《When the World Ceased to Exist》 Prologue: Year 2012... Some reports said that this year was the end of the world, but nothing happened... Is it just a fake rumor? Or is it an introduction of it all...? I was 8 years old since the issue dissolved when no any phenomena or apocalypse happened. And here I am, still alive, still kickin''. Yet before my 16th birthday, things had changed rapidly from a peaceful world to isolation. A virus arose from Wuhan, China that caused a worldwide pandemic. People from internationals started to panic as the virus spreads out the whole world in just months and took many lives of innocent people. Luckily, a cure was found after a few studies about the virus. Once more, the humans survived another global crisis and continued to move on. Til now. The Philippines are slowly recovering from the pandemic. The malls, churces, and socials gatherings were opened, but people had to wear face masks and sanitize themselves to ensure their safety even socializing in some ways. I''m on Manila to attend a special gathering into a mall. I wore my mask before anyone sees while gazing at my cellphone as I''m chatting my mother in her Facebook account to inform her if I have arrived. "I''m now here Mom." I chatted. A sudden cling on my notifications alarmed me out of the blue when Aaron sent me a meme. "Daniel, watch this clip. This guy''s so funny Lmao." I chuckled when I saw a video of a man doing funny things to the public.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I shifted my sight at my front. The people kept going inside the mall with their families with smile on their faces. A slight feeling of envy entered my stable mind, wondering things. [ I wonder if my father didn''t had another woman... Would we three be happy like them? ] I silently bawled while leaning over a wall, but I pinched my cheeks to snap myself out of my sadness. Back to homeostasis, I kept the phone onto my bag and went out of the mall to take a glimpse on the outside while waiting. Cars went passing by in a moderate speed recommended, traffic enforcers were doing their job nicely as they handle down the flow of the road, and the side vendors who strive everyday to gain money for their financial needs. I averted my eyes for another time to the clear sky upon me. The bright sun gave me warmth as I looked through the white clouds surrounding it, fantasizing if ever I could fly high up those clouds and sit down in rainbows. At the amidst of my daydreaming, I''ve spotted several black rings became visible setting of the sky. I started to feel a slight fear til I heard some screams of people while running away into something ominous. [ What''s happening? ] I confusedly checked the commotion and got horried from what my eyes saw. An engorged ball-like creature came rolling from the road with fullspeed, crushing all in its path like a dough flattened by a rolling pin. It continued to move in straight path and reached various civilians that painted the road with blood and guts. I got nervous and ran back inside the mall with haste, planning to take the other exit on the other side. I ran faster and faster, but the ceiling fell down before I reached the exit, leaving me hopeless, but to go back to the main exit. However, an extreme shake of the ground made me stumble from the debris and stucked right leg into it. [ Shit! ] I kept taking off my injured leg into the rubble, but as soon as I pulled it out, the portion of the 2nd floor atop in a verge of falling right right through where I was positioned. I couldn''t help but just to sit there immobile, waiting my death. [ Through my 16 years of my existence, I didn''t thought this place would be my graveyard. ] I left a tear from my eye go down to my face while savoring my final seconds of being alive before the chunk of debris crushed me down. 01: The Beggining of the End I thought it was the last moments of my life when the ceiling fell down before me, but I miraculously survived. I opened my eyes and woke up at the same spot where I fell unconscious. [ Wait... I''m alive...? ] Blood flowed down from my forehead as I tilt my head left and right, yet I can''t move most of my body as I got buried in the rubble. Altough this feeling of unsafety kept me unsettled, I dug through the rubble and freed my body. [*Sigh* Now---- ] Before I finished my statement, a slippery object tripped me down the floor. [ A-Argh What was---- ] I freaked out as soon as I saw the object lying on the floor. It''s a severed bloody arm that rolled to my face while I was down. It looks torn off by a huge mouth with a number of sharp teeth like the size of normal knives. The disgusting view turned my stomach upside down like I wanted to puke my guts out. Even if its disturbing to look at, I took a deep breath to calmed myself down and around the area, but turns out that I''m the only one who lived. Corpses were scattered lying down the floor drenched in blood. Some of their bodies were dismembered, Some of them has bite marks of their heads that can be the possible cause of their demise. [ Tch. Daniel... Calm down. Its just corpses. Your goal is need to get out of here safe okay. ] After encouraging myself up, I took a glimpse onto the main entrance with my injured leg. [ It seems the exits at this floot got blocked. Better find another way out. ] I took the 2nd floor of the building and went inside of a home accessory shop. A single light was on, revealing the dead bodies of the cashier and various customers who got caught up in the incident. There are 6 durable curtains on each side of a stall. I tied each of their ends to make an alternative escape rope. [ Hm... This should be enough. ] The process is slow because of my inexperience, but thanks to the Animes I''ve watched, I learned things needed for this crisis. As soon as I finished it up. I felt my stomach growled for a moment as if its craving for food. [ Geez. I forgot to eat breakfast a while ago. I should go pass by the supermarket before I get out. ] I rolled out the curtains and put it in my bag for later and went my way to the supermarket to fill my belly. When I arrived at the supermarket, their theme songs still plays over and over, but I can''t hear any sound living thing inside. I gazed through the shelves and directly took some food and eat it up even beside a corpse lying on one of the shelves with his head open while the flies are feasting on him. I didn''t even feel disgusted anymore since I easily adapted the situation. [*Munch, Munch* Hm? This body seems had its brain eaten of something... ] I continued to study the corpse thoroughly to gain knowledge about his death, yet I can''t find a plausible explanation based from his bruises that is more like made by a huge monster as I saw big marks of claws on his torso that also left his chest wide open.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. A few chews of the biscuits made got me full enough, but decided to pack my bag with some of it for me to have a ration while on the way. My leg also recovered from its injury and ready for a run. [ Ah~ Now Let''s get out of here. ] I spoke to myself after looting it up. I proceed at the edge of the building where a giant hole was created til a massive shake of the ground made me out of balance that I nearly fell to the ground floor. [ Damn! that shake gave me goosebumps. I should stay away for this hole before another one occurs again. ] In the deep silence of the building, a distorted howl echoed from the ground floor. [ Huh? What''s that sound? It doesn''t seem to be coming from a wolf or a dog. ] The howl intensified further as I go down the stairs to check it out. It looks like coming from the bookstore near the main exit. I silently approached the area despite having a bad feeling of what might be the creature. My eyes widened when I saw an unknown specimen holding a mutilated body of a woman. It has the body of a four legged animal without any tail. Its sharp claws and mouth full of big teeth peirced through her body and it sprayed blood over and over as it bites the neck of the woman and tear it off to swallow her head. I can hear the cracking of