiro said. "We still have a chance to revive them. It doesn't mean they're dead yet..."

"You planning to get them back, but how?"

"If we got the treasure, the key, we can revive everyone that was lost in the game."

"You sure that's possible?"

"I hope so... I mean, in the original game, we can buy life using the gems..."

"And the key will lead us to the gems as this game's treasure, is that it?"

"I thought so.."

"Ja, let's settle for that. We'll hold on to that hope but we still need to escape from these idiots!"

"I know, so we better run faster?"

"Aren't we near to them now?"

"The tracker says we're near" Kath exclaimed. "It's right on that corner!" she pointed to the door on their left after they took 3 right turns.

"Okay, then lets' get in!" Hachiro exclaimed.

They all jumped and set foot on the slim edge before the door.

"Watch out!" Hachiro caught Michiyo's hand.

"I almost fell, thanks.." she said.

"That's nothing. I promised not to lose anyone, right?"

Kath pushed the door and they saw their friends lying on the dusty floor.

"Seth!" she exclaimed. She rushed to her friend's side and helped him sit. "..get a hold of yourself!"

"K..ath.." Seth replied.

"We're here to save you...where are the others?"

"I regretted sending you that distress code...you shouldn't be here," Seth whispered.

"What are you saying?!"

"Those guys are nothing but monsters. They're disasters, they can't be beaten. They've defeated all of us in one scoop." Seth replied with a corse voice.

"Where are the others?"

"The monsters got them... I guess they're dead. If not, they're brought somewhere..." Seth grumbled, catching his breath. "You need to get out from here. Hurry up! Save yourselves...."

The monsters leaped on the same door they entered and now staring down at them, gathered in one room.

"This is bad..." Drake muttered.

"They're blocking our way out.."

"There should be a secret door.." Hachiro said, touching the bricks of the wall. "Please be a secret door..."

The monsters are having a hard time entering the low ceiling of the room, they're still trying to fit themselves in.

"We have to get outta here before any one of those monsters came in.."

"I know, but where do we go?"

"I found it!" Hachiro exclaimed. A path opened on the left side of the atrium. "Let's go!" he screamed.

Drake helped Kath carry their friend Seth as they went inside the unknown place. Hachiro and his wolf lead the way.

"You could have left me there... I've got a few life to live, uhuu..." Seth coughed blood.

"We can't let you die yet. Yuri won't like that. Besides, we got your back.." Kath convinces him again.

Michiyo walked behind everyone and saw the Monsters enter the room one by one. It gave her goosebumps and her heart skipped a beat every now and then. She gazed at the deep abyss below them as they pass the bridge led by the path Hachiro opened.

The ground shook and started to crumble. The monsters set foot behind them.

"Are we on the right way, Shi-chan?!"

"Just farther ahead, there's an exit created by a chopper crash.."

"Okay, let's go!"

They moved forward but to their surprise, a monster leaped above them, growled, and stood in front of their exit.

"That's bad.." Kath murmured.

"We're trapped. We're going to die here..."

"You guys run. We will open a path.." Hachiro said.

"You will, what?!"

"We can't let everyone die here. At least we've got to send people to get reinforcements."

"That can't be you. If there is someone, it should be me." Kath exclaimed. "It was my idea to get here in the first place if only I listened to---"

"There is no time to blame yourself," Hachiro replied. "I said I got this, right? I'll take responsibility."

"That's not for you to decide!"

"Not yours either! Besides,,," Hachiro complained. "I've got the most chance of escaping than you people do..."

"But even if we manage to get away, they'll still follow after us.."

"At least you've got outside. You can fly to the port."

"But---"

"No more buts... I'll stay here and fight these monsters..., you guys will run and ask for help." Hachiro charged with his wolf at the gorilla standing on the other side of the bridge, ready to throw a massive punch countering Hachiro's sword. "Go now!" he screamed.

The others ran towards their exit, dodging the stay shots of the fight between Hachiro and the Gorilla. The other monsters ran towards them, shaking and bringing more cracks to the old bridge. Hachiro attacks with everything he got until he was sent towards the wall near the exit.

"Haro!" Kath exclaimed. She tried to get to him but she caught his glare.

"Stay there, I got this. Go to the exit now!" he barely spoke those words. He held his right hand to his right side, feeling a broken bone crying in pain. Shichiro ran beside him, shielding his master from the monster's attack.

Kath and the others stood there shaking in fear. They wanted to reach out but they can't move, fearing their own death. they saw their members fall into the monsters' hands one by one and now, another member is losing in front of their eyes. Kath's tears cannot contain themselves. They fell unconsciously as she saw Hachiro on his knees.

"You alright?"

"I can still manage somehow.." he said, crawling on the ground in pain.

The monster jumped high and aimed at him. Shichiro readied himself to accept the blast, shielding his master from any more damage.

Out of nowhere, a rope entangled around the monster's torso from the bridge's direction. It changed the monster's aim that made Hachiro escape in a thin hair.

"Michiyo!" he called. He saw the girl fire the rope, causing the monster to change its target. "What are you doing?! You're putting yourself in danger." Hachiro exclaimed. "get away from there now..!"

"It's better this way..." Michiyo replied in their communication line. "Let's just say this is my payback. Besides, I really dreamt to be a heroine for once." She giggled.

The monster ran in her direction.

"What are you saying, you need to run for the exit now!" Hachiro replied. "It's too dangerous. Let me handle it from here. I'm grateful that you saved me a while ago..but that's enough, don't put yourself in danger!"

"You know, I'm sorry.." she continued, neglecting every word that Hachiro said.

"Sorry for what, what are you doing? Go now!" Hachiro exclaimed again.

"I misjudged you and I want to apologize for that. I thought you might do something to your advantage, kill others to raise your odds...the things you do as what the rumors said, but.." her voice turned coarse, engulfed with guilt. "I saw the kindness in your eyes. The sincerity in everything you do..."

"What are you saying, Michiyo? Hurry up now and leave!" he tried to stand but was overtaken by the pain on his side.

"No wonder Sandra kept on believing in you. I admit I got scared of being with you, boarding the bus with you, you can't be trusted. The moment that the GM announced who you are, I decided to hate you, I decided never to trust you. I've closed my mind and I was wrong for doing that. Everything up until now proved that I was wrong, that the world is wrong about you."

"Michiyo!.."

"You got the skills to change the world and that world needs you..." Michiyo said. "I don't know what issues you have with that world, but I know every one of us had misunderstandings. And now I decided to change my mind and trust you."

"Don't think highly of me, I'm just—"

"You are you, Hachiro... the one who challenged the Destroyer, the one who stood against these monsters...and that is the guy I've known. Not the killer, not the hacker. Just a mere member of the Circa, a student of GSSTI, and a friend that will do everything to protect what's dear to him."

"You can't be serious.." his tears fell like raindrops. He hadn't heard those kinds of words for the longest time.

"I know you'll save me, I'll wait. Go now, the others are waiting.. go save them for me, Hachiro-kun."