Awakening

It was the strangest feeling—like I was floating in nothing. There was no up or down, no sense of where I was or even if I was… anywhere at all. Just darkness, stretching out forever.

I tried to take a deep breath, but even that felt muffled. My name is Josh, I think? It's weird, the things you cling to when there's nothing around. I don't know why, but I repeated my name to myself, like it was my one tether.

Then, without any kind of warning, the darkness ripped open.

Heat. Blinding light. And suddenly, I was sprawled on the ground, tasting sand in my mouth. It was hot. Unbearably hot. My skin stung, and my mouth felt like it was full of grit. All around me, people were pushing themselves up, rubbing their eyes, looking just as dazed as I felt. There had to be a hundred of them at least, all squinting against the harsh light, just as lost as I was.

I staggered to my feet, already sweating, and tried to make sense of my surroundings. We were in some kind of endless desert, the sand stretching out to the horizon in all directions. Overhead, the sun beat down without mercy.

Before I could catch my breath, something moved—a flash of motion against the sand, maybe twenty feet away. A guy next to me, tall with a shock of dark hair, saw it too.

"Hey, man," he said, coming closer, his voice wavering. "Strength in numbers, right?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but then the sand near us exploded. From beneath, a massive, writhing creature burst forth—a sandworm the size of a truck, its mouth ringed with row after row of jagged teeth. The guy next to me barely had time to scream before it swallowed him whole, leaving nothing but a swirling cloud of sand.

My legs were moving before I even realized it, instinct taking over. I ran, heart pounding as others around me scattered, some screaming, some frozen in shock. The desert was alive with chaos now, people running in all directions as shadows crossed the sand, followed by the horrible buzzing of giant insect wings.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of them—a monstrous creature with spindly legs and wings like a dragonfly's, but much larger. It swooped down, snatching up a girl and lifting her into the sky. Her screams faded as she disappeared into the blinding sunlight.

I was alone in this. That much was clear. 

As I kept running, the heat gnawing at me, I started to understand. There was no safety in numbers here—just survival. If I stopped, even for a second, I'd be dead.

The desert stretched out in every direction, its blinding, sunlit emptiness swallowing everything. I ran, the sand shifting and sliding underfoot, my breaths coming in shallow gasps as I tried to process what had just happened. Every few seconds, I'd catch glimpses of movement in my periphery—a dark shape breaking the sand's surface or a shadow crossing the ground, growing closer with each heartbeat.

All around me, people were sprinting, tripping, trying to escape the creatures that erupted from the sand. The guy who'd tried to stick with me was gone, and nobody else had tried to pair up. The sandworm had taught them that lesson fast.

My throat burned, and my muscles ached, but I forced myself to keep moving. Glancing back, I saw a figure struggling a few yards behind, limping as he ran. He looked over his shoulder, too, and we locked eyes for a split second. His expression was one of pure terror, and maybe, just maybe, he thought I'd help him.

But I kept moving. I had to.

Ahead, a sharp drop in the sand appeared, a small dune sloping down. It didn't look like much, but it was cover. I half-ran, half-stumbled down the side, pressing myself into the sand. The ground was hot, nearly burning through my clothes, but I forced myself to stay low and still, barely breathing. For a moment, I could only hear my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

Then, the buzzing sound grew louder again—a heavy, droning hum, like an engine at full throttle. I peeked over the edge of the dune and saw one of those insect-like monsters hovering over the sand. It was massive, its translucent wings stirring up a small sandstorm beneath it, and its legs ended in sharp, talon-like claws that could easily wrap around someone's torso.

The creature circled, its eyes scanning the ground below. One of its antennae twitched, and its head jerked toward something—another person trying to crawl away, further out on the sand. They froze when they realized the monster had spotted them, but it was too late. The insect swooped down, claws snapping around the person's shoulders. They screamed, flailing wildly as the creature lifted them into the air.

I forced myself to look away and stayed low, pressing my face into the sand as the buzzing faded, the creature flying off with its latest catch.

Okay. Think. I could feel my hands shaking, the taste of dust and fear thick in my mouth. I wasn't going to make it just sprinting like a headless chicken. I needed to be smart. The people who kept running, kept making noise, they weren't going to last. That much was clear.

I risked another glance over the edge of the dune. Some people were banding together, shouting and pointing, but their noise only seemed to attract more attention. Further out, the sand was rippling with movement—more of those sandworms, their thick, armored bodies gliding just beneath the surface, tracking every vibration.

Stay quiet. Stay still. It was the only advantage I had.

Carefully, I crawled down the other side of the dune, moving as silently as I could. The sand still radiated heat, and my skin was prickling painfully under the sun. I knew I couldn't stay exposed like this for long, but the nearest cover was nothing more than another dune. There was no shade, no shelter—just endless sand and sky.

I tried not to think about how many others might be out here. For all I knew, everyone from my school, my town… maybe even the entire country was out here somewhere, dropped into the same nightmare. And there was no way to find out, no way to know how many of us were still alive.

A shout broke through my thoughts—a hoarse, desperate yell from somewhere to my right. I looked over and saw a small group clustered together, frantically waving at someone lying a few yards away. A girl, maybe around my age, struggling to get up. Her ankle was twisted at an odd angle, and every time she tried to stand, she cried out in pain.

One of the guys in the group yelled to her, "Hang on! We'll come get you!" He sprinted toward her, his face twisted with determination and fear.

