Strange City

He stopped before continuing into the city. There was no one at the west entrance. The iron gate was wide open, the balloon was on the white stone wall, and there were many tiny pieces of colored paper on the ground.

No monster, player, or NPC. Something didn't feel right.

He turned his legs toward the medieval-style building beside the entrance—a Guard Crepost. 

Maybe those Sentry Guards could help him and answer his question about the logout button. 

Crepost walls were white, framed with brown logs. There, a shattered French window occupied the front side of the Crepost, with two wing wooden doors closed. 

He shivered as the wind shrilled leaves. It reminded him of the horror movie he loved. "Is there a zombie event going on?"

Pushing slowly a crackling door, he took a peek inside the Guard Crepost. 

The ice of emptiness was welcomed with mystery. There was no living here. 

"Hello? Anybody here?" With a creak on every step on the maple floor, he crept in. Dozen colored tiny pieces of paper stuck on his ebony leather shoes. It looked like what remained of The Grand Opening event.

Looking to the right and left, there was an empty wall with slash or red. Perhaps syrup. He didn't want to touch that.

Yung Jae raised his voice. "Hello? Sentry Guards? I need help!" His voice echoed on the stone wall. 

Party-colored balloons adorned the ceiling. Beneath it, four plates of black cake and three mugs colonized a receptionist's table.

Yung Jae put a mug from the floor back to the receptionist's table. He opened the door behind the wall, and no one was inside. 

The windows shattered. Glass scattered on the floor. The back door was wide open, and there were many footsteps.  Two rifles lay on the floor, one baton on the table, while one slik helmet was still on the cabinet beneath a broken LED. 

"Is there a war here?"

Yung Jae closed the door, hooping on the receptionist's table. Those sentry guards must be in a hurry. 

But why?

What made them leave in a hurry? A raid event? That imposible. Even if that happens, they will never leave their weapon.  

"Where does everyone go?" he murmured, took another peek on the left and right, still no sou. Nothing. 

Sighing, he opened a system panel with a ping voice.

Yung Jae's eyebrow jumped, his lips split open, showing his white teeth. He found Natasya still partying with him, and she was on Baker Road near Control Tower, a work palace for Game Master. 

Sadly, he can't communicate with her as the system never sends his messenger for unknown reasons. 

Just before he darted to meet Natasya, he noticed a message came in.

One notification from the Game Master staff strangled his attention. It had already been sent for many hours ago and simply stated, 

[Do not panic and have fun] There was no explanation for the messenger. It's just a title.

"Fun, my ass!" If this continued, he definitely would lose his job. 

Hard, he stomped the receptionist's table.

His vines had been worked out almost eternity, from river stream, sucked onto dungeons, and now this. He wants to punch someone, but who?

Suddenly, His belly rumbled. His eyes were fixed on the cake. 

He sniffed it. There was nothing, not even a chocolate aroma. He devoured the tart, and it was tasteless. No sweets or anything. It was bland. He pewed it to the floor. 

Yung Jae washed a bland taste in his mouth with some cold black coffee. And it was worse than simple water. It was thick yet bland, like rice with too much water. 

He wasted time here. 

He needed to find an answer, fast. 

Perhaps someone knew what was going on inside the city. 

Natasya might learn something as she was in the city after they separated early.

Galloping, Yung Jae went out and entered the city.

Inside the city, the atmosphere was far from the celebration, more like at Mom's funeral. No laughter, no booming firecrackers, no NPC. Oh, he found something.

A cat jumped off from the fish store with fish in his mouth. Usually, the store owner would yell at him, but now everything was dead silent. 

Curious, he checked the store. Inside the store, the Balon adored the showcase full of fish. A hundred tiny pieces of paper with many colors were shattered, but no one there, no NPC, no player. 

As he stepped deeper into the city, he finally found what he wanted. Many players gathered at the cafe patio.

Suddenly, there was a mint on his belly that spread a cold sensation. Yung Jae went there to ask them something. 

As soon as he drew closer, he realized all of them had intense looks on their faces. 

