System Mania!

Chapter 2: Havoc, Chaos

The turn of events inside the mall was nothing short of harrowing.

Korig and his friends watched in disbelief as the chaos below escalated into a nightmare beyond their wildest imaginations.

The figures, once human, had become mindless predators, tearing into the flesh of their victims with savage abandon.

The scent of blood permeated the air, mixing with the collective cries of agony and despair.

As Korig's gaze remained fixed on the grisly scene unfolding below, he felt a chill crawl down his spine.

The reality of the situation was undeniable, it was a nightmare come to life, a world twisted beyond recognition.

His friends gasped, their hands clutching at their mouths as they watched the horror play out before them.

And then, as if to compound the surreal nature of the situation, a system screen blinked into existence before Korig's eyes.

His heart raced as he stared at the words that appeared in stark contrast to the terror around him.

Welcome!

The screen's sudden appearance was a jarring interruption to the chaos.

Korig's shock held him in its grip as he stared at the words that seemed to float in the air.

The incongruity of it all, zombies tearing people apart below, and a digital message of "Welcome!" before his eyes, was almost too much to process.

"What the hell is that?" David exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Korig tore his gaze away from the screen to meet the gazes of his friends.

The looks of shock mirrored his own, their expressions caught in a state of bewilderment.

It was as though reality itself had fractured, revealing a rift that led to a dimension of impossibilities.

"Do you guys... do you see that?" Korig stuttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lily and Daniel exchanged glances before nodding in unison, their eyes wide with disbelief.

The confirmation that they were all witnessing the same bizarre phenomenon offered a shred of reassurance in the midst of the chaos.

Then, as if the situation hadn't already spiraled into absurdity, the system screen continued to unfold its message.

Tutorial level has begun fre(e)

Main objective will be provided soon

Survive

The words seemed to hang in the air like a cryptic proclamation.

Korig's pulse quickened as he read the message again and again, each repetition sinking in with mounting weight.

A tutorial? Main objective? It was as though they were trapped within the narrative of a video game, one that had taken on a horrific and deadly form.

"This... this can't be real," Daniel muttered, his voice trembling.

Korig's thoughts raced, a torrent of emotions churning within him.

The disbelief, the fear, the urgency, it was a potent cocktail that threatened to overwhelm him.

As the seconds ticked away, Korig felt a surge of determination welling within him.

If this was a twisted game, then he was resolved to play it to the best of his ability.

His friends nodded in agreement, their faces mirroring the steely resolve that had settled within him.

The situation was dire, the odds stacked against them, but Korig refused to let despair consume him.

He was a writer, a creator of stories, and this was a tale unlike any he had ever encountered.

Amid the turmoil, Korig exchanged determined glances with his friends.

Lily's hand found its way to his, a gesture that spoke of solidarity amidst the chaos.

David's gaze was resolute, and Daniel's jaw was set, his knuckles white around the grip of a broken chair leg. He had just grabbed one.

"We can't stay here," Korig said, his voice firm despite the tremor beneath the surface.

"We need to find a way out of here."

His friends nodded in agreement, their collective resolve strengthening their bond.

With a shared understanding, they moved as one, navigating through the chaos that had swallowed the mall's lower levels.

People were fleeing in all directions, the panicked screams and desperate cries merging into a symphony of terror.

"Move!" Korig shouted above the din, urging his friends to keep pace with him.

They fought their way through the frantic crowds, pushing against the tide of panicked humanity.

The stairs leading upward were a haven, and they ascended them with determination, each step a declaration of their will to survive.

Their breaths came in ragged gasps, and their hearts pounded in rhythm with the pounding of footsteps all around them.

Two floors above, they burst onto the rooftop, their chests heaving as they gulped in the cool air.

The view that greeted them was both shocking and devastating, a city plunged into chaos, a canvas of destruction painted with smoke and fire.

Helicopters darted through the sky in the distance, the urgency of their movements a testament to the scale of the disaster.

Korig and his friends huddled at the rooftop's edge, their gazes fixed on the city below.

The streets were a chaotic mosaic of panic and desperation, as people fled in all directions, chased by an unrelenting tide of the undead.

The sight was like a punch to the gut, a reminder that the world they had known had crumbled into oblivion.

"What the hell happened?" Lily whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind.

Korig shook his head, his thoughts a whirlwind of questions and uncertainty.

The city had transformed into a war zone, a battleground where the living and the dead clashed in a horrific dance of survival.

It was a nightmare beyond comprehension, a reality that seemed to defy all reason.

As the group continued to observe the chaos below, the weight of their situation settled upon them like a suffocating blanket.

The roof offered them a vantage point, but it also exposed the extent of their vulnerability.

They were survivors in a city gripped by madness, and the odds of their survival seemed slimmer with every passing moment.

"We can't stay here," David said, his voice firm.

"We need to find a way out of the city. We need to find help."

Korig, Daniel and Lily nodded in agreement, the gravity of their decision palpable.

Their journey was only beginning, and the road ahead was paved with uncertainty.

As they turned away from the edge of the rooftop, they cast one final look at the city, a city that had been their home, now unrecognizable in its devastation.

With resolute steps, they moved away from the edge, their eyes fixed on the path ahead.

The rooftop had offered them perspective, a moment of clarity amidst the chaos.

But it was time to descend from their vantage point and face the trials that awaited them in the nightmare that had become their reality.

...