Sam quickly found a wall to lean against in the second-hand bookstore. After his outburst, Sam felt both shameful and spiteful.

Had he really snapped at a crying girl? That wasn’t the person he knew himself to be. And that sure as hell wasn’t the person his parents had raised him up to be.

But then again, with the situation in mind, maybe he shouldn’t blame himself too much.

Sam sighed.

What was even worse was that he could still feel the tremors beneath him. Of course, with what had happened last time he brought them up, he decided to keep the discovery to himself, despite the potential risks involved.

Yet, for some reason, no one else seemed to feel them. A fact which both vexed and intrigued him at the same time.

“Why me?” He questioned. Why could he sense the monsters when no one else seemed to?

Closing his eyes, he focused.

In his mind’s eye, where he usually only found darkness and his own stray thoughts floating around, a dark green halo shone brilliantly.

Sam gasped as he opened his eyes; his eyes glittered at the discovery.

“What the actual-“ Now that he’d seen the halo, there was no way he could unsee it. How he’d missed it until now was completely beyond him!

With a twirling mass of nervosity in his stomach, Sam closed his eyes again.

The halo wasn’t difficult to find, in fact, it was the complete opposite. As soon as he wanted to see it, it appeared. A very dark green halo emanating a familiar feeling of safety and stability.

“It’s that power…” With all the ongoing chaos, he’d nearly forgotten about it. But as he scrutinized the strange mental object, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that it was the same power he’d felt when the world had imploded.

Then, with his eyes closed, he felt another tremor of a creature passing by deep underneath him. This time, however, he noticed how the halo inside him synchronized with the vibration.

“So that must be why…” Sam muttered to himself. He realized that the vibration he had been feeling came from inside him, not from the actual earth itself. Whatever had happened during the implosion must’ve affected him somehow. The power he’d clung onto had followed him back into reality.

“If this can still be called reality…” Honestly, a part of him was starting to question it. Of course, he wasn’t yet so traumatized that he was ready to refute what he’d seen. This was real; the worms were real; the people who’d died were real; there was no other way to look at it. Nevertheless, to someone who’d never experienced terror before, it still felt surreal.

Sam shook his head while trying to banish the thought. He decided it wasn’t healthy to question reality. That was an area of expertise only lunatics and philosophers excelled in, both of whom were equally as delirious.

Naturally, after discovering the halo — a power which felt like it was metaphysically a part of him — he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Whilst prodding the strange object in his mindscape, Sam quickly found that although he couldn’t move it around, he could make it spin around. And as it spun, the halo began glittering like stars.

It was the most beautiful thing Sam had ever laid his eyes on… or mind… on?

Bolstered by his apparent mastery over the halo, Sam began spinning it faster and faster. Now, the how’s and why’s of the process wasn’t completely clear to him yet, but the halo seemed to respond to his will.

Eventually, the spinning halo turned into a wheel of dark emerald light. The glittering motes of otherworldly power multiplied and illuminated the darkness of his mind until they eventually became so many that they had completely filled the metaphysical room inside him. During the process, he felt several tremors, yet none of them was so intense that he stopped the spinning.

And then, just as Sam wondered what would happen next, the room inside his mind shattered.

Sam winced as he opened his eyes, yet, inexplicably, the pain he’d expected never came. Instead, Sam’s whole body quivered as the metaphysical room inside him grew.

From the size of an eye or a larger pebble, it evolved into the size of balled fist

Sam released a shaky gasp as the feeling of growth left him. Though he’d never done drugs before, Sam wondered if this was what it felt like. The euphoria was unlike anything he’d ever experienced; it was definitely addictive.

Half-curious and half-greedy, Sam decided to start spinning the halo again.

“Ouch!” Sam winced as a lightning bolt of piercing pain tore through his head. Clutching his aching head, Sam instinctively felt that the halo wasn’t ready to be spun again. It needed time to cooldown or charge or whatever.

Opening his eyes after the headache had subsided, Sam immediately felt amazing. He felt energetic and powerful and incredibly, incredibly hungry.

“Already?” Sam frowned as his stomach growled. He shouldn’t feel hungry yet, he’d just eaten a toast, after all.

