As I trudged down the dimly lit street, my shoulders slumped and my mind heavy with defeat, it felt like I was fighting a losing battle against the modern world. In a society that seemed to value productivity above all else, I couldn't seem to find my place. The typical 9-to-5 grind just wasn't for me, and every job I tried seemed to end in failure. It was like I was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, and no matter how hard I tried, I just didn't seem to belong. With each rejection, it felt like a reminder that I was out of step with the world around me, leaving me feeling drained and defeated, like I was suffocating under a cloud of despair.

"I can't keep doing this," I muttered to myself, the words bitter on my tongue as I kicked an empty soda can that lay in my path. "What's the point? Just another cog in the machine, grinding away until there's nothing left."

The night air was cold against my skin, my frustration and anxiety growing with each step. I knew the landlady would be waiting for me at home, and the fact that I hadn't been able to scrape together the rent on time made my anxiety skyrocket. It was like a weight pressing down on my chest, the anticipation of that conversation gnawing at me with every passing moment.

As I rounded the corner, the sight of my run-down apartment building only served to deepen my sense of hopelessness. The flickering neon sign above the entrance cast eerie shadows on the crumbling facade, a silent reminder of the poor state of the neighborhood that surrounded me. I fumbled for my keys, my hands trembling with a mixture of exhaustion and uncertainty. The lock clicked open with a dull thud, echoing in the empty hallway like a gunshot.

But before I could even step inside, a voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"Ace, seriously? This whole 'late rent' thing is getting old."

I turned around to see Mrs. Selina, my landlord, standing at the foot of the stairs with a stern expression etched upon her weathered face.

"Mrs. Selina," I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably and unable to meet her gaze. "I know, I'm so sorry. Things have been... rough lately."

With a heavy sigh of disappointment, she brushed off my feeble attempts at excuses, her tone weighted with irritation.

"Do you take me for a charity?" she retorted sharply. "It's pay up tomorrow or pack up this time, Ace. I've got bills to cover, and I can't keep waiting for you to get your act together anymore."

I nodded, swallowing my pride and the lump rising in my throat. "I'll get it to you as soon as I can, I promise."

But even as the words left my lips, I knew it was an empty vow. I was drowning in debt, barely scraping by from one paycheck to the next. The rent was just another bill I couldn't afford to pay, another reminder of my own inadequacy.

Mrs. Selina's eyes narrowed, and a feeling of uncertainty washed over me. But then I noticed something off about her demeanor. She seemed jittery, her movements erratic, which made me uneasy.

"You better get your act together," she snapped, her tone dripping with disdain. "Or else..."

Her voice trailed off, but her threat hung heavy in the air. As she spoke, I got this weird vibe, you know? Like her eyes had this creepy, unstable glint, sending a chill down my spine. It made me feel like something wasn't right, like there was more to her than meets the eye. She kept scratching something behind her back the entire time while talking to me, adding to the eerie vibe.

With a resigned sigh, I lingered in front of my apartment door, just wanting to shake her off quickly. Each passing moment felt like an eternity, my irritation mounting as I waited for her to cease her nagging.

Suddenly, she stopped talking and went silent, staring off into the distance. Her sudden change in demeanor made me incredibly uneasy. I shot a quick glance at Mrs. Selina before I was about to go inside, and man, there was something off about her today. It gave me the heebie-jeebies.

But when I glanced back at her one last time, she was suddenly gone in a flash. Like, poof! Vanished. I stumbled back, heart racing, looking around for any sign of her. But nada. She'd disappeared faster than my paycheck on rent day.

I rushed into my apartment, the slam of the door reverberating through the quiet space. Locking it tight, I finally released a shaky breath, trying to process the bizarre encounter with Mrs. Selina. Collapsing onto my worn-out couch, I couldn't shake the eerie feeling that lingered from our interaction.

It was like a scene from a horror flick. I brushed it off, attributing it to the exhaustion of the day. As I sat in the room shrouded in darkness due to my neglected electric bills, I reached for a candle and matches in a drawer. The flickering glow cast eerie shadows across the space, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.

