The light died. Not faded, but snuffed out, leaving behind a silence that pressed in on the ears, heavy and absolute. Then came the dark – a physical presence, an ink-black tide that swallowed the sun, the sky, everything. From the folds of this new, eternal night, they emerged. Not creatures of flesh and bone, but anomalies, shifting voids given predatory form, their substance like congealed shadow. Their eyes were stark white holes burning with cold, predatory light, mouths impossibilities filled with teeth like obsidian shards. The screams of those caught outside had been brief, abruptly silenced as the shadows descended. Half the world, gone in an instant.
Only sealed places offered sanctuary. Why, no one knew. Perhaps the mundane geometry of walls and roofs was anathema to their chaotic nature. Morgan knew only this: he'd felt the cold breath of one on his neck as he'd flung himself through his front door, the lock clicking home scant moments before annihilation.
One month. Thirty cycles of waking to the same suffocating blackness beyond the windows. The world hadn't just ended; it had been erased and overwritten with nightmare.
Morgan scoured the kitchen for food.
"Uh! Fuck... I don't have enough food left."
He slammed the kitchen drawer shut.
"I have to find food somewhere, or I'll die from starvation before those things outside get me."
He moved to the window, parting the curtain slightly to peer outside.
"Can't see if any monsters are nearby because of this damned darkness. Do I really have to go out there blind? Taking the car is impossible; I can't even see the road."
He slumped onto the couch and opened his phone.
'NO NETWORK.'
"Yeah," he thought grimly, "not likely that's going to fix itself, given the situation."
There was no other option than to go outside and find a store or mall for supplies. There was no 'tomorrow' or 'today' when only perpetual night remained. "I should prepare to leave."
Morgan began gathering his leftover food and then went down to the basement.
I never thought I'd come down here again after... that."
As he searched, his gaze fell upon a box secured with a heavy chain.
"What is this? I don't remember seeing this before."
He looked around, spotted a bolt cutter, and severed the chains. He opened the box and was stunned by its contents.
" Gun, Where did this come from? Are these Gun and Bullets also of my father's too?"
He paused. "Still, this is a fortunate find. Better than just a metal rod and a dagger."
He counted the ammunition. "Only 12 bullets total. I'll have to use them carefully, make every shot count."
He sighed. "Although, I don't even know if bullets will harm those things. I really hope they do, or I'm truly fucked."
Morgan returned to the living room from the basement and sat on the couch, checking the time on his phone, its screen the only light source.
" 9:00 PM. I'll go tomorrow, after I get some sleep."
........
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Morgan slapped the alarm off, sat up on the bed, and rubbed his eyes.
"This might be my last day in this world."
He went to the bathroom and showered quickly, the routine feeling surreal. After getting ready, Morgan retrieved his bag, now containing the last of his food, and moved to the hall table where he'd left the gun box. He took one pistol and tucked it securely into his waistband, along with the spare bullets.
"This should be enough... I hope."
Morgan approached the front door of his house, his heart pounding.
"Am I really doing this? Is this my last day?" He took a shaky breath. "But I don't have any other choice. I might never come back here."
He hadn't even looked at the front door in a whole month. With a final, desperate heave, he pulled. The door groaned against its warped frame, then a loud crack! echoed as the wood splintered slightly. He eased it open.
There was nothing but darkness. Utter, impenetrable blackness.
Morgan couldn't even see the road just beyond his front gate.
"How am I supposed to find a shop or mall like this?"
He started scanning the surroundings, dagger held ready, but could see nothing. He moved cautiously forward, step by hesitant step. As he moved further from the house, the road began to become faintly discernible in the oppressive gloom.
Flashlights were useless out here; light only seemed to function normally inside buildings. Outside, it became nullified.
""If I remember correctly, this road leads towards a supermarket. It took three hours by car... so on foot, in this darkness, it's going to take at least a day, maybe more."
Morgan started following the faint outline of the road, constantly looking around in fear, even though his eyes could barely penetrate the dark.After walking continuously for about five hours without encountering a single monster, he was exhausted and breathing heavily.
"I have to rest. I won't be able to run if something happens."
Morgan decided to find shelter and began searching the oppressive darkness, hoping to spot a house. There was nothing visible. After about fifteen minutes of tense searching, the vague shape of a house materialized from the gloom ahead.
"Finally! I thought I'd have to sleep on the damn road."
