I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The car skidded, tires screeching as metal crunched against metal. A sickening lurch—and everything went black.
When I came to, I was lying on my back, staring up at the sky. It was a hazy gray, not quite what I remembered. My head throbbed like a bass drum, and my body ached as I sat up. The wreckage of my car was a few feet away, its front end crumpled like a soda can.
"What the hell?"
I looked around. The cityscape around me was a ruin—buildings crumbling and streets littered with debris. Weeds jutted out from cracks in the asphalt. This wasn't the highway I'd been driving on; it was something out of a nightmarish warzone. How the hell did I get here?
I stumbled to my feet, feeling disoriented and dizzy.
Where the hell am I? I had no idea where I was or how long I’d been out, but the fact that there was nothing around me but broken buildings told me this place wasn’t somewhere I wanted to stay.
Two figures dashed into view, wielding some kind of submachine gun. They didn't look human, more like robotic mannequins that belonged in some dystopian movie set. They scanned the area with a predatory focus, their movements too fluid and precise to be natural.
"SCAVs," a distorted voice whispered in my ear, startling me. I nearly jumped out of my skin but managed to stifle a scream as I turned to face the source of the voice.
A young woman in some sort of futuristic combat gear, her face obscured by some sort of high-tech mask, stood beside me. She gripped an assault rifle in her hands, her posture tense and ready.
"W...What's a SCAV? W...Who are you?" I whispered back, trying to keep my voice steady. “Where—”
"Not now," she hissed, gesturing at the two figures. "We need to move."
Before I could protest, she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a crouch, leading us away from the car wreck and deeper into the ruins. My heart raced, adrenaline pumping through my veins.
I glance back at those two figures and then I trip over a pile of debris, causing me to yelp in surprise. Their heads snap in my direction. Fuck—Shit!
This couldn't be real, right? This had to be some kind of crazy dream or hallucination. But the sound of bullets whizzing past my ears and the panicked breaths I took felt all too real.
The woman shoved me forward, moving us toward the shadows between two dilapidated buildings.
"Where the hell do you want me to go?" I asked, breathing hard as we ran, moving from cover to cover.
She pointed at an alley ahead, saying something over the sound of gunfire.
"What?" I shouted. "What?"
She didn't respond.
"You're going to have to speak up!" I screamed as another round pierced the air, inches from my head.
We took cover behind a fallen concrete slab, the young woman peeking out just long enough to get a sense of our pursuers' location.
"What's happening?" I asked. "Who the hell—"
Another round struck the wall behind me, splintering the brick.
"Alright," she whispered, turning to me. "I'm going to draw their fire. When I do, you run for that alley over there, got it?"
I nodded, swallowing hard. She didn't wait for any further confirmation, leaping out from our cover and firing a burst of shots at those SCAV things.
I dove for the alley, running as fast as I could while trying to avoid snapping my ankle on a piece of rebar.
A bullet whizzed past and hit the wall behind me, sending dust and bits of stone into the air. I continued to run, taking a sharp turn in the alley and hiding behind a dumpster, trying to catch my breath. I leaned my head against the cold metal, watching the two figures stalk across the street.
A flash, and the two SCAVs stopped moving. The young woman reappeared, leaning against the side of the building and checking her rifle.
"Get up," she said. "We gotta keep going."
We weaved through several more alleys. I was out of breath again. Gotta stop. They should have lost our trail by now, right? I staggered against a wall, panting heavily. “Wait, just…give me a sec.”
But it took a few minutes to calm me down and catch my breath.
The woman holstered her weapon and tapped the side of her mask. It made soft mechanical clicks and clacks as it started dismantling itself until completely disappearing into thin air, revealing her face for the first time. She looked like she was in her early-twenties, with blue eyes and long blonde hair.
A mix of relief and concern washed over her features as she inspected me.
"You okay?" she asked, her voice softer now.
No, I’m not okay. I just got into a car accident, then I got shot at and now I’m running for my life in some place I wouldn’t call a quaint neighborhood.
"Yeah, I think so," I replied. "Thanks for saving me back there. I'm Connor, by the way."
"Aubrey," she said, giving me a curt nod. "You must be hella confused right now."
I couldn't help but chuckle at the understatement. "Yeah, you could say that. One minute I'm in a car accident, and the next I'm here, being chased by killer mannequins. What is this place?"
