New Guest

One particular bacterium absorbed a fragment of Arjun's broken DNA. It was an accident—a random, chaotic event, a mistake in replication. But mistakes were the foundation of evolution.

The first primitive cells began forming, feeding on minerals from the soil and using the sun's light for energy. They multiplied, shaping microscopic colonies. Over millions of years, some cells adapted to the oceans that had formed through atmospheric cooling, while others clung to the rocky land.

Then, one day—movement.

A single, tiny organism twitched in the water, no longer drifting aimlessly. It sensed light, it responded to its environment, it sought food.

Life had begun.

Arjun watched in awe as time accelerated further. The oceans turned into a primordial soup, rich with microbes. Over hundreds of millions of years, cells learned to work together, forming multicellular organisms. Simple creatures like worm-like beings crawled across the seabed. Tiny plants, descendants of the first photosynthetic bacteria, painted the land green.

More time passed.

The landmasses cracked and shifted, volcanoes erupting and shaping the terrain. The air thickened with oxygen, feeding the next stage of evolution. Fish-like creatures appeared, then brave ones wriggled onto land, their fins slowly becoming legs over thousands of generations.

From the descendants of these pioneers came larger creatures—strange, alien, but undeniably alive.

Arjun exhaled, his chest tightening. He was witnessing an entire world's evolution in mere moments.

A planet that had once been a barren rock… now breathed.

Soon, as the age of the great reptiles faded, a new kind of life emerged—mammals.

Small, furry creatures that once scurried in the shadows of giants took center stage. With warm blood and sharp minds, they adapted to the harsh conditions, thriving in both forests and plains. Some became hunters, while others evolved into gatherers, using their intelligence to find new ways to survive.

In the next second, time acceleration stopped abruptly. Arjun's vision flickered as a notification appeared before him.

[ Energy: 0 ]

He exhaled sharply, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

"So, time acceleration drains a massive amount of energy, huh?"

His lips curled into a bitter smile.

"Do I have to go out and kill again?" The thought gnawed at him, but before he could dwell on it, a sharp gunshot echoed through the air.

His body tensed.

"Who could that be?"

He hurried to the window, peering outside. A group of five people—three men and two women—moved through the deserted street, cutting down zombies one by one.

One of the men carried a gun, while the others wielded makeshift weapons—a sword, a knife, and even a cricket bat. Their movements were coordinated, efficient. They weren't just survivors; they were fighters.

At the front, a young woman in a t-shirt and jeans came to a sudden stop in front of the shopping center. Her brows furrowed.

"Why is it closed?" she muttered, her voice laced with suspicion.

One of the men glanced at her. "What happened, Jhanvi?"

Jhanvi's gaze remained fixed on the shutter. "Yesterday, it was open. Someone closed it."

"Are you sure?" another teammate asked.

She gave a firm nod. "I checked this place yesterday. The entrance was wide open."

A large-built man, clearly the most experienced of them, stepped forward. His presence commanded attention. "No need to panic. There should be a back door. We'll go in from there."

Then, after a brief pause, he added grimly, "And stay alert. If the shutter was closed, that means someone could be inside."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. In this world, the dead were dangerous—but the living? They were far worse.

One of the men spotted the back entrance. Without hesitation, he raised his cricket bat and swung hard. The lock snapped open with a metallic crack.

"Let's move," the leader ordered.

One by one, they slipped inside. Sunlight streamed through the broken windows, casting long shadows across the abandoned aisles. Dust swirled in the air, disturbed by their footsteps.

"Looks like someone beat us to it," one of them muttered.

Jhanvi crossed her arms. "I told you—it was open yesterday."

Their leader, the broad-shouldered man called Subhash, surveyed the dimly lit space before giving a curt nod.

"Spread out. Search the area. And if you find anything—or anyone—shout."

With that, the team scattered, their movements cautious, their weapons ready.

Jhanvi moved cautiously through the quiet corridor, her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword. The office area was eerily silent, the air thick with the stale scent of abandonment. She stopped in front of the manager's office door and tried the handle. It didn't budge.

Her brows furrowed. Locked… from the inside?

"Shubash, can you come here?" she called out, keeping her voice low but firm.

Within seconds, heavy footsteps echoed down the hall as their team leader approached. His towering frame was a reassuring presence. "What happened?" he asked, scanning the area with sharp eyes.

Jhanvi gestured toward the door. "It's locked, and I can't open it."

Shubash stepped forward and pressed his palm against the wood, testing its resistance. His muscles tensed. "Step back," he ordered.

Jhanvi obeyed, moving a few steps away. Shubash rolled his shoulders, inhaled deeply, and focused on his hands. Within moments, his skin darkened, expanding, twisting—his fists swelled in size, turning into something monstrous, like the hands of a giant.

