The Apocalypse System: The Last Human Queen

The first scream came from the supermarket. Aria Bennett barely glanced up from the bottle of water she was placing inside her shopping basket. She had been having a terrible day, and the last thing she needed was another disturbance. Her phone vibrated. 12:00 PM. She checked the notification from her boyfriend. Ethan: Don't forget to buy everything on the list. I'll be home soon. Aria sighed. Of course, he expected her to do the shopping while he sat comfortably at home. She picked up another packet of bottled water and placed it in her basket. Then the lights went out. The entire supermarket plunged into darkness. "What happened?" "Is this a power outage?" Several customers began murmuring. Somewhere near the entrance, a child started crying. Aria reached for her phone, switching on its flashlight. That was when she noticed something strange. Through the enormous glass windows, the sky had turned red. Not orange. Not pink. Blood red. She stared at it, her fingers tightening around her phone. "What the hell?" A woman standing beside her gasped. "Oh my God! Look outside!" Everyone turned towards the windows. Cars had stopped in the middle of the road. People were stepping out of their vehicles, pointing towards the sky. Some were recording videos while others hurriedly made phone calls. Then a man fell. He collapsed beside a parked car, his body shaking violently. A woman rushed towards him. "Baby? What's wrong?" The man suddenly stopped moving. For three seconds, everything was silent. Then he sprang up. His mouth opened unnaturally wide, revealing blood-covered teeth. Before the woman could react, he threw himself at her neck. Her scream tore through the street. Aria's shopping basket slipped from her fingers. "What..." The woman fell to the ground, desperately trying to push the man away as he tore into her flesh. People began running. Someone screamed for the police. Another person shouted that it was a terrorist attack. But the worst was yet to come. The man who had attacked the woman lifted his head. His face was covered in blood. His eyes were completely white. He looked around, then suddenly charged towards the nearest group of people. The supermarket erupted into chaos. "EVERYONE, GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS!" A security guard shouted as customers began pushing towards the emergency exit. Aria grabbed her handbag and ran. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew one thing. She couldn't stay there. A heavy crash sounded behind her. She turned just in time to see a man smashing through the supermarket entrance. His clothes were torn, his skin had turned grey, and blood dripped from his chin. A little girl stood frozen in his path. "Move!" Aria screamed. The girl didn't move. Without thinking, Aria rushed forward, grabbed the child and pulled her aside. The creature slammed into a shelf. Cans and bottles scattered across the floor. "Mommy!" The little girl began crying. Aria looked around frantically. "Where is your mother?" The girl pointed towards the entrance. Aria's stomach dropped. There were at least five people lying on the floor. Some were moving. Others weren't. "Come with me." She grabbed the girl's hand and hurried towards the staff corridor. They hadn't taken five steps when a woman grabbed Aria's arm. "Please! Help me!" The woman was bleeding heavily from her shoulder. "He's biting everyone! Please, don't leave me!" Aria hesitated. Behind the woman, another creature was crawling across the floor. Its jaw hung loosely, and its fingers scratched against the tiles. "Run!" Aria shouted. But the woman held on tighter. "Please!" Aria tried pulling away. The creature suddenly lunged. The woman screamed. Aria stumbled backwards, dragging the little girl with her. She watched helplessly as the creature sank its teeth into the woman's neck. The little girl began sobbing. Aria covered her mouth. "Don't look. Keep your eyes closed." She ran. They reached the staff corridor, where several employees were trying to force open a locked door. "Open it!" Aria shouted. One of them turned. "Who are you?" "Someone trying not to die! Open the damn door!" The employee unlocked it. Aria pushed the little girl inside and followed. The door slammed shut. