Ethan emerged from the battle victorious, his anger still raging within him, now tinted with a lingering fear. The void within his mind left him lost, but his emotions and a faint sense of familiarity served as his compass. As he stared at the grim aftermath of the battle, an overwhelming sense of wrongness gnawed at him.
His gaze fell upon Lila and Marcus, who were observing him intently. Their hushed words reached his ears, although they were separated by the thick doors, as if they were standing right behind him.
"See," Lila's voice carried an 'I told you so' tone. "It turned out just as I expected."
But Marcus appeared far from convinced. "Yes, but if you can't see how dangerous he is, then you are blind."
"Everyone is dangerous, Marcus," Lila retorted, her voice taking on a sharper edge. "Especially in this day and age. It doesn't mean much. Your concern was about him being a zombie. It's cleared up now, so back off."
"Zombie and mutant," Marcus corrected. "He's far from finished."
"Stop pushing me," Lila whispered, her voice a coiled serpent ready to strike. "As long as he maintains control, I don't care what he is. Zombie, mutant, human; they all mean the same to me. If my bet succeeds, we might just be able to pull this off."
"Bet?" Marcus crossed his arms and stared down at her. "What's your wager? What are you willing to lose on this bet?"
Lila glowered at him.
"This is a gamble," he continued. "Against staggering odds. You might be comfortable with it, but I'll never let it pass. I won't let you gamble with everyone's lives."
"You owe me, Marcus," Lila uttered, moving closer to him and locking her gaze with his. "Don't forget that."
"It's the only reason that thing is still alive," Marcus said, nodding towards Ethan. "No sane person would've brought it back. The best thing would've been to put a bullet in that thing's brain. Remember that before bringing up the favor. You won't get through this by pressing me further. Push me one more time," he said, stepping closer to her, "and you'll test how far my gratitude stretches."
Ethan couldn't remain silent any longer. His rage swelled to a crescendo, erupting in uncontrollable laughter that echoed through the room. His laughter filled the silence, creating an eerie atmosphere that grew more intense as it reverberated.
Both Lila and Marcus turned towards him, their expressions tense and surprised at the unexpected sound.
They had locked him in with the abomination to 'test' him, nearly killing him in the process, and Marcus seemed far from satisfied. More tests or a bullet loomed in Ethan's future. The revelation stoked the flames of his anger.
Ethan's laughter gradually subsided, and he straightened up, his eyes aflame with an emerald fury that pierced the room's tension. Within him, an untamed energy surged like a wild beast, demanding liberation, yearning for the release of his pent-up wrath. With a swift, fluid motion, he tore the tattered rags clinging to his body, the fabric surrendering like a fragile thread snapping under tension, and he carelessly discarded them.
His legs coiled with the anticipation of explosive action, muscles tense and ready to propel him toward the two figures, his focus zeroing in on Marcus.
The savage part of his mind screamed to unleash hell but a thread of rationality tethered him to the ground.
What did he really know about this place and its defenses? Shadowy figures might be lurking just out of sight, ready to pounce. And, despite the raw power coursing through his veins, he couldn't forget that he was, at his core, just a human. Guns held a merciless reputation, indifferent to one's might or swiftness.
A decision crystallized in his mind. He retrieved the rod and lunged toward the door. Lila and Marcus jumped back, anticipating an attack, and this gave Ethan the opportunity he needed. He wedged the door with the rod and sprinted toward the wall.
Lila's eyes widened in realization, and she called out, "Ethan, wait!"
Ethan crashed into the wall with colossal force, causing the entire room to shake as if hit by an earthquake. Cracks spidered across the wall, and chips of debris rained down around him. The impact sent shockwaves of agony through his body, making it feel as if his bones had splintered.
Behind him, the door quivered violently as Lila and Marcus, wrestled with it, straining to pry it open.
