Chapter 2: The Beginning of a Nightmare (2)
A week ago, Tilus's phone vibrated with a message from X. He remembered it clearly:
X: "Stay inside. Stock up on food and water for two weeks. Do NOT go out, no matter what happens."
Tilus frowned at the text. X had sent cryptic warnings before—about train delays, minor mishaps, little tests that somehow always came true. But this message was different. Tilus does not know who X is and against his better judgment, Tilus spent the rest of that day stocking up on canned food, bottled water, and batteries—an act that now felt both foolish and fateful. Even before the first case of C-virus was notified, X had let him know and a week later everything changed.
Just past midnight on Present Day, the first scream shattered the night. Then another. Emergency alerts flooded Tilus's phone as he sat frozen at the dining table, the room dimly lit by the blinking screen. He peered out the window—chaos reigned below. Cars crashed into lampposts. People ran in every direction. Some convulsed, their bodies twisting unnaturally, while others simply collapsed as if drained of life.
[ALERT: UNKNOWN OUTBREAK. STAY INDOORS.]
Tilus's heart pounded. He remembered X's words: Stay inside. But before he could fully process his fear, a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
"We need to go," came William's voice.
Tilus spun around.
"What?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Ben. Jasmine. Leon. They're out there."
Tilus clenched his jaw.
"I know."
William's eyes were burning with determination.
"Then let's move. We're not safe here—if we don't act now, they'll die."
Tilus hesitated. He had prepared, stocked up, done everything "right" by staying inside. But William—always the natural leader—looked at him as if he were the only barrier between their friends and death. Finally, Tilus grabbed his jacket and a trusty metal pipe from the last time the house was fixed, stepping toward an uncertain destiny.
"Knew you'd come around," William grinned, though the tension in his voice betrayed his calm exterior.
[🚨 New Sub Stage: SURVIVE AND RESCUE YOUR FRIENDS]
Type: Sub Difficulty: F+ Clear Conditions: Survive for 7 days
Time Limit: 7 days Compensation: 100 Coins Failure: Death
Target Locations:
• Ben (Nguyễn Văn Cừ Bridge) [1.2 km]
• Jasmine (Bookstore near the church) [1.5 km]
• Leon (Near Home) [0.6 km]
• William (House) [0 km]
[Rewards: ??? Coins]
Stepping outside, Tilus and William were immediately engulfed in a nightmare. Smoke curled through the ruined streets as police and military forces desperately tried—and failed—to contain the infected. Figures that once appeared healthy would suddenly collapse, only to twitch and transform mere moments later. A man, coughing blood and begging for help, was met with fearful avoidance by passersby.
Mistrust and desperation were everywhere. Neighbors slammed their doors shut, terrified of letting any infected inside. Groups hoarded supplies, clashing violently with those desperate enough to scavenge. Even more chilling were whispers of individuals who feigned normalcy only to reveal a monstrous nature in seconds.
But there was no time to dwell on it. The mission was clear: save their friends.
[1st Objective: RESCUE LEON]
(Distance: 0.6 km)
William and Tilus sprinted through darkened streets where the air reeked of burning rubber and blood. Bodies lay strewn across the pavement—some eerily still, others twitching as if caught between life and death. Leon's location was close. If they moved quickly, they could reach him before the infection spread too far.
"Do you think he's still alive?" Tilus asked, gripping the metal rod tightly.
"He better be," William muttered, urgency etched in his tone.
Rounding a corner, a CRASH rang out—a car had flipped, skidding to a stop before them. From the wreckage, a man crawled out. His left arm was grotesquely twisted, bones nearly visible through the torn skin before snapping back into place like a macabre puppet.
"Move—NOW!" William shouted as he yanked Tilus's arm, and they dashed forward. Gunfire echoed in the distance, growing louder as they neared an old convenience store. Inside, atop a shelf, Leon swung a metal bat at climbing infected.
"Help would be greatly appreciated!" Leon bellowed.