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then a man's phone rang. Everyone jumped. He answered immediately. "Hello? Hello?" A voice came through the speaker, interrupted by static. "...emergency... remain indoors... unidentified infection... avoid contact with infected individuals..." The call ended. A television mounted on the wall flickered to life. A news presenter appeared on the screen. Her face was pale, and her hands trembled as she held the microphone. "We are receiving reports of violent attacks across several countries. Authorities are urging citizens to remain indoors. Anyone displaying unusual aggression, loss of consciousness or physical deterioration should be avoided." The presenter suddenly looked towards someone off-camera. Her eyes widened. "Wait. What is that?" A scream followed. The screen went black. Nobody moved. Then Aria's phone vibrated. She looked down. EMERGENCY ALERT GLOBAL EMERGENCY DECLARED. UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL THREAT DETECTED. ALL CITIZENS ARE ADVISED TO SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. Her heart pounded. She immediately called Ethan. Once. Twice. Three times. No answer. "Come on, Ethan. Pick up." Finally, the call connected. "Aria?" "Ethan! Where are you?" "I'm at home. What's happening outside?" "People are attacking each other. I don't know what's going on, but I need you to lock the doors and windows." "What? Are you serious?" "Yes! I'm at the supermarket. I need you to come and get me." There was a pause. Then he spoke. "Aria, I'm not coming outside." She froze. "What?" "I've seen what's happening. It's dangerous out there." "Ethan, I'm alone!" "Then find somewhere to hide." Her lips parted. For two years, she had been in a relationship with this man. She had supported him when he lost his job, paid his bills when he couldn't afford them and stood beside him when everyone else walked away. And now, when she needed him, he was telling her to hide. "Ethan, please. I don't know how long I can stay here." "I have to go." The call disconnected. Aria stared at her phone. A bitter laugh escaped her lips. What a wonderful boyfriend. A loud metallic bang interrupted her thoughts. Everyone turned towards the door. Another bang followed. Then another. Something was hitting the door from the other side. The employees began backing away. "Don't open it," someone whispered. The little girl started crying again. Aria tightened her grip around her hand. The door shook violently. A bloody hand appeared through the narrow glass panel. Then a face slammed against it. The same grey skin. The same white eyes. The creature opened its mouth. A horrible screech escaped its throat. CRACK! A line spread across the glass. "Everybody, move!" Aria screamed. The door burst open. The creature threw itself into the room. People scattered. One employee tripped and fell. Before he could stand, the creature landed on top of him. Aria pulled the little girl behind a metal cabinet. Her breathing became ragged. She looked towards the emergency exit. It was only a few metres away. If she could reach it, perhaps she could escape. But the creature was blocking the path. A second one appeared behind it. Then a third. Aria felt her blood turn cold. They were surrounded. She grabbed a metal fire extinguisher lying beside the cabinet. It was the only weapon she could find. "Stay behind me," she whispered to the little girl. The child nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. Aria stepped out. The nearest creature turned towards her. Its head tilted. Then it charged. She swung the extinguisher with all her strength. BANG! The metal cylinder struck its head. The creature stumbled but didn't fall. Aria's eyes widened. "What are you?" It lunged again. She barely dodged. Its filthy fingers caught her sleeve, tearing the fabric. Aria screamed and struck it a second time. This time, it collapsed. But before she could breathe, another creature grabbed her from behind. Its teeth snapped inches from her face. She struggled desperately. The fire extinguisher slipped from her fingers. "HELP!" Nobody answered. The creature's mouth opened wider. Aria could smell the rotten stench coming from its throat. She pushed against its chest, but it was too strong. Her arms began trembling. Was this how she was going to die? In a supermarket? Over a bottle of water? The creature suddenly threw her against a shelf. Pain exploded through her shoulder. She tried to stand, but her legs refused to cooperate. The creature crawled towards her. Aria reached for anything she could use. Her fingers touched a broken piece of glass. She grabbed it. "Stay away!" The creature didn't stop. It lunged. Aria raised the glass. And then [DANGER DETECTED.] A strange electronic voice sounded inside her head. Aria froze. [Life-threatening situation detected.] [Scanning host...] Her vision blurred. "What...?" The creature was inches away. [Unique compatibility confirmed.] [APOCALYPSE SURVIVAL SYSTEM ACTIVATING.] [WELCOME, HOST.] [Would you like to accept the Ultimate Survival System?] Aria stared at the floating blue notification. The creature opened its mouth. She had less than a second to decide. [WARNING: HOST VITAL SIGNS CRITICAL.] [ACCEPTANCE REQUIRED TO INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTECTION.] Aria swallowed. If she was hallucinating, she would die hallucinating. If it was real, it might be her only chance. "YES!" A blinding blue light exploded across her vision. [SYSTEM BINDING SUCCESSFUL.] [CONGRATULATIONS, HOST.] [YOUR SURVIVAL JOURNEY BEGINS NOW.] And somewhere beyond the broken supermarket doors, something much larger than an ordinary zombie began screaming.