THE GHOUL RISING

CHAPTER 3 — MY NEW SELF

INITIALIZING.....

PLACING EVERYTHING IN ORDER......

COMPLETED.....

It goes off. Leaving me in the dark again.

Maybe this is my own afterlife.

Even though I won't be able to see Sommy and Brixen again, the thought of getting past that torture spread like a blanket on me.

That is, until something bit me right at my wrist, zapping me back to reality.

My eyes snaps open as I quickly rise from the floor, dirt coating my tongue.

“Oh!” I jolt upright, rubbing at the sting. An ant scurries away across my palm. My heart pounds against my ribs.

Dead people don’t feel ant bites.

Something catches my attention.

A translucent blue screen materializes in front of my face, hovering in the air like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Like I'm supposed to understand what it means.

WELCOME, HOST.

EMERGENCY INTEGRATION INITIATED.

TO COMPLETE FULL INTEGRATION, THREE CRITERIA MUST BE MET.

ONE. CONSUME FOOD TO FULLY RESTORE HP.

TWO. COMPLETE THE ENDURANCE TASK.

THREE. DEFEAT TEN INFECTED ENTITIES.

CURRENT HP: TWENTY-THREE.

WARNING: CRITICAL CONDITION.

I wave my hand through it. My fingers pass through the glowing text like it’s made of smoke. My breathing quickens.

“What the—?” I try again, same thing "What's going on?"

The screen doesn’t respond. It just hovers there, pulsing softly.

I must be hallucinating. That’s it. I must have lost a lot of blood or got a trauma from that expedition so my brain’s shutting down—.

Hold on a minute!

I press my hands against my abdomen, trying to feel any opening. Blood crusts across my shredded shirt, but underneath it. The skin is intact.

Raised and pink like a fresh scar, but intact. I run my fingers over it, feeling the ridge of new tissue. This isn’t possible. I saw my insides. I felt them spilling out between my fingers.

Just then, voices drift through the trees ahead.

I freeze, every muscle tensing. The screen blinks.

ENTITIES DETECTED: HUMANS.

THREAT LEVEL: TIER EIGHT.

“Shut up,” I thought. “You’re not real.”

But my feet are already moving, drawn toward the voices like a moth to a flame. I creep between the trees, keeping low, until I see them.

An entire team of raiders sitting in a clearing. From the looks of things, they must be heading back to the gates because there are full bags stacked beside them.

My stomach clenches with hunger so intense it makes me dizzy. The screen pulses.

QUEST REMINDER: CONSUME FOOD.

HP CRITICALLY LOW

How do I approach them? I wonder, studying their formation. Do I just walk up? Ask for help? They’ll want to know what happened. They’ll want answers I don’t have.

I shake the many questions that keep flooding my mind. I'll go to them, what will happen? Worse case scenario, they'll refuse and leave me here.

I quietly approach them while thinking of the words I can use to persuade them.

Should I beg? Act like I'm lost? Which clearly, I am. Or act scared and desperate? No, the last one will raise suspicion. If I'm scared like that, why I'm I alone in the first place? That will make them reason alot of things with the most reasonable one being the fact that I might as well be infected.

I stroll right behind a lorry and stand behind someone while waiting for someone to approach me. To my shock, no body notice my presence nor said anything if they did.

I found a cloth and wrapped it around my body wondering if anyone will of my little scars. One walks past me, unaware of the screen floating before me.

That shocks me. Does it mean that no one sees it except me?

A man, maybe in his late forties approaches me.

"I need you to write your name," he instructs, "then pass it to the next person near you."

I turn to see a young man, probably my age, staring at me.

When he notice that I'm staring back at him, he looks away.

"Don't let him keep you uncomfortable." he says, "he does it all the time."

"Its ok." I assure him. "Am not uncomfortable."

The man glances at me briefly, making me wonder what sort of thought is running into his head and then he shrugs.

"Suit yourself. I didn't know you like all those type of stuffs."

"What type of stuff?" but he scowls away before I could get an answer from him.

I glance back at my screen, confirming that indeed, no body see the screen.

'What are you?' I think at the screen.

It doesn’t answer.

The gates rise before us, solid and real, and suddenly I’m choking on relief so intense it makes my eyes burn.

We pass through security with minimal fuss. The guards barely glance at me, too focused on checking the team’s bags for contraband.

