Chapter 76: Chapter76-Murder and Zone Shrinking

After a few minutes of adjusting my hair, I lay down in bed and closed my eyes, surrendering to the immense stress weighing on my shoulders from all this turmoil. Then, I checked my watch to see the time... Name: Michael Frostburne Total Rules Broken: 1 Current Rules Broken: 0 Time: 5:35 PM ... We arrived at the evening or close to the end of the evening in the mall, so the timing seemed fine to me... *** **Thud** "Ugh, what the heck!" I opened my eyes, squinting against the darkness, and realized I was sprawled on the floor of my room. My vision was blurry and my head felt heavy, a side effect of having been in a deep sleep and dreaming intensely. The sudden impact of my face hitting the floor sent a sharp wave of pain through my skull, jolting me awake. As I lay there, I slowly began to take in my surroundings. The familiar shapes of my furniture cast shadows in the dim light. I stretched my neck, feeling a stiff ache from the awkward position. Usually, I don't move around much while I'm asleep, so it was unusual for me to fall out of bed. Groaning, I glanced at my watch and saw that it was 1:30 A.M. Midnight. I was still feeling really sleepy... It felt like a heavy blanket was covering me. Wanting to go back to sleep, I stood up and tried to jump back into bed. Instead, I hit something invisible and fell to the floor again. "Ouch, my head again. This is so annoying. What is going on?" I muttered, rubbing my forehead and looking around in confusion. The room looked the same as always, but something was definitely not right. I stood up again and cautiously approached my bed. This time, instead of jumping, I stretched my right hand out in front of me. My fingers brushed against something solid and invisiblean unseen wall. The moment I felt it, everything clicked into place. "Oh no." The walls or the zone had moved closer. This meant the mall would be living less within a day, maybe sooner, considering my first quest was supposed to last 10 days. The shrinking of the zone had already begun. But, then... Why was the mall so eerily quiet? I mean, every one should have noticed by now that- I stood there, processing the reality of the invisible wall, when suddenly a loud voice echoed through the mall, shattering the eerie silence. What was that sound? The sound startled me, and I quickly moved to the door of my room. As I opened it, I saw people rushing past, heading towards the source of the noise. Finally, it seemed like I wasn't the only one to hear this sound this time... Let's see what happened there. My curiosity got the better of me, and I joined the stream of people, weaving through the halls until we reached the entertainment venue of the mall. The area was packed with a crowd of onlookers, all craning their necks to see what was happening. Fuckkk, how could I see from here? I couldn't make out anything from the back, so I decided to push my way through the throng, desperate to get a clearer view. As I elbowed my way forward, I noticed Sam, one of the Smith brothers, emerging from the crowd. Huh? Sam? I quickly approached him, hoping he had some answers. "Hey, Sam, do you know what's going on here?" I asked urgently. He looked at me with a grim expression. "A man fell from the balcony. He died instantly when he hit the ground floor. The body is up there," he said, pointing towards the crowd. Before I could ask more questions, he disappeared into the mass of people. Curiosity to see for myself, I pushed through the crowd, moving towards where Sam had pointed. When I finally reached the front, a chill ran down my spine. The lifeless body lay crumpled on the floor, a stark reminder of the danger now looming over us all. The man had an average face and was dressed in a wedding outfit, as if he had just come from a wedding. I could also see the intense shock in his eyes. From the way he looks, he doesn't resemble any influential person I've seen or read about before. Maybe he was just one of the regular people here. But, returning to the current situation, there are still many uncertainties about his death. The most puzzling question is how did he die? I mean, I understand he fell from the balcony, but I find it hard to believe he would have committed suicide. If he truly wanted to end his life, he could have done it tomorrow, yesterday, or the day before. So, I think he might not have fallen accidentally but instead was thrown from the balcony. And another reason I suspected it was murder: the shock in his eyes. A suicide victim wouldn't show surprise in their eyes after taking their own life, since it's their decision. But this guy was different. From his eyes, I could tell he didn't expect to die at the hands of that killer. Hmm... Maybe the killer was someone he knew, even a friend. But, wait! Why am I investigating about his death? Leave it. I don't want to start acting like a detective just because of some random person's death. Anyway, even if he was killed, I don't really mind if the killer was present among us... Then Marcus spoke up, "Excuse us, everyone. Let me through to see the body." He and Anna, known for her sharp tongue, made their way into the crowd and approached the lifeless body. Marcus, his face serious, asked, "How did he die?" Someone from the crowd replied, "Leader, he fell from the