Victor Blaine trudged through the dimly lit corridors of Blackgate Prison, his dark blue hair catching faint glimmers from the overhead fluorescent lights. At twenty-one, with piercing gray eyes that seemed to reflect the monotony of his existence, he was just another cog in the machine of a world gone mad.
He paused for a moment, leaning against the cold metal wall, his shoulders slumping under the weight of another endless day. Another day, another shift, he thought bitterly, clenching his fists at his sides.
Victor pushed off the wall and continued walking, his footsteps echoing heavily in the empty hall. My life is nothing but scraping by—barely enough coins in my pocket to make it to the end of the month. He rubbed his temples, feeling the familiar ache of frustration building.
As he turned a corner, he kicked at a loose tile on the floor, scowling. Why does everything have to be so damn hard? His pace slowed, hands shoved deep into his pockets.
He glanced out a barred window at the chaotic world beyond, where distant Gates shimmered ominously. This world... invaded by those monstrous hordes pouring out from the Gates. Victor shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.
Finally, he stopped just before the door, staring at his reflection in a polished panel—ordinary, unremarkable. And me? No talent for fighting, no magic spark or superhuman strength. Just a regular guy stuck watching over the scum who do have power, rotting in cells. Pathetic.
He let out a heavy sigh, his breath fogging slightly in the cool, sterile air, and pushed open the door to the monitoring room. The hum of screens and the faint beep of security alerts greeted him like old, unwelcome friends. He clocked in for his shift with a nod to the console, then turned to greet the other guards on duty—a ragtag group of men and women who looked as weary as he felt.
"Morning, folks," Victor said, forcing a half-smile as he settled into his station.
They're just like me—stuck in this dead-end job because the Gates spit out horrors that only the gifted can handle. No wonder we're all chummy. Misery loves company, right?
One of his colleagues, a burly man named Jax with a perpetual five-o'clock shadow, leaned over from his chair. "Hey, Vic. Heads up—new inmate coming in today. This one's a real beast. Strong and vicious as hell."
Victor raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. "Vicious? Come on, Jax. This place is crawling with that type. What's one more psycho gonna change?"
Jax shook his head, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Nah, this is different. Guy slaughtered an entire guild in one night. And not just any guild—the Ironclad Vanguard, the famous ones. Wiped 'em out like they were nothing."
Victor waved a hand dismissively, chuckling under his breath. "Yeah, well, even so—what's he gonna do? This is Blackgate. No one's dumb enough to try escaping or fighting back here. Hell, with a rap sheet like that, they'll probably execute him before the week's out."
Jax nodded slowly, rubbing his chin. "True enough. Ain't no one breaking out of this fortress. Speaking of which... you got the stuff?"
Victor blinked, feigning confusion as he watched Jax lean in closer, whispering now. "Hmm? What stuff?"
Jax's eyes widened in mild panic. "Don't tell me you forgot...?"
A grin tugged at Victor's lips—he couldn't resist messing with him a little. "Haha, relax. Of course not. Here you go." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, innocuous pill, placing it discreetly in Jax's palm. The pill was a homemade doping agent, crafted from slime essence—a weak monster byproduct that was addictive as sin but easy to process. Victor made them on the side for extra cash; slimes were dime-a-dozen in the black markets, harvested from the low-level Gates no one bothered with.
Jax exhaled in relief, pocketing it quickly. "Damn, you scared me there. Without this, I couldn't pull these shifts. Keeps me sharp, you know?"
He fished out a few coins and slid them over. Victor pocketed them with a nod. "Thanks, loyal customer."
Jax smirked. "Just keep the price steady, buddy. I ain't buying from anyone else—your stuff's the best."
"Sure," Victor replied, and with that, they turned back to the monitors.
Just as Victor and Jax settled into their monitoring duties, another colleague approached—a sharp-eyed woman named Lena, carrying a tray with steaming mugs. She flashed a quick smile, her voice cutting through the low hum of the room. "Coffee, boys? Fresh brew to keep us all alert."
Victor glanced up from his screen and nodded appreciatively, reaching out to take a mug. "Thanks, Lena. Could use the boost."
Jax, still fiddling with his console, grabbed one too without hesitation. "Yeah, hit me up. You're a lifesaver."
Lena handed them over, but her expression turned serious as she eyed Jax. "Just a heads up, Jax—don't overdo it with those... supplements. They'll mess with your focus, and we can't afford slip-ups here."
Jax blinked innocently, taking a sip of his coffee. "What? I haven't touched a thing. Straight as an arrow today."
Lena crossed her arms, unconvinced. "Don't lie to me. And Victor, you need to call out your shift buddy here. Don't just sit there quietly—back me up."
Victor chuckled lightly, stirring his coffee with a casual swirl. "Alright, alright. Relax, Lena. Jax won't screw things up as long as I'm around to keep an eye on him."
Lena sighed but nodded. "Fine. I'll go check on the others too—they're always slacking off and not doing their jobs right." With that, she turned and headed down the row of stations.
Jax called after her with a grin. "Good luck with that!"
Victor gave a relaxed nod in her direction, watching her go before turning back to his monitor.
Once she was out of earshot, Jax let out a long sigh, leaning back in his chair. "She's always like that, nagging everyone to work harder. Why can't we just take it easy? If we get too serious, the job turns even more monotonous, and we end up like mindless robots plugging away."
Victor kept his eyes glued to the flickering screens, scanning the feeds methodically. "Just let it go and listen to her. She's not wrong, you know."
Jax smirked, taking another swig of coffee. "But come on, she purposely gives us this stuff to keep us awake and prevent dozing off. Sneaky as hell."
Victor shrugged, his fingers tapping idly on the console. "What's wrong with that? We both win—we're more productive, and she's happy with our performance."
Jax raised an eyebrow, his tone turning knowing and teasing. "You've been defending her this whole time. What, you got a thing for her or something?"
Victor turned to look at Jax, noting the relaxed, almost glazed expression on his face—the telltale sign of the doping kicking in. Yeah, he's already flying high, Victor thought, shaking his head inwardly. Might as well let him be. I'll just focus on the monitors.
He turned back to the screens, his gaze sharpening as something caught his eye—a fleeting shadow darting across one of the feeds from Sector 7. Victor blinked, leaning forward slightly. Was that just my imagination...?
Then it happened again, faster this time, a blur of motion that set his nerves on edge. Doesn't hurt to check it out, he mused internally, his hand hovering over the comms button.
"Jax," Victor said, glancing over, "call up Sector 7. Something's off on the feed."
But Jax just mumbled incoherently, his words slurring into nonsense as he stared blankly at his own screen.
Victor clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch, he's completely out of it." With no other choice, he activated the intercom himself, trying to patch through to the guards in that area. The line rang once, twice—no answer. He tried again, frustration mounting as the connection failed repeatedly.
Suddenly, the line crackled to life. A faint, raspy voice came through: "Found you."
Victor's heart pounded, a chill running down his spine. He stared at the monitor, where a figure now filled the frame—grinning eerily at the camera, face smeared with blood, eyes wild and unhinged.
"Shit," Victor muttered under his breath, "someone's escaped."
In an instant, the feed went blurry and static-filled, as if the camera had been smashed to pieces.