"Ruuuun!" A familiar voice echoed in Red's head, urging him to run. He turned around and saw vague figures running alongside him.
"Run!!!" The voice repeated.
Red didn't need telling twice.
A huge building loomed on his line of sight as he ran like his life depended on it. A few figures already entered the dilapidated building, taking shelter from the mysterious entities that they were escaping from. A loud 'crash' resounded as one of the building's support beams collapsed, triggering a chain reaction.
It was a scene straight from an end-of-the-world depiction in a movie. As Red bolted to another direction to get to safety, figures running from the building were crushed by the fallen debris of the already falling building. Metal railings and fragments of concrete fell from the sky like meteorites. It took Red a hard time dodging a few of them as the surroundings got hazier, like misty fog obscuring your vision on a certain spring day.
As Red sprinted a few more meters, his vision blurred even more, making him stumble to the ground. He fell with his mouth gaped open, swallowing a mouthful amount of dirt and choking on it. He tried shouting for help, but no sound came out from his mouth. He struggled to get up, but a huge force weighed upon him. Adrenaline surged through his body as he tried standing up one more time yet the weight just kept getting heavier and heavier... until air escaped from his lungs and his ribs broke from the weight. Slowly, he felt every organ in his body being crushed by the pressure. Before his consciousness completely drifted away from him, he felt warm liquid envelop his body. It flowed past his face and his mouth managed to touch the wetness.
It was his blood, mixed with the taste of dirt and rust.
The taste of rust.
....
....
Red's bloodshot eyes shot up as the lower part of the upper bunk bed greeted him. It took him a few minutes before his panic and adrenaline rush completely left him. He was struggling to breathe as he touched his chest and stomach. To his relief, they weren't crushed to a pulp.
That was some dream you got there... Red. He told himself, shaking his head. Even after he woke up, the dream was so vivid that he wondered if it really happened.
But here he was, lying on his bunk bed in the same lodging room, in the same block.
Red forced himself to get up as he grabbed some water from their provisions. After that, he sleepily trudged towards the hidden bathroom to give himself a treat to an early morning shower. He smiled to himself after realizing that no one was awake yet.
"I got the whole place to myself." He rejoiced. "Unlike yesterday, this is completely peaceful. This is how things should be."
The night before was comparable to a mixed martial arts match after everyone found out about the discovery of the bathroom. It was Curl who started it, pushing everyone out of the way as she tried to avail the use of the facility. However, Scar stood in front of him, saying that it was Red's call on who would be first. Meanwhile, Blond decided to partake in the scuffle. Since he was the nearest to it, he went inside and locked it. That's when chaos erupted.
In the end, they unanimously decided that Cat would be the one to use it first, followed by the rest of the girls.
"I guess it's a good call to take a bath today." Red sighed as lukewarm water sprayed on his face. "Second day as a worker and I already feel exhausted... "
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom slammed open, catching Red unaware...
... well, almost.
Red only had a split second to get into a new change of clothes before a head of a person peeked from the gap of the door. It was one of the few perks of the hidden bathroom— a new change of clothes. It wasn't anything special; just a white shirt and shorts and a pair of undergarments. It resembled the clothes you were when you get admitted to a hospital. In any case, it's way fashionable compared to the brown tattered rags that they previously wore.
"Red!" Scar called.
"WHAT?!" Red shouted as he grabbed his previously worn clothes, deciding to keep it for old-times sake.
"Sorry, but you have to come real quick." He continued.
As soon as he peered inside, he was prepared to cover his eyes but Red was lightning-fast when it came to putting on his clothes.
With an irksome expression on his face, Red tagged along behind Scar. After all, being interrupted in the shower is on the top spot of the greatest annoyances in the world.
Red shivered as the biting cold touched his skin. He didn't have the luxury to wipe himself dry due to Scar's urgent call. "You're really gonna get it big time if this is not as urgent as my shower, Scar." Red threatened, sending a chill down on Scar's spine.
"Red! You're here! How's your shower?" Blond greeted.
"Enjoyable, thanks to Scar," Red muttered. "What's the deal? Is it really that urgent?"
"Who knows, but take a look at that. Any ideas?" Blond pointed towards the testing room.
Red's eyes followed the invisible line from Blond's index finger, ending on a figure inside the testing room. As usual, it was another humanoid.
"Wait, are we testing the humanoid this early in the day? The ambulance thingy hasn't sounded yet, right?"
"I think they only do that with special events and the like. Nevertheless, the humanoid's already here. There's nothing we can do about it." Blond answered with a sigh.
"Do you want to try testing it out this time, Scar?" Red smiled as he patted him on the back.
Moving closer towards the testing room, Red got a better appraisal of the humanoid. It was a bit similar to the first one they ever tested, the only difference is it's athletic, human-like build.
The humanoid had a height of six feet and a muscular build that made it look like it went to the gym five times a week. Its well-defined body scared Red a little bit since he could tell that those metal plates were not your regular ones. The humanoid looks fragile, but Red knew better.
When it comes to humanoids, you can't judge a book by its cover.
"That's an outclass humanoid."
As soon as the metallic door to the entrance of the block opened, Jarxen purposely strode towards the group, saying the first few words that fully attracted their attention.
"Outclass humanoid?" Gadge asked. It was a rather peculiar name for a humanoid.
"One of the beta humanoids released. It's modeled after a world-renowned swimmer called Michael something. That's why it's more well-defined compared to the rest of the humanoids you've encountered. But don't underestimate that humanoid, it's durability and triple plating of carbon fiber underneath its exoskeleton is something worth taking notes on. They're one of the most expensive models of humanoids since they're situated as vanguards when it comes to group combat."
"Group combat?" All of them thought, but no one dared interrupt Jarxen's explanation.
"With its fifth-generation radioisotope generator, the humanoid has a half-life of five hundred years; that is if its generator was well-maintained. Its advanced thermal stabilizer makes it impervious to severe coldness and heat, making it immune to flamethrower and the winter season. Adding to that, it's improved built-in hydraulic cylinders in its appendages enables them to carry more than half a ton of weight. Don't let them get a grip on you since they could easily crush your bones."
"Their defense mechanisms are no joke either. Their body is an entire shock absorber itself. Hit them and the force will just get distributed all over its body. It's only weakness is its stupidity. If an outclass humanoid is not connected to a server humanoid via wireless, then it won't function. It also depends on the server humanoid's vast pool of knowledge so, in terms of combat, it's only as good as the server humanoid."
"So, the only way to defeat them is to disconnect them from the server humanoid," Red asked. "Why are you telling us about this, Jarxen?"
"Did you feel guilty about what happened yesterday? Or do you feel sorry for getting punished for your mistakes?" Blond kindled Jarxen's wrath.
"Hah hah!!!" Jarxen's raucous laughter filled the entire room. "Don't get the wrong idea... "
"... even if I told you all these, there's no way you could defeat that humanoid."
"Allow me." Red accepted the challenge, going inside the testing room before anyone could stop him. If no one could stop it, then I'm the only one who has a fighting chance. He said to himself.
However, his confidence vanished into thin air as the humanoid's eyes shone a bright cerulean color, signaling its generator turning on.
Red felt the same feeling of pressure from the dream he had this morning. It's as if his dream was a mere premonition of what's about to befall him.
The humanoid didn't move. It just eyed Red as Red stared back at him.
Step.
Before Red could react, a lightning-speed jab landed squarely on his face, forcing him off his feet.