The door groaned as the last echo of the monster's screech faded into the tunnel.
Aiden pressed his back against the steel slab, palms slick with sweat. The metal vibrated once… then went still.
"Please tell me that thing can't get through," he muttered.
Nova stepped forward, scanning the lock with a cracked handheld device. "It won't. Not yet."
"Not yet? Great. Love the optimism."
Her lips twitched. "You're alive. That's what matters."
The interior of Shelter 09 was nothing like Aiden had imagined. He expected some sterile bunker, maybe bright lights and order. Instead, the underground hall stretched out like an abandoned shopping mall turned survival camp. Flickering lights painted the walls in sickly yellow. Makeshift barricades—tables, furniture, scrap metal—formed choke points. The air smelled of sweat, burnt wiring, and fear.
Dozens of people milled around the hall: a mother hugging her two kids, a man in a bloodied business suit muttering to himself, a teen with neon-green hair clutching a crowbar. All of them had that same haunted look in their eyes—the look of people who'd seen the world end and didn't know what came next.
Aiden's stomach tightened. He'd never seen Crescent City this quiet, even underground.
He glanced at Nova. She adjusted her case and strode into the hall like she owned the place. Heads turned. Whispers rose.
"Nova's back…"
"She made it…"
"Who's the guy?"
Aiden blinked. "They know you."
Nova ignored him, walking toward the far end of the hall. He followed, weaving past piles of supplies. Handwritten signs marked "FOOD," "MEDIC," "WATER." Some people sat in corners staring at holographic screens only they could see—the System, he realized. Survivors, like him.
A man with a scar across his cheek stepped in front of them. "Nova. We thought you were dead."
"I almost was," she said flatly. "Is Commander Venn here?"
"In the control room." The man's eyes flicked to Aiden. "Who's this?"
"No one," she said. "Yet."
Aiden bristled. "Hey, I have a name."
Nova kept walking. He jogged to keep up. "You mind telling me why everyone here acts like you're some kind of legend?"
She didn't answer.
---
The control room looked like an old subway office retrofitted with scavenged tech. Monitors lined the walls, some working, most dark. A giant map of Crescent City was taped across a table, dotted with red pins.
Commander Venn was a big man with a shaved head and eyes like cold steel. He wore a tactical vest patched with duct tape. When Nova entered, he stood.
"You're late," he rumbled.
Nova set the black case on the table. "I had company."
Venn's gaze shifted to Aiden. "Another one?"
"He's a Survivor," Nova said.
Aiden raised his hands. "Hi. Just trying not to die here."
Venn grunted. "Sit."
Aiden hesitated, then perched on a battered chair. The room smelled of old coffee and ozone.
Nova opened the case. Inside, a strange device pulsed faint blue—a cylinder of glass filled with shimmering liquid, cables snaking out of it. It looked like a piece of an alien engine.
Venn's eyes hardened. "You actually found it."
Nova's voice was low. "Not all of it. But enough to start."
"Start what?" Aiden blurted.
Both of them looked at him. Nova's expression softened a fraction. "Survival."
Venn crossed his arms. "The city's gone. Communications are dead. We've got maybe fifty people left in this shelter, half of them wounded. Supplies for three days. And now the System's feeding quests to anyone still breathing." He glared at Aiden. "You one of those?"
Aiden glanced at his invisible screen. "Uh… yeah. It gave me some kind of perk."
"Show me."
"I… don't know how?"
Nova leaned over. "Think 'Status.'"
He did. The screen expanded in front of him:
> [Survivor: Aiden Cross]
[Level: 1]
[Perk: Adaptive Reflexes (Rank F)]
[Survivor Points: 110]
Nova's eyes flickered with interest. "Rank F, but unlocked early. He's adapting faster than projected."
Venn grunted. "We could use someone like that."
"Use me how?" Aiden asked warily.
"To keep everyone alive," Venn said bluntly.
Aiden leaned back. "Look, I'm just a courier. I don't do hero stuff."
Nova's voice was calm but sharp. "You already did."
He opened his mouth, then closed it. She wasn't wrong. He'd fought off that monster. Saved that girl.
Venn jabbed a finger at the map. "We need to secure more shelters before the System turns this into a free-for-all. You two are going topside in an hour."
Aiden blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Shelter 07's gone dark," Venn said. "We think survivors are trapped. We need eyes and hands."
Aiden shot Nova a look. "And you're okay with this?"
She didn't answer immediately. "We don't have a choice. The System doesn't wait."
The screen pulsed again. New text appeared:
> [New Quest Received: "Link Shelter 07"]
[Reward: +200 Survivor Points, Perk Upgrade Chance]
[Time Limit: 02:00:00]
Aiden's heart sank. "It's giving me quests like I'm in some kind of death game."
"That's because you are," Nova said.
---
An hour later, Aiden sat on a crate lacing up scavenged combat boots. His hoodie had been swapped for a patched jacket with reinforced sleeves. A knife and a short metal baton lay on the crate beside him—his new "gear."
He still felt like a fraud.
Nova emerged from a side room, her lab coat replaced by a black tactical vest over her torn clothes. She still carried the case, slung now with a reinforced strap. A sleek black pistol rested on her hip.
"You look ready," she said.
