Chapter 4

• Eli was still clutching his mom and she was shaking, her face buried in his hair, whispering something to him.
• The room we were in was small. It was an old garage where fire trucks used to be parked. Now it was lined with barricades and stacked supplies. A few others were scattered around, watching us from the shadows.
• One of them, a tall woman with a shaved head, stepped forward. “You bringing biters in here now?” She was looking at Eli’s mom as she said this.
• “She’s not turned,” I said quickly.
• “Yet,” the woman shot back.
• I stepped forward, meeting her stare. “If she was, we wouldn’t be standing here talking about it.”
• The irritation between us was thick enough to choke on. I could feel the others watching, waiting to see if I’d back down.
• The system chose that moment to chime in:
• > New Passive Objective: Establish dominance in safehouse hierarchy.
• Reward: +50 SP.
• Failure: -2 Charisma for 24 hours.
• I didn’t break eye contact with the shaved-head woman. “You got a problem, take it up with me. Not them.”
• She studied me for another second, then turned and walked away, muttering something under her breath.
• The system pinged again:
• > Passive Objective Complete.
• +50 SP earned.
• Ash pushed off the wall. “Nice way to make friends.”
• “I wasn’t trying to.” I responded.
• I crouched in front of Eli and his mother. “We’ve got a few hours before nightfall. You need food? Water?”
• She shook her head. “We’re fine.” But her voice was thin, and her hands trembled.
• I pulled a bottle of water from my pack and set it beside her. “You will be.”
• Ash wandered over, leaning on the wall. “You planning to stay here for the night?”
• “That depends,” I said. “You planning to keep this place safe?”
• His smirk faded. “We’ve held it longer than most spots in this city right now.”
• I wanted to commend him but I knew what was coming. The swarm would hit this place tomorrow night, and if things played out like before, almost no one here would make it.
• I needed to decide whether to stay and risk it, or move the people I could save before the storm hit.
• The system didn’t make it easier:
• > Mission Available: Fortify the safehouse against swarm attack within 24 hours.
• Reward: +300 SP, +2 MP.
• Failure: Safehouse overrun, loss of survivors.
• *****************
• A door at the back of the garage banged open, and another survivor rushed in. “We’ve got movement on the north side! At least twenty, maybe more!”
• The air in the room changed instantly. Conversations stopped. People grabbed weapons… pipes, bats, a rusty machete.
• Ash was already moving toward the door. “You coming?”
• “Yeah.” I answered, jumping to my feet.
• Outside, the street was crawling. A cluster of infected was pushing against the barricade, clawing and slamming into it.
• Ash raised his crossbow. “You take left, I’ll take right.”
• I moved fast with my bat in my hands. Ash’s bolts zipped past me, dropping the infected before they got close.
• When the last one fell, I was breathing hard, sweat running down my back.
• Ash started reloading. “Not bad.”
• “You too.”
• He gave me a sideways glance. “You ever think about teaming up?”
• I hesitated. In the last timeline, teaming up almost got me killed more often than not. But Ash wasn’t like the others. He had skill, and maybe something more.
• “I’ll think about it.” I replied.
• Back inside, the survivors relaxed slightly, but the fear didn’t fade completely. The shaved-head woman was glaring at me again, muttering to the man beside her.
• I ignored it. I had bigger problems.
• Eli’s mom was pale, paler than before. She kept touching the spot on her neck where blood had stained her shirt earlier.
• My gut twisted.
• I crouched beside her. “Is your vision blurry?”
• Her eyes darted away. “It’s nothing.”
• “Answer me.”
• She swallowed hard. “A little, that’s all.”
• Immediately, the system chimed:
• > Warning: Survivor Anna — early-stage infection detected.
• Time to full conversion: 11 hrs, 42 min.
• My chest tightened.
• I could save her. Maybe… if I got the right supplies. In the old timeline, a rare herbal extract could slow early infection. It was hard to find, and dangerous to get.
• The system appeared in my vision:
• > New Mission: Retrieve Feverroot Extract from Alcott Pharmacy before midnight.
• Reward: Infection halted. +250 SP.
• Failure: Target converts to infected at 6:23 a.m.
• I stood up. “Ash. You know Alcott Pharmacy?”
• He frowned. “Yeah. Four blocks west. Why?”
• “I need something from there.”
• He studied me. “You’re going out there now?”
• I glanced at Anna and Eli. “I don’t have a choice.”
• Ash was quiet for a long moment, then nodded. “I’ll come.”
• We left through the rear exit, moving through alleys to avoid the main streets. The city was quieter in some places, louder in others. Every noise made me tense.
• The pharmacy was dark when we arrived. Shelves were overturned, and glass crunched under our boots.
• “Stay alert,” I muttered.
• The Feverroot Extract was in the back, if it hadn’t been looted already. I walked fast, scanning shelves, ignoring everything else.
• Ash stopped suddenly, holding up a hand. “We’re not alone.”
• I froze.
• From the shadows near the rear counter, two figures stepped out. They were not infected.
• One held a shotgun and the other had a crowbar.
• “This is our stash,” the shotgun guy said. “Walk away.”
• I raised my hands slightly. “We’re just here for one thing. Feverroot Extract.”
• He laughed. “Like hell you are. Everything in here’s ours.”
• “Please, it’s for a mother.” Ash responded. “Just let us have one.”
• The guy’s finger twitched on the trigger. “I said no.”
• The system flashed in my vision:
• > Optional Mission: Eliminate hostile survivors.
• Reward: +150 SP, loot access.
• Before the guy with the gun could move, I swung my bat, catching the crowbar guy in the side of the head before he could react. Ash shot the guy with the gun and he collapsed to the ground.
• I exhaled. “They should have just let us have it.”
• I found the Feverroot Extract in the back cabinet. Two bottles and it was enough to buy Anna some time.
• *********
• By the time we got back, the safehouse was quieter. Most people were asleep, or at least pretending to be.
• I handed the bottle to Anna. “Drink it now.”
• She looked at me with doubt. “What is it?”
• “Something that might save your life.” I answered.
• She took it.
• The system’s voice came:
• > Mission Complete: Retrieve Feverroot Extract.
• Reward: Infection halted. +250 SP.
• I sat back against the wall, bat resting across my knees.
• It was only day one.
• But already, I was changing things and saving people.