Bab 78: Chapter 77 – The First Building
"Let's go, the bridge should be situated in the middle of this building."
"We can use the light on Evelyn's chest to light up the path."
"Didn't you say we have to remain hidden and sneak our way up, why are we using the light."
"Well, there's no lights in this building, so unless you have a better idea. Why don't you just follow me, and stop asking questions."
Raising his hands into the air, Caleb places them firmly against the wall, using the wall to guide him.
I followed him, and as he such his feet side by side, we started to move left, it turned out that there was a pathway followed by a flight of stairs that travelled up, I was not sure how he knew about it, but it didn't matter.
I followed him, after doing two more flights of steps we heard sound from above and decided to stop and spread out, leaving the stair case.
To my amazement on the night, there really was an opening, I could just make out the stars."
"Okay, the plan is to reach the opening and then we duck and cross the bridge at that point we will just need to crawl to the other side."
"Any questions?"
"Why don't we just stick to the wall instead of crawling on the floor?"
"Because it won't hide us away from onlookers, especially those on the floor, if they can see us up here, what will they do?"
"But…doesn't that mean that if there are people in the building, they can see the glow as well?"
"Yes and no, we are moving with our tummy glued to the floor, so that should reduce the light shining from Evelyn's chest, at the same time, me and you can look to see which way our targets are coming from if there really are enemies on the bridge."
* * *
"Is that a light big brother?"
"It looks like it's our lucky day."
"They are moving towards the bridge."
"Boys are you ready for some hunting?"
A boy with a giant axe, a mace and a chain come out of the shadows, to his left is a girl dressed in leather black, holding onto a pair of daggers that beamed in the night light, and a girl that is dressed in red with a whip in her hands.
In the front on the floor, are three boys, each carrying a different weapon, they move quick, jumping down the stairs, creating loud thumps with each of their steps, they are excited and screaming as they make their way down.
The girls on the other hand take nimble steps, that don't leave a single trace of them walking down the stairs. They are professionals, not a single sound escapes the room, as they drop down closer to the lit-up candidate.
"Emily…who's your target?"
"The boy."
A scythe shoots out as a boy lunge forward, throwing the scythe spinning in the air towards its target.
Ching!
"Run Evelyn, run, Janice let's move quickly."
"There's at least five of them. I will need your help. To fight them."
"What about me?"
"Evelyn, just make it to the other side."
A stick figure with a spear in his hand arcs back and throws the stick towards me.
Shit.
It misses me with just an inch away.
"Damn!" I hear him say as he moves to grab another stick.
Caleb moves quick, I can hear him charging towards the boy, throwing him onto the floor, a metal clank, and I know Caleb has killed him.
Janice is panting, she is fighting against the boy with the scythe who has managed to pick it back up, and swinging the scythe towards her. I hear the sound of metal against metal, as I continue to crawl across the bridge, it feels like it is so long.
I hear a kick land, a scream from Janice and a loud thump and she is on the floor.
Caleb is trying to save her, but he is outnumbered!
It is four against one, Caleb is holding tightly onto his sword.
"What are you waiting for? Keep running! Make it to the other side!" I hear Caleb scream and I grab onto the dagger in my hand, I run back to Caleb, slashing with my knife against the man with his arms out.
The man screams, and throws me a disdained look. But I can see the smirk going up on his lips.
Watching me, instead of Caleb, Caleb makes a quick move and slashes the man. He drops dead.
Janice also uses the opportunity and with a sweep she connects her fork against the men's feet, dropping them to the floor.
Jumping up, Janice and Caleb both plunge their weapons to the men still on the floor.
There is only one left.
He is eyeing Janice and Caleb with scared eyes, as he moves backwards, kicking against the floor.
Janice charges towards him.
"Watch out!"
Before Janice can even make a change in her movement, a hook is shot out, so fast it cuts her against the shoulders, and hooks onto her shoulder.
Screaming Janice tries to move out, but she is being pulled into the darkness.
