Prelude: The End?

A man was looked sleeping inside a broken-down car.

Yeah, this is me. I was exploring these few days and got exhausted so I slept.

Well, let me tell you a story of what happened to me... to this world, while I sleep.

We human has entered the Apocalypse, yeah, this world is ending... probably.

We viewed the world from the sky.

The land was very much broken.

The trees are no longer green.

The animals become even more fierce.

Weird creatures roaming around the land.

Water and food were scarce, at least, for normal people like us.

That's right, there's another kind of people other than "Normal". Those with abilities to bend nature, We call them, "The Chosen".

Those guys are the boss of the "normal". Occasionally, they will go outside to kill some monsters to get some monster orb and probably some animal to eat.

What is a "monster orb?". Hell I know, it's not like I was one of the chosen.

Me? I'm just your average 23 years old young man with a big dream that got trapped in this crazy apocalypse game. Oh, how I hope it's was a game... well it used to actually.

6 years ago, just 1 year after the release of virtual reality games. There appeared a mysterious game called, "The Game of Apocalypse", basically the game was about survival in the apocalypse with weapons, ability, and stuff like that.

No one knows who's company released such games but the game was very fun and in fact, it was too good that it became the game of the year... for the next 5 years. Too bad even the government didn't know who released such games.

After some time, the discussion about the game company died down and a new discussion become a hot topic.

"What if the apocalypse came?".

The one who write this discussion became a joke and many more regarded such things as a joke and the discussion died down.

Who would have expected that in 5 years, that joke became reality?. Monsters started appearing around the world, people started awakening their abilities from the game, and the animals became more and more frenzied each day.

It was said that only those that played the game have awakened their abilities, or at least that what those awakened said when they were asked.

Hm? why didn't I awaken my ability? simply put, I didn't play the game at all. Well, I was an 18-year-old college student, what do you expect? I was busy studying to become a famous game maker but it's all become vain, though I did finish my study before the apocalypse at that time it's already too late.

The monster has already started appearing and the game cannot be entered at all. This has probably become my biggest regret because I have time to play, but I want to reach my dream of course so I focused on studying.

This world is unfair, isn't it? Though the only thing I was proud of is my luck. Yeah, from small I was always lucky. Even when I don't know the answer to some stuff when in the exam, I always got it right just by luck.

And that luck leads me to survive in this apocalypse. But luck is luck, he's not lucky enough to get awakened and can only be a side dish.

...

I have a family, before this, a warm and loving family. I have a strict but gentle dad, a loving mom, and a cute little sister, everything was well, we are not rich but we have just enough for a good meal every day.

Unfortunately, even his luck cannot save them from the cruelness of the apocalypse. They all died in the worse way possible.

Only I lived to remember their gruesome death even dreaming about it every night.

...

Well, that's the story... but... looks like I'm not careful enough, now I'm in trouble.

A zombie shook the car and woke me up. I immediately kick the car door which made the car door detach from the car and fall to the ground and run away, looking back to find a single monster.

In front of me is a big monster equipped with a butcher knife. He looks like a fat zombie and all, though there are more species of monster around luckily it's the weakest one. But even though it's the weakest one, that is only applied to those ability users, normal people like him will probably get clapped in a few minutes.

"Hah... I guess this is it", I was roaming around to find some leftover food but it seems that even my luck has run out.

I have a small knife with me, just for self-defense... or so I thought, I don't know if it will be able to hurt this monster.

Haha... the last-ditch effort it is.

...

a few minutes later.

"Ha... I should say, this is exhausting", I looked at the fallen corpse of the fat zombie butchered with a hole at its head. It slipped at the car door that I kick just now and I delivered the last blow.

"Hah hah...", Looks like my luck is still here with me, I thought it's already left.

"Welp, time to harvest my kill", I used the fallen butcher knife to cut the head of the zombie and search.

Finally, after a few seconds, I found the thing I was looking for. It was a small ball-like thing, it's called the "Monster Orb". I don't know why but this thing seems to be very good for the Chosen, though... it sells well in the store.

"Time to go home", After resting for a while, I brought the butcher knife with me, put it on my backpack, and hide the orb within my clothes. In the apocalypse, crime is happening anywhere especially robbery so I created a safe space within my clothes that even if someone searches for me, they won't find them anything.

After a long walk, I finally arrived in front of a wall. It was a dome-like city with walls shaped like a cylinder circling the city.

This is the dome I live in, there's many more dome around the world and this is one of them.

No one knows when it appears, but those monsters seem to be reluctant to enter the dome so it became a haven for humans. Too bad it appeared too late. Also even though it's called a haven, weak people still struggle, after all, the apocalypse, the law of the jungle will be applied.

