Sebastian Kane had two things left in the world: a cracked phone screen and a half-eaten burrito.
He sat slouched on the torn faux-leather couch of his cramped single-room apartment—the kind of place where the walls were paper-thin, the air hung heavy with the stale scent of forgotten takeout, and the neighbors either screamed or moaned through the night. Tonight, though, they were unnervingly quiet. That was strange. Too quiet.
Sebastian had once been the most popular reality star in the world, dominating every genre like a wildfire no one could put out. He was the man all others envied—handsome, magnetic, and dripping with charisma—until one scandal after another detonated in public outrage, forcing him to vanish from the media spotlight entirely.
Political blunders, drunken meltdowns, and starring in awful, forgettable TV shows had sent him plummeting faster than he'd ever soared. The deepest cut, however, was the relentless flood of deepfakes, twisting and turning his already shattered reputation into a grotesque caricature he couldn't fight.
Sebastian squinted up at the flickering light bulb hanging from the ceiling, its buzzing hum slicing through the silence. He jabbed the side of his battered old TV, hoping for a miracle. Nothing. Dead. His phone was no better—no signal, no Wi-Fi, just a maddening swirl of loading icons spinning like a cruel joke from the digital void.
"Oh, come on! I just paid the wifi bill!" he muttered, frustration thick in his voice.
Then everything shifted.
The air grew abruptly colder, as if the whole building had been plunged into icy water. Every screen, every device—even his microwave—flickered back to life, glowing eerie blue in the darkness. A cold, mechanical chime echoed through the room, sharp and alien.
A blinding white screen burst across every surface, and then came the words.
[Global System Notice]
World Designation: #425
You are now participants in the Apocalypse Stream™
INITIATING MONSTER WAVE 1: "WAKING NIGHTMARE"
All urban sectors will experience Class-1 mutations.
Time until breach: 00:00:15
Sebastian stared at the TV in disbelief, fingers twitching as he desperately tried to power it off. Nothing. It was locked on.
"Is this some kind of prank? Kids these days..." he scoffed, but his voice trembled slightly.
He pushed himself up and shuffled to the fridge, opening it with a resigned sigh. The cool blast hit his face, along with the faint smell of spoiled milk and old ketchup. He grabbed a beer, popping the tab with practiced ease. The familiar fizz and cold burn felt like a tiny, familiar comfort against the looming chaos.
"Sweet release..." he muttered, scratching the back of his unshaven neck as he rummaged for anything edible.
"Darn it, guess I gotta go shopping..."
Then, out of nowhere, a translucent chatbox appeared floating right in front of his face, obstructing his view of the fridge like a nagging ghost.
[Viewer50092]: LOL this guy's face!
[GodOfDrama]: He's gonna be fun. I call dibs.
[BloodPartyXx]: 10 bucks says he cries in 5 minutes.
[NekoMaster43]: He's quite good looking for an alcoholic…
[VoidDragonGod]: He's prolly gonna die in the first event.
Sebastian blinked, staring aloofly at the stream chat as if a visible loading wheel had appeared above his forehead—an involuntary reaction that only fueled more teasing.
"Am I drunk already?" he whispered, a bitter half-smile tugging at his lips.
[VoidDragonGod]: This dumbass is going to be fun.
Then, without warning, a massive explosion shattered the night just a few blocks from his apartment. The ground shook violently as screams erupted, mingled with the screeching of tires and crashing metal. His apartment trembled under the force, knocking a few loose objects from their places.
MONSTER WAVE 1: "WAKING NIGHTMARE"
BEGIN!
Suddenly, a sleek, brand-new phone materialized in his hand, its screen glowing bright, the live chat seamlessly transferred over.
[Current Viewers: 24]
"Was that beer laced…?" Sebastian mumbled, unease prickling at the back of his mind.
Before he could react, a heavy, guttural banging rocked his front door.
"What in the—?"
[GodOfDrama]: Take this idiot, can't have you dying immediately.
[Donation: Wooden Bat]
Right on cue, a battered wooden bat appeared in his free hand. Left hand gripping the new phone, right hand armed with the bat—Sebastian's new life had begun. Whether he'd survive, and what kind of monster he'd become, was anyone's guess.
The door suddenly exploded inward, and there it was—a classic zombie. Male, decaying flesh hanging in grotesque tatters, eyes milky and void of humanity, hunger radiating from every twitch.
"Holy…" Sebastian breathed, barely registering the panic rising in his chest as the creature lunged, crashing through the coffee table with a violent splinter.
"Shit!"