The Calm Before The Storm - Part 1

In Aria's apartment, the quarters emitted—an eerie feel where people engulfed in their deep state of slumber since the sun hasn't risen yet.

The deafening kind of silence was cut short until it broke from the suddenness of the alarm. In this, it has drawn the awakening of Aria's consciousness. Therefore, she will proceed to do her daily routine of doing writing gameplay storylines.

As a writer, Aria thought that she already has everything she wants in life. The truth is, it's not—it's not always easy being a writer. It's not as glamorous as movies make it seem. In the real world, it takes a lot of effort to write from where you want or what you want it to be.

It needs dedication and conviction to make it into a career. As much as skill and passion are important, it's even more important to have that dedication to turn your passion into a living.

It's like you entered it with the most optimistic and most passionate version of yourself. You wanted to write not just because you have that skill and talent to do so. You wanted to write, not to boost your capabilities as a writer, but for—the sole purpose that you wanted to move and inspire people—through the power of your words.

Art is supposed to make you something like magic flows through your veins of your creativity and imagination, and writing is one of the most underrated forms of art that exists.

This is what she decided, and that's her goal to fulfil her wishes.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ, ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜʟs, ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇɢᴇɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴀʏɪʀᴀ, ʀɪsᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴᴅᴇᴀᴅ, ᴛᴀʟᴇs ᴏғ ᴄᴀsᴛᴇʀs — or any other games that will be released soon at the year of 2025.

All the backgrounds, the storylines, the scripts were mostly written by her. People in the world couldn't help but get interested in how broad her imagination and simplicity of her works. No other reason why people couldn't wait for the upcoming VR gaming. All of them already knew that would break any records from history.

Apparently, all of the above was just one of her dreams.

She wasn't a designer, nor a coder,  but a writer that holds extraordinary ideas of gaming. She is also big fond of gaming. Being a gamer is like one of her remedy against anxiety and stress—an escape from the cruel reality at some point.

Last previous months, she became one of the members of the famous high-tech industry, known as ⓜⓥⓡ —Montclair Virtual Reality Gaming Industry. 

This time, she was transferred to ZA Team, where they conducted a game about the zombie apocalypse. They need a writer to make up the storylines of the gameplay. And this is her part to join in. 

At some point, she got excited from the upcoming thrill beheading to her mind. Well, why not? Aren't they just living undead who eat people's brains or flesh?

And everyone. . .erm. . .will go mayhem against all those zombies through the weapons they create. No schools, no jobs but to survive at any cost. Go adventure and meet more people to save. Idk if it sounds exciting for you, but it's exciting for us, as the gamers.

Sometimes, it can be really intriguing.

The sound of tapping against the keys—is soft and powerfully subtle as her fingers typing with ease; emitted a soothing aura - as tranquil as a rain.

In her laptop, she saw her writings from the first chapter. She made this story as a storyline of gameplay called, ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪsᴇ ᴏғ ᴜɴᴅᴇᴀᴅ. 

It was a story about a young girl from a real-world transferred to the post-apocalyptic world that became a princess and should bear the next heir as a future queen, however, an apocalypse collapses; swarms of zombies invaded their kingdom, spreading the virus to the people and become one of them.

In spite of all, there was a bodyguard, right in the hand of the so-called king, who falls in love with the princess, and swore to protect her but in the end, he failed to do so.

She was planning to make her find her way back to him. But first things first, she needs to train herself and get stronger in order to save more lives.

The goal of the game is one of her mission to save her kingdom, search her family and find the solution of the curse to why it all happened. Perhaps, only if there's an elusive mage to fix it.

In the middle of writing, she was now stuck after the fifteen chapters, where she hardly think of what would be the antidote. Should she add an unaffected creature that carries a strong antibody to fight back the virus?

Well, if she adds that then, it would be hard for the princess to find it since who knows she has to travel the world to find a creature that wasn't affected. Or. . . She would just add a creature that got affected but its blood help to regain and fight the virus for its special case. She can add some special abilities for it...that would be amazing right?

Ugh, it's frustrating somehow. How on Earth would be that easy to find that creature?

Just writing about it, makes her eyes watered. Well, writing can make her have a little amount of money. She needs a job, a proper job. It's hard giving up from what you love—writing some sort of amazing stories—but it was so stupid to keep doing it when it is useless to you when no one appreciates it.

She took the last glimpse of her work, with tired eyes and closed her laptop in shut as she begins to think about her works, realizing how lacking her experience was.

Aria looked at the clock that was already a quarter past seven, well close to 7:30 am, which is the time she must be at work. Luke should have been waiting for her now. She tapped the button of the printer and print the rest of the chapters. 

She ran hastily to the bathroom and clumsily tripped from the blankets that were strolled over the floor; causing her to fall forward and land flat on her face against the floor as she mumbled multiple curses on her way then, slammed the door. 

After several minutes, there was a knock on the door. Even though, she hardly prepared herself at the moment. Her black hair dripping wet from a newly bath. This time she hurried to the door, not wanting Luke to wait any longer.

The door clicked, a familiar presence stepped in, revealing Luke with his MVR uniform, her partner on AZ Team. 

It was a coincidence that he lived the next door of her apartment. I'm sure that some of the readers from romance novels will be squealing like a fan school girl as if they would be meet a bad boy just right after their doors.

And no, there was nothing special about this guy. Sweet, polite and gentlemen but nerd, when it comes into codings, and computers.

It's kind of, out of the picture as a bad type of guy. 

He was a tall, broad build with tousled charcoal hair about a height of six feet. His nose was sharp, like hawklike menacingly, with chubby cheeks. Well, his eyes. . . didn't seem normal as the others. They were large, calm and full of propitious. Their shade of green was unlikely anything she'd ever seen.

Compared to his height, she was short. Whenever she tried to pat or reach his shoulder, she had to be on her toes. Skinny and a little clumsy. There was nothing special about her.