[dear readers,
Please note that in this chapterS, the narrative is deliberately shaped by Alex's emotions and thoughts. As he navigates his journey, he perceives certain moments as cutscenes, similar to those in video games. Consequently, some parts of the narrative may feel a bit awkward or less engaging, reflecting Alex's detachment from those events. However, as the story unfolds and Alex encounters key moments, you will notice a shift in the narrative style, becoming more immersive and intense. This approach aims to provide you with a unique experience, reflecting how Alex interacts with the world around him.]
Alex stared at the kid, his face full of confusion. It felt like his brain was sinking into a mess of emotions, trying to pull out some lost memory buried way too deep. 'Where the hell have I seen him before?' he thought, as the kid's face triggered something both familiar and unsettling in his gut.
Then, like a jolt of electricity hitting his brain, it came back to him.
"Wait... you're that kid I saw before the wave, aren't you?" Alex blurted out, the words slipping out before he could even think. It was like his mouth had been waiting for the right moment to spill the truth.
The kid didn't move a muscle. His stare stayed locked on Alex, and those calm eyes of his? They looked like they were seeing something way beyond all this. No fear, no surprise—just this weird, heavy silence hanging in the air.
"Yeah, i'm Charles nice to meet you again…." The kid answered, his voice soft but loaded with something real. The truth of it hit Alex like a punch to the gut.
Alex's expression tightened, suspicion creeping in. He studied the kid harder. "Okay, but why didn't you run like everyone else? Why didn't you head to the damn shelters kid?" He was searching for some kind of sense in all this madness.
Charles gave a small, almost sad smile, but it wasn't the kind that made things feel better. "Shelters?" he repeated, dragging the word out slowly. Then, in this weird calm voice, he added, "They're not as safe as everyone thinks. People believe they're safe in there, but the ghouls always find them. Eventually"
Alex felt a chill creep up his spine. The way the kid said it sent a ripple of unease through him.
"I only made it 'cause... I'm stuck here. I live this same day over and over again. But in the end,.. " Charles's voice lowered but stayed steady, as if he was talking about something as normal as the weather. "No matter what I do, I can't escape it. I always end up back at square one. Nothing changes."
Alex shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around it. "How many times have you... lived this day?" he asked, his voice catching with a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
"1870 times." The kid said it flatly, like it wasn't the most insane thing in the world. Then, almost casually, he added, "Today's number 1871."
Alex's heart pounded in his chest. 'How the hell could someone live the same nightmare 1870 times? He couldn't make sense of it. Could anyone?'
After a beat of silence, Alex took a breath and asked cautiously, "So what happens next?"
The kid glanced up at the sky like it was holding some kind of answer. "The monsters come. They wreck the city, kill everyone. And for some reason, I'm always the last one to die." His voice was heavy with the weight of it. "Then I go back to the beginning again."
There was something about the sadness in his voice that felt... bigger. Alex sensed this kid was carrying way more than just this crazy story. 'What kind of pain is he hiding?'
"Is there anything strange in the city?"Alex asked, hoping for some clue, something that might help him make sense of this bizarre reality.
The kid hesitated for a second before speaking in a lower voice. "Yeah... there's this internet café." He said it cautiously, like the words themselves were loaded. "No one goes near it. It's... off."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Off? What do you mean?"
"The people inside... they don't move. They don't react to anything happening around them. It's like they're not even part of the world anymore." The kid said it seriously, and his words sparked a deep sense of unease in Alex.
A knot tightened in Alex's stomach, that familiar gut feeling he got when something really messed up was about to drop. "Have you tried going in?" he asked, trying to sound calm.
The kid shook his head slowly. "Yeah, I tried. But there's something there... I don't know how to explain it. It's like this invisible force pushes me away every time I get close."
The kid paused, his expression turning even darker. "Even when the wave hits, the ghouls don't go near it. But there's... another kind."
Alex felt his muscles tighten, tension climbing. "Another kind of ghouls?" he asked, his voice barely hiding his curiosity and dread.
The kid nodded, his eyes hinting at something deeper. "Bigger ghouls. Huge. With massive horns. They move like machines. They don't attack anyone, though. They just... guard the café."
A shiver ran down Alex's spine. Ghouls guarding an internet café? It sounded insane, but somehow it cranked up his curiosity to a whole new level.
___
A few minutes later, Alex and the kid crept down the narrow alley toward the café. Shadows clung to the walls, and the air felt thick, like something was just waiting to go wrong.
"There," the kid whispered, pointing toward a small, run-down building with a grimy glass front. Inside, Alex could see people sitting at computers, completely frozen, like they were trapped in time or something.
"They never move," the kid muttered, his voice low but filled with something close to fear. "They just sit there, staring at nothing."
