(Ray)
Ray pressed his back against the door with all his strength. It wasn't easy, especially considering the fact that he was sitting in a slightly awkward position. But he was not going to let anyone or anything open that door. He knew that neither of them had the strength to fend off a Deathless in their current state. They were far too exhausted to even stand up, let alone fight an undead corpse. That's why he had to do everything he could to make sure the door remained closed.
The handle turned slowly a couple of times but the door remained as still as a rock. Though it was taking quite a lot out of him to keep up the constant pressure, it was definitely working.
Before long, the handle stopped moving and the figure moved away, allowing the faint stream of light to enter the fire exit once more.
Ray sank down and rested his head against the door.
"Fuck…" he gasped for air, "That was tiring."
"Oh my god, that was so scary." Meghan whispered, "I was seriously freaking out. My whole body is still shaking."
"Yeah, a little too close for comfort." Ray admitted.
"He's still out there. We'll need to do something about him or we won't be able to leave."
Ray agreed. They needed to take him out too. But they couldn't risk making any noise. It would only attract more Deathless to their location. They needed to kill this one quickly and silently. Fortunately, he had an idea of how they could do that but he was sure Meghan wouldn't like it very much.
"I have a plan…"
"Oh, great!" Meghan said with relief, "What do we do?"
"You're not gonna like this but… I need you to act as bait."
All the relief drained off her face. It was replaced with a mixture of confusion and anxiety.
"What do you mean act as bait?"
"Well there's a concept known as ganking…" Ray began.
"Please don't tell me it's another one of your gaming terms…" said Meghan, cutting him off.
"Umm…"
"Oh you cannot be serious!" Meghan grumbled in a low voice.
"Hey, hear me out at least! My ideas have worked so far, haven't they?"
Meghan didn't want to admit it but he was right, "Fine" she said hesitantly.
"Great! Ok, listen. Ganking is a term used in team-based online games. So basically, one of the team members need to taunt the opponent and get them to attack. But the ganker will be secretly hiding somewhere in the vicinity, unbeknownst to the enemy. The moment the opponent falls for the bait and moves into position, the ganker will surprise attack them and take him out either by himself or with the help of the teammate. So in our case, you're the teammate who acts as bait and I'm the ganker. You get its attention and I'll sneak up behind it and take it out in one blow."
"What? That was your big plan?" Meghan whined, "Even I could have come up with that. Also why am I the bait? You be the bait!"
"That's fine with me. But can you guarantee that you can pull it off? Because if your timing is off then I'll die first and then while you stand there, stunned by grief and guilt, it'll come for you next. Are you ready for that kinda responsibility on your shoulders?"
Meghan rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay! You made your point. I'll be the stupid bait."
"You won't even have to do much honestly. I'll open the door and quickly hide behind it. Just get it to notice you and keep it distracted. The moment it steps through the doorway, I'll sneak up on it and drive my knife into its brain. Quick and easy."
"You make it seem like you've done it before."
"I have…" Ray started, "in games."
Meghan looked positively vexed.
"You know that doesn't instill me with confidence, right? Also what if… I don't know, it charges at me or something?"
"Don't worry, I'll get to it before it gets to you. I won't let anything happen to you." Ray assured her.
"Hmmm…"
Ray clenched his teeth. Meghan was upset with him. It was easy to tell that she wasn't happy about his idea at all. But they neither had the time nor the resources to make a better plan. It was the best he could come up with given their specific circumstances. He promised himself that he would try and make it up to her if they both made it out alive.
"So where do you need me to stand?" Meghan asked.
"Go up a few steps. Just enough for the Deathless to still be able to see you. That way even if it gets past me, you'll still have a bit of a head start to run."
Meghan slapped her forehead with her palm, "Oh lord… What am I even getting myself into? Listen, you aren't allowed to let it get past you, okay? The only way I'm doing this is if you promise me you'll making this stupid ganking plan of yours work."
"Ahh…"
Ray hesitated. Even though he had done this innumerous times in video games, he had never thought of doing anything even remotely close in real life. He wasn't a hundred percent sure his plan would work but they were running short of time. They needed to act now!
All his life Ray had been against making promises he wasn't sure he could keep. If he ever had even a slight sense of doubt he refrained from doing so. But it seemed like nothing else would convince Meghan to cooperate. She was stubborn like that. Something he knew very well.
Half-heartedly he said, "I promise. I'll make my stupid ganking plan work."
Meghan's face softened, "Okay then…"
As instructed, Meghan then climbed up a few steps and waited there with her spear ready in her hands. If things worked the way Ray had hoped, she wouldn't need to use it at all. It all depended on how the Deathless reacted upon seeing her.
"Ready?" Ray asked.
Meghan didn't speak but gave him a quick nod instead.
"Okay," he said, "here we go…"
Ray then grabbed the handle of the fire exit door and pulled it open.