"Where am I"

A young man wearing a black tshirt asked to himself while looking around, there weren't anything around him apart from the gray walls and an old, brown leather suitcase and a note on top of it.

He was skeptical then he slowly walked towards the suitcase, as he reached his hand towards it, everything around him started to crumble like how a bubble would burst.

.

.

He jolted awake from his sleep drenched in sweat, he wiped the sweat and looked at the time. It was already way past 5pm.

"What was that?" he asked to himself. Then he walked towards the kitchen while stumbling, he opend the fridge and there were only some half eaten pasta and half a bottle of soda in it.

"Shit... I didn't buy anything yesterday."

He quickly changed his clothes and picked up his phone and walked outside while locking the door. His destination was the shop near the bus terminal, because he could access free wifi from the terminal.

The sun was already low in the sky, painting the streets in an orange glow. The young man stuffed his hands into his pockets as a cold breeze brushed past him. His sneakers scuffed against the cracked pavement while his thoughts lingered on the strange dream.

"Must be the stress," he muttered, shaking his head. "Or maybe the expired soda from last night."

The streets were quiet, apart from a few kids playing with an old soccer ball and an elderly man sitting outside a convenience store, watching the kids playing.

As he approached the bus terminal, the familiar neon sign of the small shop came into view. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, the screen lighting up to show zero notifications. A sigh escaped his lips.

Outside the Shop, he saw there were many advertisement about an easy personal loan and ripped lottery tickets along with cigerette buds.

The shop's door creaked as he pushed it open, the faint smell of stale coffee and cheap plastic hitting his nose. Inside, the dim lighting cast long shadows across the shelves of overpriced snacks and canned goods. The cashier, a middle-aged woman with tired eyes, barely acknowledged his presence as she flicked through a magazine behind the counter.

He grabbed a pack of instant noodles, some bread, and a bottle of water, trying to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of his mind. His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling his attention away from the shelves. It was a message from his landlord:

"Rent due in 3 days. No extensions."

"Right," he muttered under his breath, stuffing the phone back into his pocket. He walked up to the counter and placed the items down. The cashier scanned them without a word, the beep of the register the only sound in the otherwise quiet shop.

"Will that be all?" she asked, her voice flat.

"Yeah, that's it," he replied, handing over the cash. He grabbed the bag and stepped back outside, relieved to feel the cool air again.

As he walked back toward the terminal, he noticed the crowd of people waiting for their buses. A few heads turned his way, but no one seemed to pay him much attention.

He sat down on a bench near the edge, pulling out his phone, he connected to the Wi-Fi and opened the browser. As he scrolled, an advertisement flashed across the screen—"Want easy money? Instant loan approvals, no questions asked."

He clicked on it, half out of curiosity, half out of desperation. The page loaded with a bright, bold offer, claiming approval in minutes. A form appeared with simple questions—name, address, income. The words "No collateral" caught his eye. He hesitated for a moment, but the pressure of his situation gnawed at him.

His finger hovered over the "Apply Now" button, the weight of his financial troubles pressing on him. The rent was due, his fridge was nearly empty, and he still hadn't figured out how he was going to make ends meet.

Just one click, he thought. One click, and maybe things will get easier.

The form seemed too simple, too easy. He could fill it out in less than a minute and have the money in his account before the end of the day. But something felt off, like a small warning bell ringing in the back of his mind.

He pulled his hand back and exhaled sharply, rubbing his face. "No," he muttered to himself. "That's not the answer."

Just as he was about to close the tab, a new message popped up on his screen—an ad for a "limited-time offer." It was a different loan company, but the message was almost identical. The same quick approval, the same no-collateral deal.

He stared at the screen, feeling a strange pull toward it, like the universe was pushing him to make that decision. His thumb hovered over the button again, but a sudden noise cut through the haze of his thoughts. A loud crash echoed from the street outside.

He jerked his head toward the window, his heart skipping a beat. For a moment, everything felt still. Then, as quickly as it had happened, the noise faded, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence.

He glanced back at his phone, the loan application still open. The feeling of unease settled deeper in his stomach.

Maybe it was the dream. Maybe it was the weight of everything happening all at once, but something about this just didn't sit right. He could feel the decision weighing on him, like it wasn't just about money anymore. Like it was about something bigger.

His finger hovered over the "X" button, ready to close the tab and forget about it all, when he noticed something strange on the side of the page—a small note in fine print.

"By proceeding, you agree to all terms, visible and hidden. Actions taken are irreversible. Proceed with caution."

The words sent a chill down his spine. Hidden terms? Irreversible actions? It sounded more like a warning than a disclaimer. He squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of it, but before he could react, the page refreshed on its own.

The screen now displayed a blank form with a single field: "Enter your name."

He froze, his grip tightening on the phone. Something about this felt... wrong. He glanced around the terminal. The crowd moved as usual, passengers boarding buses, others chatting idly. Yet, he felt disconnected, as though he was no longer part of their world.

