The old house stood on the edge of the neighborhood, almost destroyed, as if time had decided to finish it off completely. To any passerby, it would just be an abandoned, crumbling building. But for Ray, a thin young man with ash-gray hair and the same eyes, it was a refuge, the last place he could call home in his chaotic world. With his hands on his hips, he looked at every board, every corner that he had just repaired himself. Every unevenly hammered nail was the result of his painstaking work.
A rare satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Perfect"
But as often happened in his life, fate played a cruel joke on him. A second later, a crack was heard. Part of the roof collapsed, the tree ached, unable to withstand the weight, and the house began to fall apart with a dull crack. Ray looked at this sight with a strained smile. God, his painstaking work has gone down the drain.
"Damn it."
Sighing and cursing softly under his breath, he trudged away, feeling his stomach rumble. His stomach clenched painfully, after all, he hadn't eaten anything today, and no one had canceled his hunger.
Crossing the familiar streets of his neighborhood, more like shadows of the past, he headed deeper into the city. Empty storefronts, faded signs, scraps of old advertisements, everything caught his eye as he walked, barely dragging his feet, wondering along the way.
"Where can I get food? Steal it? Begging? "
Indeed, for someone like him, these were almost the only ways to get through another day. His black, torn T-shirt, covered with a layer of dust, has long lost any appearance. His gray trousers, riddled with holes, looked more like rags than clothes.
Who is he, if not a beggar?
Grinning slightly to himself, he continued on his way, seeing the remnants of his former life: dilapidated playgrounds, old shops with worn signs, empty wells. The neighborhood seemed to live in another time.
The road dragged on for a long time, but finally Ray got out to the main streets and involuntarily slowed down his pace.
A completely different life was spread out before him.
Clean, tidy, well-fed people were rushing about their business, some to work, some to a meeting, some just enjoying a morning walk. The streets were wide, and there were neat shops in parks. Their clothes were neat, their gait confident, their faces calm. Their world seemed to have nothing to do with what surrounded his own reality.
There were glances in his direction. Some with a slight, almost hidden contempt. Others are wary, appreciative. There were also those who looked just out of curiosity, as if at something out of the usual order.
Ray found himself looking enviously at passersby. At their peace of mind. Their confidence. For their lives.
Looking down at himself, he realized that he didn't quite fit into the crowd.
"Well, I can't help it, I didn't choose this kind of life."
Chuckling to himself, he continued on his way.
He still had to find food.
After a while, when the sun had already set and night had fallen on the city, a contented young man walked along the half-empty streets. Ray was in high spirits, because he was holding a treasure in his hands. A couple of slices of bread and, most importantly, a handful of sweets. It was nothing to anyone, but not to him. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Today is truly a holiday!"
He hid his trophies under his T-shirt and headed for his apartment. Even though it's ruined, it's still his house. But on the way, something attracted him.
Crowds of people passed by him, and all rushed in the same direction. The crowd was moving fast, excitedly discussing something. Absorbed in the interest, Ray followed the crowd.
"Where are they going in such a hurry?"
When he got there, he saw a huge crowd of people excitedly discussing something. He squeezed forward and froze.
"Another gate"
###
The world woke up about thirty years ago. Two worlds collided. The two worlds collided and merged with each other, resulting in a powerful release of mana. From which the world itself has awakened. The earth began to change, all the continents joined into one, and a new one was formed, and a series of cataclysms struck the planet. That's why seventy percent of the world's population died.
The new continent turned out to be inhabited by hordes of monsters. According to the government, the new continent is sealed with a spell of unknown origin, and there is no threat from monsters. But still, the spell was imperfect, sometimes monsters broke through the barrier. When they crossed it, a gate was formed, in front of which Ray now stands.
But with the monsters came special people, the so-called Echo Bearers. When the worlds collided, many people complained about the strange whispers that appeared in their heads. But the panicked government was too busy trying to keep the peace. After the unification of the worlds, many gates were formed and hordes of beasts flooded the cities.
In the end, it was the Resonators that stopped the rampage of the monsters.
And yet, looking at these people, Ray wondered.
"What's wrong with these people?"
He looked at everyone with interest. Knowing that there are hordes of monsters behind these gates. They still look at them with interest and take them off. Soon, the police arrived at the site of the gate formation. Having fenced off the area, they tried to get people away from the gate.
"Civilians, please leave the gate area! The Resonators will arrive soon!"
No matter how much the Civil Servant shouted, his voice was drowned out by the screams of the crowd. More and more people gathered around the gate.
Looking at this, Ray sighed. A normal person would have run away in fear long ago. Therefore, considering himself one of the sane ones, he turned around, planning to leave. After taking a couple of steps, he froze, the excited voices were replaced by screams of panic, a terrible smell more like a stench filled the streets.
Ray turned around and paled noticeably.
"Shit"
A huge creature over 5 meters tall was rushing straight at him. His body was covered with thick, matted gray fur, which hung in patches in places, a hunched carcass moving on all fours, an open mouth inside which rows of countless teeth could be seen, chaotically arranged at different angles, bloodshot eyes full of madness, staring straight at Ray.
Everyone fled in fear, including the police. Only a stunned Ray stood in his way.
With a high-pitched scream, the creature came straight at him. Waking up right before the beast overtook him, Ray jerked to the side at the last moment, avoiding the creature's claws. The creature flew a couple of meters, taking the lives of several unfortunate people. Streams of blood shot up, turning the roads red.
Ray looked at it in fear. A chilling howl escaped from the beast's mouth. A chorus of screams swept down the street. The creature's bloodshot eyes darted from side to side, searching for victims until they stopped... on the Ray. With another roar, he charged towards him.
Ray's eyes widened, panic hit him instantly, cutting off any attempts to think straight. His heart was beating wildly, echoing inside, as if trying to escape. By the time he stumbled to his feet, the beast was already several dozen meters away from him, too close to escape.
Strung up by fear, and gripped by a primal survival instinct, Ray made the only decision his stunned mind could make.
He decided to run to the gate.
And he ran as fast as his skinny body would allow. Without even looking back, he could feel the beast approaching.
"Come on, come on, hurry up..." he hissed through his teeth.
Seeing that his prey was escaping, the monster let out a terrifying howl and chased with even greater speed.
With every passing second, Ray felt death breathing down his back. The ground beneath his feet trembled with every step of the beast, his muscles ached, his lungs burned, but he continued to run.
Finally, seeing the massive dark gate approaching, he felt relieved, but it didn't last long.
He took the last step, almost falling forward, and allowed himself a shaky breath.
But in the next second, a blinding pain shot through him.
The last thing he saw before disappearing was the crazed face of the demon. And the most annoying thing was his handful of sweets in the distance.
"Damn it... I was supposed to have a feast today..."
With that last thought, he plunged into darkness.