The dead ambusher’s partner bolted down the street with a panic-stricken expression and the creature, now done with the man’s corpse, followed suit.
“He should’ve gone for the head…” I murmured. And then I noticed where the man had taken off to.
There was an inexplicable fire burning in my heart. It felt as if a hidden universe was just a touch away. And in my heart, I knew what to do to reach out to that hidden reality.
“What’re you doing!? Enzo!” Janco whispered, but I paid him no attention.
I had to get a closer look. The rules specifically barred going out of bounds, and there was no mistaking that they referred to the fog-gate. I had taken the egg-timer from the kitchen specifically to test what would happen if I threw it outside the gate.
But now, I had a better test subject…
Just as I stepped onto the asphalt streets, the egg timer went off and the creature stopped in its tracks. Even as it turned to look at me, I stayed still, captivated by the sight of the man running into the fog gate. And then I gasped, not because the monster was running towards me,
But because the man simply evaporated.
I felt my face stretch into a wide grin and I jumped in place, warming up for the madness I was about to attempt. I stretched my legs as the monster ran towards me.
And then I broke into a sprint towards it.
“What’re you doing?!” I heard Janco shout behind me, but my mind completely blocked it out in the thrill of what I was doing. If what I was doing failed, it would probably be the end.
So I put all the remaining energy into my legs— squeezing every muscle fiber in the process. Today, I had already ran as much as I have in my entire life. And if tomorrow ever came , I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to walk properly.
The monster quickly drew closer.
Just as it was within an arm’s reach away, I kicked off the ground with all the measly force I could muster.
The thing was a good 10 to 13 feet in length. Under ordinary circumstances— with my depleted energy and my zero proficiency in athletics— I could never have made the jump over it.
But today, luck, as well as physics, were on my side. Since we both moved towards each other, I could easily vault over it even with my shitty athletics.
When my feet hit the ground with a thud, I bolted towards the gate as fast as I could. This part of the plan was crucial and when my legs felt like solid iron, my heart grew clouded with fear.
No. I will make it. I simply have no other choice. And if I didn’t, I died… the calculus was simple
Behind me I heard the shriek of the monster and its clumsy attempts at turning around and I kept running. I slowed down a lot. But I kept running.
Pushed to the brink of death, I’d found within me a source of endless energy— something I never thought I had. The rational part of my mind chalked it up to adrenaline.
I stumbled. My knees and palms scraped the asphalt and became bloodied. But I simply got up and continued to run— now at the speed of a brisk walk.
And when I finally made it to the fog gate and turned around, a part of me chalked it up to fate. It was fate that I was called here. And now, it was fate that even with my horrible stamina and athletic ability, I had been able to put quite a bit of distance between me and the beast.
I stood with my back to the gate and calmed my mind— my focus razor sharp on the disturbingly fast creature. I took in every single detail and waited as if my hands were on the trigger in a gunfight.
Even when the monster was 10 feet away, I stood still.
It lunged at me.
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And at that moment I used all the remaining strength in my legs to push myself out of the way.
I felt its razor sharp nails slicing across my cheek.
And then nothing. With panic lighting my soul I whipped my head back.
And it was beyond the gate.
I wanted to shout and yell in jubilation, but first, I had to confirm that it had disappeared like that man.
I cautiously peeked my head out and saw an endless expanse of shimmering gray fog. It was finally over.
I slumped in front of the gate. I don’t think I had the energy to get up.
It’ll be alright if I close my eyes for a moment right?
“Hkk!!” All of a sudden my throat felt constricted and I felt a thick and cold pressure wind around it.
A tentacle from beyond the fog.
It slowly dragged me back even as I struggled against its grip.
My surroundings became foggy as I passed the gate and my heart dropped.
Panic surged in my stomach like bile. This can’t be how it ends. I came all the way to Amsterdam just to die? No, there’s no way. The knife. I pulled the knife out of my pockets and began slicing into the tentacle but the knife simply fell to the ground with a clang.
I stared at my hand in horror.
It was gone.
And my arm was slowly evaporating as well.
I couldn’t feel my legs anymore, nor could I see them.
And even when the pressure on my neck disappeared and the monster had vanished, I had no limbs with which to crawl back outside.
I couldn’t breathe.
All feeling below my neck was gone.
The last thing I saw was Janco’s horror-stricken face beyond the gate.
And the last thing I thought was how much of a fool I was in coming here, only to die.
----------------------------------------
The madman had actually done it. Without the use of force, he’d managed to kill the creature. But he’d lost his life in the process.
Janco watched his disappearing body in horror.
Enzo’s bleak eyes would probably stay with him forever— imprinted in his memory like a brand. He’d never seen such a crazy, yet brave person before and his eyes became moist. Quickly, he rubbed his eyes until that moistness was spread all over his cheeks.
A cold dread seeped into his heart as a vague notion grasped him.
That this was only the beginning.
The beeping of an announcement sounded overhead, and the robotic voice of a woman sounded from the sky.
“Congratulations to all our survivors for passing the test! Please meet in the entrance room to gather your rewards.”
Janco looked to the star-studded sky and then down at the other end of the street— where they had all come from. The hallway and the classroom.
As he walked, he was joined by the others. People who tried hiding it out just like him. A part of him was surprised that there were so many people in this silent neighborhood— all unwilling participants in this cruel game of hide and seek.
After minutes of mindless shuffling, they were all seated back in the classroom. This time however, there were three empty seats.
The eloquently dressed old man tipped his hat to all the survivors who all remained silent. The crowd in the room were like obedient sheep and not a single one dared to speak out of order or be too uncooperative.
Nobody dared to after his first display of power before the test.
But in this atmosphere of stifling silence, a single, shaky hand rose up.
It was Janco.
“Are… No. What happens if you go past the fog-gate?”
The old man’s expression turned grim, furthering the sinking feeling in Janco’s gut. In slow, measured tones, his reply came like a hammer on a nail.
“You must have witnessed it. That is something nobody can survive.”
His hand slowly fell back down, and then there was silence again. In this silence, the old man took off his hat— pressing it against his chest.
“By any measurable metric, today’s test ranks among the most successful ones… With only three casualties. Count yourselves among the blessed to have survived. For if it weren’t for the brave actions of a few, a lot less of you would have been seated here.”
Another hand rose up from somewhere. It was the scholarly gentleman with the grizzly beard. His voice was rough-sounding yet his words possessed all the manner of an academic.
“You said there would be a reward…?”
“Splendid question.” The old man replied, putting on his hat, “Today the reward given to you all will be the same… Although the locals call it ‘Heaven’, to us, who’ve been here for the past 50 years…”
There was a flash of light as the walls suddenly disappeared, revealing a dazzlingly enchanting shopping mall filled with rustic-looking people of all sorts and strange shop fronts.
“We call it Rotting Heaven.”