March 15, 2020
First Person
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
The alarm drilled straight into my skull.
I groaned and rolled over, slapping the screen until the noise died. My eyes burned as I stared at the cracked display.
10:00 AM
Notifications stacked on top of each other like accusations.
Rent Due
Water Bill Due
Electricity Due
Loan Due
A message followed.
MSM:
Hey man, I'm really sorry, I won't be able to pay the money I owe you đ I'll get it paid next week, I promise.
I exhaled slowly.
When will this end?
I dragged myself to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Warm water hit my face, but it didn't wash anything away. By the time I stepped out, my body felt heavier than before.
I stared at myself in the mirror.
Tired eyes. Hollow cheeks. Someone I barely recognized.
For a split second, my pupils flickeredâred. Just a hint of it.
A sharp sting stabbed the back of my head.
"Ahâ"
I grabbed the sink, breathing hard.
What the hell was that? Hallucinations now? From lack of sleep?
I laughed quietly.
Is this my life?
10:30 AM
I started my motorcycle.
Vroom. Vroom.
I pulled in the clutch, shifted to first, and rolled forward. As I twisted the throttle, a memory slammed into me without warning.
Bam.
Sirens screamed.
We woâWe woâWe wo.
"Sir, are you alright?" a police officer asked. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"What do you mean what happened?" I snapped. "Can't you see he hit me?"
"What do you mean I hit you?" the other guy yelled. "Are you fâing dumb? You didn't see the signal I gave?"
"What signal? You didn't give me shit."
I rubbed my temples. I was exhausted. Angry. Empty.
"Enough," I said. "I've got enough crap on my plate. I don't need this too. Officer, we're done. I won't file charges."
The officer hesitated. "Are you sure? You're injured. We can get you help."
"I'm fine. Just scratches."
Then I turned to the guy and muttered, "And youâgo back to your kiddie wheels."
The memory faded.
"Honk! Honk!"
I snapped back to the present.
"The light's green!" someone yelled. "Move it!"
I rode through the intersection and reached my workplace. As I parked my motorcycle, my eyes drifted toward the alley beside the building.
Three people stood there.
Always the same three.
They'd been hanging around for a week now. Every morning. Watching. Whispering. Waiting.
Something about them made my skin crawl.
I turned away and headed toward the entrance.
That's when I felt it.
Footsteps behind me.
"Hey," a voice said. "Got a minute?"
I didn't turn around.
Another step closer. Too close.
"Relax," another voice chuckled. "We just wanna talk."
A hand grabbed my shoulder.
Something inside me snapped.
I spun around and shoved him back. "Don't touch me."
The alley went quiet.
The first man sneered. "Easy there. You look stressed."
The second one circled behind me. The third blocked the exit.
Wrong place.
Wrong day.
The first punch came out of nowhere. I felt itâbone against boneâas my fist smashed into his jaw. He stumbled back, shocked.
I didn't stop.
I grabbed a rusted pipe leaning against the wall. It felt heavy. Solid. Real.
The second man rushed me.
I swung.
The sound it made when it connected was wrong. Wet. Final.
He collapsed without a sound.
The third one froze, eyes wide. "What the hellâ"
I was already moving.
One strike.
Then another.
He dropped.
The first man tried to crawl away.
I stood over him, breathing hard. My hands were shaking. My head was quiet.
For the first time in years someone looked at me like this.
He looked up at me, terrified. "Pleaseâ"
The pipe came down.
Silence.
Blood pooled across the cracked concrete. My reflection stared back at me in itâdistorted, smiling, unfamiliar.
Then the world glitched.
The air tore open in front of me, like reality itself had been peeled apart. A black gate yawned wide, endless and hungry. Something stared back from the other side.
And thenâ
[SYSTEM ACTIVATION CONFIRMED]
A cold voice echoed inside my skull.
[ABYSSAL GATE UNLOCKED]
[USER IDENTIFIED]
[WELCOME, DAEMON]
My vision darkened.
As I fell to my knees, one thought echoed louder than the system, louder than the screams that never came.
The world had been lying to me.
And i finally have the answer .