Beyond the Horizon(An apocalypse novel)

Chapter 23: Lies

The shots targeted a cluster of four demons at the center, hitting the creatures in the chest, legs, and torso. Two dropped instantly, dragging the remaining into a tumbling mass of limbs and flesh that crashed into the barrier, shifting it further.

Still, the flames held strong. Too strong, even.

The collision pushed the fire closer towards them, forcing the frontline to retreat further back as the heat and smell of burning meat pressed against them.

The screams of those not yet dead were drowned beneath footfalls.

Six more rushed behind the fallen bodies, with none of the corpses clustered too close to each other now.

Mr. Morgan cursed, clicking something on his rifle before firing again in single-shot rounds. His first shot pinged off the lockers, with his second finally striking a demon in its leg.

He wasn’t as accurate as Grimm.

Miles frowned as he stared at the approaching mass. There were at least two more demons with those dark, wiry muscles in this group.

He only had one thought on his mind.

’An illusion?’

Once it appeared, the concept stuck. It made sense. The familiarity he felt, the seeming impossibility of this entire area. It would all make sense if it had all been an illusion.

He’d felt the same sense of oddity while using [Delusion], after all.

Yet...

’How do I break free?’

Wasn’t the mere knowledge that it was an illusion enough to break it?

He stared dreadfully at the rapidly approaching wave, that Mr. Morgan’s continued shooting had whittled down to five now.

The wiry demons led the charge this time.

Miles clenched his teeth before biting down hard against his lip. Pain instantly spiked in his mouth. Yet he didn’t relent, pressing harder and harder until...

His tongue was flooded with the taste of metal. He choked at the sudden influx, then coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood in the process.

Beside him, Chloe shot a worried look at him, then at the boy still recovering beside her, before looking forward. The girl’s grip on her bat tightened as she did so.

Kyle, on the other hand, stood frozen, just staring at Brandon as he rested against the lockers.

"Dammit!"

Miles could only curse through bleeding lips. He was still here.

If this was an illusion, then the pain hadn’t been enough to break it.

’Then what is?’

His mind couldn’t let go of the thought that it was all an illusion. No, he was sure it was.

Unfortunately, he had little time to test anything else as the leading monster finally reached the barricade.

Mr. Morgan let out a burst of gunfire, having switched back at some point, dumping bullets into the legs of the leading creature, staggering it.

It didn’t fall.

The man didn’t give it the chance to recover, letting another burst into its head now that it was stationary.

That finally did it, sending the demon crashing down behind the barricade.

He pivoted the barrel, aiming at the wiry demon that had been trailing the first. He let out another burst, only hitting its stomach, before...

Click!

The gunshots suddenly stopped. It was out of ammo.

The still-running demon crashed into the barricade, sending the flaming bodies of its comrades hurtling towards them.

Miles jumped sideways, barely missing the charred corpse headed for him. The heat from its flames singed his clothes as it passed by.

He could only thank his luck that the hit had weakened the flames. Yet even then, another corpse barely skidded to a stop before reaching his new position.

Chloe and Kyle to the side remained relatively safe, as only the center was breached. The same was true for Brandon and Grimm.

Mr. Morgan up front had long since dodged the burning corpses, holding the gun as a bat now as he charged to meet the disoriented demon.

Behind the two were three more demons rushing in. Miles doubted the man could spare any attention to stop them.

The three were soon upon them, going through the now broken barricade, the dying flames doing little to deter them.

They bypassed Mr. Morgan as he smashed the rifle butt into the demon’s head, heading straight for the prey behind him. The man could do little to stop them.

Once in view, the three split, one heading towards Brandon, another towards Miles, and the last to Chloe and Grimm.

Miles stared at the rapidly approaching demon, bat still in hand. There was barely any space around to dodge now, with the burning bodies the crash had strewn around him.

His reach was too small to consider attacking up front. So he kicked the body before him, on a spot where the fire had died down, sending it tumbling into the rushing demon.

The body reached it before it could react, taking out its legs, sending the monster face-planting into the floor below.

His bat wasted no time in reaching its head, once, again, then it cracked. The monster stopped moving.

He looked to find the other demons reaching their targets as well.

Brandon pushed himself off the lockers as it drew nearer, shifting backwards in an attempt to retreat only to have his legs fail, sending him stumbling down and into the reaches of the monster.

However, before it could touch him, a bat swung into its head.

It was a weak, poorly directed swing, yet enough to alter its path, sending the demon slamming into the lockers.

Far from enough to kill it. Kyle held the weapon in a deathly grip, glancing between Brandon and the monster slowly pushing itself back up.

Before he could take another swing, Brandon moved first.

There was some shock as he saw Kyle’s actions, yet he pushed past it as a grim, determined look settled on his face.

Then he screamed, grabbing the skull of the monster before smashing it into the locker. Over and over again until it cracked.

Miles averted his gaze before it did.

He turned to find Chloe facing her own monster. She hadn’t been able to swing at its head, yet she kept Grimm behind her while swinging her bat to keep the distance.

The demon’s limp arms were evidence enough of its failed attempts.

Miles was in no hurry to intervene. He turned his gaze front to find a new wave of at least fifteen demons already near what remained of the barrier.

At least four were wiry.

Mr. Morgan still struggled against the one before him, trying, but failing to successfully smash its head in. It couldn’t hurt him either.

It didn’t need to.

There was little chance they’d survive the next wave.

So he thought, wracking his brain as to why he couldn’t break through the illusion.

’Pain doesn’t work, neither does knowing it’s fake. Is it actually real, or...’

An idea popped up in his head.

Sometimes, the best way to overpower a lie was to use an even greater lie.

He wasted no time in setting it into action, closing his eyes as the rest still struggled against the monsters, as the new wave drew ever nearer.

’I am not in an illusion. This is all fake, none of it is real. It is merely my imagination. It is all fake. When I open my eyes it will be gone. This does not exist...’

He repeated in his mind, anything, or any phrase he could to deny the existence of this place. Of all of it.

Repeating it, even as he heard the fighting grow more desperate, as Mr. Morgan screamed at him. He couldn’t stop.

Not until denial consumed his thoughts.

Then he activated [Delusion].

The cold returned with a vengeance.