"I look like a wannabe action figure," he muttered.
She smirked faintly. "Better than looking dead."
He picked up the baton. "So, this Shelter 07—what are we walking into?"
"Best case? Survivors." She clipped a small device to her belt. "Worst case? Another nest."
"Define 'nest.'"
"You'll see."
"Fantastic."
---
They left Shelter 09 through a service tunnel, boots crunching on gravel. Emergency lights faded behind them until only the greenish glow of the sky seeped through cracks above.
As they moved, Aiden's mind raced. He glanced at Nova. "Back in the control room, you said 'start survival.' What did you mean?"
She kept walking. "The device I brought back is part of the Core."
"Core?"
"The System's anchor in this city," she said. "Destroy it, maybe the monsters vanish. Or we die faster. Nobody knows."
He stared. "And you're carrying it around in a lunchbox?"
"It's shielded," she said dryly. "Mostly."
"Comforting."
Ahead, the tunnel opened into a maintenance room. A ladder led up to a rusted hatch. Nova climbed first, pushing it open. Warm, fetid air rushed down.
Aiden followed, emerging into a narrow alley choked with debris. The sky above churned like a sick ocean. In the distance, fires burned, painting the horizon orange.
His System pulsed:
> [Quest Active: "Link Shelter 07" — 1:59:59]
The countdown had begun.
---
They moved through the ruins, keeping low. Crescent City felt even emptier now. Windows gaped like broken teeth. Paper fluttered down from shattered billboards. Somewhere far off, a creature howled.
Aiden tightened his grip on the baton. "So what's our plan?"
"Get to Shelter 07, assess, extract survivors," Nova said. "Stay alive."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
He exhaled. "Right. Easy."
They passed a burned-out bus. Aiden caught movement inside—a pair of glowing eyes staring from the dark. He froze.
Nova whispered, "Keep walking."
The eyes blinked, then vanished.
---
They reached an intersection where the road had collapsed into a crater. In the middle, something pulsed—an egg-like pod covered in slick black veins. The air above it shimmered, distorting like heat.
Aiden's stomach turned. "What is that?"
"Seed," Nova said quietly. "Nest starter. The System plants them when a zone's cleared of humans."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning this area's been lost."
As they skirted the crater, the pod twitched. A hairline crack split its surface. A hiss escaped.
Nova drew her pistol. "Move faster."
Aiden didn't argue. They slipped into another alley just as the pod burst open, releasing a cloud of chittering things no bigger than rats. Their carapaces gleamed. Tiny mandibles clicked.
One landed on Aiden's shoulder.
He yelped, smacking it off with the baton. It skittered, hissing. Another leapt at his leg. He swung, cracking its shell. Black ichor sprayed.
The System pulsed:
> [Hostiles Defeated: +5 Survivor Points]
"Less notifications, more help!" he shouted, swatting another.
Nova fired twice, blue energy tearing through the swarm. "Keep moving!"
They ran, the swarm chasing them like a living tide. Aiden's lungs burned. He vaulted a fallen sign, landing hard. Nova slid under a broken pipe, blasting more of the creatures.
They burst out onto a street lined with toppled vending machines. Nova ducked behind one, panting. "We can't lead them to 07."
"What do we do?"
Her eyes flicked to a nearby gas station. "We make a diversion."
"You've done this before?"
"Once."
"Great."
---
Inside the gas station, shelves lay overturned. The smell of fuel clung to everything. Nova darted behind the counter, grabbing a half-full jerry can. "Find a spark," she ordered.
Aiden spotted a box of flares near the door. He grabbed one, pulling the cap. The tip hissed to life, burning red.
Nova poured fuel across the floor, then tossed the can aside. "On my mark."
The swarm clawed at the doorway, mandibles clicking.
"Mark!" she shouted.
Aiden hurled the flare. Fire blossomed, rolling through the store. The swarm shrieked, scattering as flames roared up.
"Go!" Nova yelled.
They bolted out the back door as the gas station exploded behind them. Heat washed over Aiden's back. He didn't look back.
---
They didn't stop running until the swarm's noise faded. They collapsed behind a toppled truck, gasping.
Aiden wiped soot from his face. "You're insane."
"It worked," she said simply.
His System pulsed:
> [Hazard Survived: +20 Survivor Points]
He laughed shakily. "Guess it liked our little fireworks show."
Nova glanced at him, a ghost of a smile crossing her face. "You're adapting."
He blinked. "You keep saying that."
"Because it matters." She looked away. "Most people don't. They freeze. They die."
He swallowed hard. "And you?"
"I've been freezing for years," she murmured.
He stared at her but she didn't elaborate.
---
The skyline ahead dipped, revealing a concrete bunker half-buried under rubble—Shelter 07. Its entrance was partially collapsed, but a faint light flickered inside.
Aiden's System pulsed:
> [Quest Update: Shelter 07 Located. Rescue Survivors to Complete Quest.]
He exhaled. "We made it."
Nova's eyes narrowed. "Not yet."
She drew her pistol. "Stay close."
They approached the entrance. The air grew heavy, charged. Inside, a low growl echoed.
Aiden tightened his grip on the baton. "What now?"
Nova's lips thinned. "Now we find out who's still alive."
And with that, they stepped into Shelter 07.