Despite my attempts to unwind, my mind couldn't shake the heavy thoughts weighing me down. It felt like everything was crumbling around me, and I was struggling to keep afloat in the darkness of my own thoughts.

That's when I thought about my mom. She's been through so much, trying to help me out with my mess of debts. I can still see the worry etched into every line on her face, especially when she told me about the financial mess we were in. Man, that hit hard. Seeing her like that day, tears streaming down her face, begging for forgiveness—it tore me up inside.

But even in the darkest moments, her silent plea keeps me going. I promised her I'd figure things out, that I'd find a way to fix everything. And every time I feel like throwing in the towel, her face pops into my head, reminding me to keep pushing forward, no matter how tough it gets.

As the oldest in my family, I'd somehow become the outcast—the black sheep who just couldn't seem to make things right no matter what job I did. Every time I turned up to family gatherings, there they were, my aunt, cousin, and nephew giving me that look like I was some kind of disappointment.

And don't even get me started on my half-siblings—they all look down on me when I'm barely making ends meet. But it wasn't just them. It was the endless struggle to hold down a job, to sacrifice my dignity for a paycheck that barely kept the lights on.

Every day felt like a wrestling match with the person I was becoming—a stranger I hardly recognized. Standing in my dingy apartment, surrounded by reminders of a shitty life I could barely afford, I knew throwing in the towel wasn't an option. Not when my mom was counting on me, not when there was still a glimmer of hope left to hold onto.

With a heavy heart, I shoved aside the thoughts of giving up and focused on the task at hand. I might not have all the answers, but I sure as heck wasn't ready to let the darkness and despair swallow me whole. Not today.

As I continued to sit on the couch, the dimness of the apartment enveloping me, my thoughts swirled in a vortex of despair. Suddenly, my phone rang, shattering the oppressive silence.

But as I glanced at the unfamiliar number, fear gripped me. Could it be the bank calling about my overdue bills? Reluctantly, I answered, bracing myself for the worst, finally mustering the courage to answer.

"Hello?" I said, my voice rough with uncertainty. "Ace?" came the voice on the other end, tentative yet unmistakable. "It's Keinan."

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of my little brother's voice, a voice I hadn't heard in five long years. Why now, I wondered? Why after all this time?

My heart lurched at Keinan's words, a mix of shock and amusement coursing through me. "Code dead." The phrase we had joked about as kids, a macabre game born from our love of zombie movies.

"Keinan, are you serious? This sounds like one of our old jokes," I replied, my mind struggling to comprehend the seriousness of his tone. But the distress in his voice was undeniable, and a sense of unease crept over me.

"Listen," Keinan's urgent voice crackled through the phone, filled with fear. "Don't go outside, no matter what happens. Lock the doors, stay hidden."

Through the phone, I could hear screams and shouts, a cacophony of chaos that made me worry even more. Before he could continue, the line abruptly went dead, leaving me with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Waves of irritation washed over me. How dare he call out of the blue, pranking me like this, after all this time? But before I could dwell on it, a strange feeling washed over me, like a gut instinct that sent chills running down my spine.

Instinctively, my mind raced, connecting the dots faster than I could comprehend. Keinan's call, the urgency in his voice, the mention of "code dead"—it all clicked into place with alarming clarity. My heart pounded in my chest as I pieced together the implications of his words.

And then there was Mrs. Selina's odd behavior earlier, her sudden disappearance like something out of a horror movie. It was as if the world itself was trying to warn me of the impending danger.

It was as if the world itself was trying to warn me of the impending danger.

Code dead.

The phrase we used to joke about as kids, a morbid game born from our love of zombie movies. But now, it seemed, the game had become all too real.

It felt like my instincts were on high alert, a sort of spider sense tingling, warning me that something wasn't adding up.

Yet, even as I got the call, I couldn't shake the fact that Keinan and I hadn't spoken in five years—not even a simple "Hey, how you holding up?"

