1A episode

A frail-looking young man with pale

skin and dark circles under his eyes

was sitting on a rusty bench across

from the police station. He was

cradling a cup of coffee in his hands

- not the cheap synthetic type slum

rats like him had access to, but the

real deal. This cup of plant-based

coffee, usually available only to

higher rank citizens, had cost most

of his savings. But on this particular

day, Sunny decided to pamper

himself.

After all, his life was coming to an

end.

Enjoying the warmth of the

luxurious drink, he raised the cup

And savored the aroma. Then,

tentatively, he took a small sip...

and immediately grimaced.

"Ah! So bitter!"

Giving the cup of coffee an intense

look, Sunny sighed and forced

himself to drink some more. Bitter

or not, he was determined to get

his money's worth - taste buds be

damned.

"I should have bought a piece of

real meat instead. Who knevw actual

coffee is so disgusting? Well. It's

going to keep me awake, at least."

He stared into the distance, dozing

off, and then slapped himself in the

face tO wake up."Tsk. What a rip-off."

Shaking his head and cursing, Sunny

finished the coffee and stood up.

Rich people living in this part of the

city were rushing past the small

park on their way to work, staring at

him with strange expressions.

Looking haggard in his cheap

clothes and fromn the lack of sleep,

unhealthily thin and pale, Sunny was

indeed out of his place here. Also,

everyone seemed so tall. Watching

them with a bit of envy, he tossed

the cup into a garbage bin.

"l guess that's what three full meals

a day wNould do to you."

The cup missed the bin by a wide

margin and fell on the ground.Sunny rolled his eyes in

exasperation, walked over and

picked it up before carefully putting

it in the trash. Then, with a slight

grin, he crossed the street and

entered the police station.

Inside, a tired-looking officer gave

him a quick glance and frowned

with obvious distaste.

"Are you lost, boy?"

Sunny looked around with curiosity,

noting reinforced armor plates on

the walls and poorly hidden turret

nests in the ceiling. The officer, too,

looked scruffy and mean. At least

police stations remained the same

wherever you go.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"Sunny cleared his throat.

"Uh, no."

Then he scratched the back of his

head and added:

"As demanded by the Third Special

Directive, I am here to surrender

myself as a carrier of the Nightmare

Spell."

The officer's expression instantly

changed from irritated to wary. He

looked the young man over once

again, this time with piercing

intensity.

"Are you sure you are infected?

When did you start showing

symptoms?"

Sunny shrugged.

"A week ago?"

The officer became visibly paler.

"Shit."

Then, with a hurried motion, he

pressed a button on his terminal

and belowed:

"Attention! Code Black in the lobby!

I repeat! CODE BLACK!"

***

The Nightmare Spell first appeared

in the world a few decades ago.

Back then, the planet was just

starting to recover from a series of

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