“We’re camping out. Get ready.”

Cayden tossed the fresh pair of clothes from Pete’s closet. He caught it easily.

“Camping?” Pete scoff. “You call this camping?!” Pete pointed to the compartment where the money he used to stash is ripped off and stolen.

“You’re breaking and stealing all my money! Are you trying to rob me in front of my face?”

Cayden ‌take the last slice of sandwich from Pete’s computer table and shove it directly into his mouth. His eyes keep looking around Pete’s room.

“Where is your toolbox?”

Pete shut his mouth. His face darkened with a foreboding feeling it will be his toolbox to be destroyed next. Cayden took it upon himself to search for it. The clock ticks 7:45pm.

The person he needs to find to pass the elimination game is 200 kilometers away from him. That’s roughly a four hours drive. Cayden pinch his nose. The way he always did when he’s thinking hard.

In this city, no one will survive. Pete and him we’re only lucky to get out alive by falling under the sewer. They survive through dumb luck. And they have to suffer for that ‘luck’ for the rest of their Dark Tower’s lives.

Cayden gritted his teeth. He doesn’t want to experience that again. No. This time, he needs to do things differently. Pete is one of the best stronghold for their team. But Pete needs to shed his outer naive shell.

Under the unsuspecting filthy closet, there was a loose drawer under the wood. Cayden pulled on it. Found out there’s no longer flat wood left and only a piece of horizontal wood connect the two parallel sides to make others believe this is a drawer.

Under it was the toolbox Cayden is looking for. He grinned.

“Stop that.” Pete’s voice carried the anxiousness Cayden is familiar with.

“If you want to take something from me. You just need to ask nicely okay?”

Cayden took the toolbox and search for the machete he saw Pete bought in the Time Depot shop across the street. It’s closed now due to the owner passing.

The toolbox has a ten set of eight to twelve inches knives and three machetes hidden carefully. Cayden remembered that Pete used to suffer from paranoia after his apartment was robbed five years ago. Buying all kinds of unnecessary self-defense knives and guns.

Cayden is tempted to take the guns hidden behind Pete’s kitchen closet. But no. He can’t. Guns are useless against them. Energy guns are not yet found in the elimination game. Hence, for now, Cayden must make do with the knives and machete.

Cayden attach the knives to his legs and knees. The machete and the remaining knife are strap on his waist belt.

“Here.” Cayden strap the other set of knives and machete to Pete’s waist, legs and knees. Pete’s curly brown hair is still dripping wet. The stench from his body is now replaced with fresh laundry soap.

Cayden cannot comment on Pete’s use of laundry soap as body soap. After all, he once used up a bottle of shampoo meant for dogs.

Pete did not protest when Cayden strap the large backpack on his back and attach the small bag containing all of his emergency cash to his waist.

“Come on, let’s go hit the supermarket down the street.” Cayden check Pete’s backpack if he got everything he need. Pete’s black boots also come in handy. When Cayden’s about to come out of Pete’s room, Pete’s voice rang from inside.

“Man, are we going to steal a bank?”

Cayden stop. “Huh?”

“Okay, not that. I get it. Were not that good. I mean – you are not that good. While I on the other hand, have previous experiences after watching the whole season of Money Heist for three weeks. Believe me, we can achieve professor’s tactics on how to successfully get rich – “

Cayden did not listen to any of Pete’s nonsense and shove him out of his room. Outside, there’s the neighbor girl who goes to the same university as them. Cayden did not pay her any attention and turned to head over to the elevator but Pete went directly in opposite direction.

He went rushing back to his room.

Because he was scared of girls.

A modern day twenty – two year old virgin who freeze, literally turning rigid whenever he saw girls. That’s Pete.

“Pete!”

Cayden has to sprint and slam Pete’s door before he can went back inside.

“You fucker, why are you going back?”

“I can’t. I – I can’t do this. Tell me, there are no girls where we’re going right? Please, I can put up a list of strategies on how to rob a bank, how to get past their security cameras and where to buy disguises – just no girls!”

