Lines in the Sand
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A Law of the Wild
Brian stood at the edge of the tree line, eyes locked on the spot where David had disappeared. His pulse was steady, his breathing controlled, but his mind was unsettled.
Everything in him had screamed to end it.
It would have been so easy.
One shot. A single pull of the trigger.
And yet…
He had let the man go.
Not because David wasn't a threat.
Not because Brian hadn't changed.
Because he wasn't ready.
Not yet.
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The Difference Between Hunting and Killing
Hunting had always been about balance.
✔ You kill what you need to.
✔ You don't waste.
✔ You respect the life you take.
Taking a deer for food was one thing.
Taking a man's life—even an infected man—was another.
He had been a hunter all his life, but this?
This felt different.
Killing a man wasn't about sustenance.
It was about eliminating a threat.
That was a line he wasn't ready to cross.
And something about that… unsettled him.
Because deep down, he knew.
One day, he would have to cross it.
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The Infection Within
Brian sat on the porch that night, watching the fire crackle.
Ghost was curled beside him, but his eyes were open, alert.
The wolf knew.
Knew that Brian had hesitated.
And in the wild, hesitation could kill you.
Brian lifted his arm, studying his own skin.
His body still felt different.
✔ His muscles were tighter, heavier.
✔ His breathing was deeper, slower.
✔ His senses were sharper than ever.
But his mind?
His mind was still his own.
At least, for now.
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The Edge of the World
Brian didn't know what had happened beyond his mountain.
Didn't know that the world he had left behind had been consumed by fire and death.
Didn't know that civilization had crumbled in days.
Didn't know that the infection had spread further than anyone had predicted.
All he knew was his land.
His cabin. His traps.
His territory.
But soon, the world would come for him.
And when it did, he would have to decide what he was willing to do to keep what was his.
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The Collapse
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Day Zero: The Sky Burns
It started as a meteor shower.
The world watched in awe.
People stood on rooftops, crowded into parks, streamed the spectacle on their phones.
What they didn't realize—what no one could have known—was that they weren't watching a harmless cosmic event.
They were watching the end of the world.
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Day One: The First Infections
✔ Hospitals filled overnight. People sick with fevers that never broke.
✔ Bodies piled in morgues, the cause unknown.
✔ The dead weren't staying dead.
Doctors tried to contain it.
The military tried to enforce quarantines.
None of it mattered.
The infection moved too fast.
And it wasn't just affecting humans.
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Day Three: The Fall of Cities
✔ New York was the first to fall.
✔ Then Los Angeles. Then Houston. Then Miami.
✔ The infection spread through the water. The air. The land itself.
The streets were filled with screams. Gunfire.
People running. Hiding. Dying.
The infected weren't just mindless zombies.
They were changing.
✔ Bones lengthening. Skin twisting.
✔ Teeth sharpening. Eyes turning black, then gold.
✔ The longer they lived, the more they adapted.
And soon, bullets weren't enough.
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Day Seven: The Government Disappears
✔ The President went silent.
✔ The Pentagon went dark.
✔ Nuclear facilities were abandoned.
The world's leaders were gone.
Some evacuated.
Most were dead.
By the end of the first week, there was no more United States.
No more Europe.
No more civilization.
Only scattered survivors.
And the monsters hunting them.
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Day Fourteen: The Evolution of the Infected
The infection had started as a plague.
By the second week, it had become something else.
✔ The infected weren't just dying and coming back.
✔ They were transforming.
✔ They were learning.
Survivors told stories of creatures that moved in packs.
Of things that could mimic human voices.
Of shadows with too many eyes.
By the time the world understood what was happening, it was too late.
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One Month Later: The New World
The last cities fell.
The last radio broadcasts went silent.
The world was no longer ruled by humans.
It belonged to something else now.
Something that had been waiting beneath the surface.
And now that it was awake…
It wasn't going back to sleep.
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Back to the Mountains
Brian didn't know any of this.
Didn't know that the world had burned.
Didn't know that civilization had crumbled in weeks.
Didn't know that the things he was hunting were just the beginning.
All he knew was his land.
His cabin. His traps.
His territory.
But soon, the world would come for him.
And when it did, he would have to decide what he was willing to do to keep what was his.
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