The first stimuli that reached me was the sound of someone sleeping, along with a strong smell of rubbing alcohol. My back was stiff from rugged rocks poking into my back and shoulders. At least someone thought to support my head with my pack. It was uneven and uncomfortable, but it was softer than rocks. I rubbed at my head, feeling the near-perfect smoothness.

Usually, I'd be pushing greasy hair off my forehead, but that was no longer any concern.

I'm Zeke.

I dreamt of nothing. My entire experience felt like turning off a video game, and returning to the save file after a few days. There was the briefest moment of disorientation before the memory of what I was doing the previous session came flooding back.

"You're awake."

I turned my head to see that smarty Chinese woman sitting against the wall to my right. She looked at me like I was hopeless. The clear judgment made my eyebrows furrow.

"It's been about 4 hours. I cleaned you up and closed your wounds. Alice was kind enough to donate her blood."

I followed her pointed finger. A blond girl laid face up, motionless, save for the gentle rising and falling of her chest. I saw a small prick on her inner forearm and was grateful. Then I saw the other marks running down her forearm and felt worse.

"We heard quite the story from Asteria. Little of it involved you, actually. What we did hear was enough to convince the majority to allow you to stay unmolested. Though we had to set up the tent to prevent... complications."

"Is she okay?"

"Asteria or Alice?"

"Alice."

Although her voice softened a fraction, it was still scolding.

"From what I can tell. No. Not in the slightest. However, none of us are okay. The world ended, everyone we know is likely dead, and the people leftover aren't exactly the cream of the crop."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"The fact that anyone is alive after that event is... fortunate."

I didn't expect to find two recognizable characters so soon.

Women really are more resilient than men.

"I didn't get your name."

"Mei. Or May. It is generic either way you spell it."

"Mei. Thank you. Ah, my name."

"Zeke. I know. One of your Sponsors spilled the beans."

I felt a prick in my consciousness. I would need to get used to people calling me Zeke. Then I thought about the Sponsor issue. Context clues told me that one or both of my sponsors helped save me. Unfortunately, one of my sponsors was also responsible for nearly killing Asteria and robbing me of most of my blood.

An event I ultimately benefited from in the end but I rue it all the same.

That bastard was showing off.

Imagine, if you will. You just crushed a planet into a glorified Rubix cube, yet more people survived than you planned. There are too many for the game, so you need to quell the numbers somehow. You happen to be an all-powerful organization with a significant amount of "pets" at your disposal. Three of these are considered genocidal atrocities that have wiped out entire civilizations on their own. You think, hey, this ought to solve the problem; it might even rack up views as well!

So you unleash them on a fledgling population with no hope of fighting back.

It decimates the remaining surface civilizations leaving no survivors, save a single American woman who fell down a hole while an entire army fired bullets, rockets, tank shells, and missiles in futile.

Now, one person escaping isn't that bad. The hosts don't care that much. Their only real concern was for seeded contestants. Like when some big, bad, rich, and spoiled little shit with a vendetta decides to "loosen the chain" on his pet. Having it rampage among legitimate players was in opposition to the grand plan.

A sponsor with the connections to sway the host's better judgment. The money to make it affordable. Along with the power to ensure nothing would go wrong. AND... even if something did go wrong, it wouldn't be a huge blow to their standing anyway.

The smug fuck thought himself untouchable.

I felt an evil smirk spreading across my lips.

Then I flexed my hand and realized it was empty.

Shit. Where'd it go?

The conditions necessary to make a Chaos Crystal were not something I would ever be able to replicate. I took that chance and nearly died for it... Now, my hard effort was stolen from me.

Mei looked at me inquisitively. Again, she was trying to figure out what I was thinking. I would need to be careful when talking with her in the future, but her searching gaze told me she was clueless.

Alice... even less likely.

"Who pulled me out of the water?"

"Asteria did."

My heart sank.

Asteria.

As if summoned, the redhead appeared, pushing past the tent flap.