On the other side, the team heads toward what looks like a processing station where dealers wait to evaluate their haul.

I help carry bags, because what else am I supposed to do? My hands move on autopilot, stacking crates, hauling equipment.

The dealers barely acknowledge me, too busy counting and cataloging.

“Jid?”

The voice cuts through everything. I know that voice.

I turn and there he is. Brixen stands a few meters away, talking to the raid leader. His eyes lock onto mine, and his face goes completely white.

He excuses himself mid-sentence as he approaches me. He is practically running toward me.

“You’re—” His voice cracks. “You’re alive?”

People are staring. I can feel their eyes on us, curious and calculating.

“Brixen.” I grab his arm and lower my voice. “Mellow down. Please.”

The scarred man from earlier appears beside us, eyebrows raised. “You know this dude?”

“Know him?” Brixen’s voice is too loud, too raw. “He’s my best friend. I thought he was—”

“Your best friend.” The man’s expression shifts into something I can’t quite read before he nods slowly. “Alright, take care. And I’m out.”

“Alright, see you next time.” and turns to me, confusion written across his features. “What was that all about?”

"Same here." I reply "I'm confused as you are.” I grab Brixen’s shoulder and pull him away from the crowd, toward a quieter corner. “We need to talk.”

“Talk? Jid, you’ve been missing for a week. A whole week! There was a search party. Sommy has been—” He stops, running both hands through his hair. “God, Sommy’s been out of her mind. We thought you were dead.”

The words hit me like I've been punched hard. “A week?”

“Yes, a week! Where the hell have you been?”

“I—” Where do I even begin? “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?” Brixen laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “You disappear into infected territory, don’t come back, and now you just show up with another team like nothing happened? That’s complicated?”

“Where’s Sommy?” The question comes out hoarse.

“Don’t change the topic—?”

“Is she okay?"

Brixen’s expression softens when he gives the clue that I wasn't ready to talk about it. “She’s at my place.”

"Come again?" I chuckle. “She'll rather be surrounded by the infects than be near you. She hates your guts." I see a shift in Brixen's expression that made me halt. Is he hurt? I need to change the topic." Plus, she's vulnerable so the authorities would have definitely sheltered her somewhere. ”

He won’t meet my eyes. “She's still not required to seek shelter due to age restrictions, so she wasn't given permission to get a place until a guardian is present or, she goes to the orphanages offered to her. So I thought I bring her to stay at one of my properties. ”

My stomach churns bitterly. Is this what she would have faced if I actually died back there? But then again, I'm glad that I have Brixen.

"Which one are we talking about?" I care to ask. "You have far too many properties."

"One closes to mine." He replies.

"And she accepted your offer?"

He presses his lips tightly. "Seriously? Come on, she might act like an arsehole but I can't abandon her." he pauses. "I'm the one who forced you to go, so I took her in as my responsibility with fear that you won't get back."

I smile. “I need to see her.”

“After I finish settling them.” Brixen gestures back toward the dealers. “We can go then.” He pauses. “And Jid? I have lots of questions about how you survived out there.”

“I know.” I manage something that might be a smile. “Who wouldn't.”

“And you owe me.” he says "For protecting Sommie."

“I thought you see her as a sister?” My smile slowly turns into a grin. "Was she just a bargaining chip for this?”

"You've caught me."Brixen spreads his arms and clocks his head to the side." So are you open to more negotiations?"

"After my fifty percent has been paid."

Brixen pouts like a kid caught stealing cookies. “I was hoping you’d forgotten it.”

“Waiting.” I cross my arms. “And don’t even think about running away.”

He groans but doesn’t argue.

We finish up with the dealers. I wait for Brixen to collect his payment and sign off on the paperwork.

The whole time, the screen hovers at the edge of my vision, reminding me of the tasks I have to do.

I wonder how I'm going to accomplish them but I guess it's not important.

We were walking through the streets toward Brixen’s apartment. The city looks the same as always, crowded and grimy and alive. But something feels different. Or maybe I’m different. Maybe coming back from the dead changes how you see things.

Brixen lives in a decent building, three stories with actual working elevators. His apartment is on the second floor, small but clean. The perfect place I used to dream about before dreaming felt pointless.

“Sommy’s not back yet,” Brixen says, checking his phone. “She must’ve stepped out.”

“She goes out alone?” My voice comes out sharper than intended.