Pete is pretty bent on holding onto his door like his life is dependent on it. While Cayden has to pull Pete’s entire body out of his front door. This tug of war lasted for another 20 minutes.

Completely wasting their time.

Just when Cayden is about to peel Pete from his door, a sound entered his head. Cayden froze. Goosebumps traveled in his spine.

Pete frown when Cayden stop pulling him. When he turn around, Cayden’s pale face meet his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“We can’t leave.”

“Huh?”

Cayden pointed towards the sky. Above the apartment, with a radius of 100 meters – that’s the entire four sections of this seven floor building, a heavy cloud of lightning rained down.

The booming noises of lightning sound like fireworks raining in the sky. Everyone in the apartment, even in the building opposite them and the left and right sections are attracted to the noise. Children, parents, office workers, university students and elders came out of their rooms to watch the spectacle.

It was a strange phenomenon.

Cayden, who has witnessed it once, knows the horror and cruelty this lightning brings.

He pulled Pete out of his shock amazement and pushed open the door. But it won’t budge.

“Pete, did you lock this door?”

Pete was shocked he had the doorknob in his hands. He twist it but it won’t budge. He tried the key but it still won’t open.

“I didn’t. I never let go of the door as you keep pulling me away….” Then something sinks into Pete’s mind.

“Cayden…. Man, I swear the door is wide open. The hinges almost come off when I was holding onto it. Why is this close now?”

Both did not hear the door shut. Nor Pete ever let go of the door. But Pete’s hand is now clasped in the doorknob, not at the door’s side.

A bad feeling enveloped Cayden’s heart. The Dark Tower is not supposed to come out now. He still has roughly three hours before its appearance.

Cayden stared outside. A few inches away from the railings, he almost swear his sight distort a bit. Making the opposite building seems not perfectly horizontally straight and well – proportioned.

Cayden pick up the vase outside Pete’s neighbor’s room and throw it out. It hit something – like an invisible wall, there’s a loud cracking zap and the vase disintegrates into dust.

Everyone in the building who witness this gasped. Some have turned their eyes away from the lightning, staring outside in a daze. As if to check if what they had seen is true, the neighbor girl Pete and Cayden saw earlier throw another vase outside.

It also disappears into dust.

A scream erupted in the building. There was another guy on Cayden’s left – this guy is on the fourth floor, he throw another vase and laugh as it was destroyed by the invisible wall.

But no one in the building leaning on their railings find it funny. The dark clouds above the open space boom – this time the rumble of thunder is much rougher. A streak of white lightning passed over.

It all happened in a blink of an eye. The thunder crack, it lowers itself on the left side of the square section of the building and hit someone on the left. It happens very fast Cayden could not believe what he was seeing.

When the lightning disappeared, the man who was laughing on the fourth floor is struck – there’s no longer a shred of skin on his body. It’s pure burnt flesh and bones. His skull is tinted dark red with his ribs and arms.

He fell down instantly. His neighbor, another male university student screamed and run off towards the elevator. But something caught him. A glowing green light wrap itself around his ankles, dragging him back to his front door.

Amidst the dark clouds rumbling, a figure flush in glowing green emerge. She was wearing a flowing dress. Her face is hidden in the dark rumbles of the two parting thick clouds.

She has long flowing white curly hair that twist endlessly. The twist in her white hair seems to expand and connects to the forming tornado in the dark clouds.

Cayden’s mouth dropped. His heart is beating loudly in his chest.

No. Not her. Not her.

Cayden wants to run towards the elevator but after watching the male university unsuccessful escape – he knows he doesn’t stand a chance. Pete is trembling beside him.

“Cayden wha – what’s that?”

The woman’s blurry face has two pair of big glowing green eyes flashing in Pete’s direction. Pete gulped. Cayden meet Pete’s eyes and Cayden gestured for him not to make a sound or suddenly move.

The woman stretch her arm and four glowing dots floated towards them. One wondered to the left, the other to the right. The four dots position themselves in the four centers of the four building sections.

“Choose, mortals.” A sweet woman’s voice spoke.

“If you want me to disappear eat my glowing ball. If not, do not touch. I’ll give you three minutes to decide.”