Cayden shook his head and spit out three teeth that came off after that kick. Jackson is grinning at him with knuckles cracking. Cayden did not move and shuffled against the chains binding him.

His eyes were meekly looking at Missy. He opened his mouth and asked.

"What do you want?" Jackson was forced to stop and look at his Boss. Should he proceed? But the monkey thug did not look at him, he was staring at Cayden and Missy. A grin flashed in his eyes. The strategy appears to be working.

"For the last seven days, where did you stay?"

Cayden was completely taken aback. His widened eyes stared at the monkey thug.

"What did you just say?"

"Fuck, lad. Do I have to repeat myself? Are you deaf?"

Cayden was not affected by the fluctuation of the Boss's mood. But his people around them started to get wary.

"Have you been hiding here for seven days?" Cayden controlled his temper and confusion, trying not to let anyone see through his shock. He asked this question to Missy to prevent anyone seeing his shaken expression. But after the beatings he received and the disfiguration of his face, it seems he doesn't need to cover it up.

Seven days? His memory is sharp. Even though the Anchor clock has done its job of getting him back on time, where did these seven days come from? Exactly where in the span of time from the first game with the Storm Master to coming here did his time stop colliding with the outside world?

Was it the time between the games? When Cayden thought about it, it really was strange how when he and Pete came out, the city was already void of humans. When the Tower issued the rules, it already said there were twenty survivors they must help.

Cayden's head slumped. So it was as he thought. After a few moments, Missy weakly answered.

"Yes, how about you? Have you been outside this whole time?" Missy's left cheek shed a tear. "Along with those things?"

Cayden stared at the ground. His mind wandered to Pete. Hoping that guy stay low and hide in his spot obediently. He forced his eyes shut and chose not to worry about him. Cayden must lead these idiots to the Tower first. After all, the Tower urged them to 'help' the survivors.

Cayden weakly shook his head. He was silently enduring the painful slabs of cuts and bruises on his face.

"I was at home. When those things transformed my neighbors into monsters."

Jackson at the side rolled his eyes. Another time wasted listening to some sorry half-ass drama. He couldn't endure it anymore and walked away. He wanted to get out and have a smoke. But because of the Boss's orders, he can't leave. Not to mention those things lurking outside.. To choose between these two, Jackson finally settled on staying but chose to sit far away.

"After I survived, a woman appeared."

Jackson who was uninterested in the side, looked up. In fact, the monkey thug who thought it was no use playing this façade, was stumped.

"What woman?" He leaned closer as his interest piqued.

"She was weird. She appeared out of nowhere, floating in the clouds of thunder."

Jackson untimely laughed. "Are you fucking kidding me? Were you that scared to imagine a woman floating in your imagination with a broom and a witch hat?"

Cayden looked at Jackson expressionlessly. With his beaten face, he looked like a perfectly smashed bug with a disgusting face. Cayden did not think twice about what Jackson said and continued.

"When the Tower issued its rules, were you not listening?"

Before Cayden sends them to their deaths, he has to test the waters.

"Those black giant towering things? They talked?" Missy could not help herself and asked. Cayden stared at her and nodded.

"After the woman disappeared, the Tower spoke of surviving against the mutated zombie. If you reach its fortress safe and sound, you will pass the test."

All the thugs, even Missy, looked at each other in doubt and confusion. Each hesitated to raise a question, except Jackson. He raised his gun to Cayden's skull and demanded.

"Are you speaking the truth? If you dare to lie to us, I will not hesitate to blow your brain into pieces!"

Cayden sagged in his seat and weakly stretched his limbs. It was still impossible for him to escape from his chains. But at least he got to see out on the outskirts of abandoned buildings, someone's lenses glinted weakly.

This guy really stayed put just like he instructed. Cayden could not stop his mouth from laughing out loud. Jackson was annoyed. Not only his question got ignored, the crazy man even got the energy to laughed at him. Jackson raised his fist to punch, but Cayden bit his wrist instead. The key in Jackson's pocket fell and Cayden quickly hid it with his legs.

Everybody's eyes were on Jackson as he raised his foot and kicked Cayden's face to the ground. The side of Cayden's temple hit the ground hard, making him groan in pain.

As Cayden coughed and wheezed, he worked his way in freeing his hands. One, two, three. As seconds tick by, the louder the voices of the men in the room become. They did not even notice he had already escaped from the bonds and ran straight to Missy.

The keys surprisingly worked on Missy's chains. Cayden pulled her to her feet and ran straight to the nearest unsealed exit.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" They finally noticed their captives were running away. Cayden continued to run without looking back, not letting go of Missy's hand.

"Cayden... Cayden! Please... slow down. It hurts..." Missy's pitiful voice sounded behind him. But Cayden did not listen. He observed her actions. She tried to slow her running feet as she stall for time, enough to make those scumbags catch up to them.

She says she's hurt when she only suffered one hard slap, they haven't gotten out of the café yet. They were about to reach the door when a knife suddenly wheezed past Cayden's ears, striking the door and burying the blade there.