Chapter 2

• My head was spinning. The voice, the date on the clock, the impossible sight of a peaceful street outside my window… it was too much. A dream, a hallucination from blood loss as I died… or almost died in that alley. That had to be it.
• I stumbled back from the window, my heart hammering against my ribs. “This isn’t real,” I muttered, pressing my palms against my eyes.
• Just as I was about to try and shake myself awake, the voice returned.
• [SYNCHRONIZING SURVIVOR INTERFACE...]
• [20%...]
• [60%...]
• [90%...]
• [100%... SYSTEM ONLINE]
• I flinched, falling back onto the edge of my bed. Before my eyes, a screen appeared.
• [System Host: Jaze Stroud]
• [Level: 1]
• [Status: Healthy, Minor Laceration (Left Hand), Disoriented]
• [Objective: Survive]
• "What is going on? Why is this happening to me?" I whispered, staring at the impossible text hanging in the air. My mind screamed that I was going crazy, that the trauma of death had finally broken me.
• Before I could spiral further, the voice came again.
• [[First Task: Fix Injury.]]
• [Funds To Be Transferred: $500]
• [Objective: A Survivor's first tool is their own body. Neglect invites failure. Go to the corner pharmacy and properly treat the wound on your left hand.]
• [Time Limit: 15 Minutes]
• [Reward: 1x Starter Survival Kit]
• [Empty slots: 19]
• I stared at the screen, then at the cut on my hand. It was a stupid, simple command. What could this be?
• [The system is now transferring the funds to your bank account.]
• To my surprise, my phone beeped on the bed. I picked it up and as I read the notification, my eyes widened. $500 was added to my account? I rubbed my eyes to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. My eyes flickered from the phone to the screen, then back to the system screen.
• This was real. Whatever was happening was real. Was this a chance for another life? To save Yara?
• I swallowed, putting my phone in my pocket. If this was truly real, I had to prove it to myself.
• The pharmacy was just downstairs and to the right.
• I had to know.
• My hands trembled as I pulled on a jacket over my t-shirt. I didn’t bother with shoes, just shoved my bare feet into a pair of old boots and made my way out.
• The pharmacy’s bell chimed as I walked in. The pharmacist, a tired-looking woman I’d seen a hundred times, glanced up from her newspaper. “Morning, Jaze.”
• My throat was dry. “Morning. Just need… uh, some antiseptic wipes and a bandage.”
• She slid them across the counter. I paid with my card, watching her keenly to be sure I wasn’t losing my mind. The whole transaction was so painfully, terrifyingly normal.
• I didn’t wait to get back to my apartment. I ripped open the packages on the sidewalk and cleaned the cut. Then I wrapped the bandage tightly around my knuckles.
• The second the bandage was secure, the voice chimed in my head again.
• [Task Complete: Injury Fixed.]
• [Reward: Starter Survival Kit has been added to your Inventory.]
• I stood frozen on the sidewalk, a car rumbling past.
• “Inventory,” I whispered, the word feeling foreign in my mouth.
• The blue screen appeared again, showing a simple grid. In the first slot was a small gray pouch. I focused on it, thought about holding it, and it was suddenly in my hand.
• I flinched, almost dropping it on the ground.
• “What the hell is happening?”
• One moment my hand was empty, the next it wasn’t.
• Inside, there was a folding knife, a roll of bandages, two bottles of water, and three protein bars barely enough to get through the first day.
• At that moment, I realized this was real. Whatever this system or voice in my head was, it was real. And it was preparing for only one possible thing: to survive.
• I took one long, shuddering breath and let it out. The panic began to recede, replaced by something cold inside me as I remembered my past life and how Yara died. If only I had this system, I could have saved her.
• I turned and walked back to my apartment, the pouch clutched in my good hand. I locked the door behind me, closed the curtain and sank to the wall. The voice in my head, the system had proven its point. Now it was time to use it.
• I closed my eyes and focused. After all, I played tons of games and this was similar to some of them. “System. Status.”
• The screen appeared in my vision.
