My warm blood is spilling out of my gut. I feel the knife deep inside my belly. Not only the metallic one, but the one stabbed at my trust.
My old, torn shirt is turning red. I was betrayed by the one I loved the most. Sakura was smiling as she watched the scene. The one who stabbed me was Ryo, one of the only friends who survived day 0.
As my blood leaked onto the floor, my legs started to fail. Then, I hit the ground. Why? I'm thinking: why in the world would they do this?
As if reading my mind, Ryo said, "Do you remember our first day in the gym, when Akira was killed? It was me."
I was shocked. Akira was my best friend, and he died trying to protect all of us since he was in good shape.
"…Why?" I managed to say in a low tone.
"You know, he was too naive. Trying to protect everyone would have driven us to death," he continued. "And if you're asking why you, I can tell you: they need your meat."
Wait, what? Did he really say somebody wants to eat me apart from zombies?
"They will pay us generously if we sell your flesh. I'm sorry. We don't really hate you, so don't take it personally. Well, Sakura does hate you"
As if not hating me would make my stab disappear.
Zombies' growls started to be heard.
"So, this is it. They are coming closer. We need to kill you first so we can bring you somewhere. Also, there is no need for you to be eaten alive by those guys."
As Ryo said it, the machete I had crafted whistled through the air as it came closer to my neck.
I wish... I had another chance. This idea came to my mind as my brain started to shut down while the coldness of the machete began to slice the flesh of my neck. It was not a conscious plea, just the last sparkle of my will to live. The noises of chaos were muted, the darkness enveloped me, and finally, I didn't feel pain.
I died.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Congratulations: You have unlocked the E.C.H.O. system. Achievents: long-term surviver, the abandoned one, betrayed].
A high-pitched bell is ringing in my ears, making me jump out of my seat. I wake up surprised, my heart almost went out of my chest. I move my hands, looking for my wound... but there is nothing. I notice there is no rotten smell anywhere. My school uniform is clean. There is neither blood, nor knife, nor wound.
Am I... alive?
Around me, I can see an everyday scene. My classmates who died long ago were stretching as the bell rings at the end of the lesson. The math teacher gathers her books from her desk. Everything is normal. Crazily normal. Desks, warm sunlight coming through the windows, and the murmur of students putting away their books.
Was it a dream? Once again, I bring my shaking hand to my belly, looking for a wound that is no longer there. But I remember everything so clearly that it hurts. It was too realistic and too long to be a dream. I can evoke the slashing pain, the Takahashi .... and Sakura's cold glance...
"Are you okay, Rohen?" I hear a voice next to me. I turn my head in the direction of the sound. Surprised, I see Akira at the next desk, looking at me, concerned. "You look pale."
Akira... I remember his face stained with soot and tears on Day 0, when we were escaping together among screams and flames. Akira died that night trying to protect others during the chaos, killed by zombies. Or so I was told, because Takahashi said he killed him. Now he is here, with a curious and concerned gaze.
"I'm... okay," I answered, trying my best to sound natural. My throat is dry. I just didn't sleep well last night.
It's not like I lied. Dying definitely ruins a good night's sleep. Not speaking about being betrayed to be eaten like sushi.
Akira tilts his head with a strange expression, but finally nods. "If you say so... By the way, should we start going home? Lessons are over."
I nod automatically.
Then I feel a chill run over my spine.
[Activating E.C.H.O. system. The user may feel dizzy and suffer pain at this stage.]
Before I can stand up, a message appears in the air in front of me. I gulp. I was not dreaming. My dream was real. I can read in perfect Japanese as I feel a deep pain:
[Welcome, Rohen player!
System "E.C.H.O." activated.
Countdown until Apocalypse Day: 30 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes
Missions will be allocated to ensure your survival, without affecting the causality of the world.
Disclaimer: Non-compliance with the system may lead to user debuffs or even death.]
What...? I am on my knees, reading again and over again those lines, astonished. A system, like those webnovels that I used to read before the apocalypse, to sleep?
And it says it knows about the apocalypse, it even said "Apocalypse Day in 30 days"
"Rohen! Are you alright? What happened?" Akira's voice pulls me back. He stands over me, terrified.
"Sorry... you should go ahead. I'll catch up. I just need a moment alone. I did not sleep well last night" I managed to say.
Without waiting for his response, I turn and walk away toward the stairs leading to the backyard of the school. I feel Akira's confused gaze on my back, but right now I can't worry about that.
