Novels by NDC

The subway tunnel was suffocating. It wasn’t just dark — the Black Mist had seeped down from the surface, turning the air thick and metallic. Our headlights cut two white paths through it, bouncing off rusted tracks and abandoned train cars.Inside the BearCat, every sound echoed. Debris under the tires felt like gunfire.[DING!][Mutation Level: 0.19%][Warning: Enclosed space detected. Hive Sense sensitivity increased.]“Eyes up, Zahir,” I muttered. My hand was still on his shoulder. He was tense, vibrating. With Hyper-Awareness, this place had to be overwhelming. “The System says there are Mimics down here. They don’t fight fair.”Zahir didn’t look away from the road. “I can hear them. Sounds like static.” He shifted gears. “And it’s Commander. Or sir.”I gave a short laugh. “Look around, Commander. The chain of command just got firebombed. Out there the city’s burning. In here it’s just us and whatever’s hunting. I think we’re past ‘sir’.”He didn’t answer. His jaw ticked.Fif

The heavy steel gate slammed shut behind me. The sound rattled through the concrete.On the other side, Shamblers scraped at the metal. I leaned against the outpost wall, breathing hard.[DING!][Mission ‘The Anchor’s Path’ Complete.][Reward: +100 SP, 1x Low Grade Stamina Potion (Stored in Warehouse)]I ignored it. My arm stung and the purple haze of the Mist was bleeding through the gate seams. My vision blurred at the edges. That violet tint was creeping in.“Hands where I can see them. Now.”The voice was close and I looked up.It was commander Zahir. Broad shoulders, tactical vest, eyes that didn’t blink. His rifle was leveled at my chest. Hyper-Awareness. To him, my breathing probably sounded like thunder.“I’m not infected,” I said, raising my hands. “And I’m not a Seeker.”“You’re showing signs,” Zahir said. His eyes tracked the glow in mine. “You’re mutating.”“I’m an Architect,” I said. “And if you don’t listen, Evergreen is going to firebomb this entire sector in twenty mi

The scream that ripped through the wholesale club wasn’t human. It was gurgling. It set my teeth on edge. Cereal boxes crashed. Shopping carts screeched. People trampled each other for the automatic doors, but they didn’t get it yet. The “Black Zones” were already forming outside. The Black Mist wasn’t coming. It was here.Gary, or what was left of him, was hunched over the other worker. Tier 1 Shambler. Slow. Mindless. Just another drone for the Standardized Hive.[DING!][TARGET LOCKED: TIER 1 SHAMBLER][MUTATION LEVEL: 0.05% - RISING]Heat crawled up the back of my neck. The EROS-Survival System was humming in my skull, feeding off my adrenaline.In my last life, that would’ve been me screaming. Last life I was the human pack mule, waiting for someone to save me.Not today.I stepped over a gallon of spilled milk. My hand closed around the machete from my space Warehouse. Gary’s head snapped up. Milky eyes found me. He tracked the sound of my boots on linoleum and lurched forw

The blue screen didn’t vanish. It hung in front of me, translucent and cold, flickering every time I blinked.People shoved past me in the apartment stairwell, muttering about me blocking the way.Nobody else saw it.“Move it, lady,” a guy in a suit snapped as he brushed by.I didn’t answer. I was too busy reading the mission log.[MISSION: STOCKPILE AND SECURE][OBJECTIVE: Spend $10,000 minimum on survival gear before the Mist hits][REWARD: +200 SP, Level 1 Space Warehouse Expansion]Space Warehouse.My heart skipped.In my last life I was a low-tier “human pack mule” with a useless storage pocket. If I had a real warehouse, I could haul an entire grocery store and never let anyone use me again.I checked my phone. 8:30 AM. The clock was ticking.I bolted outside and flagged down a cab. “Green’s Wholesale Club. The one by the docks. I’ll give you an extra fifty if you run every yellow light.”The driver grinned. “You got it, boss.”In the backseat, I started a list. Last life I wasted D

The last thing I felt was cold spit on my face and the sound of my ribs snapping like dry twigs. It hurts like hell. But the smell is what I remember most. Metallic blood. Wet rot. Death. And then there was Liam. My “loving” boyfriend.I can still see him. Sweat-slick. Pale. Eyes wild with fear as he shoved me backward into the dark.“Sorry, Eladia! Better you than me!” He giggled. That bastard. Five years. Five years of me paying his bills, carrying his shit, being his human pack mule. And he used me as bait for a pack of shamblers. He didn’t even look back. He just ran.Then, everything went black. I thought I was dead. I should’ve been dead.Gasp.I shot upright so fast the room spun. I wasn’t on cold pavement. I wasn’t torn apart. I was in bed. Clean sheets. The air smelled like vanilla candles. My heart slammed against my ribs like a trapped bird. Sunlight cut through the blinds and landed on the mess of clothes on the floor. My phone buzzed on the nightstand.*8:12 AM. Tues