With a single devastating punch, the door shattered into splinters. The force sent the wooden debris flying, even knocking over a cupboard behind it.

Jhanvi smirked. "I'll always be jealous of your power."

Shubash flexed his fingers as they returned to normal, a faint grin on his face. "Give it time. You'll surpass me soon enough."

She simply shrugged, drawing her sword. The blade gleamed in the dim light—a beautifully crafted Japanese katana she had scavenged from a wealthy estate.

Both of them stepped inside cautiously, their eyes scanning every shadow, every corner, wary of an ambush.

"Someone was living here," Jhanvi murmured, pointing to a worn-out mattress on the floor. Empty food packets and discarded wrappers were scattered nearby.

Shubash nodded, kneeling to inspect the remnants. "Yeah… but the door was locked from the inside. So where did they go?" His gaze swept across the room, his expression darkening with suspicion.

Neither of them noticed the tiny insect perched on the ceiling, its beady eyes watching them intently.

A small bee, no different from any ordinary one—except it wasn't a bee at all.

It was Arjun.

Panic gripped him the moment the door was broken down. In desperation, he willed himself to shrink, to disappear. And somehow, his body obeyed. He had transformed into this tiny, winged creature—one of the evolved beings living and thriving on his planet.

But even his newfound ability wasn't what shocked him the most.

It was Shubash.

The man had shattered a door with his bare hands—no, with hands that had transformed into something inhumanly powerful.

"People can gain abilities too?"

The realization sent a shiver down his tiny body. If I have powers… then others might as well.

Jhanvi and Shubash searched the room for a few more minutes, but after finding nothing, they exchanged a glance and turned back. "Let's go," Shubash said.

Arjun fluttered his wings, silently following them as they left.

Back in the main hall, the rest of the team had regrouped. Frustration was clear on their faces.

"Nothing," one of them muttered. "Not a single useful thing left."

"Even the clothing section is completely empty," another added.

"Same here," a third chimed in. "Someone even took the books."

Jhanvi crossed her arms. "Well, we found signs that someone was living here, but they must have left before we arrived."

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

"What now?" someone asked.

Shubash exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "We head back to base. We need supplies before we move to our next target."

Arjun, still hovering above in his insect form, listened intently.

"A base? They have a base too?"

His mind raced with possibilities. Where? How big? How many people?

This world was changing, faster than he had expected. And now, more than ever, he needed people to depend on.

The five of them hurried out of the shopping center, moving in sync toward their car parked on the side of the road. Their footsteps were quick but steady—every second counted.

The moment the zombies spotted them, the horde reacted. A chorus of guttural groans filled the air as the undead surged forward, their rotting limbs dragging, their hungry eyes locked onto living prey.

"Go! Go! Go!" Shubash shouted, urgency sharp in his voice.

The driver fumbled with the keys, hands trembling slightly, before the engine roared to life. The tires screeched as the car accelerated.

But just as they gained speed, a massive metal pole came hurtling through the air.

With a deafening crash, it slammed down in front of the car.

There was no time to react. The vehicle smashed into the pole at full speed. The impact sent bodies lurching forward, metal groaning under the force.

Arjun, still watching from above in his insect form, felt a jolt of disbelief.

"What the hell—?"

His tiny wings buzzed in panic as he turned toward the source. And then, he saw it.

A towering figure in the distance. A grotesque monstrosity, larger than any zombie he had seen before. Its bloated, deformed muscles stretched its decaying skin to the brink of tearing. In one massive hand, it clutched another metal pole, gripping it like a spear.

And it was charging straight for the wrecked car.

"Shit!"

Inside the vehicle, Shubash groaned, regaining consciousness. His vision swam, his ears ringing from the crash, but his instincts kicked in the moment he spotted the approaching threat.

A mutant.

"Everyone, get up! It's a mutant!" he roared.

Jhanvi stirred beside him, her head pounding. Dazed, she turned her gaze toward the charging beast, and fear shot through her veins.

Panic pushed her into motion. She quickly reached for the others, shaking them. "Wake up! We have to move!"

But some of them weren't responding. The crash had left them injured.

Shubash took in the scene—time was running out. The mutant was almost upon them.

His jaw tightened. No hesitation.

He stepped forward, his body bracing for impact.

With a deep breath, he focused. His hands trembled for a moment before they began to shift—darkening, stretching, growing. In the span of seconds, his arms expanded into monstrous, oversized fists, thick with raw, unnatural power.

Then, with a thunderous roar, he launched himself at the charging mutant.

A head-on collision between monsters.