So how could I believe him just like that?

A nagging doubt crept into my mind.

But then a sudden loud thud followed by a gluttural moan from the other end of the door made me tense up.

Then i said "Hello? is someone out there?" And then, a series of violent bangs reverberated through the door, each one more ominous than the last, as if something sinister was desperately trying to break through from the other side.

 Approaching the door, I clutched the kitchen knife tightly, my hand trembling as if possessed by some unseen force.

Each step echoed in the eerie silence of the apartment, like the slow, deliberate footsteps of a ghost haunting the halls.

My heart pounded in my chest, a relentless drumbeat of fear.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the banging stopped, leaving behind an eerie silence that hung in the air like a heavy fog.

With trembling hands, I hesitated, unsure of what awaited me on the other side.

As I reached for the doorknob, the air grew heavy with anticipation, suffocating me in its grip.

Pushing the door open slowly, I held my breath, half expecting to come face to face with a nightmare.

And there she was, Mrs. Selina, standing in the hallway with her back turned, twitching and moving in a strange, erratic manner.

My skin crawled with unease, a chill creeping down my spine at the sight of her unsettling behavior.

Suddenly, the joke about "code dead" wasn't funny anymore.

It felt like a warning, a premonition of something sinister about to come true.

With a sinking feeling, I realized that this was no ordinary night.

Danger loomed closer than I ever dared to imagine.

This was the night our childhood dream became a terrifying reality.

With trembling hands, I attempted to ease the door shut, but it creaked loudly, betraying my efforts at stealth.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any crazier, Mrs. Selina went full-on zombie mode.

I mean, she moved faster than anyone I've ever seen, like she was on fast forward or something.

Her hands gripped my shoulders like steel claws, her nails digging into my skin with this freaky strength.

And then there was her face. It twisted into this nightmare snarl, revealing these jagged teeth that looked like they belonged in a horror flick.

She aimed straight for my face, like she wanted to take a big ol' bite out of it.

I was freaking out, trying to push her off, but it was like she had the strength of ten people.

My hands were shaking so bad I could barely hold onto the kitchen knife.

It was like a scene from one of those zombie apocalypse movies, except I was smack dab in the middle of it.

Even as fear threatened to paralyze me, I knew I had to keep fighting.

I had stabbed her repeatedly on her body, hoping to stop her onslaught, but she just kept coming, more aggressive with every blow.

It was like something out of a horror movie, except I was living it, and there was no way to hit pause or rewind.

As her eyes bore into mine, filled with a feral hunger, I felt a chill run down my spine.

This wasn't just a fight for survival; it was a battle against an immortal, and I was in way over my head.

The metallic tang of blood hit me hard, like a punch to the gut.

It felt like I was stuck in a nightmare, fighting for my life with every breath.

Each moment dragged on, stretching into an eternity of struggle.

I could feel myself slipping, the odds stacked against me. And then it hit me—literally—the blood everywhere, it was hers.

The realization knocked the wind out of me, sparking a surge of fear and determination as I fought to survive.

With my remaining strength i summoned every ounce of energy left, I drove the knife into Mrs. Selina's skull, the impact reverberating through my bones.

As her lifeless body collapsed on top of me, I lifted her lifeless body off me, as i barely managed to survived, i was breathless and drained.

But before I could celebrate my victory, a searing pain shot through my neck, signaling the grim truth of my situation.

Darkness encroached on the edges of my vision, a chilling reminder of the perilous reality I faced.

As I hovered on the edge of passing out due to blood lost, this voice popped up in my head, talking like an old friend giving advice.

It said I was the "chosen one," which sounded like a line from a fantasy movie, and rambled about some system getting activated and karma points being spent in an emergency.

Even though it all sounded pretty weird, the voice had this comforting vibe that made me feel like things were gonna be okay.

As everything faded to black, those cryptic words left him utterly baffled, adding to the chaos of his mind as he teetered on the brink of unconsciousness.