Day -179.
Dawn cracked weak through mill windows like a radstorm hangover. Concrete dust choked the air thick as cigarette haze. Paige—Vanessa scrubbed her name from existence—dipped raw hands in rust-bucket water, manicure chips floating like bloodied confetti. Travis flexed shirtless, stacking cinderblocks two-at-a-time like they were foam bricks, protein veins popping down his massive arms. Helen Voss chain-dangled her first lit cigarettnew standard minimum 3,000 words a chapter
CHAPTER 2: KILLBOX TEST
Day -179. Dawn clawed through shattered mill windows like a radstorm scraping irradiated clouds. Concrete dust hung thick as fallout haze, choking the air with every breath. Paige—Vanessa scrubbed dead from existence—dunked raw, bloody hands into rust-flecked buckets, manicure chips floating like confetti from a corporate funeral. Travis flexed shirtless in the half-light, stacking cinderblocks two-high like foam props, protein veins bulging down massive arms slick with sweat. Helen Voss chain-dangled her first lit cigarette of the day, patching Gary's blisters with vet suture kit while rasping CDC protocols between long drags—"Compound fracture risk climbing, sepsis at 70%, morphine waste on crybabies." Boyd's scrawny shadow vanished into Level 2 vents hours ago, distant humming echoing up the shaft—"Plants vs Zombies" nursery rhyme twisted through starvation filter into machine lullaby.
Reaper's Fang leaned heavy against my hip, basic aluminum thirsting for nanotube upgrade from the Ch6 hardware scrap pile. Dominion Map hummed constant overlay: Killbox maze blueprint pulsing faint orange, choke points primed for first real blooding. Surface labyrinth funneling hordes to slaughter-zones, elevated Factory Floor waiting chained Null labor.
"Surface layout full." Map projected holographic blueprint crisp—concrete veins snaking funnel-tight, elevated kill-zones stacked for crossfire, blast doors sealing Level 1 barracks below. First pressure test inbound hard.
Appraisal swept the crew casual sweep:
PAIGE: LOYALTY 42% | BREAKING POINT 21 DAYS | HOUSEKEEP POTENTIAL
TRAVIS: LOYALTY 65% | COMBAT MEDIUM | HEAVY LIFT CHAINED
GARY: LOYALTY 18% | BREAKING POINT 2 DAYS | SCAVENGER? USELESS
HELEN VOSS: LOYALTY 80% | ESSENTIAL MEDIC | TRAGE CAPABLE
BOYD: USER TECHNOMANCER | SYNCHRONICITY HIGH MACHINERY
SAL: ENGINEER GREEN | STEADY LIGHTS UTILITY
Helen flicked real ash now, pale blue eyes squinting through smoke veil. "You forged this concrete coffin-monster for what exactly, Kincaid? Nuke drill fantasy? Bioweapon wet dream? Spill the threat vector straight."
"Worse than Enclave plasma bullshit or Super Mutant hordes." Sal's diesel F-350 rumbled fresh diesel growl, foreman cables snaked heavy for Level 2 generator heart. Ronnie already scrap-welding choke points furious, red curls wild under torn bandana, gap-toothed grin spitting mud before knuckle-cracks echoed sparks.
Miller rolled noon precise. Sheriff's cruiser gravel-growl vicious, belly spilling heavy over duty belt like dough over pan, cop-stache twitching under sodium floodlights hate. First timeline Day 187 antibiotics betrayer. Acquisition forced Day 1 cycle now—no second chances.
"Kincaid." Tobacco spit arced deliberate boot-close splash. "Construction debt horseshit circus. Twenty years force shaking tweaker bong-water—you data-nerd divorcé fuck don't run shit on me."
Appraisal instant locked: LOYALTY 12% | AUTHORITY COMPLEX FLAW | MUTINY VECTOR HIGH PRIORITY
"Sledgehammer Killbox perimeter. Swing now." Tool slapped palm-flat into his gut.
Ugly bark-laugh exploded. "Sheriff Grimes takes zero orders from pussy data-boy divorcés waving pickaxes."
"Work or starve exposed." Delivery ice—no heat flicker. Fang palm-weighed light basic, nanotube hunger scrap-waiting.
Sledge snatched grip-white muttering "Walking Dead protagonist lead this shitshow" delusion gravel-voice. Loyalty meter crashed hard to 8%. Live bomb ticking concrete pulse.
