He loved the sea. This fact would be revealed to a strange city-lover girl in front of him in one hour and forty minutes time.Currently, he was battling the wind, leaning against the opened door of the speeding rural train. As it passed beyond looming casuarina trees, sliver of blue sea water peeked along the tall, waving coarse grass. He took out his phone, holding it tight so it wouldn’t fall as he took a short video. A keychain that his sister gave to him jiggled left and right, reminding him to be petty and post the video to Instagram. A story for the annoying younger sister that was stuck in town. The quality of it was ignored. It would get to her nerve, either way.Click.The circling neon colors took his mind out of the annoying hair that grew too long, wiping away in his face. After another three weeks of quarantine, he should have went to the barber first thing in the morning. Not the sea. And that thought was quickly forgotten as the train passed through raised wooden house

Invasion Day 6Minor Memorial Library, Roxbury, CT“Who are you?”Seth repeated his question from yesterday.The stranger didn’t look up from the library’s computer, too immersed in her first-player shooter game. Seth was jealous of her indifference for once, hoping he could lay back on the breakroom’s smelly grey couch and play his own relaxing game.‘What’s the good of shooting animated people when you can shoot an actual infectores instead?’ She thought a little bitterly.The stranger raised an eyebrow, looking up at him in surprise. Perhaps she wasn’t expecting his question because of his inability to tell her identity immediately with the System’s help. “Tricky Fool.”“Your real name, not the one the System displayed. I don’t feel like calling you a Fool when you’re clearly not.” Seth didn’t want to offend her and set her on a rampage like Striker did. He couldn’t take another enemy when he had barely healed from the previous attack.“Beatrice Dooley.” The stranger smiled. “But

Invasion Day 7Courtyard by Marriott, Fishkill, NYOutside of the deserted hotel, littered by unmoving corpses of infectore staff and guests, a fight broke out.Though, to say it was a fight was a bit far stretch. Calling it a one-sided fight was also not quite right, as it looked to be like Beatrice was beating the shit out of Striker. A physical bully, to put it easily.But, if Seth really wanted to describe it, it’d be a full-front attack on a disabled person.“Gah!”“Fuck–““Argh!”Striker’s pained shout sounded like music in Seth’s ear. He would like to hear it more, watching as the mad Systemist screamed like a girl, unable to move a muscle and wield his goddamned bright red blade.It would be perfect revenge if only Seth was the one who caused Striker to cry his lungs out.“The clock’s ticking, remember?” Beatrice told him over Striker’s useless glare and curses. Nodding quickly, Seth moved out and slipped through the woods, keeping himself hidden.Striker didn’t see him yet, b

Invasion Day 7Courtyard by Marriott, Fishkill, NY11: 43 PMClank!Crash!Seth gripped his Stormweaver tightly, not letting it go even when Sunshard’s sharp glass was against his knuckles. It hurt, even when his Resistance’s point was already up, but the blood spilled in the deserted hotel was not lying.Quickly leaping back, Seth picked an arrow from the dark leather quiver, contemplating for a million seconds if he should use the last Winterion too. Not that he feared missing his target, but it wouldn’t be as useful. Two opponents were fighting against him at the moment.[Bloodlord’s Battle Axe: Basic Skill in use.][Strength + 40%.][Speed + 10%.]Clank!Clank!Seth whipped around, almost breaking his own ankle at it. Thankfully, he could dodge and block Wade’s last three strikes. But he was forced to unleash Winterion on Amy, who almost slipped past Wade and launched her attack at him.[Winterion Effect: 59 seconds left.]Then, he fired his next attack.[Skiver activated.]The ar

Invasion Day 8 Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan Daichi battled the wind, leaning against the open door of the speeding rural train. Offshore, the wind brushed against his cheek, against the smile on his lips, like a mother caressing her son. He took out his phone, holding it tight in his hand so it wouldn’t fall. A short video, he made a reel no more than a minute, then posted it on his social media. Usually, it’d take five minutes for one of his friends to give a measly comment, a mandatory compliment or the likes. But, after the invasion hit, and then, there was nothing. Well, more like the internet broke. Like, Hiroshima – Nagasaki nuclear bombs decades ago, but in a virtual version of it. How to put it plainly, hmm … the internet had aneurysms. That’s the best term he could come up with. Either way, Daichi had followed the news with his phone, connected to the Japanese government's free Wi-Fi for tourists an