"Run, run, I need to run," Jim repeated in his head. His vision was blurring; he desperately needed to catch his breath, but he needed to run.
He took a sharp turn into an alley. He pushed his body further and further despite knowing he was almost reaching his limit. He had to survive; If he slowed down, he would die.
The city was in a state of chaos, and residents sought shelter. Beasts were rampaging through the streets, causing significant destruction to buildings, while alarms blared throughout the area.
The scene was grim, with casualties among both humans and beasts visible on the city floors. Simultaneously, in various locations, superpowered individuals were engaged in fierce battles against the invading creatures, striving to defend the city from further devastation.
These creatures were diverse, a mix of both large and small creatures, both powerful and weak. There seemed to be no hope for the humans; they were outnumbered and outpowered.
They had arrived out of nowhere; there was no prior warning, they just stampeded into their city.
Only those with teleporters could escape. The rest of the citizens who could not afford such luxuries were left behind.
Jim cursed them in his mind for their indifferent attitude to those who were less privileged. They could at least pretend to be charitable and welcome some of them to use the teleporters.
Few stormed into the mansions of those selfish people and managed to escape. He would have done the same, but unfortunately, he lived on the very edge of the city next to the east gate.
It was on the opposite side from where the Beats had invaded. There, there were mostly lower-middle-class people who could afford only the bare minimum for survival.. Unfortunately, there were no high-grade teleporters here that could transport people to other cities.
The only option available was the public teleports, which could only transport an individual a mere few blocks at a time. In the current situation, they felt utterly pointless.
Who in their right mind would risk the uncertain journey of teleporting just a short distance, with the looming possibility of emerging in a location swarming with even more ferocious beasts? The thought of gambling with their safety was enough to make anyone hesitate.
Jim, on the other hand, used them readily. He was completely powerless. He had no ability whatsoever. If he stayed still for a second and by any chance gained the attention of any beast, he could be dead in an instant.
He could not take that risk.
He found himself in front of the city gate. There was a monster in sight, so he took the chance to rest a little. He whizzed as he greedily took in large gasps of air, causing his chest to hurt.
His vision slowly began to clear.
The sight he saw made him freeze in absolute terror.
Before him stood the largest beast he had ever seen. It towered at the height of at least a two-story building. Its black name almost blended completely with the night; that is the reason Jim did not notice it.
Its silver eyes were locked on him. Making it hard to breathe.
It was a wolf-type beast, which was recognised as the most ferocious type of beast. It was marked with silver patterns that continuously shifted to different positions. He had never seen anything like it.
He swallowed hard, knowing that this creature must be above intermediate class as the low and black class beasts had all already been recorded in the public database.
He cursed his unfortunate fate. There was no way he could make it out of here alive.
The creature moved closer to him slowly. Its predatory gaze fixed on him as if he were its prey.
Jim wanted to run; he wanted to escape this creature, but he couldn't. His body refused to obey his command, he was no longer in charge.
On the other hand, his heart beat rapidly, as if it would take off at any time and leave him behind. It stopped a few inches in front of him and began to lower its head to reach his eye level.
It scrutinised him as if gauging how to fit him into its mouth.
Jim was now about to faint from fear.
Suddenly, a ding sound rang in his head, causing him to flinch.
[Danger, your health is at 1%], a mechanical voice announced
Jim was even more shocked.
Whose health? Who was speaking?
Suddenly, his eyes began to fog up.
He desperately tried to stay conscious but didn't even have the energy to clench his fist.
The last thing he saw was the face of the terrifying beast before falling unconscious.
The creature watched the small human falling to the ground in bewilderment.
"Did it die?" the beast wondered.
Listening closely, it heard the faint heartbeat of the human, realising he was still alive. The creature opened its large mouth to bite the back of Jim's shirt before dragging him in an unknown direction.
"How weak," the creature muttered to itself as it walked away.
...
Jim woke up in an unfamiliar white room, he wondered how he got there.
He looked around, noticing that there were machines in the room. This made him realise that he was in a hospital room. An expensive one, how did he get here?
As his memories flooded back, he frantically searched his body for scars. Finding none, he became even more tense.
"Am I dead?" he wondered.
That felt like the only logical conclusion to him. How would he have survived a beast like that? he shuddered, remembering the wolf beast.
Looking around him, he doubted heaven would have a hospital.
He pinched himself to make sure, he felt the sharp pain on his arm where he had pinched.
"I'm still alive," he thought, feeling a faint sense of joy.
*Ding*
[You're completely dehydrated]
The mechanical voice echoed in his head once again.
As if on cue, a parched sensation engulfed him, the dryness creeping through his throat and mouth like a relentless desert wind. His skin tightened, feeling as if it were shrinking, pulling taut against his bones. Even his eyes now felt like sandpaper, raw and scratchy. The little energy that remained within him started to seep away, leaving him weaker with each passing second.
In his frantic state, he scanned the sterile, metallic confines of the room, desperate for a source of life-giving water. However, all he could see were machines, their lights casting an eerie glow in the dimness.
It was then that he caught sight of the small red button perched just above his head. A flicker of recognition sparked in his mind—he remembered that pressing it would summon a nurse. With what little strength he had left, he stretched his hand towards the button, his fingers trembling as they brushed against its smooth surface. Summoning the last of his energy, he pressed it firmly before darkness descended, pulling him under as he lost consciousness.
.....
{italicised words, e.g" me" represent thoughts}