Discord in Exodus (2)
[VANE'S POV] Action music recommended
"YES!"
"GET OUT!"
"MOVE!"
The escapees jostled to charge through the open door.
"NO, NO! WHY!" A defeated scream echoed from the sentinels, carrying a sense of knowledge.
What did he mean?
"SIR!?"
"WHAT HAPPENED, SIR?"
"JUST, MOVE AS FAST AS YOU CAN!"
The sentinels were approaching from darkness, with their steps resonating with metallic thuds.
I gazed ahead and discerned a corridor lit by the torches of the escapees.
Pieces of wood and rocks littered the ground, cobwebs tangled the passage, and more black sludge adorned the walls and floor.
Everything leading up to it warned me not to enter, but why?
Why does everything tell me not to go in? Why does my body refuse to move?
My muscles twitched, blood coursing with energy, while the corridor tantalised me with the promise of freedom.
But I couldn't move, an increasing weight in my gut grew over my desire to escape.
"MARCO, COME ON!"
"MAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Vargos and the brown-haired soldier halted beside me, but before I could reply;
"HEY WAI—!"
SLAM SLICE
"ARGHHHAAAA!"
"PLEASE OPEN!"
"NO WAIT!"
THUD THUD THUD THUD
My attention shifted to the door, slammed shut by the escapees.
One of the escapees lost his arm while trying to halt the closure.
"PLEASE OPEN IT—OPEN IT DAMN IT!"
"HEY SOMEONE COME HERE, PLEASE!"
"MARCO, TELL SOMETHIN'!?" Vargos screamed, facing me.
Why was he still following me? Besides, what can I do? I looked around;
The door clattered under soldiers' efforts, but it was locked—no use trying to break it.
I looked behind, torches approaching from the darkness, threatening our lives.
"FASTER!" a sentinel screamed, and I saw their figures now.
"Please god, please god, please god…," a soldier prayed, on the verge of tears.
"HEY MAN, WHAT DO WE DO!?" I saw the brown-haired soldier, supported by his sword, greedily gasping in the air.
"WE ARE GONNA DIE, MARCO, SAY SOMETHIN'," Vargos shouted urgently, searching for any hope.
But there was none.
My saliva clung to my dry throat, and my muscles seared under the lactic acid.
The tingling lessened, and my heart began to slow, leaving a weight in my chest.
The effects of the potion were starting to wane, and all of us were wounded or fatigued.
Their countenances were quivering, wielding swords, to fight the sentinels.
I meekly raised my sword, my body was losing its vigour, and I knew my efforts would be futile.
Teary snot escaped my nose, as the weeks of effort and agony all went down the drain.
I wanted to survive, somehow.
'System, help!'
[Please update the system to access its features.]
'Please system, tell anything!'
[Please update the system to access its features.]
'Anything! Come on please!'
[Please update the system to access its features.]
'Update!'
[Unable to integrate updates. Please diminish the magical interference to proceed.]
I looked at the black bracelets, gritting my teeth.
Fuck these bracelets!
I tried breaking them, but they were embedded into my wrist.
I can't remove them without tearing my hand.
"AH, FUCK! I AIN'T GOIN' DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT, BRING IT ON," Vargos screamed valiantly, but his shivering body told otherwise.
"PLEASE GOD! SAVE THIS POOR CHILD OF YOURS, I BEG YOU."
All of us were on the verge of crying, the exhaustion and impotence drew out raw emotions from us.
I looked at my wrists—maybe I should tear them.
Maybe the system will save me somehow.
The intensifying steps and the bawling of grown men drowned me in indecision.
I didn't want to cut my hand, but I had to.
PANT PANT PANT PANT
My breathing grew quicker, as I resolved to survive another day and poised my sword above my left wrist.
My body was jolted from resignation, heating up from the thought.
It rejected my actions with all its being, rendering me limp.
I refused to back down and fought the paralysis through shivering knees.
Tears coagulated in my eyes, and I closed them, gritting my teeth tightly.
'on the count of 3,' I resolved.
Every second was stretched, and my body grew increasingly restless.
Before I knew it, more than 3 seconds had passed, yet my hand was still intact.
The sentinels had approached us, intent to kill, but were halted;
GRAAAAAAHHHHHHH
A guttural scream tore through the door, with a distinct vibration, sounding high-pitched and heavy.
"Huh?" the sentinels stopped in front of us, and our collective gazes fell on the door.
THUD THUD THUD THUD
"GAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
PULCH SPLURT SPLURT
"NO, SOMEONE PLE—URGHAAA!"
