Rewind:Beyond the apocalypse

Chapter 16: Journey's End in Sight

After a tumultuous day, the group retired to their tents, exhausted. The night's rest was a welcome respite, and they woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to continue their journey.

As they packed up their tents and prepared to depart, a sense of excitement and trepidation filled the air. "We're almost in City G," a survivor said, her voice filled with hope. "I hope our journey goes smoothly today, without any... incidents."

The other survivors nodded in agreement. "We all hope so," one of them murmured.

Madison turned to Elise, a smile on her face. "Elise, we're almost at City G. Can't wait to see Grandma and Grandpa."

Elise's eyes lit up with excitement. "I wonder how our cousins are doing," she said, a hint of concern creeping into her voice.

As they set off once more, the group's spirits were high, buoyed by the prospect of finally reaching their destination. But as they journeyed deeper into the unknown, they couldn't shake off the feeling that danger lurked around every corner, waiting to strike.

As they drove through the rural area, they began to feel a sense of déjà vu. It seemed they were passing through the same familiar landmarks, yet again.

"Honey, it looks like we're passing through this area for the third time," Anita said, her voice laced with concern.

"I think you're right," Derick replied, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "Or maybe we're hallucinating."

Elise, who had been quietly observing the scenery, spoke up. "Dad, I don't think it's hallucination. I think we're being attacked."

Her words snapped the attention of her team in their car. Madison, Marcus, and her parents turned to her, their faces set with concern.

Meanwhile, in another vehicle, Vice Captain Jack turned to Captain James, his voice low and urgent. "Captain, I think we're stuck in some kind of loop. We keep passing through the same area, even after driving past it. Notice that tree at the start of the village? We've passed it multiple times."

Captain James nodded grimly, his eyes scanning the road ahead. "I think we should stop immediately the next time we find ourselves back at the starting point. We need to figure out what's going on and how to break this cycle."

The military personnel and survivors in the other vehicles began to murmur among themselves, realizing that they too had been experiencing the same strange phenomenon.

As they reached the starting point once again, the military vehicle at the front suddenly halted, causing a chain reaction of braking vehicles behind it. James and Jack emerged from their car, followed by other soldiers from the Eagle Squad.

The survivors exchanged worried glances, sensing that something was amiss. "What's happening?" one of them asked, her voice trembling.

Jack's expression was grim. "If you may have noticed, it seems we're stuck in some kind of loop, and we keep going back to our starting point."

James nodded in agreement. "I think we're under attack by something, and it seems they have the ability to create illusions."

The survivors' faces fell as they grasped the implications. Panic began to set in, with some of them whispering to each other in fear.

"If we're under attack without even knowing it, then staying here is just like waiting to die," one of the survivors exclaimed, his voice rising in desperation.

The group's anxiety was palpable, and James knew they had to act quickly to regain control of the situation. "Alright, let's stay calm and think this through," he said, his voice firm and reassuring. "We need to figure out what's causing this loop and how to break it."

James' words of reassurance had a calming effect on some of the survivors, but others were beyond consolation. One of them, a burly man named Ken, shouted at James with contempt.

"Don't tell us to calm down, bastard!" Ken yelled, his face red with rage. "If you don't know what's attacking us, how are you going to protect us?"

Ken's outburst sparked a chain reaction, and some of the other survivors began to panic. Ken stormed off to his car, shouting, "I'm going to find my way out of here!"

Several survivors followed him, desperate to escape the seemingly endless loop. But as Ken's car drove forward, it suddenly halted, and the sound of screeching tires filled the air.

Ken's car was stuck, and no matter how hard he tried to reverse, he couldn't escape the mutated plant that had ensnared his vehicle. The plant's tendrils wrapped around the car, dragging it back into the heart of the loop.

Meanwhile, Elise and her team approached James, concerned about the growing chaos. "What's going on?" Elise asked, her eyes scanning the scene.

James' expression was grim. "We need to figure out what's causing this loop and how to break it. We can't let panic set in and lose more people."

Madison nodded in agreement. "We should work together to find a solution. We can't give up now."

Marcus, ever the strategist, began to analyze their situation. "We need to gather more information about the loop and the mutated plant. Maybe there's a pattern or a weakness we can exploit."

As they brainstormed, the sound of Ken's screams echoed through the air, a stark reminder of the danger that lurked within the loop.

"Sky, do you hear that?" Marcus asked James, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Hear what?" James replied, straining his ears to listen. But he couldn't pick up anything out of the ordinary.

"Marcus, can you use your mental abilities to survey the area and pinpoint where the sounds you heard are coming from?" Elise suggested, her eyes locked on Marcus.

Marcus nodded and focused his mind. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness expanded, scanning the surrounding area. After a few moments, he opened his eyes, his expression grim.

"I've found the source of the sounds," he said, his voice low and somber. "And it's not good."

"What is it?" Elise asked, her voice laced with concern.

Marcus took a deep breath before answering. "I saw Ken and the other survivors' cars. They're filled with blood. It's like something out of a horror movie. A mutated plant is... gnawing on one of the survivors' bones."

Marcus's face twisted in disgust. "Fuck," he cursed, his eyes wide with shock.

Elise's eyes widened in horror. "What happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Marcus's expression was grim. "It seems I've found the source of the illusion. And the survivors who left just now... they're dead."

"Sky, do you hear that?" Marcus asked James.

Hear what as he tried to listen carefully but didn't hear anything James said.

Marcus can you use your mental abilities to survey the area and pinpoint where the sounds you heard is coming from Elise said.

After hearing Elise suggestion he used his ability to scan the area then he found the source of sounds. Then he saw Ken and other survivors cars filled with blood and it feels like a horror movie with a mutated plant gnawing on one of the survivors bone.

Fuck Marcus cursed.

What happened Elise asked.

It seems I have found the source of the illusion and the survivors who left just now are dead Marcus said.

As the weight of Marcus's words settled upon them, a shiver coursed through the veins of the survivors who had hesitated to join Ken's ill-fated expedition. The chill of regret and the specter of mortality lingered, a haunting reminder of the horrors that lurked in the shadows.

James's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with the imperative of devising a strategy to counter the monstrous entity that had claimed Ken and his companions. "How do we lure that thing out?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.

Madison's response was forthright, her voice steady and resolute. "It seems we have no choice but to confront it head-on."

A glint of determination flickered in her eyes as she continued, "We know that even the most mutated of plants retain a primal fear of fire. We can exploit that weakness to our advantage."

James nodded, his expression grim. "Agreed. Jack, assemble all fire-wielding superpowers. We must confront this entity now, before it unleashes its full fury upon us."

As James orchestrated the preparations for battle, Elise and their team discreetly slipped away to ready their own arsenal, their faces set with a determination to vanquish the horrors that lay ahead.