“Did the expansion of the room make me hungry?” He wondered. It felt wrong to refer to his mind as a room. Nevertheless, he couldn’t think of a better term for it.

It truly felt like a room, or a space perhaps. Maybe space was a better term for it?

As he glanced at the clock, however, Sam realized his mistake.

“How on earth is she six already?!” He’d bought his toast at one of the university cafeterias just moments ago, at around noon. There was no way he’d been sitting here for close to 6 hours, was there?

Yet, as he looked out the window, he couldn’t help but notice that it was darker than it had been what felt like seconds ago.

“That’s crazy…” He muttered to himself. Though it felt amazing, he swore that he wouldn’t touch the halo until he was somewhere safer. He didn’t like how he hadn’t noticed the time slip away.

“Oh no…” Sam’s eyes widened as he realized what this time-lapse meant. In a hurry, he rummaged through his pockets and quickly found his phone.

“There’s no use,” The cashier said from across the aisle. With gentle steps, the cashier walked over to sit in front of him, “there’s no reception or internet. I don’t there have been since the world break.”+

“The world break?” Sam asked.

A curious look briefly appeared on the cashier’s face before he shook his head smiling mirthlessly.

“Man, you’ve really been out of it, haven’t you? I’ve never seen anyone sit up and sleep before, you know?” The cashier laughed softly, “The world break is what we’re calling the weird spatial shift from before, you know which one I’m talking about, right? The strange phenomenon before the worm appeared?”

Sam nodded, calling it a world break was definitely better than referring to it as the implosion.

“Yeah, none of our phones has worked properly since then. Even the computer won’t access the internet.” The cashier released a sigh of frustration.

“But yeah, I’m surprised you didn’t check it earlier?” The cashier raised an eyebrow, “but then again, you fell pretty fast asleep.”

Sam smiled awkwardly before a thought came to mind.

“What else has happened?” Sam hadn’t missed the fact that there were less people in the bookstore than before. “How many people are left?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“So, you noticed that huh?” The cashier shook his head, “Four, including us two… Rachel, Nichole, and her friend left together with Stephen not too long ago, so now there’s only you, me, Uri, and that old crone left.” The cashier sighed at that last part.

“Oh, and I’m Derrick, by the way,” The cashier, or Derrick, introduced himself.

Sam shook his outstretched hand and replied curtly, “Sam.”

Derrick bobbed his head slightly before suddenly remembering something, “Oh and I’m sorry about before,” Derrick scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “I didn’t mean to interrogate you or anything, we were just… I don’t know, stressed, I guess? I hope we’re all good?”

Sam remembered how the cashier had stood up for him and nodded, “Yeah, consider it water under the bridge.”

Derrick smiled.

“So,” Derrick looked out at the empty campus, “I don’t know how to say this, but Uri and I were just talking, and it doesn’t seem like the authorities are on their way, so…”

Derrick gave Sam an apologetic look, “we were wondering if you could help us get some food?”

…

After talking to Derrick, Uri, and a reluctant yet docile old lady whose name she’d revealed was Beatrice, Sam summarized what they wanted him to do.

“So, correct me if I’m wrong,” Derrick nodded, “you want the two of us to go to the cafeteria and scavenge for food and come back?” Sam frowned, “Why don’t we all go instead?”

“I’m not leaving.” The old crone, Beatrice, replied adamantly. “There’s no way I’m leaving this place.

Sam was about to respond with something unproductive when Derrick jumped in.

“I know you don’t, but we’ve been over this already. We need food, and the autho-“

“No, you don’t think the police are coming.” Beatrice snarled. “I’m not leaving until the police shows up, and that’s final.”

Derrick sighed in frustration before turning towards Sam.

“And that’s why we have to come back.” Derrick said without much gusto.

Sam was about to suggest leaving her, when Uri finally spoke up, “We shouldn’t leave her behind, she is a scared old lady.”

“I’m not scared, y-you buffoon!” Beatrice retorted with a red face.

Sam, however, couldn’t waste any more time here. Without internet or reception, he had to make his way home as soon as possible.

