Fwoooosh~~~!
The wind howls along by the window, threatening to spill in.
On a bed within rolled blankets, struggling to retain whatever heat remains left in his body, June awakens in his dimly illuminated bedroom. Rubbing his eyes open, he once again bear witness to the new reality of his world, a world of eternal blizzard.
Five months ago, the first snowflakes arrived carried by the wind, signaling the arrival of winter.
Thought to be a normal change of seasons, everyone continued on their lives as if nothing changed. Parents readied to their car, children arrived at school, and workers began their shift.
Embracing the snow, many laughed and reveled at the fun of throwing snowballs at friends.
However, as the time ticked on by through day and night, the snow never stopped.
Day 1: The buildings and roads became a snow wonderland.
Day 10: The weather has only been a bit unusual, around −35°C.
Day 15: News erupts of a world-wide snowfall even in places seldom of snow.
Day 30: Panic slowly blooms as grocery stores become emptied.
Month 1: The government announces military order due to rising panic.
Month 2: Shelter in place orders are issued as electricity shuts down. Order collapses as neighbors turn to raiders.
Month 3: Ominous whispers spread of monsters.
Resident of Green Hill Apartments, a 36-floor building, on the 24th floor lives June. After his parents died in a tragic accident, with himself being the single child, he inherited the wealth and apartment 241. Alone at the age of 18, he decided to live a simple life and became a librarian making a meagre income.
However, all of that no longer matters.
Covered in a blanket burrito and dreading the thought of the cold, June mustered all his strength to begin the day.
"Sigh, will this snow ever stop?"
After a quick yawn and stretch to fight off the stiffness of his limbs, he heads to his kitchen for breakfast.
Even after joining the buying craze and rationing his meals, all he was left was a couple of biscuits.
Three months into the winter storm, food had become a rare commodity — more valuable than gold.
Grabbing the last packet of salted biscuits from his lightless silent fridge in his hand, the realization of having to head outside and scavenge again hits June. It had been weeks since he left his home.
With a sigh, he makes his way back to his room and does the only thing he can do, contemplate about how his life has led him to where he is.
Nibbling on his biscuit and sipping water from a cup filled with melted snow collected from the balcony, a sudden noise fills his ear.
*DING!*
*Mutation has reached sufficient level, System unlocked!*
"What?!?!"
June stammers in a frenzy looking around his room, spilling water on his pants.
"W-Who said that!?"
In a swift motion, grabbing his makeshift spear next to his bed made of a broom handle and a duct taped knife, June carefully makes his way to the home entry door with as little noise as possible.
Through the peephole, all he sees is an empty hallway.
Turning around, he begins checking the living room, the kitchen, and the second bedroom, only after he was sure he was safe did he start to calm down.
Before the electric grid went down, multiple users on social media were warning others to be careful of raiders, having spotted groups break into buildings and looting. In addition with the occasional screaming and wailing he's heard within the building, June dares not be complacent.
Feeling his rapidly beating heart calm down, he whispers thinking to himself of what he heard earlier.
"Mutation level was reached? A System was unlocked?"
*Ding*
As if unraveling in empty space, a semi-translucent screen makes itself known within June's vision.
==========================
Name: June Summers
Race: Human
Mutation: 1/100
Ability: Power Source
Strength: 2
Constitution: 3
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 5
Points: 0
==========================
"What?! What's with this screen? Ability?"
June exclaimed, frightened of the unknown in front of him.
Making sure he was truly alone in his room, he collects himself and begins to inspect him status.
"I have an ability? What's power source? Did I become a battery?"
Waving his hand around in front of him, he realizes that he couldn't physically touch the screen.
After 3 months of boredom, June's excitement and curiosity couldn't be stopped at the slightest bit of attraction.
With this unusual and seemingly never ending weather, who knows when everything will return to normal.
In addition with his supplies running low, he ponders that maybe an ability is exactly what he needs to survive in this rapidly changing world.
Having made up his mind, June felt a strong desire to figure out what his ability can do.
Trying to interact with the screen and tapping around, June finds out that beyond the first screen, there is nothing else. No introduction, no guide, just a stat screen.
"Since it says power source, maybe I'm a generator or a battery? Can I provide electricity and power things on?"
Walking to his kitchen and looking at the fridge that stopped working ages ago ever since the electric grid went down, June grasped both sides with his hands.
"Uhhhhhh, now what?"
Confused on how to use his power, June did the first thing that came to his mind.
"ACTIVATE POWER SOURCE!!!"
". . . . . . . . . . ."
Nothing.
"Cough, let's try something else."
He muses.
Instead, closing his eyes and trying to feel if anything changed after his mutation, June inhaled and exhaled.
Inhale.
.
Exhale.
.
With deep concentration, June felt it, something foreign, a sensation he's never experienced before, the movement of a swirling mass of energy located on the right side of his chest.
Ecstatic, June calmed himself down once more.
Locating this source of energy, he continued to observe. After a couple minutes however, beyond being able to feel the motion of the swirls, nothing else seemed to be happening.
Trying to mind move the energy didn't work, June only felt as if this energy was contained within a ball, unable to escape out of its confines.
Then, as if a lightbulb went off in his head and inspired by the idea of a second heart, June came to the conclusion that since there's no way for the energy to escape, what if there were something like veins and arteries like a real heart to allow passage?
But, thinking to himself, there was only one problem with this solution, how would he achieve such a feat? He was just an ordinary man until 30 minutes ago.
However, June remained undeterred.
Thinking back to what worked in the first place, he sat down began to concentrate.
This time however, instead of focusing within himself, he directed his focus on the world around him.
Inhale.
.
Exhale.
.
This time, June felt it.
June's imagination resulted in creation, and with it resulted in the formation of such incorporeal arteries and veins. Gradually, pathways began to form within his body. Multiple paths heading to different areas of his body, the brain, torso, and limbs. An energy cycle now existed.
With a pathway for the energy to travel through, June focused on directing the flow of the energy out from his source and to his body. And to his barely contained excitement, he felt it. The gradual cycle of energy throughout his body, and with it, the fatigue and chill within his body slowly dissipating, even feeling stronger and limber than before.
"Yes!!! Success!!!"
Yelled June in satisfaction.
"Now that I can control this power source, maybe I can power the fridge now?"
Feeling pumped after his first success, June soon again entered his concentration state.
Inhale.
.
Exhale.
.
Feeling the pathways extending from his power source, towards his arms, to his hands, and to the palms of his fingers. June willed and guided the energy under his whim.
Finally, with the energy at the ends of his palms, June created an exit. A small leak, a nozzle, directed towards the outside world. And behold a sight that will forever be solidified within June's memory, seared into his retinas.
From his palms, emitted a glowing misty fog that coated the fridge all over.
Then.
*Beep! Vooooooom!*
The fridge turned on.
"LEEEEEEEEEEEEETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
June exclaimed in excitement at the discovery.
"OH WILL YOU SHUT UP!"
A neighbor next door yelled out after hearing June's raucous for the past minutes.
"Sorry~"
June eeks out.
With the excitement dimming, suddenly, a wave of dizziness hits him.
Feeling uncoordinated, June stumbled around, reaching out and grabbing onto the fridge to steady his balance.
He felt as if his brain was being stabbed with needles.
Losing feeling in his limbs and his vision blurring, June made his way to his couch, mustering all the strength left within him to fall onto his couch and not on the hard ground.
*Ploop*
Lights out.