“She’s seventeen, not seven.” But Brixen’s tone is gentle. “And she knows how to handle herself. You made sure of that.”

I swallow hard. “Yeah.”

“Listen, you freshen up.” Brixen moves toward a hallway. “Because you look like hell, and you smell worse. No offense.”

“None taken.”

He shows me the bathroom, pointing out the towels and soap. “Dump your clothes in that hamper. I’ll get you something clean to wear and then, we'll look for what to eat this dinner.”

“You sound like you can cook” I taunt as he turns to leave.

He grins over his shoulder. “I live alone, of course I know how to cook. It's either I learn or starve. Maybe I'll be the one to set up dinner while you wash that grim off.”

The bathroom is small but functional. I strip off my ruined clothes, piling them in the hamper like Brixen said. Then I catch sight of myself in the mirror and freeze.

I look like a corpse. My skin is pale, almost gray in places. My eyes are sunken, ringed with dark circles. Dried blood cakes my chest and abdomen, though beneath it, the skin is smooth. Those impossible scars glare at me, pink and raised.

And in the mirror’s reflection, the screen hovers behind me.

HP: FIFTY-FIVE OVER HUNDRED.

STATUS: RECOVERING.

INTEGRATION: EIGHT PERCENT COMPLETE.

“Integration,” I whisper. My breath fogs the mirror. “What does that mean?”

The screen doesn’t answer. It never answers. It just is, following me like a shadow.

I turn on the shower and step under the spray. The water runs brown at first, washing away dirt and blood and God knows what else. I scrub until my skin turns pink, until I can’t smell death anymore.

But I can’t wash away the screen. It stays visible even through the steam, pulsing with that soft blue light.

No one else can see it. The realization should terrify me more than it does. Whatever this is, it’s just for me. Just in my head. Or my eyes. Or—

I don’t know. I don’t understand any of this.

I finish washing and wrap a towel around my waist. When I step out of the bathroom, I hear the front door open.

My heart leaps.

I turn toward the sound and see her.

Sommy stands in the doorway, dressed like she’s trying to disappear. A cap pulled low over her forehead, hood up, face mask covering her mouth and nose, dark shades hiding her eyes. She looks like a shadow trying to pass as human.

Our eyes meet.

She freezes. Completely still, like if she doesn’t move, this moment won’t shatter.

Then slowly, so slowly, she walks toward me. Her hand reaches out, shaking, and touches my cheek. Her fingers squeeze hard enough to hurt.

I flinch and bat her hand away. “Ow! What the hell?”

“You’re real.” Her voice breaks. The mask muffles it, but I hear the tears underneath. “You’re really here.”

“Yeah.” My throat is suddenly too tight. “I’m here.”

She throws her arms around me, almost knocking me over. Her shoulders shake with silent sobs. I hold her tight, feeling how thin she’s gotten, how fragile she feels.

“Why are you here?” she asks into my shoulder.

“Brixen told me about the house—”

“No.” She pulls back to look at me, pulling down her mask. Tears streak her face. “Why are you here? They said you were gone. They searched everywhere. They told me you couldn’t be found.”

I look at Brixen over her head. Help me out here.

He clears his throat. “They must have searched the wrong places.”

“I don’t care.” Sommy’s grip on me tightens. “I’m just glad you’re here. That you’re alive.”

“Okay, okay.” Brixen’s voice is gentle. “You two can have your reunion after dinner. Jid needs to eat and then sleep before he passes out.”

“I’m not going to—”

A siren cuts through the air.

All three of us freeze. That sound—I’ve only heard it once before, during a drill. A citywide alert.

“What the—” Brixen starts.

But I’m already moving, drawn to the balcony like something’s pulling me. The towel nearly slips and I clutch it with one hand, using the other to slide the door open.

The siren wails again, louder this time. I step out onto the balcony and look down at the street.

Horror floods through me.

People are running. Screaming. And between them, shambling through the crowds with that terrible jerking motion—

Its the infected.

They’re inside the walls. Inside the city.

The screen pulses in my vision.

QUEST UPDATE: DEFEAT INFECTED ENTITIES.

TARGETS AVAILABLE: MULTIPLE.

RECOMMENDATION: ENGAGE.

“No,” I whisper. “No, no, no—”

“Jid?” Sommy’s voice, small and terrified. “What’s happening?”

I turn to look at her and Brixen.

“The wall is breeched.” I announce, “The infected are in the wall.”