「 Harrowing Shores. The endless seas that's everywhere yet nowhere. 」
For no particular reason, that sentence surfaced in my mind.
Why? I remember those words being displayed on the screen of my smartphone but it was from the first time I opened that game. This is ridiculous. Such a thing was impossible, yes?
The blurred features of the passagers finally became distinct as my dizziness slowly faded.
The chaos inside the bus reached its climax. As expected, everyone was panicking and screaming.
I blankly stared at the scene and then tapped my cheeks with both hands.
'Calm down, lets stay calm for now.'
There's a saying: even if you're trapped in a tiger's den, you can survive as long as you keep a clear mind. (Of course, that only works if you don't meet the beast's eyes.)
I turned my head and narrowed my gaze at the scene outside the window.
No sugarcoating it, we were completely surrounded by water.
Fortunately, the bus had come to rest on something above the surface, granting us a fragile reprieve. For the time being, at least, we were safe. Yet the environment outside perfectly matched the description of the Harrowing Shores.
–Dark, gloomy and eerie.
I tilted my head in confusion
After a moment's thought, I came to a conclusion: I was dreaming. This whole thing had to be a dream.
It carried that vivid, almost too-real quality dreams sometimes had. I could smell, I could feel, and yet everything seemed both surreal and unreal at once.
Not just any dream either, but a lucid dream. One where I was aware I was dreaming.
Strangely enough, I wasn't the type to dream often. In fact, I couldn't even remember the last time I had one.
I leaned back into the passenger's seat.
There was definitely pressure against my body, a solid feeling beneath me. Still not convinced, I pinched my cheek.
"Ouch!"
It hurt.
Come to think of it, when I slapped both cheeks earlier, it had stung the same way, which could not be imaginative.
What was going on?
This was a dream. It had to be. The scenery outside the windows, the warmth of the passenger's seat and the pain on my cheek were nothing more than fleeting illusions conjured by my subconscious mind.
Just as I tried to reassure myself, a whisper brushed across my thoughts.
"It's not a dream, you fool!"
It was a surprisingly cold voice that I haven't heard before. I quickly dismissed that mocking voice.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get out of this here."
"Are you crazy? You want to leave the bus and go where?"
"It's not like we can drive out of here. Can we, genius?"
Snapping out of my stupor, I noticed the passengers had erupted into heated arguments. Some were shouting that they needed to get out and leave the bus immediately, while others insisted it was safer to stay inside and call for help.
At first, the latter sounded reasonable. After all, who in their right mind would abandon the only shelter they had and wander into an unknown place? But there was one glaring flaw.
"Huh? My phone..."
"Why isn't it working?"
A ripple of panic spread as people pulled out their smartphones, only to discover the same thing. Obviously, there was no service in a place like this.
The atmosphere in the bus shifted from panic to despair in mere moments. The last fragile thread of hope had been severed.
"What the hell is this place?!"
"I told you we should've gotten off already!"
"How should I have known something like this was going to happen, huh?!"
The bus was starting to feel smaller by the second, suffocating under the weight of fear and uncertainty. I pressed a hand to my temple, trying to block out the cacophony. The noise wasn't helping me think.
That voice from earlier still lingered in my mind, colder than the water outside.
'It's not a dream, you fool.'
My lips tightened.
'…If it's not a dream, then what is it?'
Perhaps this was reality. The genre of my life had shifted in a matter of seconds. But that didn't solve the current situation. What should I do?
'Wait… that's right!'
If this was the same world as Shatterverse, then the answers should exist in the game!
My eyes darted across the scattered belongings until I spotted my smartphone lying on the ground. I rushed over and picked it up. Thankfully, it wasn't broken, just a small crack running along the corner of the screen. Still usable. Good.
Without wasting a second, I unlocked it and tapped on Shatterverse. At least, I tried to.
It wasn't there.
"…What?"
I searched frantically through my home screen, swiping back and forth, but the app was gone. Completely gone.
Panicked, I opened the search panel and typed it in.
Searching…
[App not found.]
"What the hell…?"
I tried again, harder this time, as if sheer desperation would change the result.
[App not found.]
Okay, what the fuck? What do you mean app not found? What kind of ridiculous bullshit is this?
"Shit, this sucks. I never thought this would be how I'd go out. And these old farts won't stop crying and groaning. Can't you guys just shut up for a few minutes, huh?"
The voice cut through the chaos. It belonged to a young man with a pair of battered old headphones clamped over his ears.
