The condition of the world is deteriorating. Dark, mysterious entities lurk around, devouring the minds of the pure and vulnerable. They sense even just a faint hint of despondency like how they sense blood.
Human extinction is only a few steps awa...
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Chapter 1: Meet Doug
"What are you implying?" Emelie stuttered and took a step back. Her heart raced and she felt the sudden urge to run as fast as possible.
"You need not fear me, I'm not going to hurt you," the mysterious man took a step forward. "I've only grown curious. I intend to observe this world in first person."
Emelie started to hyperventilate from terror. Without thinking, she spun around and scampered away from the man.
"I don't get why you're afraid of me when you were planning to die!" he exclaimed from behind.
She heard his loud voice, but her broken shoes continued to sprint blindly across the bridge, on dirty waters, and deep, moist soil.
Finally, she reached the place she called home, an old horse crate with a thin metal roof and a thick blanket that she used for a door. Her heart stopped beating when she saw the door, technically the blanket, was opened. The blanket seemed like it was pushed aside, as if someone had walked in.
As she inhaled and gathered her courage, she walked towards her home and peeked inside. Her breath shortened when her eyes stared at her sleeping bag. There was a big lump underneath the blanket.
"Hey! T-This is no place for someone like you," Emelie blurted out, assuming that it was the man from earlier. Her heart raced rapidly in her chest.
The figure didn't respond.
She started to creep towards it cautiously and grabbed a baseball bat from the floor. When she was only a few inches away from the sleeping bag, she shakily pulled the blanket. A dirty man with a full white beard opened his eyes. Emelie's eyes widened as the old man sat up swiftly.
"Sir. . .I think you're in the wrong house," Emelie whispered and gripped the baseball bat tighter.
"You. . . were. . . supposed to die," the old man whispered, but Emelie didn't see his mouth move, but yet she remained calm, thinking it was only a trick of light. Half of his face was lit up by the candlelight on the table. The color of his eyes was faded and seemed like they were staring into the distance. His face showed no expression as his mouth moved to speak, "That bastard must've interfered with my plan again."
The man's head tilted downwards, and he started to chant gibberish words under his breath. The hair on Emelie's arms stood up and sweat was starting to form on her forehead.
Emelie furrowed her eyebrows, confused, "I don't-"
The man grabbed Emelie with a blink of an eye, his rough hands wrapped around her neck, throwing her on the ground and climbed on top of her. She squirmed but had no strength to raise the bat to hit him. She dropped her weapon and instead, tried to pull the hands away from her neck. She couldn't breathe, nor could she even gasp for a little air. Blood rushed to her face as she was still trying to remove the inhumanly strong hands from her tightening throat and her legs kicking wildly.