One group, four players, filled a table. One of them put his hand on the table while craning his finger, covering his mouth. While others seriously chatter with a severed tone. They discussed something. 

"Yes, we must level up fast, hit level fifteen, and gather with our guild."

"Yes, we can't send messages. We could meet them in a free city. If they came there."

They caught a glance at Yung Jae and stopped talking altogether, glaring at him like hungry dogs. 

"Hey guys," Yung Jae said. "What happened in the city? Why are no guards at the post, and can you log out from the game?"

Indeed, he knew that his presence was not welcome there. Yung Jae raised his pace away from those weirdos.

On the other side of the city, five players gathered in the gloomy alley. They planned something with voices almost whispering. 

Perhaps they would give him a valid answer. He decided to meet them. 

When they noticed Yung Jae coming for them, They glared at him before running toward him. 

Yung Jae didn't know who they were, but perhaps they had what Yung Jae wanted. 

"Hey, Pal," He waved to them. "What happened? Is the Grand Opening event still going on?"

No one gave him an answer. They kept rallied, went to the west entrance, and never looked back.

"Weird." Yung Jae decided to venture toward Natasya. 

Without stopping, he checked the mini-map. Natasya was unmoved from the last position she won. Perhaps she had a blast there, eating and drinking. 

As he passed by the city center, the jiggling adventure OST played. The monitor on the great statue of the Terrish goddess showed the ads, and Chae Wo's beautiful voice echoed through the hollow garden. 

He missed something big.

As he came to the Bakery Road, an aroma of bread welcomed him, but there was no laugh, no chattering, and the bakery store was ghostly empty. Many players were seated on the sideway, sobbing. Many were cursed.  

The man in a thick, long, dark-gray coat stood before an empty store, kicked a trash can, and sprang it on the paved road. 

"Stupid Game master, I'll sue him after I log out!"

The man with the dark gray coat was not the only one with a heated temper. Beside the crossroad, four players gathered inside the empty store. 

One of them slammed the table. "I'll kill him. Just watch. I'll find his home and make sure he never sees another sun anymore!"

On the other side of the sidewalk, three girls sobbing shared a bench, seated on benches in a group.

"We've been trapped here forever." Said the girl in the middle. 

"What about my boyfriend? He must have missed me already." The girl on the left, sobbing, covered his face with both hands.

"What is going on?" Yung Jae asked those girls. "What happened here? Why was everyone in a bad mood?"

No one answered, not a single person. They were busy with their problems. 

He decided to continue his traveling. What was going on? It looks like they also had the same problem. 

Does all of this have to do with glitches? 

Yung Jae, speeding his pace, ran. He stops caring about his surroundings. He wanted to meet her fast. 

His lips twisted up when he found Natasya alone at the edge of the main road. But his lips slowly withered as she realized what happened. 

She sat on the bench, curled, her face buried in her knee, hugging her legs. 

Yung Jae poked her. "Boom!" He clapped, ready for a reaction, yet it never came.  "Natasya?"

Her body shivered, perhaps because of the night wind or something else. Yung Jae checked her condition by touching her delicate arm, smooth and cold as ice. His hand moved on her forehead, and it was hot. 

"You are sick."

Natasya tugged on his arms. "Please don't go," she whispered. 

"I'm not going anywhere," Yung Jae said to her. "Please, let my arm go for a while, just a second. I promise I'm not leaving you alone."

With a simple promise, Yung Jae made her let his arm go. As soon as it was free, he removed his coat and put it on Natasya. Hopefully, she would find comfort with it. 

"Thanks," she faintly smiled. "Promise me, everything will be back to normal."

Yung Jae nodded and said to himself, I wish I could. Sure, he just met her a couple of hours ago, but he just be himself. 

He was always kind to women and kids. Yung Jae always does because that was what his mother taught him before she passed away. 

"We leave." He carried Natasya on his back.

"Where? There is no doctor here. Maybe…."

"Find some place to stay." Yung Jae hoped so. "Hold on me."

Natasya crawled his arms around his neck, and Yung Jae started to move.