The screen flickered with the dim glow of the campfire in Dead by Daylight, the survivors huddled together as the killer's distant heartbeat thrummed through Liam's headset. He leaned back in his creaky gaming chair, the faint hum of his PC fan mixing with the chaotic chatter from his Discord call.
"If I was in a horror movie, none of this would even be happening," he said, juking the killer on-screen in Dead by Daylight. "Chucky shows up? Easy, I just punt him like a football. Michael Myers? I'd trip him, take his knife, then burn him. Freddy? Please. I'd sleep, battle him in my dreams—it'd be like Inception, and he'd be done."
On the other end of the Discord call, his friends groaned in unison.
"Here we go again…" Marcus muttered.
"Dude," Kayla chimed in, "you think you're John Wick or something. In real life, you'd scream, trip over a chair, and die in the first five minutes."
Liam smirked, leaning back in his chair, eyes never leaving the glowing monitor. "Nah. If anything, I'd be the final survivor of the horror movie. They'd make sequels about me."
Muting himself, he yawned, rubbing his eyes as he glanced at the clock: 2:09 a.m. He was surprised by how fast time had flown by. Tomorrow—or more like in a few hours—he had to go to work as a sous-chef in a restaurant, and if he arrived late, he'd get emotionally and mentally demolished by his superior.
"Gonna stop for tonight. Goodnight, guys," he unmuted himself and said. This was answered by three goodnights and an 'Ah, right, you have work tomorrow. RIP, bozo,' which was met with a 'fuck you' before he disconnected from the server and Discord.
Stretching, he stood up and walked to his bed before plopping down onto it. And so it was the last time on Earth in this universe that the 24-year-old man named Liam Cram would be seen alive.
His body, void of any life, would be found two days later by his mother, who was supposed to bring him to his aunt's birthday. His death forever inexplicable—it was as if his life had been switched off.
…
"I'm on the highway to hell!"
("I'm marching on the road to hell!")
"On the highway to hell!"
("On this road to hell!")
"Highway to hell!"
("The road to hell!")
With the sound of electrifying rock music blasting in his ears, Liam slowly opened his eyes, feeling an undeniable sense of irritation.
"What the hell is all this noise? Can't a guy get some sleep?"
Unfortunately, his voice was completely drowned out by the deafening music.
But the scene before him made him freeze in shock. He found himself lying on a couch, surrounded not by familiar faces but by a large group of teenagers.
Every single one of them was tall and muscular.
Glancing down at himself, he realized he was the same.
This wasn't his body!
Had he… transmigrated?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a flood of memories surged into his brain, making his head feel like it was splitting apart.
At that exact moment, a lacy bra flew straight into his face, carrying a strong milky fragrance that instantly snapped him awake.
Pulling it off his face, he looked up to see a heavily made-up female performer dancing in the middle of the living room, putting on a rather… primal display of artistic expression.
Around her, a crowd of seventeen- or eighteen-year-old teenagers was cheering wildly—some whistling, some pouring drinks.
In short, this was a textbook high school party!
Still groggy from his awakening, Liam felt completely out of place among the partygoers. He shoved aside a young man attempting to toast him and staggered away from the living room, heading toward the bathroom.
This was technically his home—or rather, the home of this body's original owner—so he could find the bathroom with his eyes closed.
The moment he shut the bathroom door behind him, the headache-inducing rock music softened slightly.
But as soon as he turned around, he realized there was already a couple inside, locked in a passionate embrace.
"Oh, shit! If you two wanna make out, can you at least do it somewhere else? Some of us actually need to use the bathroom!"
The boy in the couple grinned at him and said, "Then can we borrow your bedroom instead?"
Liam answered with an internationally recognized hand gesture.
Laughing, the couple finally left to continue their activities elsewhere, leaving him with the personal space he desperately needed to figure out what the hell was going on.
He splashed some cold water on his face, sobering up a bit, then stared at his reflection in the mirror—an undeniably handsome mixed guy.
