Surviving The End: Chapter 1

The laptop screen paused on another photo of the happy couple. A man and a woman laughing with their arms wrapped tightly around one another.

Alex groaned and slumped back into her desk chair. She held her cellphone up to her ear and absentmindedly ran fingers though her messy blond hair. “Can you believe this shit, Logan? I mean, it’s been like what? A week? And she’s already parading around Instagram with her new boyfriend!”

The harsh tone of her voice caused Miles, her shepherd/husky mix, to lift his head from where it lay by her feet. His blue eyes looked concerned and Alex couldn’t help giving him a reassuring pat on the head.

Her brother sighed from the other end of the line, “I’m not surprised, Rachel always seemed like a bitch to me. I told you that from the start.”

“I know,” Alex grumbled back. Then closed her laptop. She couldn’t handle seeing any more happy photos of her ex today. “I think I’m done with women for a while.”

“Oh?” her brother asked, his tone teasing. “Does that mean you’re switching teams?”

Alex rolled her eyes. “No”. Her flat tone emphasized her bad mood and her brother let out another sigh.

“Listen…” he started but the words were cut off by the distinct sound of a dial tone.

Before she could check her connection, a bright white flash blinded her. Then she was falling, as if the chair and ground beneath her had simply disappeared. She tried to scream but no sound came out of her mouth. It was like the words were physically stuck in her throat.

Alex wondered if she was having a stroke or something, and wracked her brain and for any other plausible explanations. Disoriented, she blinked and rubbed at her eyes but everything was white. Finally, the fall came to an end and she felt solid ground beneath her feet but her vision didn’t return.

Then a light blue screen popped up in front of her. It looked like a menu from a video game. At first, she was simply relieved to see that she hadn’t gone blind. Her surroundings had just changed from the blue walls of her bedroom to an endless white expanse. Then, realization hit her.

“What… the… fuck,” she said each word slowly. Happy they didn’t catch in her throat again. Had she been falling or was this all some crazy hallucination? Alex didn’t know but her sense of balance had returned, even if her bedroom walls hadn’t. Turning her attention back to the screen in front of her, Alex frowned. She reached out to touch it but her fingers passed right through.

“Did someone drug me?” she asked aloud. Alex had tried drugs many times as a teen, but she’d never had a trip like this one. It didn’t make sense, her thoughts were too lucid and clear. Still, no matter how many times she read it, the message in front of her was pure nonsense.

SYSTEM INTEGRATION INITIATED

The text slowly faded from view before several new messages started to pop up, one after another.

MANA LEVELS INCREASED

PLANET MERGED WITH TWO OTHERS TO SUPPORT NEW MANA CAPACITY

FLORA AND FAUNA ENHANCED TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT CHALLENGE

TUTORIAL PROTOCOL INITIATED

“Mana levels? Tutorial protocol? I really must have lost it…” she whispered as the last message disappeared.

“I can assure you that you are still quite sane,” said an emotionless voice that sounded as if it was coming from right beside her.

Alex jumped and spun to face whoever had spoken. A tall… [maybe] man in a white hooded cloak stood a mere two feet away. He was standing with his arms crossed in front of him, hands hidden in his billowing sleeves. In fact, every inch of his skin was hidden by the long fabric. Even his face was impossible for Alex to see but she couldn’t explain why. It was as if his hood only contained a black void, like a physical darkness. It seemed impossible. None of this should be possible…

“What… what’s going on?” Alex asked, confusion clear in her tone.

“I am to guide you during the tutorial combat test,” he replied in that same emotionless tone that he had used the first time and didn’t elaborate any further.

Alex was getting frustrated. This man was not answering her questions in any way that made sense. “I don’t know what tutorial you’re talking about!” she shouted back. “I was just in my bedroom, how did I get here?”

She felt like she had lost it and was arguing with some manifestation of her insanity, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking questions. “What the fuck is going on!?”

“Congratulations, your world and two others have just been integrated with the System. The System has been gracious enough to provide the inhabitants of these plants with a tutorial to assist with the transition,” the hooded man said.

Alex assumed his words were supposed to be reassuring but she only felt sick to her stomach. If this was real than life on earth was about to change in a big way. Thoughts of her friends and family entered her mind but at the moment she was most worried about her dog. One of the messages had said flora and fauna will be enhanced. Did that mean her beautiful boy was going to turn into some monster that didn’t even recognize her?

“How do I get home?” she asked, suddenly feeling a desperate need to get back and see for herself.

“You need to complete the tutorial,” the creepy hooded guy replied. “All inhabitants from each planet will be participating and you will be sent back in two weeks, if you survive.”

Alex simply stared at him for a moment. She really wanted to punch this dude in his mysterious face, but she figured it probably wasn’t a good idea to pick a fight with something powerful enough to teleport her to god knows where.

“What if I don’t want to do the tutorial?” she asked, through clenched teeth.

“That is not an option, the combat test will begin in two minutes whether you are ready or not. I would suggest you choose a weapon.”

When he finished speaking a row of shelves appeared behind him, seemingly out of nowhere. Each shelf was stocked with various weapons, ranging anywhere from blades and bows to nunchucks and gauntlets. There were even some strange ones that she didn’t recognize, but oddly no guns. The whole setup reminded her of that scene from the matrix, but without the guns.

