Ash's Perspective
Room 304
"The house with lights is really starting to mess with my eyes," I muttered, squinting through the window like some cursed owl who hadn't slept in weeks.
"I don't know. Silas said it could belong to shapeshifters," Aki replied, barely glancing up, buried under a mountain of manga. Volume 22 was clenched in his hand like it owed him money.
"Just give me Volume 23 already." I reached over him.
"Wow, you've already reached 23? I'm still stuck on 21," Aki blinked. "I'm starting to feel embarrassed."
"Then how about this," he added, eyes suddenly gleaming, "let's search for hidden rooms or secret hideouts. You know, classic manga stuff."
"No, no, that only works in manga and novels. We live in apocalypse-land now," I scoffed.
"Exactly! This is the perfect time for manga logic to become real."
I gave him a look. "So, where do you think we'll find the shapeshifter?"
He shrugged. "No clue. But what if we take over the roof, get more people involved, and keep watch on every corner?"
"...That's actually not a bad idea," I said.
A few hours later, we had our squad: Jace, Theo, Kai, Ryn, Yuki, and the two idiots—Aki and me. We armed ourselves with flashlights, a tape measure, some tools, and the confidence of blindfolded squirrels. The moment we heard even a rat squeak, we scattered faster than roaches under a light.
Still, we searched floor by floor—braving the creepy silence up to the sixth floor and even the roof.
When we found nothing, Aki dropped to his knees in mock despair.
"Man, you dragged me through all that for nothing?! I could've been finishing my manga!"
"You're not even crying. Stop pretending."
"How mean! Sob sob!" Aki fake-cried louder. "There's no shapeshifter! I want a refund on this apocalypse!"
I sighed. "Guess that confirms it. No shapeshifter here."
"Did you even have a plan to begin with?"
"...Not really."
Later, Common Hall — Jun's Perspective
"So let me get this straight," Jun said, voice rising. "You two want permission to go outside the apartment? Just because you think that glowing house is suspicious?"
Aki and I sat on the floor like two schoolboys who got caught doodling in a math class.
"You're insane if you think that's happening," Jun snapped. "There are shapeshifters out there."
"Oof, he didn't agree," Aki muttered as we walked back.
"Don't worry," I said. "We'll figure something out."
Room 304 – That Night
"I'm so sleepy, man," Aki yawned. "Why does paranoia require so much walking?"
"You got me there," I nodded. As we neared his door, we ran into Jace, who was holding a box.
"What's in there?" I asked.
"Aki's manga. He requested them."
"You're a legend!" Aki grinned, hugging the box.
"I'm still on duty. Gotta go," Jace said.
"Later, man," we both said.
Black Void — Dream Sequence
Then... darkness. Endless, suffocating black.
Check Room 707.
Check Room 707.
CHECK ROOM 707!
The voice was everywhere, vibrating through my skull. My body tried to move, but couldn't. My breath was ragged. Pain shot through my head like a thousand knives.
Suddenly, I was falling—falling endlessly—until a pale floor appeared beneath me. I slammed into it, and my eyes flew open.
Reality — Theo's Voice
"Ash! Wake up!"
I bolted upright. My heart thudded like a war drum. Theo stood in front of me, and Aki was already awake, putting manga into his bag.
"What's going on?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"Someone's gone missing."
Common Hall — Chaos Unleashed
Everyone had gathered. Second batch workers were half-asleep, and the first batch was panicking.
"There's a shapeshifter in the building!" someone yelled.
Silas and Tessa tried to calm the crowd, but it was chaos.
"There are no shapeshifters!" Jun shouted. "Ash and Aki have been trying for days and found nothing."
People weren't listening.
To calm everyone, the residents were armed with makeshift weapons. Some got knives, others hammers. A few, like Jace, Theo, and Kai, had guns.
Aki and I were handed crowbars.
"Did you check every room?" I asked.
"I think so…" Aki replied, scratching his head. "Oh wait—there was one I couldn't open. I checked it from the doorknob gap and figured it was empty."
I froze.
"What room number?"
"Uhhh… Room 707?"
My blood ran cold.
"JUN!" I screamed. "WE'RE GOING TO THE SEVENTH FLOOR. NOW."
Jun looked at us for a moment—and nodded.