Survivor System: From Weak To Overlord

Chapter 9: Ray of Hope

The night was quiet, but not peaceful. The kind of silence that carried tension, the kind that made even the smallest sound echo like thunder in the dark.

Wilson’s eyes snapped open at the faint sound of his name being whispered. “Wilson.”

He shot up, his hand gripping his axe out of instinct. His breathing was sharp, eyes scanning the dim corners of the room, ready to fight. 

His heart raced until his gaze landed on the familiar figure standing a few steps away. It was Sophia.

The sight of her made him lower the axe a little, but the adrenaline in his veins didn’t settle immediately.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice calm but alert. He pushed himself up from the floor, brushing the dust off his sleeve.

Sophia shook her head slowly. “No… I just couldn’t sleep. I wanted to see if you were awake, but it looks like I woke you up.”

Her tone was soft, almost childlike, and the faint light from the hallway made her face look tired but gentle. 

Wilson stared for a second too long before realizing how ridiculous it would be to stay angry.

Even if waking him was a crime, he couldn’t turn her away, not now, not after everything they had gone through.

“Alright,” he said quietly, shifting a bit and patting the spot next to him. “Come sit. Tell me what’s keeping you up.”

Sophia hesitated before sitting beside him. The floor was cold, and the broken window behind them let in the faint hum of the night wind. 

For a while, she didn’t speak. She just looked at her hands as though searching for the right words.

Wilson tried to lighten the mood. “Don’t tell me you’ve caught zombie fever,” he said, forcing a crooked grin.

Sophia blinked at him, then smiled, a small, warm smile that managed to melt the heavy air around them. “No,” she said softly. “I was just thinking… What if the outside world isn’t safe either? What if it’s worse than this? What are you going to do?”

Wilson didn’t answer right away. The question hit him like a weight. He had thought about it, every time he closed his eyes. 

What if they made it out, only to find another nightmare waiting outside? He exhaled. “Honestly? I don’t know. I’d just… do whatever it takes to survive. Maybe that’s all we can do now.”

Sophia’s eyes met his. There was sadness in them, but also something else, something like quiet hope. 

“So there’s a chance the world outside is gone,” she murmured, her voice trembling. “That everything we knew is… over.”

“Maybe,” Wilson said, his tone firm but gentle. “But sitting here and worrying about it won’t change anything. We deal with what comes. That’s the only way.”

She looked down, then nodded. “Then I guess… we’ll have to stick together.”

Her words hung in the air. Wilson smiled faintly. “Yup. Looks like I’m stuck with you now.”

Sophia laughed, a soft, almost musical sound that made the empty room feel alive again. “Then Kelvin and I will be in your care,” she said. “I trust you, Wilson. I believe you can protect us.”

Wilson looked away quickly, hiding his surprise. She trusted him. That word felt heavy. He wasn’t sure he deserved it, not when he was keeping secrets from them.

He forced a small smile. “You give me too much credit. I’m just trying not to die before breakfast.”

Sophia’s lips curved into another smile, but there was a seriousness behind it. “No,” she said quietly. “You’re more than that. You’re like… our ray of hope.”

Her words froze him. A ray of hope. He wanted to laugh, but when he turned to her, she was already looking at him with an expression so sincere that it made his heart skip.

Before he could say anything, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, quick and gentle, but it left his face burning.

“All I’m saying,” she whispered, “is that if the world outside is as bad as in here… I’d still follow you anywhere.”

Wilson blinked. For a man who hadn’t been this close to anyone in years, the touch of warmth on his cheek felt unreal. He didn’t know what to say, so he just smiled, awkwardly scratching his neck.

“You’re willing to put up with me, huh? Most people run the other way once they see me dance,” he joked.

Sophia laughed again and shook her head. “You’re not so bad, Wilson. You’re actually… kind. I want to learn more about you, to see how far you can take us.”

She leaned against his shoulder. Wilson froze for a moment, then relaxed. He could hear her breathing slow down as she began to drift off to sleep.

“I’ll keep you both safe,” he said quietly. “You and Kelvin. No matter what.”

Sophia didn’t reply. She was already asleep. Her head rested gently against him, her expression peaceful, a rare thing in this nightmare.

Wilson looked at her, a mix of emotions twisting in his chest. She’s not a fairy tale, he thought. “She’s real. And I have to make sure nothing happens to her.”

When her weight grew heavier, he carefully shifted and laid her down beside Kelvin. Both of them looked fragile, like the world could shatter them at any moment.

He sat back down, staring at the ceiling. His mind was spinning. “Should I tell her?” he whispered.

The secret, the system, the thing that made him faster, stronger. If she knew, would she still trust him? Or would she look at him like he was one of the monsters outside?

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp sound. Ring… ring… He froze. It was faint, but unmistakable, a phone. “A phone?” he muttered. “No way.”

Phones didn’t ring anymore. The world was dead. Networks were down. If a phone was ringing, that meant someone out there was alive, or something was playing a very dangerous trick.

Wilson stood slowly, gripping his axe again. He looked at Sophia and Kelvin, still asleep, then made up his mind.

He moved quietly down the hall, following the sound to the third floor. The air grew colder there. Dust floated in the moonlight pouring through broken windows.

The ringing got louder. It was coming from a room on the left. Wilson stopped in front of the door. The silence behind it felt wrong. Too silent.

His instincts screamed at him. The air carried that heavy, electric stillness that always came before danger.

“System,” he whispered. “Why haven’t you alerted me yet? Are there zombies here?”

The reply came in a calm, metallic tone. [There are approximately eleven to fifty hostile entities in the area. However, human life forms have also been detected on this floor.]

Wilson’s eyes widened. “Humans? Here?”

He tightened his grip on the axe. The idea of survivors nearby should have filled him with relief, but something didn’t feel right.

If there were humans, why were they hiding? Why wasn’t anyone answering the ringing phone?

He took a slow step back. “System, can I see them without opening the door?”

[Affirmative. You have unlocked a new ability: Infrared Scan. It allows you to detect heat signatures of both living and undead beings within a fifty-meter radius.]

Wilson nodded. “Alright. Let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

He activated the skill. The world around him changed, dull colors fading into a haze of red and blue shapes.

The red ones pulsed softly, human life. The blue ones were still and twisted, zombies.

He counted. Ten red. Fifteen blue. “Ten people,” he whispered, “and fifteen zombies… all in one room.”

A cold smile crossed his face as he gripped his axe tighter. “Well… this ought to be fun.”

He took one step forward, and then froze again as a faint voice echoed from the other side of the door. “Help… please.”

The voice was weak. Human. Desperate. Wilson’s heart pounded. He could either turn back to safety, or walk into another nightmare.

He raised the axe slowly. “Looks like hope just got a little messy.” And with that, he pushed the door open.