Life had been going well.
Maybe too well and perhaps the universe needed balance.
Nevertheless, Tok lost everything.
Almost overnight, the rapidly rising company he managed collapsed. A high-ranking executive stole company funds and fled. Ongoing projects were halted. Investors fell into debt. Bankruptcy became inevitable.
One by one, employees lost their jobs.
Tok became one of them.
He was heartbroken but he did not give up.
At least, not immediately.
Then his wife disappeared.
And with her disappearance went his life savings.
He had trusted her completely. They had opened a joint account where he kept everything he had earned. Even without a job, he believed they could live comfortably for years.
But the money vanished.
As if it had never existed.
Tok was stunned.
But that wasn't the end.
Over the following months, his wife had secretly sold most of his properties. By the time she left, she had taken nearly everything.
In less than a year, Tok went from wealthy and respected to homeless.
He had clawed his way up from poverty through sweat, tears, and relentless effort.
And now it was all gone.
His friends slowly stopped helping him.
His relatives began giving him cold looks.
The same people he once supported avoided his calls.
For an orphan, there was no one left to lean on.
Rumors spread that his wife had run away with another man. She had given him Tok's money so they could escape together.
But she underestimated the cruelty of human hearts.
The man ran off with everything.
She was left with nothing.
Was Tok happy when he heard that?
Yes.
For a moment, he even thanked fate.
But love is a strange emotion.
And hatred is even stranger.
After weeks of hesitation, he went to look for her. Maybe they could start again. Maybe they could rebuild.
He was too late.
She had committed suicide.
Tok broke in a way he never had before.
Sorrow. Anguish. Rage.
She left a letter.
A heartfelt one filled with regret and apologies.
"I'm sorry. I broke our promises. I betrayed you. I am not worthy to be your wife, not in this life, nor in any other. I fell for someone else. Was it because you worked too hard? Because you came home late? Because you missed my calls? My heart was weak and dirty. You deserve better. Please forget me. Build a new life. I hope my death can ease even a fraction of your hatred."
Reading it, Tok felt empty.
He didn't want her dead.
He had wanted answers.
He had wanted justice.
Death felt like the easier escape.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks into months.
Tok lived, but without passion.
Trust became impossible.
Every day, he drowned himself in beer.
He existed but he did not live.
He was like a walking corpse. A spirit filled with resentment, unable to move forward.
He played games. Read manga. Took small, mundane jobs just to survive.
And today was no different.
Except now, even the bar was gone.
"Old man… you did me bad," Tok muttered as he stood.
If someone asked him why he hadn't killed himself, he wouldn't know the answer.
He simply couldn't.
Something inside him refused to let go.
Even if he was already living like the dead.
---
He dressed quickly and left his single-room apartment.
That was what he had fallen to.
From a wealthy young man with a mansion and luxury cars to a cramped room with no air conditioning, barely running water, and constant noise from neighbors on all sides.
Outside, the world felt almost cruelly beautiful.
Fresh air.
Clear skies.
A bustling metropolis alive with motion.
Billboards towered overhead. Skyscrapers pierced the sky. Car horns blared. Office workers in suits waited at bus stops. Young couples walked hand in hand. Families laughed.
Everything reminded Tok of what he had lost.
He looked away.
Across the street was a small supermarket.
He had no food at home.
But he had just enough money for breakfast.
---
Inside, the store was moderately busy.
Some people stocked up on supplies. Others browsed casually.
At the back, Tok searched for the cheapest food he could find, scanning shelves carefully.
In the background, a news reporter's steady voice mixed with conversations, the sliding doors opening and closing, and the faint beeping of the cashier's scanner.
Tok paid little attention.
The news was always the same.
World peace.
Political tension.
Economic instability.
Warnings about the future.
"Damn it… don't they have anything cheaper?" Tok muttered in frustration, staring at the price tags.
Everything had gone up again.
Life was becoming harder for ordinary people.
"I kinda wish the world would just end already…" he said with a dry chuckle.
As if the universe was listening—
Vmmm.
Vmmm.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
Tok paused and pulled it out.
"An earthquake alert?"
He frowned at the notification.
Why now?
The news hadn't mentioned anything.
Vmmmm…
Vmmmm…
One by one, other phones in the store began vibrating.
"What? An earthquake alert?"
Confused murmurs spread.
Hearing this left Tok stunned. If everyone had received the alert, then it had to be real.
If an earthquake was really coming, shouldn't he stock up on food?
But damn… he was completely broke.
"We interrupt the daily news and all ongoing programs for a worldwide announcement."
Suddenly, the news channel cut out. A new voice replaced it. Just by listening, people could feel the uncertainty, the fear, and the anxiety trembling behind it.
"I will make this short. This is to inform all humans that Earth is dying. We do not know exactly what happened, but a few minutes ago we intercepted an alien transmission. As we attempted to decode it, we discovered a terrifying truth.
Earth is being invaded by a higher realm of some sort. In a few moments from now, Earth will change.
No one knows what will happen. Be prepared. Stock up. Pray to whatever gods you believe in. Say your goodbyes to your loved ones and brace for the change.
If this is goodbye… hold your loved ones close."
