Zac's heart raced in tandem with his frantic footsteps, the rush of adrenaline drowning out everything but the thudding of his pulse. Each breath came in jagged gasps, his chest tight with panic as he darted across the highway, dodging speeding cars with desperate agility.

"Oh god, oh god, OH GOD OH GOD!" His panicked chant echoed in his mind, the fear gripping him in a suffocating embrace. Every passing vehicle felt like a brush with death, sending shivers down his spine as he narrowly avoided collisions.

His thoughts spiraled into a frenzy, a whirlwind of terror and disbelief. Nothing could soothe the relentless hyperventilation that consumed him, his mind trapped in a tumultuous storm of fear and confusion.

He hurried toward the entrance of the bar, his heart still racing from the unsettling encounters. As he approached, he spotted Luke standing by the entrance, glancing around expectantly. Zac's steps faltered for a moment, uncertainty gripping him. How could he possibly articulate the inexplicable horrors he had witnessed?

"Luke," Zac called out, his voice wavering slightly. Luke turned, a bright smile lighting up his face as he caught sight of Zac.

"Hey, man! Finally, you made it," Luke exclaimed, stepping forward to greet him. But as Zac drew closer, Luke's expression shifted, concern etched into his features. "Dude, you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you alright?"

Zac's throat tightened with apprehension, unsure of how to even begin describing the unearthly sights that haunted his mind. He forced a weak smile, trying to mask the turmoil within. "Yeah, I'm... I'm okay, just had a weird day."

Luke studied him for a moment, sensing the unease in Zac's demeanor. "Let's head inside, get you settled, and maybe a drink will help," Luke suggested, offering a supportive pat on Zac's back.

Together, they entered the bar, the warm ambiance and chatter of patrons providing a semblance of normalcy. Luke led Zac to a corner table, away from the bustling crowd, giving them some privacy.

Zac settled into the seat, his mind still racing with the haunting images. He stole glances around the bar, half-expecting to see another ghastly apparition lurking in the shadows.

Luke leaned in, concern etched in his expression. "Seriously, man, what's going on? You seem really shaken up."

Zac attempted a weak smile, attempting to mask the turmoil within. "Nah, man, it's all good. I don't want to bring down Ellie's birthday with my bad mood."

Luke eyed Zac skeptically, but nodded reluctantly. "Alright, but if you need to talk about it later, I'm here for you, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, Luke," Zac replied, mustering a facade of normalcy as they headed deeper into the bar, the sounds of laughter and music enveloping them.

Amidst the jovial atmosphere, Zac struggled to suppress the haunting images that continued to flicker in the recesses of his mind. He forced himself to engage in the celebrations, trying to push aside the day's unsettling events.

Ellie, the birthday celebrant, greeted them with infectious enthusiasm, drawing Zac into the festivities. He plastered on a smile, participating in the laughter and chatter, but the shadow of the day's encounters lingered, casting a pall over his attempts at normalcy.

As the evening wore on, Zac found himself increasingly withdrawn, his mind drifting back to the eerie encounters. He excused himself under the guise of needing fresh air, slipping away from the lively atmosphere into the quiet embrace of the night outside.

Alone against the cool wall, Zac struggled to control his ragged breaths, the weight of the day's uncanny events bearing down on him. His pulse quickened, a torrent of confusion and fear flooding his mind. The night air provided no respite; instead, it seemed to amplify his unease, wrapping him in an isolating shroud.

In the quiet alley, an alien sensation enveloped him—a whisper in the depths of his consciousness, foreign and yet hauntingly familiar. It felt as though someone else's thoughts intertwined with his own, a disconcerting intrusion into his mind.

He shut his eyes, attempting to dispel the unsettling sensation, but instead of clarity, a deluge of disjointed thoughts surged within him. An overwhelming cacophony of voices, desires, and musings—none his own—rushed through his mind, disorienting and overwhelming.

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As his distress peaked, a nearby lamppost flickered, casting erratic shadows that danced around him. Zac's focus unintentionally drew the lights closer, and in a bizarre turn, they responded to an inexplicable energy within him. The ethereal flickers obeyed his subconscious command, swaying and bending in response.

Out of the shadows, a figure reminiscent of the eldritch being he saw earlier began to form. Panic surged through him, but before he could react, an unseen force, seemingly born of his terror, propelled nearby objects into a chaotic orbit around the apparition.