Liam Black, 18 years old. Born into a middle-class family in Falls Town, Texas. Both parents alive.
It was currently October 1999—just two months away from the new millennium.
He was a quarterback for Oak High School's football team. Not some nationally recognized sports prodigy, but still a campus star.
The people partying outside? His teammates. No wonder they were all built like tanks.
This guy was straight out of a high school drama, fitting as the stereotypical jock.
In high school, sports were a huge deal. Athletes in major sports, especially starters, often became the most popular students on campus.
And right alongside them? The cheerleaders.
The cheer captain was usually the most popular girl in school—the equivalent of a campus queen. They even had professional cheerleading competitions with massive viewership.
And, typically in high school dramas, the star quarterback and the cheer captain were often portrayed as the antagonists—the people everyone wanted to be but couldn't, making them the perfect targets for resentment.
Tonight's party was actually a celebration. The Oak High football team had just won a crucial game, and since the original Liam's parents were away on an anniversary trip, his house became the perfect venue.
Liam had now fully processed the original owner's memories.
Clenching his fist, Liam stepped out of the bathroom and frowned at the chaotic scene in the living room.
Especially at the sight of a few students in the corner, already passed out and intoxicated.
"Stop. Turn off the music!"
The music cut off immediately, and the partygoers all turned to him in surprise.
"Liam, you don't like this song? We can play something else?"
The original Liam must have had serious clout in the team because the moment he spoke, everyone looked slightly nervous.
Then, a new song blasted from the speakers.
"Young man, there's no need to feel down!"
("Young man, no need to feel down!")
Oh, come on. You're seriously switching to the YMCA theme song? Like Highway to Hell isn't better than THIS!
"No, I mean turn it all off. Party's over. Everyone out!"
One of the guys hesitated before stepping forward. "What's wrong, Liam? Everyone was having fun."
Liam pointed toward the dazed group in the corner.
"Who the hell invited them?"
A student, looking slightly embarrassed, spoke up. "Sorry, Liam. They're my friends. They just heard about the party and wanted to join. I can ask them to leave now."
Liam recognized him—Billy, Billy Loomis? But he wouldn't let something like that break his focus.
"Not just them. Everybody's gotta leave. The party's over."
That announcement instantly killed the mood. The only one who looked pleased was the performer—she had already gotten paid for the whole night and now got to go home early. Easy money.
Despite the disappointment, the guests gradually dispersed. Only one girl stayed behind.
"Liam, I know you're upset about getting rejected by Jennifer. But you don't have to act like this. Maybe she just needs more time to think."
Liam turned to the girl who had spoken. Big black-framed glasses sat on her delicate face, her natural beauty shining through despite her lack of makeup. Her twin-braided pigtails gave her an extra touch of innocence.
But the moment he saw her, something clicked.
Wait a second… wasn't this Amanda Seyfried?
"Amanda Seyfried?"
She frowned slightly, assuming he was just drunk and spouting nonsense.
"Liam, it's me, Needy. Are you feeling okay?"
At the mention of her name, memories flooded his mind.
The original Liam had confessed to Jennifer Morgan, the cheer captain, after the big game—but she had turned him down. Heartbroken, he drowned himself in alcohol, leading to alcohol poisoning… and, ultimately, Liam's arrival in this world.
And Jennifer Morgan? He recognized that name too.
Wasn't she… Megan Fox?
Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox together? Liam immediately realized who they were.
Their both from Jennifer's Body, but that doesn't make sense, Not the two iconic goddesses how could he ever forget them.
But Billy Loomis was here, the antagonist of the first Scream.
Which only meant one thing he must be in some kind of Horror Movie MashUp?
A normal person would be terrified right now but all Liam could fill was pure ecstasy, for someone who was obsessed with horror this was a dream come true.
A slow grin started spreading across my face.
"Thanks, Needy. I feel a lot better."
[Ding! Fate System has been bound!]