"WHA-WHAT IS T-T—?"
"H-HEL—KUAAAARGHHH"
"KUAAAARGH—KWAK KUK"
The tormented screams ensued.
They had a vibration to them that felt dry and ringing, lingering in my ears.
Cold sweat dripped down my spine, chilling my body continuously.
Even the soldier with the torn arm muffled his sobs by biting into his clothes.
"H-hey, w-what are those sounds," a soldier dared to break the silence, pulling the attention of the sentinels.
One of them faced us, no longer trying to apprehend us.
"Ghoul spawn," he replied, his voice; hasty and shallow.
All of us understood the situation.
"MAAAA—MAAAA."
"STOP THEM!"
"GARY—NO!"
"SOMEONE, PLEASE!"
GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH
My heart quivered when the demonic screams intensified.
"QUICK!" the sentinel ordered, as all of us reached a common consensus.
It was no longer a chase, but rather, a fight for survival.
"YOU WON'T KILL US RI—!?"
"FUCK NO! DID YOU HEAR THAT SHIT!?
"PROVE IT!"
"HEY HE TOL—!"
"ARRGHHH FUCK! ALRIGHT, EVERYONE SHEATH YOUR SWORDS!"
"BUT SI—!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DO WHAT I SAY, AND YOU LOT AS WELL," the leader glared at us, shutting any refutation.
"PICK THOSE UP," he pointed to the torn reinforcements.
"ALSO, GET THE SWORDS FROM THEM AND PUT THEM HERE," he pointed to the door handle.
We lodged the door handles with the swords, planks and twisted sheet metal around it, securing it tightly.
"MOVE THE BODIES," the leader shouted, he himself not moving, but we didn't refute.
"Hey man, do we just follow them like this!?" the last member of the trio asked while dragging the fallen.
Obviously, we don't follow them just like this.
The sentinels always placed their hands close to their swords, keeping their eyes on us.
To them, we were merely labourers, and they would backstab us the moment disaster was averted.
"Yea' don't trust those fuckers, we gotta get outta 'ere," Vargos advised, urgency laced in his voice.
"Shh," I saw the sentinels looking at us, and the duo caught on.
"FASTER, FASTER, FASTER! STUPID IDIOTS!" the leader screamed at us, and the others were taken by fear beaten into them.
GRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
THUD THUD THUD THUD
"WHY IS IT LOCKED!?"
"OPEN THE DOOR!"
"PLEASE SOMEONE! OPEN!"
"THEY'RE COMING!"
The escapees have come back to the door, now kicking it and shouting at us.
The door was opening slightly with each thud, showing soldiers behind.
GRAAAAAAAAHHHHH—PULCH
"GURAAAAHHHHH KUK."
"GURGH KWAK GUAK!"
"NO!" the leader shouted, as the force on the door was getting stronger.
The door was widening even more, splurging blood and viscera from the slit.
"Shit! What do we do!?" the brown-haired man asked, and I saw the others moving to hold the door.
I stopped dragging the bodies and made a run for it—the door wasn't going to hold on without pushing it.
"STOP!" one of the sentinels who stood guard faced me, but I threw the dark fluid at him.
He recoiled, and I swiftly drew my sword, slicing off his head.
"HEY WHAT AR—!?" the brown-haired soldier was about to ask, but Vargos was already on the move, causing him to follow suit.
"STOP THEM!" the sentinel duo stood in front.
I picked up a torch, still ablaze due to mana, and threw it at them.
"SHIT!"
"GAH!"
The sentinels screamed, dodging the torch, letting Vargos and I slip away.
They recovered soon, however, and caught onto the unfortunate one.
"WAIT, PLEASE!" the brown-haired soldier was too slow, but neither of us stopped.
"NO! PLEASE- URGHA!", the sentinels slaughtered him, and were about to give chase, but;
"COME BACK!"
"BU-!"
"I SAID COME BACK! WE WILL KILL THEM LATER!
AND YOU PEOPLE, IF YOU TRY TO ESCAPE, WE WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!" the leader hastily screamed, scaring the others back into labour.
"WHAT NOW!?" Vargos asked, trailing behind me, and I answered, "WE WILL GO INTO THEM," I pointed towards the doors.
"SHIT, NO!"
"PUSH IT HARDER!"
"FUCK! AH MY LEGS!"
"ALL OF YOU, PUSH!"
"SI-SIR THE REINFOR—GAAAAHHHHH!"
"DAMN IT, NO!"
"SHIT! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
I looked behind—the soldiers were running as the creatures proved to be stronger than expected.
Also, the door was starting to falter.