Chapter 4 - Day IV: The Gate And Three Bodies

When I woke up on the fourth day I could feel how weak I got because of lack of food. It was terrible. And on top of that my whole body hurt like hell. I didn't know why. Maybe because I slept on the floor all this time?

I managed to pick myself up, although it took me some time. Then I went outside. As previously I did all I could think of, to not let others find my hideout. When I finally got to the device, I discovered that people succeeded in making fire. So I gave up on my plan to save as many points as possible and bought some meat, salt, and pepper.

I had to pick it up from the ground, so there was a lot of sand on the meat, and the seasoning also mixed with dirt, but at that point, I just simply didn't give a fuck. I seasoned it terribly and cooked over the flame on a sharpened piece of wood. When I was done some of it got burned, but even though, it was the best. Everything costed 8 points, so I was at 84, but then I bought another two apples.

I wished I had some water, but it was impossible at that moment. We were unable to make anything to hold liquids. Some people were talking about making our own tools with materials bought in the device, but very soon those dreams were shattered because of the prices. Dreamers got struck by reality. Those who stepped hardly on the ground had other things in mind. Their own survival. Among those were people willing to sacrifice others. I could see few people observing carefully, judging. Sorting weak from the strong.

At that time Aisha appeared.

- Hey. We are going with some people to check what's further that way – She said while pointing with her finger. - Want to join us?

- Sure.

I didn't want to, but some of those vultures were looking at me, so I had to get out of that place. Now when I think about that I never even considered that Aisha could be trying to get me to a secluded place with her new friends, to get my points. Fortunately, that was not the case.

We departed. Group was not that big. There were three other males, Americans named Bill and Ian, and an Irishman named Jack. On the female side was Aisha, and Anna. Anna was born in the UK, London to be precise.

Group seemed pretty tight already even though it was only a couple of days… I felt kinda like an outsider, but Aisha tried her best to change that. It looked pretty clear they wanted to survive here together, as a group. They probably realized that sooner or later things will start to get rough, and as a team, they have bigger chances.

Aisha clearly wanted me to be part of this, but others had their doubts. I didn't blame them, since we didn't know each other, and on top of that I was the only one wearing only underwear. Even considering our situation it still made things awkward.

Gradually, while exploring, we got to know each other better. After another couple of hours, we pretty much became friends, although the bond was weak. It was clear that everyone wanted really bad for it to work out.

Every creature naturally wants to feel safe, and a group equals safety. We gathered some chunks of wood, a few pieces could also work as weapons, others were picked just as fuel. It was about time to go back, but then Bill said something that changed our plans.

- Hey guys, I think I saw a gate.

- What? A gate? - said Anna. - You mean like a city gate?

- Yeah. I think we should check it out. If we can get out of this city maybe we can find food outside.

- Yeah, totally dude, we should check – answered Ian.

We all agreed, and while having conversations about what we could find outside, we approached the gate. It was big. Three trucks could at the same time go through easily. When cobblestone ended there was a short dirt road, which just turned into green grass. Further, there was a forest. It looked clear, man-made. It seemed like it was taken from the picture. Definitely somebody planted this. It was not natural.

- Should we tell the others about this? - asked Anna.

- Well, they are gonna find out anyway, so I don't think there is a point in trying to hide this – said Bill.

The rest agreed.

- It will get dark soon, so I don't think we should explore further. We should come back tomorrow, possibly with others – said Aisha.

There was some dispute about coming back with others, but eventually, everybody said yes, and we returned to find out that it was not the end of surprises.

During our exploration, a couple of people died. Well... Maybe I should write 'were murdered'. One Japanese guy was found with a broken skull. I didn't know his name, but since he laughed a lot, and was loud I remembered him. There was also a girl who was raped and strangled to death, and one more person whose brain got pierced thru the eye with a sharp piece of wood. This guy, I didn't know him at all.

That's how a prelude to shitshow, that was about to happen, began. People became wary. They stuck to those whom they trusted. A few pointed at others and accused them, but most had an alibi. Nobody could prove anything, so in the end, we stopped trusting one another.

I was prepared for this. It had to come. So instead of fear, all I felt was curiosity. Did the killers get points from their victims? Well, I was about to find out soon, cause if they did the killing will continue, and if they didn't, it will stop. I bought another apple and went to my hideout taking special care to not be followed.. That day ended with 82 points on my account.