Beep beep beep, beep beep beep!* I groggily opened my eyes to the sound of my digital alarm clock that I hated hearing every time I wake up so much.

"What's that noise?" I said to myself fully aware of what it was. Yes, I clearly understood what it was. After all, that sound was one of the few sounds that I hear every day, along with the sound of cars and traffic from my window, the occasional doorbell every time I order another game from "GamePlus" or every time I order more food that probably isn't healthy for me, from the pent up confines of my room, dirtied with empty and sometimes half full pizza boxes, soda cans, cup noodles, and things of the sort. Yeah, the food I eat is definitely not healthy for me.

I ask myself that question every day I awake to that dreadful noise. That simple question, confirms that I can indeed, still open my mouth (when not in the presence of food) and speak, even if it's to myself and haven't rotted away with the rest of my dark, gloomy, room. Yet.

Without looking, I attempted to reach for the top of the counter, to my immediate left, still while remaining in bed of course, not wanting to waste any of the little energy I have, to stop the annoying sound that my lovely alarm clock was currently making, only to find that It was in fact, not there.

"Huh?"

I patted the spot where the clock was supposed to be resting a couple of times to make sure I wasn't mistaken. I wasn't. The hand patting quickly turned into side-to-side swipes from one end of the counter to other, ignoring and ultimately knocking out anything in its path, including a cup of soda that probably has been sitting there untouched for a while. There was no doubt about it. My clock wasn't there.

But just because it wasn't there, doesn't mean the noise would magically stop. Actually,

it seemed to grow louder with every passing second.

"Where is this damn clock at?" I groaned, my temper flaring. I wasn't always this impatient. Probably to your surprise, I used to be the perfect 18-year-old high school girl. Always doing my best in studies, having tons of friends that I always hung out with after school and on the weekends, being a good older sister to my little brother who, you could say, was as perfect as me, or was trying to be, and just generally being a lovely child that any set of parents would ask for.

Yes, used to. Keyword, used to. That was before I got introduced to the world of MMORPGs. One of my friends at school recommended it to me since he claimed, "Hana, you may be good at most things but I bet you can't reach a high level this game!" I didn't want to come off as rude and turn him down, so naturally, being the kind person I am, or should I say was, I accepted the request and received said game from him the next day.

However, I had no real interest in games like these. Actually, I had no real interest in games at all. I was too busy doing other things. Preparing for college, helping out around the house, you know, things that actually mattered. So that being said, I just left the game on top of my computer table untouched.

But unfortunately, my curiosity got the better of me. I was bored so one day, I decided to give it a try. It was the most popular game out at the time, so leaving it there on top of my table seemed like a waste. I opened the game container and popped the disc into my computer. The addiction hit me like a truck. I was hooked on it to the point where I ignored my studies and eventually, stopped going to school in general. You know what they say about addiction, it's a disease. I lost all the respect and credibility I had earned up to that point. Rumors started to spread about me around school. It didn't matter to me though because I stopped attending it long before the rumors started to transpire. Though, the harassment didn't stop there. I could see the disappointment in my family's faces every time they saw me emerge from my sanctuary to join them for dinner, after long hours of constant gaming.

Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. I moved out of the family house and into a small apartment, using the money I saved up from the part-time jobs I've worked. With no one to nag me, with no disappointing looks from anybody anymore, I was able to finally game in peace. The rest from there was history. And that, Is how I am, the way I am.

I sat up from my bed and looked around, trying to find my stupid clock. The noise wouldn't cease. It seemed to be growing, and with it, my anger. I was about to throw a fit before I realized that the me of yesterday decided to put the clock in front of my door so I would be motivated to leave my bed for a reason other than to head back to my throne that rested in front of my computer screen.

Angrily, I slowly crawled out of the comfort of my bed, but not before yawning with my arms sprawled out in the air for about two minutes. I walked over to my front door, picked up the clock which laid in front of it, and shut the alarm off. Between the blurry visions of my eyes due to me just waking up, I read the digital clock.

"3:00 pm."

I was surprised to have woken up this early. Well, early for me anyway. I don't usually wake up until 8 or 9 in the afternoon. I was actually a little proud of myself. Yes, I was until my eyes finally adjusted and I read the clock again. This time, it read, "3:00 am" I couldn't believe it. I wiped my eyes and read it again, only to have the same result. I went over the window and opened it to confirm. Instead of seeing the blue sky and blazing sun, I only saw the black night sky, illuminated only by the stars that looked like tiny dots in the sky and the bright moon. I was sure I went to bed at my usual time of about 2 am.

"I only slept an hour?"

It certainly didn't feel like it. This wasn't all bad though. There was supposed to be an online in-game event for "Wizards of Sunrise" on Saturday, which is today. I walked over to my computer chair, sat down, and powered on my PC. I was about to insert the disc into my PC when I noticed the time that was displayed in the bottom right corner of my computer monitor. My digital alarm clock was wrong. Well technically, it wasn't. It had the time correct which was "3:00 am". But it doesn't tell me the actual day.

"No way." I said in disbelief. It was indeed 3:00 but it wasn't Saturday. It was Sunday. I had slept for more than an entire day. 25 hours to be precise. I knew that I game a lot but I had never been knocked out for an entire day before. My gaming addiction was getting worse.

I didn't care though. I only cared about a few things ever since I've started living this way 3 years ago. And those few things did not include personal hygiene. Sure, I'd bathe every day but outside of that, nothing else. I stopped caring about my appearance about a year and a half into this lifestyle. The silky black hair that stopped at my shoulders that I cherished so much, has now turned into rough, darkened hair that reached my waist.

