[Aria's POV]
"Forty-eight hours," I whispered, staring at the system warning. "They'll all die in forty-eight hours."
Dr. Elena watched me carefully. "What does your system say?"
I showed her the screen. Her eyes widened as she read.
"A rival faction attack." She sat down heavily. "That's bad. Really bad. Those groups are organized. Armed. They don't just raid—they slaughter everyone and take everything."
My hands clenched into fists. "There are innocent people in that warehouse. Jade. The younger survivors. People who didn't vote to kick me out."
"There are also the people who did vote," Dr. Elena pointed out. "Marcus. Vivian. The ones who filmed you crying and threw you to the zombies."
"I know."
"So what will you do?"
I looked at my bandaged hands. Felt the power humming beneath my skin, still weak but growing stronger with every passing minute.
"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I have forty-eight hours to decide."
