2025-06-24 16:41:58The stench of blood filled the air.
Ethan Black opened his eyes slowly. His head throbbed like it had been smashed by a brick, and a metallic taste clung to his tongue. The world around him was dim, flickering with the pale light of malfunctioning ceiling panels. The hospital room was in ruins—papers scattered across the floor, broken glass crunching beneath his weight as he struggled to sit up. He didn’t remember how he got here. His fingers trembled as he pushed himself up, only to fall back down. Pain shot through his side. There was a bandage wrapped around his abdomen, already stained red. He winced, gritting his teeth. Something wasn’t right. A soft beep echoed in the silence. [Survival System Activated. Initiating Host Sync... 37%... 68%... 100% Complete.] A blue screen flashed before his eyes. Not on a monitor. Not on a device. In his vision. > Welcome, Ethan Black. Z-Virus Detected. Infection Level: 12%. Activating Protocol: Survive at All Costs. “What the hell?” he whispered. He blinked, but the interface remained, hovering in front of him like some kind of augmented reality overlay. > Quest: Exit the hospital. Reward: Basic Inventory Access + Immunity Suppressant (1 dose) A scream tore through the hallway. Ethan’s breath caught. It wasn’t a normal scream—it was raw, animalistic, filled with hunger and rage. He forced himself up, adrenaline overriding the pain. He limped to the door, pressing his ear against it. Thud. Thud. Thud. Something—or someone—was running down the corridor, crashing into walls, growling like a beast. His heart pounded. > Warning: Host is within 30 meters of Infected Entity. Recommend immediate evacuation. His instincts screamed. He pushed the door open slowly. The hallway was dim, the emergency red lights casting a hellish glow. Blood painted the walls. A corpse lay a few feet away, throat ripped out. He gagged. Footsteps. Fast. Erratic. Ethan ducked into a supply closet, just as a figure bolted past. It wasn’t human anymore—its eyes were bloodshot, mouth twitching, arms limp like a puppet, but moving too fast, too wild. He waited. Ten seconds. Thirty. Silence. He opened the inventory tab in the system. > Inventory: Empty. Damn. But the quest—he had to complete it. There was a suppressant waiting. And if this infection level hit 100%… No. He wouldn’t let it. He moved silently, barefoot on the cold tiles. He passed through what remained of the nurse station. A scalpel lay on the floor. He grabbed it. > Item Acquired: Rusted Scalpel. Durability: 10/10. Better than nothing. He reached the elevator—out of service. Of course. The stairs it is. He opened the door slowly. Growling. Two infected were crouched on the staircase landing, feasting on a body. Flesh tore like paper. Ethan’s stomach turned. > New Ability Unlocked: Focus Vision (Level 1) – Highlight threats within 10 meters. The two lit up in red outlines. He had to be smart. Quiet. One wrong step— A bone snapped under his foot. Both infected turned. “Shit.” They charged. Ethan didn’t think. He ran. Up the stairs. One flight. Two. His lungs burned. The scalpel clutched in his fist like a lifeline. One leaped at him. He dodged barely, slashing its arm. It shrieked, more angry than hurt. The other tackled him from behind, sending them both rolling. He stabbed. Again. And again. Blood sprayed. Silence. He pushed the body off him, shaking. > Enemies Defeated: 2 Experience Gained: 40 EXP Level Up Available > Level 2 Achieved. Stat Points +3 Infection Level Reduced: 12% -> 9% He exhaled. It worked. Killing them helped slow the virus. He limped out of the stairwell onto the rooftop. The city was burning. Fires raged in the distance. Sirens wailed. Helicopters circled, too far to help. The world had ended. But he hadn’t. > Quest Complete. Reward Received: Inventory Access + 1x Immunity Suppressant He looked at the small syringe that appeared in his hand, as if conjured. He took it without hesitation. > Infection Suppressed. Next Dose Required in 24 Hours. Ethan looked out over the ruined city. “This isn’t just survival,” he said. “This is war.” And war was something he was born for. The sunlight burned against his eyelids. Lucas slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the harsh light pouring through the cracks of a ruined ceiling. Dust floated in the air like golden ash. The world around him was in pieces—broken concrete, twisted metal, shattered windows. For a few seconds, he didn’t move. His body ached. His head throbbed. "Where... am I?" he whispered, his voice dry like sandpaper. Lucas pushed himself up from the cold floor. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. He glanced around. This wasn’t his apartment. It looked like a hospital—no, more like what was left of one. Beds overturned. Blood on the walls. Cabinets emptied. Everything smelled of rust, smoke, and death. A flickering monitor near the wall displayed a blinking green light. [System Activated.] He frowned. “What... system?” The same digital voice from his dreams echoed in his mind: > [Survival System Activated. Mission: Survive.] It wasn't a dream. It was real. Lucas stood, wobbling a bit before steadying himself. He looked down at his arm. A small holographic screen was glowing faintly above his wrist. [Survival System Booting... Loading Basic Stats...] Name: Lucas Gray Age: 27 Health: 70/100 Energy: 60% Infection Level: 0% Weapon: None Inventory: Empty “Infection level?” he muttered. “What the hell is going on?” Suddenly, a loud crash echoed down the hallway. Lucas froze. Snarling. Not human. He slowly crept to the doorway, peering into the ruined corridor. A figure limped in the distance—its skin pale, torn, parts of the face missing. The creature turned slowly. Half its jaw dangled, and its eyes glowed with a sickly red light. A zombie. Lucas’s heart raced. [Warning: Enemy detected. Threat Level – Low.] “Low?” he whispered in disbelief. “That thing could rip my face off.” The system responded. > [Tip: Zombies are weak alone. Strong in groups. Use stealth or blunt objects to neutralize.] Lucas scanned the area. There—a metal pipe, partly buried under rubble. He dashed forward, grabbed the pipe, and turned just as the zombie groaned and charged. It wasn’t fast. But it was relentless. Lucas held his ground and swung. The pipe cracked against the zombie’s skull with a sickening thud. It stumbled, groaned, and lunged again. Another hit. And another. Finally, the creature dropped with a gurgle, unmoving. [+50 EXP Gained.] [New Weapon Unlocked: Rusted Pipe – Damage: Low] [Level Up Progress: 50/100] Lucas stood over the body, panting. Blood dripped from the pipe. His hands trembled. “That was... close.” His system chimed again. > [Tip: Collect loot from defeated enemies.] He searched the zombie and found a worn-out keycard and a small pack of painkillers. [Items Acquired: Level 1 Keycard | Painkillers (x1)] Lucas stuffed the items into his pocket. He looked at the hallway ahead. The world was broken. The city—his home—was no longer safe. But something inside him had awakened. A system. A strange power. A second chance. He wasn’t just a survivor. He was something more now. — One Hour Later Lucas stepped outside for the first time. The city was dead. Cars abandoned in the streets. Smoke rising in the distance. Buildings half-destroyed. No birds. No animals. Just silence and the soft moans of the undead echoing from alleys. He looked around. A system menu appeared again: [New Mission: Find Shelter Before Nightfall.] Time Remaining: 05:00:00 He had five hours before night. Lucas gripped the pipe tighter. “Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s play your game.” But deep down, he knew—this wasn’t a game. It was survival. And it had only just begun.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Episode 19: The Silent Dominion
The Snow Fell Like Ash In The Dim Light Of The Arctic Sky As Zeyad Stood On The Observation Deck Of Borealis Station Staring Out Over The Frozen Expanse That Seemed To Stretch Into Infinity The Wind Howled But Inside The Station The Silence Was AbsoluteLaila Joined Him Her Breath Visible In The Cold Air That Somehow Still Managed To Creep Through The Reinforced Walls Despite The Heating Systems Running At Maximum Capacity There Was A Stillness In The Station That Set Her Teeth On Edge A Stillness That Felt ManufacturedWe Should Not Be Alone Here Zeyad Said Finally His Voice Low As If Afraid To Disturb The QuietLaila Nodded I Keep Expecting A Door To Open Or A Voice To Speak Or Something But Nothing Happens This Place Feels Like A Trap Built From TimeThey Had Explored The Lower Levels Already Storage Rooms Filled With Supplies That Were Too Pristine Too Untouched Medical Bays Still Stocked With Equipment Screens That Blinked With Old Data But No Signs Of Human Life No Blood No Bodi
Episode 18: The Frost Does Not Forgive
The Sky Was Bleeding Orange As Zeyad And Laila Emerged From The Lower Sector Of Borealis Station Their Faces Covered In Frost Their Eyes Burning With Exhaustion And Fury Behind Them The Sound Of Metal Screaming Against Metal Echoed Through The Ruins Of The Northern Corridor Where The Remnants Of Another Failed Hybrid Had Just Collapsed Into Steam And BoneThey Had Come Seeking Refuge Clarity AnswersInstead They Found Secrets Buried In IceThey Moved Through The Outer Courtyard Of Borealis Station Past Dead Terminals Broken Barricades And Snow Covered Corpses That Had Long Frozen Into Statues Of Horror None Of The Lights Inside The Station Were Functioning Naturally Everything Here Ran On A Faint Internal Pulse Like A Failing Heartbeat That Refused To DieLaila Pressed Her Hand Against A Panel And The Door Shuddered Open Not With Power But With Something Else Something Like ObedienceZeyad Noticed It Too This Place Was Not Responding To Technology It Was Responding To ThemThey Stepped
