CHAPTER 4: BACKED INTO A CORNER
All around, players scrambled toward the Safe Zone Circle marked on their phones' GPS maps.
Anon and Brea ran as fast as their weary bodies could carry them, sweat streaming down their faces. Anon led the way, eyes darting between his phone and the path ahead. Even in the chaos, he stole frequent glances over his shoulder, ensuring Brea was still behind him.
"Come on, Brea! You got this! Just a little further!" he shouted with a strained, encouraging voice upon seeing how out of breath and exhausted she looked. "You can do this! We're almost there!"
"Haa… Anon… I…" Brea's words came out between gasping breaths, her pace faltering. "I don't think I can—haa… run anymore…"
"You've got this!" Anon urged, desperation creeping into his tone. "Just a few more steps—"
"I'm sorry… I can't…" Her voice cracked, and her knees gave out beneath her. She crumpled to the ground, landing heavily on all fours.
Brea's shoulders heaved as she panted, her trembling arms barely holding her up. Sweat dripped from her face onto the cracked pavement, and her usually bright eyes were glazed with exhaustion. She looked utterly defeated.
"Dammit!" Anon cursed, his voice cutting through the tense air.
His gaze flicked away from her, scanning the horizon. The encroaching crimson clouds rolled closer, crackling with jagged lightning. The sinister atmosphere pressed down on them, heavy and suffocating. And then there was the noise—the chaotic, frenzied roar of something closing in, an ominous promise of destruction.
Anon's stomach twisted painfully. 'Should I just leave her here?'
His teeth clenched so hard they ached. His fists curled until his nails dug into his palms, sharp enough to draw blood. His entire body trembled with indecision, paralyzed by the weight of the choice before him. His pale face mirrored the turmoil roiling inside.
Run. The thought screamed through his mind. Run, now! Save yourself!
The instinct to survive clawed at him, primal and overwhelming. He didn't need to understand what was chasing them to know it was lethal. That it wouldn't stop. That it would destroy anyone caught in its path. The rolling thunder behind him carried that undeniable truth.
But even as the voice in his head urged him to flee, his body refused to move.
'Why… why can't I just leave?'
His legs felt rooted to the ground, heavy and uncooperative. His conflicted gaze remained fixed on Brea, who knelt helplessly in the dirt. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn and run, but something deep within held him back.
"Come on… just move!"
Anon's thoughts screamed at him, but his body remained frozen. His eyes locked onto Brea's collapsed figure one final time, her small frame trembling with exhaustion.
And then, something inside him snapped.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!"
A raw cry tore from his throat as his feet finally obeyed. But instead of turning away, instead of fleeing like the voice in his head demanded, he charged forward. Anon ran—not away, but toward her.
"Get on!" he shouted, skidding to a halt in front of her. He crouched slightly, his breath ragged. "Hurry, Brea! Get on my back! We have to move!"
Even as fear clawed at his mind and adrenaline screamed for self-preservation, Anon forced himself to act. Survival instincts alone wouldn't save him—not if it meant abandoning someone who needed help.
"Th-Thank you, Anon," Brea whispered, her voice faint and shaky.
"Don't mention it—just hold on tight!" he barked, crouching lower to let her climb onto his back.
With a grunt, he hoisted her up, her slender arms looping around his shoulders. One hand secured her legs while the other gripped his baseball bat. Without wasting another second, he broke into a run, every ounce of strength focused on reaching the Safe Zone.
She was lighter than he expected, her petite frame making it easier to carry her. Still, the added weight pushed his already burning muscles to their limit. Each step sent jolts of pain through his legs, but he grit his teeth and kept going.
Moments later, Anon spotted a group of players gathered together, bent over with their hands on their knees, gasping for air. Relief surged through him like a tidal wave.
He stumbled toward them, barely managing to stop as his legs gave out beneath him. With a groan, he drove his bat into the ground for support, gripping the knob with trembling hands to stay upright.
"Whoa there! You alright, man?" one of the players asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Anon couldn't respond. His chest heaved violently as he struggled to catch his breath, lungs burning like fire.
"Huuuuu…! Huuu…! Huuuu…!"
Brea slid off his back, her feet unsteady as she landed. She turned to the group, her voice shaky but hopeful. "D-Did we make it? Are we safe?"
"Yeah, you did," one of them replied, nodding. "You felt your phones vibrate, right? Check the message—it's all there."
Brea quickly pulled out her phone, her trembling hands fumbling with the screen. Her eyes darted over the new message, and relief flooded her expression.