bones into its mouth while clawing down the torso next to the heart and squeeze it like a stress ball and bursted down. It gave me chills down to my spine as I continue to watch the horrifying entity have its feast. I immediately back down slowly to not cause any noise, but I unforfunately stepped down a tin can and produced a loud noise that alarmed the creature. [ Oh Shit, It heard me! ] I fleed to the 2nd floor fast before it see me completely with its Large single eye, yet it chased me and jumped at the glass as I hear its shattering pieces falling. I braced myself to not panic and look on my way. However, its speed doubles mine but I don''t have a choice but to run even if I''m slow. [ I don''t know what is thing, but he''ll sure kill me right now! I have to get away from it immediately. ] The mall was so big that I can make turnarounds and stuff to escape from this menacing monster, but I reached the dead end. with no other plans, I faced the monster barehanded and threw a punch. It didn''t budge even a little, yet I''m the one who got hurt instead. I tried to throw another one, but it counterattacked with its claws that nearly crushed my skull and gave me a graze at the cheek. [ Kk. This creature... Its body is so tough. ] I mumbled. I evaded its arms before going into another attack, but he lunged forward and overlapped me with such mass that I felt my ribcage will break if it pushes me with much force. [ Fuck! Get off me! ] I flail and flail because of asphyxiation as it force its head to bite my neck, So I held its chin and distanced mine. A minute got passed by, and my strength began to decrease dramatically every second I hold its lethal jaws back. I started to become hopeless and thought of accepting my fate to die in this monster''s hands. I was about to release my hold when a voice whispered to my ea, A familiar tone of voice that brought me into my thoughts. "Why are you giving up now? That''s not the man who swore to be my husband." [ But soon, my strength would fall off and this monster will eat me. There''s no such hope for me anymore... ] "Don''t give me those lame excuses! Stand up and fight back. Being a coward doesn''t suit you." [ But---- ] "Shhhhh. No ifs and buts now. Just do what you need to do and live on..." "I''ll be waiting for you..." Her words lifted up my spirits and wake me up from a despairful dream. I wadered my eyes from my surroundings and noticed a tooth from a corpse beside me. [ Tch... I need to... get.... that... ] Although the risk is high, I stretched and stretched my arm and got hold of it in the exact moment and stabbed its neck before it gnawed mine. The sharpness of is was effective, yet still hard to pierce its flesh, so I forced it inside the monster''s throat. "Graaaaahhh!" The screeches it makes was so defeaning as I push it through, together with the blood squirting to my face. [ Come on! Just fall off and Die! ] The monster''s movement are getting slower as I thought it would be, but it flailed many times that it wounded me on several parts of my body and lost my grip from the sharp object. Still not giving up, I punched the pinned tooth over and over regardless of guts releasing out from its mouth to me. My barbaric state ends in a heavy blow of my fist to his neck, resulting the tooth to come out from the monster that took him down. [ Huff.... Huff... Did It died? ] Catching my breath from the deathmatch, I lifted its remains then stood up exhausted. [ I should... get out of this place. ] The festering wounds on my arms and legs kept me crippled as I walk to an opening of the building. It gave me a wide view from the outside and positively thought that things will be alright after I get out from this building but it was the reverse... [ Wha-What is this...? ] The place I used to live before befall into an apocalyptic chaos that no man had seen before. 02: Hopeless My knees began trembling and my heart starts throbbing hard as I see these horrors In front me. The dark colored highway roads got full of disembodied corpses and painted crimson red, creatures with distorted forms starts to wander below me, and the celestial bodies that usually shines in day and night changed into a mere black ring hanging onto pure darkness. [ W-What''s Happening? A-Am I in Hell? ] I immediately hid myself onto the concrete walls when a monster went running vigorously. I took a glimpse on it while rampaging on ground and saw two civilians being chased by. Its claws reached the other one''s leg and deeply scratched his tissues. [ Kk! Arghhh! Please! Help me! Help me! ] He pulled the other''s leg and begged for help, but the man panickly flailed and the other one got left being devoured by the unknown beast. [ Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! ] I thought the other could escape this terrible situation but a huge, skinny hand appeared on his front and grabbed him to the waist. [ Damn! Take me down! Take me down! Take me---- ] I didn''t even saw the completely image of the monster and the next thing happened on that man, but there''s one and only thing I can do now and its to wait and survive til some help arrives. ... I managed to endure this environtment for a week now, yet no one came in to rescue this city. Thankfully, the store and the faucets at the comfort rooms are still functioning in this building so I didn''t got shortage on food nor neglect my hygiene everyday. [ I''ve been waiting for a week now, but no one came to save me into this nightmare. Is still there any hope in this world? Hah. ] I sighed and stood up to roam the building again. The corpses lying onto the floor began to reek a foul odor as I walk around the 2nd floor with this shovel and kitchen knives equipped. Several groundshakes still occur everyday which made the hole in the 2nd floor more bigger than the early days, giving me a wider vision from above. [ Hm... These unknown monsters seem to be vigilant today. Hope they won''t notice me if I threw a knife at one of them. ] I continued my sightseeing on the outside area to find some changes on the activity of the monsters from today. The other ones seem to aware of something that threatens them, Some of them wandered continouosly into the streets£¬ yet the ones below me ran to the east where several gunshots fired at the same time from a certain restaurant near this building. [ It looks like a sound of a rifle, Maybe someone came here to rescue the civilians. I gotta go there before its too late. ] In an immediate reaction, I took out the improvise rope from the bag and tied it up into my waist and into a supported pillar. The cloths used to the curtains isn''t stretchable and strong enough, so I slowly go down while rappelling. The monsters in the area got their numbera cut in half which deacreased the dangers on my way. Little by little, I snuck behind the debris with my knife ready as the monsters changed their behavior because of the gunshots. It continued over and over until I arrived at a bookstore with two blocks away from the place, but the guns stopped their noises after a few moments. [ Hm... The gunshots stopped. Seems they''ve already neutralized the enemies. I better hurry or I would be left out. ] Suddenly, the monsters began to increase their numbers before I attempted to run directly. I don''t have a choice but to throw my knife onto a tin garbage bin. It made an echoing loud vibration that reached monsters'' ears. They clustered on the garbage bin so I took my chance to go unseen. But the hope I felt earlier didn''t last long when I see the grotesque sight before me. The soldiers'' bodies were in a pool of crimson with their limbs torn and stomachs opened although having those defensive suits. I gasped in horror as I see their pitiful death, knowing the terror of these monsters can bring into this world. [H-How awful. This poor soldiers risked their lives to save any civillians trapped here, but it turned nothing. May their souls rest in peace. ]Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. At the middle of my idling, a voice from military phone snapped me. [Hello Snake? You''re taking too long. What''s happening there?.... Hey, Answer