Episode 17: Rebirth From Ashes
The Earth Was Quiet For The First Time In Years. The Skies, Once Filled With Smoke And Screams, Now Shimmered With The Pale Glow Of A New Dawn. What Remained Of The Hive Had Fallen. The Orbital Uplink Was Gone, Reduced To Cosmic Ash. And Zeyad Khan, The Man Who Had Set Fire To The Sky, Was A Name Whispered In Reverence Among Those Who Survived.Laila Stood Alone On The Ridge Overlooking The Charred Wreckage Of Borealis Station. Her Clothes Were Tattered, Her Face Smudged With Soot, But Her Eyes Held No Defeat. She Had Witnessed The Death Of A God And Lived. And That Made Her something more than human now—a flame carried from the brink of extinction.A Week Had Passed Since The Sky Had Burned. The Signal That Once Controlled Millions Had Gone Silent. Infected Drones, Without Their Puppet Master, Had Collapsed. Some Fled Into The Wild, feral and lost. Others simply dropped where they stood, lifeless husks. It wasn’t peace—not yet. But it was the beginning of something better.Scavenger
Episode 16: The Frozen Chamber
The Air Inside Borealis Station Was Colder Than Anything Zeyad Had Experienced Aboveground But It Was Not Just The Temperature That Chilled Him It Was The Feeling That The Entire Facility Was Holding Its Breath Waiting For Something Or Someone That Had Finally ArrivedThe Doors Closed Behind Them Without A Sound And For A Moment All He Could Hear Was His Own Breathing And The Echoing Drip Of Meltwater From The Ice-Covered Pipes OverheadLaila Kept Her Blade Drawn Her Eyes Scanning Every Corner Every Shadow As If Expecting The Walls Themselves To Open Up And Swallow Them WholeIt Did Not Feel Like A RescueIt Felt Like A Trap Dressed In SilenceThe Lights Flickered Once Then Stabilized A Pale Blue Glow That Did Little To Comfort The Unease Building In Zeyad’s Chest His HUD Flashed Faintly Attempting To Map The Interior But The Signal Interference Remained Just As Strong As It Had In The HiveThey Are Jamming Even From Here He Said Quietly Either To Laila Or Himself But She Nodded Nonet
Episode 15: Ashes Of The Forgotten
The Sky Was Painted With Fire As The Sun Rose Behind Them But The Light Felt Hollow Like It Did Not Belong To This World Anymore Zeyad Adjusted His Pack And Looked Across The Charred Landscape That Stretched Ahead Of Them The Blackened Earth Still Smoked From The Collapse Of The Hive Behind ThemLaila Walked In Silence Beside Him Her Knife Now Dried Of Blood But Still Clutched Firmly Her Fingers White From Holding It Too Tight She Had Not Slept In Thirty Hours Neither Had HeThe Interface In Zeyad’s HUD Still Glowed With That Singular MessageRemaining Node Detected Sector Forty Seven Estimated Hostile Activity MaximumThere Were No Roads Anymore No Maps To Follow Just A General Direction And A Whisper In His Mind That Pulled Him Like A Magnet Toward The Final Heartbeat Of The InfectionThey Walked For Hours Through Burnt Forests And Abandoned Fields Once Teeming With Life Now Haunted By Silence Occasionally They Passed The Crumpled Remains Of Vehicles Devoured By Nature Or Corpses Fr
Episode 14: Ghost Protocol
Darkness Had Changed.Not Just The Sky Or The Air Or The Way Shadows Moved. Zeyad Could Feel It In His Bones As They Walked Away From The Smoldering Remains Of The Hive Core. Every Step Took Them Further From What They Knew And Deeper Into A World That No Longer Followed Rules.They Had Won A Battle — But The War Was Still Breathing.Smoke Drifted From Cracks In The Earth, Carrying With It The Bitter Stench Of Burned Flesh And Chemical Ash. Laila Moved Beside Him With Her Blade Drawn, Her Face Hard As Stone But Eyes Flickering With Something More Than Fear — Determination. She Wasn’t Going To Let That Thing Die In Vain.Not Without Ending It For Good.Zeyad’s Interface Flickered Again. The Message From Before Reappeared.“Threat Persisting. Secondary Nodes Detected. Estimated Number: Three. Locations: Unknown.”A Map Glitched Open, Then Collapsed In Static.Laila Peered Over His Shoulder.“We Knocked Out The Brain,” She Said. “But There Are Still Limbs. Claws. Teeth.”Zeyad Nodded, Wi
You may also like
UNDERGROUND
Emelradine5.7K viewsTHE MYSTERY CITY
anna'rubi5.2K viewsAllison; Taking Control
Feyonce8.3K viewsDARK CRYSTAL IN A FULL MOON
Jamung Joel Yenumi2.4K viewsTHE MURDERER TYPEWRITER
khadijah610 viewsPRIEST
MEGACO1.9K viewsDark Secrets (Thriller)
Julie Paola2.0K viewsEnigma Of The Woods
Diamondpurple801 views