He turns around, taking my knife with him, and looks straight into my eyes, defenceless I could only do the one thing Clarke told me, I go straight for his Adams apple, striking it with all my strength of my knees. It hits and he screams ever loud, then before while holding onto the spot, losing the opening, I spin around him, taking my knife back out, cutting him on the wrist, he lets out another howl, and I feel something strong grab onto my hair, dragging me into the air, with his face still read, and my light beaming over the bridge, he clenches his fist, and pulverises me, he's hand shoots forward, I close my hands ready for the blow but it doesn't come.
"Not today, Evelyn"
I feel warm blood burst and plunge onto me. I am soaked.
Thanks for the opening. Just as he pushes, I hear a loud thud on the floor, the girl that had attacked Janice is frown over the bridge.
"Serves her right for attacking me."
"Don't be too happy, we have to rows the possible streams just have seen you when you were lifted, because of this whole thing we will need to move fast.
I sneak a peek outside the bridge and to my shock, people are actually climbing up the building, some are jumping into the building through the open doors, and I can hear footsteps getting louder with ever second.
"Come let's go"
Step, step, step, we make it to the other side, but the footsteps are getting louder, the building is not quiet at all as people come in.
"What a turn of events"
"I love what I'm seeing."
"Boys and girls from the marketplace that are chasing the group that has Evelyn."
"Fuck that bitch."
"Why can't she just shut up already. If anyone gets close to killing you, I am going to be the one that will take the last blow. It's just business and no one apart from me gets it.
"Do you understand Evelyn?"
"Yes"
"Thank you, sister, that's awesome, would you prefer to stab you in the heart, or slit you across the neck?"
"Gosh you two stop it. We are not going to die. And no one is taking Evelyn's life.
We continue to run, dropping down two flights of steps.
Just as two kids see us, and charge towards us, Caleb makes a quick side step, and then using the force of the charging kids, trips them over, the next moment, they are sent tumbling down the floor.
Boom, boom.
The body drops while the other is stabbed on the chest. A twist of the blade and Caleb has placed the kid to the floor.
If Caleb was serious about killing me, I would have died ages ago, his sword is so fast and efficient, it looked like he was done this his entire life.
"Be careful Janice, the last thing we want is to draw attention"
"Not everyone is as efficient as you."
We drop another pile of steps, when I feel a strong grip, choking me.
I try to scream, but its no use, all the sound in my throat disappears.
Stab!
Blood explodes from my chest, as excruciating pain and the feeling of warm blood drips across my chest, I feel the weight of something drop onto my back and pulling me out.
It's not me that was stabbed but the person who had grabbed me, she is on the floor dead.
"Sorry girl, did my work cut through?"
"I am so sorry but I needed to use force to stab that girl"
We reach the second bridge, we jump on, but there are actually people on the bridge. I take a step back, uneasy with what to do on the bridge.
But it is Caleb who is next to me whispering that we charge forward.
And with that Janice, extends her fork out and charges forward, with me and Caleb right behind her.
The kids at the front never expected this to happen, and are lost on what to do. And that's all we need.
Janice plunges her fork, stabbing a boy in the neck, throwing him into the others, and with a quick swing of the blade, they are catapulted off the bridge.
Caleb is now slow either, sword out it moves like a snake, slicing and stabbing the throats of the boys one after another as they drop dead.
As for me, I am holding onto my little daggers, I attack as fast as I can and before I know it, we reach the other side.
"Evelyn the west two sections are going to be the hardest, it's do or die, how are you with jumping? Did you play long jump games back at your orphanage?"
"I'm not sure this is going to be my first time."
"It's about 3 metres.
"What?" Janice says "I cannot jump that far.!"
Well Janice, if you cannot do it, we should just stop and die.
"What about you Evelyn?"
"3 metres. This is no joke, the best I did back at the orphanage was 1.5 metres. I won't be able to make it.
"It doesn't matter, we are on higher ground falling down on lower ground, it should give us enough time to make up the distance, from the drop."
