THE PURGE

The glow of fire radiated in the distance followed by a curled thick smokes in the cold freezing air. It's like an abstract art from a classic museum. Every windows cracked while the flames licking the walls and brutally swept across the ceiling. By nightfall, the whole building was ablaze.

I left my car and run into the gate. It was wide open as if everyone had been left this place for a while. It's not just the building that was on fire. Every cars and busses that parked near the property were also engulfed by the flames. The intense smells of the burning oils and tires suffocated my throat. It tasted bitter and dry like a bowl of sands. I pressed my mouth with a handkerchief and kept walking.

The crackling of flames and the hissing puddles of burned plastics sounded like a requiem for the mountains of dead bodies outside this facility.

I was aghast when realized they're my fellow scientists. Brutally murdered and whoever did this somehow deliberately left their body cremated by the flames.

Why?

I kept walking, but i wasn't brave enough to burst into the burning building. It's impossible. The flame has engulfed this facility inside out. Even the wooden facade had turned into charcoals.

I went back to the front gate. Jerry wasn't here. All i found just corpes everywhere. I wasn't sure what to do, but i thought it would be a right decision if i just drove back to the city. Drove back to Alvedatov and left this island for good.

I was about to leave when a loud whipping sound cracked in the air. It came from inside the gate. There might be a survivor. I turned off the car and strode into the gate one more time. I saw nothing at first. However, an ear ripping sound startled me as i creeped around. I found the source of the sound. It came from the west side of the facility. It's from the parking lot.

I stuck my mouth with the handkerchief and ran through the thick black smoke. I almost pissed my pants when i got there. It was a horrible decision. Yes, there's a survivor. He's fully soaked in blood and pretty much alive. He crawled on the ground while firing at something between the burning cars. I didn't see it clearly as my sight obstructed by the smokes and piles of cars and busses, but i knew there's something else around here.

I ran toward him. He freaked out when i touched his shoulder.

"Wooaaa! Woaaa! Stay away from me!" He aimed his pistol at my face.

I pushed his hand aside and consoled him. It took a while before he realized i was not a threat. I helped him stood on his feet. His left foot limped from something. I couldn't see it clearly what's under his bloody torned cargo pants. He swung his left hand around my neck and stood on his stronger foot. He gasped pretty fast. The trepidation seemed deluge his eyes. Like someone who just saw a ghost.

"It's here! That fucking monster is watching us! He's waiting until we lost our guard and mauled us from behind!"

"What do you mean? Keep walking!"

He looked around in a constant awareness like a PTSD veteran who had been through five tours in Afganistan.

"Get out you, Fucking Bastard! Come get me!"

I didn't understand. Why did he trying to provoke something that scared him to death? Let alone the poorly state of his own body. He severely coughed when we passed the smoke.

We almost reached the gate when suddenly something jumped out from the burning cars behind us. I shrieked like a dying wolf when i saw it with my own eyes. We backed away slowly. The monster he talked about had showed itself.

It's terrifying and disgusting. It had the shape and the size of a human, but skinless. Looked like the whole body just covered in red tendons. It had no eyes nor ear lobes on its head. Just a wide open mouth with row of sharp teeth. It's almost like its teeth structure only made of canines teeth. Even its saliva drolled effortlessly between the gap. Its pointed long tail wobbled as if it's ready to whipped and stabbed us to death. He crawled toward us while hissing like a snake.

The revolting smell from its body even stronger than smokes from burned plastics. Almost like the smell of a tin of surstromming or a decayed rodent, but worse. My stomach acted up. I gagged, but my fears hold them still inside.

The man fired his pistol at this dreadful monster. It was an unheralded act, somehow the bullets landed on its head. Bloods spattered from the wound. It's not red in colour like any other normal living being i saw everyday. It's pale yellow and smelled awful. It screamed and wriggled in pain while reaching up its hands on its head.

I thought it would be the end of this damned creature. I was wrong. Very wrong. It approached us with a creepy fast-paced crawling. It kept moving ferociously even tough the bullets relentlessly penetrating and torned its body.

We turned around when he stopped firing. I told him my car was parked outside the entrance. We tried to get out as fast as we could, but somehow this monster already kept up with us.

