THE HELLISH SYSTEM

Chapter three

I looked at the holographic message right before my eyes and blinked.

[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ; DO YOU WANT THE POWER OF THE HELLISH SYSTEM? PRESS YES/NO ]

I let out a weird laugh as I turned away from the holographic message. I must have been imagining things.

Someone in my state of mind would.

I was down to earth with nothing. My cafe job was not paying much. I might as well drop out like Paul asked me too. I could barely keep up with my daily lessons and up keeps.

I walked down the silent street with my hands in my warm hoodie. The temperature was dropping since it was almost time for Christmas.

I turned each time I walked trying to check if the mysterious message was there, hanging in the thin air. But when I looked, it was gone. Or should I say, it has disappeared.

I bent my head with shame. I wish that was actually real.

I tilted my head up to look at the road before me and it flashed again before my eyes.

[ HELLISH SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

[ YOU NEED TO PICK THE OPTIONS. ONLY YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR FATE. PRESS YES/NO ]

The system spoke to me again.

I paused.

Was it only me seeing this or any random people could see it too?. I looked at the alley and back at my front before a drunkard ran into me.

I grabbed him by the corner.

He was smelly and reeked of alcohol but I didn't mind. All I needed was to know if I was not going crazy.

" Did you see that? Did you see the glowing message?" I asked, my hand tightened around his collar.

" Oh, you mean that flashing colour?" He said with a weird laughter. " You see it!" I said with a smile.

But to my surprise, he pointed at the electric bulb right in front of the bar ahead. I felt disappointed and I released him and let him go.

Well, what do I have to lose,nothing.

As soon as I pressed "Yes", a blinding light enveloped me, and I felt a surge of electricity course through my body. I tried to cry out, but my voice was hoarse and barely audible.

The world around me began to spin, and I stumbled backwards, my legs giving way beneath me. I felt myself falling, but I couldn't do anything to stop it.

The last thing I remembered was the feeling of my head hitting the cold, hard ground. Everything went black, and I was out.

I was unaware of the time that had passed, but when I came to, I was lying in the same alley, my head throbbing with pain. The drunkard was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear the sound of laughter and music coming from the bar nearby.

I slowly sat up, rubbing my head and trying to remember what had happened. The memory of the holographic message and the electric jolt came flooding back, and I looked around, wondering if it had all been just a dream.

But something felt different. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I felt... changed.

I struggled to my feet, using the wall to support myself. I looked down at my hands, wondering if I would see anything out of the ordinary.

And then, I saw it. A small, intricate tattoo on my wrist. It looked like a circuit board, with tiny lines and symbols etched into my skin.

I stared at it in shock, wondering what it meant. And then, a voice spoke to me, echoing in my mind.

[ WELCOME TO THE HELLISH SYSTEM ] It said.

[ SYSTEM VOICE; You have been chosen to participate in a game of survival. Your fate is in your hands. Will you rise to the challenge, or will you succumb to the darkness? ]

I shake my head severely trying to free myself from the dizziness. The sun came out blindfolding my sight. I tried to see but then it felt hotter than it used to be.

I looked at the worn out wrist watch I was having on my wrist. It has stopped.

What is the time?

I needed to be in school. Today was the day we started the exam, I rushed out of the alley without caring about the mysterious system. There was only one thing in my mind now, I need to know if I was late for the exam or not.

I need to take the exam if I was going to be promoted and also if my scholarship was going to be renewed. A lot depends on me taking the exam.

And do I need to remind you that I need to pass as well?

I ran to a nearby store, grasping for breath. " What is the time,please?" I asked a petit girl.

She looked at me and wondered why I was sweating when the weather was chilly.

" 9:30am." She answered staring at me.

" Oh my god! I am fucking late!" I shouted as I ran across the street. I dipped my hands into my pocket and all I could bring out was a coin and fifty dollars note.

That was the last of the cash. I knew the money was not enough but I had no choice. A cab to the university ground was sixty dollars.

I waved down a cab and was soon on my way to the campus. I murmured some words of prayer, hoping that the exam was still commencing.

Once we were in the front of the school, I brought out the crumpled note in my pocket, gave it to the driver and ran out without wasting time.

" Hey kid! My money is not complete!" The cab man shouted but I was far gone. I was not looking back, time was running fast and I had to be in the exam hall.

I rushed into the hallway and was about to reach the door when the bell and the students started trolling out of their class. I asked about grabbing the door knob when i was tripped by a leg tugged out right in front of me.

I fell to the ground and another round of laughter echoed through the hallway of Frontale University.