The rain tapped steadily against the glass walls of the bus stop. Inside, Crystal barely noticed. Loud chiptune music blasted through her earbuds as her thumbs moved quickly over her phone screen. She was deep into her game, guiding her pixel character through a maze of monsters and traps.
She was only one level away from the "Final Exit." The boss fight. She had been preparing for it all week.
Then she heard a scream.
It didn't sound like it came from her game. It was sharp, panicked and real.
Crystal looked up.
Through the curtain of gray rain, she saw a man grabbing a young girl by the coat. The girl struggled, trying to pull away as the man yanked at her bag. Her cries cut through the sound of the storm.
Crystal's body moved before her mind could catch up. It was the same instinct that made her react quickly in a game, jumping into danger without hesitation.
When the snatcher finally tore the bag free and ran toward the bus shelter to escape the rain, Crystal stepped forward. She reached for the strap of the stolen bag, trying to stop him.
Everything happened in a blur.
She felt a dull thud in her abdomen.
"Stupid girl," the man hissed, his voice shaking with fear.
Then he pulled away and disappeared into the rain.
Crystal looked down.
A cheap, rusted kitchen knife was stuck in her sweater. Dark red spread quickly across the wool, warm and terrifyingly real.
The world seemed to tilt sideways. The sound of the rain faded, replaced by a high-pitched ringing in her ears. Her knees hit the wet pavement.
Her phone slipped from her fingers and landed beside her.
The screen flickered.
[GAME OVER. REBOOTING SYSTEM…]
Then everything went black.
Crystal didn't wake up to the sharp smell of antiseptic or the distant wail of sirens.
She woke up to the harsh sting of industrial bleach and something metallic underneath it. Copper.
Blood.
She was slumped against a cold, tiled wall. The chill seeped through her clothes and into her skin. Her head pounded as if something heavy had struck it. When she tried to push herself upright, her palm slid across the floor.
It was wet.
Crystal froze.
Slowly, she looked down.
She wasn't wearing her college sweater anymore. Instead, she had on a thin white dress, one she didn't recognize. Dark red stains spread across the fabric, fresh and blooming, soaking into the cloth.
Her stomach twisted.
This wasn't the bus stop.
She lifted her head and took in her surroundings. She was inside a public restroom, small, filthy, and dimly lit. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered weakly, buzzing with an unsteady hum. The tiles were cracked. The mirrors were stained. The air felt heavy and wrong, like the room had been abandoned for years.
Crystal forced herself to stand, her legs trembling. She staggered toward the row of cracked sinks and grabbed the edge of one for support. The porcelain was cold beneath her fingers.
She slowly raised her eyes to the mirror.
She expected to see her pale face. Maybe blood. Maybe the wound from the knife.
Instead, a translucent blue screen hovered in front of her reflection. It glowed softly, casting an eerie digital light across the room.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
Host: Crystal (Rank: F–Trash)
Location: Kallidus City – Sector 4
Objective: Survive the "Restroom Slasher" (0/1)
Her breath caught in her throat.
A voice followed, calm, mechanical, and far too cheerful.
"Welcome home, Player."
The fluorescent lights flickered harder, buzzing above her like dying insects.
"Primary objective: Survive."
A pause.
Then the voice spoke again, softer this time. Almost amused.
"To leave the game… you must become the monster's nightmare."