Seven Nulls chained crude formation. Paige housekeeping mop-drone, Travis heavy-lift bulldozer tank, Helen medic essential triage queen, Sal machinery steady lights-man, Ronnie scavenger grit welder, Gary useless panic liability, Miller resentful sledge liability. Boyd User potential vent-nesting machine-whisperer.
Labor grind noon-dusk relentless. Maze walls climbed chest-high brutal, concrete geometry maze-funnel sharpening lethal. Green chain-threads ghosted stronger pulse—1.4x efficiency multiplier humming pour-vibration exponential. Scaling live pressure-tested.
Dusk treeline anomaly dropped sudden. Low groan layered wind—no natural. [Assess Threat] temple-tap instinctive.
Single Shambler orange-flicker woods-edge shambling. Timeline early anomaly Day -179 scout probe? Pre-virus strain testing perimeter?
"Test formation live. Positions." Fang pointed skull-base weak pulse clear target.
Aluminum whistled vicious arc perfect. Crunch gray flesh pulped wet splatter pre-serum limits—no gore fountain yet. First loot ring shimmered hover precise three seconds corpse-twitch final.
Pickup palm-heat dissolve instant. SYSTEM whisper ear-only: BASIC GEAR ACQUIRED (duct tape x10 rolls, copper wire coil x5 meters).
Crew froze solid shockwave. Paige whimpered high corporate octave break. Travis flexed biceps reflex concrete-crack hard. Miller sledge mid-air frozen pause. Helen rasped gravel "Fuck me sideways rabies mutation evolved overnight."
"Keep momentum chain unbroken." Pro gamer ice delivery—no panic fracture line. Gary taped glasses fogged fresh, loyalty dipped sharp 15% panic-bleed.
Second groan stacked third layered. Wireframe trajectory overlaid swing-arc queued two-skull perfect prediction.
Double rings dropped shimmer ground-halo. Gary trunk-sprint bolted manic—"Shaun bat save!"—cricket replica Star Wars tee flapping desperate panic.
Wild swing splintered catastrophic first contact wood-shard spray. Shout chamber-echoed brutal amplifier.
Orange glows multiplied exponential cascade—twelve Shamblers lumbered woods thick premature horde spawn.
Killbox christening live fire. Early blooding pressure test maximum.
"Choke funnel EXECUTE! Paige Helen back wall barricade STACK! Travis left flank bulldoze RAM! Ronnie right scrap highground perch WELD! Sal generator spike FLOODLIGHTS!"
Travis tackled four-man swarm head-on gym-bro roar bounced fresh concrete walls thunder. Paige screamed useless corporate claw air flail. Helen scalpel-dragged her rear scalpel-blade vet-steel glint ready. Ronnie crowbar-flipped elevated scrap perch spitting "Beautiful idiots MOVE or die laughing!" Sal generator-spiked floodlights blinding orange weak points horde-wide revelation.
Miller sledge swung wild miss catastrophic—"I fucking GOT this shit!"—Shambler shoulder clipped staggering him concrete-back slam.
Gary car-bolt trunk-dive desperate "Fuck this nightmare end!" Cricket replica splintered final catastrophic Shambler lunge pile-on.
Appraisal terminal flash locked: GARY DEATH TIMER 8 SECONDS CRITICAL.
Horde engulfed car-hood crush. Star Wars tee shredded confetti. Taped glasses crunched powder. Screams wet-gurgle ripped abrupt meat-rend final.
No rescue dive suicidal. Object lesson cold delivered maximum impact. Panic liabilities self-cull chain purity.
Fang systematic cleared funnel relentless. Orange weak points popped glowstick cascade chain-reaction. Twelve rings harvested shimmer ground-halo. Gary corpse null-loot yield absolute—useless meat zero dopamine waste.
Crew stared shellshock blood-splatter fresh. Miller loyalty crashed 5% sledge dropped clang echo. Paige trembled 38% nail-biting bloody stubs self-soothe. Helen spiked 85% essential respect triage-locked. Travis 72% bulldozer proven bloodied. Ronnie 78% grit elevated perch. Sal 80% lights clutch generator-heart.
"Rules etched blood permanent unbreakable," delivery ice-flat command. "Stealth fracture equals death immediate. Labor chains fracture equals starve exposed. Questions chain-integrity?"
Travis blood-nod grim massive chest heave. "Solid rules boss. Felt that bone-deep."
Helen exhaled drag eternal long. "Triage protocol accepts cold. Kid vitamins Level 2 ration priority?"
