Watery blood runs down the shower drain. It takes far too long to scrub it all off. I’m reminded of that line from Macbeth. What was it? “Out, out, damn spot” or something like that. My fiancé was a big Shakespeare nerd. I tried to appreciate it for his sake, but half those plays were more dense than a legal brief.

I remember liking Hamlet though. I suppose it’ll never be performed again, but who knows. Maybe we’ll all be forced to play a hellish permadeath RPG, and then everything will just snap back to normal. In which case, I don’t think we’ll be itching to put on dramas where the entire cast goes crazy and dies.

I wonder what the game will be like once it really jumps into action. So far, there isn’t much to know. We have stats, skills, and titles. Just basic RPG mechanics, really. No inventory, at least not yet. Apparently, abilities and “other features” will come later.

As for the nature of the game, it’s really anyone’s guess. All we’ve seen are toothy winged fish. Once the zones are reconstituted, we could end up anywhere from reliving the Wild West to romancing steampunk vampires. Or maybe it’s not a game at all. Maybe we all teleport to some tropical paradise and live out our days downing mojitos.

Although judging by the dry introduction, the system seems a little more… I don’t know… sadistic? It sounded pretty damned pleased that a good chunk of the world’s population was about to die. What did it say again? “Death is permanent. Life is ephemeral.” Yeah, tell me about it.

I wish I knew more. A start screen or menu would be great right about now.

A list of words pops into view.

Menu

[Status]

[Equipment]

[Inventory]

[Quest Log]

[Map]

[Settings]

Hot damn, a menu. What else is this game hiding behind random thoughts? Huh, there’s no “Party” tab. …Or is there?

Party.

Party tab. Party menu. Party member.

I run through a list of synonyms in my head before I give up. If there’s a tab for checking out your party members, the system’s not showing it to me. I’ll have to ask Luci if I want to know what she’s got.

I concentrate on “Status” first.

Helen Gables

Lv 1

Health: 16/16

Stamina: 20/20

Strength: 4

Fortitude: 3

Dexterity: 5

Wits: 7

Resolve: 6

Charm: 5 (-2 hygiene)

Available Attribute Points: 0

Wallet: 25g

After that is a list of sub-menu options.

[Skills]

[Titles]

[Class Abilities]

[Class Bonuses]

I flick through each section with a thought, but it doesn’t tell me anything I don’t already know. I’ve already seen my skills, and fuck you for the titles, thank you very much. The skill proficiency system is rather vague. I’m unsure what the grades really do other than make me feel strangely judged. I mean, if I get an 10 in driving, am I the new Baby Driver or can I do over the top Fast and Furious stunts that literally defy the laws of nature?

The “Class Abilities” and “Class Bonuses” tabs are empty. Nice to know there will be classes though. I assume that’s a feature they plan on introducing later.

That’s enough for my “Status”. Onto the next.

The “Equipment” section simply reveals that I’m naked. Touché.

The “Inventory” lists my vouchers and certificates. It doesn’t seem like I can put anything else in there for now.

Onto the “Quest Log.”

New Quest! ONWARD

The planet has been infested and broken into various quarantine zones. In twenty hours, each zone will be reconstituted. Use the portal station to avoid reconstitution.

Objectives:

- Find the portal station: In Progress

Rewards: XP, Gips

[Other possible objectives and rewards may be hidden]

It’s nearly verbatim of the game’s introduction, though now that I’m seeing it in this form, there’s something about the wording that feels off. I scan it again, and then once more. Nope, I can’t put my finger on it.

And finally, there’s the “Map.” That’s a relief. I didn’t mention this earlier, but my sense of direction is appalling. I got lost in New York City within minutes, and that shit’s on a grid. A grid. No joke. I stepped out of my hotel, turned a corner, realized I’d forgotten my wallet, and had to look at my phone to see how to get back.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

A transparent Google Maps-style overlay appears in front of me. The more I concentrate on it, the more opaque it becomes. It shows the greater Chicago area, even the bits that flew off, with a red square around the part that still exists. I trace my path back east to find the grocery store where I began. It’s now well outside the square. I can’t tell how far. Half a mile? I’m actually rather surprised that our little island has shrunk so fast. It seemed slower.

I blink away the map and switch off the water.

When I step out of the shower, my charm attribute settles on a nice clean, hygienic 5. No negative modifiers to be seen. I towel-dry my hair in the mirror, staring at my six new scars from the monster’s attack. It looks like I’ve had them for years. They’ve gone from pink gouges to worn stark-white lines. They’re long and wide, tearing across my chest from the top of my ribs to my waistline. Three of them carve across my right breast before digging deep into the skin below.

It’s a miracle I’m alive. And another miracle that I’m not laid up in some hospital with months of physical therapy in front of me. But… damn. I’ve been in this game for less than two hours and my torso is already a tapestry of trauma. Another few days and any OnlyFans career I’d hoped to have would be for Freddy Kreuger stans only.

