Unless I’m no longer ...
Magnus slowly opened his eyes, mind still trapped in that brutal mont - his own teammates aiming guns at him. The looks on their faces were a ss of pain, fear, and sorrow.
It was clear none of them really wanted to pull the trigger. But still...
Staring up at the stark-white ceiling, Magnus blinked, dazed. His thoughts were a ss.
"You’re awake? Burned for over ten hours straight. Lucky you didn’t fry your brain," said Emily as she pressed a cool hand to his forehead. "Hmm, sweating now. Fever’s down."
That voice... Emily?
His head cleared a little. Turning, he saw her in a white lab coat, holding a thermoter. She gave it a shake. "Let’s check that temp again."
"Emily... you’re alive? Did we... Did we get the Life Crystal?"
mory slamd into him like a wave. He shot up, grabbing Emily and pulling her into his arms. "Thank the heavens! You’re alive! What about Sarah? Did we - "
"Let go! What the hell are you doing?!" Emily shoved him with all her might. Her slap cracked loud and clear.
An ear-burning slap.
She was the most beautiful teacher at Springvale University, chased by countless students - used to attention, sure. But never this kind. Magnus’s move? First of its kind. Way out of line.
Shaless! Utterly shaless! Emily was furious and flustered, livid to the core.
The burning sting on his cheek jolted Magnus back. He stared at her, eyes wide.
No... sothing’s wrong. Where the hell am I?
Looking around, eyes darting - the tidy cabinets, crisp white sheets, sunlight pouring through the window, and outside... students laughing, chatting, carefree.
This... this was real? Not that nightmare world? Just a dream? All of it?
Fuming, Emily stord over and snatched up a student ID from the table. "Your na is Magnus, right? From Liana Jabbar’s class? Completely disgraceful! I’m reporting you. Your counselor will hear all about this!"
To her, Magnus’s weird talk was just lunacy - acting crazy to avoid punishnt.
But then sothing clicked in Magnus’s head. He yanked the IV out of his arm, rushed to Emily, gripping her shoulders.
"Emily - what year is this? What’s today’s date?"
"Don’t co any closer! Let go of !" she shouted, backing away. Magnus stopped in his tracks, eyes pleading, voice tight.
"Please, Emily - just tell the year. What day is it? Please... I need to know."
"May 13th, 2017! What’s wrong with you?" Emily looked both scared and suspicious. She took small steps toward the door, glaring at Magnus like he’d lost his mind.
"May 13th! It’s May 13th..." Magnus muttered, eyes wide with panic, as if truly mad.
May 13th... A date burned into every survivor’s mory. This was it. The day the world ended. And now he was back. But why? Was the apocalypse just a dream? A trick?
"Boom! Boom!"
The ground shook violently, like it was about to split apart. Cabinets in the infirmary slamd open, bottles crashing to the floor. Emily scread. Magnus rushed over, steadying her.
Nothing had changed. The world still ended today.
He rembered lying in his dorm when it hit - the world shook just like this. His first thought back then was that it was an earthquake.
If his mory was right, the first teor shower would strike around 11 a.m. Then the second wave hit at 4 p.m., when death swept through Springvale City. Half the population gone overnight.
Five hours. That’s all he had.
"Emily, I know it sounds insane, but you’ve got to trust - "
The tremors still shook the floor. Magnus gripped her shoulders, trying to explain, but she shoved him back hard.
"You’re out of line!" she snapped. "Keep this up and I’ll call the police!"
"Emily, I..."
Magnus froze. Five hours left, and she wouldn’t listen. No ti for long explanations. Would she even believe him?
"Alright. Fine. I won’t say anything else. Just - look at the sky." Magnus backed up, giving her space, and pointed outside. "Nothing there, right? Clear as a bell? Start counting. In fifteen minutes, it’s going to pour. Five hours of nonstop rain!"
"You’re crazy," she growled. "You’re just - mad!"
"Crazy?" Magnus fought to stay calm. He knew she didn’t trust n. After all, she didn’t actually know him right now. "Fine, I’m mad. Sure."
He stepped back again, voice softer, more serious.
"Your dad... cheated when you were young. Got beaten to death by the guy he was ssing around with. Your mom died of lung cancer three years ago. You’ve never trusted a man since. Am I wrong?"
"And your damn brother - Kevin Ward. Got hooked on illegal drugs and disappeared two years ago. I’m right, aren’t I?"
ntioning Kevin made Magnus’s voice rise sharply. That bastard... Not only did he harass Sarah, he even dared ss with his own sister, Emily. Scum. Absolute scum.
"You - You know Kevin? You know where he is? You really know?"
Emily’s face turned pale, nervous and shaken... Still defending that piece of trash. That’s what pissed Magnus off the most about her.
"I know... I know where that bastard is."
Magnus took a deep breath, fought down the anger burning in him, and forced himself to speak calmly, "Lend your car. Just five hours. Leave your number, and in five hours, I’ll tell you everything."
"My car?"
Emily hesitated. Deep down, she didn’t trust n.
"Hurry up! I don’t have ti! You want your useless brother to get himself killed?"
Magnus finally snapped. He roared. Emily flinched and quickly fished out her keys, carefully tossing them over.
Magnus caught them. "Your number! Give it to . Now!"
After saving her number, Magnus set a tir on his phone - 4 hours, 57 minutes left. That’s how long until the first wave of apocalyptic creatures arrived.
"Emily... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you..."
His mind was still in chaos - gunshots from Ice Regint’s betrayal, dying, then waking up again... Too much had hit him at once.
He tried to steady himself, then said, "But you’ve got to trust now. In fifteen minutes, there’ll be a downpour. It’ll last for five hours. If I’m right, if it all happens just like I said, call . If not, fine. Just one thing - after the five-hour rain, when the teors hit again, when the next quake hits, do not move. Stay exactly where you are. Don’t charge outside again. I’ll co for you. You got that?"
Magnus could still rember clearly: right after the end ca, he and Emily and the others got trapped on the ground floor of Dormitory Three. Emily and Liana had led the charge outside... Less than ten minutes in, most of the girls were already dead. They had to retreat.
He didn’t say another word to Emily. She wouldn’t believe him - not yet. But she’d be safe. That much he was sure of.
Right now, Magnus had one mission - use every second to prepare.
Five hours. If he used these five hours well, he could build the strongest super army for the new world to co.
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