Blood.
It covered his sleeves, splashed all over his boots, and stained the cracked pavement under him.
But Aiden didn't care as he was already dying.
He was down on one knee in some busted-up alley, leaning against a wall that looked ready to collapse. His breathing was all messed up. There was a bite on his side, still bleeding, thanks to the zombie that tried to rip him open earlier.
His sword was across his lap, all chipped up and covered in nasty stuff, and the dead were closing in. Their growls echoed through the alley, boots dragging, arms twitching, teeth clicking.
There were so many of them. It could've been hundreds. Maybe more.
One of them still had a soldier's uniform on. Its jaw hung weird, eyes cloudy, skin gray and gross. It dragged one leg like it didn't even feel it. Still hungry.
Aiden couldn't move. This was it. His last stand.
But he wasn't scared.
He was just burning inside.
He looked that zombie right in the eyes and exhaled"Come on, then."
And right as it lunged—
—everything disappeared.
Aiden shot up with a gasp.
No pain. No blood. No bite.
Just the low hum of an air conditioner and sunlight shining through clean curtains.
He sat up fast, heart pounding. He looked around—fancy furniture, shiny wood floors, and untouched appliances.
"What the hell…" he muttered.
Then came a knock.
"Hi! You must be Mr. Aiden," some overly cheerful lady said as she came in wearing a realtor outfit."Welcome to your new apartment—five bedrooms, great view, fully furnished, and it even has high-end water filters!"
He barely heard her. His brain was loading.
This was six months before everything went to hell.
He didn't ask why he was here. He didn't need to.
He got another shot. A second chance.
And he wasn't gonna waste it.
"I'll take it," he said, standing up fast.
She blinked. "Wait—don't you wanna look around or—?"
"Put it on my credit."
Over the next few days, Aiden moved like he was on a mission.
He applied for every credit card and loan he could. Used fake IDs and reached out to old contacts. Cleaned out every bank, lender, and sketchy finance guy he could find.
It didn't matter—none of the debt would matter when the world turn to hell.
With the cash, he started building his fortress.
Steel locks, reinforced walls, solar panels, generators, water drums, food for months, weapons, and secret exits. Every room had a backup plan.
And then he trained hard.
Every day.
5AM—sprints.6AM—pushups, pullups, squats.7AM—sword drills, gun work, close combat routines.
He trained like a machine. Because once things fell apart, there wouldn't be time to think. Just move, fight, and survive.
By week three, his body felt like it'd been hit by a truck but his mind was sharper than ever.
Then, one lazy afternoon, cracks started showing.
Aiden was at a café, sipping coffee like everything was normal.Notebook in front of him, his survival plan, all mapped out.
That's when he heard it.
"Well, well. Look who stopped ghosting us."
He looked up slowly. There were his old coworkers, and Dennis, his former client, was still annoying.
"Dennis," Aiden said, totally unimpressed.
"You think you can just vanish from work and not get called out?" Dennis said, acting tough.
Aiden stood up, calmly, and pushed the chair back.
"Don't waste my time."
Dennis laughed. "You serious?"
"Touch me again and I'll break your hand."
Dennis grabbed his arm anyway.
Then all hell broke loose
Screams from outside. People ran everywhere, flipping tables, falling over each other. A girl crashed through the window, with blood pouring from her neck.
It started.
Aiden grabbed his bag.
"What the hell are you—" Dennis started to ask.
Then Aiden pulled out his blade.
The whole place freaked out. Except Aiden.
He pushed through the chaos and hit the street.
The girl was already gone. Two zombies were eating her.
One looked up—its face dead and blank. Aiden swung. Dropped it in one hit.
The other lunged.
He ducked and rammed his sword right up through its chest into its head. It crumpled like a puppet with no strings.
People were screaming, running in every direction.
Aiden just stood there, calmly.
This was six months early. Way earlier than it was supposed to happen.
He looked around—zombies were already filling the street The huge LED billboard was flashing an emergency warning.
Someone messed with the timeline. His plan was now useless unless he adjusted fast.
But Aiden didn't freak out.
He adapted.