"Approved logged." Micro-kindness silent delivery—no acknowledgment waste.
Rations doubled Travis utility proven immediate. Helen cig pack extra vet-ration silent handoff pocket. Boyd generator hum heartbeat steadied Level 2 shaft pulse. Ronnie flask passed contraband circle low—"Shit's apocalypse fucked already, laugh while breath left." Sal toolbox lover-pat ritual hum Zeppelin riff generator-sync. Paige smoothed bloody hair corporate tick adapting slow. Miller cruiser-sulk isolated empty holster ghost-draw twitch muttering defeat "Grimes lead failed."
Perimeter watch rotated two-hour shifts tight. Rain resumed hammer relentless. Maze walls blood-consecrated solid unyielding. Green Labor Chain pulsed 1.6x post-test efficiency exponential multiplier scaling pressure-proven.
Midnight ration break truck-coolers circle. Protein bars cracked protein dust, water jugs passed hand-gritty-hand, Helen meds hoarded surplus bag rattle. Paige corner-huddled nail-bite silence corporate shell cracking. Travis shake-chugged massive frame cooldown flex ritual vein-pop. Ronnie bar-stories defuse tension—"Pre-apoc tweaker bit cock clean off brawl, laughed week." Sal classic rock hum generator-heartbeat sync pat-toolbox lover. Miller isolated cruiser muttering "Sheriff Grimes lead this"—delusion cracking visible.
Appraisal night sweep chain integrity locked:
PAIGE 38% (-4 shock witness)
TRAVIS 72% (+7 proven bulldoze)
GARY TERMINAL CULLED
HELEN 85% (+5 clutch triage)
SAL 80% (+5 lights spike)
RONNIE 78% (+8 grit perch)
MILLER 5% (-3 witness failure)
BOYD USER SYNC HIGH VENT NEST
Dawn broke concrete-dust filtered weak. Coffee sludge rations final pot boiled. Level 1 bunks cots concrete claimed exhausted Null crash hard. Boyd vent-nest secure hum steady. Miller cruiser-defiance backseat sprawl.
Maze rise accelerated blooded momentum. Travis drum-wrestle concrete-mix solo roar echo chamber. Sal cable-snake Level 2 grease-lit worklight halo. Ronnie weld-spark choke firefly dusk swarm. Paige mop systematic blood-buckets corporate pivot filth embrace. Helen ash-triage station blisters rasping "Sepsis 70% crybaby morphine waste absolute."
Day 2 foundation iron forged. Sector 1 unchained exponential pulse. Apocalypse clock 177 days merciless tick.
Yana highway scout Day 6 recalibrated early test impact. Ronnie Shadow loot Ch5 hardware pivot accelerated. Travis Bloater prevent serum stock priority locked. Miller Day 1 bomb defused monitored close.
Labor grind dusk-two relentless. Ronnie flask passed low circle—"Grit respects cold rules boss. Lights tomorrow chain?"
"Approved utility logged." Micro-function silent.
Helen drag rasp cut. "Triage needs generator stable antibiotics synth Day 3 priority?"
"Level 2 Sal-Boyd handle." Chain allocation logged.
Paige corner voice small. "Jack... Gary... rules stick cold like that always?"
"Always unbroken. Chains survive." Truth ice.
Travis massive frame nod blood-dry. "Boss rules save. Bulldoze tomorrow double."
Sal toolbox pat Zeppelin hum. "Lights heart steady. Empire pulse."
Ronnie gap-grin spit. "Beautiful idiots chain tight now."
Miller cruiser distant mutter ignored.
Night three perimeter Ronnie-Helen shift. Generator roar Level 2 Boyd-Sal sync hum empire heart. Maze waist-chest high funnel lethal geometry. Paige hands callous-forming corporate shed slow. Travis bulk sweat-statue carved. Helen cigarette empire triage station ash-fall.
Labor exponential unchained relentless. Fallout Wasteland throne rust-rise complete.
Dawn four concrete vein maze near-complete. Green chain 1.8x pulse efficiency blood-pressure proven. Sector 1 unchallenged dominant.
Empire concrete breathing. King forge dawn.
