3

Carter spun around as the door swung open without warning, the sound of the latch clicking back echoing like a gunshot in the silence.

A woman stumbled inside, her face pale, her wide, terror-stricken eyes darting around the room.

Without a word, she slammed the door shut behind her and fumbled to lock it, her trembling fingers barely able to secure the latch.

It hit Carter then—he had forgotten to lock the door upon rushing back inside.

"Who the hell are you?!"

he demanded, his voice sharp, instinctively stepping back to put space between himself and the intruder.

His heart was pounding, and his grip on the knife he grabbed from the kitchen knife block at his side tightened.

The woman flinched as though struck, her panicked gaze snapping to him.

Her dishevelled hair clung to her sweat-drenched forehead, and her breath came in shallow gasps.

It was clear she'd been running for her life.

Then recognition hit him—she wasn't a stranger.

She was one of his neighbors.

"Please, let me stay here!"

she cried, her voice cracking as she took a shaky step forward.

"No. Get out,"

Carter snapped, his voice cold.

He couldn't afford to trust anyone.

Not now.

Not with everything falling apart outside.

Her face twisted in desperation.

"Please! I'm begging you,"

she whimpered, clasping her hands together.

"I have nowhere else to go. They're everywhere. I can't—I can't go back out there."

"That's not my problem. You have your own unit. Stay there,"

he said, his tone unwavering.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she shook her head violently.

"I can't… my brother—he—he turned into one of them, one of those... those things. It's not safe there anymore!"

Her words made Carter freeze.

His stomach dropped.

"There are already zombies inside the building?"

he asked, his voice low but sharp, dread prickling at the edges of his mind.

The woman nodded frantically, clutching her arms like she was trying to hold herself together.

"I saw him… I saw him turn. It was… it was…"

Her voice broke, her lips trembling.

Carter cursed under his breath.

This wasn't his problem.

He couldn't let it become his problem.

He had a rule—stay alone, stay alive.

"I'm sorry,"

he said firmly, his hand gesturing toward the door.

"But you need to go."

"Please…"

Her voice cracked, and she fell to her knees.

"I'm begging you…"

And then he saw it.

As she knelt there, her sleeves slipped down her arms, exposing the dark, jagged teeth marks on her right forearm.

His chest tightened, horror flooding his veins.

"You—what is that?"

Carter hissed, pointing at her arm.

Her gaze dropped to the bite mark as if she'd forgotten it was there.

Her face contorted in fear, and she yanked her sleeve down to cover it.

"It's nothing!"

she stammered, her voice high-pitched and frantic.

"It's—it's nothing, I swear!"

Carter's pulse quickened.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the knife tighter.

"Don't give me that crap! You were bitten!"

"I swear, it's not what you think!"

she pleaded, her voice trembling.

"I can explain—"

"Get out!"

he roared, stepping toward her.

But then she twitched.

It was slight—just a jerk of her shoulder at first.

Then another.

And another.

Carter's blood turned cold as he watched her convulse, her body trembling like a live wire.

Her head snapped to the side unnaturally, and a guttural, choked gasp escaped her lips.

"Oh, no…"

Carter muttered, backing away as the sound of cracking bones filled the air.

Her limbs contorted grotesquely, bending at impossible angles as her fingers twitched, nails tearing into her palms.

Her skin grew pale, veins darkening and spreading like spiderwebs across her arms and face.

Her eyes shot open, now glassy and lifeless, her irises clouded with an unnatural, darkened hue.

She let out a guttural snarl, her lips pulling back to reveal bloody, jagged teeth.

Carter's instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs felt like lead.

The knife in his hand trembled.

He forced himself to swallow the rising panic.

The woman—no, the thing—lunged at him with inhuman speed.

Adrenaline surged through Carter's veins, and he swung the knife with every ounce of strength he had.

The blade struck her shoulder, but it was as if he'd hit solid stone.

She barely flinched, her claw-like hands slashing at the air as she closed in on him.

"Shit!"

Carter stumbled back, dropping the knife in his panic.

It clattered uselessly to the floor.

His eyes darted around the room, searching for something—anything—to defend himself.

His gaze landed on a heavy wooden chair.

Without thinking, he grabbed it and swung it hard.

The chair slammed into the zombie with a sickening crack, knocking her off balance and sending her sprawling to the floor.

Carter didn't wait—he grabbed the knife from the ground and braced himself.

But the zombie was relentless.

She rose again, lunging at him with terrifying speed.

This time, her full weight crashed into him, driving him to the floor.

Her grotesque face hovered inches from his, her fetid breath hot against his skin as she snapped her teeth at his throat.

"No!"

Carter roared, straining against her iron grip.

His muscles screamed in protest as he pushed her back, his fingers digging into her shoulders.

Then he saw it—the knife glinting on the floor beside him.

Summoning every ounce of strength, he freed one hand and reached for it, his fingers brushing against the hilt.

With a desperate yell, he grabbed the knife and drove it upward into the zombie's neck.

He didn't stop.

Again and again, he stabbed, the blade sinking into flesh with wet, sickening squelches.

Finally, the zombie stopped moving.

Carter shoved the body off him, gasping for air as he wiped the blood from his face.

For a moment, all he could do was sit there, trembling, his chest heaving.

He'd just killed a person.

No—a zombie.

Dragging himself to his feet, he grabbed the corpse by the legs and hauled it out of his unit, leaving a trail of blood behind.

After shoving it into the hallway, he slammed the door shut and locked it again, even checking to make sure by pulling on the handle.

Collapsing onto the sofa, Carter's bloodied hands shook as he stared blankly ahead.

The new reality was sinking in now.

This was his life.

Then, without warning, a glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes, floating in midair like a hologram.

[Congratulations on completing your mission: Kill a single zombie.]

[Reward: Activation of the Scientific Military System.]

Carter blinked.

"What the…?"

The screen changed before he could process it.

[Scientific Military System is now successfully activated!]

[User: Carter Sherban

Age: 30

Level: 1

Skills: Weapon Proficiency Level 2, Melee Proficiency Level 3, Driving Proficiency Level 3.

Health: 100/100

Experience points: 10/660

Inventory:

Shop:

Summoned Troops: 0/10

Wheel of Fortune:

Daily Rewards:

Basic Survival Guide:

Zombie Encounters: Tactics and Strategies.]

Carter stared at the screen, his mind racing.

"What the hell… is this?"

It wasn't just survival anymore.

Whatever this system was, it had just changed the rules of the game known as life as he knew it.