Ryo was exhausted and had just fallen into bed when a loud noise broke the silence.
His eyes snapped open.
His body tensed, his instincts taking over before his mind could fully understand what was happening. He sat up, holding his breath, listening carefully.
Then, he heard it again.
A low, deep growl—unnatural. It echoed through the air, filling every corner of his apartment.
Ryo's heart raced.
This wasn't the usual distant moans of zombies. This was different. Closer. Hungrier.
The seconds felt like hours as the sound grew louder, more intense, sending chills down his spine.
Swallowing hard, he reached out with a shaking hand and grabbed the edge of the curtain.
Slowly, carefully, he pulled it aside.
Darkness greeted him.
But something was out there. Watching. Waiting.
And it wasn't human.
A cold chill ran down Ryo's spine.
Outside, clinging to the wall like a twisted version of life, was something… wrong.
Its bald, misshapen head glowed faintly under the moonlight, its empty, soulless eyes shining in the dark. They weren't just looking in his direction—they were staring straight at him, as if they could see through the glass, through the night, into his very soul.
Ryo barely dared to breathe.
The creature moved, and his stomach turned. Its limbs bent in unnatural ways, joints twisting where they shouldn't, its body moving with a disturbing fluidity. It slithered—like a lizard, pressing against the rough concrete, crawling higher.
Closer.
A sickening scrape echoed as its long, claw-like fingers dug into the wall, holding on with ease.
Ryo's heart pounded.
It was heading straight for his window.
Ryo sat frozen, his body stiff with fear.
What the hell was that!?
Ryo's body froze. He could only watch, breathless, as the creature moved closer.
Its empty, glowing eyes stayed fixed on something beyond the window. But it wasn't looking at him.
A deep fear gripped his heart, tightening with every second. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears, his mind screaming—
Damn it! Is this it? Is this how I die!?
But then—
It didn't stop.
It didn't even look at him.
The creature moved past his window, its empty eyes fixed on something in the distance. Its movements were quick and purposeful—driven by something unknown. In moments, it disappeared into the shadows, swallowed by the night.
Silence.
Ryo stayed still, his heart pounding. His hands, gripping the curtain, shook with adrenaline.
What was that?
He had just seen something far worse than the usual zombies.
Something faster. Smarter. More terrifying.
A nightmare moving through the ruins of the world.
And now, he knew—
The apocalypse still had horrors to reveal.
But even as fear tightened around his chest, Ryo refused to let it take over.
He breathed out slowly, forcing his hands to stop shaking. His heart still raced, the memory of the creature lingering in his mind. But he couldn't afford to give up.
Not now. Not ever.
He was a survivor—a small light in a world drowned in darkness. No matter what nightmares waited in the shadows, no matter how deep the horror went, he wouldn't turn away.
He would face it.
Head-on.
With nothing but his courage—
And a strong will to survive.
( End of Chapter )