When humanity faces extinction, what breaks first? our bodies, or our humanity?
How much of ourselves are we willing to lose to stay alive?

In 2104, The world has already ended, but its consequences haven’t. In the OctaCore: the last of humanity's shelters, resources are limited and the radiation is rising fast. Within two years, the surface will become unlivable. Long before that, the food will run out.

The monsters that destroyed the world are still out there, but they’re no longer the worst threat. With the shelters on the brink, the council faces an impossible choice: Cull 80% of the population to preserve the remaining 20%, or Launch a suicidal mission into the wasteland to retrieve a supply shipment that could sustain humanity long enough to rebuild.

A small team is chosen for the Hail Mary attempt. Memory-scarred survivors, soldiers who’ve already lost too much, and civilians carrying secrets they’d kill to protect—bound together by the thin hope that something out there might still be worth saving.

Outside, they will face the world that once was: a ruined city haunted by monsters, nazis and the aftermath of choices no one wants to admit they made.

What to Expect:

1. Morally questionable characters

2. No clear good or evil—only survival

3. Character-driven beginning → escalating high-stakes plot

4. Brutal worldbuilding

5. Mature themes (genocide, moral collapse, societal failure)

6. Gore, violent imagery, disturbing psychological content

DISCLAIMERS:

This story is officially published on multiple platforms under the pen name Zachelodeon. If you encounter it elsewhere under a different name, it has been stolen or reposted without authorization

No audio adaptations, translations, derivative works, or commercial uses are permitted without written permission from the author. For adaptation inquiries, please contact the author directly.

For professional or rights-related communication, please email: adrianmorganblake@gmail.com

Copyright: 2025 Zachelodeon. All rights reserved. This work is an original creation by the author. No part of it may be reproduced, reposted, mirrored, translated, or adapted without explicit written permission.

End of day 196. While walking in a well-lit corridor, Alfred noticed four kids playing with a small football. He slowed for a moment to take a look at the kids. Laughter echoed off the walls as the ball bounced between feet with messy, joyful imprecision.


One of the kids mis-aimed and kicked the ball straight into Alfred. The ball hit him in the thigh. He bent down, picked it up, and by the time he stood, one of the kids had already reached him.


Alfred handed the ball back with a small smile.


He paused, then added, "Enjoy this period of your life, kid. It won't last."


He watched them resume their game for a beat longer before turning away and walking on.


Chapter 27 - 024: ball