Night had fallen.
The mall had become silent.
Too silent.
The distant hum of the emergency generator echoed through the empty corridors.
Pale floodlights flickered overhead.
Kai sat against the wall.
My body ached.
The fight against the Smiling Walker had drained every ounce of my strength.
Yet sleep could wait.
There are things I needed to understand.
"Status."
[Status]
Name: Kai Vilia
Level: 2
Experience: 12/100
Race: Human
Title: Survivor New
HP: 21/112
Condition: Fatigue, Injured
Strength: 10 +1+1
Agility: 10 +1
Vitality: 9 +1
Intelligence: 8 +1
Available Skills:
Instinct Lv. 1
Mental Stability Lv. 1
Nightmare Encyclopedia Lv. 2 New
Regen Lv. 1 New
Kai stared at the screen.
A new skill.
Regen.
Kai focused on the skill.
Instinct Lv. 1
A passive skill
Increase human senses by 5%
Mental Stability Lv. 1
A passive skill
Slightly reduce mental break down by 2%
Regen Lv.1
A passive skill.
Slightly increases natural healing speed by 3%
"This skill regen is enough to regrow limbs."
"Not enough to heal serious wounds instantly."
"But in a world where injuries could mean death, even a small advantage was priceless."
"Next came the Encyclopedia."
Kai opened the new menu.
Nightmare Encyclopedia Lv.2 +1
Functions Unlocked:
Weakness Identification New
Information Archive New
Progress: 2 Nightmare Recorded
Kai's eyes widened.
"The Encyclopedia level increased."
"The more Nightmares I'll encountered, the more information it could gather."
"Next would be the title."
Title: Survivor
Survive a chase from a Nightmare.
All stats +1
"The color has been bothering me lately."
"It seems that the yellow colors are buff from the title."
"While the green color are newly added item, level, and points."
"I'm slowly to understand the System right now."
Then the rewards.
"The potion intrigued me the most."
"The glass bottle contained a faint red liquid."
"It glowed softly in the dark."
"A healing potion..."
"Maybe?"
The absurdity of saying those words almost made me laugh.
Nightmares.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Levels.
Skills.
Now potions.
"The world had become nightmare game like."
Except no restart and revive.
Kai carefully stored everything.
Then stood.
"I need supplies."
Kai open the door in search for supplies.
_______
The shopping mall had become graveyard.
Broken storefronts stretched endlessly through the darkness.
Kai found a sporting goods store first.
A backpack.
Several water bottles.
Can foods.
A lighter.
A few batteries.
A flashlight .
A blanket.
Anything useful.
Went into the bag.
"The more prepared I am, the longer I'll survive."
"Simple."
As Kai continued searching, a smell reached him.
Rotten, smell of rust.
Kai's pacing slowed.
A nearby food court is up ahead.
Dark stains covered the floor.
Kai approached cautiously.
Then froze.
Bodies.
Dozens of them.
Piled together.
Some missing arms.
Some missing legs.
Some missing heads.
Blood painted the walls.
Organs and intestines scattered around the food court.
Scattered everywhere like discarded trash.
The smell was overwhelming.
Kai immediately turned away and vomit.
What bothers Kai the most is a drawn smile on the wall, drawn using blood and pinned limbs and intestine around.
"The mall can't be use as shelter no more."
It had become food supplies for the monster and humanity had been the prey.
Hours passed.
Kai continued searching.
Food.
Water.
Tools.
Anything useful.
Then Kai heard a sound.
A weak voice.
Barely audible.
"...help..."
Kai stopped.
The voice came from inside a small shop.
"...please..."
Kai's heart sank.
"Someone was still alive."
Kai rushed inside.
The survivor lay against a wall.
A man in his thirties.
His face pale.
His clothes soaked in blood.
Both arms were gone.
Amputated near the shoulders.
Dark red blood pooled beneath him.
The man's eyes struggled to focus.
"Help..."
His voice was little more than a whisper.
Kai immediately understood.
There was no saving him.
Even if hospitals still existed.
Even if doctors are here.
The man can't be save.
The man already lost too much blood.
It was a miracle that he survived this long.
The survivor looked at Kai.
For a moment, hope appeared in his eyes.
Then he seemed to understand.
"...it hurts..."
Kai felt his chest tighten.
The man wasn't asking for rescue anymore.
He was begging for release.
The silence stretched.
Neither spoke.
Finally.
The survivor gave a small nod.
A silent request.
Kai closed his eyes.
Then drew his knife.
"I'm sorry."
The blade descended.
To the man's heart.
Hoping to die painlessly.
Then the mans suffering ended.
Silence returned.
Kai stood there for several seconds.
Unable to move.
Unable to think.
"This world."
"How did it become like this?"
Kai returned to the generator room.
Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him.
Kai placed the backpack beside him.
The supplies weren't much.
But they were enough, for now.
The emergency lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then darkness swallowed the room.
The generator had finally run out of fuel.
Silence followed.
Absolute silence.
Kai sighed.
"Of course."
The emergency light glowed.
Eerie.
Red light.
Kai checked the doorway one final time.
And locked the door.
Then wrapped himself in the blanket.
"Tomorrow would be worse."
"I knew that."
But tomorrow could wait.
Tonight.
I needed sleep.
For the first time.
Kai closed his eyes willingly.
And slowly drifted into unconsciousness.
