Awakening

When he managed to open his eyes, he saw only darkness.

No light, no sound—just an oppressive, cold emptiness.

'So this is the afterlife...'

A bitter laugh forced its way out of his throat, breaking the silence.

Then, tears followed. He cried and laughed all at once, the mix of emotions twisting in a way that made his own skin crawl.

'I thought… I thought death would bring peace,' he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of despair.

'But this? This is worse,'

His laughter faded into soft sobs as he wrapped his arms around himself, trembling.

'This isn't fair,' he muttered, his words barely audible.

'Why can't it just end? Why am I still here?'

Time became meaningless in the suffocating silence.

Every second stretched endlessly, wearing away at his fragile mind.

He even began losing the ability to recall memories; this place denied the very existence of imagination or thought.

Then, without warning, a mechanical voice echoed around him.

[Potential Host identified. Reboot sequence initiated.]

Zayn's heart skipped. What was that? His head throbbed as the voice continued.

[Analyzing Personality- Perfect]

[Analyzing Aptitude- Perfect]

[Analyzing Potential - Perfect]

[You have been chosen as the perfect specimen. The system will assist in your resurrection but be warned—your mind will not remain the same.]

[Resurrection process starting.]

[00:15 remaining.]

As the countdown began, faint flickers of light appeared in the void, unnatural and disorienting.

His thoughts fragmented, memories and emotions colliding in chaos.

His body—if it could even be called that—felt distant, like a puppet with cut strings.

[Warning: Emotional instability increasing. Severe psychological distortions anticipated.]

"What the hell is going on?!" Zayn shouted, panic surging through him.

A sudden, stabbing pain erupted in his head, like millions of needles piercing his brain at once.

[Resurrection complete. Host rebooting...]

Abruptly, everything paused.

Zayn's eyes opened slowly, adjusting his body.

It was dark, and as he raised his hand, he realized he was trapped inside some kind of plastic bag.

Carefully, he traced the surface above him, searching for an opening.

His fingers brushed against a zipper with a small gap just wide enough for him to slip a finger through.

Using the gap, he worked the zipper from the inside, slowly pulling it open.

With a trembling hand, he pushed himself out. His limbs felt weak, his stomach twisting in knots.

'Where am I?'

He looked around, only to be met with a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Body bags surrounded him, as if he were in a dumping ground—not for trash, but for corpses.

'Fuck, it smells,' he quickly covered his mouth as the urge to vomit filled his throat.

The air was thick with the stench of decay, flies buzzing in clouds above the corpses.

Rats scurried through the scene, their beady eyes gleaming with satisfaction, because they had an endless supply of food.

'I need to get out of here,' he whispered hoarsely.

His legs refused to cooperate, so he crawled.

Every movement was a struggle, every inch gained a victory. The rats watched, uncomfortably close.

"Get away!" he growled, swiping at them. To his relief, they scattered, giving him space to move.

His hands brushed against decomposing flesh, and he clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to vomit.

Finally, he reached the edge of the wall and slumped against it, gasping for air.

"What happened to me?" he muttered, pressing a hand to his aching head.

[DING!]

A soft chime cut through the silence, followed by the sudden appearance of a translucent screen.

[Congratulations, Host, for Activating the Drug Lord System.]

[Name: Zayn Anders]

[State: Weakened]

[Strength: D- > E]

[Agility: D+ > E-]

[Endurance: C > F+]

[Charisma: B+ > D -]

[Intelligence: B+ > D-] 

'Drug Lord System? What a disgusting name.' he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

[Congratulations, Host, for Activating the Drug OverLord System.]

'And then it changed. How convenient.'

'Guess I've gone mad now.' he let out a bitter laugh.

Another chime echoed.

[Mission: Climb Up.]

[Reward: Newbie Box.]

'Fantastic. Another hallucination.' He forced a chuckle, but the sound was hollow.

Frustration and anger bubbled up inside him, replacing the confusion.

'I'll survive. I'll get out of here... and they'll pay for what they did to me.'

The memory of his suffering burned like fire in his chest. Every second fueled his anger, his determination.

Looking at the wall, he considered his options.

'If I can stack the bodies, I could climb out,'

Suppressing his revulsion, he crawled to the nearest body bag. His hands shook as he began arranging the bodies, building a ladder.

The smell was unbearable, and nausea threatened to overwhelm him, but he pressed on.

Each body brought him closer to the top. His muscles ached, his breaths came in ragged gasps, but he refused to stop.

Finally, he reached the top of the wall. He raised his hand, feeling for the edge, before pulling himself up with every ounce of strength he had left.

THUD!

He gasped for air, a wave of relief flooding over him after he escaped that hellhole.

[DING!]

[Collect Reward: Newbie Box.]