Alex's gaze shifted to the ghouls outside. These things were huge—way bigger than the normal ones. Horns jutted out of their heads, and their bodies were covered in thick, jagged armor. But what really got to Alex was how they moved. Slow, methodical, like machines with no life in them. Every step felt... calculated.
His pulse quickened as his eyes flicked up to the sign above the door. The number "77" was scratched into the metal.
'Shit... I've been here before'. He remembered passing this place when he first entered this twisted virtual world, but he hadn't given it a second thought. Now? Everything was different. The kid's info was making things clearer, but it was also piling on a whole new level of confusion.
"You remember this place, don't you?" the kid asked, his voice uncertain, like he was second-guessing himself. "We've meet here before."
Alex nodded, eyes narrowing. "Yeah, I've seen it... but back then it was just another sketchy cybercafé."
Little Charles let out a tiny laugh, but it wasn't happy. "Nothing's what it looks like, though. This whole world's a lie."
Alex took a deep breath, stepping back slightly. 'Yeah, I've figured that much out... the hard way.'
___
Alex and Charles stood at a distance from the cybercafé, their eyes locked on the massive ghouls guarding the place. The creatures didn't move an inch, like creepy stone statues. Their eyes were empty, but every time Alex and Charles took a step closer, the air got thicker, like the place itself was warning them to back off.
Crouching behind a crumbling wall, Alex stared at the grimy glass entrance. "Alright, let's be smart about this," he muttered, glancing at Charles, who looked visibly nervous. "These ghouls might be strong, but that doesn't mean they're smart. We can use that to our advantage."
Charles nodded, eyes glued to the ghouls. "If we can distract them, get them to move away from the entrance..." He trailed off, thinking. "We could sneak in while they're distracted."
Alex wasn't entirely convinced. If these things move like machines, it might not be that easy. He had a gut feeling there was more to this than just brute force.
"What if they're connected to some system?" Alex said quietly. "If we don't know how they work, it might be harder to move them."
Charles thought for a moment before suggesting, "What if I act as bait? I could get their attention, and you sneak inside while they're focused on me."
Alex frowned, glancing back at the ghouls. Could that really work? If they only reacted to movement, maybe Charles could pull it off... but it was risky.
"You sure about that?" Alex asked, not entirely sold on the idea.
"Yeah, I'll just run to the other side and make some noise," Charles replied, sounding more confident than he probably was.
Alex took a deep breath. They didn't have a lot of options. "Alright," he said seriously. "But if things go sideways, you retreat. Got it?"
Charles gave a crooked grin. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on becoming ghoul food."
They got into position. Charles picked up a rock, hurled it at a nearby building, and started running, yelling to grab the ghouls' attention. His voice echoed through the alley... but the ghouls didn't move. They didn't even glance his way.
Charles stopped, panting, and looked around, confused. "What the hell? They didn't even flinch," he said, catching his breath. "It's like they're not even there."
Alex's pulse quickened, his mind racing. What the hell is going on? These ghouls should've reacted, but they just stood there, still as statues.
Alex turned to Charles. "I think these things are tied to the café," he said softly. "Maybe they can't leave the area."
Charles walked back, still breathing hard. "Well, that was a bust," he said, shaking his head but cracking a small smile. "They didn't even blink."
Alex sighed, glancing at the café. "We're gonna need a new plan," he muttered. "Maybe we need to get a closer look, or figure out what's holding them there."
Charles nodded. "There's gotta be something or someone controlling them."
Alex thought for a second. "Let's check the area again. There might be another way in."
….
Alex and Charles stood in frustrated silence after what felt like hours of failed attempts to get into the damn café. Every plan they came up with to handle the ghouls had fallen flat. It was starting to feel like they were screwed.
Charles sat down on the ground, rubbing his temples. "We've tried everything!",he groaned, nodding toward the ghouls still standing like creepy, lifeless statues. "Ahhhh,We can't even get them to flinch!."
Alex, his patience hanging by a thread, clenched his fists. His anger was boiling up, simmering under the surface like a volcano about to blow. It felt like the ghouls were just standing there, mocking him with every failure.
"F**uck this!" Alex suddenly shouted, storming toward the ghouls without thinking. "If they won't move, I'll damn well make them move!"
He sprinted toward the first ghoul, adrenaline pumping through him, and with a swift motion, he brought his dagger down toward the creature's head. The sound of metal hitting solid bone echoed, but the damn thing didn't even budge.
There was a pause. Then, one of the ghoul's eyes slowly shifted, locking onto him. And that's when Alex realized—they weren't just statues. They were alive, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Finally, some fucking movement," Alex muttered, quickly backing up, ready for whatever came next.
