CHAPTER 2

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 Day Zero crying and chasing Liam. Not this time. Now, I’m going to get Carbs. Protein. Meds. Weapons.

I walked into Green’s like I owned the place. Three flatbed carts. Pharmacy first. I stripped the shelves of ibuprofen, bandages, antibiotics, every multivitamin in sight. A clerk asked if I needed help. “Big camping trip,” I said.

Aisle two: canned goods. Tuna. Spam. Beans. Peaches. Aisle five: 50lb bags of rice and flour. I looked insane. I didn’t care. Nine hours were pressing down on my chest like a weight.

[DING!]

[MUTATION LEVEL: 0.02%]

[REASON: HIGH STRESS]

[WARNING: KEEP YOUR COOL, HOST.]

“Shut up,” I muttered. If that meter hit 100%, I’d turn into a mindless Hive Queen.

Four carts later I hit the checkout. The cashier with heavy eyeliner stared.

“Throwing a party?” The cashier jokingly asked with a smile.

“Something like that.” I swiped Liam’s gold credit card. Approved. Petty joy surged in my chest. Let the Narcissistic Parasite deal with the debt. Then I hit the parking lot and realized my mistake. A thousand pounds of food but no truck. I weaved in confusion. 

Right. The Warehouse. I focused on the blue screen and tapped the crate icon.

[SPACE WAREHOUSE: LEVEL 0]

[CAPACITY: 10 CUBIC METERS]

[TO STORE: TOUCH ITEM AND THINK ‘COLLECT’]

I glanced around. No one was watching. Hand on the first crate of peaches. Collect.

Poof. Gone. No light. No sound. Just empty cart space. My eyes widened. This was an Architect-level interface. I moved fast. Crate after crate. Bag after bag. Meds, water, rice. In five minutes the carts were empty.

[STORAGE CAPACITY: 85% FULL]

“Damn. I need more room.”

I went back inside and saw six grand left. Hardware section. High-end crossbow. Two dozen bolts. Heavy-duty machete. Portable solar charger. Shamblers and Fast Seekers wouldn’t care that I used to be a pushover.

I was browsing tactical gear when my phone buzzed.

LIAM: Eladia, you psycho! My card just got flagged at a wholesale club. What are you doing? Bring my money back NOW or I’m calling your boss.

A cold laugh crawled up my throat. My boss? He’d be a Tier 1 zombie by sunset. I blocked him.

I had a few hours left before I needed to find him. Commander Zahir. According to the system, his Null Gene blood was the only thing that could keep my virus from eating my brain and his Kiss will stop me from becoming the next Shambler if I’m not joking.

Then my flashed red.[Scanner] beeped.

[WARNING!]

[LESSER INFECTED NEARBY]

[THE MIST IS LEAKING]

My stomach dropped. Already? The Collapse wasn’t supposed to hit for hours.

I looked toward the butcher’s counter. A guy in an apron stood with his back to me, twitching in jagged, wrong movements.

Wet, slurping sounds.

“Hey, Gary? You okay?” a coworker called, walking toward him.

Gary didn’t answer. He turned. Milky white eyes. Jaw unhinged. He lunged and sank his teeth into the man’s neck. Screams ripped through the store. People dropped their carts and ran.

I didn’t run. My hand dipped into the Warehouse. The cold grip of the machete materialized in my palm. “Nine hours,” I hissed. The System lied. The Black Mist was already here.

[NEW MISSION: FIRST KILL]

[OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE 1 TIER 1 SHAMBLER]

[REWARD: +50 SP, WEAPON SHARPENING STONE]

I tightened my grip until my knuckles went white.

“Fine by me.”