me. ] I took the phone onto dead body and answered his call. [Uh... Hello? ] [ Huh? This isn''t the voice of Snake. Who are you? ] His voice seems tensed when I picked it up, yet he stayed his bravado as a soldier to not cause some panic. [Uh... I know this is surprising but, they got wiped out when I arfived here... ] [ What!? But how did they---- ] On the silence of the streets, a deafening screech came out of nowhere and cut off the contact. The winds blew heavy and the clouds began to diverge in the skies like a thin kite swayed by the storm. The ground also began to react unstable as I feel it shaking while I''m leaning onto a wall. I hurriedly rolled under a cargo truck and hid in there. [Tch! What now? ] I peeked on outside but saw nothing, til a Humongous throat wide as a Park filled my vision. I didn''t see it clearly, but it has thousands of teeth yet no limbs nor eyes to mobilize and scan. I closed my eyes and covered my mouth to not cause any noise to trigger this monster. [ How did that monster got here!? It doesn''t even have legs like the ones I saw earlier. ] 10 minutes got passed by, but its still passive after the screech it made. It feels the monster is the one responsible from this groundshakes I''ve encountered before as it wiggled its body like it wanted to get out of the land. [ I need to get out of here now befote this giant eats me. But how...? ] I''m observing its behavior when a slight fall of debris occured. The monster didn''t even reacted and looks like its sleeping at the moment. I opened the military phone to contact the soldier I''ve been talked with to request some help in here, but it seems useless right now. [ Shit! Why is it not working. ] It didn''t gave me a choice but to go out under the truck and slowly escape. [ Slowly... Slowly... ] I took a step bit by bit and got a 5 building distant from it. The monster is still not noticed my movements so I took the opportunity to increase my speed a bit. I thought it was easy to escape this trouble and turns out that I was wrong as it started to wiggle its way out the hole, showing its worm-like body and charged its path towards me, devouring everything that block its way. [ Dammit! ] Out of panic, I ran way at full speed without turning my head behind. It chased me all over the big city restlessly, but my body began to go out of steam. [ Huff... My legs can''t run that fast anymore, yet this monster will eat me if I stop moving. What should I do now...? ] Our tag went on the other highway which several cars blocked my pathway. I searched for possible opening for me to jump on, yet the road''s totally closed that ended my run. [ So this is the end huh... ] I can''t take a detour, I can''t divert its attention, I can''t do anything anymore but to wait for my demise... I closed my eyes and wandered my thoughts on praying to the one I''ve believed upon. Everything became colorless and enveloped in silence as I prayed for myself if I die here right now. The monster rushed relentlessly towards the my hopeless state and let it be, yet a strong force pulled me and saved myself from instant death. As soon as I open my eyes, I saw a man in a soldier''s uniform pulling me to the convoy with haste. He slammed me at the Back seat and drove the vehicle in full speed. [ Why are you just standing right there!? You''ll die you know. Ugh... You''re lucky that I''ve putted a GPS on that walkey talkey you took. ] The pressure on the car kept me silent and didn''t respond on his query. [ Tsk. This monster is too hungry. It even ate the buildings standing on its way. We should get out of here soon. ] The concrete architectures started to collapse on our convoy one by one. The driver couldn''t hell but to drift over and over to avoid those which made me struggle at the back. The chase still haven''t finished yet, but the car''s gas got cut in half. I tapped the soldier''s shoulder and asked: [ Hey mister, where''s your weapons'' supply? ] [ There''s a ton of weapon cases below your seat, we placed it there for emergency. ] I immediately crouched down and took one of the weapons cases. It contains a rifle and a handgun with two grenades and two flashbangs on the sides. [ What the fuck are you doing!? Those things are dangerous for you to handle kid. ] I took a grenade and a flashbang on it and closed the case. I tied it with the remaining fabric inside my bag to avoid loosening. [ Hey are you listening!? A kid like you never know how dangerous those things. ] His rants started to annoy me a bit so I answered him: [ Yeah, I''m still young for handling these objects in my hand, but I''m doing this for us to escape this monster. ] [ How stubborn! But what will a flashbang do in this one? It doesn''t even have any eyes to blind with. ] I pulled the pin of the grenade and dropped the explosives on the road where the monster is expected to move. [You''ll know soon, sir. ] Sweat drops from my chin to the ground as it bounces towards the monster, hoping it would be effective against it. The time ticks off and the grenade blew off exactly in fronr of it. The flashbang also came to effect and its defeaning sound reached the senses of the giant worm, damaging its auditory and stunned it for a couple of minutes. But It forcefully screeched and screeched , pushing several hazards at us that barely hit us. [ Whoa, How did you--- ] I directed his face with my palm at the driveway. [ Just focus on driving sir. ] The soldier seemed surprised from what I did to save us from this terror, but the most important one Is that we managed to escape our death in this unstable condition of the world for now... . . . . . Will the skies go clear again like it used to? Will our lives be peaceful like before? Is there any hope in this world? I still don''t know what things can happen, but only one thing is for sure: This world is now decaying. That this world is already abandoned by Hope. You can run, but you can''t hide. You can fight, but there''s no way you can survive forever. You''ll die for sure and there''s nothing you can do to rescue this world anymore... Or Am I wrong? 03: The Scarecrow It was almost midnight at 1 AM when I checked my watch after a good sleep at the convoy near a riverside. We took 2 days of traveling from Manila to Cagayan to go on a Evacuation shelter which managed by soldiers. [ Ugh... It already 1 AM now, but he''s still asleep I guess... ] The soldier I accompanied were exhausted from the terror we barely survived. His name was Greg Santos, a new recruit of the Arm Forces of the Philippines to serve and was assigned to rescue civilians that time together with his squad. But unfortunately, they became a feast to those monsters we humans never knew existed and he was the only one alive because he was in charge for securing the convoy. Out of curiosity, I gazed at his pocket where his wallet lies. Something was stucked in there, more like a thin paper or something that kept me hanging. I slowly moved my hand and pulled the object and it turns out to be a picture of him with his parent. He was just a normal twenty-four year old guy, but now he''s striving to save people''s lives with just a picture of his parents as his stength everyday. I felt so touched and became as I look at the picture. He was drawing a bright smile while holding his medals, that happiness I didn''t felt for a long time. [ My, I am envious of him. He got this big smile on his face together with his parents. I wish I felt the same way until now. I wish my dad didn''t broke our family. ] I bitterly smiled and put it back in his pocket and averted my eyes from the surroundings. It was so silent and peaceful tonight, but I sense a feeling that we''re being watched. [ Something''s wrong about this place... ] At a near distance of the river, there was a scarecrow standing at the middle of the crops facing towards us. I went down at the vehicle to have a good look, yet the uneasiness started to bother me. [ Hm... A scarecrow... It looks ragged, maybe it was built here for a long time. ] The atmosphere became heavy as I continue glancing at that scarecrow. Its face looks smiling bit by bit everytime I blink