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"Holy shit…"
"Was that a dream? Or…"
"Did I time-travel?"
Julian shot upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat.
Just moments ago, he'd been surrounded. Red-eyed zombies had swarmed him, tearing into his flesh, gnawing like rabid animals. The pain had been so intense it blanked out his mind entirely.
And now—
He was in his bedroom.
His actual bedroom.
"I thought my place fell in the second week…"
He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and checked the date.
"One year ago…"
"So I really came back."
He let out a long breath.
He had no idea how it happened. Didn't matter. He was alive. That was miracle enough.
According to the date, today was the first day of the mass outbreak.
There was no way he was going outside.
That would be suicide.
Step out the door now and you wouldn't just face crazed zombies—you'd also have to deal with panicking, unhinged humans.
No thanks. He'd hole up at home for a week.
Luckily, he'd always kept several boxes of instant noodles in different flavors. Survival wouldn't be a problem.
The only tragedy?
He had just one case of cola left. Locking himself in wouldn't be nearly as joyful without enough "happy water."
"First things first. Reinforce the door."
He shoved the wardrobe and the TV cabinet against the front entrance.
This was a twenty-story apartment building. As long as the main door held, he'd be safe.
Well. Safe for the first week, anyway.
He remembered it clearly. One week later, a bunch of idiots had blasted music and started dancing on the rooftop, like it was some end-of-the-world rave. The noise attracted a massive horde. Zombies flooded into the building like a tidal wave, trapping the survivors inside.
Julian had survived only because he'd gone out scavenging that day.
After barricading the door, he immediately booted up his computer and started downloading everything he could.
Internet and power would cut out about a week after the outbreak. He needed to grab as much as possible while he still could.
In the apocalypse, a hand-crank generator and an iPad loaded with… "premium resources" could trade for a month's worth of food.
Preparation done, Julian settled comfortably into his chair and started gaming.
Unfortunately, the apocalypse did not improve matchmaking times.
Trying to queue up for a round of League of Legends was torture. It took forever just to find a match.
And when the game finally started, someone disconnected as soon as the minions spawned.
"Sorry guys, my cousin got bitten by his dad. Please understand."
That was the explanation from the enemy EZ.
Everyone in the match responded with sympathy.
At a time like this, just being able to log in and play one game was already impressive.
Julian felt a strange respect for the guy's father.
Even after turning into a zombie, the man hadn't forgotten to stop his son from playing games.
Now that was quality parenting.
Gradually, night fell.
By evening, he couldn't even match with real players anymore.
Playing against bots was boring.
So Julian calmed down and started planning his survival strategy.
He had experience, after all.
The first week of the outbreak was the most chaotic.
After that, ninety percent of the world's population would be gone.
Ironically, the sharp drop in population brought the survivors some relief.
Resources were limited. Fewer people meant more food per person.
And early-stage zombies weren't that strong. Anyone with a bit of muscle and a sturdy stick could take one down.
That made the second week the perfect time to search for a new safehouse.
Julian already had a target in mind.
The supermarket two blocks away.
Sure, it had been looted clean in the first few days.
But as someone who'd lived through it, he knew the warehouse still held a massive stockpile of supplies.
Enough to feed hundreds for months.
After that, he could either continue as a lone wanderer or join a survivor base.
About a month into the outbreak, zombies began to mutate.
Stronger variants started appearing in large numbers.
Doors that once felt secure were smashed apart like cardboard.
Ordinary people, even armed, were no match for those evolved monsters.
Survivors were slaughtered in waves.
Thankfully, humanity began producing Awakened.
People who developed powers beyond normal human limits.
With their help, humanity avoided complete extinction.
As more Awakened emerged and gathered together, survivor bases began forming.
Large bases could even have dozens of Awakened guarding them.
And Julian…
Before coming back, he had been nothing more than an utterly ordinary man.
He'd survived for a year purely on luck, wandering alone.
In the end, though, he couldn't escape being surrounded.
"This time, I need to find a base with an Awakened in charge," he muttered, slurping noodles.
In the apocalypse, normal people were painfully insignificant.
As darkness swallowed the sky, the entire city dimmed with it.
The skyscrapers were no longer ablaze with light. If a building had two or three lit windows, that was already impressive.
The streetlights below still glowed.
But beneath them stood blood-soaked zombies, motionless, swaying.
Not exactly inviting for an evening stroll.
Julian leaned against the window, sipping his cola, savoring the fragile calm.
Then he noticed something.
On the tenth floor of the building across from his, a light was on.
The two buildings belonged to the same complex and stood fairly close.
Squinting, he could make out a figure inside.
Looked like… a girl?
As an astronomy enthusiast, it was perfectly reasonable for him to own a telescope.
Julian picked it up and aimed across.
Yep.
Definitely a girl.
And not just any girl.
She had pale skin, delicate features, long legs, and a very… well-nourished figure.
She was also dressed very lightly.
"What a shame…"
"With a whole building between us, there's no way to get acquainted."
He sighed.
Suddenly, the long-legged beauty spotted him and started waving frantically.
Then she grabbed a sheet of A4 paper and wrote something on it.
Through the telescope, Julian read it easily.
"Help me!"
Three large characters that perfectly captured her desperation.
He glanced down at the dense mass of zombies below and shrugged.
Cross over there to save you?
Are you kidding?
We're total strangers. Risking my life for a thank-you? Not happening.
The girl held up another sign.
"Hungry!"
Figures.
Probably someone who lived off takeout.
No food stocked at home.
Julian thought for a moment.
He did have plenty of instant noodles.
And when he eventually relocated, he wouldn't be able to carry everything anyway.
Might as well do a small good deed.
But the buildings were dozens of meters apart.
How the hell was he supposed to throw it across?
"....."