Clenching his teeth through the anguish, Ethan bore down, unrelenting in his assault on the wall. Punch after punch, kick after kick, he relentlessly hammered the unforgiving barrier, with a single, unwavering goal – to carve a hole large enough for his escape. The intensity of the moment had rendered his knuckles raw, his skin frayed and bloodied, but he pressed on with relentless fury, knowing that his escape hinged on this wall's demise.
Amidst the frantic efforts behind him, Ethan managed to carve out a small hole, a sliver of moonlight threading its way into the dim, crimson-hued chamber. He eagerly intensified his assault, intent on expanding the breach.
"Move aside," Marcus's voice boomed, and an explosion echoed through the room. The gunshot reverberated with a deadly intensity, sending shockwaves that rattled the walls. Ethan's eyes were drawn back to the door, where a fist-sized gap now marked the absence of the door's hinge.
"Stop! What are you doing?" Lila shouted but Marcus was having none of it.
"I blame you," he snarled. "If only you had listened to me. Now, I'm going to rectify the mistake."
A static noise buzzed and a new voice pierced the chaos. "What's happening?"
"Fan out," Marcus commanded. "He's trying to break through the wall."
Ethan felt his pulse quicken as the urgency of his escape mounted. Creating some distance, he collided with the wall again, just as the shotgun discharged another blast. The breach in front of him expanded, growing nearly large enough for him to make his daring leap. Ethan channeled his focus away from the searing pain and redoubled his efforts to escape.
In the tense standoff, Lila's desperation grew. She knew the situation had spiraled out of control. "We found you as a zombie."
Ethan's trembling hand came to an abrupt stop. His thoughts spun in a chaotic frenzy as blood dripped down from his clenched fist. "What?"
"At the penthouse, we found you as a zombie," Lila asserted, her voice pleading for understanding. "That's why the test was necessary. We needed to confirm the truth. Zombies don't attack other zombies."
Ethan struggled to process this surreal revelation, the absurdity of her words hanging heavy in the room. "You're lying."
Lila's voice remained steady, her eyes earnest and sincere. "I promise you, I'm not. Please, just stop. No one here intends to harm you. Trust me. I'll talk to Marcus, convince him to back down. We can sit down and have an honest conversation, and I'll address all your doubts."
Ethan's gaze flitted to the door. It hung precariously on a single hinge, poised to tumble, and Marcus's glare bore murder in every icy glare. No, he couldn't hesitate. Ethan returned to the task at hand; his focus back on securing his escape.
"Ethan," Lila's tone took on an edge of desperation.
As much as he craved answers, Ethan knew his survival took precedence. There'd be ample time to seek the truth once he was free. He couldn't simply trust her after the ordeal he'd endured. Stopping now meant risking being confined and bound once more.
As the hole widened, Ethan glanced at the nearby building, around fifty meters away. Despite his newfound abilities, doubt crept in, gnawing at his confidence. Peering down, he gulped, a surge of vertigo threatening to pull him into the abyss. The harsh reality washed over him: he stood twelve floors above the ground. A chilling breeze tousled his hair, a stark contrast to the sweat on his brow. The perilous drop yawned below, every detail of the world below visible in the moonlight.
The door finally fell to the ground with a loud ringing clang and Marcus dashed into the room, shotgun at the ready.
Ethan clenched his teeth and jumped. Fear and exhilaration coursed through him, until the relentless grip of gravity tightened, and a chilling thought pierced his mind: "I'm not going to make it." His heart raced, each beat a frantic drumroll, as he reached out with desperation, fingers grappling the floor's edge by a mere thread. His body collided with the unforgiving concrete, the impact driving the wind from his lungs. Gasping for air, he grunted with effort, slowly pulling himself up.
He glanced towards the breach, where Marcus stood beneath the full moon's gaze, shrouded in its silver light.
With the journal and its unanswered questions left behind, Ethan knew he'd return for them. Under very different circumstances. With that thought propelling him forward, he sprinted into the night.