The thunderous sound of the wooden gate crashing to the ground made me flinch. Bringing my tired eyes up, I stared into the vast expanse of the dark, empty hall that was now revealed. I lingered for a moment.
Out there would be so many more dangers waiting for us. I wasn't sure if it would really be worth it, but I had already made up my mind.
«I'd rather die trying than succumb to this horrid place!»
I glanced over at the bits and pieces that once belonged to my beloved log, my companion that helped me fight through the endless horde of abominations, now shattered on the ground. It had done its duty but I still felt a sense of loss.
"Let's go, go, go!" Paul shouted, waving at the others to run out of the settlement. He gripped the big, rusty chains tightly as his pipe whistled through the air.
"Finally!" Cassandra moaned and turned her bruised body around, countless monsters right behind her, ready to feast on the weakened woman.
She wanted to run, but as she stepped forth, her strength left, and she began to crumble to the ground. "I got you!" I said, catching her mid-fall. I put her arm around my shoulder to support her and ran towards the gate. She clutched her side and hobbled beside me.
"Thank you, kid..." she groaned with a bloody smile on her lips. She hissed in pain with every step we took, blood gushed from her cut-open leg. Luckily, it didn't appear to be life-threatening.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll get out of here with everyone alive!" I huffed. My endurance was nearing its end, it was so bad that I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, but I pushed through it. Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and just kept moving forward, the wood creaking under my throbbing feet.
The weight of Cassandra, getting more and more burdensome by the minute, but I refused to let go of her. My legs felt like jelly, and breathing became difficult. Sweat stung my eyes.
My only goal was to reach the other side of the settlement, where Bella, Robert and Paul were already waiting for us, standing just a few meters ahead.
Waiting for us to finally step off the wooden gate. Then Cassandra suddenly got lighter, way lighter. With wide open, teary eyes, I looked to the left to see Zoey right next to the half-conscious woman. "Let me help!" she sighed, throwing Cassandra's other arm around her shoulder as well.
"Damnit!" she groaned, and staggered a bit by the suddenly added weight, her face contorting in pain. Once we stepped off the wood and onto the cold stone, i ungracefully dropped Cassandra to the ground.
Panting, I looked at Paul and Robert. Both nodded, and the three of us stepped towards the heavy chains outside the settlement. There were no further words needed. We knew what we had to do. So we began pulling at the chains.
I looked forward, some shadows had already stepped foot on the wooden gate, ready to cross over, making the already heavy gate even heavier. I screamed, squeezing out all my remaining strength to pull on the heavy, rusty chains.
My muscles were screaming, ready to tear at any moment, but I kept pulling. The gates slowly started to rise. The beasts already on it tumbled back and crashed into the others, bursting into. Nothing but a black puddle.
I kept tugging for what felt like an eternity, my eyes shut tightly from all the sweat dripping into them. The burning sensation almost made me go blind.
"Keep going, kid. The gate is almost closed!" Paul groaned, trying to encourage me. But his hoarse voice lacked conviction. Still, I pushed through, until the loud clashing of wood against a metal frame announced the closure of the gate.
I barely managed to pull the chain over the metal rod before falling to the ground, my legs finally giving out. I panted like crazy, almost suffocating but the sense of victory washing over me made it a bit more bearable. "I... We did it, right?" I managed to ask between shaky breaths. A crooked smile appeared on my face.
I felt a pair of frail arms wrap around me comfortingly, and then the soft voice that always managed to calm me down: "Yeah, we did it... You did it!" Bella answered.
"Fuck, you're really strong, you know that?" Zoey panted, looking down at me with an exhausted, somewhat forced smile. Her black lips shivered slightly, and her eyes were a bit glassy.
"Like damn, how can you swing such a huge log like that?" She coughed, resting her hands on her knees. I stared up at her, having a hard time focusing, my vision blurring and Then focusing only to blur again for a bit, but eventually, my eyes met hers, the purple glow still there.
