Oh, shit… how can I live with just a few hundred bucks?"
Ryan exhaled smoke into the night, the cigarette glowing faintly between his fingers. He wore a black long-sleeve shirt, slacks, and scuffed leather shoes a man trying to look sharp despite the weight of failure.
His mother's voice still echoed in his head: "You should've studied law, not computer studies."
"Damn… maybe she was right," he muttered, puffing out another cloud. "Five years in college, and for what? AI's already replacing us."
A neon light flickered in the distance. A 7-Eleven convenience store. Ryan's lips curled into a half-smile.
"Ohh… beer. Yeah, I'll grab some beer, maybe ramen too."
Inside, he spotted the cashier a cheerful, cute girl with bright energy that contrasted his gloom.
"Hi, sir, do you have a Cliqq card?" she asked.
"Uhmm… no, thank you."
She waved him off as he left. Ryan chuckled to himself. What a nice girl. If I ever land a job, maybe I'll shoot my shot with her.
Walking home, his eyes caught something glinting on the pavement a silver ring.
"Huh? A ring?" He scratched his head, glancing around. Nobody seemed to be looking for it. Finders keepers.
He slipped it into his pocket and kept walking.
Later, at home, Ryan sat slouched on the couch, groceries on his lap, football on the screen. He cracked open a beer with a hiss.
"What a shitty life…"
As he took another sip, he remembered the ring. Fishing it out, he inspected it.
"Looks cheap… but cool. It spins?" The ring was divided into two parts, a center that rotated like a toy.
He slipped it onto his finger.
"Ohh, perfect fit." He spun the center playfully.
The world went black.
Ryan opened his eyes to find himself on rough ground. Next to him lay an unconscious woman beautiful, with long lashes, blonde hair, and sharp foxlike eyes.
"Woahhh…" he muttered. "She's… hot."
As if on cue, the woman's eyes fluttered open. Ryan gave a nervous wave.
"Oh, hi!"
Her gaze sharpened instantly. In a flash, she pulled a knife from behind her back and slashed at him. Ryan barely rolled aside.
"Hey! What the hell?!"
"How did you get in here?!" she barked, standing with her blade raised. She wore a white tank top, jeans, and worn sneakers, her expression fierce.
"Junjun! Get me the gun!"
The door burst open, and a boy no older than fifteen rushed in, gripping a pistol with a long silencer.
Ryan froze, hands up. "Woah, woah, I'm not a bad guy! Look, I don't have any weapons!"
The girl narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you here?"
"Uhmm… this is my house?"
"This isn't your house, you idiot. In this world, no one owns anything anymore."
Ryan blinked. "What are you even talking about?"
"Keep your voice down," she hissed. "You'll attract the zombies."
Ryan laughed nervously. "Zombies? Are you high or something?"
"Are you asking for death?" Junjun snapped, aiming the gun squarely at him.
Ryan swallowed. "Look, I was just drinking a beer, eating noodles, then I blacked out and woke up here. That's it."
The girl's eyes hardened. "Beer? Do you think this is a joke? Beer doesn't exist anymore."
"What?"
"The world's ending, and you think you can afford to drink beer?"
Ryan frowned. "Lady, I literally bought this from the 7-Eleven down the street."
"7…11?" she repeated, confused.
"Yeah, the biggest convenience store in the Philippines."
"…Philippines? What's that? You're in Zelgia."
Ryan's head spun. "Zelgia? What the hell are you"
He cut himself off, pulling his backpack closer. With a smirk, he unzipped it and pulled out a can.
Pssshhhht!
The fizzing sound made both the girl and the boy freeze, eyes wide.
Ryan raised the can like a peace offering. "See? Beer. You guys are starting to creep me out."
The girl licked her lips unconsciously. "That… that's impossible."
Ryan chuckled and pulled out two more cans, tossing them lightly.
"Catch. Drink up. Might as well ease the tension."
Ryan frowned. "So tell me what's wrong with you guys? Why are you acting so weird, talking about zombies? Is this some kind of prank? Are you playing a game or something?"
Both Mina and Junjun froze, each still holding the cold cans of beer he had tossed them.
The boy spoke first, cautiously. "My name is Junjun. I'm fifteen… from Settlement 15. I don't know why you're acting clueless, but the world's been full of zombies for the past thirteen years."
Ryan blinked. "...What?"
Junjun tilted his head. "Are you telling me you've been sleeping all this time? But that doesn't make sense. There's no sleep capsule in this house, and electricity was cut off more than ten years ago. I don't even see a solar generator here."
Ryan rubbed his temple, lost. "What the hell are you talking about…?"
"Alright, I'll explain," Junjun said, taking a breath. "The year is 3400. We're in the country of Zegia, on the continent of Omrus. Humanity once tried to harvest energy directly from the sun using the stratosphere collectors… but something went wrong. A virus spread across the globe. A pandemic so severe it wiped out ninety-three percent of humanity."
Ryan's mouth dropped open as the boy continued, voice steady.
"Over thirty billion people died. The remaining three percent escaped to space, searching for another habitable planet. The last four percent? They're hiding down here, surviving among the zombies. Right now, there are maybe three billion people left in the world."
Ryan almost laughed. "Thirty billion? That doesn't make sense my world only had around eight billion people…"
His words trailed off as a terrifying thought hit him. Slowly, he walked to the window.
"Wait what are you doing?!" Mina hissed, rushing to his side.
Ryan pulled back the curtain and froze.
The sky was unfamiliar. Stars shone brighter and sharper than he had ever seen on Earth. And there hanging above were three moons. One glowed a deep crimson, full and ominous, while two crescent moons curved toward each other like sickles.
"This… isn't Earth…" Ryan whispered.
Mina yanked him back, slamming the window shut. "Are you trying to get us killed? Hunters will spot you if you make noise at night!" She carefully sealed the latch, her knife still in hand.
Ryan swallowed hard, his brain spinning. If I tell them I'm from another world, they'll think I'm insane. Better to play dumb for now.
"My name's Ryan," he said finally. "Computer scientist. I… don't remember much else. Feels like my memories got wiped."
"Hmph." Mina narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
Junjun stepped forward and extended his hand. "Then… nice to meet you, Ryan. I'm Junjun, and this rude girl is my older sister, Mina."
Ryan shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too."
Just then...
Blurrgggh!
The sound of a growling stomach broke the tense silence. Mina's cheeks flushed bright red as she clutched her midsection.
Ryan blinked. "You guys… hungry?"
Mina turned away, flustered. "…Maybe."
Junjun muttered, "We haven't eaten properly in days. Even nutrient solutions are too expensive."
Ryan's expression softened. Without a word, he dug into his backpack. He pulled out a shiny packet of instant noodles.
Both siblings froze.
Mina's eyes went wide. "I-Is that… food?"
Junjun's voice trembled. "Big sis… that's noodles. I saw them in books. Real food. From before the Collapse."
Ryan smirked. "Of course it's real. And lucky for you guys, I've got more don't be shy"