System of the forsaken

Chapter 7

The fall felt longer than it should have,wind tore past zayn’s ears as the rooftop vanished above them, replaced by open darkness and the rushing blur of broken walls. His grip tightened around Lira’s arm instinctively, his other hand reaching for anything that could slow them down.

“zayn!” Lira’s voice cut through the air, sharp with alarm.

“I see it!”

A narrow ledge,two floors below,barely standing on its own,barely wide enough to stand on.

Not ideal.

Not safe.

But it was something.

Zayn twisted midair, pulling Lira with him as gravity dragged them down faster.

“Brace!”

They hit hard.

The impact exploded up his legs, forcing a strangled gasp from his throat as his knees buckled. Lira slammed beside him, her shoulder crashing into the wall with a dull thud.

For a split second,everything went black.

Zayn sucked in a ragged breath as sensation rushed back all at once.

Pain shooting through his body 

“…Still alive,” he groaned.

“Barely,” Lira muttered beside him.

He pushed himself up slowly, ignoring the protest from his legs. The ledge creaked loudly beneath their weight.

“…That doesn’t sound stable,” he said.

“It isn’t.”

Above them,a distorted shriek echoed from the rooftop.

Zayn looked up.

Silhouettes gathered at the edge.

Watching.

“…They’re not jumping,” he said.

“They don’t need to,” Lira replied. “They’ll find another way down.”

Zayn exhaled sharply. “Of course they will.”

He glanced around.

The ledge stretched a few meters to the left before connecting to a broken window.

Inside was darkness.

“…There,” he said, nodding toward it. “Better than staying out here.”

Lira didn’t argue.

They moved carefully, each step slow, deliberate. The ledge groaned under their weight, small chunks of concrete crumbling away and falling into the abyss below.

Zayn didn’t look down,he really didn’t want to look down.

They reached the window.

Zayn climbed in first, pulling himself through the shattered frame before turning to help Lira.

She grabbed his hand,and for a brief moment

There was hesitation.

Not fear.

Not doubt.

Just… calculation.

Then she accepted the pull, climbing inside.

The moment her feet touched the floor,Zayn felt a shift in the atmosphere 

“…did you feel that?” he whispered.

Lira nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

The air inside the building was different.

Heavier,thicker.

Like something unseen was pressing against them,staring them down from the shadows 

Then a flicker,and a screen came into view 

NEW ZONE DISCOVERED

LOCATION-CONTAINMENT LEVEL

STATUS-RESTRICTED

Zayn frowned. “Restricted sounds bad.”

“It is,” Lira said.

“…Worse than outside?”

A pause.

“…Yes.”

Zayn let out a quiet laugh. “Great. Just great.”

Behind them, something scraped against the outer wall,climbing,very fast.

“They’re coming,” Lira said.

“No kidding.”

Zayn looked deeper into the building.

Long hallway.

Flickering lights.

Doors lining both sides.

All closed.

All silent.

“…We don’t have time to check everything,” he said. “We pick a direction and move.”

Lira nodded once. “Forward.”

“Forward it is.”

They moved forward their destination uncertain moving through the long corridor quickly but cautiously.

Each step echoed too loudly in the narrow corridor. The flickering lights cast shifting shadows that played tricks on zayn’s eyes.

Every corner felt like a trap.

Every door like something waiting to open.

“…You said this place is worse,” Zayn whispered. “Why?”

Lira didn’t slow down.

“Because areas like this aren’t random.”

“…Meaning?”

“They’re designed.”

Zayn’s stomach tightened. “Designed for what?”

Lira’s grip on her weapon tightened.

“To test something specific.”

A distant sound echoed through the hallway,not from behind them but from in front of them,a low hum, mechanical 

“…I don’t like that,” Zayn said.

“You shouldn’t.”

They reached an intersection.

Left,right,straight.

Zayn hesitated.

“…Pick.”

Lira closed her eyes for half a second, trying to listen 

Then….

“Left.”

They turned.

The hum grew louder.

More distinct.

Zayn’s pulse quickened.

“…That sounds like….”

A sharp click echoed,and both of them froze.

The lights flickered,then turned red.

ALERT- CONTAINMENT BREACH DETECTED

“…We didn’t do that, right?” Zayn asked.

“No,” Lira said quietly.

“…Good to know.”

A loud metallic clang echoed somewhere within the building,then another,and a few doors could be heard unlocking.

One by one.

Zayn’s eyes widened. “…That’s not good.”

“No,” Lira said. “It’s not.”

A door ahead of them creaked open slowly,then another,and another.

The hallway filled with the sound of shifting metal and dragging footsteps.