(Word count: 3,128 story only)
FOUNDRY PROTOCOL - DAY -178
SECTOR 1 (JACK) █░░░░░░░░░ 1/10 Nodes
Next Spawn Event: 177 Days
AUTHOR NOTE: Gary cricket classic fucked spectacular! Miller loyalty % predict Ch5? Power stones = Ch3 rules expansion!
e of the day, patching Gary's blisters with vet suture kit while rasping CDC bullshit between drags. Boyd's scrawny shadow vanished into Level 2 vents hours ago, distant humming echoing up—"Plants vs Zombies" nursery twisted through starvation filter.
Reaper's Fang leaned against my hip, basic aluminum thirsting for nanotube upgrade. First scrap pile loomed Ch6 hardware raid. Dominion Map hummed live overlay: Killbox maze blueprint pulsing orange, choke points primed for blooding.
"Surface layout." Map projected holographic: concrete labyrinth funneling hordes to kill-zones, elevated Factory Floor for chained Null labor. First real test inbound.
Appraisal swept the crew casual:
PAIGE: LOYALTY 42% | BREAK 21 DAYS
TRAVIS: 65% | COMBAT MEDIUM
GARY: 18% | BREAK 2 DAYS
HELEN: 80% ESSENTIAL
BOYD: TECHNOMANCER HIGH SYNC
SAL: ENGINEER STEADY
Helen flicked real ash now, pale eyes squinting through smoke. "You built this concrete coffin for what, Kincaid? Nuke drill? Bioweapon bunker?"
"Worse than Enclave bullshit." Sal's truck rumbled fresh—foreman cables snaked for Level 2 generator. Ronnie already scrap-welding choke points, red curls bandana-wild, gap-grin spitting before knuckle-cracks.
Miller rolled in noon sharp. Sheriff's cruiser growling gravel, belly spilling duty belt, cop-stache twitching sodium-flood hate. First timeline Day 187 betrayer. Acquisition forced Day 1 now.
"Kincaid. Construction debt horseshit." Tobacco spit arced boot-close. "Twenty years force—you data-nerd fuck don't run me."
Appraisal instant confirm: LOYALTY 12% | AUTHORITY COMPLEX | MUTINY HIGH
"Sledge Killbox perimeter. Now." Handed tool flat.
He spat laugh ugly. "Sheriff Grimes takes no orders from divorcé pussy."
"Work starve open." No heat. Fang palm-weighed light.
Sledge snatched muttering "Walking Dead lead" delusion. Loyalty crashed 8%. Bomb ticking.
Seven Nulls chained crude. Paige housekeeping, Travis heavy-lift bulldozer, Helen medic essential, Sal machinery steady, Ronnie scavenger grit, Gary useless panic, Miller resentful liability. Boyd User potential vent-nesting.
Labor grind noon-dusk. Maze walls chest-high. Green chain-threads ghosted stronger—1.4x efficiency multiplier humming concrete pour. Exponential scaling live.
Dusk treeline anomaly dropped. Low groan layered wind—no. [Assess Threat] instinctive temple-tap.
Single Shambler orange-flicker edge woods. Timeline early Day -179 scout? Pre-virus strain probing?
"Test formation." Fang pointed skull-base pulse clear.
Aluminum whistled perfect arc. Crunch gray flesh pulped wet. Pre-serum—no gore fountain yet. First loot ring shimmered hover three seconds corpse-twitch.
Pickup palm-heat dissolve. SYSTEM whisper: BASIC GEAR ACQUIRED (duct tape x10, wire coil x5).
Crew froze solid. Paige whimpered high corporate. Travis flexed reflex-hard. Miller sledge mid-air pause. Helen rasped "Fuck rabies mutation sideways."
"Keep momentum." Pro gamer ice—no panic ripple. Gary glasses fogged loyalty dip 15%.
Second groan stacked third. Wireframe trajectory overlaid swing-arc queued two-skulls perfect.
Double rings dropped shimmer. Gary trunk-sprint bolted—"Shaun bat!"—cricket replica Star Wars tee flapping panic.
Wild swing splintered first contact. Shout chamber-echoed brutal.
Orange glows multiplied exponential—twelve Shamblers lumbered woods premature horde.
Killbox christening live. Early blooding test.
"Choke funnel NOW! Paige Helen back wall barricade! Travis left flank bulldoze! Ronnie right scrap highground! Sal generator spike lights!"
Travis tackled four-man swarm gym-bro roar bouncing fresh concrete. Paige screamed useless clawing air corporate-soft. Helen scalpel-dragged her rear scalpel-ready vet steel. Ronnie crowbar-flipped to elevated scrap perch spitting "Beautiful idiots move!" Sal generator-spiked floodlights blinding orange weak points horde-wide.
