The sun came up slow, painting the sky orange and gray as it climbed over the broken city. Its light spread across rooftops and empty streets around the city, catching on shards of glass that glittered like scattered diamonds in the dust.

  A single crow perched on the bent frame of a streetlight, cawing once before taking wing over the decaying body of a what must have been one of the Cursed.

  The crow circled once above the corpse, then glided down to land on a nearby fire escape, its beak pecking at something dark and sticky caught in the metal grating.

  Below, morning light stretched long and thin across the asphalt, touching abandoned cars that lined the curb in neat rows, their windows fogged over, tires flat and deflated, but some still bearing faded bumper stickers from the world that was, promising better days ahead.

  -

  Miles slowly opened his eyes, the morning sunlight reflecting through the shattered glass on the floor, casting dancing prisms of orange and white across the walls.

  "So, everything was truly not a dream..?"

  He muttered as he felt his tactical gear digging into his ribs. The M17 was where he'd left it, propped against the wall within arm's reach, its metal surface cool to the touch when he laid a hand on it.

  Although, He just went to experience Weapon Tutorial in his dream. Everything is just simply a story woven by Imagination..

  With a low grown, he pushed himself up, every movement sending jolts of pain through his shoulders and back.

  The fight from the night before was still seared into his memory. After stretching out his stiff muscles for a moment, Miles reached toward the floor beside the bed.

  With a click on the power button, the screen flickered to life and there a familiar interface loaded slowly, and at the top, a notification glowed bright white.

  [How to live through the Chaos of the New Cursed World?]

  [20x Cursed Kill - Detected.]

  [Tutorial Mission 4: Completed] [Congratulation, You completed Tutorial Mission 4.]

  [You had received Tutorial Gift Box (Version 3)]

  Miles stared at it for a long moment, his thumb hovering over the glass, before tapping the "Open" Option beneath it.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  [Tutorial Gift Box (Version 3) Opened!]

  [Item Received: Tactical Gloves (FDT) Tactical Boots (NFS) Tactical Frog Suit (PRO) Streamlight (TLR-1 HL) Military Combat Balaclava (Patagonia) 5x Additional 21-round M17 Extended Magazine.]

  He could felt a sensation in his face as the Balaclava covered his face, Along with the sensation of the pair of gloves appeared beside him along with the boots, and he could feel the additional weight shifting in his vest as the new magazines settled into place.

  The Streamlight had already magically attached itself to his M17's rail, fitting so perfectly it looked like it had been custom built for the pistol.

  Miles slipped the FDT gloves on first, flexing his fingers to get used to the snug fit. The textured palms gripped the M17's handle like glue, and he tested the reinforced knuckles with a light tap against the wall.

  Next, he slid the NFT Tactical Boots in his feet. The difference was immediate, the high ankle support cradled his aching joints, and the steel toes gave him confidence he'd never felt before.

  He took a few steps across the broken glass strewn floor, and not a single shard so much as scratched the thick triple rubber soles.

  As he peeled off his shirt and pants to change into the Tactical Frog Suit, he noticed how the fabric seemed to adapt to his body.

  He could easily stretch where he needed movement, stiffening slightly over his shoulders and knees for extra protection

  The built-in MOLLE webbing aligned perfectly with his existing gear, and he clipped his knife and extra pouches into place without a second thought.

  He shouldered the M17, flipping on the Streamlight to test it. The bright white beam cut through the dim doorway.

  Looking down at himself, that was fully kitted out in the new gear, Miles felt a surge of confidence he hadn't felt since the world fell apart.

  But, before he could admire his new look even further. The phone buzzed again, but this time it was different to the notification of the game; but rather, it was a phone call of a familiar number.

  For a moment, Miles froze, staring blankly at the screen as the familiar digits glowed back at him. Then his fingers moved quickly, tapping the answer button with shaking hands.

  Anxiety could be seen in his expression, along with his shaky voice as he called out to the other side of the phone.

  "S-Selena? Are you okay? Mom and dad - are they alright?"

  Static crackled through the speaker before his sister's voice came through, thick with tears but steady:

  "Brother Miles! Thank god, you're alright. We're at the Faith Community Cathedral, you know, that big white church on the edge of Westfield Subdivision. You used to come here with us for Christmas services.. there's soldiers here."

  Miles felt his breath catch. 'Soldiers?had the military finally made it into the suburbs?'

  "Selena, what do you mean? Are they part of a rescue operation?"

  "Not exactly," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

  "They showed up three days ago, six of them, all in full gear, driving an armored truck. They said they're from what's left of the national guard, but they didn't explain any further than that."

  "But they haven't caused any trouble - not really," she added quickly, as if to ease his worry. "They've been keeping to themselves mostly, working on reinforcing the cathedral walls and setting up radios to try and reach other military units. Dad says their gear checks out - proper issue, not stolen or scavenged like some groups we've heard about."

  Miles nodded slowly, even though she couldn't see him, his eyes scanning the empty street outside the window.

  "Have they tried to take charge of things? Push people around?"

  "Not at all," Selena said, her voice growing a little clearer as the static faded.

  "They said, they're here to support survivors, not command them. She even asked mom to help keep track of supplies since she was a bookkeeper before... before everything happened."

  Then a gentle voice, or rather their mother's could be heard in the background, saying something too quiet to make out.

  Selena paused to listen, then spoke again. "Mom says to tell you to be careful and wait for a rescue team."

  Miles glanced out the window at the empty street, his hand resting on the M17's grip.

  After few more minutes, the call ended..

  I should eat first before completing the final mission..

  As if responding, his stomach let out a loud growl that made him chuckle in this broken world.

  Although, the reassurance from his younger sister's words had lifted a weight. But, it was more about the fact that they're alive that truly settled him, not the soldiers, not the safe place they'd found, just knowing his mom, dad, and Selena had made it this far.

  He doubted the military was still fully intact after everything that had happened.

  Standing up, Miles made his way slowly to the other room to find food.

  No Cursed had ventured upstairs, so the floor was safe for now.