[21 November 2021, Sunday]The small group moved cautiously through the dense forest, their footsteps muffled by a carpet of fallen leaves. The dark canopy overhead swallowed the feeble light of the moon, casting an eerie glow on the uneven path beneath their feet. Hours of traveling in the oppressive silence and pitch-black darkness had left the group both physically exhausted and mentally drained. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig sent shivers down their spines, their senses heightened by the unknown lurking in the shadows.As they trudged on through the silent forest, a sense of isolation enveloped them. The air was thick with an unspoken tension, and each member of the group clutched their makeshift weapons a little tighter. The only sounds that accompanied them were the muted crunch of leaves and the occasional whisper of the wind through the trees.Many hours later, just as their weariness threatened to overwhelm them, the forest seemed to come alive. Birds chirped overhe
[Jared][18 November 2021, Thursday--- that evening]The flames of the campfire flickered as its embers emitted warmth in the midst of the cool night air. The flames cast a soft glow in the clearing of the forest that was plunged into an almost pitch darkness. The small group was huddled together, their faces illuminated by the flames of the campfire as they awaited for the rabbit stew to cook over the fire. The quiet settled over the group like a heavy blanket. It was not unsettling nor unnerving in any sense, but rather a shared acknowledgment of the challenges that lay ahead. Earlier in the day, there had been scattered conversations as they foraged for supplies or tended to their makeshift shelter. But now, as the darkness enveloped the landscape, a somber mood descended upon the group.Jared glanced at the small group gathered around the fire.David was busy filing off the makeshift spear he had carved out of a long branch earlier that day, while Mike continued to watch over the
[Mike][18 November 2021, Thursday--- the following day]Even though it was the afternoon, the forest was dimly lit by the muted sunlight penetrating the thick canopy of trees. If one wasn't particularly attentive to the time, the day could easily be mistaken for evening. The occasional cool breeze of autumn that swept through the forest only added to the illusion, contributing to the atmospheric ambiguity of the surroundings.Scrape, Scrape, Scrape.Mike looked up towards the canopy of trees. The scant sunlight that managed to filter through the forest canopy resembled twinkling lights as the passing breeze playfully teased the leaves.‘Have I ever felt this calm during these recent weeks we’ve been traversing this dense forest?’“Hm…” David grumbled beside Mike.Scrape, Scrape.Adamant to not look at his grumpy comrade, Mike wiggled slightly away without ever getting up. It was the first time since leaving the facility that he had time to appreciate the intricate pattern that the ca
[Mike][17 November 2021, Wednesday]The air was crisp as the late autumn leaves crunched beneath Mike’s combat boots, echoing through the dense forest. With each step, he moved cautiously, blending into the muted palette of earthly tones. The forest seemed to hold its breath in the faint early morning sunlight that was mostly blocked out by the tall trees.In the days after escaping the zombie-invaded facility, Mike had grown accustomed to the muted and barren landscape of the forest. The blaring alarms, fire, and explosions at the facility had drawn all the zombies within the county towards it. Out here and quite a distance away from the facility, there were seemingly no zombies remaining. ‘It would probably take a long time for those zombies to naturally wander out from the facility- assuming that they remained in one piece after those countless explosions.’Even so, he found an unusual sense of discomfort in the current silence of the forest. The absence of the usual rustle of le
[Jared][Back in the past…]“Hello, everyone. It’s Jared, and this is World Crafter. I know it has been a long while since I’ve last streamed or even uploaded anything online, but my exam is finally over! I’ll start playing more regularly from today onwards!”Jared double-checked on his play settings, before smiling into the camera again.“I caught little snippets of the new mob and biome the game creators have made and I can’t wait to play in a new world… in a beta version, to be exact. Hahaha.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Super chat]][Welcome back!][Miss you! uwu][Jaredddddd! Glad that you’re back!][The new mobs? Especially The Thing? Ughhh][Bruh… Doesn’t he know that the game creators have beefed up the hostile mobs really high af?][Lmao. I wonder if he’s going to explore the Dark City~][He just returned… There’s no way he’ll immediately go to the Dark City, right?][Why not? Just cheese it by
[Jared]“Hah… Hah…”Scenes of trees whizzed past in a fury of blur as Jared sprinted as fast as his legs carried him. He paid no mind to the minor sprain he had obtained from jumping the three feet gap between the balcony and a nearby tree, and then clumsily climbing down the sturdy yet rough trunk. It was running as if he was being chased by the hounds of hell.‘Well, not hounds but zombies… But either way, death would come very painfully. I just hope that the others are alright. With the horde of zombies on practically every floor, the others are either already dead or have long escaped.’At that thought, Jared felt his heart throb painfully against his chest as all the air within his body seemed to be sucked out. But Jared simply reasoned that his body was not fit to endure such a burst of energy usage. In fact, the last time he ever did something physical was when there were compulsory PE classes in school.“Hah… Hah…” Jared smiled despite feeling his throat burn.‘I remember not
Warning:This chapter contains slightly disturbing descriptions of gore that might be uncomfortable for certain readers. Please read at your own discretion.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Jared]The long hallway which was once filled with blaring sirens and flashes from the emergency light, was momentarily plunged into an eerie silent and pitch darkness. As Jared groped blindly in the dark to find his way toward the balcony of the fourth floor, all he could hear were the thumps of his heart as it frantically beat against his ribcage. Amidst the deafening silence, Jared could hear nothing other than his racing heartbeats and the shuffling of his feet as he cautiously moved closely along the wall on the left side of the hallway. Vaguely, his senses began to play tricks on him in the absence of li
[Jared]The facility’s alarms started blaring, and his room was suddenly plunged into pitch darkness.Seconds later, distant shouts and screams could be heard.“What is happeni-”The light in the room was abruptly switched on but the room was now bathed in an eerie, bloodied-red hue.‘The backup generator must have kicked in,’ Jared thought as uneasiness began to grow from within his core, ‘But if it was simply a blackout, I shouldn’t be hearing all the shouting and screams outside…’The emergency light in the room started to flicker, and Jared looked up.‘I should check out what’s happening… It’s definitely not normal to have the alarms on as well,’ Jared looked around the room for anything that could be used as a weapon but there was nothing, he resignedly grabbed a couple of pens that were nearby.Jared started walking toward the door when he spotted a few potatoes that were on the bedside table.‘Hm… I may need this if I do have to escape from this place,’ he then shoved the potat
Warning:This chapter contains aspects of memory loss, delusions, and a slight indication of Derealization Disorder that might be uncomfortable for certain readers. Please read at your own discretion.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Jared] *Tick**Tick-tock**Tick-tock, tick-tock*The ticking from a clock echoed loudly as it pierced deep into Jared’s consciousness.“Jared…”*Tick-tock, tick-tock*‘Why is this voice so familiar?’ Jared thought as awareness began to set in.“It isn’t polite to intentionally disregard and feign ignorance. I know that you’re awake, so let’s halt all these dramatics, shall we?”‘No… This voice…’ Jared felt a chill course through his body, ‘It can’t be…’Jared’s eyes shot wide open, and his eyes almost immediately adjusted to the dimly lit room.“D-Doctor Heine…”“Yes, did you miss me?”It was a nightmare all over again. He was in