Apocalypse Reborn : The Doomsday Archive

Chapter 1: Deathday

Ethan Cole could barely stand.

Blood ran down his forehead, blurring his vision as he stumbled through the abandoned street. His right leg dragged behind him, and every breath he took was sending a sharp pain through his chest. The backpack hanging from his shoulders weighed him down but he had to keep walking. .

He had three bottles of water left, half a pack of crackers, and a knife with a broken handle.

That was all he had after spending the last two days searching for supplies for his pregnant wife.

Victoria had been waiting for him at their shelter, worried about the baby and complaining about how little food they had left. Before he left two days ago , Ethan had promised to return with enough supplies to last them several days.

A low growl came from behind him.

Ethan turned and saw three creatures crawling over the wreckage of a car. Their gray skin stretched over twisted bodies, and their long claws scraped against the metal as they climbed down.

His stomach tightened.

He couldn’t fight them in his condition. He barely had enough strength to keep moving, and the smell of his blood was drawing them closer.

He tightened the straps of his backpack and forced himself forward.

Their shelter was only a few streets away, If he could reach it, he would be safe.

He turned into a narrow street, nearly falling when his injured leg caught against a piece of broken concrete. He grabbed the wall to steady himself and continued, ignoring the pain shooting through his knee.

“Just a little farther,” he whispered.

He pictured Victoria sitting inside their shelter, waiting for him. He imagined the relief on her face when she saw him return with the supplies.

He had been looking forward to seeing her all day.

Even after everything that had happened to this city , Ethan still believed he had something worth protecting.

His pregnant wife and his childhood best friend who was like a brother to him , Derek. 

By the time Ethan reached the shelter, his clothes were torn, and his legs were shaking so badly that he could barely remain upright.

Their shelter was an old underground storage facility beneath a commercial building. The entrance had been reinforced with metal sheets, and Ethan had spent weeks helping Derek strengthen the doors.

It was one of the few places in the area that could withstand an attack.

He stumbled toward the entrance and struck the metal door with his fist.

“Open the door!”

His voice came out hoarse.

He hit it again.

“Babe ! Derek! It’s me!”

There was no response for a long time the  he heard footsteps on the other side, a sense of relief washed over him.

He leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath.

“Victoria honey , please hurry. They’re following me.”

He heard a lock being moved, but the door didn’t open.

Instead, Derek’s voice came through the metal.

“Ethan?”

“Yes! Open the door!”

“What happened to you?”

“I got attacked. Just open the damn door!”

Ethan looked over his shoulder.

The creatures were getting closer. He could hear their claws scraping against the pavement as they moved through the street.

He turned back to the entrance and struck it again.

“Please, Derek! They’re coming! Hurry the fuck up!”

There was a pause then Derek spoke.

“Did you bring the supplies?”

Ethan stared at the door.

For a moment, he thought he had misheard him.

“What?”

“The supplies, Ethan. Did you get them?”

Ethan looked down at the backpack on his shoulders.

“Yes! I brought them. Now open the door!”

He could hear muffled voices inside, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Then he heard Victoria.

“Ethan is back?”

“Victoria!” he shouted. “Baby, please open the door. I’m hurt.”

He waited for her to tell Derek to let him in.

Instead, she asked, “ Why are you asking him like we are going to need what he brought?” 

Ethan frowned unsure of what he had just heard.

“Victoria, what are you talking about? Open the door!”

He tried the handle, but it wouldn’t move.

“Why is the door locked? Derek, open it!”

Derek sighed on the other side.

“Listen, Ethan. We need to talk.”

“Then open the door so we can talk!”

“It’s better if you stay outside.”

Ethan went still.

The words didn’t make sense.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Ethan stared at the metal door as though he could see through it.

“Derek, stop playing around. I’m bleeding. I can’t stand properly, and those things are coming. Open the door!”

He heard Victoria say something quietly.

Derek answered her, but Ethan couldn’t catch the words.

Then she came closer to the door.

“Ethan, you should leave.”

He blinked.

“Leave?”

“Go somewhere else.”

He let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“Victoria, are you serious? This is our shelter. You told me you would wait for me here.”

“I know what I told you.”

“Then open the door!”

His voice cracked.

He pressed his forehead against the cold metal, trying to hold himself together.

“Please. I’m begging you. I don’t know how much longer I can stand out here.”

“You knew how it was outside didn’t you ?” 

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, He had gone out because they were running out of food. He had risked his life because she was pregnant and he wanted to make sure she had enough to eat.

And now she was blaming him for getting hurt?

“Victoria, I went out there for you, what are you talking about! Why are you doing this ? I don’t have time ! They’re close ! .”

“I didn’t ask you to get yourself killed!Just tell him, Derek. We don’t have all day.”

Derek chuckled.

“Fine.”

Ethan waited, he was panting, his gaze calculating how long he could remain outside before the creatures finally got to him, they had bee distracted by a sound from an abandoned house but he knew they will catch up with him soon . 

“You were useful to us, Ethan. You found the shelter, gathered supplies, and helped reinforce the entrance. We couldn’t have done all this without you.”