It doesn’t feel real. How could it? To be honest, none of this is hitting me the way that it probably should. The planet fractured. Someone’s child almost died. A swarm of monsters ate a man alive.

Yet all I can think is… well, yeah. Life is surprising and cruel. To me, it feels like the world split into five million pieces a while ago. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that people still have shit to lose. They have lives, loved ones, passions, hobbies they’ve built, jobs they care about, goals they’ve worked toward. And in less than one day, all of it will be gone.

Dammit. My heart starts racing, anxiety scrabbling at my walls.

Nope. Not thinking about it. Stop thinking.

I didn’t think to bring my meds. There’s still time to loot a pharmacy, I suppose, but as soon as I hit the portal, poof! No more pills for me.

Okay, for now, I can do this without them. I just need to take a few breaths. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

There we go. Just bury it. Bury it deep. Bury it until… forever I guess. Ugh.

I pull on my new Crossfit-branded yoga pants, sports bra, muscle shirt, hoodie, socks, and shoes until I look like the country’s most idiotic faux-fitness buff.

But the outfit is not complete. No, it is not. I duck into the gym for a moment, and then return to reception. Luci is sitting against the wall, picking blood flakes off her vest.

I pound the end of an aluminum barbell shaft into the floor and smirk. “What do you think?”

“Nice fit!” she says. I think she’s actually being sincere. “You must be pretty strong.”

“Oh, yeah, no. This is the light-weight kind. Believe me, I’m no weight-lifter.”

She jumps to her feet and hands me a backpack with yet another gym logo on it. She’s holding an identical one. “I put your stuff in here. I hope you don’t mind. There’s water and some protein bars too.”

I sling the bag over my shoulder. “Smart girl.”

“You know it,” she says with an eager grin. Damn, it’s a beautiful smile. Infectious, really. She’s a cute kid. “I’m sorry I said you smelled. I didn’t mean it.”

I laugh. “Yeah, you did. Don’t worry about it. The shower was great.”

She nods toward the door. “There are still bats out there. Do you know how to use that?”

“The barbell? I’m planning on hitting things with it.”

Luci side-eyes me.

“Well, it’s better than a spoon,” I say. “What about you? You seem pretty good with that gun.”

“Right? Like, it’s totally weird. My mom took me to a range a few times, but I think I’m better now. It has something to do with my level, I think. We don’t have guns in the house, but my mom gets worried about other people having them. Like she reads in the news all the time about kids accidentally killing people because they don’t know gun safety. She said in America, you should know how to shoot. Papi and Tío Elias were always against it though.”

“Wow. Too bad you can’t take it when we teleport.”

She looks at her gun, frowning. “What, really?”

“That’s my guess. You should’ve gotten a notification when you first picked it up.”

“Oh. Things were kinda hectic.” She chews on her lip and then shrugs. “Well, I’m good at learning stuff. I’ll find something else.”

“How many bullets do you have left?”

“Eight. And another ten in the box. I can’t get the last two in the magazine. It’s super hard.”

“Okay.” I know nothing about guns, so I’ll have to take her word for it. Hopefully we won’t have to use them anyway. Until we get weapons with real abilities, I want to avoid as much combat as possible. Which is easier said than done. Those bat-fish monstrosities came from nowhere.

“Luci, did you see any of those things between school and here?”

“No. Not until I got to this street.”

“They’re probably trolling the more populated areas. That’s good. And they’re not big fans of loud noises, right?”

“They didn’t like the gunshots. Neither do I. They’re so intense.”

“Okay,” I say slowly, an idea forming. “I think I have a plan then. Which way’s your house?”

She points toward the back of the club. “That way. Like a twenty minute walk.”

I check the countdown. We have about 18 hours now. If we get to her house, grab a car, head to the apartment building, spot the portal somewhere within a ten mile area, and drive there, I’m guessing that’ll take three hours max. That’s assuming that only crazy bat things stand in our way.

Could it really be that simple? Maybe I’m missing something.

“Alright. Follow me.”

We file past reception, past the gym and the locker rooms, until we reach the fire exit in the rear of the building. There’s a slim window facing into a small employee’s lot. There isn’t much to see - a few cars and a line of dumpsters - but I’m pretty sure I spot the telltale blur of wings above.

The push bar across the door reads: ‘Hold for twenty seconds to sound alarm.’

I rest my hand on the bar, my heart hammering like an overzealous metronome. Behind me, Luci has a determined grimace and a white-knuckle grip around her handgun. She’s poised to go. I have to remember that she made it here on her own, even after whatever horrors happened at her school. She killed three monsters. She saved my life. I don’t need to worry about her. If anyone’s going to survive this, it’ll be her, not me… which isn’t exactly comforting.

Stop it. No time to think. Just do.

“You ready?” I say.

She nods.

“Okay, let’s go.”

I push against the bar and hold. It’s the longest twenty seconds of my life. Finally, the building erupts in a deafening alarm.

“Go!”