Author's Note: My upload schedule is non-existent :p. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter! Please let me know what you think and point out any errors if you catch any, I always appreciate the comments :D!

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It was around 4am by the time Jimmy reached his apartment. Contrary to his worries, the area was neither destroyed nor overrun with the creatures and Jimmy was able to reach his destination with relative ease.

The neighborhood was engulfed in an eerie silence. Not a single building had power, but as everyone was sleeping, there hadn't yet been any commotion from it. Jimmy was thankful that the street lights ran on stored power, as aside from the moon, they were the only source of light in the void-like space.

Though Jimmy was nervous about leaving the man in his car, it would have been impossible to carry him up the stairs, so Jimmy was forced to leave him while he went on with his preparations.

Once inside, Jimmy rushed to get what he needed. He started by grabbing his old suitcase and stuffing it with a few pairs of clothes, blankets, medicine, and other random things that he thought might come in handy. He then ran to the fridge to fill his backpack with food and water.

Upon noticing the lack of cool air coming out of the open refrigerator door, Jimmy paused for a second to think.

Shoot, without power this food will all spoil... I guess there's no other option but to feast!

There was no telling how hard food would be to come by during this mess- is the excuse Jimmy told himself while stuffing food into his mouth. Jimmy munched on all the fruit he had, swallowed slices of salami, and shoveled scoops of ice cream down his throat. Jimmy ate so much that he practically had to roll around to finish packing.

He finished about 15 minutes later and stepped outside. Just when Jimmy was about to retreat back to his car, a new voice suddenly spoke out.

[ Congratulations residents of Sector 139- 25,000 Crystal Users have now been registered! This milestone marks the end of the introductory phase and the beginning of the Early Alpha phase. The Early Alpha phase drastically increases the number of Tainted, but do not fear- shops have been added in random locations to help out! These shops let you exchange Crystal Points for food, weaponry, healing items, and many other things that you'll need to fight! To celebrate this achievement, all purchases in the shops will be half-price for the next 24hours! Good luck, new Crystal Users, the Early Alpha phase has officially begun! ]

Unlike the usual robotic voice that Jimmy was used to hearing in his head, this voice was much livelier and filled the air around him. It gave off the same sort of aura that sport commentators give off. Jimmy desperately tried to process everything that he just heard, but was forced to stop when another surprise knocked him off that train of thought- the sky was instantly filled with a slight purple glow. 

Jimmy looked around trying to figure out where the glow was coming on, before glancing upwards and spotting its source. A large purple dome had appeared on the surface of the moon. Jimmy could not look away; he was completely awestruck over what he was seeing.

The heck is-

Crash!

Glass broke from a building to his left and screaming immediately followed. He was running out of time. Jimmy snapped back to attention and looked down the staircase to leave. 

There's too much going on right now! I have to... oh my freaking god. 

The black creatures started appearing everywhere. Though Jimmy could not directly see them appearing, more and more creatures continued to wander out from behind buildings and trees, completely swarming everywhere he could see. Screams filled the air as the creatures broke into homes, causing people to flood onto the street. A single pounce from the creatures sent blood and limbs flying from their target. Jimmy watched in horror as people got massacred left and right, no match for the gigantic mobs in the surroundings. Some lucky people who somehow managed to escape the initial wall of creatures soon ended up getting cornered against buildings, meeting the same gruesome fate of those around them. 

Bang Bang Bang!

Shots were fired from off in the distance. Jimmy looked over in that direction and saw a guy managing to kill a few of the creatures with a rifle. The guy climbed up a fire escape on a building near him and continued to shoot at any creatures that attempted to follow him up. Though the guy was holding up for the moment, the sounds only caught more creatures' attention and drew them towards him.

Shoot, I keep getting distracted!

Jimmy slapped himself out of frustration and pulled his attention back to the scene in front of him. Creatures were rapidly beginning to approach his apartment building. A few of them had already made it and were wandering around looking for prey.

I have to get out of here now! There's no way we'll be able to escape if we wait much longer!

With that thought, Jimmy summoned his shield and leaped down the staircase, ditching his suitcase in the process. A few creatures immediately turned to target him, but Jimmy managed to defeat them with relative ease. His shield had clearly grown a lot stronger from absorbing the crystals, but it would still be impossible to handle the massive crowds he saw coming his way.

With every step Jimmy took towards the car, more and more creatures began to surround him. Each time they got too close, he would ward them off with a full spin around himself with the shield. Though many creatures gradually weakened and fell to the ground, they were instantly replaced by another beast. Particles from the defeated bodies swirled around him, but although Jimmy was continuously recovering his fatigue and increasing his power, the battle would eventually end in his loss if he could not find a way to escape. 

The fight raged on for several minutes, before being interrupted when a massive explosion occurred far off in the sky, shaking the ground beneath them. Jimmy and the creatures all paused and looked upwards. Missiles were being continuously launched up towards the moon, only for purple beams to shoot down and cause their detonation. Explosions covered the sky as shock waves sent the area into even more turmoil. 

It was pure chaos.

Despite the interference, the fight resumed a moment later when a creature leaped at Jimmy from behind. He reflexively twisted out of the way. but its claws still managed to leave a bad scratch on his arm. Jimmy immediately bashed the creature on the side of the head and allowing the creature's particles to heal the very wound it caused. With this, a second stalemate ensued, as the circle of creatures resumed their bloodthirst.

Jimmy was losing hope that the man he saved would be okay. There was no way the creatures had yet to discover him by this point.

Valuable time continued to tick away, but there was nothing the anxious Jimmy could do but swing his shield and continue fighting.

There's too many of them! Every time I manage to make a small opening, it's immediately filled... I'm completely trapped.

Following this thought, a wall of creatures in front of him was suddenly blown away by a flash of yellow light. After blocking another attack from behind, Jimmy sent his gaze towards the opening. A familiar massive man stood there with a giant yellow hammer resting against his shoulder. Bolts of electricity seemed to jump off its head, but the man paid it no mind as he stood there in a bloody mess. 

"Hey, kid!" the man yelled with a smile, "what are you doing playing around? Let's get out of here!"