For a split second, I almost wanted him to make it. But as he neared her, the sand beneath them exploded, and a sandworm erupted from the ground, its gaping mouth wide open. They barely had a second to scream before they vanished inside its maw, the sand settling back down as if nothing had happened.

I gritted my teeth, feeling my stomach twist. There was nothing I could do. They were gone, and standing still any longer would just make me a target.

Slowly, I got back on my hands and knees and crept forward, staying low, trying to keep as quiet as possible. My muscles ached, my hands and knees were raw from the sand, but I pushed forward, my senses sharp and alert to any sign of movement around me. Every footstep felt like it took a lifetime, and the faint buzzing of insects and shifting sand were constant reminders of the danger hovering over me.

Ahead, a larger dune rose up, its shadow barely noticeable but a welcome change. I crawled toward it, keeping an eye out for anything that moved. Once I was close enough, I flattened myself against the side, catching my breath and glancing back over the endless expanse of desert.

Around me, the once-crowded plain was beginning to clear. People had either found places to hide or had been… taken. The silence was eerie, broken only by the occasional distant scream or the buzz of wings.

And then, for the first time, I let myself wonder: Why me? Why here?

But the desert wasn't about to give me answers.

I leaned back against the side of the dune, trying to ignore the dryness of my throat and the dull ache in my legs. The desert felt like a living thing around me, silent but pulsing with hidden threats. Every nerve in my body was on edge, waiting for another sandworm to lunge out of the ground or a massive insect to buzz overhead.

But just as I was catching my breath, I noticed something—barely there, on the edge of my vision. A faint, flickering light.

I tensed, instinctively pressing myself deeper against the dune, eyes fixed on the source. But it didn't move. It didn't grow closer. It was just… there. A soft, pulsing glow, almost like the blue-gold of that notification screen.

I dared to look directly at it.

And, just like before, a translucent screen appeared in front of me, hanging in the air. It was clearer than the one I'd seen back in my room, more focused somehow. At the top of the screen, below a small, pixelated version of my face, was my name, printed in bold letters: "Josh."

Next to it, in sharp, no-nonsense text, was "Level: 1." A small part of me almost wanted to laugh at that. I'd gone from my bedroom to a living nightmare, and I was still labeled as a beginner. Like I was some kind of untested character in a game.

Beneath my level was a label that read, "Class: N/A." The letters were faint, almost grayed-out, as if I hadn't unlocked it yet. I squinted, wondering if there was a way to choose a class or if it was just something I'd have to wait for. But right now, none of it made any sense. I had no weapons, no skills, and definitely no idea what I was doing out here.

Then, further down, a line of text caught my eye: "Unused Stat Points: 5."

My gaze shifted to the list of attributes below. Each one had a small plus (+) and minus (−) symbol next to it, waiting for me to choose where to invest those points.

The stats were laid out in a simple, almost clinical list:

Strength

Defense

Agility

Stamina

Intelligence

Mana

Each word glowed faintly, like a neon sign in the darkness. I felt a strange pull, an urge to assign the points somewhere, though I wasn't exactly sure what each attribute would do for me. This was like a game, yes—but games were safe, predictable. This was… real.

I glanced around, keeping one eye on the desert, alert for any sign of movement. Nothing. For now, the creatures were either out of sight or hunting someone else. I had a minute, maybe, to figure this out.

Okay, Josh, I thought, my mind racing as I scanned the attributes. Think this through.

Strength… that had to be for physical power, hitting harder. Defense probably meant protection. Agility could help me move faster, dodge, maybe. Stamina was self-explanatory, and Intelligence… well, that probably had to do with any kind of knowledge or skill-based stuff, maybe even how well I'd understand this world. Mana, though—that one was a mystery. Was it magic? Could I even use magic?

Another scream tore through the air from somewhere far off, and I flinched, instinctively crouching lower. Time was running out. I couldn't afford to overthink it.

I tapped the plus symbol next to Stamina twice, watching as two points shifted into place. Immediately, I felt a slight rush of energy—barely noticeable, but enough to make me aware of how close I'd been to collapsing from exhaustion. I was still sore, still weary, but I could breathe a little easier.

I added one point to Agility next. If speed and quick reflexes could help me survive, I'd need every advantage I could get.

That left me with two more points. I hesitated, then assigned one to Defense—anything that could help me last a bit longer out here felt necessary. Finally, I put my last point into Strength, hoping it'd give me some edge if I ever had to fight something.

As soon as I finished, the screen flickered, each of the updated stats glowing briefly before fading back to normal.

The System screen stayed in front of me, though, as if waiting. I glanced around, trying to decide if I could risk staying in one place any longer. The desert was eerily quiet, the screams and sounds of chaos further off now, like the tide retreating. People were either hiding like I was… or gone.

But then, the silence broke again. This time, it was a deep, rumbling sound, different from the insect buzz or the writhing sandworms. It was low and continuous, like the sound of distant thunder. The ground beneath me vibrated, each pulse growing stronger. I froze, instincts screaming at me to stay low, to not make a sound.

The rumbling grew louder, the vibrations beneath me turning into a full-on tremor. I looked back up at the System screen, still floating in front of me, almost mocking in its calmness.

Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the screen faded, vanishing as if it had never been there. The world returned to harsh, unfiltered sunlight, the desert stretching out around me in relentless emptiness.

I knew I needed to move. But my legs felt like lead, my mind sluggish as I tried to grasp the reality of what I'd just seen. That screen—it was real. This wasn't some hallucination. Somehow, it was part of the rules of this world, this brutal game I'd been thrown into.

And from the look of things, those rules were about to get a lot more complicated.