Four months to doomsday

The air reeked of blood and gunpowder.

Xu Lian tightened her grip on her blade, stepping over the lifeless bodies in the factory yard. Some were scavengers, but too many belonged to their own people. The battle had been brutal. Even though they had won, victory felt hollow when it came at such a cost.

Jiao wiped the blood off his face, his expression grim as he surveyed the damage. "We can't stay here."

Lian glanced toward the breached fence, where smoke still curled from the explosion. The factory was compromised. Another attack, and they wouldn't be so lucky.

"We move before dawn," she said firmly.

Jiao exhaled sharply. "And go where? We've lost too many. We don't have a safe place."

Guo Chen stepped beside Lian, his voice calm but unyielding. "We'll make one."

Silence fell over the group. The remaining survivors exchanged uneasy glances. They had weapons, supplies, and each other but out there, in a world about to collapse, none of that guaranteed survival.

"We need to split up," Lian continued. "The factory is compromised. If another group finds us, we won't last through another siege. Chen and I will scout ahead and find a temporary shelter. The rest of you, prepare to move."

Jiao hesitated, his fingers twitching by his belt. He was a soldier at heart abandoning ground never sat well with him. But after a long moment, he nodded. "Be careful."

Lian and Chen didn't waste time. They slipped into the night.

---

The City at Night

The streets stretched before them, still vibrant with life.

Flashing neon signs lit the roads, laughter spilled from restaurants, and traffic hummed through the veins of the city. No one around them knew what was coming. No one sensed the end creeping closer.

It was eerie.

Lian and Chen moved swiftly through the alleyways, staying out of sight. They had memorized this city long ago in their past life where to hide, where to avoid, where the first outbreaks would start.

"Any ideas?" Chen murmured, scanning the surroundings.

Lian's gaze swept over the buildings. They needed a place defensible, preferably isolated. It had to be somewhere people wouldn't think to search.

Then she spotted it.

A pharmaceutical warehouse, closed for the night, its steel shutters locked tight.

Chen followed her gaze. "Medicine and isolation. Not bad."

Lian crouched by the side door, testing the lock. It didn't budge.

"We'll need to break in," she muttered.

Chen cracked his knuckles. "Let me."

Before he could move, a voice cut through the night.

"That won't be necessary."

Lian spun, knife raised—

A man stood in the alleyway, hands in his pockets, watching them with an amused expression.

He was tall and lean, his face partially obscured by shadows. Unlike most people wandering the streets at this hour, he didn't seem drunk, lost, or afraid. He stood with the ease of someone completely at home in the darkness.

More importantly—he wasn't armed. At least, not visibly.

Still, something about him put Lian on edge.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The man tilted his head. "You could say… I'm someone like you."

Her breath caught.

No. That was impossible.

She controlled her expression, keeping her voice steady. "We've never met before."

The man chuckled. "Not in this life."

Lian's grip tightened on her blade.

Behind her, Chen stepped between them, his body radiating danger. "Explain. Now."

The stranger let out a slow breath, as if debating how much to say. "You're careful. That's good. You should be." His eyes flickered between them, assessing. "But let's not play games. You remember, don't you?"

Lian's pulse pounded.

Chen's fingers flexed near his gun. "Remember what?"

The man gave him a knowing look. "Everything."

Lian and Chen exchanged a brief glance.

This wasn't some random encounter. This man knew.

Their second chance at life wasn't unique.

Lian took a slow step forward, lowering her knife but not putting it away. "Who else?" she asked. "Who else remembers?"

The man smirked. "Now that's the right question."

A gust of wind rustled through the alley, carrying the scent of the city the exhaust fumes, the distant aroma of street food, the lingering staleness of an approaching storm.

Chen's voice was low. "Are you with us or against us?"

The man held his gaze. "That depends."

Lian narrowed her eyes. "On what?"

A shadow passed over the man's face. "On whether you're strong enough to survive what's coming."

Something about his tone sent a chill down Lian's spine.

They had spent weeks preparing, gathering supplies, forming alliances but they had no idea how many others like them were out there.

And if this stranger had found them so easily… who else was watching?

The man turned slightly, gesturing toward the warehouse. "If you're looking for a safe place, you'll want to move fast. You're not the only ones who thought of it."

Lian's grip tightened. Someone else was already after their shelter?

Chen exhaled sharply. "How many?"

The man shrugged. "Enough."

Lian's mind raced. If another group had their eyes on the warehouse, they needed to act now.

But more than that…

She studied the man in front of her. His calm confidence. The way he spoke in half-truths.

They couldn't ignore him.

"You still haven't given us your name," she said.

He smiled. "And you still haven't told me yours."

Lian scowled. She hated people like this people who thrived on mystery, on keeping others guessing.

But they didn't have the luxury of ignoring potential threats.

"We don't trust easily," she said bluntly.

"You shouldn't." His smirk faded. "I'll be seeing you, Xu Lian. Guo Chen."

And with that, he disappeared into the darkness.

Lian's breath caught.

He knew their names.

Chen's face was unreadable, but his stance was rigid.

"This just got a lot more complicated," he muttered.

Lian exhaled. The game had changed.

And they were no longer the only players.

---