Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 50 Getting Out III

"Nate!" Axel shouted, his voice strained with panic. "What the hell are we doing? There’s more of them out here!"

Nate barely spared him a glance, his focus locked on the swarm of keepers bearing down on him. Fire crackled in his palms as he sent another wave of flames hurtling toward his enemies, forcing them to back off momentarily.

"Stop standing there and move!" Nate yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. His eyes darted to Alice, who was frozen with indecision. "Alice! Turn your ice into spikes! Visualize it in your head—it’s all about focus!"

Alice’s hands trembled as she raised them, summoning her icy powers. She shut her eyes for a split second, picturing sharp, lethal spikes forming. When she opened her eyes, jagged shards of ice materialized in her hands.

"Like this?" she shouted back.

"Yes!" Nate shouted, dodging a heavy strike from a keeper’s hammer. "Now fire them!"

With one hand still gripping the wheel to keep the boulder suspended, Alice hurled the spikes toward the oncoming keepers. Her aim wasn’t perfect at first, but the sharp ice impaled one of the creatures directly, dropping it instantly. Encouraged, she kept going, her attacks growing more precise and lethal.

Axel, watching the chaos unfold, shouted, "Alice, get out of here! I’ve got the wheel!"

"No!" Alice cried, her voice defiant. "We’re not leaving without you both!"

She attempted to freeze the wheel in place, creating a thick layer of ice over its surface, but the boulder’s immense weight shattered the ice almost instantly. The wheel jerked, nearly slipping out of Axel’s grasp before he caught it in time. His muscles bulged as he strained to keep it steady.

"Go, damn it!" Axel bellowed, his voice cracking with effort.

Alice hesitated, her breath hitching in her chest. Nate turned toward her, his expression hard. "Alice, listen to him! Get outside and clear the way! We’ll follow!"

Tears stung her eyes, but she nodded, realizing she had no choice. She turned toward the opening and summoned a smooth, glistening road of ice. With a final glance over her shoulder, she leaped onto it, gliding outside with remarkable speed.

Once outside, Alice summoned more spikes, hurling them at the keepers waiting near the entrance. The creatures were frail and emaciated compared to the ones inside, and they crumpled easily under her assault. She didn’t stop until the area was littered with fallen keepers.

"It’s clear!" she shouted, turning back toward the entrance. "Axel, come on!"

Inside, Axel struggled to hold the wheel steady. Sweat poured down his face, and his arms shook violently under the strain. "I can’t leave, Alice!" he called out. "If I let go, this thing will crush me!"

Suddenly, a wave of heat swept over him, and he glanced to his side to see Nate standing there. Flames danced around his hands as he grabbed the wheel. "I’ve got it," Nate said firmly. "Now go!"

Axel’s eyes widened. "What about you?"

"There’s no time to argue," Nate snapped. "One of us has to stay, and it’s going to be me!"

"No!" Axel growled, refusing to move. He grabbed the wheel again, trying to push Nate aside. "I’ll do it!"

But Nate wasn’t having it. With a sharp kick, he sent Axel flying backward onto the icy path Alice had created. Axel slid helplessly out of the tunnel, his protests echoing as he tumbled outside.

"Nate!" Alice cried, running to Axel’s side. Together, they looked back into the tunnel, their eyes widening in horror.

A new wave of keepers surged forward, but these were unlike any they had seen before. They were massive, with thick, muscular frames and glowing eyes that radiated malice. Each carried a heavy hammer, the weapons gleaming ominously in the dim light.

Nate turned to face them, his expression calm but resolute. He glanced back at Alice and Axel one last time, a small, sad smile on his face.

"Go," he said softly, his voice almost drowned out by the roar of the oncoming keepers.

And then, he let go of the wheel.

The boulder fell with a deafening crash, sealing the entrance completely.

For a moment, there was silence.

Alice stared at the now-closed entrance, her mind refusing to process what had just happened. Nate’s smile—the way he had looked at her—kept replaying in her head, over and over.

"No…" she whispered, her voice trembling. Her legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees. "No! No, no, no!"