my eyes. [ Eh? Was it just my imagination or that thing literally smiled? ] I immediately climbed up the vehicle and began waking up Sir Greg. [ Sir, Sir! Wake up! Something''s wrong with this place and I can feel it. ] As he opened his eyes slowly, a deep fear bit his voice like he was muted. He slowly pointed something behind me with his eyes widened. [ A-.... Sir...?] When I turned my head behind, I saw the scarecrow wearing an eerie smile and dug its slender fingers to me. But it looks like just a nightmare I''ve seen in my dream. [ Wha- Huff... Huff... ] I woke up sweating and catching my breath because of fear. My heartbeat sped up like crazy and I froze at the seat of convoy. [ What with that dream? It really gave me chills I never felt. ] I looked onto my wristwatch again to check the time, but the fright continued on reality when the hands of the watch is pointed onto 1 AM. [ O-One AM!? Are you serious? ] I immediately look outside the convoy. All the objects I''ve seen in my dream were too identical from the things I''m looking into right now. The riverside, the atmosphere, and the scarecrow who killed me, they got repeated for another time but in reality. [ I''m sure this isn''t a dream anymore. But scene... Its unsettling. ]This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I tried to wake Mr. Greg up, but he''s in deep sleep that I can''t even make him notice me, so I went out myself carrying a handgun. The scarecrow seems docile when I look at it. It appears to be in a farmer''s outfit based on its farm hat and long sleeve shirt. It doesn''t have those slender arms like on that nightmare and it has no foot for its just standing on a stick. I slowly moved towards the scarecrow while pointing my gun on it incase. I took a step bit by bit until I got near it. Those slender arms didn''t move and inch, but I still feel a strange feeling about this creation. As I look out from the ground beneath it, I see several carcasses of crows with their wings missing and insides exposed. It looks recently died because of blood loss based on the fresh blood splats underneath their bodies. [ The crows.... It seems a sharp stick impaled their bodies... But how could there be trees? We''re in the plains. ] My heart began to throb fast while scanning the area, yet I didn''t even see a single trees nearby. I wandered my eyes on this vast plains, but I failed. *Crunkkkk* A sudden movement of wood alerted me. There''s something odd about the scarecrow and it turns out that my nightmare became true. Those sharp fingers nearly pierced my abdomen when I averted my eyes. I immedately jumped away while focusing my sight on it. That demonic smile it wears right now began stabbing my courage as I continue to stare. [ Shit, I should''ve woken Sir Greg earlier. Now I have to deal with this shit. ] The strong winds started to howl on the place that left me no choice but to blink a couple of times. Everytime my eyelids covers my eyes, the scarecrow moves its position nearly and at an unbelievable speed. [ Damn. This monster, its different from those devouring ones. And what the fuck is with that speed!? ] Because of panic, I pulled the trigger and blew off its head. It echoed throughout the whole area and woken up Sir Greg on his sleep. [ What the hell is happening outside-- ] He saw me outside the convoy holding the gun. It took my vision out of the scarecrow that it charged towards me and got my left arm. [ Tch! I forgot to secure this guy. ] Greg went down the convoy and ran to my direction with haste. [ Sir, Watch out! ] I hurriedly turn me eyes on the scarecrow, but it disappeared on its spot. I panickly searched for its trail until the felt a heavy object fell on the ground. [ Sir Greg! ] Greg received a deep hemorrhage on his back that caused his downfall. I immediately focused my eyes on the scarecrow while lifting myself up. Although missing its head, the remains of the body still moves like nothing happened. Yet as the time passes by, I getting a gist of its behavior and on how it utilizes mobility. [ I need to find away to shit down this monster and save him. But this wind is on my way! ] I can''t resist the urge to close my eyes because of the wind which made a chance for the scarecrow to relocate its position. I balled my fists and rushed at it without blinking even once. [ Brace yourself, you monster! I''ll give you my most powerful punch you''ve ever had! ] My fists reached its wooden body, yet I''m the one who got a graze on my cheek. I distanced myself again to find another opening spot for me to attack, but I accidentally blinked my eyes an nearly killed myself. Luckily, it didn''t got too close so I took another step back. [ Tsk. I need to cut those arms somehow. But that unseen counterattack, it might kill me if I fight reckless. ] Still gazing at it, I ran towards the convoy and climbed up fast. There''s still two weapons cases remaining under the seats, so I pulled the other one and ran. I got down the convoy when the scarecrow caught up and slashed me from behind. I luckily blocked it using the case, yet the other hand got my left arm again. The wound became bigger and sped up the blood loss of my hand, causing me to feel nauseous at the same time. [ Oh frick... My head is spinning... ] My vision started to fade slowly as I ran while looking at it. But as I got far, a big rock stumbled my ankle. I can''t regain my balance anymore. Even if I try to get myself up, the more faster my blood will come out and will kill me in no time. [ I... I can''t accept this kind of death. ] Even at a critical status, my tenacity overcame the pain and I stood up at the last moment, leaving the weapon case and rushed towards it. [ I won''t let this chance go to waste anymore. Even if I die here, I will make sure to destroy this living nightmare and save Mr. Greg! ] I went for the attack and punched its body again. But this time, it targeted my neck with force which I managed to evade because of my sharp intuition. The monster thought I lost all of my moves anymore, yet little did he know that I hanged an explosive on its back and is expected to burst in 30 seconds. [ Checkmate... ] Its smile slowly turns into a frown when it noticed my plan. I can feel that it wanted to take it off, yet I focused my sight to it and never let it go for 30 seconds. [ Y...Y...O...U!!!! ] This is the first time I''ve heard its voice. It sounds completely twisted and confusing as if it doesn''t have a single tone. The sound of a human baby, a middle-aged man, an old woman, altogether in one voice. [ Y...ou''ll P...A...Y... ] [ wE... WiLL HUnnnTH y0u dOWN--- ] Its last words reached its end then its time''s up. The demon scarecrow blew up into pieces of wood mixed with blood and the missing wings of the crows I''ve seen earlier. [ I...did it... Now we can--- ] My consciouness began breaking down and reached my point as I fell on the ground without any strength left in my legs... 04: Coping Up When the World Ceased to Exist. 