...DISCLAIMER...

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

...*****...

...PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME!...

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law.

...*****...

...****...

...***...

...**...

...*...

...PROLOGUE...

A virus spreading through everyone's dream?

Ariza Lyca Akuma has always been the sleepy type of person. She spends majority of her rime taking a 'nap'. Until that day came, a shocking event that left the whole world in wonder.

Every single person from around the world was brought in a weird dream where they will need to kill in order to live.

It was like a dimension was built in everyone's dreams. The dimension of death, or so what they called it.

In this dimension, zombies exist, and oncw bitten, you have no hope of waking up. Your consciousness will stay inside the dimension as a zombie, and your body in the reality will be as good as dead. Unconscious and lifeless.

This cursed dream is everyone's nightmare, so if you're not ready to face your death. Then you must follow this one rule...

...NEVER FALL ASLEEP...

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Sounds of footsteps can be heard in a secluded alley. The eerie silence can make anyone jump in fear. The alley is notorious for being the sole spot where thief, murder, and other crime occurs.

Meanwhile, in that same alley, a teenage woman can be seen walking. Her hands in her pockets and calmly walking around like everything is none of her business.

The perfect victim for thieves.

Carrying the beers and cup noodles that she just bought in the nearby convenience store, Ariza decided to take the shortcut to her apartment.

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

The sounds of footsteps suddenly increased, indicating the presence of other people in the alley.

If it was a normal citizen, he/she have already jumped in fear. In a place like this, when you're walking alone and someone suddenly appeared, it's enough reason to be wary. But the woman didn't even falter.

Her every steps are neither slow nor hurried, showing her calmness amidst the dangerous situation.

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

The footsteps fastened. Approaching her bit by bit.

Then, not shockingly enough, she felt a cold sharp metal in her back. Warning her not to move nor run, otherwise she'll die.

"Give me your belongings, b!t ch.'' The rough voice of a male thief reverberated in the narrow space of the dark alley.

Weirdly enough, the woman calmly fished out her belongings from her pocket before handing them to the thief.

The calmness of his victim shocked the man, 'How can someone remain calm in this situation?' he thought. Strange, it is the first time that he have encountered a young girl handle this situation calmly.

Though confused, the adult thief pushed out his doubts. 'This is a good thing for me. Less hassle in trying to silence her'

Cellphone, wallet, and even her wristwatch was handed over to the thief. The sharp knife is still pointing in her back, threatening her life, yet she remained calm.

'TSK. Such a hassle.'

After accomplishing the task, the thief is about to run away. He doesn't have any intent of killing the woman, and add it to his crimes. But then, in that split second when the knife was no longer in her back, the woman suddenly pounced and hit him with a kick straight in his head.

"Argh! F uvk b!t ch!" His vision blurred, the impact of the kick almost rendered him unconscious.

Taking advantage of his dizziness, the woman once again attacked, kicking him in 'that' area this time.

As if his strength and life left him, the thief dropped and twisted in pain while lying on the ground.

"Sh!t! You m0th3rfvcker!"

"Luck doesn't smile on you this time, brother." Ariza uttered as she picked up her stolen (?) belongings from the man.

After getting back her phone, wallet, and watch, she stood up and prepared to leave, kicking the thief for the last time and dropping a few bills.

"For the medical fees, good luck on having a baby after this, brother." Then just like that, the humongous and muscular thief is left weeping in pain because of a woman. A complete disgrace that he will carry in his whole lifetime.

...----------------...

"Hooh!" The woman sighed as she entered her apartment. Ariza removed her cap, facemask, and jacket, leaving her in her pants and sports bra.

"I can finally breathe." Exhausted, she slumped her body in the sofa.

Stretching her arms and body, Ariza thought of that certain someone who's probably still in that secluded alley. "That prick. I shouldn't have wasted a few bucks as a compensation to his cracked eggs."

She reached out to the plastic bag that contains the things that she bought earlier and opened a can of beer and a few junk foods.

Gulping down half of the beer, she sighed savored the taste. "Beer is still the best."

Glancing up at her wall clock, with a beer in her left hand and the plastic bag on her right, she stood up and walked to her kitchen.

"Time for dinner," The sound of the microwave as she closed its door can be heard. Then, she waited for the cup noodles inside to be cooked.

Drinking the remaining beer in her hand, she approached the fridge and placed the remaining three beers inside to cool. Leaving a can of beer for her to drink while eating her noodles.

Ting!

Sitting down in the bar stool in the kitchen, Ariza ate her noodles while drinking beer. Savoring each bite, completely unaware of what is to come the moment she drifted to sleep.

...----------------...

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

Chaos is about to begin.