"It wasn't that heavy, actually!" I answered. My eyes shifted toward her pitch-black arm. "Does it hurt, your arm, I mean?" I asked carefully, pointing at it, while Bella gently caressed my head in silence.
"Oh, this?" She asked, lifting the horrifying arm. "No, not really. It's a little cold, but it feels somewhat natural..." she answered, unsure herself. Then she performed various tasks with it, such as squeezing a fist or bending her elbow.
"Hey, wanna see something cool?" she asked, not even waiting for my response as her arms suddenly started to change. But before she could do more, Paul picked her up by the collar, lifting her into the air with ease. A choked gasp escaping her.
"No, we don't wanna see something cool!" He answered for me, his voice as cold as his gaze. He held his pipe tightly in his other hand. He was still out of breath, his chest heaving heavily.
"Huh, what? Why?" She asked, trying to get herself free, a hint of panic flashing in her purple-glowing eyes. "Don't be like that, Paul... She helped us get out of here. I don't think she's an evil monster..."
"No, Bella, she's still dangerous. You saw what she just did with that arm of hers, didn't you? Even if she doesn't mean any harm, what if that power suddenly lashes out and she can't control it? What would we do then?" He asked Bella. But before she could answer, Zoey spoke up again, her voice hoarse.
"Then I learn to control it. I... I promise, I won't let that power get the better of me. Please!" Paul looked at her, his eyes narrowing.
"We have no guarantee that you will truly master... that!" He said, pointing at her deformed black arm.
"But if she does master it, it would be a great help in future travels. Having a monster of our own, we could stand our ground against more fierce opponents!" I argued, then coughed. My throat was dry.
Everyone looked at me for a moment, even Cassandra, who was still lying on the ground in pain. "Yeah, I could fight with it. Please give me a chance... Don't abandon me. I can still be useful!" Zoey pleaded, her eyes tearing up again.
"I think we should give her the chance!" Cassandra groaned, gripping her thigh tightly. "Yes, the risk is there, but leaving her here to fend for herself just doesn't sit right with me!" She added.
"Yes, yes, please. Give me a chance, don't leave me, I'm begging you!" Zoey cried, black tears running down her cheek before falling to the cold stone floor. She stopped struggling and simply hung in the air.
Paul was silent for a long time. We all waited for his answer anxiously, but it was three against one—actually, four if we count Zoey on our side as well, so he didn't have much of a choice.
"Curses!" Paul spat, gritting his teeth.
Then he relaxed. "Fine!" He sighed, letting her down. She plummeted to the ground, sobbing and shaking, and right after her, he collapsed.
"Paul?!" I gasped, getting up and leaving Bella's embrace to look for Paul. I could hear silent sobs the closer I got to him.
"Thank God... Oh, thank God!" He repeated quietly over and over again. He covered his face with his hands and buried them in his knees so I couldn't see his face, but his cries were definitely there.
I looked toward Zoey, who was currently being comforted by Bella and Cassandra. "You did well, kid!" Robert chuckled, blood dripping from his now messy beard. He ruffled my hair with his rough hand.
"It was only thanks to you that we got out of there!" He said, his voice growing weaker. He slowly lowered himself to sit next to me. "Sorry, boy. All this drama was a bit much for this old man!" He sighed and placed his walking stick on the ground in front of him.
"It wasn't only thanks to me that we got out... Everyone has done their part..." I answered and looked towards him sitting down as well. "And you're in much better shape than you should be after all this, considering your age..." I added.
"Haha, I was an athlete back in my days, you know, don't underestimate me!" Robert laughed, combing his beard with his fingers.
"You were?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, back in the day, I used to do boxing. I was really good at it, let me tell you, I won several tournaments and even brought home a trophy!" He told me proudly, a big smile appearing on his roughed-up face.
"Wow, so you were like a famous person then?" I asked him, curiosity getting the better of me.
"Oh no, kid. I was good, but I was not that good. I just had a few matches—some wins, some losses—but I was far from being professional or famous!" He answered, debunking my excitement instantly.
