Marcy bolted out of the apartment complex, her tiny bunny legs carrying her faster than she ever thought possible. But as soon as she hit the pavement, she skidded to a halt.

  The world had turned into a nightmare.

  Goblins were overturning cars, skeletons clattered through the park, and zombies shambled through the wreckage of the morning commute. High above, perched atop a nearby skyscraper, a massive dragon let out a roar that shook the very ground.

  Every monster in the vicinity stopped. Every eye—yellow, red, and rot-filled—turned toward the bright pink ball of fur in the middle of the street.

  Marcy’s fur stood on end. The dragon’s pupils dilated as it locked onto her. It looked less like an enemy and more like a starving man looking at a steak. With a deafening beat of its wings, the beast took flight, diving straight for her.

  "No, no, no!" Marcy screamed, her voice a high-pitched squeak. She turned and ran, her heart hammering against her ribs. Behind her, a tide of shambling monsters followed, but the dragon was faster.

  She could hear the whistle of the wind as it dived. She could smell the sulfur. As the dragon opened its massive maw, drool splashing onto the pavement behind her, a sudden whoosh cut through the air. A missile slammed into the dragon’s side.

  The beast screeched and went limp, its massive weight plummeting. It didn't just land; it crashed directly on top of Marcy. The impact was like hitting a brick wall.

  The last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her was a red flickering window from the System.

  You really are exceptionally unlucky.

  When Marcy finally regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was the heat of a roaring fire. The second thing she felt was the coarse bite of rope. She was tied up, her small pink body bound tightly.

  She began to thrash, a panicked whimper escaping her throat.

  "Cut it out," a voice commanded.

  It was a familiar voice, but the warmth was gone, replaced by a cold, sharp edge. Marcy froze and looked toward the shadows.

  A man stepped into the firelight. He was taller now, his muscles bulging beneath skin that was partially covered in shimmering, dark scales. His eyes had turned into golden slits, and when he spoke, she could see rows of serrated, needle-sharp teeth. But the face... she knew that face anywhere.

  "A... Allan?" she whispered.

  He looked down at her, a cruel, mocking shadow of a smile playing on his lips. "I knew you reminded me of someone," he said, his voice vibrating with a low growl.

  He knelt, his scaled hand reaching out to tilt her head up. The man who had touched her hand so gently that morning was gone. In his place stood a predator.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Now," Allan smirked dangerously. "Answer my questions. And be careful, bunny... I might just eat you if I’m not satisfied with the answers."

  Marcy’s heart dropped. She had spent years dreaming of being in Allan's arms, but not like this. Not as a snack.

  Marcy sat on the cold floor of the concrete shell Allan had claimed for shelter. As the fire crackled, Marcy’s long pink ears twitched anxiously, picking up every distant scream from the city outside.

  Allan leaned back, the firelight dancing in his slitted golden eyes. "First of all..." he started, his voice a low rumble. "You called me 'Allan.' Is that really my name?"

  Marcy blinked, her whiskers quivering. "Y-yeah. Your name is Allan. That’s what it’s always been. You live across the hall from me. You... you were an architecture major."

  Allan looked away, his expression darkening as he stared into the flames. "And you? Have you always been a bunny?"

  "No!" Marcy sat up as straight as her small frame allowed. "The System punished me because I refused to choose a class. It did this to me!"

  Suddenly, a blue window flickered into existence between them, pulsing with an annoying neon glow.

  CONFIRMED: THE PINK BUNNY IS A TATTLETALE!

  THE DRAGON HAS REGAINED MEMORY FRAGMENTS. CONGRATULATIONS, PINK MENACE, YOU RUINED HIM!

  "I didn't ruin him!" Marcy snapped at the screen, her fear momentarily replaced by rage. "He’s a person! Your 'game' is what ruined him!"

  "Hey!" Allan barked, looking deeply uncomfortable. "I’m right here! I am not ruined!"

  A new window popped up. A giant, animated ROFL emoji bounced across the screen, followed by a text box:

  SO, A PINK SNACK AND A HALF-DRAGON HAVE BECOME ALLIES? HOW QUAINT...

  Allan’s jaw tightened. With a growl of annoyance, he reached out. Marcy flinched, expecting a strike, but instead, his sharp claws swiped through her bonds, cutting her free in a single motion.

  Marcy rubbed her sore wrists, looking up in shock. "Wait... you're letting me go?"

  "I believe you," Allan said, though he sounded troubled. He looked at his scaled hands, his mind racing. If Marcy was telling the truth, then he had a life before the scales and the hunger. He remembered a face—another woman. His girlfriend. Where was she? Was she a monster now, too?

  He looked at the small, fluffy girl on the floor. If this "System" could turn a college student into a literal snack and a guy into a beast, what else was it capable of?