Aubrey sighed, her gaze drifting over the ruined cityscape. "Server 31B7. Although that won’t mean anything to you right now."
Server what? I frowned, considering her words. "So, what are those things that were chasing us? You called them SCAVs?"
She nodded. "SCAVs—Scavengers. They're robots that roam the area, scavenging for any useful parts they find. They’re always hostile so shoot first if you can, avoid them if you can’t. They're relentless and highly skilled, which means we need to get you armed and ready to fight as soon as possible."
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"Fight?" I repeated, my stomach twisting with anxiety. "I'm not exactly a soldier, Aubrey. The last time I held a gun was over ten years ago."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "At least you held a gun before. You're better off compared to someone being thrown into this world without any real combat experience. Either way, you'll learn. You'll have to if you want to survive."
Survive. Right. I guess that’s the most important thing right now. Just have to think of the things I need to survive—Food, shelter, safety.
Food…Oh shit! I suddenly remembered the groceries in the trunk of my car. The front of the car was crushed but the back looked relatively intact. "Hey, I left some things in my car. Can we go back and get them before someone else takes them?"
She looked down for a moment, tapping a finger on her knee. "Alright, but let’s wait a little bit before we head back."
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We retraced our steps and managed to find my car again, hidden in the shadow of a crumbling building. We crept back towards the car, Aubrey leading the way like a freakin' ninja while I stumbled behind her, trying not to trip over my own feet. I swear, she was like a ghost, all silent and deadly.
"Keep an eye out," she whispered, and I nodded, even though I wasn't sure what good I'd be as a lookout. I mean, I could barely tell the difference between a SCAV and a trash can at this point.
When we reached the car, Aubrey took up a position to cover me, her rifle at the ready. I fumbled with the keys, cursing under my breath as they slipped through my sweaty fingers.
She leaned against my car, her high-tech mask covering the front of her face, making it impossible to read her expression. It made her look like some cyborg assassin and I couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated.
"So," I said, trying to sound more confident than I actually felt. "You got any advice for a newbie like me? You know, other than the whole 'watch out for SCAVs' thing?"
She glanced at me for a moment, as if sizing me up, before responding in a blunt tone. "Stay alive. Don't trust anyone. Get better gear."
But, I’m trusting her right now though. Should I not? She hasn’t killed me already, and she is helping me so I guess she’s friendly. Not exactly the pep talk I was hoping for, but I couldn't argue with the rest of her logic.
Finally, the trunk popped open, revealing the bags of groceries still in one piece.
Aubrey leaned in to inspect the bags, then she gasped. She turned towards me, lights flickering from her dark visor. “You got food?!”
I hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I was just doing some shopping when… well, you know."
“Why didn’t you mention it earlier? This is a jackpot!” Her distorted voice seemed excited. She slung her rifle over her shoulder. “I haven’t seen a big haul like this in months.”
I felt my chest puff up with pride. Yeah, that's right, Connor Gallagher, grocery shopping champ. Who knew that skill would come in handy in a place like this?
Aubrey seemed to consider something for a moment before making a proposition. "Alright, listen up. I'll help you get your bearings in this world, but in exchange, I want those groceries."
But, I wanted to eat those though…Damn it, I didn't have much of a choice, did I? I was out of my depth here, and she clearly knew what she was doing. Besides, I figured I owed her something for saving my life.
"Deal," I agreed, trying to mask my relief. "You've got yourself a deal."
Aubrey started loading the bags into her big ol' backpack, and I couldn't help but wonder how much it weighed. It didn't seem to slow her down, though. She was like some kind of superhuman pack mule.
As she packed, I kept watch, my eyes darting around like a paranoid squirrel. Every little sound made me jump, but Aubrey just kept on working, calm as can be.
Finally, she zipped up her backpack and gave me a nod. The rest of the groceries she couldn’t stuff in her bag, she handed over to me to carry. "Alright, we got what we came for. Let's blow this popsicle stand before we attract any more unwanted guests."
I couldn't agree more. Sticking around here seemed like asking for trouble, and I'd had enough excitement for one day. So, I took one last look at my poor, mangled car—rest in peace my beloved Nissan Z—and followed Aubrey into the shadows. Wherever we were headed, at least I wouldn't be going there alone.
