The cold seeped through my gloves as I tightened a loose bolt on the facility's outer barricade. The wind howled through the broken landscape, carrying the distant groans of shifting ice. Snowflakes landed on my skin, melting into icy pinpricks before I wiped them away.
I glanced back at the facility—our so-called safe haven. Smoke curled from a makeshift chimney, the faint scent of burning scrap metal filling the air. Inside, eleven people depended on me now.
More than before. And soon, maybe even more.
System Notification:
Population Growth Detected – Leadership Protocols Recommended
New Task: Establish Order & Responsibility Among Survivors
Suggested Actions: Assign Roles, Secure Additional Resources, Establish Communication Systems
Bonus Reward: Tactical Leadership Enhancement
I exhaled, watching my breath fog in the freezing air. The system never let me slow down.
"James."
I turned to see Alice stepping up beside me, her boots crunching against the ice. Her face was sharp with concern, her arms crossed against the cold.
"We need to talk."
Tensions Rising
Inside, the air was thick with warmth—and tension.
The survivors gathered around a dimly lit common area, huddled in blankets, whispering amongst themselves. Some had the wary look of people still deciding whether to trust us. Others just looked tired.
Daniel leaned against the wall, watching with careful eyes. Ethan, arms crossed, muttered something under his breath.
Alice didn't waste time. "We can't keep doing this."
I met her gaze. "Doing what?"
"Taking people in without a plan. We barely have enough food. We don't even have proper medical supplies. And now, we've got more people who might be dead weight."
Some of the survivors flinched at her words.
She wasn't wrong, but I saw what she didn't.
"They're not dead weight," I said. "They just need direction."
Assigning Roles
I pulled up my system interface and selected Personnel Management. A list of names appeared, along with basic status updates. Weaknesses, strengths. Things the system had been analyzing.
Names blinked beside their skill sets:
Mira – Medic (Limited Experience)
Jonas – Engineer (Basic Mechanics)
Tess – Forager (Resource Identification)
Devin – Unskilled, but physically strong
They weren't useless. They just needed a purpose.
"Alright," I said, standing up. "If you're here, you work. No exceptions."
Mira straightened. "What kind of work?"
I pointed to her. "You're our medic now. Organize medical supplies, figure out what we're missing."
Her eyes widened, but she nodded.
"Jonas, you're working with me to get hydroponics running. Tess, I want you and Daniel scouting for resources. Devin—" I eyed the man's broad shoulders. "You'll help with barricades and repairs."
Slowly, they nodded.
I turned to Alice. "Now we have a plan."
Her expression softened—just a little.
System Notification:
Leadership Task Completed – Bonus Awarded
New Skill Acquired: Tactical Leadership – Allows Efficient Resource Allocation
A faint pulse of knowledge settled into my mind—an instinctive understanding of how to direct people better.
It would help.
The First Test
Just as things started to settle, a deep, resonating growl cut through the walls.
The air shifted. The fire flickered.
And then, the sound came again—closer.
Daniel grabbed his rifle. "That's not the wind."
I sprinted toward the surveillance monitors, my pulse hammering. The cameras flickered through static, scanning the icy perimeter.
Then I saw it.
A shadow moving through the snow. Long-limbed. Wrong.
System Identification:
Predator Variant Detected – Class Unknown
Warning: Apex Predator Signature Detected
Cold fear gripped me.
This wasn't just another hunt.
This was something new.
Something worse.
And it was already watching us.
---