I entered the huge gate of the dome, there were two male guards at the entrance and they immediately stopped him. Their job was to scan the things that came from outside and of course not to let any infected go in.

"How is it today?", one of the guards asked, I was familiar with this uncle and we usually talk a lot sometimes.

"Yeah, the harvest is not bad, I found some fuse and probably a working medium battery", I shrugged and give him the bag.

"Hmm... well, let's do body check next", the other guard took a temperature checking device and pointed it to my head. Why did they do this? it's because the first symptom of the infected is fever.

"Well, you're safe", the guard looked at the temperature on the device and nodded.

"Here you go kid, be careful inside, there's seems to be a problem these few days", The uncle give me my bag and I nodded at him and entered.

When I walked to my place, I scanned the house around me. It was all made by using the earth element ability of the chosen. The house was not that good but it prevent you from the heat of the sun and probably rain, though it haven't rained in a while.

After a while of walking I arrived at my house, well it's not that different from the other house except that the place was a little alienated. It was at the edge of the city and pretty close to the wall.

I dragged my exhausted body inside and immediately fell asleep at the lump of clothes on the side, it's the makeshift bed he makes, not that comfortable but better than to sleep on the hard floor.

Zzz...

...

After a few good sleep, I woke up tomorrow morning. Damn, it felt good to sleep soundly after a while.

*Knock* A knock seems to sound from the door. Well, I know who it is so I didn't open the door.

But it seems like the one outside is pretty persistent.

I sighed, walked to the door, and opens it.

The one who knocked just now was a woman the same age as his. It was his former girlfriend but they separated now. She had white skin long ago, but not anymore, now it's a little tan with some white.

"Anything?", I ask.

"... Here, breakfast", The woman handed me a box but I declined.

"No need, I already tell you so many times. You don't need to give me anything anymore. I'm not your boyfriend nor am I your pet", I said coldly.

She seems to grit her teeth, "I just want to share your breakfast, why are you so hard-headed!".

"I don't want to eat something earned from selling their own body, you can leave", I said and then closed the door, but shoes prevent it from closing fully.

"You think I want to be like this? If you're not so weak how can I give myself to him", I can hear her sound from the other side of the door.

"... You have your choice", I kicked the shoes away and slammed the door closed.

"...", After a while, I heard a sob from the other side of the door and footsteps that walked away.

...

It's not like I blame her this is the apocalypse, after all, you do what you can to survive, but after all of that, I just can't see her the same anymore.

How did I know? cause I see it myself, from a first-person view. She, making love with some guy with ability right in front of me. Funnily, she was shocked when she saw me and tried to cover it up.

Tomorrow after she went to my house and you know, food and stuff though I decline all of them. My pride doesn't let me accept any of it.

At that time I was having a mental breakdown, but after that, all that was left is just indifference. Going outside, gathering and stuff, sell and eat from the sold harvest.

...

After making sure she left, I went outside and looked up.

There was a big board, with a countdown on it. No one knows what it is, but it's been there since the dome appeared.

Right now it was only a few seconds left.

30.

20.

10.

6.

5.

After the number five, sirens were sounded around the dome.

4.

3.

2.

1.

0.

After the number runs out... the wall around all... fell. That's right, it for some reason went underground.

When I look outside, what I saw made me erase all the indifference on my face and replace it with pure fear.

Thousand...no tens of thousands of monsters of different species all marched toward the now bare city.

Why did the wall fall, why's there are so many monsters outside?. I don't have the time to think about it. There was a bunker to the underground, the entrance was at the center of the city.

I immediately run just like the other people to the center of the city, unfortunately, there's too much people and people pushed each other to the point of falling. When I arrived, there were ability users on the middle platform the entrance was right beneath their feet. They looked smugly at everyone. I saw a familiar presence on the platform, it was my ex. She stood there and the guy behind her hugged and... I don't even want to say it.

Anyway, they said, "Only those with valuable can enter the bunker! Hehe, of course, you can also use your own body, that's always accepted", the guy that said that licked his lips and laughed. There was no female ability user here because they all left. Those rats were the cause but the people around can only follow those rats' wish and be stepped on.

Seeing all of this I looked at the woman in the embrace of the other guy and they exchange eye contact. She seems to want to say something but I already turned around and run backward.

I refuse, I REFUSE! to be at the mercy of those trash of humanity. Why? Why can they be the only ones that awaken those abilities? why? why? WHY?.

I run and looked at the horde of monsters that steadily marched in the city direction. I closed my eyes and finally, I can do something resolute for the first time.

I always brought my backpack with me. I took the butcher knife and the small knife and run towards the horde.

It doesn't matter, If I go down I'M BRINGING SOME OF YOU WITH ME!.