The cold stung her skin like tiny needles.
Metal cuffs bit into her bloodied wrists, too tight, cutting deeper each time she moved.
She didn't bother struggling anymore.
What was the point?
Her body was broken.
Her heart?
Already rotting.
The walls around her were splashed in dried blood, the floors sticky with gore. She could smell death in the air—thick, coppery, sharp. Something growled in the dark, claws scratching along metal.
A reminder: she wasn't alone.
There were monsters in this lab. And she was the bait.
She used to be afraid.
Used to scream, plead, sob.
But now, she was just tired.
So damn tired.
Her name was Aurora Dusk, once a top student, once someone who dreamed of love, family, and peace.
Now?
She was just a discarded tool—used and tossed away like garbage.
She laughed. The sound was dry, cracked, almost feral.
"So this is what I was worth to them..."
Her thoughts drifted to their faces.
Her fiancé, Caleb—once gentle, once sweet—had kissed her lips the night before he traded her to a rival faction like cattle.
And her sister, sweet little Serah, who had looked up at her with those tear-filled eyes and whispered, "I'll protect you, I promise," before leading her into a trap.
Her parents, who cried for her in public… but signed the agreement to send her here.
All of them. Every single one.
They had worn love like a mask.
And she?
She was too blind, too trusting.
A low, wet snarl echoed from the shadows.
She flinched, instinctively curling into herself.
The infected had caught her scent again.
Another one would come soon.
She stared up at the flickering ceiling light, each blink a countdown to death.
Tears didn't come.
She didn't have any left.
Then—
Pain.
White-hot. Blinding.
Her chest—it burned.
Like something inside her was clawing to get out. Her back arched off the ground, a scream tearing from her throat. Her vision went white, her veins lighting up like molten fire. Something ancient, something angry—something alive—was waking up inside her.
The monsters shrieked. She could hear them scrambling, hissing, as if sensing something wrong.
And then—
Boom.
The sound of her own heartbeat exploded in her ears. Her body convulsed once. Twice. And then—
Silence.
Everything went dark.
---
She expected death.
Expected to wake in nothingness, or maybe in pain.
But when her eyes fluttered open…
She was… warm?
She blinked, dazed.
White ceiling.
Pink walls.
Framed photos. Books. A mirror.
She was in her room.
Her old room.
Her body—it was whole. Untouched. No scars, no bruises. No broken bones.
She shot upright, heart thundering in her chest.
The calendar on the wall read:
May 7th.
Her breathing stopped.
Seven days.
Seven days before the first outbreak.
Seven days before the world turned to ash.
"No," she whispered. "No, no, no. This can't be real..."
She scrambled out of bed, opened the window. Birds chirped. Cars passed. The sky was still blue.
It was real.
She pressed her hand against the glass, trembling.
She remembered this day.
Her mother would call soon, telling her to attend Serah's 'engagement dinner.'
Caleb would arrive with flowers. Fake smiles.
And she, the naive idiot, would obey like a puppet.
But not this time.
Something inside her had changed.
She walked to the mirror and stared.
The girl in the reflection was younger. Softer. But her eyes—they were different now.
There was no more innocence.
Only fire.
"You all thought you broke me," she whispered to the girl in the mirror.
"But you made a monster."
A soft chime rang out in her head.
> [Apocalypse Countdown System Activated.]
[Time Remaining Until Global Collapse: 7 Days, 00 Hours, 00 Minutes.]
[Welcome back, Aurora Dusk.]
Her lips curled into a cold smile.
"Good.
Let's begin."