I thought my mysterious neighbor Shirley was insane when she warned me the world would end at midnight. Still, I spent every cent on supplies—and hours later, zombies flooded the streets.
When armed thugs attacked, we escaped through a building overrun by the dead. A battered pocket watch absorbed my blood and awakened, slowing time until charging zombies seemed frozen.
The shelter we entered promised safety but was really a slaughterhouse. Forced to choose between joining the gang and killing me, Shirley triggered the watch and revealed she was a Reborn from five years in the future.
The shelter leader Raphael was also a Reborn. He stole the watch after tricking us into revealing its trigger, but my blood had already bound it to me. I played the helpless prey and turned his trap against him.
Shirley and I seized an armored war machine, shut down the shelter's defenses, and left its killers to the zombie horde. There may be no safe zone left—but while the watch ticks and we fight together, even hell cannot stop us.
