It was exactly 2:00 AM.
The city of Kolkata lay silent under a heavy blanket of darkness. Streetlights flickered lazily, and the distant hum of traffic had long faded into nothingness.
But inside a small apartment on the seventh floor, Arnav was wide awake.
He didn't know why.
A strange uneasiness twisted in his chest, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Then—
His phone screen suddenly lit up in the darkness.
A cold blue glow filled the room.
[System Activated]
Welcome, Survivor. The Apocalypse Has Begun.]
Arnav blinked.
"What kind of stupid notification is this?"
He didn't remember installing any new game.
Before he could unlock his phone, a scream shattered the silence outside.
A raw, desperate scream.
"Help! Somebody please help!"
Arnav froze.
Another scream followed. Then a horrible, choking sound.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he slowly walked toward the window. His fingers trembled when he pulled the curtain aside.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
A man stood in the middle of the empty street, his face soaked in blood. He was hunched over another person, biting into their neck like a wild animal. The victim's hands twitched weakly before falling lifeless to the ground.
The attacker slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were empty.
Dead.
Arnav stumbled back from the window.
"This isn't real… This can't be real…"
His phone vibrated again.
[Mission 1: Survive for 24 Hours]
Reward: Strength +5
Skill Unlock: Basic Combat
The words felt heavy.
Real.
Then came a loud, violent knock on his apartment door.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
"Arnav! Open up! They're coming!" a familiar voice shouted.
Rahul.
Arnav rushed to the door and unlocked it.
Rahul practically fell inside. His clothes were torn, and his hands were covered in blood.
"Rahul! What happened?" Arnav grabbed his shoulders.
Rahul's breathing was uneven.
Slowly… he raised his head.
His eyes glowed a faint, terrifying red.
A crooked smile stretched across his face.
"I'm fine," he said softly. "Better than ever."
Before Arnav could react, Rahul lunged at him with unnatural speed.
Arnav barely dodged, stumbling sideways as Rahul slammed into the wall with a loud crash.
Rahul didn't scream in pain.
He didn't even blink.
He simply stood back up.
Twisted.
Wrong.
The phone screen flashed once more.
[Enemy Identified: Level 1 Infected]
Weakness: Head
Arnav's hands shook violently. His mind screamed at him to run.
But there was nowhere to run.
Rahul charged again.
This time, Arnav dashed into the kitchen and grabbed the nearest thing he could find—an iron rod leaning beside the fridge.
His breathing became heavy.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, though he didn't know if Rahul could still hear him.
Rahul leaped forward.
Arnav swung the rod with everything he had.
The sound of impact echoed through the apartment.
Rahul collapsed to the floor.
For a moment, everything went silent.
No movement.
No sound.
Only Arnav's ragged breathing filled the room.
His phone vibrated gently.
[Mission Completed]
Reward Received.
Suddenly, a wave of warmth surged through his body. It felt like electricity running beneath his skin. His muscles tightened, his vision sharpened, and the fear gripping his heart began to fade.
He felt stronger.
More alert.
More alive.
But when he slowly walked back to the window—
His heart sank.
The streets were no longer quiet.
Cars had crashed into each other. Fires burned in the distance. Screams echoed from every direction. Shadows moved violently in the darkness.
The entire city was descending into chaos.
Then—
He saw it.
Far away, standing atop a tall building, was something massive.
Too large to be human.
Its silhouette towered against the night sky.
Two crimson eyes burned like flames in the darkness, staring directly toward him.
Arnav felt a chill run down his spine.
His phone displayed one final message.
[New Threat Detected: Level ???]
The creature moved slightly.
Even from that distance, Arnav could feel its presence.
Oppressive.
Terrifying.
Unavoidable.
He tightened his grip around the iron rod.
Fear still lingered deep inside him.
But beneath it—
Something else was growing.
Determination.
"If this is the end of the world…" he murmured quietly, staring into the burning city,
"Then I'll survive it."
Outside, the night swallowed the last trace of peace.
And the real nightmare had only just begun