chapter one

Outbreak

Ethan Harris gazed out at the cityscape, his eyes scanning the rooftops and skyscrapers of New Haven. As a former Army Ranger, he had seen his fair share of combat and chaos, but nothing could have prepared him for this. The streets were empty, the only sound the distant hum of sirens and the occasional gunshot. He was lost in in own thoughts and wondered how the city he had grown up in happens to be deserted.

It started with rumors of a mysterious virus, one that changes the dead and turned them into mindless, flesh-eating monsters. Ethan had thought it as mere hysteria, but now he wasn't so sure. The news reports had been sparse, but the few images he had seen showed a city in ruins, the dead roaming the streets, and the living fighting for their lives.

Ethan's phone buzzed, breaking the silence. He answered, hoping for news from his sister, Rachel, who worked at the local hospital. Instead, it was his old Army buddy, Marcus.

"Hey, man, you need to get out of there," Marcus said, his voice laced with urgency. "The city's gone to hell. The virus is spreading fast, and the military is locking down the city."

Ethan's grip on the phone tightened. "What about Rachel? Have you heard from her?" he asked with his voice laced with concern

There was a pause, and for a moment, Ethan thought he'd lost the connection. "Ethan, I'm sorry. Rachel...she didn't make it. The hospital was overrun."

Ethan's world went dark. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Rachel, his little sister, was gone. He couldn't process it. Everything felt wrong for a moment and he was lost in his own thoughts. Rachel had been all he had since the death of their parents. Ethan had made a vow on his occasional visit to his parents grave and had promised he would do anything in his power to look out for his sister. The thought of Rachel's death sent him back to the old chair he sat down on

Marcus's voice brought him back to reality. "Ethan, you need to move. Now. Get out of the city before it's too late."

Ethan nodded, even though Marcus couldn't see him. He knew what he had to do. He grabbed his go-bag, a habit from his Army days, and headed out into the buzzling street of New Haven. He saw the horror look on the people's faces and some weird looking humans moving in unisom. There were body parts of people loitering the streets. People ran helter skelter as Ethan bounced them off him trying to fight his way out of the city

As he made his way through the buzzling streets, Ethan noticed the silence. No birds chirping, no cars honking, just an eerie stillness. He moved quickly, his senses on high alert, his hand on the grip of his pistol.

He turned a corner and saw it. A horde of the infected, their eyes blank, their skin gray and decaying. They moved as one, their arms outstretched, their mouths open in a perpetual snarl. Ethan knew he had to keep moving. He couldn't take on that many alone. He wondered how the whole city could get infected within such a short period of time. His mind went back and remembered his sister. " Would she become one of those things?" Ethan asked himself as he tried to fight back the tears that wanted to force themselves out of his blue eyes.

He spotted a alleyway and sprinted towards it, his heart pounding in his chest. He ducked into the narrow passage, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He leaned against the wall, catching his breath, and listened. The infected were closing in. He looked around and saw he was the only one. " It can't be? Am I the only living man in earth?" Ethan asked himself as his thought began to run wild

Ethan knew he had to keep moving. He had to find a safe place to regroup and figure out his next move. He pushed off from the wall and continued down the alley, his senses on high alert, ready for whatever came next. He gripped his pistol and knew firing a shit could draw the horde toward him but he needed to protect himself

As he emerged from the alley, he saw a figure in the distance. A young woman, her hair tied back in a ponytail, her eyes scanning the horizon. She looked like she was searching for something, or someone. Ethan approached her cautiously, his hand still on his pistol.

"Hey," he said, trying to sound friendly. "You okay?"

The woman turned, her eyes locking onto his. For a moment, they just stared at each other, two strangers in a dead city. They both knew what was at stake. If she was bitten then it was going to be the end for him. Ethan knew he couldn't die yet. He believed Rachel must have made it out and she could be hiding somewhere.

"Yeah," she said finally. "I'm looking for my daughter. She's 12. We got separated in the chaos." The pony tail woman said walking towards Ethan

Ethan's heart went out to her. He knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. "I'm Ethan," he said. "I can help you find her. But we need to move. The infected are closing in. Are you bitten?" he asked trying to be sure it was safe traveling with the woman

The woman nodded, a look of determination on her face. "I'm Sarah and no I am not bitten. Are you?" she asked with a frightened tone

Ethan shakes his head walking closer to Sarah. They both ventured into the alley and walked out the other side colliding with the hordes. " We have to go back,now!." Ethan shouted looking at Sarah who was sobbing. " I don't want to die" she shouted looking at Ethan's face.

Just as the hordes were closing in, a mysterious system appeared right in front of Ethan.

[ THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END. PRESS YES/NO TO GET HELP FROM THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM ]

Ethan stood stiil confused " What is a zombie system?" he looked at Sarah as the hord kept closing in..

Not knowing what to do, Ethan clicked on yes and everything became blank. " Where am I?"