balcony." "Fell from the balcony?" Marcus muttered, deep in thought. Many people watched closely, observing his every move. Mira, Eoin, Solos, and James were among them. Solos glanced at me a few times... Still, currently, I was wondering what would he do next... As people glanced at him expectantly, a sudden shout rang out from the back of the crowd. "Leader, there seems to be an invisible wall here!" The declaration brought a sudden silence over the crowd, followed by waves of confusion and fear among the onlookers. Marcus touched his chin thoughtfully, muttering under his breath, "So, it's already here..." **Person 1:** "Invisible wall? How can a wall be invisible? What's going on?" **Person 2:** "What do you mean by invisible wall? Are we trapped here?" **Person 3:** "Wait, are you saying we're boxed in by something we can't even see?" **Person 4:** "I don't get it. How can there be a wall we can't see or touch? **Person 5:** "Yeah, Yeah, what the fuck is going on?" ... Oh, wow, what a surprise! I was really taken aback by those murmurs. I thought everyone already knew about the invisible walls, but judging from their reactions, it seems like they didn't. But here's another surprising observation. When I looked at the faces of the group leaders and members, none of them seemed surprised or confused. It looks like they already knew about this. And from what Marcus muttered before, I can guess that he also knew about this. So they, including Marcus, were already aware of this... But now that I think about it more, why didn't they tell the rest of people about it? Sensing the rising tension in the crowd, Marcus raised his voice to calm them down. "Everyone, please, remain calm. There's no need to panic. Let me explain what's happening here." The crowd murmured anxiously, but gradually quieted down, eager to hear Marcus's explanation. Marcus continued, his tone authoritative yet reassuring. "As some of you have noticed, there appears to be an invisible barrier surrounding us. This invisible wall marks the boundary of a shrinking zone that encompasses the mall." Gasps and whispers spread through the crowd as they absorbed this information. I also noticed a guy approaching Marcus and whispering something in his ear. I couldn't hear what was said, but I figured it must be related to the current situation. Marcus pointed towards the mall. "Everyone, I've just received crucial information. Half of the mall has already been swallowed by this shrinking zone. It means we're at risk of being trapped here if we don't act fast." A voice called out from the crowd, "What do you mean, trapped?" Marcus nodded, addressing the concern. "The zone is shrinking inward. If we don't evacuate soon, there's a risk that we won't be able to leave at all." Another person spoke up, "But how did this happen? Is this some kind of... magic?" Marcus shook his head solemnly. "I don't have all the answers yet, but I suspect it's might be connected to this world..." People exchanged worried glances, fear and uncertainty written on their faces. Marcus continued, his voice steady. "For now, our priority is to evacuate safely. Gather your belongings and prepare to leave. We'll need to organize ourselves into groups and find a way out together." Mira, who had been carefully listening to Marcus's every word and remained composed in the crowd, spoke up, "Where are we supposed to go?" Marcus paused briefly, considering his response. "There's a safe area outside the mall where we can regroup and assess the situation. We'll figure out our next steps from there." He scanned the crowd, meeting their eyes with determination. "I need everyone's cooperation and calmness. We can get through this together, but we must act swiftly." The crowd murmured in agreement, some nodding resolutely while others exchanged worried glances. Marcus raised his voice one last time, "Let's move. Time is of the essence." The crowd began to stir, some in a rush to gather their belongings, others looking around anxiously as if hoping for an alternative explanation. I was still standing there, observing Marcus closely. Unlike everyone else, I didn't have any belongings to pack up because I hadn't brought much with me when I arrived in this world. I glanced at the others who were busy gathering their things. But what are they even packing about? They hardly brought any belongings when they first arrived in this world. Turning my attention back to Marcus, I watched as he conversed with the other group leaders. His charisma and leadership skills were truly impressive. He calmed the crowd so effortlessly, which demonstrated his ability to assess and understand the situation. But, it also sent a chill down my spine when I considered that if Marcus is somehow connected to the rebels, it could create a huge problem for everyone here, including myself. *** Amid the tension, Marcus's authoritative presence provided a steadying influence. As people hastily gathered their belongings, a woman near the front voiced her fear, "But how can we be sure the area outside the mall is safe from monsters and Rebels? And what if the zone keeps getting smaller?" Marcus looked directly at her, his expression serious. "I get where you're coming from. Our priority now is to move fast and stick together... We'll figure out our next steps once we get there."