___________
Darkness.
Endless darkness.
Kai stood alone within an infinite black void.
No floor.
No ceiling.
No walls.
Nothing.
Then something moved.
A distant shape.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Watching.
Its outline blurred constantly.
Impossible to focus on.
Kai felt a chill run through his soul.
The figure slowly raised one hand.
And pointed.
Behind me.
A voice echoed through the void.
Ancient.
Cold.
Neither male nor female.
Yet somehow familiar.
W̷̨̠͆͋͒̑̄͌̇͘̕ą̶͇͈͎͓͖̭̯̲̈̌̆̂́͊̃͛̍k̵̫̤̝̘̓͘e̴̪̾̎͐̊͘͝ ̶̡̧̗̦̘̙̺̼̤̂̈́́́͗̂̋̃̈̎ḇ̷̧̰̱̪͍̝̀̈̕͜͜͜ë̸̜͍̲̬̙̩͔͓̙̲́́̃͘f̸͚̺̬͇̳͠ô̶̪̤r̵̢̝̜̯͒͌ȅ̶̢̡͇̮̀͝ ̷̡̖͔̮̖̫̥̖̮́̋̀́͝i̷̱̹̹̳̟̥͍̙̐̂̃̉̐ţ̴͕̻̙̤̰͍̠̮̜̍̓̄̉̅́͛̕ ̷̪̣̮̺̗̗͍͖̈́̈́̔̊̐̓̽̌̒n̴̟̞͍͖͂̓̆͐̿͌̓̑o̷̢̻̭͓̙̠͉̎́t̵͉̝̂i̸̢͒͑͝c̶̬̖̀́̂̚͘e̴̮̦̟̯̖͚̩͌͑s̶̡̬̭͓͓͙̼͚͍̫͌̌̇̿͘͘.̴̡̳͔̟̳̹̓̔̀̍̉͌̊͝"̴̙̠̯̯̟̼̤̙̣͚͒̅͒̔̒̀́͑͗̎
Kai's turn around.
"What—"
The darkness suddenly trembled.
Something enormous shifted beyond the void.
A presence.
Far larger than any Nightmare.
Far older.
Far hungrier.
Kai felt countless eyes opening in the darkness.
Watching.
Searching.
And then—
One eye opened.
A gigantic crimson eye.
Far away.
Yet impossibly close.
Its gaze locked onto me!?
Information: Ů̷̢̧͓̭͕̏̍̅̀̕͝͝n̸̼͙̒̍̀̃̕a̷̢̢͍̰͔̪̩͌̐̏̈́v̶͕͚̣̣̂͂̐̀̎͒͘a̴͔͐̊͌̅̐̾̿i̴͎̜̤̥̩̠̟̣͇̕l̸̨̮̺͙̙̔͝a̴̦͇̺͓̰͒ḅ̶̨̹̑̚l̸͖̪̉̇͑͐̒̐̈́̉̆͝ĕ̴̤͂̆̋
Threat: U̶̡͉̗̗̩̻̜͙͚̮̐̊̑n̶̼̭̩̟̓͛̕̕k̷̛̰̪̗͉̳͔͓̹̬̉͋̍n̵͚̎̀̌͘͝ǫ̶̬͚̱͇̗͎̘͆̽̚w̴̡̬̜̝̪̌̓͂̋ń̶̙̗̖̖̊̈́́͋̋̀
Recommendation: DEATH!!!
G̶̛̥͕̼̣̃̉́͂̈́̓a̸̡͈͚̿z̸̟̮̀̋̅͌͛̊̕e̶̖̗͗͂͋̌̋̓͘̚̕ ̷̺̑̂̔̕i̸̝̗̥̐̏̉̈́̿̽͝n̶̛̤͓̱̈́͝ť̴̡͉̪̫͖̖̗̳̜̀̌o̵̡̬͙͕͇͕̩̻̗͉̿ ̷̛͖̭̬͕̏̓̅̒͝m̴̰̪͎̣͝ȩ̵̢̢̡͖̤͈̙͈̗̇̒̊͂͝,̶̠̹̭̣̈́̒̀̆̌́̃̚͝ ̵̨̱͚͔̣̙͕̮̟́͊Ạ̴̧̺͓͍̺͔͍̫͎̾͛͛͗͐̈́̾̍ş̵̻̗͓̆͐̐̍ ̷̢̤͇͔͉͕̫͉͔͖̒̆̈́I̵͍̪̓̏͠ ̶̛̻͚̩̀͌̄̃́̏͝a̷̧̜͐̌̔ͅḿ̵̜́̾̀ ̶͔̗̹̦̈́̆̆͐͋̓͜͝T̶͇̘̞̤̊͐̌͐̀͝h̶̘̩͒͊̓̑̒͋̋̚̕ȅ̵̬͍͙͇̹͈̯̄̿̎͑̋̃̕̚͝ ̵͙̟̖̺̩̭͛A̸͕̯̫̰̝͚̤̱̰̅̾̀̿̓̑͝ͅb̸͍̮̗̟̎̊̐̃͋̃͆y̸̡̛̪̳͇̐̏̊̍̊́̋͘͝s̷̘̠̻͔̼̱̼̗̐̓̍s̷̰͓͗̑͝͝.̴̻͔̝̥̽̽͌̐͋̓̏̽
To be continued...