The boy without a system

CHAPTER 2 — THE MAN WITH THE GARAGE

Evan waited until Lily had left for school.

He watched her from the window as she walked down the street, backpack on, earphones in, just a normal girl. Completely alive. Once she turned the corner, he moved.

He grabbed his jacket, shoved the notebook into his pocket, and headed out.

The walk to Elm Street took twenty minutes, which felt longer than he remembered. His legs felt heavy and weak. He knew he’d have to fix that.

The neighborhood looked the same. The same houses, the cracked sidewalks, even the same old lady watering her flowers. He knew she’d be dead in six months. He kept walking to push the thought away.

Marcus lived at the end of the street in a small, brown house with a garage that was disproportionately larger than the actual building.

Evan stood in the driveway for a moment.

Does he even know who I am? No. We’ve never met.

He knocked.

Silence.

He knocked again, harder this time.

The door swung open to reveal a man with a grey beard and a flannel shirt, his eyes looking like they had seen far too much.

"What?"

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"The end of the world."

Marcus just stared at him. "You look about sixteen. Go home."

As he started to close the door, Evan reached out and braced his hand against it.

"Three weeks from now, a portal opens in the middle of the city. Goblins come through. Two hundred people die before the military even arrives."

Marcus froze. He looked Evan dead in the eye. "How do you know that?"

"Because I've seen it."

There was a long, heavy pause.

"You're serious."

"I am."

Marcus studied him for a long beat, then stepped aside.

"Get in."

---

The garage was overflowing.

Boxes, shelves, canned goods, water jugs, tools, weapons it was a hoard. There was even a wall covered in maps and newspaper clippings.

Evan felt a strange sense of relief wash over him.

He’s already preparing. He just doesn't know why yet.

"Nice setup," Evan said.

Marcus crossed his arms. "Start talking."

Evan sat down on a crate. "Every person on Earth is about to awaken a System. Powers, levels, skills the whole thing. Like a video game."

"Uh-huh."

"Then the monsters arrive. And the world ends."

"You're losing it."

"I'm not."

"Prove it."

Evan pointed to a map on the wall. "Three weeks. Right there. The portal opens at 3:47 in the afternoon. Goblins. They're small, but they're fast. They'll kill anyone in the vicinity before the military can react."

Marcus studied the map closely. "How do you know the exact time?"

"Because I was there."

"Was?"

"Yeah."

Marcus remained quiet for a long time before finally sitting down.

"Start from the beginning."

So, Evan did.

He told Marcus about the first System user in China the girl the news called a miracle because of her control over water.

He told him about the second in Brazil, who had incredible strength. The third, who could manipulate fire. The fourth, who could heal.

He told him about the first year: the sheer chaos, the falling cities, and the mounting death toll.

He told him about the third year, specifically his first kill. A goblin. He described how he’d used a kitchen knife and how he’d thrown up immediately afterward.

He told him about the fifth year the year he met Marcus, the man who taught him how to fight, how to track, and how to stay alive.

He didn't mention Lily. He didn't mention his own death. But he gave him enough to make it real.

Marcus listened without interrupting. When Evan finally finished, Marcus leaned back.

"You're either completely insane or you're telling the truth."

"I'm telling the truth."

"Then I'm in."

Evan blinked, caught off guard. "Just like that?"

"I've spent my whole life preparing for something. I never knew what it was, but I always knew it was coming." Marcus shrugged. "Maybe this is it."

He stood up, walked to a shelf, and pulled down a box. He opened it to reveal a collection of small throwing knives.

"You said monsters, right? Goblins?"

"Yeah."

"Then you’re going to need weapons."

Evan picked up a knife. The weight of it felt familiar, almost comforting.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet." Marcus sat back down. "Twenty-nine days. What's the plan?"

Evan pulled out his notebook. "Supplies. Training. People."

"People?"

"I have names."

"Of course you do." Marcus rubbed his face. "Who?"

"A man named Chen. He runs a dojo on Fifth Street. He was a fighter before the apocalypse the kind of guy who trained survivors."

"Was," Marcus corrected.

"In my timeline."

Marcus shook his head. "This is madness."

"I know."

"But I'm in."

They spent the rest of the morning sorting through supplies.

Marcus had much more than Evan had anticipated: food, water, first aid kits, rope, batteries, and even a generator.

"We need more water. More food. And we need a place to hole up when things go sideways."

"I have a cabin in the mountains. It's remote."

"Good."

"For what?"

"For when the cities fall."

Marcus didn't argue.

Evan left at two.

His backpack was heavy with supplies, a knife was tucked in his pocket, and the plan was playing on a loop in his head.

Twenty-nine days.

He walked home slowly, his mind racing.

Marcus is one. I need Chen. I need Dr. Patel. I need

He paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.

But I can't tell them everything. They'll just think I've lost it. I have to be careful.

The light turned green, and he crossed the street.

And I definitely can't let Lily know. She wouldn't understand.

He thought about her face, her laugh, the way she hummed to herself.

As long as she's alive, that's all that matters.

When he reached his house and opened the door, he was met by Lily sitting on the couch. Her arms were crossed, and she looked furious.

"Where were you?"

Evan froze. "What?"

"School called. You didn't show up." She stood up. "I came home early to find you, and you've been gone for hours. Where were you?"

He hadn't even thought about school. He hadn't thought about anything except the end of the world.

"I was... just running some errands."

"Errands?" She didn't buy it for a second. "You've been acting so strange all day. You even hugged me for no reason.". "You looked like you were about to burst into tears. And now you're skipping school?"

"Lily…"

"No. Something is wrong with you." Her voice cracked, a small tremor running through it. "You're scaring me."

Evan looked at her. His little sister. She was only fourteen, and now she was terrified because her own brother was acting like a stranger.

*She has no idea. She doesn't remember a thing. To her, life is perfectly normal.*

He took a slow, steadying breath.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For making you worry." He moved toward her and sank onto the couch. "I've just... I've been having these nightmares. Really bad ones."

She sat down beside him, her eyes searching his. "What kind of dreams?"

"The end of the world."

There was a beat of silence. Then, she let out a small laugh.

"That's it? You're losing it over a dream?"

"It felt real, Lily."

"It was just a dream, Evan." She leaned her weight against him, a teasing smile tugging at her lips. "You're such a weirdo."

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

"Yeah. I guess I am."

They sat there in silence for a while, not needing to say anything. Just existing in the same space.

I missed this. I missed her so much.

Then, the TV flickered to life, cutting through the quiet with the news.

"Breaking news. Reports are flooding in from across the globe of individuals developing unusual abilities. Scientists are calling it…"

Evan felt the blood drain from his face.

No. Not yet. It's too early.

He lunged for the remote and frantically switched the channel to cartoons.

Lily frowned, pulling away. "Hey, I was watching that."

"Sorry."

He stood up abruptly and walked over to the window.

Outside, the world looked untouched. Cars moved steadily down the street, people went about their business, and kids were playing in the yards nearby.

But Evan knew better.

It's starting. It's happening sooner than I thought.

He stared down at his hands, trembling slightly.

Twenty-nine days? No. We don't have twenty-nine days.

We have much less than that.