The Hunt Begins

The siren howled into the night, a warning that sent shivers down AFK’s spine.

He had only been in this world for weeks, but he already knew what that sound meant.

Death was coming.

Darren was already moving, shotgun loaded. “We need to go. Now.”

Lena peered out a small gap in the boarded-up window. Her face darkened. “They’re out there. At least a dozen. And that’s just what I can see.”

Milo swallowed hard, gripping his rusty machete. “So, what’s the plan?”

Darren loaded his shotgun with a sharp click. “We move fast. We move smart. And we don’t stop.”

AFK exhaled, steadying his nerves. His body still tingled from whatever power the glitch had given him.

And deep down—he knew something was wrong.

They ran.

The city was a graveyard of abandoned cars, shattered windows, and bloodstains that had long since dried.

Volatiles screeched from the rooftops. Their glowing eyes cut through the darkness like lanterns from hell.

AFK’s legs moved faster than they should. He could feel it—the strength in his muscles, the lightness in his steps.

He wasn’t just running.

He was gliding.

Jumping from car to car effortlessly. Scaling a crumbling wall in two steps.

Darren noticed.

“You weren’t moving like that before,” he said, breathless.

Lena gave him a sharp look. “No one moves like that.”

AFK didn’t have time to explain.

Because behind them—

The Volatiles attacked.

A Volatile lunged at Milo.

AFK didn’t hesitate.

He stepped between them, raising his arm.

The creature’s claws raked across his skin—

And did nothing.

The scratches vanished almost instantly.

Lena’s eyes widened.

“What the hell—”

AFK didn’t answer.

He grabbed the Volatile by the throat and threw it.

The monster crashed into a rusted van, its spine cracking against the metal.

AFK froze.

He had just thrown a Volatile.

With one hand.

Lena and Milo stared.

Darren reloaded his shotgun. “Not the time,” he barked. “MOVE.”

AFK felt unstoppable.

They kept moving, fighting through the horde of undead.

He barely felt pain. Every wound sealed itself within seconds.

And then—

The pain hit.

Out of nowhere, his vision flickered.

His lungs tightened.

His muscles spasmed, locking up.

He stumbled, nearly falling off the edge of a rooftop.

The world warped.

A voice—cold and distorted—whispered.

“You are pushing beyond your limits.”

AFK gasped for breath.

“Not now.”

The glitch flickered into his vision.

“You cannot heal what is already broken.”

AFK collapsed onto one knee.

The survivors turned back.

“AFK!” Milo grabbed his arm. “What’s happening to you?”

AFK clenched his fists.

His body felt like it was ripping itself apart.

Then—

Everything went black.

When AFK opened his eyes, he wasn’t in Dying Light anymore.

He was in the void.

The air was cold, and the ground beneath him was nothing but a swirling abyss of pixels and static.

The glitch hovered before him.

A massive, flickering screen, its words forming in broken lines of glowing text.

“You have exceeded your threshold.”

AFK clenched his teeth. “Then let me go back. I need to help them.”

The screen shifted.

“Every gift has a price.”

AFK took a step forward. “Why am I here? What do you want from me?”

The glitch’s text distorted.

“Your past was ordinary. Your future is not.”

AFK’s stomach twisted.

“What does that mean?”

The glitch shuddered.

“The pieces are not yet aligned. The path is incomplete.”

AFK’s frustration boiled over.

“Stop talking in riddles and tell me the truth!”

For the first time—

The glitch paused.

Then, it spoke normally.

“You will understand soon.”

Before AFK could say another word—

The world snapped back.

AFK gasped for air.

Darren was kneeling beside him, shaking him violently. “Damn it, kid, wake up!”

Lena’s face was pale.

Milo looked terrified.

“You just—collapsed.” Lena’s voice was unsteady. “Your body was burning up, but then… you healed. Like nothing happened.”

Darren’s jaw tightened.

“You’re not normal.”

AFK slowly pushed himself up.

His head pounded. His body was exhausted.

The glitch’s words still echoed in his mind.

“Your past was ordinary. Your future is not.”

He didn’t know what that meant.

But he knew one thing.

The glitch wasn’t done with him yet.

And he was running out of time

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