No Restart Button

Adam's mind raced.

The banging on the door grew more relentless, each impact rattling the hinges. Whatever was outside wasn't stopping.

Beside him, Emily's breathing turned ragged. "What do we do?"

Adam crept closer to the door, straining to hear beyond the pounding. Then he caught it—low, guttural growls. His jaw tightened.

Not survivors. Definitely not.

"Zombies," he muttered, stepping back.

Emily cursed under her breath. "They must've heard us moving around."

Another violent crack split through the air as the wood splintered slightly under the pressure.

Adam exhaled sharply. The door wouldn't last much longer.

His gaze flicked to the window. An easy escape—except it wasn't.

The streets below were crawling with more of them.

His mind clicked into action. There had to be another way.

Scanning the apartment, his eyes locked onto Emily's.

"Alright," he whispered, his voice low but firm. "I have an idea."

Emily blinked. "I hope it's a good one."

"It's the only one."

She looked at him, bewildered, as he rushed toward the kitchen.

His hands moved quickly, grabbing the electric kettle from the counter. His fingers trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the sheer adrenaline surging through his veins.

Emily grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

"Winning."

Without hesitation, he tore off the kettle's power cord, exposing the copper wiring. Then, he grabbed a water bottle, poured in a handful of salt, and shook it hard. The grains dissolved into the liquid, turning it into a crude conductor.

Emily's eyes widened. "Saltwater… it's conductive."

Adam nodded, already kneeling by the door. He poured the mixture beneath the gap, letting it seep under—directly into the feet of the undead pounding outside.

THUD. THUD.

The creatures were growing impatient. The door was seconds away from collapsing.

Adam slid the exposed wires under the door into the soaked floor.

His heart pounded.

Emily took a hesitant step back. "Are you sure about this?"

Adam let out a short, breathless laugh. "Not even a little."

Without another word, he dragged a chair to the centre of the room and stepped onto it. Emily, catching on, hurried to the bed and climbed onto it.

No way were they going to risk standing on the wet floor.

Adam took one last glance at the door—deep breath—and flipped the switch.

A low hum filled the air.

Then came the screams.

Painful, ear-splitting howls filled the air as electricity surged through the creatures. Their soaked bodies conducted the deadly current, making them jerk and convulse.

The door shook violently under their frantic attacks, but it held.

The sharp stench of burning flesh spread through the room. The creatures twitched, their screams turning into high-pitched shrieks.

Emily clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

Adam stayed focused, counting the seconds. Five. Ten. Fifteen.

The shrieks began to fade.

The pounding on the door slowed.

Then… silence.

Only the faint crackle of burnt flesh and a lingering metallic scent remained.

Adam let out a slow breath and unplugged the wire. His grip was tight, knuckles white.

Emily exhaled shakily, rubbing her face. "Did it… work?" she whispered.

Adam didn't answer right away. He stared at the door. No movement. No sounds.

Then, just as he was about to step away, his vision blurred.

A sudden holographic message appeared before his eyes, glowing in a faint blue hue.

You have killed 3 zombies.

+30 Experience Points earned.

Level Up!

You are now Level 2.

You have received 3 Basic Stat Points.

Adam froze.

His breath hitched as he stared at the floating text.

Emily frowned. "What's wrong?"

Adam looked at her, his mouth slightly open. He hesitated, then slowly said, "I just leveled up."

She blinked. "You what?"

His pulse quickened. If the system was real… what else was coming?

The "tutorial" had only just begun.

The glow of the floating message lingered in Adam's vision before finally fading away. His heart was still racing—not from fear, but from excitement and uncertainty.

Emily sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through her tangled hair. "So… what now?"

Adam inhaled sharply. "We need to talk about this."

She nodded, her expression tense. "Leveling up, stat points… This is basically a game, isn't it?"

Adam gave a dry chuckle. "Yeah. But a game where we don't have a restart option. If we die then I guess its game over"

His mind was already calculating his next move. He pulled up his status screen, letting the data sink in.

Name: Adam

Level: 2

Stats:

Strength: 3Agility: 4Durability: 3Mind: 8

Available Stat Points: 3

Adam thought for a moment. "Zombies… They aren't fast. That's our advantage. But they swarm, so if we ever get stuck in a bad spot, we're dead."

She nodded in agreement. "So, strength isn't that useful right now?"

"No." Adam frowned. "Even if I increased my strength, it wouldn't help unless I had an actual weapon. And zombies don't die easily from brute force alone."

His eyes flickered back to his Agility stat.

"This," he murmured, tapping the number. "Agility is our best bet."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because fighting isn't an option. At least, not yet. If I put points into agility, I can run faster, dodge better, and escape more easily. Right now, survival means avoiding fights—not winning them."

The Smell of Death started filling the room.

A sudden gust of wind made them both snap their heads toward the door.

That's when they smelled it.

The charred, rotten stench of the burnt zombies outside.

Emily grimaced, covering her nose. "Ugh. That's disgusting."

Adam, however, was thinking beyond the smell.

The rotting scent would spread. If there were more zombies nearby, they'd be drawn to it.

That was both a problem and an opportunity.

"We can use this," Adam muttered.

Emily's expression turned wary. "Use it?"

He nodded. "Think about it. Zombies will come here because of the smell. If we plan it right, we can control the battlefield—pick them off one by one, level up, and get stronger."

Emily frowned. "That sounds dangerous."

"It is." Adam sighed. "But we can't stay weak forever."

She bit her lip, clearly torn in thought.

Then—a loud creak.

Both of them turned toward the door.

The wooden frame was barely holding together after the last attack. Cracks lined its edges, and one solid push would shatter it completely.

Adam tensed. "We can't stay here. The door won't hold if another horde comes."

Emily's eyes darted to the window. "Still too many outside?"

Adam peeked through the small gap in the curtains.

Dozens of zombies moved in the streets below. Some were wandering aimlessly, but others… were starting to look toward their building.

"We can't jump out," he muttered.

Emily swallowed. "Then we need to move. Another room?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah. Something more secure. Maybe an apartment with multiple exits."

They both fell silent for a moment, the tension thick in the air.

Then, Adam took a deep breath. Time to move.

They had twelve hours to survive.

And the real game had just begun.