“I can follow you to the cafeteria,” Sam said while looking at Derrick, “But then we’ll have to part ways, I have to go home.”

Uri and Beatrice didn’t look happy, but at least they didn’t oppose him openly.

Derrick, on the other hand, hesitated before saying, “I… actually need to go too…”

This time, Uri and Beatrice reacted immediately.

“You are going leave her here?” Uri asked.

“No, you can’t! Y-You are responsible for this store, right? You have to stay with us!” Beatrice demanded.

Derrick looked extremely apologetic and uncomfortable, “No, I have to leave; I have to make sure my girlfriend is alright, and I do not think waiting here is going to change anything. I’m sorry.”

The group became silent.

“Where are you heading?” Derrick suddenly asked Sam.

“To Highland, where my family lives.” Sam replied.

“So, south?”

Sam nodded.

“Then I’ll come with you.” Derrick decided, “My girlfriend lives in Cold Spring, so we'll be heading the same direction anyways.”

“Y-You’re really doing this?” Beatrice finally said, “Y-You’re really going to leave me here? Alone? With him?” Beatrice gestured at Uri in a very questionable manner.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go.” Derrick replied sincerely.

“Well, I’m not going.” Beatrice crossed her arms like a child.

“Then what about this?” Sam finally couldn’t take more of this crone’s entitled behaviour, “How about Derrick and I see if we can get some food from the cafeteria, come back, drop some off here, and then leave? Then the two of you will have enough food for a while, hopefully until the police shows up?”

“You’d do that?” Uri looked both hopeful and fearful.

“Hmph!” Beatrice looked away.

“That sounds like the best solution,” Derrick gave Sam a grateful look, “We’ll go with that.”

…

As they prepared to leave the bookstore, Sam grinded his teeth in hesitation.

Though, he didn’t like the fact that they hadn’t believed him last time, he couldn’t leave knowing that he could’ve helped them.

Therefore, ultimately, Sam decided to tell the group the truth. They could think he was crazy if they wanted to, but he had to tell them, both for their sake and his own.

“Before we leave,” Sam gestured for Derrick to wait, “I need to tell you three about the tremors.”

“You mean the ones only you can feel?” Beatrice spouted immediately.

“Exactly,” Sam snapped at her before sighing; he was too tired to argue, “When I… slept, I noticed something was different than before… I don’t know why, but after the implosion, or the world break, I started to sense the worms burrowing through the earth beneath us. At first, I thought they were regular tremors, but now I think it’s related to something bigger.”

Sam hesitated before revealing the theory he’d come up with after his discovery. It was crazy, but so was everything else they’d experienced until now.

“I think I’ve got… powers.”

The room became silent as the three continued to stare at him.

“You mean-“ Derrick was about to say something when someone else rudely interrupted him.

“Hah!” Beatrice laughed, “I knew you were lying! You deceitful little-“

Sam’s face darkened as he listened to the crone discredit him as both a liar and lunatic. Sam knew what he’d said was incredulous, but still… the more she demeaned him, the more he questioned why he even bothered to help her.

“-cannot believe I’m stuck here with a liar and a fucking kike!” She blurted before her eyes slowly widened with realization of what she’d said. However, it was already too late.

Sam and Derrick quickly noticed that Uri looked appalled by what the crone had said.

“That’s it,” Derrick said, “I’ve tried to be accommodating but that’s fucking it.” Derrick, who was a big black man, looked absolutely fuming.

Beatrice stuttered, “N-No, I-I didn’t mean to… I-I w-was just…”

“You can stay here to rot for all I care. I don’t know why I even bothered with a hag like you. Uri, are you coming with us, or no?” Derrick turned to the Jewish student, who nodded his head slowly, still shocked by what the crone had said, “Then this is goodbye.”

Beatrice quickly went from apologizing to throwing insults when it became apparent that Sam, Uri, and Derrick wouldn’t stay.

And so, the trio left the bookstore feeling angry, disappointed, and shocked.

…

Sam, Derrick, and Uri advanced slowly across the campus. To Sam, it was eerie how silent and empty it was. Southsea University shared its campus with two other colleges, so even at night, one could usually spot a group of students or two mingling.