Zac's horror mounted as the figure drew closer, yet despite the commotion, no one emerged from the bar to witness the bizarre spectacle unfolding in the empty alleyway.

Abruptly, the swirling objects crashed to the ground, and the phantom figure dissolved into the night. Confusion and disbelief gripped Zac as he staggered, leaning heavily against the wall, his breaths shallow and erratic.

Moments later, concerned voices echoed from the bar's door. Ellie and Luke hurried out, accompanied by a few others, their wide eyes betraying a mixture of worry and confusion. They scanned the alley, perplexed by the scattered debris, finding no trace of the apparition.

"Zac! What happened?" Ellie's voice quavered with concern as she rushed to his side, her eyes scouring the surroundings, searching for an explanation for the inexplicable scene.

Ellie's concerned gaze bore into Zac, awaiting an explanation for the inexplicable chaos that seemed to have dissipated into thin air. As she leaned closer, a soft murmur seemed to drift on the night breeze, faint yet distinct, carrying an eerie echo.

Zac's heart raced as an otherworldly whisper, almost imperceptible, crept into his ears. It was a voice, ancient and distant, resonating in the wind—an unrecognizable entity beckoning, urging, commanding destruction.

"Destroy humanity… Kill them all…" the wind whispered in the most ethereal voice possible, chilling Zac to his core.

He stumbled backward, momentarily lost in the echoing words that seemed to emanate from the air itself. Panic surged within him, his thoughts spinning in a desperate attempt to rationalize the inexplicable.

"I-I don't know," Zac stuttered, his voice tremulous, as he attempted to deflect the startling reality he was witnessing. "I saw some homeless guys just fighting across the carpark, and they threw some shit at each other, but they ran when they saw you lot come by."

The chilling voice persisted, its message of annihilation intertwined with the night wind, urging a force beyond comprehension.

Ellie's concern deepened, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Zac, you're not making any sense. Are you sure you're okay? What's going on?"

Zac's attempts to rationalize the inexplicable were drowned out by the persistent whispers that seemed to tug at the fringes of his sanity. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure, but the haunting voice persisted, an unyielding echo in the recesses of his mind.

In a bid to mask his distress, Zac mustered a feeble smile, his eyes darting nervously around the alley. "Sorry, I think I'm just tired. I should probably head home. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Zac, it's okay if you're feeling down," Ellie said gently, her concern evident in her voice. "If work's getting too hard, you can depend on us, on your friends. You don't have to shoulder everything by yourself. We've been there for you, especially when your dad passed away."

Zac had an almost nauseous reaction to that. Any mention of his dad had made him feel disgusted, though outwards he maintained a persona that cared for him. Since he was young, His dad had pushed and pushed him to do things he had never wanted to do, and when that inevitably failed on his dads face, he never recovered from what he considered to be the ‘only failure’ out of him and three kids. Then the old bastard had to get cancer and died. But he didn't need to start telling his friends that, especially since her words were well intentioned, and it still carried a comforting reassurance. Zac's feeble smile softened, touched by her sincerity, but the eerie whispers persisted, tormenting his thoughts.

"I appreciate it, Ellie," Zac replied, his voice strained but grateful. "I'll be okay, I just need some time to clear my head."

Despite Ellie's genuine concern and comforting words, the haunting echoes continued to weave through his mind, a dissonant symphony of foreboding.

As the dissonant echoes persisted, Zac made a decision. Despite Ellie's genuine concern and the support of his friends, he felt overwhelmed. With a weary nod to his friends, he bid them goodnight and made his way home, the weight of the day pressing heavily on his shoulders.

Resigned to the tumultuous events of the evening, he sought solace in the quiet familiarity of his home. The day, for all its eerie encounters and inexplicable whispers, drew to a close. Exhaustion consumed him as he settled into bed, yearning for the respite of sleep to distance himself from the haunting echoes that lingered in the recesses of his mind. The nightfall offered a sanctuary, a temporary reprieve from the surreal events that had unfolded.

As sleep gradually enveloped him, he found momentary relief from the turmoil of the day, seeking solace in the embrace of dreams that promised a temporary escape from the unsettling reality he had encountered.

The day ended in the sanctuary of slumber, a fleeting respite from the enigmatic events that had gripped his senses.

He hoped that day was a fever dream.

But the worst was yet to come.