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

The sound of water droplets woke her up from her slumber.

She has never been like this, if it was on normal days, even a shout and cry of a toddler can't make her woke up. So for her senses to be this heightened just because of something trivial, it is definitely unusual.

"Hmm..." Closing her eyes, she tried her best to fall back to sleep. But her attention kept on drifting back to the sound of the water droplets.

With her brows furrowed, she sat up and yawned. "The heck?" The very thing that this grumpy girl hates the most is being disturbed in her sleep.

Annoyed, she checked all the faucets in her apartment to look for the source of that annoying sound.

When she found it, she made sure to close it tightly then walked towards her kitchen to fetch a glass of water.

The eerie silence somehow ticks her off. Ariza looked at the clock.

10: 03 p.m.

Something is off. For the nth time, if this is just a normal night, the city would still be bustling at this hour.

And since her apartment is near the road, small sounds of cars and other noises will still be able to break through the sound proofing of her apartment.

But strangely, there's no noise. It's as if her ears have been sealed. The creepiest part is the fact that even the sound of air and her breathing can be heard because of the silence that enveloped her whole apartment.

Then, suddenly...

Bang!

The sound of an explosion reverberated, causing her to flinch in shock.

Hurriedly, Ariza went to her window and checked what is it, yet what welcomed her is only the view of smokes in one particular area. Aside from that, nothing else seems to be visible.

Curiosity ate her as she went back to her room to fetch her binoculars, then yet again, she looked out of her window and used the tool to see clearly.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Hurried knocks could be heard outside her apartment, startling her as she dropped her binoculars outside the window.

"Sh!t" Looking down, she saw it fall from where she was. It's good that her apartment is only on the second floor. There's still hope that her binoculars is intact.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Who the heck?" Her instinct is telling her that something is off. The silence, the explosion, and the hurried knocks in her apartment door.

It's like warning her of an impending danger. But curiosity got the best of her, and she walked towards her door to see who is behind it.

Holding the door knob in with her left hand, she was about to open the door when...

Plack! Groans.

The creepiest groan she had ever heard have now accompanied the hurried knocks.

"Argh! H-help!" Cries of a woman can be heard. The sound is familiar, it is the woman next door. Her neighbor who has been trying to befriend her since day one.

Chills run down through her spine. She decided to look through the peephole, and the most disgusting and terrifying thing that she have ever seen came into her view.

Karina, her neighbor, is being eaten alive by a man. And looking at its familiar figure, it is the woman's husband.

Shocked, Ariza took a step back with her eyes widened. "W-What the fvck was that?" She felt as if her eyes are betraying her. It must have been an illusion. There's no way it's real.

Then, the cries ceased. Gathering her courage, she stepped forward and once again looked through the peephole.

Bang!

"Fvck!" Not even having the chance to look through it, Ariza immediately stooped away from the door.

The monster is slamming her door aggressively, as if aware of her existence. Immediately, she approached the door and made sure that it's locked, before going back to her room to fetch the hidden gun in there.

"What the fvck is that? What's happening?" She looked out of the window, and this time, the quiet city can no longer be found.

Chaotic.

Monsters like the one outside her apartment can be seen running around. Fire broke out and cars have crashed. People are frantically running trying to escape. And...

People can be seen being eaten alive.

...----------------...

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

4:27 a.m.

Ariza doesn't know how the time passed. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, and now, the sun is about to shine.

It's been hours since the slamming in her door disappeared. But she stayed rooted in her room, laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling.

Her mind isn't processing what she had just saw. She didn't even dareT to once again look outside the window, terrified to see the same view that she saw. Killing her hope that everything is just her hallucinations.

Tick. Tock. Tick.

4:59 a.m.

...----------------...

Gasp!

As if being saved from drowning, Ariza woke up clutching her chest and gasping for air.

"What the?" As if it's the most natural thing to do, she ran towards her window and looked outside.

It was still the same as before she fell asleep. There neither monsters nor fire. Completely different from what she remembered the last time that she looked outside the same window.

With her face full of doubts, "It was a dream? No, am I just having a nightmare?" sighed.

She held her face in frustration, "What the? It was so vivid that I thought it was real." She murmurs.

It's just a nightmare, thank goodness!

Exhausted, she slumped down her bed and out her hands in her forehead. That nightmare drained her.

She was scared shit at the thought of living with those monsters waiting to pounce on her.

Her mouth dried at the mere thought, and she felt thirsty.

"Shitty nightmare." sighs

...----------------...

"A strange phenomenon occurred, news of an apocalypse broke out. Number of people who has yet to wake up from their slumber caused an uproar."

Chaos will break out. No one will be spared.