[01] "Ten Years Ago"

[United States]

James William Anderson opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the light filtering through the blinds in his room.

His mind felt foggy and his body heavy, as if he had slept for days, he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes, and glanced around, the familiarity of the room unnerving.

The room reminded him of his apartment in New York when he was a college student, but something didn't fit.

The alarm clock on the nightstand read 7:30 AM.

James stretched, letting out a long yawn, and staggered to his feet, with slow steps, he walked to the adjacent small bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

His reflection stared back at him, the same young face with blond hair, blue eyes and a slim, twenty-something body.

His mind took a few seconds to process what he saw, his brain struggling to reconcile the image with the reality he knew.

Suddenly, a panic began to settle in her chest, she went back into the room and frantically searched for her cell phone.

Finding it, his trembling fingers unlocked the screen and he looked at the date.

June 20, 2024.

It couldn't be, it didn't make sense.

Ten years ago.

He collapsed on the bed, trying to comprehend what was happening.

Ten years ago... and only two months before the zombie virus reached the United States, unleashing an apocalyptic nightmare that would wipe out the entire world.

He vividly remembered the chaos, the despair, the unrelenting fear, he had seen the world crumble, civilization turn to ruins and the worst of humans appear.

He had lost friends, acquaintances, and had struggled to survive in a brutal and merciless reality, where even your closest friends could betray you.

But now he was here, in his small student apartment, with time on his side and an opportunity he never thought he'd have.

James jumped to his feet, feeling a mixture of determination, anxiety and urgency, he knew he couldn't waste a second of the precious time he had.

He had two months to prepare, to try to change the course of his future life.

He walked over to the desk cluttered with books and notes, pushing them aside to pull out a notebook and pen.

He needed a plan.

Needing to remember every detail of what was to come, he sat down and began to write furiously, outlining a map and a list of the coming catastrophes and what their phases were.

As the words filled the pages, James felt a strange calm settle inside him, he had been an ordinary survivor before, he barely managed to become evolved, but now, with his prior knowledge, he will be able to live a life of the dream if he uses his resources well and plans thoroughly.

The sound of the city was beginning to wake up outside, the hustle and bustle of New York filling the air.

James looked up at the window, watching life go on oblivious to the storm raging above them, he took a deep breath.

James stood, absorbed in thought, going over the plan he had begun to map out in the notebook.

The clarity with which he remembered future events gave him an advantage, but that advantage was momentary as he doesn't think he could long remember all the events he experienced.

Suddenly, a strange buzzing sound echoed, pulling him out of his concentration.

James looked around cautiously, the sound seemed to be coming from nowhere in particular, as if echoing in his own mind.

Before he could react, a glowing blue hologram appeared in front of him, floating in the air.

[Welcome to the Surviving the End of the World system!]

Announced a neutral, emotionless voice.

James took a step back, startled.

"What... what is this?" he muttered, staring in disbelief at the holographic interface that had materialized before his eyes.

[I am a system designed to assist the user in preparedness and survival during catastrophic events of an apocalyptic nature]

Replied the voice, as if reading directly from an instruction manual.

James blinked, trying to take in what he was seeing and hearing. "Assist me? How?"

[My functions include a store where the user can access to purchase any implement they want with system points.]

James' mind was racing a mile a minute. This was not in any of his memories, no hint of this system. But, if it really was what it claimed to be, it could be an invaluable tool. "What do I need to do to get you to start helping me?"

[This system operates on a point system. You can get points in two ways. The first is through monetary transactions, where every dollar deposited becomes a usable point within the system. The second way is through overcoming disasters or apocalyptic events. For example, if you manage to survive the first wave of zombies it could award additional points]

James nodded slowly, beginning to understand how the system worked. "I understand. So how can I use these points?"

[Points can be used to purchase supplies, tools, additional information, or upgrade the capabilities of certain devices based on their specifications]

Explained the system.

James mentally evaluated his options. "Can you show me what supplies are available for purchase with the points I currently have?"

The hologram changed to show a detailed list of essential supplies, bottled drinking water, non-perishable food, medications, multi-functional tools, and miscellaneous survival equipment. Each item was labeled with a cost in points.

James looked doubtfully at the holographic display in front of his eyes. "Can I buy a shelter made?" he asked.

The screen quickly changed, showing a variety of subway shelters: for a nuclear war, under the sea, and more.

All of them cost more than ten million points, but one in particular caught his eye because of a label that read "suggested."

[Low-level subway shelter: size 100 square meters]

[10,000 points]

[Ability: Set a location of your choice to be your permanent shelter. With the points you can increase the defense, size, upgrade the walls, door, and implement technology of the shelter]

James looked with interest at that item in the store, sighed and commented. "I should focus on getting points first and see if there are any initial rewards."

"System, tell me how many points I have and if there are any initial rewards."

[He currently has no points and his initial reward is a 90% discount on his first purchase] explained the system.

"90% off?" muttered James. "System, tell me what would be the best purchase to make right now."

[The best purchase would be a training manual to become an evolved] replied the system as the holographic display changed, showing several training manuals with different names, original prices and the 90% discount.

James looked at the list of manuals, evaluating his options. "System, show me the most comprehensive training manual available with the discount."