The System Apocalypse Short Story Anthology Volume 1: A LitRPG post-apocalyptic fantasy and science fiction anthology

by Tao Wong

  As the blade descended a message box appeared in Danny’s vision.

  Mortal Danger imminent! Would you like to activate Rebirth?

  Yes/No

  Without hesitation, Danny selected YES.

  Chapter 11

  That scream. Burns recognized that scream. Memories poured into his mind like smoke, images burning their way into his retinas. He knew that scream. It was the same scream he had heard that night in the Jones fire. He had saved a woman… Monica… he remembered, following the screams to a home and pulling out a woman trapped by a fallen bookshelf. It was later he learned her name was Monica. He struggled to remember more and felt like he was trying to grab the smoke in his mind. With a shout, he woke, jerking up.

  Burns looked around, his eyebrows scrunched down. He appeared to be at the marina in Lakehead. He had been there many times to go fishing, but something was off this time. It might have been the embossed stone slab he was lying on, or maybe it was the corpses surrounding it. Three bodies around the slab, blackened and charred. Looking closer he noticed that all three of them only had a vaguely human shape. A couple seemed to have fins and the other had singed feathers strewn about. He shook his head, trying to piece together what was going on. He wasn’t concerned, even though charred freaky alien bodies were all around him.

  A System message popped into his vision.

  Congratulations! You have completed your first True Rebirth!

  Warning: You must gain a level in your base Phoenix class before you may use this Skill again.

  Congratulations! You have learned the Skill: Rebirth Fluctuation

  Your stats fluctuate between rebirths to accommodate your current Rebirth Subclass.

  Burns brought up his status screen.

  Status Screen

  Name

  Daniel Burns

  Class

  Phoenix (2)

  Race

  Human (Symbiont)

  (Male)

  Subclass

  Pyromancer (1)

  Titles

  None

  Health

  170

  Stamina

  170

  Mana

  160

  Status

  Alzheimer's (a -10% Intelligence, Variable, Periodic)

  Dementia (-10% Charisma -10% Intelligence, Variable, Periodic)

  Attributes

  Strength

  17

  Agility

  15

  Constitution

  17

  Perception

  12

  Intelligence

  16 (15)

  Willpower

  22

  Charisma

  16 (15)

  Luck

  10

  Skills

  Wilderness Survival

  3

  Tracking

  4

  Athletics

  3

  First Aid

  3

  Observe

  3

  Flame Burst

  3

  Class Skills

  Echoes of Past Lives

  1

  Rebirth

  1

  Spells

  None

  A Pyromancer… was that a wizard or something? He felt like all of this should be alien to him, but accessing the System was… natural… somehow.

  < “A rebirth already?” > the Phoenix asked him.

  Burns looked down at himself. “I must have had to for some reason. What happens to me when I go through ‘rebirth’ anyway?”

  < “What happens to you is different than what happens to a true Phoenix. The System can only copy our abilities. You become ‘phase-shifted’ for a period of time while the System scans your last mental state to determine your next state of being.”>

  “Phase-shifted? What’s that?”

  < “You become invisible, and undetectable to normal and magical means, and may pass through solid objects.” >

  Burns cocked an eyebrow. “I become a ghost?” Burns got to experience the unique feeling of an inhabitant in his mind rolling its eyes.

  < “Have you at least made it to a safe zone yet?” >

  With those words his quest log opened and the Quest ‘Get Somewhere Safe’ highlighted. Burns shrugged, not knowing how to answer the Phoenix. “I’m in Lakehead, at the marina. I'm on a…” He looked down to get a better inspection of the stone slab. “… an altar of some kind?”

  < “An Altar? New Dungeon Worlds always get the worst crowd. Lakehead…. is in the opposite direction of where you need to go. You are headed into more dangerous territory; you must turn back!” >

  “Yeah… well… I don't really know why I’m even here…” Burns shook his head, trying to jog his memory. “There has to be a reason. I’ve always liked it here, it's where I thought I would retire.”

  < “That may be, however it is no longer a zone that is safe. You must make it out! If you die, I will be trapped here forever, or worse.” >

  “Then help me! Help me remember why I came here!”

  < “I cannot. I cannot see into your mind, or at least not into the mind of your past self. You will never be the same any longer, such is the plight of those of the Phoenix. To be reborn over and over, but never fully remembering who you were from one life to the next.” >

  Burns grunted, looking at his status screen again. There had to be a reason he was here in Lakehead. With a sigh he sat down and gave serious thought to what he was trying to remember. He closed his eyes and memories of that scream came to him.

  Burns shook his head violently trying to force the memories to make sense. After a moment he caught his breath and his mind started to clear. “I think… I think I’m here to save my girlfriend…. and someone else… an older woman?”

  < “If such is the case, you must act with speed. It is imperative you escape the zone into a safer area and quickly. The longer you wait the more dangerous it becomes. Tell me, does the altar have any markings?” >

  Burns scrubbed the soot off the stone. “Yeah, it looks like embossed reliefs of, a huge shark or something. My memories showed me weird fish things, and there are some bodies around me that look like them. Wait, why are there burned bodies around me, anyway?”