She scrambled toward the boulder, her hands slamming against it in desperation. "Nate!" she screamed, her voice raw with anguish.

She summoned her powers, creating massive pillars of ice to try and lift the boulder, but the ice shattered against its weight. Blood began to seep from her hands as she pounded on the unyielding stone, her cries growing more frantic.

"Nate! Come back! Please!"

Axel stood behind her, his face pale and stricken. He simply stared at the boulder, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Alice continued to scream and cry, her fists bloody and bruised as she kept hitting the boulder. But it was no use.

Nate was gone.

----

Madison sat on a flat rock at the edge of the camp, her eyes fixed on the dense forest in the distance. The sun was beginning its descent, casting a golden hue over the trees, but she barely noticed the beauty of the evening. Her mind was consumed by worry, her heart heavy with the growing fear that something had gone wrong.

She sighed, brushing a strand of her messy hair out of her face. It had been almost forty eight hours since Nate, Alice, and Axel disappeared into the forest. Since morning, she’d been sitting there, refusing to move, hoping they’d return. But as time dragged on, hope began to wane.

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She turned her gaze toward the camp. Around her, life went on as if nothing had happened. The others were busy with their routines, oblivious—or uncaring—about the fate of the trio. Ryder was the only one who seemed to share her concern, but even he was too consumed with his obsession: finding a way off the island.

Jack, on the other hand, was already rallying a group to leave the beach. He stood a few feet away, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke to a small group about their next move. "We can’t waste time waiting for them. They will find us, I’ll leave something for Nate that only he can understand, and we need to secure the next location before it gets dark," he was saying, his tone matter-of-fact.

Jason wasn’t any better. Madison had thought he might show concern for Axel—his closest companion—but instead, he was doting on Bella. He was kneeling by the campfire, offering her a freshly roasted fish and a rare, soft smile.

The sight made Madison’s blood boil. "How can they just act like this is normal?" she muttered to herself. "Don’t they care?"

The more she watched, the more restless she became. Her fingers clenched the edge of the rock, and her leg bounced nervously. By now, the sun had dipped lower, and the shadows of the trees stretched ominously across the sand. It was evening, and they still hadn’t come back.

A knot of dread twisted in her stomach. Something bad had happened—she could feel it. Finally, she stood, brushing the sand off her pants. If no one else would do anything, she’d go look for them herself.

She had only taken a few steps when a sudden commotion broke out behind her.

"Hey, look!" someone called.

Madison froze and turned around. A small crowd had gathered at the edge of the camp, murmuring and pointing toward the forest.

"What’s going on now?" she muttered under her breath, pushing her way through the throng of people.

When she broke through the crowd, her heart stopped. Emerging from the trees were Alice and Axel.

They looked nothing like the confident duo she had last seen. Their clothes were torn and dirty, their faces pale and gaunt. Axel limped slightly, his shoulder hunched as though he had taken a hit. Alice looked worse—her face was streaked with dried blood, and her hands hung limply by her sides, the knuckles raw and red.

But it wasn’t just their physical state that shocked Madison—it was the haunted look in their eyes. It was the look of people who had stared death in the face and barely survived.

The crowd parted as they walked forward, their steps slow and unsteady. The murmurs around them grew louder.

"What happened to them?"

"Where’s Nate?"

"Are they the only ones who made it back?"

Madison’s throat tightened. She took a tentative step forward, wanting to ask them what had happened but unable to form the words. Her voice caught in her throat as she noticed Alice’s trembling hands and Axel’s downcast eyes.

They didn’t stop to speak to anyone. They didn’t acknowledge the questions or the stares. They just kept walking, their faces devoid of expression, like they were moving on autopilot.

As they passed by Madison, Alice glanced at her for the briefest moment. Madison saw the unshed tears glistening in her eyes, saw the way her jaw clenched as if she were holding back a scream.

And then they were gone, disappearing into the center of the camp, leaving Madison standing there, her heart pounding in her chest.

She didn’t need to ask what had happened. She could see the answer written all over their faces.