Apocalypse: After Reanimation, I Became The Queen

[Warning: Gore and Graphic Scene Ahead!]

The system powers on with a mechanical buzz in my mind. 

[SYSTEM BOOTING...]

[System online. Power source detected: Host's bio-energy. Current levels: 37%.] 

That doesn't sound good. I have no idea what happens when I hit zero, but I am not eager to find out. I focus on the more immediate problem which is the four survivors aiming their weapons at me like I am some diseased rat that needs putting down. 

I swallow hard. "System, do I have any weapons?" 

[SCANNING INVENTORY...]

[TOTAL WEAPONS AVAILABLE: 13.]

[ACCESS RESTRICTED. USER PERMISSION LEVEL: LOW.]

[AVAILABLE WEAPONS: LOW-GRADE HANDGUN (1), RUSTED DAGGER (1), MODIFIED NAIL GUN (1).]

Fantastic. Because clearly, I don't already have enough problems.

"Low-grade?" I whisper in my mind. "I just went through a horde of zombies like a chainsaw through butter. Why do I only get the discount bin?"

[SYSTEM FUNCTIONS LIMITED UNTIL UPGRADED. SELECT A WEAPON.]

Bullshit. 

Well, I don't have much of a choice, do I?

"Fine, I'll take one." 

A sudden sensation blooms in my palm like something metallic is forming inside my grip. I glance down to find a small, rusty pistol appear as if I have pulled it from my pocket. 

It is not particularly sleek, but it is a gun, and I am not about to complain. Not when four guns are aimed right at me. 

I raised the weapon, aiming squarely at them. "Back off." 

Lucas stares at me like I just pulled a rabbit out of my ass. I am sure he is so damn sure I didn't have a gun. 

The others waver. They're not sure if I'm bluffing. I make a show of casually checking the gun's chamber to show I'm not. 

But alas! There are two bullets loaded. Just two.

[WARNING: USER'S BODY IS WEAKENING.]

[CONSUMPTION OF ORGANIC MATTER IS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN FUNCTION.]

Great. That means I need food. But what the hell am I supposed to eat in the middle of a standoff? 

My opponents? My stomach growls in agreement. They do smell gracious… like the first aroma that drifts into the nose after stepping into a pastry store. 

[ADDITIONAL NOTE: IF USER SUCCESSFULLY TERMINATES TWO TARGETS, A SPECIAL DEFENSIVE SHIELD WILL BE UNLOCKED, GRANTING HEADSHOT PROTECTION.]

Now, that's useful information. Not just because it means I have a chance of surviving, but because it confirms what I have been suspecting. My system wasn't here to help me play nice. It was pushing me toward one thing—violence. 

But headshot protection? How come the system seems to have everything I NEED?! 

Man, with it, the world of the apocalypse will become so much easier. I can't believe this is happening to me. However, when I realize that I am in the process of Reanimation, my joy dies.

What is the point if I would soon enough become a mindless zombie?!

Just as I am processing that little realization… 

BANG! 

A shot rings out.

My reflexes kick in before I even process the movement. I jerk sideways. The bullet grazes past, so close that I feel the heat of it against my temple.

Oh.

Oh, they just tried to shoot me in the head.

"You absolute waste of oxygen," I seethe, my finger tightening on the trigger.

I fire without thinking. I fire with rage… completely in payback mode.

The recoil is weak, but the bullet did its job. 

The gun kicks back with a loud bang, and the guy who shot at me stumbles backward with a hole right between his eyes. His body crumples to the pavement.

[ENEMY ELIMINATED: 1/2. SHIELD UNLOCK PROGRESS: 50%.]

The remaining three respond instantly. They open fire, their shots booming through the night air. If we don't finish this business soon, the zombies will soon arrive to dance to the tune of the bullet sounds.

I bet they also think they are just going to fire a shot at me and be done with it before the zombies can even process the shot.

But that's their doom—they underestimate me. I am the slow, stupid girl I used to be. 

My body moves.

I swerved, dodging their shots like a damn horror movie monster. Bullets scrape past me, but none find their mark. I slide to the side, flip over a broken table, and land with my gun raised. 

Their jaws slack in stupefaction. They did not expect this. I did not expect this. 

Captain Authority's voice puzzles out. "What the fuck is she?!" 

I don't give him a chance to answer his own question. My second shot rings out, and my bullet finds its home in the skull of the guy standing next to him. 

[ENEMY ELIMINATED: 2/2. SHIELD UNLOCKED.]

A sudden pulse shoots through me.

[ACTIVATING DEFENSIVE SHIELD: HEADSHOT PROTECTION ENABLED.]

Something clicks inside me, and suddenly, I feel it; a strange, cool energy enveloping around my head like an invisible helmet. 

Just in time, too, because Captain Authority snaps his rifle up and fires straight at my face. 

BANG!

The bullet hits something solid an inch from my forehead. It sparks in midair before clattering to the ground. 

WHOA!

Captain Authority freezes, eyes darting between his gun and me. "What the—?"

Pretty Boy doesn't hesitate. "Lucas, fall back!"

Oh, now they're scared.

"Run," Captain Authority grits out before dashing off like his life depends on it. 

Well, it does. Cowards.

I could have chased them. Maybe I should have. But the fight has drained me. I am exhausted. My body is screaming for energy and my stomach is twisting and untwisting. 

Then I noticed the bodies. The two I had just killed. 

[SYSTEM WARNING: ENERGY DEPLETION AT CRITICAL LEVELS.]

The scent of blood is overwhelming. It fills my nose, rich and so bloody delicious, calling on to something deep inside me. My body acts before my mind can protest. 

I sink my teeth into the first corpse. It tastes divine. I have never tasted anything like this. It is like sinking into a perfectly seared steak, rich with flavor, but better—so much better. 

The warmth, the iron kick of blood coating my tongue, the way the muscle yields under my bite—it's intoxicating. The hunger that had chewed at my insides like a wild beast finally quiets.

Ohh… euphoric. 

A shudder runs through me as I swallow, my body already absorbing the strength from my meal. My senses sharpen. I feel the world around me coming into painful, exquisite clarity. 

I can hear the distant scuttle of rats in the rubble, the faintest whispers of wind slipping through broken windows… the remaining heartbeat of the second corpse fading into nothingness.

I want more. I don't care about anything else. I just want MORE. 

I drop to my knees, my fingers digging into the still-warm flesh of the second body. There is no hesitation this time… only instinct.