"Assuming me prop ourselves properly across the wall"
Follow me, we do another quick turn, enter a room, a flight of stairs, jump into another room and another two stairs.
Caleb is moving so fast, it is getting harder to follow, but biting my teeth, I continue to follow him.
"How much further to go?"
"We have to make it to the rooftop!"
Just two more flights of steps.
"Why do we need to go so high?"
"Because we need the highest footing so we can jump across the two buildings."
"How do you even know the way?"
"Just follow me, we can ask questions if we make it out alive."
"But wont we fall harder when we land?"
"You are correct, but from memory there were tents on the next building, if we manage to make it to the other side, we will have clothes to reduce the impact."
"And if we don't?"
"Well then that is game over. You fall to your death…"
"It's the only option now. Those children are still coming up and I do not think we can really hold them out much longer, I am starting to get tired myself now."
He was right, we were exposed, my light had shone in the night sky and now the kids were all screaming and chasing us like we were the only option available to them. It didn't help that you can get immunity from killing me that made it ever more enticing.
"Why cant we just drop all the coins and disappear?"
That was my idea but I didn't have the courage to bring it up.
They're too close now, I could see them now, they had dark faces that were ready to kill.
One launched forward reaching out for me, the only thing I could think of was to slash out at the boys hand, with a kick, I threw him back down the stairs, knocking two others down but they were instantly replaced with another kids, that managed to doge the fall.
"This is not the time to fight Evelyn, just two more flights of steeps go, go go!"
I continued to charge up the stairs, there was just no way I was going to leap, we were out the door, and onto the rooftop, grabbing a stick, we jammed the door, and grabbing a few stones we blocked the door, and placed it at the bottom of the door, preventing the kids from coming in.
We were at least 14 stories high, much higher than the orphanage, the others looked to the side and accessed the jump, after confirming that it was not too bad, we moved back a few steps.
"Are you girls ready?
The other side didn't have much of a rooftop, just curtains that were everywhere.
How do you know that's not just on the them?
Because when we were downstairs, they were definitely held up by sticks. We should make it over to the other side, this is used in the old times to die clothes.
Boom, boom, boom, the door moved back and forward as people were smashing the doors, it wouldn't take long before they made it here.
"Alright girls, once we make it to the other side, once we make it to the other side, we will need to grab all those sheets, and run with it, throw most of them down to the floor, and keep one on you."
"Enough talk."
"Let's go."
It was at least 14 stories high, much higher than the orphanage, the others side looked doable but if we missed, we were not going to just lose an arm or leg, but would definitely die!
The other side didn't have much of a roof, just curtains, that were strapped up, acting like a landing, I really hope when I land over there that they will provide enough support to hold me up!
"How do you know that's not just on the floor?"
"Because when we were downstairs, they were definitely being held up by sticks, they should be strong enough to hold onto us, it looks like they were used to dye clothes before"
"If we don't go now, I don't think we will have another chance."
Taking a deep breath, I run towards the edge of the building, just as I heard a loud boom from the door, but I stay focused, three steps, two steps, one…
I leap…wind smashes against my face…my body feels heavy as it drops…
It's the best I can do…
The building is just a grasp away.
I land hard onto the soft sheet, rolling sideways to the floor.
Thump, thump.
Janice and Caleb land straight after me.
We reach out and grab the sheets and curtains, I can feel the wind pushing against them, making it harder to grab, as I get enough of them, I throw them off the building, dropping them to the floor.
At the same time Caleb grabs our hands and rushes us to the door on the other side, we grab the knob only for it to open on its own!
Two kids bolt out, hands out, charging towards me…
Caleb moves fast, slashing horizontally, cutting the boys right across their neck!
A vacuum of blood splits onto us, I can feel the warm blood dripping on me.
It doesn't stop there, more and more kids come charging out, and its Janice, who puts her fork to the front of her and charges forward.
Stabbing them hard against the wall!
"There's too many of them!"
"To the right."