I was still feeling a little tired so I was about to go back to sleep until I heard my stomach begin to cry for food. I wasn't always the best cook so I tend to eat out a lot. Well, I guess you could say, eat in since I order almost everything I eat using the delivery service. I went over to my fridge and opened it.

"You've got to be kidding me."

It was empty. The only thing inside was a bottle of ketchup. Devastated, I closed the fridge. There was some pizza leftover that was sitting in a pizza box in the corner but I didn't know how long it's been there. I may not have the perfect hygiene but even I haven't stooped so low to eat possibly rotten pizza.

"I guess I'll go to the convenience store."

Yes, the convenience store. Also known as my last resort. Sometimes after pulling all-nighters when all the restaurants are still closed and there's nothing to eat, I'd be forced to make the treacherous 5-minute walk from here to there. Reluctantly, I put on a hoodie that was laying on the floor, grabbed my wallet, and walked up to the front door, sighing before pushing it open.

As soon as I stepped foot outside, I could feel my body temperature drop immediately.

"When was the last time I went out?"

I didn't know. It's been that long. I put on the hood that was attached to my hoodie, walked down the black stairs, and started the journey to the convenience store.

I noticed that there weren't any cars on the road as I exited my apartment complex and headed down the sidewalk. Then again, It was 3 in the morning but even though, it still seemed odd to me. I continued walking down the walkway still in disbelief that I slept through the online game event. I was actually looking forward to it. Supposedly, there was a limited-time quest that you could only do on the day of the event.

"Why did I pull an all-nighter literally the day before it? Stupid Hana."

Finally, I arrived at the "Shop-4-U" after what seemed like forever to me when in actuality it was less than 5 minutes, and entered the store.

There was no one inside except for the cashier.

"Welcome." He said behind the register in a low, grumpy, voice.

I knew who he was and I'm pretty sure he knew who I was too. I come here often either late night or early mornings. He looked about twenty and had short brown hair. I assumed he worked the night shift. We don't really speak to each other often outside of the greetings.

"I guess even he's tired."

All the days I've spent cooped up in my apartment made me forget how to hold a normal conversation and eventually, made me scared of talking to people so, in response, I simply nodded my head like I always do and went to the back of the store.

I picked up the usual which consisted of cup noodles, and a small bottle of iced tea. I was about to head back to the front to pay but something caught my eye. Hanging on the gift card rack was a "Wizards of Sunrise" Mana points card. It's basically like a type of virtual currency in the game.

"It's on sale too?"

It usually costs 20 dollars but it was on sale for 10. I quickly scooped it up off the rack and headed to the front. Once at the front, I placed all of my items on the table, ready to pay. However, the cashier had other plans that didn't involve doing his actual job. He was too busy reading some sort of comic book.

"Is this guy blind?"

I wanted to get his attention but since I've turned into a quiet introvert who only talked to people over the game, I didn't know how. So instead of being smart and getting his attention, I just stood there. Yeah, I just stood there like an idiot.

"Look this way, look this way, look this way."

He must have heard my prayers since he finally looked up from his book and saw me.

"Oh, my bad." He said halfheartedly as he rubbed the back of his neck and got up from

the stool he was relaxing on.

"Yeah, your bad."

He took his time scanning the items before finally putting them in a bag.

"That'll be $16.50." He told me in between yawns.

I pulled out my wallet. To avoid any pointless conversation with any cashier I interact with, I always make sure to carry change with me when purchasing something. I know it's weird but that's just the type of person I've become. I pulled out the exact amount handed it to him. He took it.

He was about to hand me the bag before he froze in his tracks, his hand holding the bag in midair.

"Why'd you stop? Give it to me already."

I looked up to meet his gaze. Or so I thought. His eyes weren't the usual half-opened anymore. Instead, they were fully opened, like he had seen a ghost. "What's going on?" I wondered to myself. And then I realized. He wasn't looking at me. Instead, he was looking behind me. I turned around to a man wearing a ski mask, a large trench coat, and black shoes, holding a bag and pistol.

"This a robbery! Put your hands up!" He yelled.

Immediately, both I and the cashier's hands flew into the air.

"You've got to be joking! A robbery at this time?!"

He walked up to the front desk, pushed me out of the way, and pointed the gun at the cashier.

"You! Put the money in the bag!"

He threw the bag on top of the counter.

"R-Right!" The cashier nervously complied. He quickly opened the register and emptied all of the money into the bag. Once finished, he quickly returned the bag to the robber.

The robber cracked a malicious-looking grin. "Good."

With that, he fired the pistol, launching a bullet into the cashier's head, sending him to the floor.

I sank to my knees. I had just witnessed somebody get killed. I didn't know what to do. I was too scared to think. I couldn't even let out a scream. All I could do was just cover my mouth. As soon as he turned my way, I felt my heart sink to my stomach. He walked up to me and crouched down, pointing the gun to my forehead.

"You don't tell anyone about this you hear me!?"

"I-I-I won't!" I stammered while nodding my head quickly.

"Good. I'll let you go" He got up and walked toward the exit.

He was only halfway when he stopped and turned back around, revealing an evil smile.

"Just kidding."

He shot a bullet into my chest, putting me on my back. I was in so much pain that I couldn't move. I was only able to stare at the ceiling lights as I heard the sound of footsteps getting closer. Through blurry vision, I could see the robber standing over me, mouthing something. Then, I blacked out.