That was how it all started…
"This is how it all ends…?"
The true beginning of a new light within humanity...
"The end of everything? The darkness…?"
Multiple thoughts raced through Daniel's mind as he struggled to comprehend what was happening to the world.
It felt like the so-called apocalypse — spoken of in fantasy novels and religious texts — had leapt into reality.
And the next moment proved it.
From the cascading blackness, uncountable monsters emerged, and the world order crumbled in an instant.
These monsters began to attack the stunned humans — some still frozen in disbelief, others snapping out of their daze and running for their lives.
They were hulking, grotesque creatures, many sprouting tendrils, differing wildly in size and shape.
None resembled the monsters drawn in comic books or fantasy films.
No... these things looked like they had crawled straight out of hell itself.
Daniel scrambled to his feet and joined the stampede, running for his life as the monsters tore through people, ripping limbs apart with a brutal frenzy.
Blood quickly stained the once-pure earth.
He kept falling, pushed and shoved by others in blind panic.
Abandoned cars littered the roads — escape by vehicle had become impossible — so families fled on foot, clutching one another tightly.
Some were thrown down, disappearing into the gaping jaws of those unspeakable beasts.
Daniel was terrified.
He had never been a fan of fantasy stories, never religious enough to imagine any of this.
And yet, here it was — real.
He ran and ran, unwilling to stop or even look back.
Then, just ahead, a spider-like monster pounced, snatching three men at once and tearing them apart mid-air, splattering blood all over Daniel's face and clothes.
He collapsed backwards, landing on his rear and scrambling away in horror as the creature fed, its limbs slicing through flesh effortlessly.
The grotesque scene before him wasn't enough to make him vomit or lose his mind — it was the creature itself that made him feel as though he was about to piss his pants.
These things were nothing like the gangsters he'd fought before.
They were worse than guns.
Worse than knives, too.
'What the fuck is happening…? What are these things? I have to run… I can't die here.'
He forced himself up, turning to flee while the monster was distracted.
Suddenly, an explosion rang out just twenty or so metres away.
The blast hurled him through the air like a ragdoll, his body crashing into a pile of discarded metal rods.
One of them tore through his sleeve, carving a deep gash into his wrist.
Daniel gritted his teeth in pain, clutching the wound.
'I can't afford to stay down… Ugh—'
Despite the chaos around him, he kept running.
The streets were pure hell, and he darted from shadow to shadow to avoid being seen.
But then, another horror emerged — a smaller creature, knee-height, with four hinged legs, two arms, and a mouth that resembled a mechanical shredder.
"Shreeekkkk~"
It advanced slowly, and Daniel froze in terror, like a rabbit before a wolf.
"Shit… Get away from me, you little disfiguration!"
Frantically, he scanned the ground—his eyes landed on an empty bottle, but before he could grab it—
The creature lunged.
It was unbelievably fast, crashing into him and slamming him onto the pavement.
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs as the beast shrieked, its bladed mouth spinning open inches from his face.
Daniel screamed and threw up his arms, catching the creature by its spindly, armoured legs.
Its chitinous limbs scraped his skin, leaving thin red trails of blood.
It thrashed violently, stabbing at his chest with vicious precision.
Despite its small size, it was impossibly heavy.
"Get the fuck off me!" Daniel roared, fear and rage cracking his voice.
The spinning maw descended again, tearing through his shirt like tissue paper.
He barely managed to tilt his head aside in time.
His heart pounded like a war drum.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the bottle again, glinting in the sickly red light of the sky.
Almost there…
The creature screamed again and slashed his cheek—hot blood poured down his face.
"FUCK—!"
With a surge of desperation, Daniel grasped the bottle.
He didn't hesitate.
He rammed the jagged base into the creature's mouth.
A harsh clang rang out as the spinning teeth ground against the glass.
The shredder-like mouth shuddered, then jammed.
Black fluid spewed from its jaws as it shrieked in pain, twitching violently.
Daniel shoved it off and staggered to his feet, gasping.
He didn't look back.
Clutching his bleeding wrist, clothes soaked with blood—some his, some not—he ran.
'I can't die here. Not now. Not like this.'
The wounded creature writhed behind him, glass still embedded in its mouth.
He ducked into a narrow alley and disappeared into the shadows.
Eventually, he reached a tunnel not far from home.
He stood at its centre, trying to process everything.
It was all too sudden. Too real.
Outside, the light wasn't sunlight. The sky had long since blackened.
This light came from flame, destruction, and blood.
Wrecked cars smouldered nearby, but no monsters were in sight — they had chased after "food": humans.
Daniel ran his hands through his hair, trembling.
"Just… just… what the HELL!?"
He screamed, shaking violently.
He fumbled in his pocket for his phone — it was cracked, likely from the fall or the scuffle with the creature.
But it still worked.
That phone had cost him so much. He hadn't let his mother buy it—she already had enough to worry about.
Her clinic kept them afloat.
So he'd taken on the responsibility of looking after himself — aside from tuition and living expenses.
Not that any of that mattered now.
He tried calling his mum first.
No signal.
The network was dead.
"…The world really is fucked, isn't it?"
A bitter laugh bubbled out, rising into full-blown hysterics.
Then, with a roar, he hurled the phone at the ground, shattering it.
Breathing heavily, Daniel stared out from the tunnel into the firelit chaos.
His hair was a mess, his clothes bloodied and torn.
His school bag — oh, he'd left it behind.
He scoffed.
"At least let me see through this goddamn apocalypse…"
And then—
Tyres screeched nearby.
A car skidded to a halt.
And he heard her voice.
"Daniel! There you are!"
His mother's voice cut through the chaos in his mind like a blade.
He turned to see her running towards him, clutching her handbag.
Of course — this was the road she always took to pick him up from school... except on the days he snuck off.
Her car was parked just beyond the tunnel.
"Mum… I'm sorry for leaving school early. But hey, just look around. Isn't that a good thing?" he croaked out with a strained, broken laugh.
"Who cares about all that? Let's go!" she said breathlessly.
She reached him, grabbed his arm, and they bolted towards the car together.
This was what it had all come to.
And all Daniel could do was hope they would survive.
But hope was fragile.
And it could shatter at any moment...
As they drove off, the pouring darkness followed from behind...