Chapter 4 – The Most Hated Villain

Sandra stared at the enormous mutated zombie charging toward her. Its red eyes glowed in the darkness, and its huge hands smashed everything in its path. She tightened her grip on the gun, “System, tell me how to kill this thing!”

[Target weakness detected: Head and upper spinal area.]

“Alright, let’s see how strong this weapon is!”

The zombie swung its arm at her, forcing her to dive across the broken floor. She rolled behind an overturned table, aimed at its head, and fired several blue energy shots. The first two struck its shoulder, but the third hit its head, making the creature roar before falling heavily onto the tiles.

[Mutated infected eliminated.]

[Experience gained: 50.]

[Level increased to 2.]

[New ability unlocked: Enhanced Strength.]

[Reward granted: Medical kit and three energy bars.]

Sandra smiled in relief. “Now that is what I call a reward! I hope you have more surprises for me, System.”

[Host can earn experience by eliminating infected creatures, rescuing survivors, and completing reversal objectives.]

“Then I will do all three.” Sandra stood and looked around the ruined shopping mall. She remembered that the original Sasha had abandoned dozens of people here, but she refused to repeat those cruel actions.

A loud cry came from a nearby clothing store. Sandra ran toward it and found an elderly woman, a young boy, and two men trapped behind a fallen shelf while three zombies tried to break through the glass door.

“Please help us!” the elderly woman screamed. “We cannot get out!”

“Move away from the door!” Sandra ordered. She used her enhanced strength to lift the fallen shelf, allowing the survivors to escape through a gap beside the counter.

One zombie lunged at the boy, but Sandra stepped between them and fired at its head. The creature dropped, and she quickly turned to shoot the other two before they could reach the fleeing survivors.

“Is everyone alive?” she asked, checking the boy's arms for injuries.

The elderly woman nodded, still staring at Sandra in disbelief. “You are Sasha Monroe, aren't you? Why would someone like you risk her life to save us?”

Sandra handed her a bottle of water. “Because I do not want anyone else to die if I can stop it. Now, please tell me if anyone is hurt.”

[Rescue objective completed: Four survivors saved.]

[Experience gained: 40.]

[Survival points awarded: 15.]

[Level increased to 3.]

[New ability unlocked: Emergency Barrier.]

A blue light surrounded Sandra's hand, forming a shining shield. She raised her eyebrows and tested it against a broken shelf, watching as the barrier stopped the heavy object from hitting her.

“An energy shield?” she said excitedly. “This will be useful when I have to fight stronger zombies!”

A frightened man stepped closer, holding a metal pipe. “Wait a minute. Everyone knows Sasha Monroe is selfish. I heard you stole food from wounded soldiers and left people behind when the zombies attacked.”

Sandra lowered her weapon. “I cannot change what people heard about Sasha, but I can change what she does from now on. You do not have to trust me yet, but please judge me by my actions.”

The man looked at the dead zombies, then at the people she had saved. He slowly lowered his pipe, though he still kept a careful distance from her.

“Where can we go?” the elderly woman asked. “The emergency broadcast said the military was preparing a safe zone.”

Sandra remembered the story clearly. The first military shelter would be attacked by infected creatures before dawn, and anyone who went there without preparation would be in danger.

“The stadium is not safe,” she explained. “I know another place beneath the old train station. It has a strong entrance, stored supplies, and a route we can use to escape if the zombies break through.”

“How do you know all that?” one man asked.

“We can argue about it later, but we need to move now.” Sandra answered.

She led the group through the mall's service corridor, remembering that the original Sasha had found a supply room nearby. Inside were canned food, bottled water, bandages, flashlights, and an emergency radio.

“Take enough food for today,” Sandra instructed. “Leave some for the other survivors who might come through here.”

The survivors exchanged confused looks. One woman whispered, “Sasha Monroe sharing supplies? I thought I would never see that happen.”

“I can hear you,” Sandra replied. “And I am beginning to think saving people is harder than fighting zombies.”

A few survivors laughed nervously. Sandra gave them small bags of supplies and repaired the damaged emergency radio with her new ability, causing its cracked screen to light up again.

[Equipment repaired successfully.]

[Reversal objective completed: Supplies shared with survivors.]

[Experience gained: 35.]

[Survival points awarded: 20.]

[Level increased to 4.]

[New ability unlocked: Weapon Upgrade.]