With a low growl, the ghoul suddenly lunged at him, its massive arms swinging down like sledgehammers. Alex dodged, just barely avoiding a hit that would've smashed him to bits, leaving a crater where he'd been standing.
"Nice try," Alex taunted, a sly grin spreading across his face. The danger just made him more excited.
The other ghouls slowly began to stir, like his attack had woken something inside them.
"Shit's about to get fun..." he whispered, eyes gleaming with anticipation as he prepped for the fight.
Alex moved like lightning between the ghouls, his dagger slashing at them with precision. It was almost like he was dancing—each strike swift and calculated. But the ghouls weren't slow either. They were bigger, stronger, and quicker than they had any right to be.
From the sidelines, Charles watched with wide eyes, completely stunned by what he was seeing. "This is insane!" he yelled, barely believing Alex was holding his own against these monsters.
Despite his skill, Alex knew he couldn't keep this pace forever. "I'm not gonna last much longer..." he thought, dodging another swing that just barely missed his head.
Finally, he saw an opening. He charged at one of the ghouls and drove his dagger deep into its chest. But the damn thing didn't go down. Instead, it grabbed the blade, holding it tight, refusing to let Alex pull it out.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Alex cursed, tugging at the dagger, but before he could free it, another ghoul came charging at him. He was forced to dive back, leaving his blade stuck in the ghoul's chest.
"Great. Just fucking great," Alex muttered under his breath, now weaponless and staring down a group of pissed-off ghouls.
Alex spun around fast, dodging another swing. He kept circling the ghouls, trying to grab his dagger back while looking for any weak spot he could use.
With each move, he tried to get a better read on the beast, but it wasn't just standing around waiting. As soon as Alex managed to grab his dagger, one of the ghouls lunged at him out of nowhere. He barely dodged, but that creeping sense of danger was getting stronger. "You're not stopping me!"Alex yelled as he slashed at the ghoul's eye, hitting it dead on. Dark liquid oozed out of the wound.
But even injured, the ghouls weren't slowing down. They started closing in on Alex, their heavy breaths filling the air, making it feel even more intense. Alex, clearly worn out at this point, raised his dagger again, bracing for the next attack.
Then, out of nowhere, something weird happened.
Everything stopped. The ghouls, their breathing, even the wind—it was like the whole world hit pause. Time just... stopped. Alex, mid-attack, froze for a second, then slowly looked around, confused. What the hell's going on?
"What the fuck is this?" he muttered, trying to wrap his head around the bizarre situation. His voice was the only thing breaking the silence.
As he was trying to figure it out, he suddenly heard a voice behind him. It sounded familiar, but there was something... off about it. "Well... you sure know how to charge in without thinking, huh?"
Alex whipped around, body instantly on edge. It was Charles. But something was different. He looked calmer, and there was this weird confidence in him that Alex hadn't noticed before.
"Charles?" Alex asked, not sure what the hell was happening. "How did time stop? What's going on?"
Charles gave him a slight smile but didn't respond right away. He walked over slowly, his eyes glowing in an odd way. "You're pretty fascinating, Alex. Are all the people from your world this reckless?" His voice was calm, but there was a hint of mockery in it.
A chill ran down Alex's spine. People from my world? His mind raced with questions. This wasn't the same kid anymore. Something had shifted.
"What are you talking about?"Alex asked, his voice tense and suspicious. "How did the ghouls stop? And why are we the only ones still moving?"
Charles didn't answer right away. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed at the frozen ghouls. "See them?" he said quietly. "They're just pieces in a bigger game. Pawns, each playing their role."
Game? Pawns?The words rang in Alex's mind like puzzle pieces that didn't quite fit together.
"Charles... you're not who I thought you were, are you?"Alex asked cautiously, his eyes locked on the figure in front of him.
Charles gave him a strange look, a slow smile creeping onto his face. "You're smart enough to figure that out, but not smart enough to know the full picture yet." His gaze flicked to the dagger in Alex's hand, then back to Alex. "Let me clue you in on something, Alex... in this world, things aren't what they seem. We're just getting started."
A mix of curiosity and unease washed over Alex. What's going on here? "How did time stop? And..." he hesitated before asking more seriously, "why do you seem so... different?"
Charles took another step closer, his eyes glinting with something unfamiliar. "You're starting to get it. But let me make one thing clear... I'm not the Charles you think you know. Honestly, it doesn't matter who I am anymore. What matters is that you've been dragged into something way bigger than you realize."
Alex could feel the danger—not just from the ghouls that had nearly killed him moments ago, but from Charles, or ar least the current charles, too. Everything about the situation felt off. Time had stopped, and the person who was supposed to be his ally was acting like a stranger.
Is this part of the test?