CHAPTER 2

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. The phone stopped buzzing. For a second the room was completely silent. Then it started back up again. Marcus.

“ Pick up Eva. Come on pick up.” I whispered to myself mimicking the voice he always used when he wanted something. I reached out with a trembling hand. Forced myself to grab the phone. I did not answer it. I just stared at the numbers at the top of the screen. May 26. Thirty days before the world collapsed. Thirty days before the grocery store shelves went empty, before the water stopped running and before the people turned into monsters.

“ I am back” I whispered into the room. A shaky breathless laugh escaped my lips turning quickly into a sob.” I am really back.” Suddenly a loud sharp sound echoed inside my head. It was not a sound from the street or the hallway. It was inside my mind like a glass cup shattering directly behind my eyes. I flinched, dropping the phone back onto the bed and clutching my ears.

Ow!" I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut. "What is that?"

[System sync at one hundred percent.]

 The voice was cold. It did not sound like a person. It sounded like a machine talking through a wall of ice completely flat and empty of any emotion. It was so loud it made my teeth ache. Who is there? I called out my voice cracking as I looked around the dark bedroom. Who is in here?

Nobody answered. The curtains did not move. The bedroom door stayed shut.  

[Welcome, Host Eva. Level-Up System activated.] 

I sat frozen as my breath caught in my throat. I pressed my back hard against the headboard wishing I could disappear into the wall. Am I going crazy? Is this from the virus? Did the fever follow me back?

[The virus has not entered this timeline yet. I am LUS. Your personal Level-Up System.]

“ LUS?” I repeated the letters, the sound was strange on my tongue. “What do you mean, system? Like a video game? 

[I am a tool built to ensure your survival. You died in the timeline. Your regret and hatred triggered my awakening. I have returned you to the starting point.]

“A tool for survival”. I let out a hollow laugh as my fingers gripped the bedsheets so tight “ Where were you when they were tearing my legs off? Where were you when Marcus stole my food? You did not possess the system in the timeline.” 

 [You did not possess the system in the previous timeline. You do now. The past cannot be changed, but the future is yours to rewrite.]

The machines words were completely emotionless. They hit me like a slap to the face. The future. I had thirty days. Thirty days to buy food, to find weapons, to build a wall high that no monster living or dead could ever touch me again. My heart started beating so fast, It was not the panic from before. It was a hard anger.

The phone on the bed started buzzing again. Marcus. I picked it up. Finally swiped the screen to answer. I did not say anything. I just held the phone to my ear listening to the sound of his breath. “Eva? Babe? Why did it take you long to pick up?” Marcus's voice came through the speaker, 

Hearing his voice made my stomach twist into a knot. It was the same tone he used right before he asked me to do his laundry or buy his groceries. There was no fear in his voice yet. He did not know the world was going to end. He did not know he was a murderer yet. “I was sleeping, Marcus,” I said. My voice sounded flat even to my own ears. It sounded a bit like the machine in my head.

“Oh right. Look I need a favor” he said, rushing his words like he always did when he was being selfish. “My mom needs to use your car tomorrow. Her truck will not move, She has that doctor's appointment.. Uh Cindy needs a ride to the mall later too. You do not mind, right? I can come pick up the keys tonight.” Cindy. The girl who screamed at him to drive while I begged for my life. She wanted a ride to the mall.

A cold dark weight settled in my chest. In my previous life, I would have said yes. I would have gotten out of bed, smiled, handed him the keys and spent my money to fill up the gas tank for his lazy mother and his secret mistress. I had been so stupid. I had been a mat for them to wipe their dirty boots on.” No,” I said clearly.

There was a silence on the other end of the line. Marcus let out a confused breath. “What do you mean, no? Eva, my mom really needs it. Do not be selfish.”. “ I said no Marcus” I repeated, my grip tightening on the phone until the plastic casing creaked. “Your mother can take the bus.. Cindy can walk.”

“Eva what is wrong with you?” his voice flared with anger, the fake sweet tone totally varnished . “Why are you acting like a bitch out of nowhere? I am coming over now. We need to talk about your attitude.”

 “Do not come here” I said, as my teeth clenched hard my jaw throbbed. “If you come to my building I will call the police.”

“You would not do that," he scoffed, sounding completely sure of himself. He thought he owned me. He thought I was still the girl who would cry and apologize the moment he raised his voice. “Try me,” I whispered. I slammed my thumb down on the red button cutting him off in the middle of a sentence. I threw the phone back onto the mattress, my chest heaving as the adrenaline crashed through my veins.

My hands were shaking again. Not just from fear. I was so angry I felt like I could tear the room apart with my fingers.

 [Warning. The target is currently heading toward your location.]

 The cold voice of LUS echoed in my skull again making me jump. A small blue translucent screen suddenly popped up in front of my face floating in the empty air.

I blinked, reaching out to touch it. My fingers just passed right through the light. “He is coming here?” I asked, looking at the glowing words on the screen. “How do you know?”

[ I track all threats to the host. Marcus is currently five minutes away. He has a key to your apartment building.]

“He has a key” I muttered, the reality of the situation hitting me like a blow. He was coming to take what was mine. Just like he did on that highway. He wanted my car, my keys, my compliance. I threw the blankets off my legs. Swung my feet out of bed. The wooden floor felt cold against my soles grounding me.

I walked over to the window. Looked down at the dark quiet street. A pair of headlights turned the corner, the engine rumbling in a way I recognized instantly. It was his noisy sedan. He was already here. My heart hammered against my ribs. My mind felt incredibly clear as The soft weak version of Eva died in the mud thirty days from now. The girl standing in this bedroom was not going to open the door.

[Notice. A new user requires an inventory to survive the upcoming crisis. Do you wish to accept your evaluation?]

“ An evaluation?” I whispered, watching the light flicker, in the reflection of the window pane. “What do I get?”

[Resources are unlocked through action. You must remove the leeches from your life before you can accumulate power.]

The car downstairs turned off its headlights. The car door closed with a bang. I heard the sound of the glass door at the front of my building opening from far away. Marcus was inside the building. He was coming up the stairs.

I just stood in my room, my hands were clenched into fists waiting for Marcus to come to my door.

I didn't try to lock the door. I didn't hide. I just stood there waiting for him.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The knocking was really loud. It echoed all over my apartment.

"Eva!" Marcus yelled from the other side of the door. His voice was loud and angry. "Open the door! I know you are there. Stop being crazy. Give me the keys!"

I didn't say anything. I didn't move.

The doorknob began to jiggle violently. He was putting his spare key into the lock. The metal clicked. The knob turned.

Then the blue screen in front of me flashed a bright red color. It was so bright that it lit up my dark room. The cold, mechanical voice of LUS boomed so hard inside my brain that it made my ears ring.

[LUS Initializing. First Quest: Sever the leeching ties. Reward: Dimensional Storage.]