Alex shook her head to clear it. She knew she had to take this seriously, two minutes was not a lot of time and she had so many more questions.

“What are the chances that I survive this two week tutorial?” she asked, starting with the most important. Alex wasn’t just worried about herself, everyone was participating, she needed to know what to expect.

“The survival rate is roughly 65%, give or take,” he answered flatly.

That number did not sound good at all, billions of lives would be lost in just two short weeks. She didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to believe any of this but she held herself together. Alex would find out soon enough if what this man said was true. She needed to be smart about this or she could end up dead.

“What about after the tutorial? You said it’s designed to prepare us for the transition… What will the survival rate look like once we get out?” she asked, already dreading the answer.

“The average survival rate for a newly integrated planet usually ranges between 10-30%… That is if the species isn’t wiped out completely. It happens on occasion.”

Alex really wished she could see this guy's face because he sounded completely indifferent to her situation. She was beginning to wonder if he was even alive or just some hologram created by the supposed System.

“The combat test will begin in 30 seconds. Please choose a weapon, as you will not have a second opportunity,” he continued, interrupting her train of thought.

Suddenly feeling the pressure, she glanced over the racks of weapons once more but her thoughts kept returning to her dog. Alex hadn’t always made the best choices and she got into a lot of fights back in high school. Her senior year, a group of guys decided to jump her when she was out walking her dog. The only reason she didn’t end up in the hospital or dead that night was because of him. Miles had fought for her with a vicious ferocity that she hadn’t seen in him before or since.

“I choose my dog,” she replied. Hoping with every fiber of her being that this asshole could make it happen.

“You do realize that the integration will change the animals of your world? You may not be able to control it.”

Despite the dire warning in his reply, the words gave her hope. If there was even a chance that she could save her boy from becoming a mindless monster then she had to take it.

“I understand,” she said, staring into the shadows beneath his hood with determination. “I still choose my dog.”

“Very well,” he nodded and with a snap of his fingers, her four legged best friend appeared in front of her.

He looked the same as always. A four year old black husky/shepherd mix with the most beautiful blue eyes. She wondered if the changes brought on by the integration were a gradual thing and if he would start to change over time. Miles wined and shook his thick coat, clearly disoriented from being teleported.

“10 seconds, I suggest you defeat your opponents as quickly as possible. This is a test after all,” the man in the hood announced.

His words were like a splash of cold water to the face. Alex crouched and ran her fingers through her dog's fur. Miles appreciated the gesture, leaning into the touch and turning his head to meet her gaze.

“Listen buddy, things are gonna get a bit crazy but we’re in this together, okay?” she told him as she pulled a large hunting knife out from her boot. Alex always kept a knife on her for protection and she knew how to use it too.

When the time hit zero, both the hooded figure and the shelves of weapons vanished. Within moments, three faceless mannequins took shape. Alex didn’t hesitate, the moment her opponents formed, she immediately went on the offensive. Her guide had told her that speed was important. She had no clue what sort of reward she would get for doing well on this test, but this was a game of life and death. Every advantage could make a huge impact on her chances of survival.

Luckily, the humanoid constructs were relatively slow and she managed to take the first one out right away with a well placed cut to its throat. There was no blood. The mannequin simply dissolved and faded away. Then a second one took a swing at her. She was still regaining her balance after the sudden disappearance of the first, but Alex managed to duck at the last moment. She avoided most of the impact with it’s fist only grazing the side of her face.

Miles barked and lept at the construct, he latched onto its arm and used his body weight to take the thing to the ground. Alex didn’t waste time and quickly focused her attention on their third opponent. It was still a few feet away but fast approaching. When it lunged for her, she sidestepped to get behind and buried her knife in its back. This mannequin faded away in the same manner as the first; so Alex turned her attention to the battle between her dog and their one remaining opponent.

However, she didn’t need to worry. Miles had somehow managed to get ahold of the things neck and it was already fading away. When it dissolved completely, he began to search the area for more threats, twisting his head back and forth. The look in his eyes bothered Alex. It was almost feral, but when his gaze fell to hers, his demeanor changed back to the happy dog she knew. Miles trotted over with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, clearly expecting praise for what a good boy he was. Alex couldn’t argue and gave him a scratch behind his ears. He had protected her just as he had done in the past, but she worried how long it would last.

The sudden return of her hooded guide interrupted Alex’s dark train of thought. “You did well, all three opponents were defeated in less than 10 seconds,” he said in his usual robotic tone.

“What was the point of that test,” she asked, trying her best to hold in her frustration at being forced into this situation.

“Check your status screen,” he replied, nonchalantly.

Alex blinked at him for several moments before saying the word “Status” aloud. Sure enough, a blue menu just like the ones containing the System messages from earlier popped up right in front of her.

Alexis Daniels

Age: 20

Body: Normal Rank

Level: 2

Class: None

Aura(s): None

Title(s): Humanity’s Finest, Combat Tested, Tutorial Novice

VIT: 24 (+20%)

CON: 24 (+20%)

STR: 23 (+20%)

AGI: 26 (+20%)

INT: 25 (+20%)

WIS: 25 (+20%)

CHA: 26 (+20%)

LUCK: 26 (+20%)

Available Stat Points: 5

After staring in silence at the screen for a long while, Alex finally turned to look at the hooded man in front of her. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”