**Part 1: "The Awakening"**
Shin's eyes flutter open, but the sight that greets him isn't the familiar room of his apartment. Instead, he finds himself lying on the cold, cracked pavement of a dark, desolate street. His heart races, his breath shallow as panic sets in. The air is thick with an unsettling chill, and a faint mist clings to the ground like a shroud. The city is silent—eerily so—and yet something in the distance stirs, a low rumble like the growl of a predator lying in wait.
Confusion grips him. This place... it's not real. It can't be. He'd been home just moments ago, trying to sleep, but now he's here, somewhere unfamiliar, surrounded by towering, dilapidated buildings whose windows are nothing but black voids. The sky is a deep shade of purple, tinged with an unnatural glow, as though the city itself is alive, breathing in the darkness.
Shin rises to his feet, his mind racing to make sense of what's happening. His body feels heavy, like he's wading through water, and a dull pain lingers in the back of his skull. He runs a hand through his messy black hair, a sense of déjà vu washing over him. This has happened before.
He's been here countless times—he knows it, even if he can't remember how or why.
Taking a step forward, the street stretches on endlessly, broken down, with cracks in the ground that seem to pulse like veins in a body. His eyes dart around nervously, searching for any sign of life. There's nothing. Just the silence, and the faint echo of his own footsteps.
As Shin walks deeper into the city, the mist thickens, coiling around his legs and tugging at his ankles like it's trying to pull him back into the shadows. He shivers, but not from the cold. It's something deeper, a sense of dread creeping into his bones. Something is watching him.
Suddenly, a distant, blood-curdling scream pierces the air. Shin's heart skips a beat, and he instinctively begins to run towards the sound. His feet move faster than he thought possible, the city's ominous atmosphere seemingly pushing him forward. He doesn't know why he's running, but something inside him tells him he has to. The scream echoes again, louder this time, and it's followed by a guttural growl—something not human, something monstrous.
Turning a corner, Shin skids to a halt. Before him stands a creature unlike anything he has ever seen. It's massive, its body hulking and twisted, with dark, leathery skin that seems to absorb the faint light. Its eyes are glowing red, and its mouth is filled with sharp, jagged teeth, dripping with some unknown substance. It's a nightmarish blend of animalistic fury and human-like intelligence, its movements slow but deliberate, like it's savoring the moment.
Shin feels his heart race as he takes a step back. The creature notices him instantly, its head tilting with an unsettling curiosity. The ground beneath Shin's feet begins to tremble, the creature's growl reverberating through the air, sending a wave of terror crashing into him.
In that moment, Shin knows something terrifying: this creature isn't just a figment of a dream. It's real, and it's here for him.
Instinctively, Shin takes another step back, but the creature moves faster than he anticipated. With a roar, it lunges toward him, its claws aimed at his throat.
But before it reaches him, a strange sensation courses through his body. It's as if time has frozen, and in that moment, the world around him shifts. The street flickers, distorting like a broken mirror. The creature's roar becomes muffled, and then—suddenly—everything stops.
Shin blinks, his head spinning as he takes in his surroundings. The creature is gone. The street is unchanged, but the air now feels thicker, heavier. His heart pounds in his chest as he surveys the scene, trying to make sense of the sudden shift.
What just happened? He doesn't know. But in the pit of his stomach, he feels it—this city, this nightmare, is not just a dream. It's something far more dangerous.
With shaky legs, Shin forces himself to move forward. He has to find out what's going on. Why is he here? Why does it feel like he's done this before? And most importantly, what is this creature? It's not the first time he's encountered something like it. He has to keep going. The answers lie somewhere in this twisted place.
As he moves deeper into the city, a low hum fills the air. It's faint at first, but it grows louder with each step. A strange pull tugs at his chest, urging him to follow the sound. He doesn't know why, but he feels as though this is his only chance to make sense of everything.
The hum leads him to an old, crumbling building, its windows shattered and its door hanging off its hinges. There, lying on the ground near the entrance, is a small, cracked mirror. Shin approaches it cautiously, his breath catching in his throat. For a brief moment, he sees his own reflection—his eyes wide with fear, his expression pale.
But as his hand reaches out to touch the mirror, something strange happens. The reflection flickers, distorting and warping like a broken signal. A flash of something—someone—appears in the glass, but it's gone before Shin can process it. He stumbles back, his mind reeling.
That wasn't just a reflection. It was a memory.
For the first time since arriving in the Nightmare City, Shin feels a strange sense of hope, though it's tinged with uncertainty. He has to find the rest of his memories—he has to uncover the truth about this place. Only then will he understand what he's really up against.
As the echo of the hum grows louder, Shin steps into the building, determined to collect the pieces of his past and unlock the mystery of the Nightmare City.
---
"Don't miss the chance to get advanced chapters of my novel for FREE! Just copy the link now and start reading!"
https://shorturl.at/3DZhG