He didn’t have to wait long. The survivors skidded to a sudden stop in the middle of the street just before the building, where Jake stood at the entrance. They were clearly surprised to see him just standing there instead of fleeing in fear. Trying to pretend to be scared, he flinched as if startled to see them still on his tail. He then spun around and bolted into the building.
However, the survivors refrained from immediately following him in. As it turned out, they were smarter than that. Jake halted in the center of the vast hall and turned to face the entrance to the building, keenly aware that they had displayed a surprising refrain, opening not to pursue him into the building. His acute hearing picked up their voices from the street.
“I don’t like it, Frank,” Isra’s voice, tinged with suspicion, echoed from the street. “It almost feels like it’s trying to lure us in.”
“I don’t care,” dismissed the leader’s harsh voice with a hint of arrogance. “It’s just one lousy mutant. It’s no threat to us. Now get inside, everyone.”
The sounds of approaching footsteps grew closer, and a second later, the group showed up. When they saw him standing in the middle of the hall, they froze. A tense silence hung in the air as they stood frozen, their gazes fixed on Jake. After they took note of his lack of aggression, they quickly scanned their surroundings, on high alert for any signs of a potential trap or lurking mutants he might have baited them toward. There were no immediate threats, but they did spot the torn remains of the dead mutants he had killed earlier.
“What the hell happened here?” one of them asked no one in particular.
Their expressions twisted in a mix of disgust and dread as they scanned the scene, eyeing the torn bodies of the slain mutants strewn around the area.
“I think that freak killed them,” the guy named Rick speculated, pointing a finger at the lone figure standing amid the aftermath of the carnage.
“But why?” the one named Archie asked, a perplexed look on his face. “It might look different from the others, but it’s still a mutant, just like the rest of ‘em.”
Rick raised his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “Maybe they went after it because they just didn’t like the way it looked,” he said, offering a simple yet plausible explanation for the mutants’ aggression toward their uncommon counterpart.
Frank abruptly interjected, cutting off their argument. “Are you two dumb or what?” he growled like a wild animal. “There’s no way this freak could’ve killed them.”
“Why not, boss?” Archie asked in a meek voice.
“Look at the bodies, you idiot,” Frank snapped in frustration. “They’re cut to shreds. Now look at the freak over there. See any weapons or claws? No. It’s got human hands. There’s no way it could have done this massacre with them. It’s impossible.”
“You’re right,” Archie conceded.
Frank scoffed at the acknowledgment. “Of course I’m right. Duh,” he retorted. “Anyway, it’s time to end the freak.”
The group’s leader raised the assault rifle he wielded, aiming it at Jake. Just before he pulled the trigger, Jake swiftly spun around and sprinted across the expansive room to the far side. Bullets whizzed past him like crazy hornets. He felt one of them punch him in the shoulder, but he remained unfazed. Confident in his regenerative abilities, he knew his body would soon mend itself, and the bullet embedded inside him would be dissolved by the mana held within his body, disintegrating it into nothingness.
Reaching one of the doorways that led further into the building, he dashed through it and into a long corridor. He covered a few more yards before easing his pace because he heard no footsteps behind him to indicate he was being followed. He came to a complete stop then, listening intently. The sounds of heated conversation reverberated from the main area.
“Frank, wait,” Isra exclaimed urgently. “It’s trying to lead us into a trap. Can’t you see that?”
“I don’t care!” Frank retorted, his voice filled with frustration. “I can handle that freak. If you don’t come with me, I’ll make sure you never join Los Demonios. Isn’t that what y’all want?”
His threat hung in the air for a second.
“Come on, Frank,” Isra pleaded. “Let it go. That thing seems to be at least half-intelligent. There’s definitely something on its mind. It’s leading us further inside for a reason. It’s not just running away; it’s luring us in. I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“She might be right, Frank,” Archie said timidly. “Perhaps we should just leave. Something feels off about all of this.”
Given the explosive temperament of the leader of the group, Jake expected Frank to lose his temper once again. To his surprise, Frank remained silent, seemingly contemplating the words of his companions. Even within Frank, there must have been growing unease, gnawing at him, signaling that things were not adding up.
Jake retraced his steps to the door behind him, causing the group to tense up at his unexpected return. As he stood in the doorway, Jake fixed his gaze directly on Frank, making sure the leader was keenly aware of his intense stare.
“What the hell are you looking at, you freak?” Frank growled, his voice rumbling with anger, his words cutting through the tension in the vast room like a knife.
Jake slowly lifted one hand and flipped him the bird. The defiant gesture fueled the leader’s anger to the point where his wariness was forgotten, causing his face to flush a livid shade of red. Immediately, Jake wheeled around and vanished back into the corridor. Once he was sure he was out of sight from the main area, he halted, listening to the voices echoing from the hall.
“What the fuck?” Frank’s enraged voice bellowed to his companions. “Did you see that? The freak just flipped me off!”
“Frank, calm down,” Isra attempted to reason with him.
However, he refused to heed her words this time as his anger clouded his judgment.
“After him! Get the bastard!” Frank’s command rang out.
Following Frank’s order, the pounding of footfalls finally echoed from the hall, signaling the group resumed their pursuit of Jake.
The leader’s quick reaction to even a minor provocation definitely played into Jake’s plan.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Archie muttered so quietly that probably nobody except Jake was able to hear him. “Can’t believe we’re still doing this.”
Jake sprinted down the long corridor until he arrived at the entrance to the elevator shaft. The platform with glowing symbols etched at the corners remained in place at the same level, patiently waiting for him to step aboard and transport him up to the eighth floor of the tower climb challenge, where he hadn’t been yet. However, Jake took a few steps farther down the corridor, then turned around and lowered himself into a crouching position, placing his palms on the floor before him.
He could hear the pounding sounds of approaching footsteps drawing closer to the entrance of the corridor. The survivors would show up any second now. All he needed to do now was lure them into the elevator shaft and onto the enchanted platform. It was likely going to be the most challenging part of his plan. Luckily, he had an idea in mind, so he waited patiently for the survivors to arrive.