The countdown on Ryan's forearm kept ticking.
00:33:29
00:33:28
Restless, he yanked open his desk drawer and pulled out a pen and paper. If something really happened, at least he'd leave behind a few last words for his family.
But as the pen touched the paper, he hesitated.
He stared down at the blank sheet, his mind a whirlwind of chaos.
Writing a farewell letter felt like accepting the inevitability of death, like tempting fate with an ominous prophecy. He refused to let himself sink into that kind of despair. A voice inside him still resisted, screaming:
I want to live!
In the end, he only wrote those four words.
He shoved the paper and pen back into the drawer, slamming it shut—trying to bury the creeping dread along with it.
00:08:36
Ryan glanced at the countdown on his forearm, a sudden thought striking him. If he were really transported to another world and lost control of his bladder, it would be beyond humiliating.
With a sigh, he wheeled himself into the small bathroom attached to his room and pulled out a catheter.
People assumed the hardest part of being paralyzed was not being able to walk.
They were wrong.
The real hell—the true torment—was losing control over the most basic bodily functions. For Ryan, it was a daily battle, a silent humiliation that no one else could see.
00:01:00
By the time he was done and rolled back into his room, the countdown had just hit the one-minute mark.
Oddly enough, a sense of calm settled over him. He closed his eyes, took a slow breath, and braced himself for whatever was about to happen.
00:00:29
00:00:28
"These might be my last moments in this world…" Ryan thought, his mind eerily calm.
BOOM!
A deafening clap of thunder shattered the silence, jolting Ryan awake. His eyes snapped open, heart pounding.
"Is this some kind of supernatural phenomenon?"
BANG!
Something slammed against his door with alarming force.
Rattle!Rattle!Rattle!
The doorknob jerked violently, twisting up and down as if someone—or something—was desperately trying to get in.
"Wait… was I wrong? Is it happening here?"
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
"Shit!"
Panic surged through him as a horrifying realization struck—he hadn't locked the door.
Rattle!Rattle!Rattle!
The thing outside didn't seem to understand how to turn the knob properly, but it wasn't giving up. The handle kept shaking, more frantic by the second.
00:00:15
00:00:14
"Screw it!"
Ryan gritted his teeth and pushed the wheels of his chair with all his strength, racing toward the door. He had to lock it—fast.
00:00:07
Three more feet. Just three more—
CREAK!
The door burst open.
Ryan's heart slammed against his ribs. His whole body froze—not just his paralyzed legs, but his entire upper body, as if fear had turned him to stone.
00:00:05
The door swung wide open. A dark shadow darted into the room with terrifying speed.
00:00:04
It lunged straight at Ryan.
00:00:03
00:00:02
00:00:01
One second left.
The shadow slammed into him.
"Sasha!" Ryan shouted, his voice breaking through the tension.
It was his dog—Sasha, his beloved Husky. The poor thing had been terrified by the thunder and bolted to find him.
This wasn't the first time, but in his panic, he hadn't realized it sooner.
00:00:00
Ryan barely had time to react before his and Sasha's bodies shattered—fragments of glowing digits and symbols cascading into the air.
The next moment, darkness consumed him.
In the endless void, white and green symbols flashed around him, tumbling like falling rain. Red numbers flickered in and out, their chaotic dance consuming the space.
Then—the darkness vanished.