I loved New York — the hustle and bustle, the energy, the history woven into its architecture. But more than anything, I loved the people who lived in the city that never sleeps. Watching them was my favorite hobby — not in a creepy, stalker way, but as a psychology student fascinated by how people interact with their world and each other.

  I was a bit shy growing up. While I did have friends, I often found myself on the fringes of the social scene — more of a watcher than a participant. Over time, observing people became second nature, and I started to understand human behavior in a quiet, intuitive way. Studying to become a psychologist just felt like a natural next step.

  I left Ohio because I needed to escape the version of myself that lived there — the too-quiet, too-smart nerd who never quite fit in. In New York, I had the chance to start over, to become whoever I wanted to be. Here, I could be the guy who loved studying and reading, and no one would bat an eye.

  I had a nice and fulfilling job at CUNY, where I also studied, making my life so convenient.

  I found an extremely small apartment in a pre-war building in Bed-Stuy. It was tiny and sparsely furnished, but I didn’t care — it was mine. My little home away from home, and I loved it.

  My bed was perfect that morning — the kind of comfort where you don’t dare move a muscle, afraid the feeling will vanish. I felt completely content and cozy… until a sudden thought crept in. That creeping certainty. I was late. I had overslept.

  I couldn’t blame the daylight for waking me — my bedroom window looked out onto an internal shaft, barely letting in a sliver of light. The living room, however, offered a much better view: the fire escape of the building next door. So, not all was lost.

  My phone was on the bedside table, like always. I reached for it and peeked at the screen — it was off. That surprised me. I always make sure it’s charged.

  Punctuality had always been imported to me. I hated the thought of being late for class. I tried to plug my phone in but to my surprise the power was off.

  I checked the hallway lights to make sure it wasn’t just my apartment — sure enough, the power was out in the whole building. I used to sleep in sweatpants and a T-shirt, so it was easy enough to slip on some shoes and head out to investigate.

  I lived on the third floor, and with the stairwell completely dark, it took me a while to carefully make my way down to the lobby.

  The lobby was empty. Not impossible — just unusual. Mornings usually meant someone was heading out for work. I wasn’t sure of the exact time, but it couldn’t have been that late.

  I walked over to the front doors. They had big glass insets, and I could easily see the street from there. I felt a chill going down my spine. The outside was totally quiet. No cars moving and no people to be seen.

  I slowly opened the door and stepped outside. The silence was so complete, so absolute, it felt almost physical — like a pressure in the air, wrapping around me.

  The cars looked abandoned, but all their doors were still shut. Strangest of all, every single one was missing its tires. I couldn’t begin to understand why — it made no sense.

  Something was bothering me — a faint notion, like a whisper scratching at the back of my mind. It took a while to surface, but when it did, it wasn’t just one thing. It was two.

  The first was that the trees that usually lined the street were gone — every single one. I couldn’t hear any birds, either. Even the stubborn little flowers and weeds that used to grow in the planters and around the tree bases had vanished.

  The second thing I noticed — and it took me a little longer to realize — was that the cars looked wrong. Not damaged, not broken… just off, like I was missing something, something I couldn’t quite name but felt in my gut.

  I do not mean the missing tyres. Let me explain.

  I’d watched my fair share of apocalypse movies, and when cars were abandoned, the doors were usually left wide open as people fled in panic. You’d see handbags, shoes, maybe even spilled coffee cups scattered on the ground — signs of sudden, frantic departure. But here, there was none of that.

  The scene in front of me suggested something far stranger — it was as if people had simply vanished. They’d been driving, and then… they were just gone. No open car doors, no signs of struggle or panic, no collisions. The cars had simply lost their momentum and come to a silent stop, as if the world had paused mid-breath.

  I was still lost in thought, trying to make sense of it all, when a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. A surge of relief and hope flooded through me — finally, someone else. But the feeling vanished the moment I looked closer. It wasn’t a person. It wasn’t human at all.

  It was a Kobold.

  A small creature — no taller than a child — stood in the street. It looked like a reddish, miniature dragon, with sharp claws, curved horns, and a twitching tail. A Kobold, just like the ones from Dungeons & Dragons. Except this one wasn’t on a game board. It was real. And it was staring right at me.

  Despite its short legs, the Kobold moved with alarming speed. It took me far too long to register that it wasn’t just moving — it was running straight at me. Panic surged through me as instinct finally kicked in. I had to get away. Now.

  I let out a shriek — far too high-pitched and embarrassingly feminine — before spinning around and sprinting back to the front door of my apartment building, which, thankfully, was still ajar.

  Just as I reached the door and slammed it shut, the whole frame shuddered — the Kobold had hit it at full speed. It didn’t stop. It threw itself at the door again and again, frantically trying to get to me.

  I sank down with my back against the door, listening to the relentless pounding. It went on and on — then, finally, it stopped. I could only hope the Kobold had given up and moved on. The last thing I wanted was for it to be out there… waiting.

  It took me a few moments to gather my courage before I slowly got to my feet and peeked out the window. To my relief, the Kobold had moved on.

  I stood in the lobby, thinking — and, to be honest, panicking a little. My mind scrambled to make sense of what I’d just seen outside.

  My thoughts went in circles, cycling through and dismissing every possible scenario that might explain what I’d seen. Nothing made sense. Nothing offered a satisfying answer.

  I chose to dismiss them all and focus on the short term. I needed to figure out what to do next.

