Capítulo 61: A Bad Feeling
With that, a series of doors appeared on the left side of the hallway, each marked with a number from 01-20. Without thinking, John walked up to the black door and entered room 01. The moment he crossed the threshold, his vision was flooded with a spectrum of colourful options for furniture, wallpapers, flooring, and many more.
John grinned. His portable base had endless customisation options and unlimited potential.
...
After a long night of exploring the abandoned city and setting up his new base, John returned to Theodore's shelter. He had to take Stephanie, Julia and the others with him without Theodore knowing. Stephanie and Julia had agreed to go with him and help him build his base, and Dalia was also interested in joining him.
As he entered the shelter, he noticed that the atmosphere was different. The lights were off and the only light came from the moon shining through the windows. The place was empty, except for a few guards.
As he searched for Stephanie, he found himself alone in the darkness. The silence was deafening, and the lack of life in the shelter made him feel uneasy. He had never seen it this empty, and it was unnerving.
He had always thought that the shelter was safe, but now, he wasn't so sure. There was a sense of foreboding in the air, and he could feel his heart racing.
After searching for a while, he finally found Stephanie. She was huddled in a corner, her eyes red and her cheeks stained with tears.
"Stephanie, are you okay?" John asked, kneeling beside her.
She looked up at him, her eyes full of fear and despair. "John, please help me. Something is wrong here."
John's eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of danger. "What do you mean?"
Stephanie grabbed his arm, pulling him close. "They're not human. Theodore and his men, they're not human."
"What do you mean? Who isn't human?"
She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think they're monsters."
John shook his head. "That's impossible."
"You saw them," she said. "The way they move, the way they talk. They're not like us. They're not normal."
"I saw nothing, Stephanie. What are you talking about?."
"I'm not lying. You have to believe me. They're going to kill us all."
"Enough," John said, his voice growing stern. "You're talking nonsense."
Stephanie stared at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "They're monsters, John. And we need to get out of here before it's too late."
John sighed. "Where are Julia and Dalia?"
"I don't know. They were gone when I woke up."
"Fuck," John muttered under his breath.
"We have to find them. They could be in danger."
"Yeah," John replied.
"Maybe they went looking for supplies," Stephanie said.
"That's possible," John agreed.
They searched the shelter for any signs of the girls.
As they approached the exit, they saw something that made their blood run cold. Hundreds of bodies piled up in the streets, their faces twisted in agony and their chests riddled with bullet holes.
They were dead. All of them.
"Fuck," John whispered, his voice trembling with fear.
"We need to get out of here," Stephanie said, her eyes darting around nervously.
John sighed. "I'll take you to a safe place and I'll go look for them."
As they moved through the streets, they couldn't help but feel like they were being watched. The silence was deafening, and the only sound was the crunch of their boots on the broken pavement.
John stole a glance at Stephanie, her face was pale and her eyes were wide with fear. He could tell she was terrified, and he didn't blame her. The whole world was in chaos and nothing was certain anymore.
John and Stephanie arrived at the former factory. Now, it was just walls. John's portable base had fed on the materials. It was useless by itself, but John had the ability to customise it.
John called for the system's holographic interface.
"Hello, John. Welcome to the Base System," the voice echoed in the vast and empty space.
"I need a bed."
"Would you like a standard bed or would you like to customise?"
"Customise."
"What colour would you like your bed to be?"
"Black."
"Would you like a mattress?"
"Yes."
"What type of mattress would you like? A memory foam mattress, a latex mattress, a featherbed, a waterbed, or a futon?"
"Memory foam."
"Would you like your mattress to be firm or soft?"
"Firm."
"Would you like your pillows to be firm or soft?"
"Medium."
"Would you like your sheets to be silk, satin, Egyptian cotton, polyester, or bamboo?"
"Egyptian cotton."
"Would you like a comforter or duvet?"
"Duvet."
"What colour would you like your duvet cover to be?"
"Just give me the damn bed, don't ask me any more questions."
"Okay."
John opened his eyes, and there was a brand new, king-size bed in the centre of the room. He was impressed. He looked around. It was a small, yet functional room.
John glanced at Stephanie, her face was devoid of expression, and her eyes were blank.
"What happened?" she asked.
"It's okay," John said. "You're safe now."
She nodded and looked around the room. "What is this place?"
"It's my new base," John replied.
"You built this? How?"
John shrugged. "I'm sure you have questions, and I'll do my best to answer them, but you should rest first."
"But..." Stephanie trailed off, unable to articulate her thoughts.
"Sleep, you'll feel better in the morning."
"Okay."
John guided Stephanie towards the bed and she lay down, exhausted.
John left her in the bedroom and went out. He didn't have time to sleep, he needed to look for the girls.
He left the base and travelled to the place he had last seen Julia and Dalia.
It was dark and quiet.
He looked around. There were no signs of anyone.
As he continued to search the area, he heard a faint noise coming from the distance.
John followed the sound and found a large metal container. It was closed, but there was a small hole on the side.
He peered inside.
"Is anyone in there?"
There was no answer.
John looked around, but he couldn't find anyone.
"Dalia! Julia!"
Still no answer.
John felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. He turned around and saw the biggest monster he had ever seen. It towered over him like a mountain, its massive body rippling with muscles and spikes. Its head was a horror of twisted flesh and bone, with two glowing yellow eyes that pierced his soul. Its mouth was wide open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth that dripped with saliva.
"What the fuck is that?"
Capítulo 62: The System
The monster roared, sending a blast of hot air over John. John was stunned, his mind racing to comprehend what he was seeing.