Against his better judgment, he typed:

"Rian Ryder"

The moment he pressed "Enter," the screen flickered. The edges of the phone grew warm, and the text shifted before his eyes:

"Welcome, Rian Rhyder. Your application has been processed. Await further instructions."

His heart raced. No personal details, no bank information—nothing else had been asked, yet the message felt final. He stared at the screen, waiting for something more, but it stayed blank.

Just as he was about to pocket the phone, his surroundings changed. The bustling terminal grew eerily quiet. The air felt heavy, and the orange hue of the setting sun dimmed into an unnatural gray.

"What the—" Rian whispered, standing up.

The people around him were frozen in place, like statues. The kids playing soccer, the elderly man, even the bus drivers—all unmoving. The only sound was his own breathing, then he heard a faint sound of someone walking from his back. He turned slowly, his stomach sinking. Standing by the same bench he had just left was a figure in a dark suit, their face obscured by shadows.

"Rian Rhyder," the figure said, their voice cold and detached.

Rian took a step back instinctively, his pulse pounding in his ears. "Who... who are you?" he managed to ask, his voice trembling.

The figure tilted their head slightly, as though studying him. "You've made a choice," they said, ignoring his question. "Now, you must face the consequences."

"What choice? I didn't do anything!" Rian shouted, his grip tightening on his phone. He glanced at the screen again, but it was still blank.

The figure took a step closer, their movements smooth, almost inhuman. "You entered your name. That was enough."

Rian swallowed hard. "Enough for what?"

"To bind you to the contract," the figure said simply. Their hand emerged from the shadows, holding a small, black card. It had an image of a golden dragon etched on it. That figure extended it toward him. "Take it."

He hesitated, every instinct screaming at him to run, but his feet wouldn't move. His curiosity and fear held him in place. "What is it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The figure's tone remained cold. "You will know when the time comes."

Rian's hand automatically reached to the card, he was trying to stop but there is nothing that he could do.

His fingers started to shake and hands covered in sweat, when he take a hold of that black card a lightning struck, the heavy atmosphere returned to normal and the figure infront of him vanished.

Rian stood frozen for a moment, staring at the card in his hand. It was cold, unnervingly so, despite the warmth of the terminal around him. His heart was racing, his breath shallow. The world around him had returned to its usual rhythm, but something was different. The shadows felt deeper, the air thicker, as if he'd crossed some invisible line.

He looked at the card again. The golden dragon shimmered under the fluorescent lights, almost alive. His fingers tightened around it involuntarily.

"What's happening?" he whispered to himself, taking a step back. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear. What had he just done? What was this contract? Why had that figure given him the card? His gaze flicked up, searching the terminal, but no one seemed to notice him. The people around him continued with their daily routines, oblivious to the strange event that had just transpired.

Rian turned the card over in his hand. There were no markings on the back, just smooth black surface. He could feel his pulse pounding in his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to throw it away. It was as if some invisible force was holding him to it.

The sound of a bus pulling up outside snapped him out of his daze. He glanced up in time to see a few people gathering their things to board. His phone buzzed again, pulling his attention back to it. He unlocked it, half-expecting another message from his landlord or some other reminder of his problems. But instead, there was a notification from the loan company.

"Application Approved."

His breath hitched. That couldn't be right. He hadn't filled out the loan form after all. He hadn't confirmed anything, the oy thing he did was filled out his name. And yet, the message was there, clear as day.

He tapped the notification, opening the app. The screen was the same as before—blank with just the words "Application Approved" staring back at him. No further instructions, no terms, just those two words hanging in the air like a bad omen.

His phone buzzed again, this time with a new message from an unknown number: It was a link to a site, he was skeptical about clicking it.

Rian stared at the link, uncertainty gnawing at him. His fingers hovered over the screen, the rational part of his mind urging him to ignore it, to turn away from whatever this was.

But curiosity got the best of him, he clicked the link. That link lead him to a site which only had countdown. The countdown was now exactly 59 minutes.

Rian's stomach twisted as he stared at the countdown on his screen.

58:59.

58:58.

He couldn't shake the feeling that whatever this timer was counting down to, it wasn't good.

"One hour…" he muttered. "What happens when it hits zero?"

He tried to close the site, but nothing worked. The back button didn't respond, and swiping at the screen did nothing. The countdown just kept going.

Frustrated, he locked his phone and shoved it into his pocket. His hand brushed against the black card.

He leaned against the cold Steel wall of the bus terminal and closed his eyes, the murmur of the passangers echoes through the terminal along with the rain that started to pour.

"Did you see the new movie?" a student asked to his friend while folding his umbrella.

Rian didn't open his eyes, he ignored the sounds and started to slowly slip into the grasps of sleep, he didn't know how long he have slept but suddenly he jolted awake and take the phone from the pocket and unlocked it. Before he could look to the phone he heard an ear piercing cry for help, he ran to the outside to see stats happening.

While running he dropped his phone, the countdown on his phone has reached zero and a new message has appeared on it:

«WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE»

«WE HOPE YOU ALL WOULD SUFFER»