  I knew I had too little information to even begin to understand what had happened. I woke up, and everything was different — but maybe someone out there knew something. I needed to find that someone.

  I started knocking on apartment doors, one by one, but it quickly became clear: either no one was home, or no one wanted to answer. The third possibility — the one I didn’t want to dwell on — was that they were all just… gone.

  I started on the first floor and even tried a few doors on the second before finally giving up.

  Finally, back in my apartment, I sank down onto the couch. I knew what I had to do, but hesitation gripped me. I needed to go outside and look for other people. The only problem was the Kobold—or Kobolds—lurking just beyond the door.

  I had a baseball bat, that came with the apartment, and I never got rid of, but I did not think that I would be able to use it. I finally realised that I did not have much of a choice.

  Something had happened, and I needed to find out what. Sitting on my couch, worrying about the Kobold, wasn’t going to get me any answers.

  Holding the bat in one hand and feeling my way with the other, I made my way down the dark stairs again.

  I stood in front of the door a moment longer than necessary, trying to build up my courage. Even if the Kobolds were small, their claws and fangs were vicious.

  Finally, I pushed the door open and slipped outside—or at least, I tried to sneak. I left the door ajar, choosing a quick escape route over a secure apartment. I knew Kobolds could slip in and lie in wait, but I didn’t plan to go far. I just hoped I’d spot them if they tried to enter.

  My first impression hadn’t been a bad dream. The outside world was just as I remembered it: an empty, silent city.

  I turned left, slowly making my way to the corner of the block. I was halfway there when something slammed into me from behind, nearly knocking me off my feet. Pain shot through my leg—claws, no doubt a Kobold's. I stumbled but stayed upright, swinging the bat instinctively. It sliced through empty air. Before I could recover, the Kobold lunged again, snapping its fangs at my calves.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  I snatched my leg back and stumbled away. My foot caught on something, and I crashed to the ground. The bat swung wildly as I flailed, but it did nothing to stop the fall. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs. Gasping for air, I could only brace myself—death was coming.

  Death took its sweet time arriving, so I risked a look. The Kobold—formerly known as Death—was lying nearby. Its head was a bloody mess. I could only assume the bat had connected as I fell.

  Dumb. Fucking. Luck.

  A soft, female-sounding voice read the message that popped up in front of me. At this point, I was too overwhelmed to question anything. I just muttered, “Sure, why not.”

  Listening to the message, both spoken and written, I got the sense that some higher authority wasn’t pleased with humanity. This was judgment—consequences for how we’d been living.

  I felt strangely calm. It might have been in shock, but it helped me to objectively evaluate the choices. I read the warrior description and realised right away that strength and endurance was not something I had in abundance.

  I skipped Wizard as I knew I would most likely choose that one, but due diligence forced me to read the description for Rogue. I also know stealth and agility were not things I would ever be able to achieve.

  Wizard fit me like a glove. Knowledge and intelligence were things I already possessed.

  “I choose Wizard.”

  Part of me was excited—any nerd would be. I was a wizard now, and I even had a spell.But the rest of me was focused on the message. Unlike before, this one had no voice reading it aloud. I hadn’t finished reading when it vanished—replaced by something new.

  My focus shifted to the Kobold’s body. Just behind it, I noticed a faint blue wall—semi-transparent, with the street barely visible through it.

  I raised my hand, noticing a slight tremble in my fingers.

  “Loot,” I whispered.

  I looked over the loot I’d received. My eyes landed on the health package—marked with a small band-aid icon. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the pain in my torn-up leg was growing by the second. I was bleeding, and the wound needed attention.

  I knew the package was stored in my Inventory—and just like that, a screen appeared, listing everything I’d received.

  But how was I supposed to use the health package?

  A package appeared in front of me, just floating there. I reached out, and it settled gently into my hands. Its design was surprisingly simple—a square parcel tied with string, with two crossed band-aid icons printed on the top.

  I pulled the string, and the package began to glow softly before dissolving into motes of light, leaving behind a small tin. The same crossed band-aid symbol was stamped on the lid.

  Inside was a cream-colored salve. I applied it carefully, and to my amazement, the wounds began to close almost instantly. I hadn’t used all of it, but it didn’t return to my inventory.

  It must’ve been a one-use item.

  I decided to leave as quickly as possible. Taking a chance, I pushed through the dome—hoping it was meant to keep bad things out, not trap humans inside.Luckily, I was right.

  I felt only a slight chill as I passed through the dome—like walking through cold water, but without getting wet. It wasn’t unpleasant.

  Thankfully, I didn’t see any movement on my way back. But just as I started to relax, a notification popped up in front of me

  I instinctively tried to swat it away—and to my surprise, it worked. The message disappeared with a simple gesture.

  About thirty seconds later, the message popped up again. I still wasn’t inside the safety of the apartment building, so I swiped it away.

  I barely made it through the door and closed it behind me when the notification reappeared. I didn’t even check for Kobolds—figuring if any were inside, they would’ve attacked me by now.

  So, I gave the message my full attention.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Hey everyone! ??

  If you’ve been enjoying the story so far, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a quick ? rating or review. It only takes a second, but it helps a lot with visibility and reaching new readers.

  first Royal Road chapter of each pair. The second one won’t have pictures. If you want to see all the art together (or earlier), it’s on Patreon with the combined chapters!