Chapter 8: The truth
Chapter 7: The Truth
A chilling wind stirred dust and ash across the cracked pavement as the group pressed on, silence hanging thick in the air after their earlier encounter.
They reached a small parking lot were there were countless unused vehicles, the moment they reached here, Jonah gave the instructions to his men.
"Okay guys, you know the drill check whether our baby is serviceable today.
He then noticed startled reactions from the new dwellers.
"What, don't tell me that you thought we were gonna walk all the way to the city's edge on foot?"
After releasing a short laugh, he continued.
"That would be just suicide. Noon would arrive before we even reach the place, and trust me you don't want to be out here during the night. "
The wiry boy from before, voiced out his puzzlement.
"Sorry, but aren't using the vehicle an even dumber idea, given that it will produce sounds that would attract lots of crazes."
Jonah nodded and complimented.
"You are smart kiddo. Yes that would have been the case in normal circumstances. But as l said before, this place is not your standard city.
Most of the crazes here do not usually operate during the day. We don't know why but they are mostly active at night. So be rest assured, although we might attract some crazes, they will be in within our capabilities to handle."
This explanation seemed to be enough to convince the wiry boy.
The patrol guards didn't take time ti find a fully serviceable vehicle.
A moment later Alex and the other heard the sounds of engines running and saw two four seated open trucks approach them.
The group wasted no time climbing aboard.
For Alex, it was strange. The vehicle rumbled beneath him, familiar in a way he couldn't quite place. Maybe this wasn't his first time riding one—he just couldn't remember when.
The trucks rumbled through the ruined landscape, engines humming steadily as they cut through the silent city.
As they drove, the sun climbed higher, cold and pale in the sky, doing little to cut the unnatural chill that now clung to the air.
Jonah sat at the front, eyes always scanning the path ahead. They were close now. He could feel it. Even the air changed this far out, turning heavier and more still.
Eventually, they reached it.
A barren street opened wide before them, the buildings thinning out until they disappeared altogether, replaced by wide fields of cracked earth and scorched grass. Beyond that, it stood the veil.
It was like transparent yet but visible curtain that blocked the path stretching high above the sky.
It shimmered faintly in the air like heat rising from asphalt, but colder. A dome-like curtain of transparent light, almost invisible unless you looked directly at it. Waves of distortion rippled across its surface, warping everything beyond it into a blur.
Jonah stepped out of the vehicle and approached it.
"This," he said, gesturing toward the strange curtain, "is what cages us."
The recruits filed out slowly one after another, their faces etched with disbelief. Alex stepped forward, his brow furrowed as he stared at the undulating veil.
"Is it... solid?" he asked.
Jonah didn't answer. Instead, he demonstrated by picking up a rusted can from the ground and hurling it towards the curtain.
The can flew smoothly, until it hit the veil.
A burst of pale blue light flashed the moment it touched, and the can disintegrated into dust before hitting the ground. The veil pulsed once, then went still again.
One of the recruits backed away. The wiry boy's eyes widened.
"That's- this-can't be real"
Jonah stared at them grimly.
"Now you see why you can't leave this place? ."
A heavy silence fell on the group.
"How long has it been like this?" the tall thin guy with the pale skin suddenly asked.
His tone was calm as if he wasn't surprised by this unnatural phenomenon.
"Since the outbreak as far as we can tell." Jonah replied. "Since we got here about ten years, it had been like this. No one comes in and no one gets out."
While in midst of their observations, the air suddenly grew colder all of a sudden.
A prickling sensation crept along Alex's spine.
Before he could react to this sensation, Jonah's eyes suddenly narrowed. He turned around slowly.
"…We need to move," he said, his voice laced with urgency. "Now."
But it was too late.
A shriek cut through the silence—a horrible, unnatural wail that made the hairs on everyone's necks stand on end.
From the ruins behind them, they emerged.
Six sired crazes sprinted across the cracked ground like rabid dogs, each one faster and more coordinated than the last. But what made Jonah's blood run cold was what followed them.
A bizarre craze.
It towered above the others like tall behemoth, lurching forward in jagged steps.
Its arms were long and uneven, dragging slightly on the ground. Its head twitched to the side with every step, and its grin stretched impossibly wide across its pale, gaunt face.
Jonah's lips parted.
"Shoot them- now!"
Guns came up.
But before the guards could fully form a line, one of the sired crazes hurled a rock with stunning force, striking one of Jonah's men in the face, thus preventing and disorienting their formation.
The guard upon contact with the speeding rock he fell down instantly.
Another guard moved to fire— but he was too slow.
A second craze tackled him to the ground, its claws tearing through his armor.
Two men down. Just like that.
"Open fire!" Jonah roared.
The rest of the patrol fought hard, but the creatures were fast. Smarter. Coordinated.
Jonah turned to the recruits. "Fall back! Stay together!"
But the new dwellers didn't fall back. Instead, they stepped forward.
The wiry boy pulled something from his satchel—a glass vial with a glowing red liquid. He hurled it with precision, and when it shattered near a craze's feet, an incinerating fire exploded outward, engulfing it in flames and burning its flesh instantly.
The girl with the pistol slid into cover behind a rusted car frame, calm and methodical. She took down a sired craze in three clean shots. Another lunged toward her, and she sidestepped, shooting it point-blank in the jaw.
Alex moved without thinking.
Blade in hand, he darted forward, slipping past a craze's claws. With one clean pivot, he successfully maneuvered towards the back of the craze and swiftly thrusting his knife, buring it deep into the creature's spine.
Four sired crazes down.
But it wasn't over.
The last two lunged forward, and the bizarre one loomed behind them like a shadow of dread.
Then, the tall pale-skinned man stepped out from the ranks, his expression stoic and unnaturally calm amidst the chaos.
Without a word, he raised both arms, palms open. Then from his sleeves thin wires, that were almost invisible unfurled, glinting faintly in the light.
With a flick of his fingers, they sprang forward like venomous serpents.
The wires wrapped around the neck of one of the remaining sired craze, in mid-leap.
With a sharp
The creature's head twisted with a sickening snap and fell limp to the ground, its momentum carrying it into the dust.
The other craze turned toward him with a hiss—but the man was already moving. His steps were smooth, almost unnatural—like a dancer weaving through shadows. Another flick of his wrist, and the wires sliced through the air, clean and surgical.
Blood sprayed. The final sired craze dropped, gurgling.
The pale man didn't flinch. His wires retracted with a whisper of steel.
Jonah blinked. Even he hadn't expected that.
The bizarre craze shrieked in fury. It raised a long, twitching arm and slammed it down into the ground, releasing a concussive wave that sent the group staggering backward.
Alex stumbled, breath heavy.
The recruits reeled.
The creature advanced.
Jonah clenched his jaw. This was it.
He had hoped to avoid this.
But they were out of time.
He exhaled slowly, raising his hand.
A faint violet glow flickered beneath his sleeve.
Four sired crazes down.
But it wasn't enough.
Alex stumbled, breath heavy, eyes wide as the bizarre craze raised its long arm and let out a haunting shriek. A wave of unnatural pressure crashed into the group, disorienting everyone.
Jonah turned pale.
He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. But there was no other choice.
His took a deep breath, and then exhaled out slowly.
A soft, violet glow began to flicker from beneath his sleeve. His left hand trembled—veins glowing faintly, the air around him distorting.
Some of the recruits were struggling. The last two crazes lunged toward them—ready to end them.
Jonah raised his hand.
And from his palm something flashed.
Something unnatural.