[Aria's POV]
The golden light around my hands flickered and died.
I stared at my palms, my heart racing. SSS-Rank. Restoration Goddess. Power over life and death itself.
But I didn't feel powerful.
I felt exhausted.
My knees buckled. I caught myself against the alley wall, gasping. Using that power—destroying the zombies, draining that man's ability—had emptied me completely.
My system screen flashed red:
[WARNING: Power reserves depleted][Restoration required: Sleep 8 hours OR consume high-grade energy source][Current status: Vulnerable]
"No," I whispered. "No, not now—"
A howl split the night. Not a zombie moan. Something worse.
Something that made my blood freeze.
I looked up.
At the end of the alley, silhouetted against the moonlight, stood something that used to be human. Bigger than a normal zombie. Its muscles bulged grotesquely. Its eyes glowed red instead of white.
My system pinged:
[WARNING: Mutated Zombie Detected][Rank: C-Level Threat][Abilities: Enhanced speed, strength, and intelligence][Recommendation: FLEE IMMEDIATELY]
The creature's head turned toward me. Slowly. Like it was savoring the moment.
Then it smiled. Actually smiled, showing rows of sharp teeth.
And charged.
I ran.
My legs were weak, my body screaming for rest, but terror gave me speed. I burst out of the alley onto the main street.
More zombies. Everywhere. Regular ones, shuffling and moaning.
But behind me, that mutated thing was faster. So much faster.
I heard its footsteps pounding closer. Felt its hot breath on my neck.
I zigged left, diving between two abandoned cars. The creature smashed through them like they were paper, metal shrieking and tearing.
"Someone help!" I screamed into the empty night. "Please! HELP!"
No one answered.
No one was coming.
I was alone.
The creature's claws swiped at my back. Pain exploded across my shoulders as they tore through my thin shirt, ripping into skin.
I stumbled, screaming, blood pouring down my back.
Keep running. Just keep running.
But I couldn't. My legs were giving out. My vision blurred.
I turned down another street, desperately looking for somewhere to hide. Anywhere.
A pack of regular zombies blocked the path ahead.
Behind me, the mutated creature's howl shook the air.
I was trapped between them.
"No, no, no—" I spun in circles, panic overwhelming everything.
The regular zombies reached me first.
Hands grabbed my arms. My legs. My hair.
I fought, kicking and scratching, but there were too many. Too strong.
Teeth sank into my shoulder. White-hot agony ripped through me.
I screamed.
More teeth. More claws. They were tearing me apart.
My golden light tried to flare—tried to save me—but nothing came out. I was empty. Powerless.
This was it.
This was how I died.
Not quickly like Marcus had said.
Slowly. Painfully. Torn to pieces by monsters while the man I loved slept safely in my father's warehouse.
The mutated creature shoved through the regular zombies, reaching for my throat.
This was the end.
"I'm going to die," I thought, my vision going dark. "I'm really going to die."
My body hit the ground. Blood pooled beneath me. I could feel it—warm and sticky and too much of it.
The zombies crowded around, ready to feast.
But then—
A flash of blue light.
The zombies shrieked.
Ice exploded across the street, freezing them solid in seconds. The mutated creature roared as ice climbed its legs, trapping it.
Someone was fighting them. Saving me.
Through my blurring vision, I saw a figure. Small. Female. Moving with impossible speed and grace.
More ice erupted from her hands, creating walls and spears and deadly shards that pierced zombie skulls.
In thirty seconds, every zombie was dead.
The figure knelt beside me. A woman's face came into focus—older, maybe forty, with kind dark eyes and graying hair tied back.
"Stay with me," she said urgently. Her hands pressed against my wounds. "Don't you dare die on me, girl."
"Who—" Blood bubbled from my lips.
"Dr. Elena Vasquez. And you're lucky I was doing rounds." Her eyes narrowed as she examined my injuries. "These are bad. Really bad. You've lost too much blood."
"Can't... heal..." I gasped. "No power... left..."
"Then I'll do it the old-fashioned way." Dr. Elena pulled off her jacket, tearing it into strips. "I'm a doctor. Been one for twenty years. Don't need powers to save lives."
She worked fast, wrapping my wounds tight to stop the bleeding. Every touch hurt, but her hands were sure and steady.
"What's your name?" she asked, keeping me talking. Keeping me conscious.
"Aria."
"Aria, I'm going to lift you now. It's going to hurt. Scream if you need to."
She picked me up. I did scream. The pain was unbearable.
"Good lungs," Dr. Elena grunted, carrying me down the street. "That's a good sign. Still fighting."
"Where... taking me..."
"Safe house. Three blocks away. Old hospital I've converted." She glanced down at me. "You're going to make it, Aria. I don't let my patients die."
My eyes drifted closed.
"Stay awake!" Dr. Elena's sharp voice cut through the fog. "Talk to me. Tell me what happened. How'd you end up out here alone?"
"They... threw me out..."
"Who did?"
"My group. Marcus... Vivian..." Saying their names hurt worse than the wounds. "Said I was... useless..."
Dr. Elena's jaw tightened. "Let me guess. They decided your power wasn't worth keeping you around?"
I nodded weakly.
"Idiots," she muttered. "What's your rank?"