Sandra's blaster changed in her hands, its blue lines glowing brighter as a second energy barrel formed beneath the first. She stared at it with delight, realizing that every life she saved and every zombie she defeated could make her stronger.

“System, can you upgrade my weapons again later?”

[Further upgrades available after completing additional objectives.]

“Good. I will keep helping people, but I am not going to risk my life for rewards alone.”

The radio suddenly crackled, and a man's voice filled the storage room. “Attention, survivors! Proceed to Eastbridge Stadium for military evacuation. Rescue teams will arrive before sunrise. Avoid contact with infected individuals and report any signs of mutation.”

Sandra's face tightened. She remembered that the stadium would become a death trap after an alien signal activated the infected hiding beneath the ground.

“We cannot go there,” she said firmly. “The stadium will fall before the rescue teams arrive.”

A man frowned at her. “You cannot know that! The military is our best chance.”

“Then go if you want to,” Sandra replied. “But I am taking anyone who wants to survive to the train station shelter. I will not force you to follow me.”

The elderly woman immediately took the boy's hand. “She saved us when she could have escaped alone. I will trust her for now.”

Several others agreed, and Sandra led them out through a side entrance. On the street, they discovered a bus surrounded by zombies, with several frightened survivors trapped inside.

“Help us!” a young father shouted through the window. “My daughter is injured, and the doors are stuck!”

Sandra ran toward the bus before anyone could stop her. “Everyone, stay behind the concrete barrier! I will draw the zombies away while you open the doors.”

“Are you crazy?” one man shouted. “There are too many of them!”

“Then stop shouting and help those people!” Sandra yelled.

She fired at the nearest zombies, drawing their attention away from the bus. When two infected creatures rushed toward her, she raised her emergency barrier and let them crash against the blue shield before firing directly at their heads.

The upgraded blaster sent bright energy beams through the street. One by one, the zombies collapsed, allowing the trapped survivors to open the bus doors and escape.

[Rescue objective completed: Six survivors saved.]

[Experience gained: 60.]

[Survival points awarded: 25.]

[Level increased to 5.]

[New ability unlocked: Repair Pulse.]

Sandra touched the damaged bus door, and blue light spread across its broken hinges. The metal shifted back into place, allowing the survivors to close it and block the remaining zombies from entering.

“You saved all of us,” the father said, holding his daughter close. “But why are you doing this? Everyone says you only care about yourself.”

Sandra looked at the frightened faces around her. “Maybe I cannot erase the past, but I can make different choices now. If we work together, we have a better chance of surviving this apocalypse.”

A young woman stepped forward and offered Sandra a small bag of medicine. “Then take this. You risked your life for us, and I want to help you too.”

Sandra accepted it with a grateful smile. “Thank you. We should leave before more infected arrive.”

Suddenly, several armed survivors appeared behind an overturned truck. At their front stood a young woman with long brown hair, a pretty face, and a weapon pointed directly at Sandra.

Sandra recognized her at once.

“Francine Lopez?” she whispered.

Francine's eyes burned with anger. “Sasha Monroe! Step away from those people and drop your weapon!”

The survivors immediately moved between them. “Wait! She saved us!” the father shouted. “She killed the zombies, shared her supplies, and repaired our bus. She did not betray anyone!”

Francine frowned but kept her weapon raised. “You do not know what she is capable of. Sasha has deceived people before, and I will not let her trick another group of survivors.”

Sandra could barely believe it. Francine Lopez, the heroine she had admired while reading the novel, was standing right in front of her. She had imagined meeting Francine countless times, but she had never expected the woman to look at her as if she were the enemy.

“I understand why you do not trust me,” Sandra said. “But look around you. These people are alive because I chose to help them.”

“Stop pretending to be a good person!” Francine snapped. “I know you are planning another betrayal. You always want something in return!”

“No, I do not,” Sandra replied, trying to control her frustration. “I only want to survive, and I want these people to survive with me.”

The elderly woman stepped forward. “She did not ask us for anything. She gave us food and protected us from the zombies, even when she could have escaped alone.”

Francine lowered her weapon slightly, though suspicion remained in her eyes. “I will watch you, Sasha. If you hurt any of these people, I will stop you myself.”

Sandra turned around, still thinking about how unbelievable it was to meet the heroine of her favorite story, when she suddenly bumped into someone standing behind her.

She stumbled backward, but a strong hand caught her waist. Sandra looked up and found herself inches from a handsome man's face, their lips almost touching as their eyes met.