When I reach a space next to some stairs, the glowing sun lights continue to envelop me. My breathing is agitated. It's the same feeling I get when I receive a notification on my phone, but now it's inside my eyes. Have I gone mad? Or is this... part of the gift that came with my temporary "reset"?
The word... E.C.H.O. what would that mean? It sounds similar to echo? I get no reactions from the "system".
I decide to interact with the screen in the only way I can think of: speaking.
"System...E.C.H.O.?
When I say it, the window reacts with a soft flicker. A new line of text appears, followed by a menu dropping down in my vision.
[Mission ECHO-001] "Grave Silence" Do not contact or speak to girlfriend for the next 5 days.
Reward for completion: Unlock Dimensional Inventory Lv.1 (personal storage).
Punishment for failure: ECO System lockout for 24 hours.]
My eyes are wide open. My girlfriend? Do they mean Sakura? The system does not show her name. It is not necessary either way.
Why is this my first "quest"? My stomach become crazy only thinking of her. I would want to kill that bitch. But the coincidence worries me. It's as if this system knows that she is a problem for me. Is it protecting me from her or preventing me from changing something specific?
Another ping interrupts my thoughts:
[Mission ECHO-002
"Prepare the Shelter"
Hide a first aid kit under the service staircase in wing C within the next 48 hours.
Reward: Skill [Panic Signal] (sensory alert for imminent danger).
Punishment: Activation of a special Punishment Mission for non-compliance.]
Two simultaneous missions. I quickly read through their contents. The first is simple in theory: don't talk to Sakura for five days. The second requires more action: get a first aid kit and hide it in wing C of the school in two days. My mind slowly awakens after the initial shock. Both tasks make a lot of sense:
1) Avoiding Sakura might prevent some distraction or emotional confrontation that could distract me from preparing... Besides, to be honest, after how she smiled when I was killed, I wasn't planning on looking for her anyway, except for killing her. I can handle that, since I cannot kill her yet.
2) Hiding a first aid kit in the school... I remember that on Day 0, many people were injured in the hallways of school and we didn't have any supplies on hand. An accessible first aid kit would have made a difference. This mission is making me proactive in saving lives.
The ECHO system, whatever it is, seems to have a plan. It is guiding me to prepare myself and turn events to my advantage. The catch? If I don't comply, there are penalties. A 24-hour "system lockout" sounds bad. If this system is my key advantage, having it taken away just when I might need it would be fatal. And a "special Punishment Mission"... I'd rather not find out what that is. I swallow hard my saliva.
Obeying these missions could give me valuable tools (a dimensional inventory and abilities!) for the apocalypse. But at the same time, who or what is dictating them? Can I trust a mysterious screen that has literally appeared in my head? I don't have many options. If this ECO has the power to kill me, and it clearly says so, going against it would be suicidal. I'll have to play along... at least until I understand it better.
I take a deep breath to calm myself.
Okay. Priorities: Mission 002 for the first aid kit expires in 48 hours. I can take care of that after school, maybe buy supplies or "borrow" something from the infirmary. Sakura's Mission 001 lasts 5 days and it just involves avoiding her. It shouldn't be difficult... I think. I mentally store the information. I try to think close or blink twice. Instantly, the floating windows minimize, leaving only a few small semi-transparent icons in the corner of my vision. Useful.
"Rohen!" A female voice calls me from the entrance of the building, startling me. When I look up, my heart skips a beat. Sakura is there, a few feet away, stepping out onto the playground. She's looking for me, her gaze fixed on where I am. It can't be... Right now? Why today? I remember we had not spoken much in weeks since she was mad because I could not afford to go with her to Tokyo Disneyland. She has to come over at this critical moment?
Fate has a twisted sense of humor.
Sakura rushes toward me, waving her hand. The evening light highlights her figure with that determined air I know so well. She's determined to tell me something, and she won't leave without saying it.
"Rohen, wait, please!" she exclaims nervously as she gets closer.
Damn it. My whole body tenses up.
Mission ECO-001 appears in my vision with its cruel warning: don't talk to your ex. If I stay here, in seconds I'll be breaking the order... but if I just run away, what will those who see us think?
Sakura stops just a couple of steps away, her face slightly flushed from running and her eyes shining with determination... and something that looks like guilt.
"Just... just give me five minutes," she says without breath, looking at my eyes.
"I need to talk to you, okay? Please. Five minutes." Her words hit me hard. A month ago, I would have given anything to hear that... But right now, five minutes could cost me my life if the system is serious. And now, I know this bitch real face.
I feel cold sweat running down the back of my neck. My heart beats furiously, caught between resentment and literal terror of dying for disobeying.
What am I supposed to do now?