Now, however, there wasn’t a soul to be found.

Far away, across the scores of pits and tunnels left behind by the burrowing worms, Sam thought he could see a corpse or two.

“This feels like something from out of a horror movie…” Sam thought to himself. With the sun setting behind the city skyline, he also couldn’t help but notice it was getting colder and darker.

Nevertheless, nothing untoward happened.

The trio collectively released a breath of relief when they finally reached the entrance to the nearest cafeteria.

The eastern campus, or the Southsea campus, had two cafeterias. One which was a bit cheaper and one which catered to the richer students. This cafeteria was the larger one meant for students with a lower budget.

“It’s open…” Derrick whispered as he gently pushed the glass-door open. Before they’d left, they had discussed what they would do if the door was locked. Fortunately, that hadn’t been the case.

Derrick and Uri took the lead as Sam followed behind them.

“I haven’t felt any tremors in a while, I wonder if the worms have moved on?” The thought of there being mass-murder monster worms roaming around the city sent shivers down his spine. He really had to get home as soon as possible.

Sam was so focused on sensing for tremors that he didn’t notice Uri’s still figure in front of him.

“Sorry.” Sam whispered as he accidentally walked into him.

However, when he didn’t receive any response, Sam looked over his shoulder in confusion.

The cafeteria was a war-zone.

Open-eyed corpses were scattered across the dining area. A sea of blood had painted the floor and furniture red, and the normally orderly furnishing was in complete disarray.

Sam surprised the urge to vomit as the putrid smell assaulted his nose drills. Uri, however, couldn’t stomach it.

Even Derrick looked pale and petrified.

“I-I can’t,” Uri muttered between wheezing breaths, “I c-can’t go in t-there, I-I’m sorry.” Before Sam or Derrick could say anything, he retreated back out the exit.

For a brief moment, Sam and Derrick just looked at each other. In the cashier’s eyes, Sam saw a mixture of fear, disgust, and disbelief which mirrored his own. And for some reason, the idea that he wasn’t alone in this madness comforted him somewhat immensely.

“W-What could’ve done this…” Derrick finally said, his voice quaky.

Sam forced himself to look around the room again. Something had obviously killed these people, and based on the goriness, he doubted it was anything human.

“Nothing human…” Sam answered honestly.

Silently, Derrick nodded in agreement.

Across the slaughter-field, behind the counter where the cafeteria personnel usually worked, Sam noticed that there were a bunch of chicken sandwiches wrapped in plastic left.

Despite the absolute horror in front of him, Sam frowned as his stomach growled.

Derrick, who heard the growl, looked over at Sam in disbelief, “Man, how on earth can you still feel hungry??”

Sam, who still suppressed the need to vomit, felt betrayed by his own body, “I have no idea,” He admitted.

Still, neither Derrick nor Sam felt like wandering through the bloody massacre.

Inwardly, Sam asked himself whether he should ignore this cafeteria and try his luck elsewhere. There wasn’t a single part of him that wanted to trudge through the bloodbath in front of him. Moreover, who was to say that the monster who did this wasn’t still around here somewhere? Could Derrick and he really contest with something capable of slaughtering a whole cafeteria filled with people?

But then again, who was to say that the next place would be any different?

Ultimately, it was a choice between the known and the unknown. Hopefully, the monster was long gone by now.

“I want to go,” Sam announced while gesturing towards the counter.

“Are you sure?” Derrick looked hesitant, “Whatever did this could still be inside there, you know?”

Sam paused before admitting, “No, I’m not sure… and you’re right, whatever did this could still be around, but the same thing could be said about the worms, right?”

Still, Derrick looked doubtful.

“You can stay here with Uri, if you want to?” Sam said somewhat unwillingly, “No one’s forcing you to go with me.”

“No,” Derrick shook his head, “You’re right, with the worms around, nowhere’s safe anymore,” He sighed before continuing, “It’s better to do this now, when we still have the energy.”

Sam noticed Derrick blush as his stomach growled as well.

“Ah-hum,” He fake coughed, “Let’s just tell Uri first.”

After making sure that Uri would stay and keep the door open for them, Sam and Derrick stepped into the cafeteria.