System Mania!

Chapter 3: The Figure

They had to escape somehow. Their urgency propelled them as they hurried back to the stairs, the adrenaline coursing through their veins.

Korig's voice was steady, but his thoughts raced as he posed the crucial question to Daniel.

"Where's your car?"

Daniel's brow furrowed in concentration, his mind racing to recall the location of his vehicle amidst the chaos.

"It's on the main parking lot," he finally replied, his voice a mix of worry and uncertainty.

Korig's heart sank slightly as he realized the predicament, they were on the rooftop, and Daniel's car was in the ground floor parking lot.

Getting there meant traversing through the labyrinth of terror below, a challenge that seemed almost insurmountable.

But then, a glimmer of hope emerged in the form of David's voice.

"Wait," he interjected, his eyes lighting up with a plan.

"The floor right below us is the secondary parking lot. It's got that spiraling slanted road that leads directly to the ground parking lot."

The realization dawned on Korig and his friends.

The secondary parking lot offered a potential route to the ground floor, bypassing the horde that had taken over the main levels of the mall.

It was a slim chance, but it was their best shot at making it to Daniel's car.

Without hesitation, they descended the stairs leading from the rooftop to the floor below.

The door swung open, revealing a scene of chaos and panic.

People were frantically attempting to unlock their vehicles, their faces etched with fear and desperation.

It was a snapshot of humanity on the brink, a fight for survival amidst the backdrop of a world gone mad.

Korig's gaze swept over the scene, his thoughts racing.

Just as they were about to make their move, a sobering realization struck, hearts pounding, they were about to enter a zone that might be infested with the undead as well.

"We need weapons," Korig said, his voice resolute.

"Anything we can use to defend ourselves."

His eyes fell upon Daniel, who held the broken chair leg from the food court, a makeshift weapon borne out of survival instinct.

But it was far from enough to face the dangers that lay ahead.

As if in response to his thoughts, Korig's eyes landed on a crowbar resting against the wall nearby.

Without hesitation, he rushed toward it, his fingers closing around the cold metal.

It felt right in his grip, a reassuring weight that seemed to align with his purpose.

His hand tightened around the crowbar just as another system screen popped up before his eyes, its digital presence once again jarring against the backdrop of reality.

Crowbar Acquired

Added to the Inventory

The words seemed to hang in the air, offering a strange fusion of normalcy and surrealism.

Korig's mind whirred as he absorbed the message, his actions, his choices, were being cataloged in a manner reminiscent of a video game.

As his friends also armed themselves with whatever they could find, the weight of their situation intensified.

They were armed, united, and resolute, standing at the precipice of uncertainty.

The city lay in ruins, chaos reigned, and the odds were stacked against them.

But amidst the nightmare, a flicker of determination burned within them, a determination to survive, to navigate the madness, and to carve a path through the darkness.

With weapons in hand and hearts set on escape, Korig and his friends braced themselves for the journey that awaited them.

A journey that would test their courage, their bonds, and their will to endure.

...

The journey down the spiraling slanted road was a tense one.

The horns blared, mingling with the shouts and cries of panicked people, creating a chaotic symphony that surrounded Korig and his friends as they made their way down.

The path ahead was blocked by rows of cars, the frustrated occupants desperate to escape, their emotions ranging from frustration to fear.

As they hurried past the stationary vehicles, Korig couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness wash over him.

The scene before him was a stark reminder of how fragile human lives were, how easily the facade of civilization could crumble in the face of chaos.

People yelled, cursed, and cried, their voices a cacophony that mirrored the turmoil within their hearts.

Amidst the chaos, Korig's thoughts raced, his mind grappling with the enormity of the situation.

They were inching their way down the slanted road, surrounded by the sounds of desperation and panic.

Darkness slowly enveloped them, the absence of lights creating an eerie atmosphere that seemed to mirror the state of the world.

As they continued their descent, Korig couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

People were rushing past them from the ground level, their expressions twisted with fear.

It was as if they were fleeing from something, a threat that Korig and his friends were yet to encounter.

The realization gnawed at Korig's consciousness, fueling the unease that had settled within him.

And then, as they reached the almost-ground level, Korig's curiosity got the better of him.

He moved ahead to get a better view of the situation, trying to understand why the line of cars was stagnant and why people were attempting to move upwards.

His breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened in shock.

The scene that unfolded before him was unlike anything he could have anticipated.

His friends caught up to him, their voices filled with concern as they inquired about the cause of his reaction.

"Korig? What happened? We can't stand aro-"

Lily swallowed her words as she saw what Korig had witnessed.

The dim light cast eerie shadows, revealing the eerie tableau that lay before them.

A tall figure stood in the center of the parking lot, towering over the scene.

It was a creature of twisted proportions, hunched over in a grotesque manner, almost as if it was bent by the weight of malevolence.

A wand, glowing an eerie green at its tip, was clutched in its hand, serving as both a support and an ominous symbol.

A cloak draped over its form, adding to the air of otherworldliness.

And then, with a slow and deliberate movement, the figure turned, revealing its face, a face that defied all conventions of humanity.

It was a skeleton, the remnants of a life long gone, with disheveled hair that seemed to defy death itself.

The creature's eyes, hollow sockets illuminated by a ghastly green light, bore into Korig's very soul.

The combination of the unearthly glow and the disfigured hunch created a presence that was both terrifying and mesmerizing.

Fear surged within Korig, the weight of the figure's gaze a palpable force that seemed to chill him to the bone.

In the midst of the chaos that surrounded them, Korig and his friends stood frozen in place.

The figure, with its eerie presence and its glowing eyes, was a manifestation of the nightmare that had consumed the world.

It was a reminder that the rules of reality had been shattered, and they were mere players in a twisted game where survival was the ultimate prize.

Survival is the number one priority.

...

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