Thursday, 14th of January, 2156
Time: 11:56 PM
The sky stretched endlessly, clear and vibrant blue, with the sun perched high, burning fiercely over the expanse of City X. Being nestled deep in the northern hemisphere, the city was buried under snow for nearly nine months of the year. It was still winter, and the cold gnawed at everything it touched. During the day, the temperature hovered around -10 degrees Celsius, and at night, it plunged mercilessly close to -30.
Naturally, such brutal cold would have spelled death a century ago. But now, for the citizens of City X—and frankly, most of the world—this was simply another day. Across the bustling streets, people wandered in shockingly thin clothes, their faces blank, their pace steady, utterly unfazed by the biting air that would have frozen the blood of anyone from the past.
A hundred years ago, this sight would've been considered madness. But the world had changed. Drastically. Unrecognizably. Over the past century, humanity had evolved, adapted, and been forced to reshape itself, both physically and mentally. Enough change to make the earth almost alien to what it once was.
"Fuuuh..."
Among the endless shuffle of pale faces, a woman stood frozen in place, breathing out sharp clouds of mist, her eyes wide and restless as they scanned the empty blue above. She tapped her foot against the icy pavement in a quick, impatient rhythm, a jittery energy buzzing under her skin.
'Just a few more minutes. They should be here soon.'
She glanced down at her phone, flicking her thumb across the screen for what must've been the hundredth time in the past hour. Notifications: none. Messages: none. Only the ticking clock, dragging her anxiety tighter around her chest.
Around her, life moved in its cold, grey way. The people who passed by wore expressions as dead and hollow as the colorless cityscape. Not a single smile. Not a single spark of life. Just walking husks of flesh and bone, going about their days because they had no other choice.
Even under the brilliance of a perfect sky, nobody found the energy to care. That was the reality now—not just for City X, but for the entire world.
Fear was stitched into the very fabric of life. It hung in the air heavier than the snow, an invisible predator everyone knew lurked at the edge of every moment. A constant dread that today might be their last.
And after decades of living like that, what could you expect? Hope had long since been bled dry. The world was beautiful, and its people were too broken to notice.
"Sigh… What a nice day to be outside. I don't know why I even accepted this job," Celina muttered bitterly, running a hand through her messy hair. "They sent me that email, and when I saw the compensation, I just… lost it. What the hell was I thinking? I'm too stupid. Too greedy."
As she stood there, cold seeping into her boots, the weight of her decision hit her like a hammer.
Three days ago, a mysterious company had contacted her, asking her to visit one of their facilities. Their reason was simple enough: they had a worker struggling with severe mental issues, and they needed a therapist to help.
Celina was nothing special—not some famous name, not a celebrity doctor. Just another face in a sea of struggling therapists. She had studied hard, dragged herself through university, survived the hell that was certification… all with the naive hope that success would be waiting on the other side.
'Two years,' she thought bitterly. 'Two whole years since I started working.'
And yet, while her peers bought new apartments and expensive clothes, Celina clawed her way through rent and grocery bills, living paycheck to paycheck like a pathetic joke.
"Am I really cursed or something? This job was supposed to be a golden ticket!" she growled under her breath, only to earn a few strange looks from passersby. She coughed awkwardly and looked away. 'I was supposed to be rolling in cash by now… Why does it feel like the world's just laughing at me?'
Still, the money this job promised… it was enough to keep her afloat for years. No more stressing over rent, no more nights crying over empty fridge shelves.
'I don't know why this company is willing to pay so much just for a single session... Must be some bigshot they want to fix.'
She squinted at her phone again.
'What was their name again? Horizon Corp? I tried looking them up, but there's almost nothing. Just scraps of information and a dusty old website. A pharmaceutical company, apparently…'
The complete lack of background screamed red flag at her from the start, but the amount they offered was just too much to resist.
"Just one session. One stupid session," she whispered to herself, hugging her coat tighter around her body.
"Hm?"
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an engine.
Turning her head, she spotted a sleek, black car with tinted windows rolling toward her. Its movements were deliberate, almost predatory, gliding to a stop right in front of her.
Instinctively, she took a cautious step back. Her breath caught in her throat.
The door nearest her creaked open. From within, a tall figure emerged—an enormous man in a sharp black suit and black sunglasses, his presence swallowing the space around him like a black hole.
He was absurdly tall, dwarfing her with ease. His face was blank, almost unnaturally so, lacking any distinct features except for the absolute bare minimum. His skin was smooth, pale, and stretched tight like clean cloth. His eyes were hidden behind the shades, but she could feel their weight pinning her in place.