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Aubrey had said that we were going to her temporary hideout. I felt a bit relieved hearing that.
As we trekked through the wrecked city, I couldn't help but gawk at the ruins like some kind of disaster tourist. The distant sound of gunfire and explosions made me jumpy.
"Just follow me," she said, like it was a walk in the park.
The crumbling buildings and overgrown streets told a different story. Trees and plants sprouted from cracks in the pavement, and vines crawled their way up the sides of buildings. There was something hauntingly beautiful about nature reclaiming its territory, but it only served to make the situation feel even more surreal. This place was a concrete jungle in the most literal sense—nature was swallowing it whole, and it didn't give a damn about us. The whole scene gave me the creeps like we were traipsing through the aftermath of some kind of apocalypse. It was hard to believe people had ever lived here.
"Keep up," Aubrey called out, her voice sharp and authoritative. "We don't want to attract any unwanted attention."
I couldn't help but glance around at the eerie silence, interrupted only by the occasional distant gunfire or a muffled explosion. "Yeah, I got it. Don't worry, I'm right behind you."
I tried to focus on the back of Aubrey's head, her messy ponytail bobbing with every nimble step. She moved with a purpose, as if she had memorized every crack in the pavement and every twisted piece of rebar. I, on the other hand, stumbled like a newborn deer. Man, I thought I was in decent shape, but she made me feel like a washed-up athlete past his prime.
We slipped through alleys, climbed over debris, and scrambled over fallen structures. This city, whatever it was, had once been alive. I could still see traces of what it used to be: faded billboards advertising long-forgotten products, graffiti that was once a colorful rebellion against conformity, and the skeletal remains of cars that had become the rusted shells of forgotten memories.
Jesus, I used to build stuff like this. What I wouldn't give to be back at my drafting table, trying to figure out how to make a stupid glass wall stand up. Instead, I was following a girl who was half my size and twice as deadly. And for what? Survival? In this place? It seemed like a cruel joke.
Man, how did I end up in this mess? My nerves were going haywire, but I tried to shove the panic down and focus on Aubrey instead. She moved like she owned the place, all sure-footed and badass. Made me wonder what it'd take for me to get that level of confidence.
"Stay low," Aubrey whispered as she crouched behind a decaying car. I followed suit, the scent of rust and mildew filling my nostrils. She peered around the corner and then motioned for me to follow her. We moved in a crouch, our footsteps muffled by the layers of dirt and debris on the ground.
As we navigated the ruined city, I tried to keep my mind off the gunfire and the thought of whatever monsters lurked in the shadows. Instead, I focused on Aubrey. There was something comforting about her presence, even though I knew next to nothing about her. She seemed tough, capable, and she knew this place like the back of her hand. I just hoped that her confidence in me wasn't misplaced.
Finally, we reached what looked like an old warehouse, its entrance partially hidden by a collapsed wall. Aubrey pushed a piece of corrugated metal aside, revealing a makeshift door. As she ushered me in, I couldn't help but think that if this was home, it was a far cry from the life I once knew.
Aubrey tapped on her mask to make it disappear again. Things have calmed down enough to let me appreciate how pretty she looked. Her blonde hair, kept in a messy ponytail, framed her sharp, determined features and her eyes were a striking shade of blue. I would have thought that this whole thing was a giant movie set and she was the lead actress.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she said, giving me a grin as she motioned for me to dump the groceries on a table nearby. "It ain't the Ritz, but it's safe and pretty well hidden."
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I've seen worse. I mean, my old college dorm room was about half this size and smelled like old socks."
Aubrey laughed, and it was a surprisingly warm sound. "I'll take that as a compliment. So, make yourself at home. After we've had a chance to rest up and chow down, I'll give you a rundown of this place."
My stomach growled at the mention of food, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since before this whole thing started. "Sounds like a plan. I don't suppose you've got a secret stash of beer around here?"
She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're in luck. I managed to scrounge up a couple of bottles a while back. Not the best stuff, but it'll do the job."
“Thanks, I could really use something to calm my nerves.”
As we sat down to get ready to eat, I tried not to think about how much my life had changed in the blink of an eye. A ruined city, robots, people with guns, and high-tech masks that appear and disappear—maybe I did die in that car accident, and this was either purgatory...or hell.
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