Chapter 28

I was surprised to see another concrete wall at the end of the tunnel, and it seemed like there was no way out. Confused, I furrowed my brow and asked, "Isn't this a dead end?"

Aubin aimed the flashlight up at his face. "Boo! Wrong! This is where it all awaits us." He produced a single, lonely chair from seemingly nowhere and sat down. "We need to rest up for tonight."

"Where did you get that chair?"

"Oh, this? You don't think this is my first time here, do you? I've learned from experience that sleeping on a chair is far more comfortable than on the wet ground."

The puddle was about two inches high and reached my ankle. It wasn't enough to slow us down while walking through, but it was an absolute torment to sleep on.

Scipio piled his baggage and sat on it, with Izara on his lap. Meanwhile, I squeezed myself onto the rolling box, taking up a bit of Aidan's space.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Aubin might be lying to us, and we could end up in the hands of the Parliament instead of escaping Genesis. However, exhaustion overtook me, and I quickly drifted off to sleep.

***

Just like the secret button on the floor to reach this tunnel, there was also a similar secret way to open this wall. Aubin touched several spots of the concrete wall.

Beep.

"It recognizes my fingerprint, well, and other members of Ad Maiora," Aubin explained. I immediately pictured Park.

The wall moved to the side, revealing a barren land with hues of orange and pink painted across the sky. The thin layer of dust made my gas mask useless, so I removed it and breathed in the crisp, chilly air. The wind was breezy, and the land was desolate.

"Have you bid your farewell?" Aubin asked, stopping in his tracks.

I turned to see the tall wall topped with razor wire behind me. It was real. We had left Genesis and were still alive... for now.

Aidan was still asleep, curled up in the rolling box like a fetus. I hope my trembling hand didn't mess up the sleeping syrup dose.

"Come on! What's with the long faces? It's going to be a good day."

We continued forward, leaving the isolated country I once called home behind. My chest was filled with strange emotions.

As the sun rose, casting long shadows across the sand, we heard the sound of the wind blowing sand across the dunes. The temperature began to rise, and the sand shimmered and danced in the heat.

In the distance, we could see the ruins of what used to be buildings, abandoned and left to the mercy of the desert.

Aubin came to a sudden halt, causing me to bump into his narrow back.

"What—"

"Shh!" He put his index finger on his lips, eyes wide, on alert. I watched around, studying the surrounding. This was a new environment, I couldn't differentiate normal sounds from dangerous ones.

"Am I missing something?" I whispered.

"Keep quiet! They are attracted to sounds."

"What is?" I insisted.

Before Aubin could give me an answer, a problem came from Aidan.

"Urgh. Where are we, Tes?" Of course, he had to wake up at the worst time possible.

I clasped his mouth to prevent further noise, but the damage was already done. In a matter of seconds, several creatures lunged at us.

Their skin was mottled and leathery, with razor-sharp claws and teeth. Some had extra limbs or tentacles writhing from their backs. They moved with unnatural speed and ferocity, eyes glowing with a hunger for flesh.

"What do we do?" Scipio muttered, surprised to see some mutants.

Aubin unleashed a handgun from his pocket and took aim. "Don't die," he said.

Scipio raised the axe that he carried in his backpack and get ready to face this completely new challenge. He gave a machine gun to his wife.

The creature shrieked as it came at me, its movements quick and unpredictable. I sidestepped its attack, drew my knife from my pocket, and plunged it into the creature's side. It howled in pain as it stumbled backward.

"What are they?" I screamed, busy moving Aidan's rolling box to the sides to avoid the creatures' claws and tentacles.

"I don't know," Aubin answered as he delivered fatal shots. While he was focusing on the frontal attack, a creature came from behind. But Aubin was faster. His left foot was solid on the ground and his right foot turned his body around, shooting the creature in the head.

More creatures swarmed toward us. I darted back and forth, dodging their attacks and delivering quick, precise strikes with my knife. Somehow, we ended up creating a circle, with Aidan in the middle of it. This position was advantageous as it protected us from attacks from behind.

The air was soon filled with gunshots and wails of the creatures. Despite our efforts, the creatures continued to press forward, their numbers seeming to grow with each passing moment.

"Are you kidding me..." My heart sank as I realized that we were badly outnumbered and outmatched.

But then, with a sudden burst of energy, Aidan let out a loud, piercing scream. The weird thing was, his voice didn't come from behind me. I turned around to check, and his rolling box was no longer there.

I didn't know when he did it, but he moved the rolling box away from the group. "Damn it!" I mumbled as I ran to him.

All of the creatures turned their attention to Aidan. I realized then that they had no eyes, making them blind and relying solely on their hearing.

"Aidan!! Aidan!" I shouted as loud as I could to draw the creatures back at me. Knowing my intention, Aidan also yelled intangible things just to attract the creatures.

I cursed my legs for not being able to move faster, even though I had been confident in my speed. But the gap between Aidan and me didn't seem to shorten for a very long time.

With so much noise, the creatures become confused. Some of them came at Aidan and some came at me. A few others circled in a place like they couldn't decide which direction they should charge.

I dodged the creature's attack, sliding down to avoid its long, drooling tongue. As it lunged at me, I sliced its abdomen from below and quickly got back up.

My heart thumped with anxiety as the creatures closed in on Aidan. When I thought that the creatures could bulldoze Aidan, my handsome friend proved otherwise.

He grabbed the tentacle of one of the creatures and swung it around, using it to throw the other creatures away. With brute strength, he severed the creature's feet.

Aidan proved, that despite his condition, he could still fight.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I pushed aside the sentimentality and continued to kill any creature I could reach with my knife. Sometimes I'd be satisfied if I could immobilize them.

Adding to my astonishment, Aidan used our baggage as weapons. He swung the bags around and used them as a shield to protect himself. The shield didn't use a hundred percent, as he got scratches here and there, but that's a concern reserved for better days.

However, the creatures slowly pushed him backward. As far as I could see, he was already on the brink of a cliff. "Aid, careful, behind you!"

My warning came as a distraction instead. One creature snatched him by the neck and lost its balance. The two of them rolled backward.

Aidan disappeared from my sight.

"Aid!!!!!"

What the hell just happened? My brain tried to rationalize the situation. Aidan might lose his legs, but he had proven that his arms worked well. He might dangle on something and wait for me to save him.

With one step forward that I took, about two creatures stood in my way. I delivered a series of swift, deadly blows, taking down several creatures in quick succession.

Still, I was distraught. It was hard staying focused when all I wanted right now was to see if Aidan was alright. The more obstacles in the way, the more panicked I became.

"Aidan!!!!"

As I lost my footing, a creature was successful in pinning me on the ground. Its friends gathered around me. Their disgusting drool dropped on my face, blurring my vision.

I became desperate. Just when I thought that the creatures had me, Aubin stepped forward, firing his gun rapidly at the piled creatures.

The pack was disoriented. Taking advantage of the chaos, Scipio butchered each creature in his vicinity. While Izara took care of the rest.

All we heard now was the creatures wailing in pain until we couldn't hear any sound anymore. Eventually, those who could move their limbs fled.

While Aubin, Scipio, and Izara panted and gasped for breath, I crawled toward the edge. My heart was still racing, and the adrenaline was still pumping through my veins.

"Aid... Aidan..." I called out, hoping for a response that would bring me some relief. But the only response was silence.

To be continued...