Silence spread through the supermarket.
Everyone stood dumbfounded, staring at one another as if asking: Is this real?
Is the world truly ending?
Slowly, seconds stretched into heavy minutes.
"Is this a prank?" an elderly man's voice broke the silence.
"I'm telling you all, if this is a prank, I'm suing your manager, this is too much—"
RAAAARRRRR!
His voice was cut off by a terrifying roar.
Everyone felt their hearts tighten as the bright sky outside suddenly turned purple.
The light dimmed. The ground beneath their feet trembled.
People rushed outside and what they saw froze the blood in their veins.
Cracks were spreading across the sky itself.
Crack…
Crack…
A violent glass-shattering sound echoed as a purple hue seeped across the heavens, staining them like ink in water.
Everyone held their breath.
The broadcast had been telling the truth.
The world was ending.
Vrrrmm…
Vrrrmm…
Tok's phone vibrated. Around him, other phones buzzed at the same time.
< BREAKING NEWS: The world has come to an end. Please stock up on necessities and avoid the following areas…
Serenti…
Jijun Train Station… >
A terrifying list of locations appeared.
People sucked in cold breaths, those places were closer than they had imagined.
Tok's expression froze.
Jijun Train Station.
That was where Old Man Jenkins had gone.
What does this mean?
Is he safe?
CRASH!
Glass shattered from a nearby restaurant.
And like that, it was a signal.
Humanity snapped.
Cars sped wildly, crashing into buildings. Looting began almost instantly. Screams filled the air.
Chaos descended.
Tok stood frozen, his hands trembling.
"Old man… don't die on me," he muttered.
Remembering a shortcut to Jijun Train Station, Tok gritted his teeth and ran.
He wasn't strange because all around , people were running for their lives.
The only difference was that they were running away.
He was running toward it.
He reached the underground passage. Screams and panicked footsteps echoed as people rushed past him.
Tok dodged through them, scanning every face.
But he couldn't find Old Man Jenkins.
He tried calling.
< Sorry, the number you are calling is unavailable at the moment. Please leave a voicemail. >
"Damn it," Tok hissed, accelerating.
The crowd grew thinner the closer he got.
And the ground…
The ground was stained red.
The lighs flickered and dim
His steps slowed.
A metallic scent filled the air.
Blood.
His shoes were soaked in it.
A long trail stretched ahead.
Corpses lay scattered everywhere.
A pair of shoes with the ankle still inside.
A severed arm, twisted unnaturally.
A torso without a lower body.
Blood splattered across the walls.
Tok's stomach churned. The little he had eaten the night before threatened to come back up.
A suffocating pressure hung in the air.
He was walking through body parts.
Intestines. Ruptured muscle. Exposed bone.
Many times, Tok wanted to turn back.
This place was a burial ground.
Hundreds were dead.
But he gritted his teeth and kept going.
None of them were Old Man Jenkins.
Finally, he reached Jijun Train Station.
It was a massacre.
Mutilated bodies were everywhere.
The thick stench of fresh blood and torn flesh suffocated him.
Tok felt his strength leave him.
It was over.
Old Man Jenkins was probably dead.
Silence swallowed the station.
Tok didn't know what to say. He didn't know whether to cry or run.
Then
Vrrrmm.
Vrrrmm.
A faint light flickered from a nearby subway corridor.
Tok's body trembled.
But he moved toward it.
There, lying on the blood-soaked floor..
A familiar phone.
Old Man Jenkins' phone.
On the screen was a message:
< Dad, are you okay? Jijun Train Station is dangerous. Please call back if you can. >
Bloodstains covered the screen.
Tok froze.
His expression slowly shifted into pure dread.
His fists clenched unconsciously as his face hardened.
"Old… man," Tok whispered, his heart heavy as he stared at the phone, flooded with missed calls and messages.
Was the old man dead?
Tok felt utterly broken. Old Man Jenkins had been more than a friend, he was like a father to him. Always there. Taking care of him. Helping him with food. Doing everything he could to help Tok restart his life. And now…
Where was Old Man Jenkins?
CRUNCH… CRACK… GNAW…
The sound of bones being chewed echoed through the walls, making Tok tremble.
Darkness surrounded him, yet that sound made his heart plummet.
The chewing continued, each bite amplifying the terror a hundredfold in that place.
Tok didn't know if he was stupid or just damn crazy, but he raised his phone's torch. The moment he did, the chewing stopped instantly.
A broad back of a dark, hairy creature, easily two meters tall, came into view.
Tok felt pure terror wash over him.
But that wasn't the end.
The creature slowly turned toward him, revealing its full form.
It stood on two hind legs, crouching, yet still towering over two meters. Its two large, gleaming eyes fixed on him. Four long fangs jutted from its mouth, at least six inches long and four centimeters thick. Its arms were uneven in size, each ending in three long fingers, and its shoulders were unnaturally raised. Its tail twitched as its gaze pierced Tok's soul.
And in its mouth… lay a familiar head.
Old Man Jenkins' head.
Tok's eyes widened. His heart pounded violently. Cold sweat ran down his back. His body froze in place as one thought consumed him:
"I… I'm going to die."