William dove in, tackling an infected creature to the ground. Tilus, nimble as ever, leapt onto a shelf, grabbed a can of food, and hurled it at an assailant creeping up on Leon. The creature staggered, falling backward.
"Move!" Tilus roared.
Leon sprang down beside them, wiping blood from his forehead.
"Where the hell were you guys?!" he demanded.
"Saving your ass, apparently," William smirked.
A pop-up screen flashed in Tilus's vision:
[SUB-STAGE COMPLETE: RESCUED LEON]
Rewards: 50 Coins [💰 +50]
Tilus muttered, "What the hell is this?"
William replied, "We'll figure it out later. We need to go—now."
[2nd Objective: RESCUE JASMINE]
(Distance: 1.5 km)
The duo's next target was Jasmine, located near a dilapidated bookstore. The scene here was even grimmer. Abandoned cars floated in murky floodwater while the scent of wet paper and decay hung heavily in the air.
"We have to wade through?" Leon groaned from behind.
"You wanna swim with them?" William scoffed, nodding toward infected bodies drifting in the water—bloated, shifting, and grotesquely animated.
"Follow me," William commanded with a confident wave.
They carefully navigated over wreckage and improvised bridges from fallen street signs until they spotted Jasmine. She stood on the roof of the bookstore, clutching a fire extinguisher like a makeshift weapon, while a horde of infected pounded the locked door below.
"How do we get her out?" Tilus whispered.
William cracked his knuckles. "I've got an idea." He grabbed a nearby metal pipe and banged it against a streetlight. The echo reverberated down the block, drawing the attention of the creatures.
"RUN!" William bellowed.
Without hesitation, Jasmine leapt from the roof, landing on an awning before rolling onto the pavement. Tilus was there to catch her as she stumbled.
"You guys are late," she gasped.
"Yeah, yeah," Leon muttered dryly. "Welcome to the apocalypse."
Another pop-up flashed:
[SUB-STAGE COMPLETE: RESCUED JASMINE]
Rewards: 75 Coins [💰 +75]
Jasmine frowned at the flickering screen. "Did… you guys see that?"
"We all did," Tilus replied grimly.
"Let's move before we figure out what the hell is going on," urged William.
[3rd Objective: RESCUE BEN]
(Distance: 1.2 km)
Their final friend, Ben, was trapped at Nguyễn Văn Cừ Bridge—a place that had become a veritable death trap. The infected were swarming in a frenzied pile-up, bodies clawing at one another and even leaping off railings without care. In the midst of this carnage, Ben was pinned inside a delivery truck, encircled on every side.
William's face darkened. "He's surrounded."
"We need a distraction," Tilus said, scanning the chaotic scene.
Jasmine pointed to an overturned fuel truck nearby. "What about that?"
Leon smirked. "You're thinking what I'm thinking?"
Tilus wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, but time was a luxury they didn't have. Leon and Jasmine worked quickly, prying open a pipe to create a trail of gasoline leading toward the infected mass. William clutched a lighter.
"We're gonna die doing this," Tilus muttered.
"Maybe," William grinned and flicked the lighter.
WHOOSH!
Flames raced across the pavement, igniting the horde in a sudden, hellish explosion. Amid the chaos, Ben kicked open the truck door and sprinted toward them. They ran—hard—with the bridge collapsing in a shower of sparks and flaming infected plunging into the water below.
Ben gasped for air once he was safe. "You guys are insane."
William grinned broadly. "And you're welcome."
A final pop-up confirmed their success:
[SUB-STAGE COMPLETE: RESCUED BEN]
Rewards: 100 Coins [💰 +100]
[MISSION COMPLETE: ALL FRIENDS RESCUED]
Total Coins Earned: 225
They paused, panting and drenched in sweat and smoke, as another screen flickered before their eyes:
[SUB-STAGE: SURVIVE AND RESCUE YOUR FRIENDS – COMPLETE]
[🔥 Main Stage 0: Survive The Corrosion Disaster]
[Time Remaining: 6 days 12 hours 45 minutes and 15 seconds]