The destruction of the Blackstone Nest had accelerated the apocalypse. Silver Rock had transformed into a warped version of itself—a place where the sky bled red, the air tasted of iron, and the streets were carved by glowing fissures that pulsed with unnatural energy. The creatures were no longer scattered anomalies but organized, deadly predators. The town was crumbling, and its people were breaking.

For Ethan and his group, survival had become a delicate balance of scavenging, fortifying, and fighting. Each day brought more attacks, more danger, and more death. And yet, something burned brighter than fear in Ethan’s heart—vengeance. Jack’s betrayal and the knowledge that he was somewhere in this fractured city gnawed at him constantly. But Ethan kept that fire buried, even from Dakota.

Sleep had become Ethan’s greatest enemy. His body craved rest, but his mind refused to grant him peace. The nightmares were vivid, relentless, and increasingly intertwined with his memories of the future and the weight of what had already been set in motion.

In his dreams, Silver Rock was a city of death. The streets were slick with blood, bodies strewn across sidewalks and glowing fissures splitting the ground. Mutated creatures roamed freely, their grotesque forms silhouetted against the crimson sky.

Ethan walked alone, his energy blade dripping with gore. He felt a presence ahead—a figure standing in the middle of the street, his back turned. Jack.

“Jack!” Ethan shouted, his voice echoing eerily in the empty city.

The figure turned, a cruel smile curling on his lips. “You’ll never stop me,” Jack taunted. “You’re too late, Ethan. Just like before.”

Ethan lunged forward, but the ground collapsed beneath him, dragging him into darkness.

This nightmare was a cruel replay of his past life. Ethan stood in a darkened room, his chest heaving as Jack loomed over him, his blade poised to strike.

“You’re a nuisance,” Jack sneered, driving the blade into Ethan’s chest. Blood spilled down Ethan’s torso, warm and sticky, as the betrayal seared deeper than the physical wound.

But this time, the dream twisted. Ethan’s surroundings shifted to Silver Rock, and he saw his group—Dakota, Mason, and Kyle—standing nearby, unable to move. Their eyes were wide with fear as Jack turned toward them, his knife dripping with Ethan’s blood.

“Not again,” Ethan growled, forcing himself to wake up with a strangled gasp.

The Forge had become more than just a base; it was a symbol of their will to survive. The group had fortified it further, turning it into a bastion of strength amid the chaos.

The loot from the Blackstone Nest had given the group an edge, but the increasing intensity of the attacks demanded constant innovation.

* Mason’s reengineered grenades packed devastating explosive power. During a test, one obliterated a boulder, leaving a crater that glowed faintly for hours.

* Ethan embedded core fragments into his blade, amplifying its cutting power. The weapon now emitted a searing glow, capable of slicing through even reinforced steel. “This will handle whatever’s out there,” he said, his voice cold.

Kyle modified his crossbow to fire core-tipped bolts that exploded on impact. The bolts weren’t subtle—they reduced targets to charred remains in an instant. “Loud, but worth it,” Kyle said with a smirk.

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The group’s bodies had become living weapons. Months of training had transformed them, and they pushed even harder now.

Ethans muscular frame was carved with new scars, each one a story of survival. His endurance and strength had reached new heights, allowing him to wield his enhanced blade with deadly precision.

Dakota’s already-massive frame had become even more imposing. His arms were thick with muscle, his grip like a vise as he swung his electrified crowbar with brutal efficiency. His leadership during training pushed the group to their limits.

Ethan continued his ambush drills, waking the group in the middle of the night for surprise scenarios. “You can’t control what’s coming,” he told them. “But you can control how you respond.”

Jake Cooper and his gang had grown bolder in the chaos, their cruelty unchecked as they roamed Silver Rock like scavengers. For Ethan’s group, avoiding them was a growing challenge—and not always successful.

During a supply run, Ethan’s group encountered Jake and his gang inside a gutted grocery store. The tension was immediate. Jake leaned against a broken counter, his pipe resting casually on his shoulder as his gang spread out behind him.

“Well, well,” Jake said, smirking. “Look who decided to show up. The apocalypse nerd and his babysitters.”

Ethan’s eyes were cold as he stepped forward, ignoring Jake’s taunts. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Oh, you’re too busy saving the world?” Jake mocked, his grin widening. “Newsflash, Graves—you’re not special. You’re just a freak pretending to be a hero.”

Dakota moved to Ethan’s side, his crowbar swinging idly at his side. “Walk away, Jake.”

Jake’s gang bristled, gripping their makeshift weapons. “Or what?” Jake challenged, stepping closer. “You gonna hit me?”

Ethan’s voice was sharp and deadly. “If I wanted you dead, you’d already be on the floor.”

Before Jake could retort, the distant sound of screeches echoed through the shattered windows. The creatures were coming.

The mutated creatures burst into the store like a tidal wave, their glowing eyes burning with feral rage. Wolves leapt through the broken windows, their claws raking across shelves and walls.

Ethan moved first, his energy blade carving through a wolf’s neck in one clean motion. Blood sprayed across his face, but he didn’t stop, pivoting to block a second wolf with a savage kick that shattered its ribs.

Dakota swung his crowbar with devastating force, crushing a raccoon’s skull in a shower of gore. Sparks danced along the weapon as he slammed it into a wolf’s chest, the electricity cooking the creature from the inside out.

Mason hurled a grenade into the fray. The explosion was deafening, reducing a cluster of creatures to a pulpy mess of entrails and bone fragments. “That’s how you clear a room!” he shouted, his grin grim and bloodied.

Kyle perched atop a fallen shelf, firing core-tipped bolts with deadly accuracy. Each shot exploded on impact, splattering the walls with blood and viscera. “We need to move!” he shouted.

Jake’s gang fought, too, but their inexperience showed. One of his lackeys screamed as a wolf tore into his shoulder, dragging him down. Jake swung his pipe wildly, panic in his eyes as he barely managed to fend off a raccoon.

When the last creature fell, the store was a battlefield of blood and gore. Jake staggered, his face pale as he stared at Ethan. “You think you’re better than us,” he spat, his voice shaking. “This isn’t over.”

Ethan’s voice was cold and final. “Next time, you won’t walk away.”

As the days passed, Ethan’s focus sharpened on Jack. The nightmares kept him awake, and the knowledge that Jack was somewhere in Silver Rock gnawed at him constantly. He poured over maps, tracing paths and landmarks, searching for any clue.

One evening, he stood alone on the roof of The Forge, staring at the crimson sky. The city burned in the distance, and his thoughts were consumed by the moment Jack had betrayed him.

“I’ll find you,” he whispered, his fists clenched. “And when I do, I’ll finish this.”

Dakota joined him, unaware of the storm brewing inside Ethan. “We’ll survive this,” Dakota said, his voice steady. “Whatever comes, we’ll handle it.”

Ethan didn’t respond. His thoughts were already on Jack—and the vengeance that awaited.

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Time Until Cataclysm: 65 Days, 3 Hours, 42 Minutes.