«aw what a bummer»
"Alright, guys, we should keep moving!" Paul said from behind us. Everyone looked towards him, but he stood with his back to us, his face aimed right at the endless darkness.
"We're all exhausted, Paul. We should rest a bit longer!" Robert said, but Paul stayed stubborn.
"No. We must keep moving. I know everyone is tired, so am I, but we can't stay here. Who knows what else might lurk around these parts!" He answered stubbornly, refusing to look at us.
I could see a frown form on Robert's face, but he ended up not saying anything more to him. Instead, he turned to me and the three girls.
"We will keep moving. Let's go!"
Everyone did as Paul wanted. No one complained, even though you could clearly see the unsatisfied expressions on everybody's faces. I wasn't a hundred percent happy with this decision, either.
"Do you need help?" I asked Cassandra, who was still limping severely. She smiled at me and shook her head.
"I'm fine, but thank you for the offer!" She responded. I shrugged and kept walking beside her, just in case she did need my assistance at some point.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the large hall over and over again. My headache was slowly subsiding, and the pain in my body began to dull. We kept walking for a while, my eyes constantly fixed on Paul's hurt back.
"Are you okay, baby?" Bella asked, patting my back. "You've been quiet for some time now."
I looked up. The kind woman met my gaze with her golden eyes and a big smile. Some dried blood stained her blonde hair, making it appear brown instead.
"Actually, I'm a little worried..." I answered with a painful sigh. "I wonder if we will ever make it out of here... And if we do, what will wait for us out there...."
Bella's smile wavered for a second and she didn't answer, it was Zoey instead. She already seemed to have gone back to being the same old cocky teenager. "Of course we're gonna make it out, duh! Like hell I'm dying in a place like this!" She spat angrily.
"Zoey's right honey. I'm sure we will make it out of here! We have Paul, who is very strong, and Zoey with her new powers, and if that's not enough, I'm here to protect you as well!" Bella answered, squeezing my shoulders.
"Besides, you're really strong yourself, aren't you? Swinging around that log like it's nothing!" She giggled, causing me to blush in embarrassment.
"It really wasn't that heavy!" I argued.
"Yeah, sure, for you it might not have been, but I couldn't dream of doing that!" Bella teased.
"Guys, I see something!" Zoey interrupted, her purple eyes glowing slightly brighter. The group came to a halt.
"What is it?" Paul asked, turning around for the first time to look at the black-haired girl. His eyes were glassy and red, but his expression was as firm as always, radiating a strong sense of leadership.
"There's a door ahead of us!" She answered him, squinting her eyes.
"A door?" Paul frowned. "What does it look like?" He questioned.
Zoey shrugged and then straightened up again. "It's similar to the door back when we first came here, you know, the one we went through before that big guy popped up!"
"Yeah, I know what door you mean, no need to remind everyone of that!" Paul hissed, looking at her a bit annoyed. Zoey flinched and got quiet. "Sorry..."
"But why is it there?" Paul started to ponder, but before he could really get into it, Robert stepped in, placing his hand on his shoulder. He really liked putting his hand on other people's shoulders.
"Sometimes it's better to just go and not question too much. It's a door, let's go there and see what's behind it, not like we have another choice anyway!" The old man said. Paul was a bit reluctant.
"I agree with Robert!" Bella interfered, her hands still holding my shoulders.
Eventually, he agreed, and we made our way towards the door.
"Wow, it's bigger than it appeared from a distance!" Zoey commented nonchalantly.
"It is indeed a very big door!" I said.
We all stood in front of the large frame that loomed above us. «Why does every door have to be so unreasonably large?» I wondered. I felt like I was starting to develop a fear of tall things with all the big structures around.
"So, are we gonna open the door now?" Cassandra asked, pulling Paul out of his daze.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course!" He reached for the copper knob with shaky hands and gripped it tightly. Then he gulped, lingering for a second before twisting his hand and finally pushed.
The door opened with a deafening screech, as moonlight shone right onto our faces. Followed by a gush of dusty wind. I looked ahead and what I saw behind it left overwhelmed.