[The Mission Starts now.]
Time limit – [24:00:00] Current individuals – [401/401]
"Uh… H-huh??"
The mysterious flame that had previously assisted the appearance and departure of the rabbit began to flicker once more.
The flame grew bigger, and at some point, it had taken on a purple hue so intense it looked like it could consume everything around it.
If there was fire in hell, it might look like this.
"Everyone, stay calm!!"
The panicked crowd hustled to get away from the fire, while the voice of Richard Vaughn, the department head, shouting from the stage, grew louder.
Thinking that it would be impossible to get things under control, he pointed to an employee next to him and yelled.
"Deputy Manager Briggs! Get a fire extinguisher and take care of the fire!"
"Me? That… that's…"
"Quickly!"
It seemed like he felt the need to eliminate the cause of this situation.
Soon after, pushed down from the stage by Richard Vaughn, Leonard Briggs, the Deputy Manager, started cursing as he went towards a fire extinguisher lying on the ground.
"…Damn, it should go out if I extinguish it!"
While everyone else distanced themselves, Leonard was the only one who had to approach the fire. People looked at the deputy manager with pity, none of them intending to lend a hand.
"Ugh…"
Feeling the heat of the fire or from the nervousness, Leonard's face turned red as he picked up the extinguisher and when he finally grabbed it…
"Got it,"
A massive blaze engulfed him.
Whoosh!
Or at least it seemed to engulf him.
Crack!!
Accompanied by the blunt sound that hit like a bone, Leonard Briggs was thrown into the air. The clamor that followed as he landed.
Crash!
"…Huh?"
The people where he was thrown to felt a disconnect from reality, staring at him in a daze.
Limbs twisted as if his bones were broken. His head seemed to have hit something mid-flight, his neck twisted in an unnatural direction.
"Kyaaaaaa!!"
"U-ugh, aghh!!"
The vivid sight of someone's death amplified the horror and screams of the crowd. And as if waiting for that moment, a grotesque creature began to emerge from the flames.
A body dried to the bone. Dozens of fangs and rotting, festering flesh.
The skittering skeleton that emerged from the flames, reeking of a hideous odor, easily towered over an adult man.
–Kirruk.
A short monstrous cry reverberated through the hall. On hearing it, the faces of people turned pale, freezing on the spot.
But that moment of stillness was brief. A single leap from the creature was enough to turn the place into chaos.
Crash!
The second victim was thrown by the monster's hands. After that, what unfolded was nothing less than hellish pandemonium.
"Kyaaaaa!!" "Save.. save me…"
How often do people encounter another person's death in their lifetime? What if that death comes for them?
I quickly turned and escaped through the exit. People who had caught on to the situation late were trying to flee the hall, but the regular doorways were too overwhelmed to accommodate everyone trying to leave.
"Mo, move…! Arghh!!"
A desperate scream from a man somewhere behind echoed through.
–Kieeek!!!
The sharp cry of the creature pierced the air.
In that extreme fear, the only thing that occupied everyone's mind was the instinct to survive.
I rushed for the emergency exit, heading for the first floor. But the disaster wasn't just on the 20th floor; a crowd of people had already gathered in the lobby.
"What do we do now."
Marcus Hale's single remark about what we had just witnessed.
"Open the door!" "Please save me! Let me out!" "Waaah… mom…"
Though it seemed vast when we entered, now that everyone had crowded together, the first floor was so packed there wasn't even space to step.
"The door won't open!" "Who says it won't open! Get the hell outta my way!"
A middle-aged man with a protruding belly snatched a fire extinguisher from somewhere and slammed it against the glass door.
Bang! Bang! Crash-!!
"Ah!" "Are you okay?"
In his frenzy, the man accidentally struck his own fingers with the extinguisher, dropping it while wincing in pain. But that was all. The glass door wasn't even slightly scratched.
Amidst the rising despair,
"Why won't it break?! Why?!"
Hope that had just flickered was crashing down, sending people into a frenzy. Some started to kick and throw their bodies against the walls of glass, surrendering to the madness around them.
「Kiiaaaah」 「Kraaaah」
The monstrous cries echoed from afar in the lobby. The approaching shadow of death blended with the panicked cries of the crowd.
"They're here! They've come!!" "Kyaaaa!!!" "N, no! Please…"
The lifeless cries of countless voices.
'Fuck!'
I couldn't think of anything I could do right then. The only apparent escape, the building's exit, was somehow sealed for some reason.
Moreover, the emergence of monsters immediately after the sound of the emergency exit meant it was now dangerous to even think about heading back up the stairs.
"Sigh…"
I took a deep breath to compose myself.
Stay cool. I need to stay cool. If I can't get out from here, my options are limited.
The stairwell, with no assurance of monster presence, was too great a gamble. I needed to find an alternative exit if possible.
"Up there…! Above!"
My considerations were swiftly cut short. An exclamation from someone drew the attention of the crowd up towards the upper floors of the building.
–Grrrr…
Monsters perched on the upper-floor railing were looking down at the first floor.
In that moment of false calm, a predatory instinct to remain silent so as not to become a victim was dominating the minds of everyone present.
But then…
–Kiyaaaak!!
