Apocalypse Awakening

Chapter 4: A Strange World

“That’s damn true…” Sean thought. If he's already in a world full of monsters, with no escape and no power to resist, what else could he do but remain calm? Despite the many questions in his heart, Sean slowly gave up the impulse to ask more. It might become annoying. Since Layla promised to explain later, that was enough for now. If this world had truly become one full of monsters, what was the use of pestering her?

Dropped off at the alley by Layla, Sean looked at the empty street and felt an odd sense of relief. He only turned to walk home after the car’s taillights disappeared. He deliberately avoided the butcher shop known for the sound of its saw and quickly passed the house with the old record player. He tensed as he passed the neighbor's house with three ferocious dogs. It was so quiet that only his heartbeat seemed to echo, and the dark corners seemed to hide sneaky eyes, silently watching him.

As he was about to open his door, his anxiety peaked, fearing what he might see of his mother. “This place is all demons…” He recalled Layla's words and the monstrous form of John, hesitating for a long time before pushing the door open.

Unexpectedly, he was greeted by warm, comforting light. “Back already?” His mother was sitting on the sofa, watching TV. She turned down the volume, “I always said you should go out more.”

Remembering how his mother had nearly attacked him with a knife earlier, Sean was shaken and mumbled a response before heading to his bedroom. “You, not even talking to me,” his mother grumbled from the sofa, “I'm tired of worrying about you. I made pizza, it’s in the fridge. Heat it up if you’re hungry. Staying up so late playing games, not taking care of yourself. Who will look after me when I’m old?”

Sean hesitated at the bedroom door, replying dully, “Got it.” As he entered, he still felt his mother's caring gaze, contrasting sharply with the chilling memory from earlier. Was it all an act?

After his parents' divorce four years ago, he had lived with his mother. The sudden onset of panic disorder prevented him from even taking his college entrance exams. For almost four years, he had stayed in his room, not working at all. His mother, getting older, had always taken care of him, despite occasional complaints, showing more concern and companionship.

But if his mother had also become a monster, were all these memories fake? An act?

Closing the bedroom door, Sean's body shook uncontrollably, rubbing his face hard. That night, he didn't dare undress, lying in bed with his clothes on, waiting for dawn.

After sitting in bed for a while, he finally got up. After the tense events of the previous day, he had fallen asleep with his shoes on, ready for anything. But nothing happened all night, an unnerving calm.

When he tiptoed to the living room, he found it empty. “Mom” seemed to have left already. In the old-looking living room, the breakfast she left for him was on the table: a plate of fried pizza and a box of milk. His mom was frugal, believing pizza was the ultimate irreplaceable delight. Recently too tired from work, she hadn't made pizza in a long time. He hadn't eaten supper the previous night, so she probably felt sorry for him. Fearing he would be too lazy to heat it up, she fried it for him before leaving for work…

But was the person who left him this pizza the same one who had almost chopped him up yesterday? Sean stared at the pizza but didn't try it. Washing his face with cold water, he left the house hungry.

Walking through the plant-filled courtyard to the old neighborhood, he saw a stark contrast to the towering buildings nearby. This area, with its two- or three-story houses and small bungalows, seemed like a forgotten corner of the bustling city. Different from the previous night's fear, Sean now clearly saw this long-lost world, clearer but still perplexing.

He saw the neighbor's three big dogs: one chasing butterflies, another digging holes, and the last one lazily buried under dirt. Far from being ferocious, these dogs were so docile they wagged their tails at cats.

He saw the second-floor neighbor behind the white curtains, dancing to soothing music. At the butcher shop, the apron-wearing owner greeted everyone with a warm smile.

The sun was warm, everything was peaceful.

Looking at the elderly chatting in the old alley and the playful little girl, Sean felt as if he had stepped into another world, starkly different from yesterday's gloom and terror. His heart eased considerably, but he remained vigilant, hands in his pockets as he crossed the alley and stepped onto the street.

Looking up at this world, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity. The commercial skyscrapers that seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere, the light rails crisscrossing the city's midsection, the massive factories at the city's edge, and the pale, dim sun. There were shadows of his memory, yet something was different.

But all he saw was a vast, limitless city, not the sinister realm of yesterday. There were just people of all kinds, living their varied lives. Busy white-collar workers with coffee in hand walked the streets, a girl with a ponytail hurried to catch the subway, and sexy girls on billboards blew kisses to the city.

Everything seemed to operate normally, different from his memory but still natural. Was this unfamiliarity due to his four years of isolation, or had the world really changed, making so many things feel alien to him?

Sean couldn't tell at the moment. He just looked at this vast, profound world, unable to question its reality. How could these living, breathing people be monsters?

Maybe everything was just his illusion, and yesterday's experiences were just hallucinations and delusions? Sean looked down at the band-aid on his hand, suddenly ripping it off to reveal a deep wound. The reopened wound reminded him that this wasn't fake, so yesterday's experiences were real. He had "killed" John, and Layla had bandaged his wound...

But thinking of his past four years, the blurred whispers, the bone-deep headaches, and the intertwining of dreams and reality, he began to fear again. What if yesterday's memories were also fake? What if he hadn't really "killed" a monster but just punched a mirror, causing his own injury?

And his mother, her care for him, could that also be a monster's disguise? The more he thought, the more agitated he became, quickening his pace home. But as he opened the gate, he suddenly heard a cold voice: “Where have you been wandering all day?”

Sean looked up to see his mother standing in the yard with a cold expression, angrily dumping an untouched pizza into the trash bin. She was still wearing her supermarket guide uniform, apparently just getting home and not yet having changed. Seeing Sean, she could hardly hide her displeasure: “Not eating, not coming home.”

“You’re grown up, what exactly do you want to do?” she continued, “You’re supposed to get married, have kids. Am I supposed to take care of you for the rest of my life? Go to your father, you’re both the same. He has plenty of money; let him take care of you!”

Sean stood frozen at the entrance, staring at his mother. He watched her pacing the yard restlessly, throwing things around in her hands. When her anger peaked, she suddenly turned and glared at Sean. Beneath her skin, he noticed the movement of an eyeball.

In that moment, Sean felt a chill run through his body and stumbled backward. But for some reason, he felt an unexpected relief in his heart, his confusion slowly fading. She was indeed a monster, just like John. He no longer needed to be confused or run away; the world was indeed as Layla described, filled with monsters.

However, looking at his increasingly ferocious mother, whose skin seemed to be torn apart by some writhing monster, Sean felt a moment of hesitation...

What should he do now?