The world ended on a Tuesday.
It wasn't fire, or earthquakes, or some god descending from the heavens to smite humanity. No, it was simpler than that too simple. One morning, the sky split apart with a screeching sound like glass shattering across the entire world. By the time the rift sealed itself, everything people thought they knew about Earth had been rewritten.
New rules.New monsters.And a new word that appeared in glowing text across every living being's vision:
[Welcome, Player.]
Davis Brown blinked against the burning white letters floating in the air. He thought he was dreaming. He thought he had finally lost his mind from the endless grind of life college loans, night shifts, a body that ached more than it should at twenty-four. But the pain was real, the chill of the early dawn wind was real, and the messages kept coming.
[Initialization complete.][Player Identity: Davis Brown.][Level: 1.][Class: None.][Attributes Assigned.]
"What… the hell?" he whispered. His voice came out hoarse, carried away by the silence of his empty apartment.
It wasn't just on the walls or his phone. The words hovered in the air, as if projected directly into his mind. He swiped at the letters, and they responded like some kind of futuristic hologram.
More text appeared.
[Survive.]
That was it. No explanation. No tutorial. Just survive.
The first scream came a moment later, from the building across the street. Davis rushed to his window in time to see a man dragged into the road by… something.
It looked like a wolf, if wolves were taller than horses and covered in black, matted fur that seemed to absorb the light. Its jaws unhinged too wide, clamping down on the man's chest. Blood sprayed across the pavement. The man screamed, flailed, then went limp.
Davis gagged and stumbled back from the window. His stomach lurched, but another notification appeared before his eyes.
[First Blood: The world has been altered.][All Players, beware. Predators roam freely.]
His breath came in ragged gasps. He wanted to deny it, wanted to scream that this wasn't real but his door rattled. Something slammed against it.
Davis froze. Slowly, he reached for the baseball bat he kept near the couch. His fingers shook so badly he almost dropped it.
The door cracked inward, splinters flying. Then another slam. The metal lock bent, and the hinges screeched.
Davis gripped the bat with both hands, sweat dripping into his eyes. The door exploded inward, and the thing that stepped through was no neighbor.
It was human once, maybe. But its skin was grey and stretched thin. Its eyes glowed a sickly green, and its teeth were jagged shards that jutted at odd angles.
[Zombie - Level 2.]
The words floated above its head.
Davis didn't think. He swung the bat. It connected with a sickening crack, sending the creature reeling. It snarled, lunging at him, claws raking the air.
Adrenaline roared in his ears. He swung again, again, and again, until the creature collapsed into a twitching heap. His arms burned. His lungs screamed for air. But he didn't stop until its skull caved in.
Then came the message.
[Congratulations! You have slain a Zombie - Level 2.][EXP +50.][Level Up! You are now Level 2.]
Davis stumbled back, his chest heaving. His hands trembled as he wiped gore from the bat. He couldn't tell if the buzzing in his ears was panic or the system.
"Level up?" he muttered, staring at the glowing window that had appeared. Numbers and words spread across his vision.
[Player Status]Name: Davis BrownLevel: 2Class: NoneHP: 120/120Strength: 6Dexterity: 5Endurance: 7Intelligence: 4Luck: 1Unused Points: 5
He blinked. It was like a game like the RPGs he used to play in high school when the world hadn't crushed his dreams yet. Strength, dexterity, endurance…
His stomach twisted. This isn't a game. This is real.
But the system didn't care what he thought.
The world outside had already collapsed. From his broken doorway, Davis could hear chaos screams, gunshots, and the inhuman howls of monsters. The city was dying, swallowed in less than an hour.
He thought of his parents, his younger sister who lived two states away. Were they alive? Did they get the same messages? Or were they already dead?
Davis gritted his teeth. Sitting here would mean death. He had to move. He had to survive.
But where?
Another notification appeared, as if answering his thoughts.
[Global Announcement.][Safe Zones have been created. Find them before the first Nightfall.][Time Remaining: 23 Hours, 49 Minutes.]
A map unfurled before his eyes. Glowing green beacons dotted the city Safe Zones. But the closest one was over a mile away. On a normal day, that was nothing. But now… with monsters on every corner?
Davis tightened his grip on the bat. His heart pounded, but his mind steadied.
"Then I move. Or I die here."
The stairwell reeked of blood. Bodies lay crumpled on the steps, some torn apart, others half-devoured. Davis gagged but kept moving. Every creak of the stairs echoed too loudly, every shadow threatened to lunge at him.
Halfway down, he heard footsteps. Not the stumbling drag of zombies, but hurried, desperate.
"Wait!" a voice hissed. A girl, no older than sixteen, peeked from behind a doorway. Her dark hair was tied back, her clothes smeared with blood. She held a kitchen knife like it was the only thing keeping her alive.
"You're… human?" Davis asked, lowering the bat slightly.
She nodded quickly. "I-I'm Mia. My family" Her voice broke. "They didn't make it. Are you going to the Safe Zone?"
Davis hesitated. Bringing her would slow him down. But leaving her here was the same as killing her.
"…Yeah," he said at last. "Stick close. Don't make noise."
Mia's eyes welled with tears, but she nodded, clutching the knife tighter.
Together, they pushed into the ruined streets.
The city was unrecognizable. Cars were overturned and burning, skyscrapers cracked with fissures that glowed faintly red, as though something beneath the earth clawed at the surface. Creatures prowled the roads hulking beasts with too many eyes, flocks of twisted birds that shrieked inhuman cries.
Everywhere, players fought or died. Davis saw a man blasting fire from his hands, his stats boosted by some kind of magical class. He saw another crushed under a monster's jaws before he could even scream.
Mia whimpered, and Davis pulled her into an alley.
"Quiet," he whispered. His heart thundered as a massive shadow lumbered past the alley mouth.
[Abyssal Hound - Level 10.]
They didn't breathe until it moved on.
Hours blurred together. They fought when they had to Davis with his bat, Mia stabbing desperately when something got too close. Notifications kept flashing, his level creeping up to 3, then 4. Each fight was a gamble, each victory paid for with bruises and exhaustion.
Finally, as the sun dipped low, the Safe Zone beacon came into sight a shimmering dome of pale blue light in the center of a ruined park. Inside, dozens of survivors huddled together, guarded by barriers that kept the monsters at bay.
Davis nearly collapsed with relief. They stumbled toward it, and the barrier rippled as they passed through.
[You have entered a Safe Zone.][Protection granted until Nightfall ends.]
Mia sobbed with relief, dropping the knife as her shoulders shook.
Davis sank onto the cracked pavement, his body trembling from exhaustion. His bat was dented, his arms ached, and his mind screamed that none of this was real.
But the notifications didn't stop.
[Quest Completed: Reach the Safe Zone.][Reward: Beginner's Pack.]
A small glowing chest materialized in front of him. With shaking hands, he opened it. Inside lay a dagger, a vial of glowing liquid, and a strip of bread.
[Iron Dagger (Common).][Health Potion (Minor).][Ration.]
Davis stared at them, then laughed a broken, exhausted sound.
This wasn't a nightmare. This was reality now.
And he was a Player.
As darkness fell over the ruined city, the Safe Zone hummed with faint blue light. Outside, creatures gathered, snarling and clawing against the barrier.
The first Nightfall had begun.
And Davis Brown realized one truth that chilled him to the bone:
This world was no longer ruled by nations, laws, or money.
It belonged to the Players.
And he was the Last one who would rise.