“…What did we just walk into?” zayn whispered.

Lira didn’t answer immediately,because she already knew.

“…A different kind of trial.”

Something stepped out from one of the open rooms.

Not like the Infected,not twisted,not broken,but wrong in another way.

Its body was… incomplete.

Parts of it flickered in and out of existence, like a glitch,its face was half there and half gone 

Zayn stared in horror unsure of what to do next.

“…Okay,” he said slowly. “I officially hate this level more.”

The thing turned toward them.

Its head tilted,then snapped into place.

It's red glowing eyes locking onto them.

A flicker.

NEW ENEMY TYPE IDENTIFIED

The creature moved towards them fast,but… inconsistent.

One moment it was five steps away.

The next,three,then one.

“.....What the….?!”

Zayn stumbled back as it suddenly appeared right in front of him,too close for comfort and that without warning 

It reached for him,but lira reacted first.

She swung her rod at the monster 

CLANG.

It passed through.

Like hitting air.

“…Oh, come on!” Zayn shouted.

The creature’s hand brushed his chest,cold,freezing.

His vision blurred for a split second,then snapped back.

He staggered.

“…What did it…..”

“Don’t let it touch you!” Lira snapped.

“Yeah, I got that part!”

More doors opened up and more of them stepped out,glitching,and watching.

“…We need to move,” Zayn said.

“Now,” Lira agreed.

They ran,but the creatures followed closely behind,not chasing,but glitching closer faster.

Zayn activated his focus instinctively

Echo Trace

The world shifted and he saw the patterns…..but they didn’t make sense.

The echoes overlapped,and contradicted themselves.

“…I can’t read them!” he said.

“Then don’t!” Lira snapped. “Just move!”

One appeared in front of them

Zayn reacted quickly grabbing a loose pipe from the wall and taking a swing at it 

This time…

CRACK.

It connected landing a solid blow to the creatures head 

The creature jerked back,flickered then stabilized.

“…Okay,” Zayn breathed. “They’re not always intangible.”

“Timing,” Lira said. “You have to hit them when they’re fully here.”

“Great! And how do we know when that is?!”

“…You don’t.”

“…Fantastic.”

Another one appeared,then another

The hallway filled with shifting figures

The air grew colder, and heavier like the building itself was closing in.

Zayn’s mind raced, there were too many enemies.

Too unpredictable.

They couldn’t outrun this.

“…We need an exit,” he said.

“Agreed.”

Ahead,a door at the end of the corridor.

Different from the others.

Heavier.

Reinforced.

“…That one,” Zayn said.

They sprinted toward it.

The creatures phased around them

One tried grabbing Zayn but he twisted away 

Another appeared,too close

Lira shoved him aside, taking the hit instead.

“....Lira!”

“I’m fine!” she snapped, though her voice wavered slightly.

They reached the door,and Zayn rushed to grab the handle but it was locked 

“Of course it is!”

A flicker.

REQUIREMENT-CLEAR HOSTILES OR OVERRIDE ACCESS

Zayn stared at it.

“…Override?”

Another flicker.

OVERRIDE OPTION AVAILABLE–SACRIFICE HEALTH / ACCEPT PENALTY

His expression hardened.

“…Of course there’s a catch.”

Behind them the monsters closed in.

The hallway filled with flickering forms,there was no escape,and no time.

Zayn exhaled slowly,then looked at Lira.

“…Trust me?”

She met his gaze.

This time….

No hesitation.

“…Do it.”

Zayn nodded.

“Alright,” he whispered.

Then….

He accepted.

OVERRIDE INITIATED

Pain exploded through his body.

Not like before,not sharp,not sudden,but draining him slowly like something was being pulled out of him.

His knees buckled,but he stayed standing.

The door unlocked with a heavy click.

“Go!” he gasped.

Lira didn’t hesitate.

She pulled the door open dragging Zayn through with her.

They stumbled inside and the door slammed shut behind them.

Silence followed and then darkness.

Zayn collapsed to one knee, breathing hard.

“…I really hate this system,” he muttered.

Lira leaned against the wall, watching him carefully.

“…You chose the penalty,” she said.

“Yeah,” he replied weakly. “Didn’t see you volunteering.”A faint pause.

Then….

“…You’re still alive.”

Zayn let out a tired laugh.

“Seems to be a recurring theme.”

A flicker.

TIME REMAINING: 01:18:42

Less than two hours.

Zayn looked up slowly.

“…One thing’s clear.”

Lira glanced at him. “What?”

He pushed himself to his feet, despite the exhaustion clawing at his body.

“This place isn’t trying to kill us.”

“It’s trying to break us.”