04: Coping Up . . . . . Silence... [ Hello? ] . . . . . . My ears began to deafen because of the dead silence of the room. It has no doors, nor windows inside, just a wide metallic space. [ What''s with this place? There was no exits nor entrances for me to leave. So how did got here at the first place? ] Setting my thoughts aside, I scanned each of its elements one by one. I knocked at the floor and walls and felt their sensations, checked the flow of air, and searched for some openings. [ Hm... The walls are too tough to bash through with my hands. I would probably need a destructuve object to break these, yet the floor... There''s something off about them... ] Because of the curiosity built up into my mind, I tried to stomp down the floor, yet it failed to show some difference. [ Damn... This room is so tight! I can''t even see an opening to get out of here. ] Because of my ranting, I didn''t notice a crack on the wall. It kept blasting off a poisonous gas, making the air contaminated. It slowly takes my breath every second I inhale, yet I can''t do anything much, but to cover my nose and bash through the walls, Yet the strength I have isn''t enough to even mold it. : ( Shit! I should''ve noticed this gas sooner, but its too late for now. ) : ( What should I do? Should I continue to hopelessly punch these doors? Or just wait for my death? Either ways, there''s nothing I can do now... ) Despair began crawling to my skin the moment I sulked at the floor, waiting for the gas to completely restrain my breathing. Until a certain thought kept me surviving. An obvious thought which made my hopes up. "This is just a dream." As I etch those words onto my mind. I slowly felt relief down to my chest. The feeling of being safe... The tough walls around me became dusts that flew away, revealing a vast grassland in front me and a distant voice spoke my ears along with a bright shining directly at me. "Survive..." "Adapt..." "Overcome." Survive, Adapt, Overcome. Those words struck my soul out as two twisted beasts devoured me in just one snap thus waking me up at a small, white room where I''ve been sleeping. [ He woke up! The Doctor, Call the Doctor! ] The people inside the room went celebrating the moment I opened my eyes in front of them. The nurses beside me was also happy to see me conscious and gone calling the Doctor.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. : Aw, Thank God, You''re now awake! You''ve been sleeping for 2 weeks, you know. As I glance onto Greg, I saw his left arm taped in bandages. It got injured from the mess caught up weeks ago, where that ominous scarecrow nearly got us killed. But I''m still confused and feeling uneasy about those events. : Sir! Looks like we''re safe now, but I saw fall down the ground before me. : Oh that? He just gave me a huge bruise on this left arm of mine, so I played dead before he ensure my death. I was also surprised too when I outmarted that monster, so after-- His explaination was too long that I can''t understand it that clear, so I just responsed with a nod then the doctors came to check my status. The checkup was gone hours before I got discharged afterwards, because there''s already nothing to worry about anymore. They directed me to another small room which I could stay for a while as long as this chaos still arises from outside the facility. They also told me all about this building and gave me a map incase I''ve been lost from this wide area. . . . . . . . . . [ Hah- Finished. ] Staying in this room gone pretty boring after I fixed my things, so I decided to go outside and wander around the place. The corridors aren''t that full of people on sight. Most of them are soldiers patrolling the area and some of them were civilian whose taking their time of comfort. Several of them were persons who possesses a jigh reputation into society, so reclaims and arguments are inevitable incase something bad happens. One of them is the current Governor of Bulacan, Romel Hermoso which is known for his abusive use of power against his citizens and his unending greed. I don''t even know how he got here at the first place since Bulacan and Cagayan were cities far from each other, but it seems he already got his mood ruined as I hear his rants on a soldier near me. [ Hey You, call the administators here. You all are giving me such poor services! ] [ U-Uh... But sir. The administrators are on a meeting right now. I can''t just--- ] [ Who do you think I am, punk!? I''m a special person here! You all should take care of me like your masters. ] The soldier is somehow disoriented from what he would do, so he just walk his way to the office to call down the administrators. I wanted to stood up against his statements, yet I moved according to my senses and let it be. [ It seems this fatty still don''t got his desires met. I better stay away from him... ] I continued to move my feet, circling around the whole building til I end up at the doors of the cafeteria that is totally big enough to fit 75 tables and a two hundered fifty people at once. It was too noisy and crowded at the time as the clock''s hands point into 6PM which is our typical time for eating dinner. I got squeezed up on several people when Greg pulled me out of them. [ Hey Hey, Why the heck are you in here? You still need to get some rest though. ] [ Oh, don''t worry that much! I''m not that weak as you thought. ] The crowd kept their noises going loud that we can''t even hear each other. There seems to be a commotion occured outside the cafeteria and caught their attention for a while, so we took the opportunity to order food and went eating at the tables. [ Whoo~ I thought we will take forever getting some food. ] sighed Greg. [ Oh, I heard loud voices outside a while ago. Looks like a fight came up. ] We wondered our minds as we take a scoop of food every second, until a buffed guy with big muscles took his way outside pushing them one by one. I got intrigued from what he did, so I observed him for a moment, but I failed to move out my eyes when he once looked at me. [ Huh!? What is it boy? Want me to gouge those eyes out!? ] He got pissed just by seeing me staring staight at him. Because of that, he confronted me and strangled me out of the public. Greg tried to stop the ruckus this guy made, yet his fighting weren''t that effective against him even though his other hand was occupied on me. [ Holy shit! What the hell is with those moves? It''s not just an ordinary fighting. He''s not just a simple guy. ] It was the moment I realized that this man was a special individual which hired by the government to manage this facility with the help of his subordinates. His name was Fidel Romualdez... A former General and Chief of Staff of the AFP. I don''t know what will happen to us two after this incident, but I''m sure enough to say that this is a tough situation we''re involved in. 05: I know you I soon got in touch of the situation and calmed myself down, facing this powerful fellow in front of me. The asphyxiation began waver which opened up an oportunity for me to kick his chest and release his grip on my neck. [ Oh... It seems you two could give me a warm up for today. ] He was that confident to beat us up based on his voice. He began crackling his fists and gave us an eerie smile. But I saw something onto his appearance that made me realize... [ That face, skin and voice tone, and that muscular body... Don''t tell me you were Mr. Fidel. ] [ Huh!? What do you mean, boy? I was Fidel Romualdez, the one who manages your stay here! ] [ N-No, that''s not that I mean. You''re Mr. Fidel right? Mr. Fidel, the carpenter who lives beside ours. ] In just a few seconds, he also began to feel confused about what I was saying to him. The carpenter which I call him at our neighborhood. [ Carpenter... Beside our house... You''re Daniel!? ] [ Yes, sir.] Knowing it was me, his neighbor''s son turned a 180 degree angle on his attitude. The brawny, intimidating look became a soothing calm face with a bright smile. [ Argh! I apologize for being rude! I didn''t knew we would meet in this place. ] [ Yeah... I''m also surprised that you were the one managing this facility! ] [ This place is too noisy! We should talk st my office. ] The tides have turned and we got him in good terms and he guided us on his office to have s small talk. I can see his soldiers standing firmly wheneever he pass by, yet I noticed a slight tremble on their legs if ever Mr. Fidel look at them. Is he that strict on his stonghold? I wonder. We arrived at his office which has a setting of a normal office with a small table between two sofas. The room isn''t that large, but you''ll feel comfortsble.despite its appearance. [ So, How in the world did you in here? You''re house is at Bulacan, right...? ] Sipping the coffee with care, listening at every word he asks or tell. He was that talkative when I''ve he moved in our neighborhood. We talked a lot without tracking the time. He got lots and lots of stories and he also told us about his true status at the society. The kind carpenter we''ve known for years was a high ranked official in the first place and is just designated himself to spy a terrorist group which roams Bulacan and caused various troubles at the present time. [ --And now I''m here, running this facility with