ZERO-DEATH PROTOCOL

The stench of rot and stagnant river water hit Ariful’s lungs like a physical blow. He gasped, his back slamming against the wet, moss-covered brick of a Shakhari Bazaar alleyway. His heart hammered against his ribs—a frantic, uneven rhythm that echoed the screams he still heard in his ears.

He wiped grime from his eyes, his gaze snapping to the narrow sliver of sky above. The horizon was turning a bruised, sickly violet. The Spores.

"Not again," he hissed, his voice raw.

"Ari? Is that you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost, man."

Ariful spun around. It was his younger sister, Sumi, standing near the mouth of the alley, her face illuminated by the flickering neon of a dying shop sign. She looked terrified, clutching a soaked backpack to her chest.

"Sumi? You’re... you’re supposed to be at the community hall," Ariful said, his breath hitching.

"The hall is underwater, Ari! Didn't you hear the sirens? Everyone’s running toward the main gate," Sumi said, her voice shaking. "I waited for you like you said, but the water is rising fast. We need to move."

Ariful reached out, grabbing her shoulders. Her skin felt warm—too warm, too real. He remembered the stampede, the way the crowd had trampled her in the chaos, the feeling of her hand slipping from his as the world turned to grey dust.

"Listen to me, Sumi. Forget the main gate. The stampede is going to crush everyone in that tunnel," Ariful said, his voice hard.

"What? How could you know that? It’s the only way out!" Sumi pulled away, squinting at him. "Are you high? We have to go."

"I’m not high. I’m thinking. Use the back route through the spice warehouses. The alley connects to the roof of the tailor’s shop. We can jump to the main thoroughfare from there," Ariful commanded, his mind tracing the blueprints of the city he had memorized years ago.

"The warehouses? Those are completely flooded, Ari!"

"The water is waist-deep, but the foundation is solid. The crowd isn't going that way because they’re too stupid to look up. They’re running like cattle," Ariful snapped, pulling her arm. "Move. Now."

"You’re acting weird, really weird. Did you hit your head?"

"I’m acting like someone who wants to keep you breathing," Ariful countered. "Come on, follow my lead."

They sprinted, boots splashing through the dark, oily water. Ahead, the low roar of the crowd grew—a terrifying sound of a thousand people losing their minds in the face of the encroaching cloud.

"Ari, wait! They’re everywhere!" Sumi screamed, pointing toward the intersection.

People were pouring out of the side streets, a surging, panicked tide. Ariful didn't hesitate. He swung her toward the rusted iron ladder of the warehouse wall.

"Climb. Don't look down, just climb," Ariful ordered.

"My hands are shaking too much!"

"Look at me, Sumi. I’ve got you. I’m right behind you. One rung at a time. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, but this is insane! We’re going to get killed!"

"If we stay down there, we’re definitely dead. Trust me!"

They scrambled up the ladder, the metal groaning under their weight. Below, the street became a massacre. Bodies collided, falling into the rising muck, trampled by the stampeding masses who were already coughing, their eyes turning the color of toxic sludge as the first of the Spore cloud settled over them.

"Oh god, look at their eyes," Sumi sobbed, freezing on the third rung.

"Don't look at them! Look at me!" Ariful grabbed her foot, pushing her up. "Keep moving!"

They reached the roof, the air thinner here, tasting of ozone and fungal decay. Ariful stood up, scanning the path forward. He knew the layout perfectly. If they took the high line, they’d hit the extraction zone in three minutes.

"See? We’re clear," Ariful said, relief flooding his voice.

"You were right," Sumi whispered, her eyes wide. "How did you know?"

"I just... I felt it. I’ve seen this happen before, in my head."

"That’s impossible, Ari."

Suddenly, the roof beneath them shuddered. A giant, pulsating fungal growth erupted from the ventilation shaft—a wet, tearing sound like fabric being ripped. The Spore husk, towering and spindly, unfurled right in front of them, its long, claw-like limbs twitching.

"Ari! What is that thing?" Sumi screamed, backing away.

"Stay behind me!" Ariful yelled, reaching for his pocket knife. It was useless, and he knew it.

The husk didn't attack Ariful. It lunged with impossible speed, its tendrils wrapping around Sumi’s waist.

"Ari, help me!"

"Sumi!" Ariful lunged forward, grabbing her hand. Their fingers locked, white-knuckled. The husk pulled, its grip like steel cables.

"Don't let go! Please, don't let go!" Sumi’s face was inches from his. She was crying, her eyes already clouding over, the spores taking hold of her body from the inside out.

"I won't! I promise!"

"It hurts, Ari... it hurts so much," she gasped, her voice bubbling with black bile.

"Just hold on!"

"I love you, big brother..."

She went limp. Her skin shriveled, turning into the same grey, calcified husk as the monster. She dissolved, her grip slipping from his, leaving him holding nothing but a handful of toxic, grey dust.

"No! No, no, no!" Ariful howled, falling to his knees.

The world twisted. The ground tilted violently as the Spore cloud engulfed the entire city. Ariful felt his lungs burn, the suffocating heat of the spores filling his throat. He clawed at his chest, his vision turning white, then absolute black.

I failed again.

His last thought was of her smile before the husk took her.

*

Ariful gasped, his back slamming against the wet, moss-covered brick of a Shakhari Bazaar alleyway.

His eyes flew open. His chest ached—a deep, phantom pain that felt like a hole punched through his heart. He reached up, touching his chest. There was no wound, just the suffocating, familiar rhythm of his own heartbeat.

"Ari? Is that you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost, man."

Ariful looked up. Sumi was standing there, the neon sign flickering, the same look of terrified uncertainty on her face.

She was alive.

The trauma of her death, the sight of her dissolving into dust, lingered like a stain on his soul. He could still feel her hand slipping away, the phantom sensation of her skin turning to ash. He stood up, his legs trembling, his knuckles white.

"Ari?" she asked, stepping closer. "Are you okay? You’re staring at me like I’m already dead."

Ariful gripped the wall, his fingernails digging into the mortar. He knew exactly what was coming. And this time, he wasn't going to play by the rules of the loop.

"Sumi," he croaked, his voice cold and terrifyingly calm. "We have to run. But we’re doing it my way this time."

"Your way? What do you mean?"

Ariful looked at the violet sky, his eyes hardening into flint. "I mean I’m going to kill that thing before it even has the chance to look at you."