Escaping The Mine [2]

There was a city outside of the mine. It was a city encased in steel whose only purpose of existence was to house and please those who had jobs at this site. 

The city was still covered by a steel housing, however, the city was no longer so peaceful or stable.

It had been torn to shreds.

The streets were cracked and the buildings were a mess. There were dead bodies everywhere, and while there were clearly also Sequencers and ordinary people present fighting against the beasts that were taking the place over, it didn't seem to matter.

The chunks of fortified cement and rivers of shattered glass strewn about were harrowing. It was clear that at least several different buildings had collapsed and crushed everything below them.

The remaining humans that were alive were either grouped in certain parts of the city and distinguishable by the sounds of battle near them, or dead. 

The rest of the city was covered in beasts. 

'The incident report said that there were only two hundred or so creatures. I didn't have the chance to see their real numbers in my past life because I was being ushered around and protected by Ricky until we reached the wall.' 

Even Gio, who told Ricky to prepare himself, was expecting several hundred beasts to be in the streets of the makeshift city.

'But this is not a few hundred at all.'

On the street leading out of the mine and into the city, there were at least fifty of them. If the entire city that was built to house tens of thousands of people was filled with this same density of mutated beasts, then the number had to be over a thousand. 

"Gio…?"

Ricky's voice rang out from the side.

"What is it?" Gio responded quaintly.

"We…can live, right?" 

Right.

Gio had been ignoring it because he didn't feel the same way. In his mind, there was a very clear step-by-step plan formed on a basis of [Memory Book]'s recollection of this space. He knew where to go, what to do, and what he would see at any point in time during this entire one-hour and some minutes fiasco that they'd found themselves in.

It wasn't like that for Ricky.

'For Ricky, this is the "first time."'

Looking at his friend, who had revealed his true heart in the midst of chaos, Gio nodded sincerely.

"We will make it out of this. Our lives don't end here." 

He pointed to a building in the distance.

"See that building with the clock at the top? That is our destination." 

"I thought we were escaping…"

"We are, but going there is essential to that. First of all, we can arm ourselves there. If we have guns, we won't be so powerless against those mutated beasts." 

Guns were a mortal's savior. They were the singular way to fight against mutated beasts and monsters as an ordinary person without any training or ability. However, they were extremely expensive and only worked on weaker entities.

Handguns could be afforded by the public, but true weaponry that was effective against strong beasts could only really be bought by companies.

"On top of the guns, did you forget that we have a wall to break through? If I'm right, there will be explosives in that building too."

It was the most crucial location for them to hit. 

Arms and explosives were dangerous things, so they wouldn't be kept in any ordinary building. 

'The city's layout is practical. Mine-related buildings are near the mine and residential or commercial areas are further away.'

This was the only reason he could even think of escape. 

'My slave contract is only five years long, but this mining operation was meant to continue for much longer than that. Basically, this place has been set up to be a self-sustaining society. That includes harvesting its own produce, having its own banks, and…'

Of course, policing its own people.

They could see it from where they stood at the mine's entrance because the security force's main purpose was to keep watch over those who worked in these mines. 

Now, that same security force was either gone or too busy dealing with the consequences of their own actions to care about the mine slaves.

"Follow me closely. Don't make any noise unless I make noise, and never make a noise louder than a noise I make. Keep your body as low and small as possible, and always stay near cover. Remember, their eyes are seeing heat, not actual images. If you can hide your heat signature and stay quiet, they will not sense you."

It wasn't a trait of every mutated beast, just the specific specimen they were up against, but Gio said it so confidently that Ricky believed it to be an overarching statement. 

It was sure to cause problems later, but for the current moment, it was a good enough understanding. 

The entrance to the mine was a massive hole, but the entrance to that massive hole was naturally not left alone.

There was one main road that led back into the city. About 100 meters of that road were considered a part of the mine site. At the 100-meter mark, on both sides. There were security booths that were meant to facilitate who entered and left the mine.

Spreading out from those security booths were fences that separated the mine from the outside world. Now, they were mangled and broken after having been chewed through by beasts, but they were quite effective against humans.

The 100 meters standing between Gio and Ricky and the security booths were not empty.

Firstly, they were populated by fifty mutated beasts that were slowly prowling the area. It was clear that they'd found a great amount of prey in the vicinity, so they decided to use this spot as their hunting grounds.

Secondly, there were several assorted things, such as piles of materials in many forms from powder to ingot. There were a few cars and some heavy machinery as well. 

Overall, the area was filled with plenty of things that were not trying to kill the duo.

'If we use our cover well, we won't have to confront a single beast.'

Not now, and not until they reached the security headquarters and armed themselves. 

At least, that was the goal.

Gio crept behind a pile of steel beams and watched as Ricky followed his movements and arrived next to him.

Peeking around the corner, he noted the positions of all fifty of those beasts.

'Until I entered the Tower of Babel, I always thought of [Memory Book] as a mostly useless trait outside of paperwork. I never knew how wrong I was.'

His eyes only captured the scene on the other side of the steel beams for a single second, but it was captured perfectly in his mind. 

He could see where those beasts were, and using the special perception of his Original Gene, Gio could even chart their future paths. 

"..."

He didn't speak words, but signaled with his eyes. He and Ricky moved from behind the steel beams and rushed to the next nearest hiding place, a mound of powder. It was a common resource called Khaol, which was essentially just a highly improved version of coal. 

In the same movement, he brought Ricky with him and circled around the other side of the mound, making a rush for an excavator that was several meters away.

'It should be fine. It's a bit of a leap, but it should–'

Gio's eyes widened.

"Slide!"

He hissed the word and immediately dropped to the ground. The final few inches separating him from the excavator were covered, and he proceeded to crawl as far under it as he safely could.

Looking back, he noticed Ricky.

Ricky who had not managed to slide into a favorable position.

He was close enough for Gio to touch him, but he was also completely exposed to the world. If only he could drag his body just a little further back into the shadow…

Unfortunately, it was too late.

If he moved now… 

GRRR–!

Suddenly, the two froze in place. The growl they heard was far too close for comfort.

Ricky desperately wanted to look up at what he knew was coming, but Gio grabbed his arm and squeezed his wrist, bringing his attention down to his eyes.

Those were eyes more serious than they'd ever been. They were eyes that said "Don't move, or we'll die," better than the words could have been communicated if they were spoken.

And just as Ricky's eyes met Gio's, "that thing" appeared.

The first mutated beast that Gio had seen up close in this life. 

It reminded him of something he never forgot when he was slaughtering them in the tower. 

'No matter how many times I see them, they never get less terrifying.'