"Kamari!" Alaina shouted. "Left, go left!"
Screams echoed through the mall, bouncing off broken glass and collapsing walls. Smoke and dust filled the air. Every second, another insect crashed in from the purple portal outside.
We ran. Feet slapping against the tile floor, and it feels like my heart is going to explode
I skidded around the corner, pulling Eloise with me. The metal stand in my hand dripped with green insect blood. My knuckles were white from gripping it too tight.
Behind us, the tall guy I'd pranked earlier, his jacket torn from a near miss. He looked like he hated me, but he wasn't letting us die.
"We can't keep running forever!" Eloise cried.
"Don't argue!" I snapped. "Stay with me!"
Another crash. The ceiling split, and sparks rained down. One of the creatures, bigger than the others, burst through, wings slicing the air like knives. Its scream made my ears bleed.
Alaina froze. "It's huge—"
"Don't look!" I pulled her forward. "Eyes on me! Just like a raid, focus on the leader!"
They didn't understand, but they listened. My brain was racing through strategies like I was back at my desk, headset on, leading a raid team. Weak points. Movement. Cooldowns.
We ducked into the department store. Clothes racks toppled. A mannequin shattered under an insect's claw. The place smelled like perfume and blood.
The tall guy shoved a shelf against the door. "That won't hold long," he muttered.
Eloise collapsed beside me, crying. "This can't be real… this can't be real!"
I crouched down, gripping her shoulders. "Ele. Listen to me. If this was a game, what would you do?"
"I—I'd log out!" she sobbed.
I almost laughed. "Yeah, me too. But we can't. So we fight."
Alaina's eyes darted to me. "Kamari… you're serious?"
I raised the bloodied metal stand. "Dead serious."
The tall guy stared at me like I'd grown another head. "You're insane."
"No," I said firmly. "I'm prepared."
The door shuddered. The insects slammed against it, shrieking.
"Here they come," I whispered.
The first claw punched through the wood. Then another.
"Positions!" I barked, like I was calling shots in a dungeon. "Alaina, throw anything heavy you see. Eloise, stay low. Pretty boy—"
"Don't call me that!" he snapped.
"Fine, mystery boy, hit what I hit."
He looked at me like I was insane again, but he didn't argue.
The door exploded inward.
Three insects stormed inside, screeching, mandibles snapping. Their bodies glowed faintly purple, like the portal itself lived in their veins.
"Go!" I roared.
I swung the metal stand hard, smashing one across its face. It reeled, ichor spraying. Mystery boy grabbed a metal rod from the ground and jabbed it into the creature's gut. It howled and collapsed, thrashing.
Alaina hurled a chair at the second one. It stumbled, giving me time to slide in low and smash its leg joint. Snap. It collapsed sideways.
The third one lunged straight at Eloise.
"Ele!" I screamed.
She froze, eyes wide.
I dropped my stand and tackled her, rolling across the floor as claws slashed where her head had been. My chest burned. My ears rang.
The insect hissed, raising its claw again—
Mystery boy's rod shot through its skull. It twitched, then it finally fell down.
For a second, we all just panted in silence, surrounded by broken shelves and glowing insect blood.
"We… we did it," Alaina whispered.
"Round one," I muttered. "Don't relax yet."
Outside, more screeches. Dozens. Hundreds.
The mall shook. The purple light pulsed brighter through the cracks in the ceiling.
Eloise gripped my hand. "Kamari… what if there's no end to them?"
"There's always an end," I said, though I wasn't sure. "There's always a boss."
The tall guy glared at me, wiping blood off his cheek. "You talk like this is just another game."
I met his eyes. "Maybe it is."
He didn't argue.
We pushed deeper into the store, stepping over broken glass. The screams outside had grown distant. For now.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking. Not from fear—from adrenaline.
Is this what it feels like to live the game?
I remembered every second. Every movement. Every detail. My photographic memory was on fire, memorizing enemy patterns, attack angles, even the exact sound of their wings.
It felt like cheating. Like the world gave me my own hack.
We passed through the shoe section when the ceiling shattered above us.
BOOM.
Dust rained down. A massive insect dropped through, bigger than the others. Its carapace glowed brighter, its mandibles dripping with green acid.
"Oh crap," Alaina whispered.
"Mini-boss," I muttered.
"What?!" Eloise screeched.
"It's bigger, stronger, faster," I said quickly. "Don't split. Hit together."
The monster roared, shaking the store.
It lunged at me first, claws flashing.
I dove sideways, rolling behind a display. The claw smashed where I'd been, splintering wood.
"Alaina, throw now!" I yelled.
Alaina hurled a metal basket. It clanged off the monster's head, distracting it for a second. Mystery boy lunged, stabbing its side. Green fluid gushed.
The insect screeched, spinning. Its claw whipped out, catching Alaina across the arm. She screamed, collapsing.
"Alaina!" Eloise cried.
"Stay back!" I barked.
I dashed forward, grabbing my metal stand again. My brain screamed the weak points. Under the jaw. Behind the head. Classic raid design.
The monster swung at me, but I ducked low, sliding under its belly. I jammed the stand upward with all my strength. It pierced through. The insect shrieked, convulsing, smashing shelves in its death throes.
Finally, it collapsed, twitching until it lay still.
I pulled the stand free, shaking.
Mystery boy stared at me like I wasn't human. "What are you?"
"Just a gamer," I panted.
But before anyone could speak again, the walls of the store exploded inward.
Dozens more insects poured in.
We were surrounded.
"No," Eloise whispered, clutching Alaina. "No, no, no…"
I tightened my grip on the stand. My arms ached. My lungs burned. But I lifted it anyway.
"Stay behind me," I said.
The nearest insect hissed, glowing eyes locked on me.
It leapt.
I swung—too slow.
Its claw slashed toward my chest.
I couldn't dodge. I couldn't block.
And it's as if time has slowed down.
So this is it, I thought. Game over.
The claw pierced—
I suddenly woke up.
I sat upright in bed, drenched in sweat. My room was dark, lit only by the faint glow of my gaming setup.
My keyboard. My monitor. My posters.
Safe.
I touched my chest. No wound. No blood. Just pounding heartbeat.
"It was… a dream?" I whispered.
The purple light. The insects. The screams. All gone.
I laughed weakly, covering my face. "Just a dream… just a stupid dr
eam."
But deep inside, I wasn't convinced.
Because in my mind, clear as day, I still remembered every second. Every move. Every detail.
And outside my window… the night sky flickered purple.