  < “If you select a rebirth while you are in danger, you experience a fiery rebirth, exploding out in flames that deal Fire and Holy damage. You become incorporeal during the time of your memory reconstruction. The creatures you burned are most likely Nagashiu, water people that live only to sacrifice sentients to their warped Shark god.” >

  “Shark god? That's a thing?”

  < “It is a being like any other, though with a powerful class that is tied to its people’s religion.” >

  Burns shook his head. Shark gods were almost too much to handle. “How powerful is the explosion I cause?”

  < “I assure you it is quite powerful, though that is not the only reason for the death you caused. The Nagashiu are water based and thus many of them are very weak to Fire, as well as Holy damage.” >

  “What about this feathered-human thing?”

  < “Most likely those are Sirens, they often work with the Nagashiu. Be cautious, if there are Sirens about, you are in much danger for being male. Their song can enthrall you.” >

  Those words sparked another memory in Burns’ mind, of a song so beautiful he wanted nothing more than to listen to it forever.

  “Yeah, I think I may have experienced that already,” he said.

  < “The Sirens are also weak to Fire and Holy attacks. Though many of them have gear to mitigate that. If you have killed several with your rebirth, it is likely that they are lower level. They are never alone though, and I would hazard to say that the Nagashiu have most likely bought some territory on this world. I must leave now, I get stronger as you do, but am still so very weak. I will leave you with this; Your memories may be lost, but your soul recognizes your past. Trust your instincts. Now go, get to safety!” >

  Burns
felt the presence leave his mind and took a deep breath, checking himself over. He wore his standard firefighters’ uniform, navy slacks, and a shirt with a crimson collar, embroidered with SLFD on the pocket.

  “Trust my instincts,” he mumbled to himself. He stood up and stretched, wondering what he was going to do now. He closed his eyes and thought about it, memories of that scream coming back to him. “Monica, I have to save Monica. But where is she? Why is she here in Lakehead?” He clenched his eyes shut, remembering.

  They had spent plenty of time together in the area, out on his boat, fishing, and enjoying the river. A smile fluttered across his lips and he felt a slight tugging in his mind. Opening his eyes, he looked towards the small town and stepped off the dais in the direction he felt pulled to go.

  Chapter 12

  Burns walked through town. He saw cars in designs he didn’t recognize, but with just a small shake of his head he chalked it up to his memory and rebirth. What surprised him was how empty the town was. Lakehead was not big, capping out at around 400ish population, but normally he would see some people out doing normal things, mowing their lawns, walking dogs, or driving around.

  He supposed today wasn't a normal day, with Nagashiu and Sirens in the town, but still, it bothered him how empty it was. He came up to the house he was feeling pulled to, the front door striking a chord of deep déjà vu. He walked up to the door to find it locked. Hesitating a moment, he closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to remember. A wide grin spread across his face and he reached for the potted plant on the ground next to the door, lifted the plastic pot within the ceramic to find a house key underneath it.

  He unlocked the door and went in, and it felt like coming home. As soon as he entered the kitchen, his mouth dropped. Drawers and cabinet doors were left open, food left on the counter, even the refrigerator door was open. He looked inside the fridge, moving things around in the darkness of its unlit bulb. The lukewarm beer called to Burns, he popped the top on one and sipped the beverage as he continued his tour through the house.

  On the otherwise empty dining room table was a framed picture with a note beside it. He set his beer down to look at the picture, and a sob tore out of him. In the picture was a man he knew to be himself though older, with Monica. The years had been kind to her and though he had roughened with age, her loveliness had only increased.

  There was a young man in the picture with them, in his late teens. Burns’ heart accelerated as he examined the young man. He didn't know his name, but he knew it was his son. He popped the picture out of the frame and folded it into his breast pocket. They were the reason he was here in Lakehead instead of finding safety in a lower level zone.

  He picked up the note next, recognizing the cursive handwriting as his mothers.

  Danny,

  I don't know if you will find this note or not, but felt I had to leave it just in case. I’ve explained to Monica (your wife) and Jason (your son) about your rebirth thing, as best I can anyway. She thinks I'm crazy, but it was the only thing that gave Monica enough hope to snap out of the shock of watching you “die” right in front of us. When that blade came, she thought you were dead for good, but when your body turned white hot and exploded out with heat and light, burning those horrible creatures, I knew you would be back. I hope you will be back.

  Several of the creatures died in the explosion and the rest ran off. We've gathered together, the whole town, and are going to Shasta Lake. You would be so proud of Jason. He seems to understand this ‘System’ much better than the rest of us. He kept referencing video games and ended up getting us organized and even figured out who could be effective in battle. I hope it doesn't come to that. I told him what happened to us on the bridge, but he says we’ll be able to figure something out.