Caleb runs towards a tube, and uses his hands to motion us to come, Janice, swings her fork throwing the boys off the edge of the building as we all rush towards Caleb.
Jumping into the tube, we disappear into the building.
Grabbing the cat up ahead on the floor, I place the can into its finger, I once walk. It's like my idea is working, Caleb and Janice do the same, we each grab a curtain and slide it underneath our arms and walk.
It's the last bit, the bell tower and our only way out.
"Smart thinking Evelyn!"
We run into the building, its wild, bodies are everywhere, swords, axes, bows, sticking on the floor, and kids still fighting over gold coins.
What we ignore them and continue running up, I grab a cape of a dead girl, a red and we climb two flights of steps, where we meet a glass cabinet with fingers pasted there and a bunch of kids with their weapons out.
"Wow, we meeting you guys here."
Caleb sighs.
"Give me your coins."
"Obviously, we dont have any."
"We were hoping to steal it from someone up here."
"Get lost, we came first."
"With a quick flick of his hands, the blade cut the boys and they drop dead on the floor."
"Move it sherlock."
"We throw the bodies down and grabbing the coins off the hand we walk to the glass door just as a hand slams the door."
"You off somewhere?"
If note drops down on my knife and I feel its sharp edges cutting into my skin.
A boy with a finger his let up slams his blade out.
Caleb swings his sword across but the boy moves first disappearing into the darkness
"Not bad kid"
I hear Caleb grant as he drops' to the floor, the boy who was here has disappeared.
"Look I don't want to hold you back either, the tall boy and the girl may go."
"The little girl stays."
"Not over my dead body."
"I don't understand why you even care?"
"I don't understand why you have brought her all the way here."
"I mean if you it was me, I would have taken her life, her coins of that first and moved on."
"Think about it, it doesn't do you any good keeping her around, look at that pink glow on her, she is a moving trap and it only makes catching her or you much easier."
"Why do you even care, from what I have gathered you already have 4 coins, and you were the first to be here!"
"How do you know? Are you a spy? Does the news really travel fast? I mean I was waiting to get someone back, she took my coins, but they managed to slip through."
"You see I have a Principe, she did beat me fair and square and we did agree to exchange of coins for the winner, but I do plan to get her back, my principle is that for those that double cross me, I want them to suffer before they can go to death."
"I mean a quick death is quite the blessing don't you think?"
"Then why did you kill all these kids?"
"That's nothing, because I like to steal away peoples hopes and how do I know you want to do the same to us if we give you the girl."
"You don't. but it's up to you, hand over the girl."
"No."
"If anyone is going to get that free pass it's going to be me."
"Have it your way then…"
Janice screams and drops to her knees.
"Bitch!"
"A cut to the ankles can maim you for the rest of your life. Even if you make it out tonight, I'd love to see you crawl your very way out."
I was mad, this kid who was hiding in the shadows were cutting us as we remained in the dark, I couldn't stand it more, grabbing the coin out of the finger, I sparked pink and that's all the time I needed with a slide kick, Caleb hit the boy hard in the foot, throwing him up, Janice must have been waiting because stabbed her fork into the boy throwing him into the wall.
Ching, Ching, Ching!
A mountain of coins dropped from the wall. This kid must have killed at least a dozen lives before they were able to leave. I couldn't believe it. this explained the sheer number of kids that were dead on our way up. Who still had smiles on their face?
Faces of hope and satisfaction that looked like they were free.
"Don't wait."
Caleb grabbed my hand throwing me towards the glass door.
Boom, boom, boom.
I went in and like maybe I fell fast, down the tube disappearing. I was safe.
Boom!
Another kid dropped it was Janice she was alive.
Boom, Boom
Caleb came next and the three of us lay on the floor.
When we heard loud footsteps heading towards us.
"The girl who lives!"
like a pack of wolves devouring the prey the boys and girls one after another got off him, touching and tapping his body, searching for the coins.
They fight one another for the coins, and as they get it, more and more join in the fight.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone