Chapter 2

My body ached before shifting to my feet, joints stiff and brittle.

The system spoke again, not at all helping matters. [Level 2: Transformation. Necessity for survival: full avoidance of human blood. Necessary for avoidance of full zombie transformation.]

I coughed, catching myself on one of the shelves still containing leftover supplies from the initial chaos when the outbreak first happened.

How could this be possible? I was sure I'd been bitten. My body still bore the marks of the teeth that had torn through it.

Yet somehow I was still in my right senses, not a bloodthirsty monster.

[Carrier detected. Proximity: 15 meters. Advice: prepare to attack.]

My body, despite the ache, took on a defensive stance.

[Threat drifting. 22 meters.]

I held the stance for a second longer than necessary, even after the system told me it was moving away.

[Abilities and control regenerated.] The system's robotic voice said it as soon as the last drop of blood dripped onto my tongue.

"And here I was thinking you were the threat." A husky masculine voice caused me to snap my head back, my bloodied hands clenching into fists.

"Who are you?"

The man stepped into the room, his footsteps light and casual.

My eyes trailed every inch of his body before settling on the bite mark lodged right on his neck.

I stood instantly, raising my fists, ready to defend myself. "Get out, zombie."

"I have to say, I'm kind of offended. You're at more risk of turning now than I am, considering you've been bitten everywhere." He shoved both hands into his pockets. "Can't we just sit together and wait for the inevitable?"

[Hostile approaching. Danger level: medium. Level D zombie.]

His head snapped back, eyes already narrowed.

The zombie came in a moment later, and before I could react, he had a dagger in his palm, dashing forward.

[Threat approaching.] The system didn't specify from which direction.

Which was why I nearly shit myself when a zombie jumped in from the window behind me, snarling.

Its body, already decaying, pressed against mine, teeth bared while bits and pieces of flesh dropped from its mouth.

My hands closed around its neck, squeezing and holding it back from my face.

The stranger was still fighting the zombie, and our gazes met in that moment, his expression confused. "You're not armed?"

"Does it look like I am?" I snapped back, coughing when the zombie's saliva dripped onto my cheek.

A blade slid across the floor to me. I snatched it up and had just enough time to say thank you before he went back to fighting off the zombie.

My fingers tightened around the dagger before I slammed it into the side of the zombie, shoving it up and pushing myself to my feet.

The body twitched before crawling back up again.

Blood oozed out of its chest where the blade had sunk in.

"It didn't... it's not dead." My voice shook slightly, the dagger already raised for the next attack. "I stabbed it, but it won't stay down."

"Aim for its nape or throat. That's the only way," he replied, sinking his blade into the mouth of the zombie.

The body twitched against it before slumping to the ground.

"Need any help?" he called, wiping the bloodied blade on the clothes of the dead zombie.

I forced my trembling fingers to steady before charging right at the zombie.

It roared, coming right after me too, its teeth bared.

I dodged the first blow, ducking beneath its hand and then kicking it to the floor.

Before it could get up, I crashed my body against it, cracking the tiles beneath a bit.

It snarled but couldn't move much because the impact had shattered its already decaying ribcage.

I brought the blade up, sucking in a breath before slamming it right into its throat, the blood splashing onto my face.

The sound of the flesh squelching rang in my ears, only interrupted by the voice of the stranger.

"Not bad for your first kill, darling." His arm stretched out to grab mine. "Jeremy."

"What?"

"My name, it's Jeremy," he said, leaning down so his eyes were on the same level as mine.

"Oh, I'm Arya, or at least I used to be." My eyes fell to my palms. "Not sure what exactly I am now."

"That makes two of us." He shoved the dagger back into the sheath on his belt.

I realised then that I was still holding onto his blade and stretched out my hand for him to take it.

"You should keep that. Even if you are a half blood, you can't walk around unarmed. Your powers will only take you so far."

"Powers?" I felt stupid for asking, but this meant that the heightened abilities I'd felt weren't imaginary after all.

His eyebrow shot up. "You really don't know much about this new world, do you?"

I shook my head.

[Survival possibility heightened. Next step: partnership between Level A threats.]

"Level A," he muttered, frowning.

"You can hear it too? The system." I leaned forward, trying to catch his eye. "What's it for? How is any of this even real?"

Before he could respond, the system spoke again, urgent this time.

[Hostiles approaching. Level B zombies. Number: undetectable. Horde. Survival chance: 59 percent. Options: fight or run.]

"Are you hearing this?" My heart raced. "What do we do?"

[I suggest you run.]