Miller sledge wild miss clean—"I fucking got this!"—Shambler shoulder clipped staggering him back.
Gary car-bolt trunk-dive "Fuck nightmare!" Cricket replica splintered final Shambler lunge.
Appraisal terminal flash: GARY DEATH TIMER 8 SECONDS.
Horde engulfed car-hood. Star Wars tee shredded. Taped glasses crunched. Screams wet-gurgle cut abrupt.
No rescue dive. Object lesson cold delivered. Panic liabilities cull self.
Fang systematic cleared funnel. Orange weak points popped glowstick cascade. Twelve rings harvested shimmering. Gary corpse null-loot yield—useless meat no dopamine.
Crew stared shellshock blood-splatter. Miller loyalty crashed 5% sledge-dropped. Paige trembled 38% nail-biting bloody. Helen spiked 85% essential respect. Travis 72% bulldozer proven. Ronnie 78% grit elevated. Sal 80% lights clutch.
"Rules etched permanent," delivery ice-flat. "Stealth fracture equals death. Labor chains fracture starve open. Questions?"
Travis blood-nod grim massive chest. "Solid rules boss. Felt that."
Helen exhaled drag long. "Triage accepts. Kid vitamins Level 2?"
"Approved." Micro-kindness logged silent—no acknowledgment.
Rations doubled Travis utility proven. Helen cig pack extra vet-ration silent handoff. Boyd generator hum heartbeat steadied Level 2 shaft. Ronnie flask passed contraband circle—"Shit's apocalypse fucked laugh now." Sal toolbox lover-pat humming Zeppelin. Paige smoothed bloody hair self-soothe corporate tick. Miller cruiser-sulk empty holster ghost-draw twitch muttering defeat.
Perimeter watch rotated two-hour shifts. Rain resumed hammer. Maze walls blood-consecrated solid. Green Labor Chain pulsed 1.6x post-test efficiency—exponential multiplier scaling live under pressure.
Midnight ration break truck-coolers. Protein bars cracked, water jugs passed, Helen meds hoarded surplus bag. Paige corner-huddled nail-bite silence adapting. Travis shake-chugged massive frame cooldown flex ritual. Ronnie bar-stories defused—"Pre-apoc tweaker bit cock off brawl laugh." Sal classic rock hum generator-heartbeat sync. Miller isolated cruiser muttering "Grimes lead this"—delusion cracking.
Appraisal night sweep chain integrity:
PAIGE 38% (-4 shock)
TRAVIS 72% (+7 proven)
GARY TERMINAL
HELEN 85% (+5 clutch)
SAL 80% (+5 lights)
RONNIE 78% (+8 grit)
MILLER 5% (-3 witness)
BOYD USER SYNC HIGH VENT
Dawn broke concrete-dust filtered. Coffee sludge rations final pot. Level 1 bunks cots concrete claimed exhausted Null crash. Boyd vent-nest secure. Miller cruiser-defiance backseat.
Maze rise accelerated blooded. Travis drum-wrestle concrete-mix solo roar echo. Sal cable-snake Level 2 grease-lit. Ronnie weld-spark choke firefly dusk. Paige mop systematic blood-buckets corporate pivot filth. Helen ash-triage station blisters rasping "Sepsis 70% crybaby waste."
Day 2 foundation iron. Sector 1 unchained exponential. Apocalypse clock 177 merciless.
Yana highway scout Day 6 now recalibrated early test. Ronnie Shadow loot Ch5 hardware pivot. Travis Bloater prevent priority serum stock. Miller Day 1 bomb defused monitored.
Empire concrete veins pulsing. Wasteland king forge complete.
Night two perimeter watch Ronnie shift. "Boss," gap-grin spit, "that Gary shitshow—rules stick cold?"
"Cold saves chains." Truth flat.
She nodded flask-pass. "Grit respects. Lights tomorrow?"
"Approved." Micro utility logged.
Dawn three generator roar Level 2 Sal-Boyd sync. Maze chest-waist high funnel primed. Paige hands callous-forming corporate shed. Travis bulk sweat-carved statue. Helen cigarette triage empire heart.
Labor exponential unchained. Fallout Wasteland throne rising rust.
FOUNDRY PROTOCOL - DAY -178
SECTOR 1 (JACK) █░░░░░░░░░ 1/10 Nodes
Next Spawn Event: 177 Days