The door led into a dark hallway.
Zik had to walk quite the distance before he got to the other side.
At the other side was a black iron door which took quite the effort to pull open.
Exerting himself a bit, he pushed the door open and stepped through.
The other side of the door was a vast cylindrical chamber filled with rows of rooms that stretched into the sky. In the middle of it was a large circular platform made of a material from the old world called concrete and standing in the middle of the platform was another man.
He stood at a height of about six feet two with a heavy presence that seemed to dwarf the entire building. His oppressive gaze seemed to scan everything with scrutiny. His whole being screamed of power that even the world acknowledged his superiority.
'another walker....' but not just another walker, this one was different. Advanced.
His gaze fell on Zik, oppressively, baring down on his soul as if scanning his very being making him freeze on the spot unable to take another step further.
'ahhh!! Damn it.....seems like everyone of these fuckers want to pick on me today ' Zik lamented internally.
The scrutiny went on for a few seconds before the man spoke in a calm manly voice
"Step forward"
Immediately, as if answering the call of a higher being, his body moved on his own and stopped a few metres from the man
Then the man scanned his once again for a few moments
"Zik Bladesworth?" He asked
"Yes"
"Welcome to the trial..."
".....the trial starts in seven days but before then this will be your new home for the next one week"
".....so try to fraternize and get along with others. You're not allowed to leave your room until the ringing of the bell"
"The bell decides everything for the next seven days, don't take it lightly....."
"...your room would be room C4 on the fourth floor. And remember do not step out until you hear the bell. When you hear the bell someone would tell you what to do"
"Do you have any questions?" He asked
Zik shook his head and replied
"No sire"
"Then you can go to your room"
Zik turned and took one last look around the circular rows of rooms.
For some reason unknown it reminded him of a prison cell picture from the old world save for that fact that there were actual doors instead of iron bars.
He shook his head and cleared himself of his wayward thoughts, everyone that had a reason to be here had a story. Not like he was any different but still his life seemed like a cruel twist of fate.
Everyone has a story, and Zik wasn't any different.
Just a few days ago he was the heir to a middle class business empire that was bordering the upper class. He lived a luxury life, had the best his parents money could afford, was always shrouded by affluence, treated with care and only saw the good side of life.
Not until a few months ago.
His parents had left early before daybreak, hoping to secure a record breaking contract for their business and they did.
But then after the contract had been awarded to them they mysteriously died in an accident which was rare considering the advancement in technology the odds of an accident happening were closer to none and yet they had died.
Immediately after the accident, his parents partners swooped in like vultures using the pretext that he was just seventeen years old and wasn't an adult yet they laid claim to his family's business leaving him with nothing.
He remembered vividly the times when he had asked them for assistance and they had kicked him out of their houses.
Life has taught him with bruises and betrayal and the lessons never come cheap.
Just a few months ago he had almost everything, his parents had already promised to buy him an access to a sarcophagus and yet here he was, risking his life for the same thing he would've paid for instead. Tragedy had struck and who could he blame for being on the receiving end of things.
If there was one thing that he learned from this though, it was that nothing was ever permanent. Anything could change abruptly in this world and he was utterly alone now.
But then, his own story might even be better. Afterall he had been living a life of luxury all his life save for the past few months.
There were countless others who only had this opportunity as their only hope, their only escape and they signed up for it despite knowing the dangers tied to it.
And then he straightened, took a deep breath to strengthen his resolve before moving towards the elevation platform that was to take him to the fourth floor.
He was here now, he has taken the decision to be here.
He had lost everything and had decided to embark on this journey with nothing to lose but his life.
He had taken this step despite knowing that one of the possible outcomes is death.
He had come this far already, there was no space for fret--not anymore --
He stepped onto the elevator with a fierce look in his eyes. Gone was the uncertainty that seemed to mess with his decision making.
If the lady from earlier had seen him now she wouldn't give him the same assessment as before.
He found room C4 in no time and settled in. It was quite spacious, much more spacious than what was shown on the outside but things like this were common in this era of walkers. With new and different abilities emerging these days, the line between what was possible and what wasn't seemed to blur considerably.
It was tastefully furnished which Zik was grateful for as he hadn't slept on a proper bed after his parents house was confiscated by the banking industry
He didn't have any luggage or belongings save for the clothes he wore and the few credit he had to his name.
And so he took off his shirt and gently reclined on the bed.
In no time, his breathing rhythm grew even as he fell asleep.
Not long after a loud shrill sound resounded across the entirety of the building jolting him awake from his slumber.