He gripped the doorknob and carefully tested it. The door opened with a low creak.
Morgan slipped inside, immediately closing and locking the door behind him. He proceeded deeper into the house, checking for any broken windows or doors. He inspected the entire ground floor; fortunately, everything seemed secure, and there were no monsters inside.
"I should sleep as soon as possible. No idea if it's truly safe around here."
________________________________________
2:30 AM
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Open the door! Please, open the door!"
The frantic pounding and desperate shouts jolted Morgan awake on the couch. He scrambled up and moved towards the door, pistol now drawn.
" Who are you?" he called out, his voice low and tense.
A woman's voice answered, laced with fear and desperation: "Please! Please, open the door! They're following me! Please!"
Morgan hesitated for only a second, then made his decision. He unlocked and opened the door just a crack. A woman with striking white hair and wide green eyes stumbled forward. Behind her, looming in the darkness, was one of the Darkness creatures.
In a split second, Morgan fired the gun. The monster growled as the bullet hit, a sickening, wet sound, but then it began to... laugh. A low, guttural cackle. It was the first time Morgan had heard one make such a sound. Maybe this one was different.
"Move! Get inside!" he yelled.
He grabbed the woman's shirt and yanked her inside. As he tried to slam the door shut, the monster lunged, catching the edge with a shadowy appendage. Morgan heaved against the door with all his might. The creature's chilling laughter intensified, promising a brutal death if he failed.
Suddenly, the woman spotted the dagger tucked into Morgan's jacket. She grabbed it without hesitation and plunged it deep into the monster's hand-like limb clutching the door.
The monster snarled in pain and retracted its limb. Morgan slammed the door shut and bolted it instantly. He could still hear the creature cackling outside before the sound faded into the oppressive silence.
He slid down against the door, trembling, gasping for breath.
Morgan looked over at the woman, who was in a similar state, huddled on the floor.
"Who... who are you?" Morgan asked, his voice still shaky.
The woman took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "My name is Elara. I was looking for my father... when that thing saw me. I didn't see it at first, but I sensed something was following me, so I ran. That's when I saw this house." She looked down at the floor, her expression filled with regret. "I'm so sorry. I put your life in danger."
Morgan took another steadying breath. "It's fine. We didn't die." He managed a grim half-smile. "My name's Morgan And I'll be leaving again soon."
Elara looked up at him, startled. "Leaving? Why? Didn't you see that thing? You'll die out there!"
Morgan pushed himself up from the door. "It can't be helped. I'm almost out of food. If I ration carefully, I might last a week, maybe two. That's it."
Elara looked down again. She hadn't eaten properly in days either. "Can... can I come with you then? I need food too."
Morgan considered for a moment. 'The more the merrier' echoed faintly in his mind, a relic from a different world. But trusting strangers now was perilous. Still, she'd acted fast with the dagger. "Okay," he said finally. "But understand this: I can't guarantee your safety. If things go bad, I won't hesitate to save myself, even if it means leaving you behind. I expect the same from you."
Elara nodded, her expression serious. "Okay. I understand. I won't blame you." She paused. "But... can you give me something to protect myself? I don't have anything."
Morgan walked back to the couch, opened his bag, and handed her the knife he carried earlier and the metal rod. "That's all I can spare." Elara took the weapons, testing their weight. "It's enough. Thank you again."
Morgan nodded and shouldered his bag. He checked his watch. "It's 3:30 AM. We'll leave around 5:00 or 6:00AM. Maybe that monster will have moved on by then too ."
Elara nodded again. "Okay."
Morgan opened his bag again and took out two small cans of food. "Want some?" he asked Elara.
Elara looked at Morgan as she accepted a can. "Yes. When the apocalypse happened, I was inside my house, but my father was at his office. I tried calling him, but... well, you know. No signal." She sighed. "So, a few days ago, I decided to go look for him."
Morgan took a bite of his own canned food. "If he wasn't inside a sealed building when it started... you should probably consider him as good as dead ."
Elara cast her eyes down, a sad expression crossing her face. "I know."
They fell silent, focusing only on finishing the small meal.
Morgan checked his watch again. "6:00 AM. We should leave now."
He walked to the window and peered out cautiously, listening intently. But there was nothing but the familiar, suffocating darkness and an unnerving lack of sound.
"Can't see or hear anything from here. No choice. We have to go out without knowing if that thing is still lurking nearby."