BACK FROM THE DEAD: MY APOCALYPSE LEVEL-UP SYSTEM

Chapter 2: Binding the Level-Up System The phone in my hand would not stop shaking as Marcus's name kept blinking on the screen, bright and green cutting through the dark bedroom. Marcus. The man who just left me to die. The man who watched me get torn apart while he drove away in my car. A cold sweat broke out across my forehead as I threw the phone onto the blanket like it was a hot coal. It bounced, still buzzing, still demanding my attention. “ no, no no”. I choked out, pulled my knees up to my chest. “This is not real. It cannot be real.” I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes trying to block out the image of those rotting eyes. I could still taste the copper in the back of my throat. I could still feel the teeth sinking into my shoulder, ripping my skin to shreds. My whole body was trembling violently when the headboard rattled against the wall. I opened my eyes as I looked down at my hands. They were smooth. There was no dirt under my fingernails, no blood, no scars.

Chapter 4: Slapping the Leeches The wood of my apartment door shook as Brenda slammed her palms against it again. I stood in the middle of my living room watching the brass deadbolt jiggle. Then, this noise would have made my throat tighten with anxiety. I would have rushed to open it, Babbling apologies, desperate to keep the peace Now? My heart was beating hard but it was from a cold sharp focus. "Eva! Open this door now!" Brenda shouted from the hallway. Her voice sounded like nails scraping together. "I know you're there! Marcus told me what you did! You have no right to touch my money!" "Yeah, open up!" Cindy yelled after Brenda. "You ruined my night! The cashier looked at me like I was a thief because of you!" I walked over to the door. Unlocked it. I didn't push it open. I just cracked it an inch, keeping my body blocking the gap. The three of them were jammed into the hallway. Brenda's face was bright red with her chest heaving under her floral shirt. Cindy stood behind w

Chapter 6: The Steel Warehouse The crimson light of the system screen burned into my eyes. My fingers dug hard into the wood of the floorboards. The numbers were spinning down fast. They glowed like coals in the dark cargo hold. Twenty-four hours. "LUS " I choked out. My chest was tightening until it hurt. "You gave me your word. You told me I had a month." [THE TIMELINE HAS CHANGED, HOST EVA. THE SICKNESS IS ALREADY SPREADING THROUGH THE SUBWAY STATIONS AND AIRPORT TERMINALS. EVERYTHING FALLS APART IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR PLAN NOW.] "Change my plan?" A wild breathless laugh escaped my lips. I pulled myself up against the cold metal wall of the truck. My legs were shaking so badly that my knees were knocked together. "I do not have a weapon. I do not have a wall to hide behind. I am sitting in a rented box in a dark alleyway!" [THEN STOP HIDING, HOST EVA. EVERY SECOND YOU SPEND CRYING IN THIS TRUCK IS ANOTHER SECOND YOU GIVE TO THE DEAD.] The red warning li

Chapter 8: First Kill, First LevelThe iron crowbar smashed through the glass window with a crunch. The creature screeched before its hands slipped from the iron bars. A loud thud echoed outside as its body fell off the roof of the truck and hit the gravel courtyard below.My arms shook violently from the impact. The vibration traveled up the cold metal bar freezing my shoulders. I stood frozen on top of the shipping crate, my chest heaving up and down as my breath came in short gasps. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead, stinging my eyes. I did not dare to wipe it away."Is it dead?" I whispered into the warehouse.[Target suppressed, Host Eva. However the skull has not been fully destroyed. The biological signature remains active. The danger level is still high.]"Right. Of course it isn't that easy " I muttered.Suddenly a massive weight slammed against the bottom of the steel door downstairs. The metal shutter groaned, its tracks rattling violently against the frame. A deep growl

Chapter 10: Enjoy the ApocalypseThe line went completely dead, leaving nothing but a heavy, ringing silence in my ears. I slowly pulled the phone away from my face and stared at the dark screen, my breath catching in my throat. The call had ended with a brutal crash of breaking glass and a terrified scream that cut off right in the middle of a breath."LUS " I whispered, "did the signal just die?"[The connection was lost due to a drop in local cellular tower output, Host Eva. However, Marcus's phone remains powered on and connected to the grid. He is still alive.]A dark smile spread across my face. He was still alive trapped in that house while the monsters smashed through his doors. I thought back to my past life when I had begged him. I had clawed at the passenger window until my fingernails cracked and bled. He didn't look back once before he hit the gas and left me."Let's see how much you like the view from the ground, Marcus, " I muttered.I opened the recorded audio of his