my sole daughter. ] At the amidst of our conversation, a guest knocked at the door. A voice of a girl, not deep, but with a high pitch. [ Dad! You here? ] [ Oh, Speak of the devil. There she is. ] Mr. Fidel opened the door and I''ve got to see his daughter. A pale white skin tone, her eyes and face looks like from a Korean actress which shows in TV, and the perfect, model-like body. This is the first time I''ve seen Mr. Fidel''s Daughter, Snow Romualdez. [ Let me introduce you my One and only beloved daughter, Snow. She helps me at managing this facility even if she''s just a sixteen year old. ]This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Meanwhile Greg, was still beside me, got intrigued from his stunning beauty and calmness. He pulled me at his face and whisphered at me: [ Hey Hey Daniel, isn''t she super cute? Why don''t try dating her? ] [ Huh? What with that all of a sudden? I obviously can''t date her anymore because of this crisis. ] [ And besides... I''ve already have a girl in my heart, so its no-no. ] In just a first glance, I''ve already knew that she wasn''t just a simple girl. Her senses were heigtened, she could easily scan people like a mainframe. She''s an observant which observes every single detail about anything she sees. She shares one talent mine. [ So, what are they doing in here? They don''t look like bad guys though. Are they your guests? ] [ Yeah. He''s Daniel from Bulacan where I''ve been set off, and beside him was Private Greg, a soldier here. [ I see... ] From the looks of it. Snow had already read Greg in just seconds of his exposure. His mindset, mannerisms, breathing patterns, everything about him was already etched onto her mind. Meanwhile me, she took minutes of her stares before she got interrupt by her father. She couldn''t read me that thoroughly. [ So what brings you here, my daughter? I''ve assigned you to monitor the exterior. ] [ Well, We''ve got someone whose ranting about the management here. He wants to talk with you right now.... ] I''ve overheard their conversation even at this mediate distance we''re in. Its about that Fat-ass Bastard again, blaming the crew for his unsatisfaction. [ Hm... I''m gonna talk to him right now. Daniel, you can--] [ Uh... Can you just wait for a minute? There''s something I wanted to ask you. You see... I''ve encountered this monsters from Manila before. They were distorted, hideous and unknown until now. Those entities, it looks like those military equipment we have here isn''t effective to them at all. ] [ Hm... What do you mean? Are you saying that bullets and bombs couldn''t kill them? ] [ Exactly. If you''ve seen one, I''m sure handguns and grenades won''t work on them. They have such tough skins that even snipers can''t pierce. Their claws and jaws were sharp as a Japanese Sword, and also their agility. Even if they doesn''t have any eyes, the other senses will tell presence nearby. Now I wanted to ask you if I could see your logistics? I wanted to examine something... ] Hearing my request would surely make Mr. Fidel into cut corners. Even Snow couldn''t accept nor decline my request. The fact I''ve got knowledge about these monsters could possibly make them agree, but my status as a commoner would turn it down. [ Hm... Let me think about it for now... I''ve still got this problems bugging my mind. Snow, assist them while I''m gone. ] In the end, my request was settled undecided for now, so I just laid back and took a sip of coffee. I didn''t even noticed that Greg was gone after we talked. [ Uh... Where''s Greg? ] [ He went to the toilet a while ago. He said he was getting some diarrhea, I think. ] [ Oh... ] Tick tock, tick tock. Its already a minute passed at the time, yet neither the two us didn''t talk. The situation gone real awkward, so I took the first move to lighten up the mood. [ S-Snow, right? This is my first time meeting you though. ] She didn''t respond. [ Uh... Snow--] [ Are you planning to hit on me? If you were, then shut up. I''m fine without a lovelife. ] [ Eeeh? That wasn''t really my intention, you know. ] [ Hm? The other boys also said that to me, but they still continued simping. ] She sips the coffee she made and sat down beside me. Looking at her close enough exposes her true beauty and elegance. Her posture and movements are conceivably girlish, but her will is tougher than mine. The will that was refined through hardships. What a strong personality. It also made me unsure of her authority, despite her physique and age which is the same age as me. [ I see... I just wanted to sheer you up for a bit. Your eyes look very gloomy though. ] I''ve said to her gently. [ Hmp, I don''t need any help from a mere stranger like you, never. ] After finishing her coffee, she left me in the room alone. I can feel that she was suffering a certain pain inside herself as I''ve seen in her eye that looks weary from crying a few minutes ago. [ That guy... He saw right through me.... He''s dangerous. What should I do... Sky...] Stress,Sadness,Despair. These elements filled this place and affects many people residing in this place right now. The soldiers, civilians, we individuals are struggling to survive this unknown apocalypse occuring at this world. This place we live in... How long could this little peace last? [ Ugh... I wonder what Yuki''s doing right now... I hope she''s safe until the time we met. ] My phone vibrated at my pocket. It seems someone sent me a message, although this type of phones were unavailable because of connecting issues. [ Hm... Let''s see... Oh, its from Yuki! How lucky I''ve got an internet connection right now. ] Despite this crisis occuring onto this world, I still got a chance to talk to her for a while. With this nickname of mine, I''m sure we''ll meet each other someday... Sky: Woah, Yuki! It''s been a while! Then the connection got cut off right away... 06: Impostor Its been 3 weeks since we''ve got here in this facility. Things have got a lot safer than I thought. No troubles, No worries. But as for my pending request... [ Well, I''m sad to say this, but I can''t let an unathorized personnel go there at the moment. The second block had some trouble about some... mysterious killings around the block. ] [ E-Eh?] [ The ones who''s in charge securing there said that several civillians were killed last night. They were missing limbs and some of their internal organs including the heart. ] Hearing the report really gave me chills after I heard "Intestines". I''m sure it was painful for the victims to get their insides gone. That made me breathing stop for a second there. I went outside the office frustrated since my request wasn''t granted. [ Ugh... Too bad... But those killings at the 2nd floor... Isn''t it a bit shady? ] I''m apparently staying at the fourth block from the first time I got here. I didn''t have a chance to wander around to the whole place, so just hearing the incident got me curious which lead me to go in there in hidden with Greg. We didn''t informed Mr. Fidel or even Snow about this because they might prohibit us from entering its premises, but I''m sure they will be disappointed when they know this. [ Hey, are you sure about this? I might get fired if they found us here. ] [ Nah, we''re just taking a small tour around. We''ll go back once I finished observing... ] The 2nd block was surprisingly big compared to the fourth block. Every room has a wide space which can be filled ny various peoples around. There were tons of different stalls including food stalls, mini-botique. but nothing of them took my attention like the small space at the edge of the main hall where a group of adults have gathered for some sort of meeting, but I could hear from the one standing in front of them a preaching about God''s will. [ Oh, a priest. We should check what they were doing out there. ] I pulled Greg with as I ran to them. I sat behind the crowd to have a great view to the priest and his audiences. Some of them was listening to the priest, some of them were praying individually, so I can''t make any disturbances. [ "And now the Lord will save us thy fate and purge this demons away to our world..." ] His charisma took effect when a bunch of people heard him. They joined us on our prayers and begged for salvation. Salvation... I wonder if it will happen. . . . . . . . . . It took us hours before the small mass concluded. The people began to part ways as they went out side the hall with great numbers clustering at each other. We also went our way to the door, but at the time I turn my head back, a gruesome event happened. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it [ What the-- ] The priest fell down the floor, but got his arms gone for some reason. I didn''t expect that to happen so soon, and in front of me. [ Call some help! The priest...! ] The soldiers came for aid and brought him to the medoc room, but it was too late for him to be saved. He died because in blood loss and several lacerations on his insides. [ How in the fuck did this happen? We''re in the crime scene, but we didn''t even see anything suspicious! ] Greg exclaimed. Even I didn''t saw anyone got near him when the incident happened, nor anything odd came up. All I did see is the massive arrival of the crowd after a moment, but nothing strange happened that moment. This mysterious killer is sure audacious to do his murders in front of me. Eventually, the authorities came out to check the crime scene together with Snow as their leader in charge. They gathered the priest''s audiences for another time and interrogeted them one by one. [ Huff... Huff... We just got lucky that Snow didn''t see us running away. ] I thought we were saved at this point when we weren''t seen at the area, but Snow came out behind us, leaving us busted. [ Could you two explain how did you get here? ] There''s nothing we could do for now and just shrugged. [ Uh... We sorta... We got lost.] I coumterfeited [ Hm...? It doesn''t look like you were the type of person that can be lost in this kind of place. And besides, we gave you maps individually, so its a bit odd if you two wandered here even having those guides. ] she replied. As expected from an observant like her. She saw through my false statement and dumped it right away. I wanted to throw one more lie, but suspicions will rise if I do it again. [ W-Well actually, We''re just... Hanging around at this block for a bit. Your Father said there was some kind of myterious killer here somewhere and I wanna investigate it. ] I claimed. [ For what reason then? Didn''t you know it was dangerous for you civilians to go in here, knowing that a killer is at large? ] [ Of course, I''m aware of that matter. We knew this was dangerous at the first place, but should we just stay inside our rooms and do nothing? I can''t do that... ] We were about to argue when a soldier came up and onterrupted our conversation. She called Snow for an important information. [ Ms. Snow. We''ve got a witness from the crime scene. ] [ Fine... ] We also heard that a witness showed up into the crime scene, the one who have seen the culprit doing its job, is already stating what he had seen. [ You''re planning to go in there too aren''t you? But we''ve already warned. ] asked Greg to me. I ignored him and went followed Snow silenty until we arrived at the interrogation room which the witness lies. I heard their dicussion from the other side of the door. [ ---I have seen it. He wasn''t human. His body.... I can''t even explain them! Please! Seize him now! ] [ That''s why I''m asking you sir. What did you see in that time? Who killed the priest? ] From the timid discussion to a talk full of screams. The witness began Shrieking while grabbing his head. He''s starting to become crazy. [ Arrgghhh! My head hurts! He''s gonna kill me! ] Snow panicked from the situation. She tried to calm the guy down, but it raged in fear and repelled her. [ Don''t touch me! Don''t touch me or I''ll kill you! ] This man already got his mind screwed up. I could hear swings of fists inside. He attacked Snow and threw the chairs, the tables randomly. I couldn''t bear to just stand here and eavesdrop, so I bashed right at the door to see what''s happening. Then, the man pointed at me with his trembling fingers and spoke in a ragged voice. [ That man! He is the culprit! I''ve seen him doing it to the priest! He''s a monster! ] I was shocked and clueless about what he said. Even I didn''t thought he''ll pull such lies onto me or. Snow started to call the officers and restrained me on the spot, making me kneel down while having my hands cuffed. "It wasn''t me!". That was my last words before something hit my head, causing me to black out. 07: Impostor(2) When the World Ceased to Exist. A meeting was held into the main office after my detention. Several adults were called in, including the high ranked officials of the politics and Mr. Fidel. [ Its impossible! I know that kid. He couldn''t even kill an ant! ] Mr. Fidel exclaimed. A guy tapped her on the back, nervously calming him down... [ Calm yourself, Mister. ] [ How could I calm down if you''re caging an innocent child like him!? ] [ Silence! ] A middle aged-man hit the tabl that caused Mr. Fidel to sit back. [ Calm yourself down. Mr Romualdez. We''re still doing some further inspections regarding the case. And besides, a witness have appeared and pointed that kid to be the--- ] [ Witness!? Who is it? ] The man looked at the reports handed onto them... [ Hm...Based on the report He was Jackson Hidalgo, a fish vendor at Isabela and is soon got rescued by the team. He said that he had seen the incident regarding the priest''s on the spot murder and saw Daniel Gruezo, tearing out his limbs and eating them out. I wasn''t that convinced about his statement because he was mentally unstable, but he was isolated in his room and kept saying that he will be killed tonight... ] [ Huh!? Don''t be ridiculous! He can''t do such a--- ] At the middle of their discussion, a soldier in duty went to their door, having some reports to do. [ Excuse me sir, but I have some news for you all... Just a few minutes ago, the witness is found dead in his room without his limbs and insides. The crime was clean, no anys signs of an intruder came in,yet The murderer is still at large. We''ve got some fingerprints on his neck, and matches with Daniel Gruezo''s fingerprints. ] [ W-What!? ] The whole table was shocked from the news they heard. Because of that, they called all of the guards to roam throughout the building in clusters. They got really convinced that a teenager named Daniel Gruezo was responsible for these killings. . . . . . . . I soon woke up on a dark room, a place I never seen before. I tried called through the exit door, but no one replied besides a feminine voice inside the room. [ Seems you had a good sleep. ] Snow emerged from the dark holding some files that she''ll send to higher ups as her report. [ What''s happening? Why am I locked up here...? ] I asked her dumbfounded. [ Isn''t that obvious? After you''ve killed those innocent people in just one night... ] [ Eh, N-No! It wasn''t me! ] I could see her eyes glaring at me. I could feel the anger between them, like she had some sort of anger at me. [ There''s nothing you do now. I will never trust the words of a monster like you! You nearly took everything from me, and I won''t let that happen again! ] Her voice... It sounds agonizing inside as she went out the dark, jail room. I can hear his soul crying.... I feel so bad about her... [ Wait! I''m not a monster... ] I shouted it out loud, so it could reach her ears before she departs, but it seems I couldn''t reach her feelings too. And so I got left behind the dark room, sulking at the floor. The words she said made me think of myself as twisted... Or I guess, she was probably right. Maybe I was the one who killed them. Maybe I was a monster... I was about to lose my mind when I blanked out and fainted. Darkness consumed my vision slowly as it deliver myself onto that room for another time. The room I''ve once trapped in the dream... [ Again...?] It was the same spot where nothing changed quite a bit. No windows, no doors, no such exits for me to take. But unlike the other dreams, something is odd about this one... [ What''s happening to you... Your fate... Its slowly crumbling...] There is another persob inside the room. I guy I never met before... But as I gaze at him, its just nostalgia is all I feel. [ Who are you...?] I asked. [ You''re mind is already shattering, aren''t you? I can feel... you''re being eaten by despair... ] His voice was quite timid as I hear it. I don''t know why, but it somehow soothing to my ears.