The man pushed me aside when the monster jumped on us while screaming in a reedy tone. I was saved, but the monster got him. He groaned while holding its head to prevent those sharp teeth from penetrating his skin. Tooth wasn't its only weapon. Its tail kept hitting the floor trying to whipped his head.

I saw his pistol laid not far from me. I took the gun and braced my self for what's about to happen. I had to take the monster down by my self and saved him, yet my hands shaken when i was holding the pistol.

"Aaaaa! Fuck off! Fuck off! My hand!"

Bloods spattered and created a tiny puddle near him. The monster got his hand with its killer teeth. He's bleeding. This was bad. I had never fired a gun in my entire life. What for? Never once in my life i ever thought personally i would need this certain type of skill.

What should i do?

I screamed and pulled the trigger, but i missed. The pistol even jumped off my hands due to its recoil. I took the gun and pulled the trigger for the second time, it's not even a scratch on the monster. The man wriggled in pain, the agony screaming made me shiver. I tried for the third time, but the bullet wouldn't come out. That's all. I already emptied the clip and the chamber. None, not even a single round left.

The man stopped screaming. At the same time this dreadful ugly creature changed its prey. It crawled toward me. I threw the pistol on its head and leaped on my feet to run.

Too late. I could only imagine its sharp canine teeth stabbed my neck and sliced open my artery. I closed my eyes and took a deep breathe. Its rotten smell was enough to tell me if my dead just two inches away. Its high pitch unpleasant tone gradually louder as it jumped on me.

Out of nowhere another gun shot cracked in the air. At the exact same time, the reedy voice from this reek monster shut down. It had already died when i opened my eyes. A hole with the size of a golf ball on its head seemed like a lethal wound that took its life instantly.

"Mrs. Hope i'm glad you're okay. I thought i'm not gonna make it."

A young looking man just casually walked toward me while resting his big gun on his shoulder. I ran to the first man who saved me before. His right upper arm had entirely ripped off by the monster. That's explained the pool of blood around his body. The bleeding from his brachial artery dried out his blood. Exsanguination for sure. He was bleeding to death.

"Let's go, Mrs. Hope. If something happens to you, I'm doomed. Boss will punish me with five thousands push ups."

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Aghh, yea, yea. Damn, i'm not wearing my cool tactical suit right now because it's an undercover mission to begin with. Excuse my rudeness, Mrs. Hope. I'm an Apex. I'm Gunslinger. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hope."

"Are you Jerry?"

"Agh, yeaa, yeaaa, uhmm, that's my name. I mean, Gunslinger is my field name. Like a cool code name. Do you know what i mean right, Mrs. Hope?"

I just looked at him. Even if he's an Apex, he's still a young man. It made sense if his attitude was lack of maturity. He talked a lot, but peripherally.

"Do you know about this?"

"Yea, yea. Dr. Ivan seems like trying to silent every single person who worked with him. He burned down all the facilities which were under his supervised and killed everyone who worked with him in the past. Boom! The evidence of his crimes and scandals turned into dust."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, i think we have to leave now, Mrs. Hope. I'll answer all your questions once we get into a safe place. All you have to know is, this is the purge. Someone is trying to cleanse up the messy table and declutter it with a new set of cutleries."

"It seems you know a lot of things, Jerry."

"Oh, hoho, yea, of course, Mrs. Hope. I'm an Apex. Ow, i almost forgot. This ugly monster who smells like ass also called The Purge. They loosened him around for a purpose."

"That's enough, Jerry. Let's get to my car."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hope. My armored vehicle parked over there. There's no way i'll drive that ugly lame old car. That looks like my sister's car."

"Leonora was your sister?"

"Yea, i haven't heard about her these couple hours. She told me she had something else to do. I thought she's with you, Mrs. Hope. Is she okay?"

We left this burned facility with his car. I had a mixture of feelings in me. I was curious about Dr. Ivan's true intentions. What scandals did he make in the past? What kind of evidences did he try to get rid off? Was he also tried to silence me? What was that monster who were attacking me? On top of that, what should i told Jerry about Leonora?