The Point of No Return

Alexander's sleep was rudely interrupted by him flying forward off his seat and hitting his forehead against the transparent plastic shield that was in front of him. His eyes shot open instantly and he groaned in pain as he rolled around on the floor.

"Huh?! Whuh?!"

Alexander pushed himself up slowly, rubbing his throbbing temples. He felt as if all air left his lungs and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make even one breath. Along with it, he briefly felt as if he was going to vomit, but the urge gradually went away in the following moments.

He finally could breathe but something else has appeared. A piercing pain that seemed to come from every single point in his body. As he tried to concentrate, he seemed to notice something familiar about it. This pain was the same pain he felt just before he broke through!

He quickly used the meditation technique his father taught him. Gradually the pain subsided and he even felt extremely energized.

Suddenly, something appeared in his mind's eye.

"Wait what? What's that?" Alexander muttered subconsciously.

In his mind, he could directly see something he could never expect to see.

[Name: Alexander Hart]

[Rank: 0]

[Level: 2]

[Classes: Martial Artist]

[Strength: 1.36]

[Agility: 1.55]

[Vitality: 1.13]

[Energy: 1.22]

[Magic: 1.10]

[Soul Power:1.12]

[Accumulated Soul Energy: 12]

"Did I get brain damage from that hit? Maybe I suffered a stroke and now am hallucinating?"

Alexander shook his head violently in order to dispel such thoughts from his mind. But then again, why wouldn't hallucinations occur after a blow like that? Still, he remembered clearly what he saw. He concentrated on his mind again and saw the same thing in his mind's eye.

At this point, the ringing in his ears finally subsided and he realized that there were several car alarms blaring around him. He quickly got up and looked around him. Everyone on the bus was either lying unconscious or sitting frozen with wide-open eyes.

"What the hell happened here?!"

His heart skipped a beat as he heard a dull thud followed by screams. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw something befitting a horror movie scene. The driver of the bus was banging wildly into the plastic shield that separated the driver's seat from the interior of the bus.

What was even more horrifying is his appearance. His skin was as pale as a sheet of paper and his bulging veins were seemingly full of some black liquid.

With a crazed look and completely black absentminded eyes, he was trying to knock down the transparent wall that originally was supposed to protect him from possible robbers, and now apparently was protecting everyone from him.

His rabid behavior startled the woman that just has regained her bearings, causing her to scream.

[All survivors are advised to seek out the closest obelisk.]

A voice suddenly appeared in Alexander's mind. And just as he heard it, he also felt a faint calling in a certain direction. But before he could concentrate on it, he heard a groan and some rustling behind him.

He turned around to see another person who had their eyes and veins turned black getting up from being prone. This time it was a young girl somewhere around Alexander's age. Her hair was short, curly, and red, giving her an innocent yet sexy appearance.

She wore a white dress with thin straps that exposed her shoulders. However, all of her allure was immediately canceled out by a crazed and distressed look on her face. And at this moment, she seemed to notice Alexander's presence.

She screamed loudly and lunged toward him with unexpectedly fast speed.

Alexander instinctively moved his body backward to dodge her attack. In the blink of an eye, he moved faster than anyone ever expected. Not only was his reaction fast enough to avoid the incoming hand, he actually managed to grab the girl's hand before it touched him.

'Was I ever that fast?' Alexander thought to himself, but before he could think of an answer, he felt an incredibly strong pull. The girl was way stronger than he imagined! He didn't let go of her hand fast enough, so the crazed girl was able to get pull him in!

His body was moving straight in the direction of the girl with the momentum his body gained from the pull. She opened her mouth brandishing her unusually sharp teeth, ready to take a bite of Alexander's neck.

At this moment, Alexander had only two options. The first one was to wait for his death at the hands of the crazed girl. The second one was to fight back with all his might! Alexander's choice was obvious! He must fight!

Alexander summoned all the strength in his body to forcefully twist his torso barely evading the razor-sharp saliva-covered teeth of the deranged girl. Without wasting a millisecond, he borrowed the momentum of his body as spun on his one leg and delivered a powerful kick right into the back of the girl's head. Crack! The girl went limp and fell onto the ground. A new message has appeared in his mind.

[Hunger Demon Level 1 Defeated]

[Accumulated Soul Force + 11]

He instantly felt a wave of cool entering his body. It was extremely comfortable, like a refreshing breeze on a sweltering summer evening. The feeling was so comfortable, that Alexander actually lost himself in it for a few moments.

But before he could enjoy himself, a loud sound has drawn his attention back to reality. The bus driver has finally broken down the polymer shield. Moreover, two other people had turned into Hunger Demons and were getting up.

The scared woman from before was banging on the bus door trying to force it open, but before she could let out another scream, the bus driver, along with another hunger demon pounced on her, instantly silencing her by biting off a large chunk of her neck.

They started to ravenously consume her flesh as if it was the only thing in existence for them.

Alexander ran to the exit and kicked it open. Outside the vehicle, he immediately noticed a lot of commotion. People were rushing everywhere, screaming and shouting. Some of them pointed to where the noise originated from.

He looked toward the source and saw a bunch of demonized people attacking others.

What was even more terrifying, is that these demons seemed to be gathering together!