The monster lunged forward, its jaws snapping shut inches away from his face. John stumbled back, his heart pounding with adrenaline.
He reached for his Venomlash and unsheathed it. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
"Let's do this, big boy," he muttered.
The monster charged towards him, its claws slashing through the air. John dodged and rolled, avoiding the attack. The monster was fast, and it was strong.
John swung his Venomlash, striking the monster's leg. The blade cut deep, but it didn't slow the monster down. John rolled to the side, avoiding another swipe of its claws. He was quick on his feet, but the monster was quicker.
"I need to get the drop on this thing," John muttered.
As the monster lunged for him, he dodged to the side and struck it with his blade, cutting a deep gash in its side. The monster roared, but it felt no pain. John clenched his jaw and used his Appraisal skill on the monster.
[Skullmaw]
[Strength: 62]
[Vitality: 62]
[Agility: 61]
[Energy: 60]
"Fuck me," John muttered.
How could he possibly kill this beast?
As he pondered his next move, the Skullmaw charged at him, its jaws open wide.
John dodged to the side, but the monster's claw struck his arm, sending a jolt of pain through his body.
"Fuck!" he shouted, clutching his bleeding arm.
The Skullmaw turned to face him, its eyes burning with fury.
"I can't die here," John thought.
Gripping his Venomlash tightly, he knew escape was his only option against this monstrous foe. Dodging and weaving through its attacks, John barely managed to evade the Skullmaw's deadly claws. His heart pounded in his chest as he fled, the heavy footsteps of the beast echoing behind him.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw the creature gaining on him quickly. With a gasp of desperation, John darted towards the city centre. He thought he could lose the Skullmaw amongst the tall buildings, or what's left of them.
Panting heavily, he reached backwards with his hands and propelled himself with his Shockwave skill. The force of the blast sent him flying forward, his feet leaving the ground, his body sailing through the air.
For a moment, he was free - soaring above the city like a bird. But the joy was short-lived, as his momentum soon came crashing down to earth, landing hard on a rooftop.
Pain seared through his body, but John ignored it, forcing himself to stand up and keep running. He knew that if he stopped, he was dead.
The Skullmaw grew ever closer, its massive form filling the narrowing gap between buildings. With a last-ditch effort, John summoned all his remaining strength and launched himself into another Shockwave jump, praying it would be enough to finally shake off their pursuer.
The force of the blast sent him flying forward, his body arching through the air before crashing down onto a pile of rubble. Pain shot through every muscle and bone in his body as he struggled to push himself up off the ground.
Looking over his shoulder, John's heart sank as he saw the Skullmaw closing in on him once again. Its eyes were fixed on its prey, its massive claws clacking together menacingly. The stench of decay and burning scales was overwhelming now, making it hard for John to breathe.
With one final desperate leap, John jumped to his feet and used the last of his energy to propel himself one last time. As the building's crumbling facade loomed ahead, John braced for impact and closed his eyes.
In a burst of speed, he leapt off the roof, sailing through the air towards the alleyway below.
"No!" John yelled, his body smashing against the unforgiving concrete, sending waves of agony through his battered frame.
"Fuck, I can't move," he thought.
Lying motionless on the ground, John could hear the Skullmaw's heavy footsteps drawing near, its shadow looming over him like a harbinger of death.
"It's the end," John thought. "This is how I die, it seems."
A wave of regret crashed over him as his life flashed before his eyes. The pain was unbearable and he did not fear death, but he still had things to do. John gritted his teeth and tried to move, but it was no use.
The Skullmaw's putrid breath washed over him as it stood over its prey, its massive maw opening wide to devour the helpless man before him.
"How pathetic," he thought.
John squeezed his eyes shut and steeled himself for the impending agony. His mind filled with bitter resentment - at the world for putting him in this situation, and at himself for being powerless to change his fate. As he braced for impact, all he could think was that his life had amounted to nothing more than a pathetic snack for a monstrous beast.
The monster's jaws snapped shut, and John's life faded to black.
...
When John opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by darkness.
He blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings, but there was nothing.
"Where am I?" he wondered.
As he struggled to remember what had happened, his memories started flooding back to him.
A bright light appeared before him.
He covered his eyes, blinded by the sudden flash.
"Hello, John," the voice said.
"Who are you?"
"I am the system, and you are John Sarack."
"System? What do you mean?"
"You are in the System Space."
"Where is this? Where is the Skullmaw?"
"The System Space is a separate dimension created by the system. It exists parallel to the real world."
"That doesn't make sense," John said.
"Do not worry about it, it is just how the system works."
"So, why am I here? Am I dead?"
"No, you are not dead. You are still alive, but your physical body is currently being healed by the system. You were close to death, but the system saved you. You should be grateful."
"Fuck off," John said. "What the hell happened to me?"
"You were killed by a Skullmaw. A level 250 monster."
"That fucking thing was 250? And what the hell is a Skullmaw? I've never seen anything like it."
"The Skullmaw is an artificial monster..." The System paused, "created by someone."
"By who?"
The System did not reply, but a figure emerged from the light. He was pale and white-haired, a black cloak hiding an arsenal of knives and daggers. His eyes cut through John like blades, gleaming with wicked smarts and spite. He had a smooth and smug voice, as if he owned the world. He smirked at John like a cat playing with a mouse, amused by his own twisted creations.
"It was created by me," the man said.
"You," John snarled.
"Yes, me," the man replied.
"Why did you create that thing?"
"Because it was fun," the man said.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
200+ Ranking de
Poder 
0 Pedra de
Poder Você também pode gostar
Comentário de parágrafo