Evan Barn awoke to the acrid stench of burning rubber and decay. His eyes blinked open to a broken sky, hues of orange and grey bleeding through a haze of smoke. He sat up, his palms scraping against rough asphalt, and scanned his surroundings.
Shattered glass sparkled like shards of forgotten hope across the street. Abandoned cars lay like dead animals, their twisted forms blocking the desolate road. In the distance, faint groans echoed—inhuman and guttural, an alien symphony that set his nerves on edge.
His heart pounded as his mind clawed for clarity. “Where… am I?” he muttered.
The last thing he remembered was a storm outside his apartment—a sudden crack of lightning—and then... nothing. Now, he was here, in a world that felt like a nightmare made real.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a translucent screen materialized before his eyes. Its faint glow stood out against the twilight, the words crisp and cold.
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[System initializing… 3%… 37%… 100%]
[Welcome, Evan Barn. You have been selected as a participant in the Evolutionary System. Survive, Adapt, and Evolve.]
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Evan froze, his breath caught in his throat. “What the hell is this?” he whispered, taking an involuntary step back. The screen moved with him, its presence invasive yet immaterial.
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[Starting Package Activated.]
Skill Unlocked: Survivor’s Instinct (Level 1)
Quest Activated: Survive the First Day
Reward: Beginner’s Pack, Information Unlocked
Failure: Death
---
The words lingered in his vision, their implications sinking into his chest like lead weights. He reached out to touch the screen, but his hand passed through it, leaving a faint ripple.
“This has to be a dream,” he murmured. “It has to be.”
A low, guttural moan shattered the fragile calm. His head snapped toward the sound, his body stiffening. From the shadows of a collapsed building, a figure staggered into view.
The thing moved unnaturally, its limbs jerking like a puppet on broken strings. Its skin hung in pale, tattered sheets, and its eyes—cloudy and unseeing—locked onto him.
“No,” Evan whispered, his stomach twisting. “No, no, no.”
The creature let out a bone-chilling snarl and charged.
---
Instinct took over. Evan bolted, his sneakers slapping against the pavement as he scanned the area for anything useful. His gaze landed on a rusted pipe lying near the curb. He dove for it, his fingers wrapping around the cold metal just as the zombie closed the distance.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
It swiped at him, its jagged nails slicing through the air. Evan swung the pipe in a desperate arc. The first hit landed with a dull thud against the creature’s shoulder, barely slowing it down. It lunged again, its rancid breath inches from his face.
With a surge of adrenaline, Evan slammed the pipe into its head. A sickening crunch echoed through the street as the zombie crumpled to the ground, its body twitching once before falling still.
Panting, Evan staggered back, the pipe trembling in his hands.
---
[Combat Log Updated.]
Enemy Defeated: Basic Zombie
Experience Gained: 10
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Another screen popped up, but Evan barely registered it. His eyes were fixed on the corpse at his feet, the reality of the situation sinking in.
He had just killed a zombie.
His body screamed for rest, but a faint pulse of awareness spread through him, a sensation that prickled at the edge of his consciousness.
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[Skill Activated: Survivor’s Instinct.]
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The world around him sharpened. He felt them before he saw them—three more zombies, lurking just beyond his line of sight. His breath quickened as he realized they were closing in.
“Great,” he muttered, his voice shaking. “Just great.”
---
Evan forced his legs to move, stumbling toward a building with a shattered window—a pharmacy. The faint hum of movement inside told him it wasn’t entirely safe, but he didn’t have a choice.
Climbing through the broken glass, he landed on the tiled floor with a grunt. Rows of looted shelves stretched before him, their contents scattered and broken. A faint growl echoed from the back of the store, sending a shiver down his spine.
He raised his pipe, every muscle in his body tensed.
“Don’t move,” a voice commanded.
Evan froze. From behind the counter, a woman stepped into view. She held a crowbar, its edges stained with blood. Her dark hair was tied back in a messy braid, and her piercing eyes locked onto his with a mix of suspicion and readiness.
“I’m not infected,” Evan said quickly, raising his free hand.
The woman didn’t lower her weapon. “Prove it.”
Swallowing hard, Evan turned his head to the side, exposing his neck and arms. No bites, no scratches.
She studied him for a moment longer before lowering the crowbar slightly. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Evan,” he said, his voice still trembling. “I don’t know how I got here. One moment I was home, and now—”
“You’re in hell,” she interrupted, her tone flat.
---
Her name was Claire Rivers, and she wasted no time explaining the basics.
“It started six months ago,” she said as she patched up a shallow cut on Evan’s arm. “The virus hit first, then the mutations. Governments collapsed in weeks. Now it’s just survival.”
Evan listened in stunned silence. None of this made sense. This wasn’t his world. It couldn’t be.
Before he could ask more, a shrill alarm rang out. Claire cursed under her breath, grabbing her crowbar.
“Motion sensor,” she said. “They’re coming.”
Evan’s grip tightened on his pipe as his newly acquired instinct flared. “There are three of them,” he said without thinking.
Claire froze, her eyes narrowing. “How do you know that?”
“I... I just do.”
There wasn’t time to explain. The first zombie clambered through the window, its shriveled hands reaching for Claire. She swung her crowbar with brutal precision, caving in its skull.
Evan turned to face the other two, his body moving on autopilot as the system’s guidance filled his mind—target weak points, aim for the head. His movements were clumsy but effective, each swing of the pipe driven by sheer desperation.
By the time the last zombie fell, both he and Claire were panting, their weapons slick with gore.
“You’re not useless,” Claire admitted begrudgingly.
Evan managed a weak smile. “Thanks, I guess.”
---
As the night deepened, the two barricaded the pharmacy’s entrances and settled into a corner to rest. Evan’s body ached, but his mind raced. Before he could voice the questions swirling in his head, the system chimed again.
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[Quest Completed: Survive the First Day.]
Reward Claimed: Beginner’s Pack
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A new screen appeared, displaying an inventory filled with supplies—a basic knife, a first-aid kit, and a skill book labeled Strength Enhancement (Level 1).
But it was the final message that chilled him to the core.
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[System Directive: The Apocalypse is only the beginning. Uncover the truth, or perish.]
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The words lingered in his mind long after the screen disappeared. This wasn’t just about survival. There was something bigger at play, and somehow, he was at the center of it.