Ethan stared at the door.

“Then let me in! Why the fuck am I locked out ? ”

“That’s the problem. You’ve done enough.”

A terrible feeling settled in Ethan’s stomach.

“What did you do?”

Derek didn’t answer.

Ethan struck the door with his fist.

“What did you do, Derek?”

“You’re making this difficult.”

“Difficult?” Ethan shouted. “You’re leaving me outside to die ! It’s you who is making this difficult “ 

Ethan looked toward the street, The growling was getting louder.

He turned back to the door.

“Victoria, please. Think about our baby, I know you can hear me …just let me in , I understand the frustration that all of this has brought , you are not thinking properly right now …let me in, we can discuss ”

“I suppose there’s no point hiding it anymore.”

Ethan’s heart began to pound.

“The child I’m carrying isn’t yours.”

“No, that’s not true.”

Victoria didn’t respond.

Ethan pressed one hand against his chest, as though he could stop the pain spreading through it. 

“It’s true ! I am the father ….now let’s get the 

Ethan stopped breathing.

Behind the door, he heard Derek move closer to Victoria.

“That’s right. The baby is mine and I plan on giving my new family a better future but you have to pay that price…” 

He had shared his food with Derek when they were starving. He had risked his life to save him when a group of creatures cornered them in a shopping mall. He had trusted him enough to leave Victoria in his care since this started two months ago . 

“I’m tired of living like this. Derek has connections. He knows people who can get us everything we need, As long as you’re around, Derek and I will never have the life we want,” she continued. “The people he’s working with promised us enough supplies to survive for years. In exchange, they wanted you gone…I have no idea why but we have to do it .”

Ethan slowly opened his eyes.

“You traded my life for supplies?”

“We had to make a choice.”

A sharp screech came from the street.

Ethan turned.

The creatures had reached the entrance.

He could see their twisted shadows moving across the ground.

Panic seized him.

He rushed to the door and slammed both hands against it.

“Open it!” 

He struck it again and again.

“Please! They’re here!”

He heard the creatures approaching, their claws scraping against the pavement.

“Derek! You can’t do this!”

There was no response.

“Victoria!”

He pressed his face against the metal.

“I’m going to die out here!”

He wanted to curse them but he also wanted to beg for his life but  he knew none of it mattered now.

He was going to die.

And the two people he had trusted most were going to watch it happen from the other side of a locked door.

A creature lunged at him.

Ethan stumbled backward and fell hard against the wall. He tried to get up, but his injured leg gave out.

The creature pounced on him .

Pain tore through his shoulder as its claws sank into his flesh. He fought desperately, striking its head with his fists, but another creature grabbed his leg.

There were too many.

He couldn’t win.

As the creatures dragged him away from the entrance, Ethan could still see the metal door.

He stared at it through his tears.

He had spent his entire life trying to be a good man. He had worked hard, kept his promises, and put the people he loved before himself..

His vision began to blur.

The creatures tore into him, and his strength slowly faded. He could feel his life slipping away, but the pain in his heart was worse than anything they could do to his body, His fingers curled against the ground.

“If I get another chance…”

His voice was weak, almost lost beneath the creatures’ snarls.

He forced his eyes open one last time.

“I’ll make you pay.”

The world went dark, he lost…..The monsters devoured life out of him . 

Ethan woke with a gasp.

He shot upright in bed, his hands flying to his chest. He expected to feel torn flesh, broken bones, and the weight of creatures holding him down.

Instead, his palms met smooth skin.

He looked down at himself, there was no blood or  wounds or  torn clothes.

For several seconds, he sat motionless, breathing hard as he tried to understand what was happening.

Then he noticed the familiar curtains beside his bed, the wardrobe near the wall, and the half-empty glass of water on his bedside table.

This was his bedroom in newton .

Ethan slowly turned his head.

He knew this room.

He had lived here before the apocalypse, back when electricity worked, food was easy to find, and people worried about rent and traffic instead of being eaten alive.

But that wasn’t what made his heart race, his phone beep and it was a text from Victoria. 

“ Babe …I might be home late , I have to work a late night shift “ 

He picked it up with trembling fingers,The screen lit up, and his eyes immediately went to the date.

28/2/2069

He read it once , then he zoomed in and read it again again.

This was seven days before the world met it’s doom on a random morning. 

He had returned exactly seven days before the apocalypse.

Ethan gripped the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

It wasn’t a dream. He remembered the pain, the blood, Derek’s voice, and Victoria telling him not to open the door.

He remembered dying.

His phone vibrated again , Ethan glanced down, expecting a message or a notification from one of his apps.

Instead, a strange blue light flickered across the screen.

The display went black, a light flashed on his screen. 

His heartbeat quickened.

“What the hell is this?”

The screen flashed again.

“ Doomsday Archive initializing…” 

Ethan stared at the words.

He had no memory of anything like this in his previous life.

Before he could touch the screen, another message appeared.

“Welcome back, Ethan Cole…,Your second life begins now….I am the maker of the doomsday archive , you are our new host “