Doomday Engineer

The body twitched.

I froze, breath catching in my throat. Dead things didn't move.

Shadow let out a low growl beside me, his fur bristling. The stench of decay and frozen blood thickened the air, making it harder to breathe. I tightened my grip on my rifle, heart hammering.

Then the system flared to life.

[System Notification: Lifeform Detected – Critical Condition]

[Vitals: Weak – Hypothermia, Malnutrition, Blood Loss]

Not a corpse. A survivor.

I moved closer, rifle aimed, scanning for any sign of a trap. The survivor—a man, mid-thirties, skin pale as the snow outside—was slumped against the metal wall. His clothes were tattered, his face half-hidden behind an ice-encrusted hood.

Then his eyes flickered open.

"Help…" His voice was barely a whisper, his lips cracked and bleeding from the cold.

I clenched my jaw.

I didn't have time for this.

Lily was waiting for me back at the facility. Every minute I wasted here meant more time exposed to the cold, more chances for another hostile group to find my base.

And yet…

I exhaled sharply. Damn it.

I couldn't just let him die.

Dropping to one knee, I checked his pulse—weak but still there. Hypothermia was killing him. He had maybe minutes left before his body shut down completely.

"Shadow, watch the door," I muttered. The dog obeyed instantly, positioning himself near the entrance, ears perked.

The system responded to my decision.

[New Task: Stabilize Survivor – Reward Pending]

I pulled a system-enhanced glucose shot from my med pack and injected it into his arm. His body jerked, his breathing suddenly sharp and ragged. Good—it meant his system was still capable of responding.

"Who… are you?" he rasped, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"The guy who just saved your life," I muttered, securing a thermal blanket around him. I wasn't sure why I was bothering with conversation. He was dead weight. A liability.

But he gave a weak, humorless chuckle. "Lucky me."

I ignored him, scanning the room. Something felt off.

The blood trails on the ground weren't just from him. They led deeper into the outpost, disappearing around a dark corner. The shelves were overturned, supply crates scattered. This place had been attacked.

Had he been alone?

The system chimed again.

[Warning: Movement Detected – 200 Meters]

I stiffened. Not alone.

I grabbed my rifle, scanning the entrance. The wind outside howled, drowning out distant noises. Something—or someone—was coming.

The man coughed, struggling to sit up. "We need… to get out of here."

No kidding.

I hooked my arm under his and hauled him to his feet. "You better not slow me down."

He gave a weak nod. "Won't."

Shadow growled.

Footsteps. Close.

No time to think.

I pulled the stranger forward. If we were going to make it out alive, we had to move. Now.

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