The sky outside was getting darker now even though the sun was still up. The underground station, down below felt really stuffy that afternoon. It was filled with the tired breaths of people going from work.
Killian Sinclair was standing in the middle of a really crowded place. He was a handsome young guy with black hair and his eyes fixed firmly on his phone. His school uniform was a bit messy, from being worn all day.
Behind him a group of high school girls stood together looking at him with admiration and talking quietly to each other. They were clearly excited.
"Hey, look at him," one girl muttered.
"I know, right? He is absolutely gorgeous," another replied softly.
Killian shifted his weight and rubbed the back of his neck. He felt a familiar wave of embarrassment wash over him. "Why do they always look at me like I am some kind of exhibit?" he thought to himself. "Maybe it is just because of my name."
Killian had everything. He was rich. People always told him how good he looked.. Even with all the advantages, he tried to be really kind to everyone.
His parents came from Europe. Moved to Japan for their jobs. This gave Killian a background that made people notice him even more.
He let out a heavy sigh, his breath barely audible over the station chatter. "School is so exhausting today. It is already five o'clock, and I am still stuck here."
Just as he was complaining about his situation, a sharp notification pinged on his screen. He tapped it open to read the news alert.
[URGENT: Weather conditions are expected to become highly unpredictable over the next week due to severe atmospheric disturbances. Sudden extreme storms and drastic climate shifts may occur across multiple regions.]
Killian rolled his eyes and swiped the notification away. "Nonsense. This has to be fake news. The weather has been perfectly fine since yesterday."
A deep, rumbling noise began to echo from the dark tunnel. The glaring lights of the approaching train gradually pierced the shadows. It was coming in fast, rushing eagerly toward the platform.
Killian stepped slightly closer to the yellow line, completely unaware of the shadow looming behind him.
Suddenly, two hands shoved him hard in the back.
He stumbled forward, his arms flailing, but gravity quickly took over. He plunged directly onto the tracks, his phone still tightly gripped in his right hand.
Suspended in the air for a fraction of a second, he managed to turn his head just enough to see a figure standing on the edge of the platform. The culprit was completely hidden beneath a baggy black hoodie.
Then, the impact came.
The subway train slammed into him at full speed, completely unable to brake in time. The horrific sound of the collision filled the air, immediately followed by the terrified screams of the bystanders. His body was crushed. His backpack flew violently across the platform.
Everything faded to black. He was dead.
A suffocating silence wrapped around his soul. A freezing, bone-chilling cold gnawed at his very core.
And then, miraculously, he inhaled a sharp gasp of air.
Killian snapped his eyes open, his heart pounding furiously against his ribs. He sat up abruptly and looked at his hands. He expected to find himself dead, or at least broken into pieces. But he was completely intact.
He looked around and realized something was horribly wrong. He was still in the station, but the bright fluorescent lights were gone, replaced by a dim, flickering glow. He was sitting on dirty white tiles, completely unscathed, as if the horrific accident had never even happened.
"Is this it?" he whispered to himself, his voice trembling with a deep, profound sadness. "Is this the flashback people talk about before you go to heaven?"
He pushed himself up, his eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom. That was when the smell hit him. A thick, metallic stench of decay filled his lungs.
He choked back a gag. Spread across the platform were dozens of lifeless bodies. Blood painted the walls and floors, already drying into dark, sticky puddles. The once bustling station had turned into an absolute hellscape.
Frantic, he patted his pockets, searching for his phone. It was gone. Instead, his fingers brushed against something stiff. He pulled it out to examine it.
A single playing card rested in his palm.
"A playing card?" he asked aloud, his brow furrowing in deep confusion. "Why do I have this in my hand?"
He turned the card over, squinting at the strange artwork. "A wild card. And the text says... The Cursed Villager."
He rubbed his thumb over the glossy surface. "I have never seen a card like this in a standard deck. Is this some kind of new edition?"
The gruesome surroundings began to press in on him. The sheer horror of the bloody station was too much to bear. Disgusted and terrified, he tossed the card onto the bloody floor and sprinted toward the far end of the platform. In the distance, a faint light spilled down from the exit stairs.
"I do not know what is going on anymore," he panted as he ran. "But if this is the waiting room before heaven, I just want to see my house one last time."
He burst through the station doors and froze instantly.
His breath caught in his throat. The vibrant, noisy city he knew from yesterday was completely gone. Thick, gray fog choked the empty streets. Towering skyscrapers stood in ruins around him, their glass shattered and steel frames twisted like broken ribs.
A suffocating silence hung over the desolate landscape. It looked exactly like the end of the world.
"What happened here?" he stammered, wrapping his arms around himself against the sudden chill.
Instinctively, he slipped his shaking hands into his pockets. His fingers brushed against something stiff once again.
He pulled it out and stared at it in sheer disbelief.
It was the exact same card.
"How is this possible?" Killian gasped. "What is happening? I just threw you away!"
The crushing weight of isolation suddenly crashed down on him. Panic clawed fiercely at his chest. He cupped his hands around his mouth, desperate for any sign of life in the dead city.
"HELLO?!" he screamed, his voice echoing off the ruined buildings. "IS ANYONE OUT THERE?! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!"