"F-Rank. No... SSS-Rank..." I was so confused. So tired. "Don't know anymore..."
Dr. Elena stopped walking. Stared down at me. "Say that again."
"System said... F-Rank... but then... changed... SSS-Rank..."
"Your system changed ranks?" Her eyes widened. "That's impossible. Ranks are permanent. Unless..." She looked at me with new intensity. "Unless your power was sealed. Hidden."
"Protected..." I whispered, remembering the system message. "Too dangerous..."
"Oh my God." Dr. Elena started walking faster. Almost running now. "You're a Sealed One. I've only read about them. Powers so strong the system itself hides them until the user is ready."
"Not... ready..."
"No one's ever ready for what they're capable of." We reached a building—old hospital, like she'd said. Dr. Elena kicked the door open. "But ready or not, you've awakened now. And Aria?"
She laid me on a hospital bed, already grabbing medical supplies.
"Yes?"
"If you really are SSS-Rank, then the people who threw you away just made the biggest mistake of their lives."
She worked on me for what felt like hours. Stitching. Bandaging. Giving me IV fluids and something for the pain.
I drifted in and out of consciousness.
When I finally woke fully, dawn light streamed through broken windows.
Dr. Elena sat beside my bed, drinking coffee. "Welcome back. You've been out for twelve hours."
I tried to sit up. Pain shot through my body.
"Easy," Dr. Elena said. "You're healing, but you're not healed. Those zombie bites were deep. You're lucky none of them infected you."
"Infected?" Panic surged. I remembered Sophie. The black veins. The white eyes.
"Check your system," Dr. Elena said calmly. "If you were infected, it would show symptoms by now."
With shaking hands, I pulled up my system screen.
[STATUS: Healthy][Zombie infection: 0%][Note: SSS-Rank Restoration ability provides immunity to undead corruption]
I sagged with relief. "I'm immune."
"Of course you are." Dr. Elena smiled. "SSS-Rank Restoration? You're not just a healer, Aria. You're the opposite of zombies. You're pure life force. They can't corrupt what's fundamentally opposed to them."
The information overwhelmed me. "I don't understand any of this."
"You will. But first—" Dr. Elena's expression turned serious. "I need to know. This group that threw you out. Where are they?"
"My father's warehouse. On Kent Street."
"And they have how many people?"
"Thirty-three. No, thirty-two now. They killed two..." I remembered Sophie. The stabbing victim. "Why?"
Dr. Elena leaned forward. "Because, Aria, you need to understand something. In this new world, there are two types of survivors. Those who help each other. And those who exploit each other."
"Marcus and Vivian are the second type."
"Absolutely. And people like that? They're more dangerous than zombies. Because they look human. Act human. Until they don't need you anymore." Dr. Elena's eyes were hard. "You were lucky. You got away. But there are others in that warehouse who aren't as lucky. Who are being used just like you were."
I thought of Jade. Of the younger survivors with weaker powers.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you have a choice, Aria." Dr. Elena stood. "You can hide here. Recover. Run away and never look back."
"Or?"
"Or you can go back. Show them what they threw away. Save the people worth saving. And make the betrayers pay."
Revenge. She was talking about revenge.
Part of me—the old Aria—recoiled at the idea. That wasn't who I was. I didn't hurt people. I helped them.
But the old Aria was dead.
The new Aria had been thrown to zombies by the man she loved.
The new Aria had unlocked power over life and death itself.
The new Aria wanted justice.
"How?" I asked. "I'm still weak. My power is unstable. I can barely—"
"You train," Dr. Elena interrupted. "With me. I'll teach you combat. Strategy. How to use your power efficiently. How to protect yourself."
"Why would you help me?"
Dr. Elena's smile turned sad. "Because three months ago, a group like Marcus's took everything from me. My husband. My daughter. They threw them out just like they threw you out. And I wasn't strong enough to stop it."
Her pain was raw. Real.
"But you," Dr. Elena continued, her voice fierce, "you're strong enough. With proper training, you could be unstoppable. So I'll ask you again, Aria. What do you want to do?"
I looked at my bandaged hands. Thought about Marcus's cold eyes. Vivian's cruel smile. Sophie filming my tears.
Thought about being called weak. Useless. Dead weight.
Thought about my true rank. SSS. Restoration Goddess.
"I want to train," I said quietly. "I want to get stronger."
"Good." Dr. Elena nodded with approval.
"And then," I continued, my voice growing steadier, "I want to go back to that warehouse. I want to look Marcus in the eyes. And I want him to realize exactly what he threw away."
Dr. Elena's smile was fierce and proud. "Now that's the spirit. We start tomorrow."
I laid back against the pillows, exhausted but determined.
Outside, zombies moaned in the streets.
Inside, I was planning my resurrection.
But my system screen flickered with a new message that made my blood run cold:
[URGENT NOTIFICATION][Your former group's location has been marked by rival survivor faction][Attack imminent: 48 hours][Warning: Multiple casualties predicted][Quest Updated: Save the innocent OR Let them all die]
I stared at the words, my heart pounding.
Marcus and Vivian had thrown me out to die.
But in forty-eight hours, they'd be the ones dying.
And I had to decide: Did I save them?
Or did I let karma take its course?