Chapter 2: Countdown to Survival

In that tense moment, an unexpected touch on my shoulder sent me spinning around, my heart racing. Relief surged through me as I realized it was another survivor.

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself, thankful that my initial reaction wasn't to scream in panic.

"Ah, so you're still alive, Seth?" he asked, a wry smile on his face.

"Oh, damn it, Randy! You scared the living daylights out of me!" I replied, clutching my chest, attempting to slow my racing heartbeat.

"Sorry about that," Randy chuckled, though his voice trembled with underlying nervousness.

It was clear we were all on edge, and his attempt at levity was almost too forced.

Then, with a smirk, he said something that made me roll my eyes. "I thought you'd be locked in your room, crying."

I couldn't help but wonder why he was trying so hard to lighten the mood in such a dire situation.

"Randy, seriously? Cut the jokes, man, before you end up being the punchline." I said with a serious tone.

Randy was my school friend, always popular with the girls due to his athletic body and handsome face. I never understood why he befriended me, but that was not important now.

Because our conversation was cut short as a woman's scream pierced the air.

I watched in horror as a woman, missing a hand, approached us in distress. Before she could reach us, a dark wind engulfed her, shattering her body. I felt her blood splatter on my face as I quickly retreated.

Could it be? Was that devil about to catch us now?

Hell nah...

"Hey, you can still run, right?" Randy's urgent question broke the tense silence.

I nodded, sharing his urgent need to escape. He grabbed a bunch of stones and handed them to me without explanation.

"Grab anything to throw," he said, and then he took my hand.

We didn't need more words; we sprinted together toward the approaching danger, armed with just stones and a fierce will to survive.

I could see the devil smirk as it watched us approach, and I couldn't process what was happening. We just kept running, with Randy leading the way.

"Randy, you crazy bastard!" I cursed when I realized what happening while he laughed it off.

The crucial question was how to dodge the devil's relentless attacks. It kept pouring out its magic, Randy and I ran as fast as we could, evading each assault. I saw how that dark wind demolished a wall, scattering it like dust.

If that shit tore my body to pieces, I swear to heavens I would haunt Randy for the rest of his life!

My heartbeat was pumped so crazily fast that I felt nausea and the fact I needed to dodge all of this devil attack, makes my urge to vomit become even more apparent.

But I am glad, at least I have those stones.

Randy and I didn't waste a moment; we hurled the stones at the approaching menace. The devil-like creature had to dodge the projectiles, giving us a precious opportunity to increase our speed.

Of course, it won't take long because the devil began enchanting its magic again, but this time, it was stronger, larger, and wider. I felt like we couldn't dodge it, but to my surprise, Randy, the athlete, was faster.

He turned back and threw himself on top of me just as the magic created a massive hole in the ground.

"It's impossible. We can't do it," I despaired.

It was too much adrenaline for me. Too much dread it was hard for me to move my body.

But Randy was different; he chuckled and said, "You really never change, Seth. How could you survive until now?"

He extended a hand to help me stand up. How could he remain so positive in the face of all this?

In this apocalyptic world, there were more than 100 ways to meet your end. One of them was being shattered by the devil, and I wouldn't complain when it happened, nor would I be a helpless bystander.

I remembered reading a novel with a similar theme once, where everything suddenly became chaotic as fate played them, but the protagonist had superpowers to combat monsters.

Fuck!

We had nothing—just our two hands and legs and nothing else. How could we survive this?

The monster was relentless, and it continued to enchant its magic, this time forming a giant scythe.

"Ck! Run, Seth!" Randy pushed me, and I ran as fast as I could.

We were just 20 meters away from the colony now. I could see people cheering for us, screaming something that I couldn't quite make out over the chaos behind us.

Fuck! I need to be faster. I've always been pretty agile, thanks to my shorter stature (I'm not that short, standing at 170 cm) and lighter build compared to people my age.

But damn, my stamina was terrible. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my mouth.

Still, I couldn't help but feel relieved. At least, I wasn't engaged in close combat. If that devil were to swing its scythe at us, it would be the death of me.

Many seemed to be following us toward the colony, but they were not as fortunate. I could hear their screams and the sound when their bodies were scattered.

But I didn't care; for now, Randy and I needed to survive. Was he still behind me? I couldn't die while he watched. I couldn't always be the pathetic one.

I saw the devil's dark wind in front of me, and I dodged it as fast as I could. The attack intensified; it was not just wind, but thunder as well, striking the earth.

Luck was on my side, as I stopped just before the lightning struck me.

Damn, that was close! If I'd moved even an inch, I'd be nothing but ash by now.

"Oh my God, you're really a lucky one, aren't you?" Randy chuckled while I was still stunned.

But then I moved again, and the wind from the scythe was not just one, but two or even three in a single swing.

It was horrific, and I could feel the ground trembling. There was no sound behind me anymore, just my rugged breath.

"Keep running, Seth," Randy said.

I knew, but why was he so talkative at a time like this? Could we just talk normally after all of this was over?

Now I could see people right in front of me. I smiled. "We will survive this," I said, though it was embarrassing.

But perhaps I felt relieved because I was not alone anymore. I had someone I knew with me, and it eased my dread.

I felt a hand pushing me from behind as I entered the colony's barrier.

[Congratulations!]

[You were the last person to enter this colony!]

Huh? What did that mean?

I saw the system's words in front of me, and I noticed the countdown reaching zero.

[The first game was over.]

[Please rest before the next game starts!]

Randy? Was he right behind me, wasn't he?

As I saw people in front of me cheering, my breathing grew heavy. I wanted to turn around and see for myself, but I couldn't. My body wouldn't move.

I started sweating, and my vision became blurry. But I couldn't cry now, I shouldn't, I wouldn't! I tried to urge my tears back.

Something was in my back, and then it dropped, and I...

I turned around and saw only his hand. His body was outside the barrier, and I couldn't see his head anymore. I couldn't believe it.

Randy was the star of everything—the star of the baseball team, the star of the school.

How? He was supposed to survive, not me...

I couldn't understand, I couldn't process it. He should have been the one running in front of me. Maybe we could have run faster, and the two of us would have survived.

I could still see the devil outside the barrier, flying around like a beast screening their prey before eating it.

[Don't forget to collect your reward in the mailbox]

[Adios!]

Then, my mind drifted back to that day—the day before all of this chaos began, the day when everything was still alright and well.

The day that everything changed, the day God left us...