Survival Code: Z City

Memory (2)

Amidst his worries, his mother's voice came from downstairs,

"Andrea."

"Yes?"

Andrea seemed to have found gold, excitedly ran to the stairs to check. Andrea's mother, who was in the kitchen, busy making food, continued loudly,

"You go to the warehouse and find me an oven, a mini oven"

"Okay."

Andrea shouted happily. But he turned back to his grandfather and scratched his head laughing.

"I have to give her a hand, grandpa."

Grandpa Andrea practiced martial arts with both hands, old eyes glanced sideways at his grandson and then turned away. Andrea hurried into the warehouse a few steps away. He couldn't help but be touched because he was able to escape the scene of tired of lying down on the terrace while practicing. The warehouse door has been opened. Inside, the smell of dampness and dust rose. Andrea coughed for a few hours and then lifted his collar to make a temporary mask. He started looking for the mini oven set his mother had told him about. While rummaging through a pile of cardboard boxes, he bumped into a small wooden table. It was the desk when he was in elementary school. Andrea was curious again, setting the carton aside. He stepped closer and saw a book on the table. It is quite thick, and the crust is made of dark brown cowhide. Just don't know if the leather is real or fake. As Andrea watched, the question arose again. Why is there not a speck of dust in this book compared to the tabletop? It is completely clean and like new. Or did someone forget it? Andrea looked at the book again. The more he looked at it, the more he felt drawn to it. The foot does not control itself but comes closer. The hand was just about to touch when a figure appeared at the warehouse door.

"Jones!"

Grandpa's scream brought him out of his trance. Grandpa quickly approached. Seeing the book, his face turned pale and panicked. But very quickly Grandpa covered it up.

"Grandpa seems someone forgot this book."

"Yeah, it's mine. To find your mother something and go downstairs. She's lamenting."

Andrea saw his grandfather picking up books hidden behind his back, and couldn't help but frown curiously. Not to mention grandfather's attitude just now was very strange. It was rare for his grandfather to call Andrea by such a first name, let alone how bad grandfather’s face was now.

"That book… "

“Why are you so curious? Quickly bring the things down for mom. And from now on, when you see this book, you absolutely must not come near it. “

Grandpa didn't wait for Andrea to answer, so he brushed his back and left. Andrea was taken aback by his grandfather's somewhat angry and somewhat tough attitude. It is completely different from the seriousness of martial arts. It was like the book was scarier than the fact that Andrea didn't memorize the martial arts lessons. Andrea could only sigh in confusion and continued searching for the oven. He quickly found it, but just as he was about to leave the warehouse, a voice suddenly rang in his ear:

"I'm still here waiting for you!"

Andrea was startled and quickly turned his back. There was no one else in the barn except for old objects and faded painted walls. Suddenly, the atmosphere was a bit monstrous. Andrea's heart beat faster. He was a little scared and then consoled himself. It was just his imagination. He didn't dare to stay long but closed the door and left. The warehouse returned to its original quiet. Sunlight filters through the opening, creating streaks of light. In one corner, the creaking of wooden planks sounded strange.

During the meal, Andrea was subconsciously thinking about the barn and the dark brown book. Even that mysterious saying. Grandpa saw that he was lost and slightly frowned. He was sure that Andrea was thinking about that.

"Andrea eats rice."

"Yes Yes."

Startled, Andrea quickly shoved the food in the bowl into his mouth. His parents didn't notice anything out of the ordinary because normally their father values family rules. Grandpa was still not reassured, but insinuated advised:

“Curiosity isn't bad, but it's certainly not good either. When I was your age, I paid a heavy price for this nature."

Andrea knew his grandfather was teaching, so he nodded his listening carefully. But if only at that time he took these words seriously, maybe that bad thing wouldn't have happened.

At night when he went to bed, his mind was still wandering around the morning thing. He put his hands up and stared at the ceiling. Andrea couldn't stop thinking about it. He knew he was lying to himself. The words he hear that morning at the barn he was sure he hadn't imagined himself. But if that's not the case, would there be ghosts? Andrea wasn't sure.

He turned over and pulled the blanket up high and tried to soothe him to sleep. But after more than an hour, he was still awake. Finally, Andrea decided to go up to the barn again. During the time he went upstairs, he kept repeating the martial arts moves. If there was something real, he had to take action and hit it.

Standing in front of the warehouse door, Andrea's heartbeat is like a drum. The lights on the field are often not enough to illuminate the whole. The night wind blew, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. After taking a few deep breaths, Andrea reached out and pushed the wooden door open. Fortunately, his father put oil on the hinges a few days ago, so now this door does not make a sound. He reached out his hand to the wall and turned on the light switch. White light just covered. Everything is still dormant. Andrea gulped and took the first step. In his heart, he prayed that the book would not be on the table. If not, then indeed the morning saying is true.

As soon as he saw the dark brown cover on the small table, his heart wanted to jump out. Oh my gosh, it's here! No one is going to make fun of him, right? Grandpa certainly wouldn't do such childish things.

Andrea felt his breathing become heavier and more cautious. He gritted his teeth to control his trembling and approached. The book was still lying flat as if inviting him to turn. Andrea nervously put his hand on the cover. Cold smooth skin. Only now did he see the name of the book. It was engraved, so he had to look closely to read it.

Survival Code.

The name immediately reminded him of movies he had seen such as Hunger Games or Decoding the Labyrinth. His fingers hesitantly rested on the edge of the cover. The square angle reminded Andrea again of what his grandfather said. But his heart kept burning hot. There was an urge to invite. And he ignored his grandfather's warning. He lifted the dark brown book cover. With each action he took, his heart rate increased.

Inside the book, on the first page, Andrea read a terrifying oracle.

“If you turn the next page of the book, you accepted to participate in the life and death race. There won't be any round-trip buttons. Even losing a life in the game is inevitable. So, do you still want to continue?”