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. [ Well, let''s get this straight... Listen... This wasn''t I was expecting, but your fate will lead you to death... In just a matter of time, someone will break through this room and kill you... The details were still omitted, but you have to live. Because--- ] [ Its alright... Its enough for me now... ] I downcasted myself, knowing that I''ll die in just few hours. This is just for the sake of the people, for them to suffer no more deaths, shed more tears and live their life here as long as possible... [ What are you saying? If you die here, the people will neet the same fate as you! ] . . . . . [ Eh? ] [ They will all die... Because of me...? B-But, I thought I am... ] [ You... You weren''t the one who killed them. It was him who''s being manipulated by that demon! ] [ Him...? ] [ Just why did this miracle given to you at the first place. You couldn''t use even a sprinkle of its power... ] [ Miracle...? I don''t get it... ] Thoughts began to jumble in my mind as the. Death, the True Killer, Miracles, The complication... just what happened to me? [ Well, Listen... You have to--- ] Before he could finish his words, his hands started to wither slowly as the room goes too. [ Oh no. I''m already out of time huh... ] He sighed timidly. [ W-Wait...! Him... Who is he? ] [ You''ve already met him... His name was--- ] He was about to say it to me when the room completely faded away, and thus lead me back to reality, together with the knowledge I had from that man in my dream. [ So I have save myself from that person he''s saying huh... But I''d better get out here before the guards see me. ] I scanned the area and analyzes the situation I was in... . . . . . . . It took me a couple of minutes to finished my scanning the place. I was detained at a dark jail room without anything in hand. There''s no windows, nor vents in my vicinity except the exit door at the right side of the room. The other cells were also empty and I was only the one isolated in here. The steel bars were quite a problem too, despite having a small, steel door beside it that requires a key for opening. I tried various things to open it, like opening the keyhole with trash sticks I''ve got from the ground, but if it failed. I also tried bashing the door too, yet it was expected to be no good. It left me no choice, but to draw the attention of a guard to come in and snatch away they keys he has. And speaking of the devil, one came running towards my cell in full armor and didn''t thought twice to open the door for me. [ Hey. You alright? ] As soon as he takes off the mask, I confirmed that it was Greg, letting me out of the cell. [ Greg... But how did you--- ] [ Ugh. We don''t have time for interrogation right now. We gotta get out of here quick! ] Without turning back, we ran out the jail room while hiding at the guards roaming the area. The block was full of pathways we could take in. Some of them has dangers waiting for us, but we''re lucky that Greg brought the building''s map on his pocket. It gave us ease to decide which of the pathways we''ll take. But not all of them was that easy until we reached the main hall of the block, having a number of soldiers standing by. [ Oh shit. The guards were clustering here. But there''s no any alternate routes for us to take... ] Greg stated. [ Tsk. So there''s no other choice then. ] I took a deep breath and readied myself for a sneak. [ You ready, Daniel? ] [ Yup. ] After ensuring ourselves, we slowly snuck out on the crowd in front of us. There was some huge objects we could use to be unseen, so we splitted ways on the way. Greg went to right side and me on the left, for us to have our eyes focused on these men. We took it little by little, step by step, until we got near the next passage. But the bad karma hunted us out, and I accidentally hit my knee on a thin metal plate. The guards standing by got alerted on the loud sound I made. [ What''s that sound? ] [ It came right over there... ] The other guy pointed the source of the sound, which is me behind the metal box. They''re slowly approaching it because of curiosity and me, is already shaking cold because of that slight mistake I made. Yet fate altered the outcome and the alarms rang throughout the facility. [ An escapee at Block 4 is still at large. Soldiers, commence search operations. I repeat, commence search operations. ] Based on the phaging, Snow checked my room and it looks they already knew that I escaped my cell a while ago. [ Oh fuck. That kid was the only one detained in this Block right? Then it means... ] Just hearing the report made the others tremble on their feet. They put up their guns despite knowing the fear of fighting an unknown entity and scattered throughout the block, giving us the opportunity to move onto the next one. . . . . . . . . . . The next events have become smoother than in the earlier ones. The guards on the following areas had their numbers cut into half, so.we got over them so easily. Meanwhile, Greg was almost out of fuel to make another run, so I directed ourselves onto the basement. [ Huff... Huff... That''s a hell of running. I''m too exhausted... ] I threw towards him a bottle of clean water we took on our way back here. [ Well, I''m sure we won''t be caught as long as we stay in here. But we can''t do that forever. ] I claimed. [ Yeah. Now that we''re outlaws on the upper floor, we couldn''t be possibly hang around there. ] I glanced at him as he drink the water to his refreshment and asked: [ Hey Greg. I wonder why are you still helping me until now... I mean, you''ve already helped me many times way back from our first meeting. Even if its still just minimal, it was still a big help for me... ] He replied to me a timid smile... [ What in the world saying? You''ve already saved my life a two times before! This things I''m doing for your sake isn''t just enough for my debts. So its not a big deal. You were my savior after all... ] I... I was moved after all he had said. I never once heard of me, being that useful to other people since I was a child. I always mess up things and gets scolded by my mother who takes care of me when my father left us out to live with his other woman. She raised me to be a fine man, but I failed his ambitions for myself. Even if she was dying in her bed, she''s still smiling and strives to be a good parent for me whose having a broken family... Now that she''s gone, I was so grateful that I met Yuki and Greg which kept me moving forward at life. They were special to me, that''s why I should keep the hard work in life for them. For us. [ Wow... I never I thought I was your savior back then. You know, I''m so glad I''ve met you despite this chaos happening to our world. And thank you... Because you showed me how to live even having those problems... ] He muted down to a pause as the atmosphere deafened me to silence. This is the first time I''ve seen him looking down like a different person. [ Well Uh... Sorry about that I was a bit... Exhausted, I guess? ] He stood up as his usual posture, yet something''s off about his movements. [ You know... I''m tooo tired about all this stuff anymore. Everyday, you all strive to live your lives as a sewer rats hiding from them. Like, how can you call yourselves the creations of god, if you couldn''t even fend off demons? How Ironic. ] All of a sudden, his way of speech also changed. His voice was...empty, yet this feeling of dread bugs me. That my gut tells me, I should stay away from him... That guy in my dream said these words before me: "You... You weren''t the one who killed them. It was him who''s being manipulated by that demon." And thus the moment I shifted my gaze upon him, a sharp, ominous object peirced the insides of my body...