"It's real," she murmured, her voice breaking. "Oh, thank God…" She exhaled deeply and turned to the player. "Thank you."
"Uh... you're welcome, I guess?" The player didn't seem to know how to deal with her over-the-top reaction, so he merely scratched the back of his head and replied awkwardly.
Anon's hands trembled as he pulled his phone from his pocket, desperate to confirm what the others had said. His eyes scanned the glowing screen.
[ALERT!!! YOU ARE NOW SAFELY INSIDE THE CIRCLE! THE SECOND PHASE OF THE ARENA ZONE WILL BE SHRINKING IN THIRTY MINUTES. PLAYERS WILL BE NOTIFIED FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE ARENA ZONE SHRINKS.]
[TIME REMAINING - 24:31]
Anon exhaled sharply, the weight on his chest easing just slightly. His lips curved into a faint, involuntary smile—a fleeting crack in his usual stoicism. They had made it. Somehow, against the odds, they were still alive.
"Guys, look! Is that some sort of barrier over there?" a nearby voice called out, breaking the moment.
"Yeah, and why's it so red? Makes it hard to see what's outside," another replied.
"Cool, though, right? Looks like something straight out of a fantasy movie!"
The growing murmur of curiosity drew Anon's attention. He turned to where a group of players gestured, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the sight.
There it was: a colossal red barrier, stretching like a translucent dome into the heavens. Its surface shimmered with an eerie, pulsating glow, resembling liquid fire frozen mid-surge. No matter how much he squinted, Anon couldn't make out anything beyond it—the outside world reduced to an indistinct haze.
"Should we check it out?" one of the players asked, his voice tinged with cautious excitement.
"Yeah, we've got time," another answered. "Let's see what it is before Phase Two starts."
"I'm in!"
"Me too. Let's go!"
As if spurred by the bravado of the first group, others began moving toward the barrier, their footsteps crunching against the gritty ground. The collective murmur of voices grew louder as the crowd neared the ominous dome.
Brea tugged at Anon's sleeve gently, drawing his gaze. "Should we follow them for now?" she asked, her voice soft but steady.
Anon hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering between the crowd and the distant barrier. He didn't trust the situation, but staying isolated wasn't an option either.
After a beat, he gave a curt nod. "...Okay."
Side by side, they joined the throng, the oppressive weight of the dome looming larger with every step they took.
The barrier was farther than it seemed, and the trek took them nearly a minute of hurried steps. As they neared, a cacophony of distressed voices spilled over from the gathering crowd already at the edge.
"N-No…! What is this?"
"Why are there so many?!"
"This can't be real…"
"Please, no…! Tell me this isn't happening!"
The cries were riddled with panic and despair, each more chilling than the last. Anon's stomach churned as a suffocating weight settled over him. Steeling himself, he stepped toward an open spot by the barrier, his hands clammy as he reached its edge. Then, he looked outside.
And froze.
Beyond the glowing red dome stretched a sea of horror. Thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of skeletal figures writhed and clawed at the barrier's surface. Their blackened bones were alight with an otherworldly crimson flame, their eyeless sockets seething with unbridled fury.
They slammed against the barrier relentlessly, jagged teeth snapping and bared as if ravenous. Each deafening impact sent a ripple across the dome's surface, making it shudder like fragile glass under duress.
Anon's breath hitched. His body betrayed him—his hands and feet turned to ice, a numbing chill racing down his spine. The sight was grotesque and primal, a nightmare manifested into a searing reality.
Beside him, he sensed Brea stiffen. Her voice came as a faint whisper, laced with trembling fear.
"...What do we do?"
Anon couldn't answer. His throat constricted as if someone had clamped a vice over it. Instead, his fists tightened, trembling with impotent frustration. He bit down hard on his lip, desperate to smother the rising terror threatening to consume him.
Then—
Vrrrrtttt…
The sharp vibration from his pocket jolted him. A message. Another one.
Anon's hands shook as he pulled out his phone, its glow illuminating his pale, sweat-slick face. He tapped the screen and read—and he wished he hadn't.
{Tutorial Quest}
Clear Condition: Kill another new player
Clear Reward/s: +10 CP, +1 Level-up
Failure Penalty: GAME OVER
Description: Successfully slay a new player like yourself to prove that you are worthy to be a part of this game—or die trying.
Progress: 0/1
Time Remaining: 2:15:28
The cries of the flaming undead echoed louder against the barrier, accompanied by murmurs from the growing crowd. But Anon barely registered any of it. His thoughts were a whirlpool of horror, doubt, and grim inevitability.