  I told the town that these creatures would return and everything you told me the Phoenix said about getting somewhere safe. I think everyone is in shock over how easily we were all captured and want to get to the city as fast as possible. Many people have loved ones there anyway and wanted to get back to them. If you find this note, please, come south and meet up with us. We left a bike in the garage for you. I love you; WE love you.

  Mom

  Burns folded the note up, putting it in the same pocket as the picture. He took a deep breath, shook his head and walked to the garage. A quick glance outside showed him that the sun was nearing the western horizon. He had once known a trick to telling time just by looking at the sun’s position but couldn't quite remember how to do it. Regardless, he knew by the length of the shadows it was getting late in the day and he didn’t have too many hours of daylight left.

  He hopped on the bike and took off towards the highway. He rode in the center of the lane, pedaling as fast as he could. Burns didn’t how long ago they had left on their trek, but hoped he’d catch up with them. He kept an eye on his stamina and noticed riding the bike seemed very efficient in terms of stamina use vs. speed and found a rhythm that kept him pedaling consistently while not expanding more stamina than he regenerated.

  He hadn’t been riding long when he saw the bridge ahead of him with a swath of people, maybe half the town, looking like a ragged group of gypsies. They had bikes with bike carts interspersed throughout, but most of the people were on foot, pulling wagons and wearing backpacks. Burns road through the crowd, making his way to the front where he recognized the young man, Jason, directing people.

  “Look,” Jason said to a group of older men and women as he pointed to a car laying on its side. “These circles? They look like sucker-prints to me. I think this is pretty good evidence of what my Grandma was talking about!”

  “Hey kid, I get that you might think so, but why the hell are aliens going to bring giant squids or whatever to live in our lake? I’m not saying she’s lying, but it's been a crazy day, maybe she’s just mistaken,” said an older man in checked flannel and blue jeans with a rifle strapped to his back.

  “I’m right here you know; I can hear you,” Susan said, her eyes steely. “What I saw was not a hallucination. Don’t confuse my kindness for stupidity.” She cut off as she noticed Burns riding up. “Danny!” she shouted and ran towards him. Jason looked at the man on the bike, recognition dawning on him.

  “No way. It's actually real.” Jason ran to Burns and grabbed onto him. “Dad? Is that you?”

  Burns let the young man hold him for a moment, then gently pried them both off. “Mom, you haven't called me Danny in years.” He looked at the young man, recognizing him from the picture in his pocket. “You must be Jason, I’m sorry…I… I don’t remember…” Jason pulled back, the delight on his face fading.

  “Ah yeah. Grandma told me you might not. I’m sure it would hurt a lot more if it hadn’t happened before.” He tapped on the side of Burns’ head. “I’m just glad to see you. And alive! I gotta go get Mom!” He hugged Burns again then took off into the crowd of people.

  “What's going on here?” Burns asked.

  Susan gestured to the people near the flipped over car. “We’re trying to figure out the best way across the bridge. Nobody seems to believe me about the giant tentacle we saw that threw a car at you.” The man with the rifle turned from his examination of the bridge.

  “Is this the fella that was with you Susan?” the man asked, squinting at Burns. “I swear I know you from somewhere. I’m Roy.” He stuck his hand to shake Burns’.

  “Dan,” Burns said and completed the handshake, then looked back at his mother. She looked older than he remembered, but he had no doubts who she was. “I’m sorry, Mom, I don't remember what happened.”

  Roy crumpled his face and turned red. “You don't remember a car being thrown at you?! By a monster octopus?!” He threw a sideways glance at Susan. “Well that settles that. You really are full of crap.” He turned and walked towards the bridge.

  “Wait!” Susan shouted after him. Roy threw his hand up in a non-response and kept walking. Another voice called out, a voice Burns recognized, and he felt his heart
twitch.

  “Dan!” Warm arms embraced him from behind and he closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of his girlfriend. “Susan was right, you did make it back!” He could feel the wetness of tears on his back and turned to embrace her.

  “Monica, I’m so sorry you had to see that. I am back, though. But you should know… my memory is still a mess.”

  “We've been dealing with that; we can deal with it still,” she said as she kissed him.

  Dan pulled back to look at her, her face cradled in his hands. “It may actually get better, that’s what my symbiont, the Phoenix, says anyway.”

  Jason, next to Monica, looked at him. “What's a symbiont?” he asked.

  Burns opened his mouth to respond when screams erupted through the crowd. He turned to see a huge tentacle reaching out from the water over the side of the bridge. He barely had time to register it before the tentacle grabbed onto Roy, who had turned to run back towards them, and yanked him over the edge into the water.

  Chapter 13

  If ‘chaos erupted’ could describe anything, this was it. The small group of people surrounding Burns and his family scrambled back, some falling on their butts in their mad dash to escape. Onlookers from the larger group who had seen what happened screamed and ran like wild. Mothers shielded their children’s eyes.

  Burns was used to chaos, having been a firefighter, and he knew how to handle a crowd of panicking people. He jumped onto the car and started shouting. “Everyone calm down! Back up! Stay away from the water and move back further down the road!” He waved both hands in the air, as if he were directing traffic.