Today was the day of undertaking the recruitment order. After the mass death in the failed attempt to take over the Frontier Region, the government had commanded all sixteen-year-olds to enlist in the army.Ella stared at the running tap, refusing to face her son, “I am sorry for not being enough, and yes, I think about your dad every day, praying that he comes back to us. I hope that God keeps him alive, and then you don’t have to go there.”Alex remained silent as he hugged his mom. Praying to God felt far-fetched to him, especially when he allowed the world to fall this far. He never wanted his mom to apologize again, since it was never her fault. “He’ll be okay.”The world was in disarray, but as always, humans were able to adapt to major changes and still find happiness in the little things.Due to the invasion of the SYN Virus, the world order was upended, more than half of the earth's population was lost, and the earth was split into five major Regions: the Detached Region, t

[Extraction process complete. Preparing for a cure.]Alex waited, his eyes constantly shifting to the screeching crawler. It seemed that because of its defiance, the dominance effect worsened.The virus could alter the physical features of its victims, making it difficult to tell this one’s gender.“I need a place to hide,” Alex mused. His eyes went to the shadows of the crawlers. In a few hours, it would be dawn, and everyone would come out to play. His mind went to the handbook. Reapers had stations in certain regions where they would gather and communicate certain information and news.[Viral Cure Generated. Activation time: 2 minutes.]Before Alex could form another thought, a drug vial and an injection appeared in his hands. “This is it… I can’t believe I am doing this,” he muttered to himself, facing the crawler that was in agony. With this drug, he would be able to revert it to its original state. It was simply too good to be true.In a swift movement, Alex withdrew the red

The information caught him off guard. There was another system other than his own.“Are you sure you don't remember anything, Trent?” Alex asked.Trent looked up and after a while, he shook his head. There was nothing left for him to remember.“Why were you sent here? What exactly did they do to you?” Alex probed. He knew Trent had gotten into the Reaper's Academy two months ago. It was dangerous to send newbies into such an area.Trent looked around, and he widened as he remembered something. “What area are we?” He asked.Alex shifted back, before resting his back on the cracked wall. “We are in a broken down station in the Outer Area.”On hearing the name, Trent clenched his fist and slammed it on the ground. “Alwert, that conniving fox!” He grunted.On hearing his cousin’s name, Alex turned to Trent, “What did he do?”Trent drew a deep breath, “He sabotaged our mission. I knew it would be dangerous trusting him with the ships coordinate and he sent us right into the nest of a horde

It took forever before the pair of feet shuffled out of the kitchen.Alex waited, hoping the crawler had gone far enough for him to escape.There was no way to access the system so he couldn't afford confronting an infected.“I don't want to continue with this death sentence.” Alex sighed, coming out of his hiding area.His stomach grumbled and he could feel the tiredness seeping in.There was no more shuffling but he couldn't tell where the monster was going.“No matter. I should be able to end it.” Alex muttered, before taking a look at the map.Following the drawn out and strangely well-detailed directions, he found himself in what looked like a basement.“A basement? You have to be kidding me…” Countless images from the various movies he had watched appeared in his head.Alex gripped the iron harder, “I can't believe I'm going into a basement alone.”The door of the basement opened with a slight nudge and there was one single lightbulb that had dimmed.Alex listened for sounds, at

HOURS REMAINING: 2 Hours.The walls gave way with a deafening boom, followed by a thunderous roar.Angered by the fact that it had been deceived, the king crawler raged. Its muscles twitched and Alex barely had time to run when it swiped across his leg.The claw sliced through his flesh as if it was hot butter.Alex fell to the ground with a sharp scream.The beast pulled, dragging him across the floor.Pieces of glass pierced Alex's flesh, and tears fell from his eyes. He was done for.But in the next moment, he heard a gunshot.The king crawler's body was riddled with bullets, and the creature swiftly tossed its prey with an angry roar.Alex felt the air leave his lungs, and his vision blurred. He couldn’t see where the shots were coming from, but he didn’t care.The only thought he had was to leave, get the supplies, and hide till the timer ran out.“Heavens, please…” He gritted his teeth. His left leg was utterly useless, so he could barely even limp.Before he came to this store