I Awakened the Apocalypse System

The City Is Lying

Ethan remained just inside the entrance of his apartment building for several seconds, trying desperately to catch his breath. His clothes were soaked through with rain, his injured arm continued bleeding, and his entire body ached from the explosion at the gas station, yet none of that seemed to matter as much as the message still floating in front of his eyes.

PRIMARY MISSION COMPLETED.

His mother was safe, or at least that was what he wanted so badly to believe. He immediately bolted toward the stairs, refusing to waste time waiting on an elevator that clearly was not working, and forced his exhausted body upward toward the fourth floor where their apartment waited. By the time he reached the third floor his legs had grown weak, and that was when he heard a sound coming from somewhere above him.

He stopped in his tracks as the sharp pain returned to his head, instantly reminding him of the ability he had gained earlier. Danger Sense. Something was nearby. He looked up the stairwell toward the fourth floor, but everything appeared completely quiet, the lights flickering briefly before steadying again. He stood still for a long moment, listening carefully, but heard nothing more, and the pain in his head gradually faded away. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself to continue climbing.

When he finally reached the fourth floor, he hurried toward his apartment, and before he could even knock, the door swung open to reveal his mother standing there. “Ethan!” she cried, pulling him inside and quickly shutting the door behind them. For the first time since this strange night had begun, some of the fear inside him started to ease.

“Mum, are you okay?”

She looked him over from head to toe, her eyes widening the moment she noticed the blood on his arm. “What happened to you?”

“I’m fine.”

“You are bleeding, Ethan.”

“I know. I will explain.”

She moved toward the window and quickly pulled the curtains shut before speaking again. “I heard people screaming outside. Then the lights went off, and I heard something moving near the building. I called you because I was scared.”

Ethan glanced toward the locked door. “Did anyone come here?”

His mother shook her head. “No one came inside, but I heard something outside the door.”

His body tensed immediately. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I thought it was you at first, but when I asked who was there, nobody answered.”

His eyes drifted toward the door, but his Danger Sense remained quiet, telling him that whatever had been outside was already gone. His mother placed a hand on his arm again. “Ethan, tell me what is happening.”

Part of him wanted to explain everything, the blue screen, the mission, the creatures that had attacked him, but he held himself back, worried that she might think he had lost his mind, or worse, that the System itself might somehow be connected to the danger unfolding outside. He forced a small, unconvincing smile instead. “There was an accident outside. That’s all.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “You expect me to believe that?”

Before he could respond, a loud crash echoed from outside, and both of them fell silent at once. It sounded as though something had slammed into the side of the building. His mother stepped closer to him. “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” he said, glancing toward the window.

The blue screen appeared once again.

WARNING. NEW AREA EVENT ACTIVATED.

His heart began to race, and he quickly turned away so his mother would not notice the look on his face.

BLACKRIDGE CITY HAS ENTERED THE FIRST STAGE OF THE APOCALYPSE.

He stared at the words in disbelief. The first stage. Did that mean the attack he had already survived was only the very beginning?

HUMAN SURVIVAL RATE: 91%

He frowned as the number shifted right before his eyes.

HUMAN SURVIVAL RATE: 90%

His stomach twisted painfully. People were dying somewhere out there even as he stood safely inside his apartment, the creatures continuing their assault across the rest of the city while he had been focused solely on getting home.

SYSTEM NOTICE: COMPLETE MISSIONS. BECOME STRONGER. SURVIVE.

The screen vanished, and Ethan stood frozen in place while his mother watched him with growing concern. “Ethan, what is wrong?”

Before he could think of a response, the television flickered on by itself, drawing both their attention. A news reporter appeared, clearly frightened but trying hard to maintain her composure. “We are receiving reports of violence and unusual attacks across several parts of Blackridge City. The authorities have asked everyone to remain inside their homes and avoid unnecessary movement.”