• > Name: Jaze Stroud
• > Level: 1
• > Attributes:
• > Strength: 5
• > Agility: 6
• > Endurance: 4
• > Perception: 5
• > Intelligence: 6
• > Luck: 3
• > Points Available: 5 (Unallocated)
• > Special Currency: 0 SP, 0 MP
• [You may now allocate your points]
• “Allocate?” I thought for a while before deciding on what to do. “Allocate three to Agility,” I said, “and two to Endurance.”
• The screen beamed.
• > Strength: 5
• > Agility: 9
• > Endurance: 6
• > Perception: 5
• > Intelligence: 6
• > Luck: 3
• I exhaled slowly, understanding what the allocation meant and noting how to use it better. The clock on the wall read 6:58 a.m.
• In my past life, the outbreak would hit the streets in just over eight hours. People around me would die and I would be helpless to stop them.
• The system’s voice slid back into my head.
• > New Mission Unlocked: Preparations Begin
• Objective: Acquire and store 24 hours’ worth of food, water, and weapons before 3:00 p.m.
• Reward: +50 SP
• Failure: -5 Agility (Temporary for 7 days)
• I stared at the last line. There was a penalty for failure. Would it affect me? What did it mean?
• I exhaled, pulling on jeans, a dark jacket, and boots from the closet. It was better to acquire and store the food and water before noon. It could be possible that something would change in this timeline and the zombie virus would hit sooner.
• Fifteen minutes later, I hit the old corner store. I started sweeping items into a basket: bottled water, canned food, drinks and anything that wouldn’t perish quickly. My cart was almost full when I noticed a baseball bat for sale.
• I stepped up to the counter where the cashier was. “How much for the bat?”
• The cashier looked up, and shrugged, unlocked the case. “$70.”
• I paid for everything with my card.
• The system chimed instantly:
• > Hidden Objective Complete: Acquire a melee weapon before 8:00 a.m.
• Reward: +1 MP (Mutation Point)
• My heart skipped. MP. The rarest currency, as the system had mentioned.
• “System. Spend MP.”
• > Available Evolution Tree Paths:
• — Hunter: Enhanced agility, faster attack speed.
• — Brute: Increased strength, improved blunt damage.
• — Scout: Enhanced perception, danger sense.
• Only bronze tier available at current level.
• After a quick thought, I picked, “Hunter.”
• Heat surged through my muscles like I’d just been hit with a jolt of electricity. My vision sharpened, the world slowing around me. I noticed everything, even the tiniest cracks in the wall and the smell of meat meters away.
• ***********
• Back in my apartment, I dumped the supplies on the table and went over my list. I had enough food and water to scrape through the first day. The bat was my main weapon. I still needed more rope, nails, and wood for the barricades.
• The system pinged again.
• > Updated Mission: Preparations Begin — 60% complete. Time remaining: 6 hrs, 15 min.
• I was halfway through checking the window locks when someone knocked on the door.
• The hair on my neck stood up. That was the knock code we used in my old survivor group. A code I hadn’t heard in five years.
• I opened the door slowly.
• And there she was.
• Not Yara.
• Her name was Claire. She was short, with sharp green eyes and a leather jacket she never took off. She was a great neighbor who always checked up on me. In the old timeline, she lasted three weeks before the infection got her.
• “Jaze?” she asked, brow furrowed. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
• I swallowed. “Something like that. What are you doing here?”
• “Dropping off your damn rent notice,” she said, shoving an envelope at me. “Landlord says you’re late again.”
• I took the envelope without looking at it. “Claire… where are you at nine tonight?”
• She blinked. “Uh… working a shift at Mercy General. Why?”
• Mercy General.
• At nine pm tonight, the outbreak would happen. That was where the first patient would break containment.
• “Don’t go,” I said sharply.
• Her eyes narrowed. “What?”
• “Call in sick or quit. Just… don’t be there.”
• She stared at me like I’d grown another head. “You high or something?”
• “Please,” I said, and my voice cracked more than I wanted. “Just trust me.”
• She shook her head, muttered something under her breath, and walked away.
• I shut the door and leaned against it, heart pounding.
• The system’s voice slid in again.
• > Optional Mission Available: Save Claire from infection.
• Reward: +200 SP, +3 MP.
• Failure: Permanent death of target.