Chapter 1: Brutal Betrayal

Brown

The stench of rotting bodies clung to everything.

I ran hard through the ruined streets, boots slamming cracked pavement, chest burning. A Stalker’s claws had cracked my ribs three blocks back. My left arm was numb. I didn’t stop.

Pressed against me was a sealed silver case of antibiotics. In this world a dirty cut could kill you in two days. That box was worth more than anything I used to own.

It was worth Mavel’s life.

“Just hang on,” I whispered through cracked lips. “I got it.”

Two miles back I’d watched Zombies tear through an abandoned pharmacy. I used my own blood as bait, drew them off, and crawled through a broken vent to grab the case. Five hours earlier Mavel had collapsed in our camp, shown me a jagged gash on his leg, and begged.

“Brown, please. A Stalker got me. It’s infected. If you don’t get clean meds from the city center, I won’t make it through the night.”

I loved him. I’d poured everything into turning the old water plant into a fortress so he and Ginger—my best friend since high school—would be safe.

—

I ran around the last corner and crashed into the gate. The spotlights hit me hard.

“Mavel!” I slammed my hands on the cold iron. Blood smeared across the metal. “Open the gate! I got the meds! They’re right behind me!”

Up in the watchtower, Mavel and Ginger looked down. Mavel slowly took off his boot. He pulled the bloody cloth off his leg and held it up. Then he threw it down. It landed in the mud by my feet.

His leg was fine. Nothing was wrong with it.

“Mavel…?”

Ginger started laughing. She pulled him in and kissed him hard against the glass. He kissed her back right in front of me.

“Look at her!” Ginger said over the speaker. “The fat pig really ran all that way for fake pills so we could finally have this place to ourselves!”

“You’re such a fool, Brown,” Mavel said. “I can’t be with you anymore. Ginger has a real body.”

“Thanks for the fortress,” Ginger called down. “Everything you owned is ours now.”

Red eyes lit up in the dark trees behind me.

“Mavel! Let me in!” I screamed and clawed at the bars until my nails broke.

Click. The light went out.

“Goodbye, Brown. Go feed the monsters.”

Claws tore into my back. Teeth sank into my neck. Blood poured down my chest.

I fell into the mud. The monsters kept biting. Blood filled my mouth. Everything went dark.

Then the big iron gates opened.

I couldn’t move or scream, but I felt them grab my ankles. Mavel and Ginger dragged me across the gravel into the yard.

“God, she’s heavy,” Ginger said, kicking my side. Then she stopped. “Wait… Mavel, look. Why isn’t she changing?”

Mavel frowned and rolled me over. “What do you mean?”

“The Stalker bit her neck wide open!” Ginger whispered. “Anyone else turns into a vampire in ten seconds. Look at her veins—no black lines. Her skin looks normal. Why didn’t she turn?”

“Who cares?” Mavel said. “Maybe the virus can’t get through all that fat. We’re almost out of food. Grab the butcher knife. We’ll cut up her thighs and shoulders first and put the rest in the freezer.”

“At least the fat pig finally became useful,” Ginger laughed.

I felt a cold knife press against my side.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear them apart. But my heart gave one last weak beat, and everything went black.

I died.

—

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

I sat up fast, gasping for air. My hands flew to my neck, my stomach, my legs.

No knives. No blood. No pain.

Just the smell of lavender, soft sheets, and morning light.

I was in my big bed. September 30, 2023. 8:30 in the morning. Ten days before Day Zero.

A sharp pain hit behind my eyes. A cold, flat voice spoke inside my head:

[SOUL BOUND: BROWN]

[TIME RESET: 10 DAYS LEFT UNTIL DAY ZERO]

[COST: ALL YOUR MONEY USED TO BRING YOU BACK]

[SPECIAL POWER: PRIMORDIAL ANTIDOTE — LOCKED UNTIL DAY ZERO]

[MONEY LEFT: $4,850]

[MAIN MISSION: TAKE FULL REVENGE ON MAVEL AND GINGER]

[NOTE: REVENGE ACTIONS UNLOCK COMBAT SKILLS AND MAKE YOU STRONGER]

The voice stopped. It left a dull ache and a copper taste in my mouth.

All my money and my parents’ inheritance were gone. Used up to bring me back in time.

Antidote? What's that? I thought

I sat on the edge of the bed. No glowing screens. No bright lights. Just a cold, hard feeling in my gut.

This was real. Something was tied to my soul now. It gave me a deadline and clear targets.

Target 1: Mavel.

Target 2: Ginger.

I looked in the mirror. Tall. Strong shoulders. Strong legs. In my last life I hated this body. Now I saw it differently. They treated me like meat, but this body was made for fighting.

My phone buzzed.

My Man 🤍

I answered. My face stayed blank.

“Hey, baby!” Mavel’s lazy voice came through. “My black card got declined at the car shop! Can you send me fifty thousand right now?”

I looked out at the city in the morning light. A cold smile pulled at my lips.

“My accounts are locked right now, Mavel,” I said softly. “But don’t worry. I’m meeting a company tonight at The Grand Luxe VIP room. We can sign papers together to fix everything.”

“A bailout? Perfect!” Mavel said. “Make sure my name is clear! I’ll bring Ginger so we can celebrate after!”

“Bring her,” I said. I opened the drawer and touched the knife on my nightstand. “I want both of you there.”

I hung up and stood.

All my money was gone. But my second life was paid for.

Now it was time for my revenge.