He was thin, with dyed white hair that made him look even paler than he already was. His features weren't particularly handsome and his clothes didn't help. A faded gray jacket with green stripes, wrinkled white shirt, and cheap black jeans gave off the impression that he had thrown on whatever he'd grabbed from a dollar bin.
To be completely honest, he wasn't the kind that gave off a good impression. Even so, how could he be so relaxed and nonchalant right now?
Irritated, the young man stood up, strode over to the grumbling man shouting at the driver, and slapped the back of his head.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"
"This bastard! Who do you think you are, treating your elders like that?!"
"My name's Ezra, thank you very much," he said with a voice dripping with scorn. "And tell me, do you really think yelling at the driver is going to fix anything? He's in the same mess we are."
The older man's face flushed red with anger, but Ezra's steady gaze made it clear he wasn't backing down.
"From your expression, I can tell you still don't understand the situation."
"What bullshit is this brat even talking about?" the man growled.
Ezra just laughed, tilting his head toward the window.
"Look outside. From this alone, it's obvious we're no longer in California… or anywhere on Earth, for that matter. So yes, our phones aren't working, there's no service. In other words, no one is coming to save us."
The older man's mouth opened, but no words came out at first. Then he finally managed, "Are you actually saying we're in another world? That's absurd. How can we possibly believe that?"
"Believe it or not, this is the current situation we're in. Arguing amongst ourselves won't help us survive. But what to do? Even I don't know all the rules of this place. Our best bet is to leave the bus and search for high ground."
He held his chin thoughtfully, presenting his suggestion with the air of someone used to being in control.
The other passengers, however, weren't ready to accept it so easily.
"What?! Are you crazy? You want to go out there?"
"Y-Yeah, that's right. Do you even know what's out there? Who knows what might happen if we leave the bus?!"
Actually, no. If this really was the Harrowing Shores, then staying in one place for too long was not a good idea.
Before I could voice out that thought, a massive shadow swept over the bus.
A heartbeat later — boom!
The entire frame shuddered violently under a crushing impact, and screams erupted all around me.
Then came the worst part, the unmistakable sensation of the bus being lifted off the ground.
Something out there had seized it with terrifying strength.
The bus tilted sharply, metal groaning in protest. The bus passengers tumbled over one another, clinging to seats, handrails, anything that could stop them from sliding forth. The air filled with shrieks, curses, and the grinding of steel under unbearable strain.
"Wh-What's happening?!"
"It's lifting us! Something's lifting us! We're under attack!!"
I dug my fingers into the armrest with all my strength. Through the window, I caught a glimpse something vast, hiding beneath the crimson waters. My breath caught in my throat.
That thing was definitely huge.
The shadow stretched far beyond the length of the bus, a shifting silhouette that defied clear shape.
'Not good!'
If we fail into the crimson seas, we'll be completely screwed. Honestly speaking, I would prefer not to become fish food.
[So it begins.]
The bus lurched higher, and for one heart-stopping moment, we were completely suspended above the water. Someone tried breaking open a window, but that ended up angering the creature.
SKREEE!
A piercing shriek tore through the air, so sharp and violent it felt like claws raking down my eardrums. It reverberated through my bones, rattled my teeth, and clawed at my sanity.
Screams turned into sobs. The bus might as well have been a coffin.
Soon after,
"...?"
A sudden weightlessness seized us, as though the bus had been flung into open air. My stomach lurched into my throat.
Then came the horrifying realization that whatever had grabbed us had just let go.
"Oh, shiiit!"
The world dropped out from under us.
The bus plummeted, metal screaming against the rush of air before...
BOOOOOM!
We hit the ground with tremendous force. Windows shattered, seats tore free, bodies slammed into each other as the vehicle skidded across dirt and stone, finally grinding to a mangled halt.
For a moment, there was only ringing in my ears. The air reeked of gasoline, dust, and iron.
Groans, cries, someone calling for help, but all of it muffled, distant, as though underwater.
My vision flickered.
Through the fractured glass, I saw it... just for a split moment. A massive shadow blotting out the light, wings like torn banners stretched across the grey aky. Its head craned down as its eyes adopted a sinister glow.
The beast gave a guttural cry that rattled the bones in my chest.
"Am I… going to die here?"
I tried to whisper the words with as much strength as I could muster, but it felt useless. My body eventually gave out. It was inevitable.
As the hungry beast loomed closer, descending onto the bus with terrifying intent, darkness crept in at the edges of my vision.
My consciousness slipped away, leaving only the sound of chaos and the monstrous presence above.