In the dorm room, Chris stared at the red crystal in Ethan's hand, eyes wide with disbelief. "Wait, seriously? This thing can really boost your power that much?"

Ethan nodded. "Try it and see for yourself." He held the crystal out.

Chris blinked. "You're giving it to me?"

"Well, I'm not giving it to the wall," Ethan said, rolling his eyes.

Chris hesitated, pushing the crystal back toward him. "Ethan, I think you should take it. If you eat another one, maybe you'll get even stronger. Then those zombies won't stand a chance."

"What, you planning to just sit back and let me do all the work?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Chris said quickly. "I just think it'd be more useful if you took it. It'd be wasted on me."

Ethan sighed and clapped a hand on Chris's shoulder. "Chris, this is the apocalypse. If we want to survive, we need to get stronger. You're the only person I trust to watch my back. That means we both need to level up. If I keep getting stronger and you stay where you are, eventually you'll just slow me down. And I know you don't want that."

Chris nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to be dead weight."

"Exactly. It's just one crystal shard. Once you're stronger too, we'll be able to get more of them together. No big deal."

"You're right." Chris took a breath, then grabbed the crystal. "Alright, I'll take it." He gave it a quick wipe on his shirt, closed his eyes, and popped it into his mouth.

The crystal dissolved almost instantly, its energy flooding into his body like a warm current. Chris stood still for a long moment, eyes shut, letting it settle.

When he finally opened them, his face lit up. He clenched his fists, grinning like a kid who just discovered he could fly. "Holy shit. I feel like I could punch a cow to death."

Ethan chuckled. "Check your mind. See if anything new popped up."

Chris closed his eyes again. A second later, they flew open, stunned. "Ethan… there's a constellation in my head. Nine stars, just like the one we saw in the sky last night!"

"Thought so," Ethan said, nodding.

"What the hell is going on? Why would I see the same constellation in my mind?"

"I don't know for sure," Ethan said, frowning. "I've been trying to figure it out. The only thing that makes sense is that we've triggered some kind of power progression system."

Chris blinked. "Come again?"

"The constellation in your head—it's made of nine stars, right? All dim. But after we took the crystal, one of them lit up a little. Our strength basically doubled. If I'm right, the more stars we light up, the stronger we'll get. Maybe even unlock new abilities."

Chris looked skeptical. "That sounds… kinda out there."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "And your invisibility doesn't?"

"Okay, fair."

"Exactly. We've already got powers. It makes sense they'd have a way to grow and evolve."

"Yeah… yeah, I guess that tracks."

"Good. Don't overthink it. Get some rest tonight—we've got more fighting to do tomorrow."

Chris nodded. "Got it."

...

Night fell, and with it came a creeping dread that blanketed the globe.

The zombie outbreak had hit like a lightning strike—sudden, brutal, and completely unexpected. In just one day, the world had flipped on its head.

Bustling streets were now ruled by the dead. The living had scattered, hiding wherever they could, clinging to scraps of safety.

Even the authorities were in chaos. Key positions had been overrun—many leaders had turned into the very monsters they were supposed to fight. Society's structure was crumbling fast.

The roads looked like war zones, cars smashed and abandoned in every direction. Zombies wandered between them, aimless and hungry.

Inside homes, muffled sobs echoed behind locked doors. Most people didn't dare step outside.

A few brave—or desperate—souls had taken up arms, fighting back against the undead. But they were the exception. Most folks could barely stand at the sight of a zombie, let alone fight one.ity's numbers were dropping fast. Every industry had ground to a halt. Survival was the only thing on anyone's mind.

Day one of the apocalypse—and the world was already in ruins.

Late into the night, the sky once again revealed the strange constellation—what had once been the Big Dipper now shimmered with nine stars. But this time, the brightest star was gone. The mysterious red star that had blazed so vividly before was nowhere to be seen.

The howls of the undead had faded, leaving behind a silence so deep it felt unnatural. The world had gone eerily still.

No one could remember the last time a night had been this quiet.

Aside from a few stubborn streetlights flickering against the dark, the city had gone dark. The warm glow of homes, once scattered across the skyline, had vanished. Every house had its doors locked tight, curtains drawn, lights off. No one dared to break the silence.

Bars, nightclubs—any place that once came alive after dark—were now shuttered and silent.

Out in the open, zombies tilted their heads toward the sky, staring blankly at the Nine-Star Dipper. Faintly, almost imperceptibly, starlight seemed to tug at the strange energies around them, drawing it slowly into their rotting bodies.

And it wasn't just the undead. Mutated beasts, twisted by the same apocalyptic forces, also gazed upward. The same mysterious energy seeped into them, thread by thread, like the stars themselves were feeding them.

...

By early morning, Ethan was already up.

He grabbed his phone out of habit, not expecting much—but to his surprise, a new message blinked on the screen.

His heart jumped. It was from Henry.

"He's alive!" Ethan's voice cracked with relief as he opened the message.

Ethan, are you guys still alive? The world's gone to hell. Liam turned into a zombie. I barely made it out—I'm hiding in a bathroom right now. I think it knows I'm here. I don't know how much longer I can hold out. If you're still alive, find somewhere safe. Whatever happens, stay alive.

Ethan's chest tightened. So it was true—Liam hadn't made it. But Henry… Henry was still out there.

"Chris! Wake up!" Ethan kicked at the bed.

Chris groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What is it, Ethan?"

"Henry's alive!" Ethan said, barely containing his excitement.

Chris shot upright. "Seriously? That's amazing! What about Liam?"

Ethan's voice dropped. "He… turned."

Chris's smile faltered, but he nodded. "At least Henry made it."

"He's holed up in a bathroom, but it sounds bad. We've got to get to him."

"I'm in."

They moved fast—quick wash-up in the bathroom, then into a fresh set of clothes they'd scavenged earlier. Their old ones were long gone, torn and soaked in blood. They'd tossed them before bed.

Backpacks slung over their shoulders, they headed to the dorm room where Sean and the others were staying.

A few knocks, and Skinny Pete opened the door. Inside, the group was already geared up, clearly waiting.

"What's the plan today?" Sean asked.

"We're heading to the third floor. Someone needs help. You in?" Ethan said without preamble.

Sean frowned. "To get there, we'll have to pass through the sixth, fifth, and fourth floors. That's a lot of ground—and a lot of zombies. If we get caught between floors, we're screwed."

"Yeah, it's risky. That's why I'm asking. If you're not in, Chris and I will go alone."

Sean hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't take that chance. I've got to look out for Skinny Pete and Big Mike."

"I get it," Ethan said with a nod. They weren't close—just allies of convenience. No one owed anyone heroics.

"Then we'll go. You guys stay sharp." With that, Ethan turned and headed off with Chris.

Sean watched them go, his voice low. "Ethan… I hope you make it back."

Ethan waved without looking back. "Don't worry. If anyone's dying today, it won't be us."

...

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