“It’s past midnight,” said a man who was wiping down a table at his workplace.It's 2:00 a.m. Only Raka, the barista, is still awake inside the 'Midnight Brew' cafe. Accompanied by the soft strains of jazz music blaring from the speakers, he wipes the marble countertop with monotonous movements.The lingering aroma of coffee and the sweetness of vanilla syrup still hung in the air, the only witness to his busy life a few hours ago.“The tip isn’t even enough to buy a pack of candy,” Raka grumbled softly as he remembered the last customer, a man in an expensive suit who ordered the most complicated cup of single origin .The man in the expensive suit instead asked a dozen questions about the acidity level of coffee beans, then left with two small coins.“Rich people are weird. Or maybe stingy,” he grumbled again.Raka sighed as he stared at his tired reflection on the polished table. His black hair was slightly messy, and there were dark circles under his eyes.This was his life: brewi

“What… what’s happening to me?” Raka whispered. His voice was deep and slow, like a record played at quarter speed.The Sleeper's pale hand slid toward Raka's neck. What should have been a deadly flash of light now slowed before his eyes.Raka could see every crease in its knuckles, the dust particles thrown up from the path, even the invisible squirts of saliva spraying from the monster's jaws. Everything was so clear and so slow.His heart pounded in her chest not from fear, but from the power flooding his nervous system. The four shots of 'Blackout Coffee' had worked, altering his perception of time.The monster's hand was only centimeters away. His reflexes took over. He didn't think. He just wanted to move.With a small push from his feet, his body shot backwards like a bullet.WHOSH!His head hit the bottom of the bar counter with surprising force.DUG!“Argh!”Pain exploded in the back of his head. The world spun for a moment. He then rolled out from under the bar and tried to

“Okay, Raka. The plan is simple,” he whispered to himself. “Find a safer place. A supermarket, maybe. Stock up on food, and more coffee. Most importantly, don’t make any noise.”His eyes scanned the street. The white swan was still there. Now perched precariously atop the wreckage of a mangled sedan, it appeared to be preening its feathers, completely oblivious to the world that had ended around it.“It’s just a bird,” Raka muttered, trying to calm himself. “I just need to get through it calmly.”He began moving across the street with calculated steps, stepping from one piece of rubble to another to muffle the sound. He had almost passed the white swan. Only a few more meters. The swan didn't even look in his direction.Raka almost breathed a sigh of relief. However, it was big mistake.Just as he was level with the swan, the creature stopped grooming itself. It straightened its long neck and turned its head with a jerky movement. The swan stared straight at Raka, its black eyes gleam

'Run away, you idiot!'Raka's brain commanded his legs to run. However, his muscles refused, and he froze in place. He could only stare in horror as the creature dragged the rest of his body up onto the roof. The creature lowered its body to cling to the corrugated iron surface, its long arms and legs stretched out like a spider's.Baginda, who had been silent until now, finally let out a low, sharp "quack." His voice sounded like an arrogant warning. He stepped forward and positioned himself between Raka and the new threat.“Baginda, be careful!” Raka whispered. “That creature seems… different.”The System Panel lit up on his retina, reading his thoughts just now.[Warning: 'Crawler' type Sleeper variant detected.] [Attributes: Agility A+, Strength D. Highly sensitive to vibrations and low frequency sounds.]'No wonder,' Raka thought again.He still couldn't or wouldn't make a sound hoping that by doing so, Crawler would leave him.The crawler hissed softly and then shot forward. It

“Damn!” cursed Raka.However, he was sure he would be fine as long as he had coffee with him.The deafening System Alarm was still ringing in his head, as Raka kicked open the balcony door and dragged himself back into the darkness of the night.He didn't look back, not wanting to see the old woman's corpse or the bird that had caused it. He knew only one thing: he had to leave.“This way!” he called to Baginda, who he was sure would follow him. Then he pointed to the emergency stairs they had climbed.As his foot touched the first metal step, a drop of water fell down his cheek. It was cold and large. In the next instant, the sky, which had been cloudy, shattered.A torrential downpour came down suddenly, as if someone had just dumped an ocean from above. In an instant, the entire city was drenched in a deluge of water, obscuring sight and drowning out all sound.“Perfect,” Raka grumbled, his hair instantly limp and sticking to his forehead. “Absolutely perfect.”He hurried down the