"Mm... Are you...?" she stammered, her voice embarrassingly small against the thundering silence.
"Are you Miss Celina?" the man asked, voice low and emotionless.
"Uh, yes. Is—"
Before she could even finish, the man turned his back on her and, wordlessly, opened the car door wider, stepping aside to gesture her inside.
The silent command made the hairs on her arms stand up.
Her eyes darted left and right, searching for some excuse, some reason to run. But after a moment's hesitation, she pressed her lips into a thin line and forced herself forward, slipping into the back seat. The door clicked shut with a soft, ominous thud behind her.
'Oh man, what am I doing? I really did it! I just got into a stranger's car! What the hell is wrong with me?!'
Clasping her shaking hands tightly together, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe.
"It's going to be fine," she muttered, voice trembling. "It's just some work. I'll do my job, get paid, and get the hell out of here. That's it. That's all."
At that moment, the large man slid into the driver's seat. Without a word, the car purred to life and began moving, the city slowly blurring past the windows like a world slipping away behind them.
Looking around her, Celina found the interior to be quite nice. The car was clearly very expensive and luxurious. The seat was made of high-quality leather, and the headrest felt better than her own pillow. There was even a small fridge stocked with beverages right in front of her.
'Wow, who would've thought I'd end up inside a car like this? I'm truly living life!'
"Mm, excuse me."
"…"
"Uh? Excuse me?"
Calling for the man, Celina received no reply whatsoever. The driver was simply focused on the road ahead, his eyes locked onto the path like he was part of the machine itself.
'I guess he's the silent type. Hahaha… Hah…' Laughing nervously to herself, Celina shifted her gaze to the window instead. The scenery outside was the same one she had known her whole life: towering, metallic grey buildings, the occasional patch of stubborn greenery clinging to life, and—peeking from the distance—the colossal wall.
Even from here, the structure loomed impossibly high, slicing across the sky like a divine sentinel standing guard over the city.
The moment her eyes landed on that wall, a faint frown crept onto her lips. She quickly looked away. 'It's bad luck to stare at it too long,' she remembered her mother warning her long ago.
Exhaling slowly, she sank deeper into her seat. The silence inside the car grew heavier by the second, the atmosphere tightening around her chest. Her fingers itched to fidget, to do something.
Glancing toward the rear-view mirror, Celina caught the man's reflection—and froze. His face was unsettlingly blank. Featureless, almost. Except for the essentials—eyes, nose, mouth, and ears—his pale skin was utterly spotless, unnaturally so, like a washed-out painting left in the rain.
Blinking slowly, Celina wondered if he was even a normal person. 'What kind of skincare routine does it take to have skin like that? Hm… Could he be a Demon Hunter? He looks strong enough. Maybe that's it. A Demon Hunter working as a chauffeur… never thought I'd see the day.'
The questions tumbled in her mind, distracting her just enough to keep the growing anxiety at bay. Minutes passed. The city began to melt away behind them, replaced by the rising embrace of forested hills.
'Hmm… we're heading into the mountains? Is the facility that far out?' she mused, hugging her bag a little closer to her chest.
The car wove through winding roads, up and up, taking sudden turns onto narrow, overgrown paths. The city lights vanished completely behind the trees.
"Gulp…"
At this point, Celina's unease clawed at her nerves. Every twist of the car felt like another knot tightening inside her.
"Mm, w-where are we going, sir? Is the facility not in the city? Why are we going so deep into the forest?"
"…"
"Hello? I can't handle this silent treatment, sir. I need an explanation immediately!" her voice cracked under the pressure, rising sharply before she clamped her mouth shut again, horrified at herself.
"I—I'm sorry for raising my voice!"
But the man didn't react at all. He drove on, oblivious, or perhaps simply uncaring.
For a fleeting second, Celina honestly questioned if she was riding with a human being or a very lifelike robot.
'Sigh… What did I get myself into? I just want to go home…' Tearing up slightly, she cursed every bad decision that led her here. 'I'm never accepting shady money ever again. Lesson learned!'
The car rolled to a gentle stop, pulling Celina out of her spiral of regrets.
Blinking up, she was greeted by a bizarre sight. During her inner turmoil, they had reached what could only be their destination.
Before her stood a massive building hidden among the trees, encased within high metallic walls that gleamed dully in the fading light. The architecture was sleek, futuristic—and cold. It looked exactly how she had imagined a secretive pharmaceutical facility would.
'So this is the place, huh?'
**
A//N: New to this writing hobby, I hope you enjoy my very first story, and don't forget to add it to your collection.