Ethan stepped closer to the screen as the footage switched to a street littered with damaged vehicles. “This is believed to be an organized attack by an unknown group,” the reporter continued, “though government officials have assured the public that the situation is under control.”

He stared at the broadcast, certain now that the government was lying. He had seen the Shadow Eaters with his own eyes, had watched a woman transform into something inhuman and dissolve into smoke upon dying, and there was simply no way officials remained unaware of what was truly happening.

The footage shifted again, showing several armed officers stationed near a large building, and something immediately caught his attention. Standing behind them near the entrance was a man in a long black coat who did not resemble any police officer, watching something just outside the camera’s view. Slowly, the man turned his head, and for a fleeting moment Ethan felt as though the stranger were staring directly at him through the screen.

The television abruptly went black.

His mother gasped. “What is happening with the power again?”

Ethan said nothing as pain began building in his head once more. Danger Sense. He turned slowly toward the front door as the pain intensified, signaling that something was close by. His mother noticed the shift in his expression immediately. “Ethan?”

He raised a hand, silently asking her to stay quiet, just as three slow knocks sounded against the door. She moved closer to him, and neither of them spoke as three more knocks followed. Ethan peered through the small peephole, but the hallway outside appeared completely empty, and his heart pounded harder at the realization that no one was actually there.

Then the knocking returned, this time coming from the window instead, and his mother screamed. Ethan spun around to see something standing directly outside their fourth floor window, an impossibility for any ordinary person, yet there it was, a dark figure with its face pressed against the glass. He could not make out its eyes clearly, but he sensed it watching them both, and then it smiled.

His mother grabbed his arm tightly. “Ethan, what is that?”

He had no answer to give her. The blue screen flared to life once more.

EMERGENCY MISSION ACTIVATED. PROTECT THE TARGET.

His eyes shot toward his mother, and the next words made his blood run cold.

TARGET: MARY COLE. FAILURE WILL RESULT IN DEATH.

The creature outside struck the glass hard enough to crack it, and his mother screamed again, stumbling backward. Ethan scanned the room frantically for anything he could use as a weapon, but found nothing, no fire, no metal bar, nothing at all, until he suddenly remembered the System Point he had earned earlier. As if responding to his thoughts, the blue screen appeared again.

AVAILABLE SYSTEM POINT: 1

A new screen opened before him, displaying his status in full.

PLAYER STATUS. NAME: ETHAN COLE. LEVEL: 1. EXPERIENCE: 30/100. STRENGTH: 5. SPEED: 5. ENDURANCE: 4. AVAILABLE SYSTEM POINT: 1

He stared at the numbers without fully understanding all of it, but one thing was undeniably clear: he had the power to grow stronger. As the creature struck the window again, causing another crack to spread across the glass, Ethan made his decision and placed his single point into Strength.

For a brief moment nothing happened, but then pain surged through his entire body, dropping him to one knee as it felt like every muscle was being torn apart and reassembled all at once. His hands shook violently and his teeth clenched tight as he fought against the urge to scream, and after several agonizing seconds the pain finally faded, allowing him to rise back to his feet feeling noticeably different, stronger than before.

The creature struck the window once more, and this time the glass shattered completely as his mother screamed and the dark figure reached its arm inside. Ethan moved without hesitation, grabbing the nearest chair and charging toward the creature, refusing to run for the first time that entire night. He raised the chair with both hands and swung it hard, striking the creature across the head and sending it tumbling backward through the broken window, dark smoke filling the air in its wake.

He looked down quickly, confirming that the creature was gone, but the blue screen appeared again almost immediately.

WARNING. MULTIPLE HOSTILE PRESENCES DETECTED.

Ethan froze as his Danger Sense exploded with pain, and he turned frantically from the door to the window to the surrounding walls, realizing with dawning horror that the threats were closing in from every direction. The System delivered one final message.

PLAYER ZERO HAS BEEN FOUND.

He stared at the words in disbelief as another line appeared beneath it.

HUNTERS ARE COMING.