Regardless of the crowd's effort, one of the monsters signaled the others, and a series of loud noises filled the lobby.
People scrambled to find an exit. But by then, one of the monsters had already plummeted towards the first floor.
"We have to run…!"
Ssshhhk! Crash!
A brief sound rushed past before something shattered in the lobby. The man who, until a moment ago, had been stunned, failed to evade and was crushed immediately upon the monster's descent.
However, it was more like a crash than a landing for the monster too. Seemingly dazed by the impact, it wobbled to its feet, catching my eye.
'I need to get out now.'
But where to?
I looked at the main entrance of the first floor. People still struggled in front of the door that wouldn't budge. Turning back, the escape through the emergency exit looked no different, just as blocked.
But then.
"Everyone, run away!"
A sharp voice cut through the uproar.
"Run! Ruuun!" "Ah!"
The voice belonged to the employee at the reception desk, Claire Evans. Her cry rallied a few people from their shock, who began to flee like the springs had been released.
–Krrrk?
Of course, her voice wasn't only heard by the humans. A monster turned its head toward Claire's cry, evidently having noticed.
"No…"
A look of doom crossed her face, realizing too late the danger of drawing attention. The staircase, the only viable escape, was too far away.
But time for contemplation had run out. The monster already crouched, ready to pounce towards her.
"Ugh…"
The onlookers, having briefly been roused by hope through her voice, now wore expressions of relief as they realized she had become the monster's target.
A bait.
There was no point in discussing humanity in a life-threatening situation. If everyone is going to be torn to shreds by that monster, it's better to forsake human decency. At least, that must have been their reasoning.
Or was there even any room left for reasoning?
–Kiiieeeek!
The monster bared its rotten teeth and lunged at Claire.
"Kyaaa!"
Her scream reverberated. And as though it was a signal, everyone who had been watching the situation began to rush to the emergency staircase, excluding myself.
"Get out of the way!"
Flap!
I quickly took off my suit jacket and threw it towards the charging monster.
The only way I could think of to get out of here flashed across my mind. Claire, who was greeting and guiding visitors, was a gatekeeper with half-master-key access to most of the company's secured doors.
"What are you doing! Dodge it!"
Meaning, she would have access to security stairways in emergencies that VIPs would use.
My heart pounded. This was a gamble for our lives. The jacket flew as if in slow motion, intercepting the creature whose claws were nearly upon her.
The coat was just a temporary measure to block the monster's vision. But that split second created a crucial moment deciding life or death.
–Krrr?
Thud-!
Whether by luck or skill, the casually thrown jacket perfectly wrapped around the leaping monster's face. And, in that fleeting moment of obscured vision, the monster flailed its arms and rolled across the hard marble floor.
"Claire, come with me!"
In that instance, Marcus Hale, who had taken a fire extinguisher dropped by the middle-aged man, mercilessly sprayed the monster with fire-retardant powder.
Shhhkkkssshh-!
–Kieeek!!!
I didn't entertain the thought that a fire extinguisher could harm the monster. What mattered was impairing its vision.
As the target slipped away, the creature roared, and I quickly supported Claire, who seemed to have lost strength in her legs.
"Th, thank you…" "Where's your security card key?!" "Pardon?"
I pointed at the small door behind the information desk.
"That door! Can you open it, Claire?!" "Um, maybe…!"
The most viable escape seemed to be through the security stairwell reserved for VIPs, which, in an emergency, we supposedly could use.
I glanced at the crowd struggling at the staircase we descended from.
"Damn it, get out of the way!" "Wait, just a moment!"
–Kiaaaaaa!
"Ahhh! Aaaahhhh!"
Facing the congested stairway, would we be able to slip through and take our escape route down the same stairs?
A quick simulation in my head concluded that it was impossible.
"Lead the way." "O, okay… ugh!"
Responding to my words, Claire tried to stand but swayed as if her legs gave way. I immediately assisted her, while Marcus, looking concerned, followed up.
"Are you sure you can open it?" "Here, this. If I put it against the door, it should open."
Claire quietly choked back her hesitant "maybe…" and got to her feet. Indeed… She likely had never actually used that door while working here.
There hadn't been any VIP visits to the company for as long as I could remember, and during my year-long employment, there hadn't been any emergency.
But we had nothing left to lose. All other options had vanished.
Having reached a conclusion, Marcus held the extinguisher, creating a boundary between us and the monster.
Psshhh-
–Grrr… –Kirrk?!
As visibility waned in the mist of extinguishing powder, rough cries cut through.
We cautiously backed away, watching the direction of the sounds, and as the extinguisher from Marcus neared its end…
–Beep.
A reading made by the security card was heard from right behind us.
–This card is not registered. Please check again.
"Oh…!" "This fucking…!"
Turning around, Claire's face was drained of color, painted with panic. The terror that stripped away her judgment was compounded by the guilt for having drawn their saviors into a dead-end.
The shadows of people dashing through the fog started to fall one by one, and little by little, the atmosphere began to settle.
The once frantic screams filling the lobby. The ceaseless roaring of the monsters.
Ba-dum…! Ba-dum…!
As the noises faded, our heartbeat seemed to drum louder.