Zack woke and leisurely yawned as he sat up. Last night he tried an experiment, and from the feel of it, it worked. He got up and showered, confirming the results.
When he left the bathroom, there were three conspicuous objects in his hands. One was an 'extra small' anal vibrator that had the attached string severed halfway. Next was a smaller avocado seed. The other looked like part of a cheap metal statue that was often handed out as rewards at competitions.
It's been over a year since Zack started using Claude for stress relief a.k.a torture practice. Zack finds it really cathartic, and has been on the lookout for other 'toys' he can play with. It helped him work through all the trauma for the gangster plan, and reminded him of an unexpected fact.
The only time Zack has brought back anything from night to morning was then. It didn't matter if he died clutching things in his hands tightly, or tied items to his body or clothes - they were gone come morning.
So, Zack decided to test three things - first, is it possible to bring back solids as well as fluids? Do the objects have to be biological for it to work? And the final test - if Zack takes an object or changes it, do the changes remain come morning?
Two tests have clear answers - the seed proves solids can be brought through, while the vibrator proves the objects don't have to be biological - and the fact it only works on objects 'inside' Zack's person, as proven by the severed string. The statue will decide the answer to the final question when Zack gets to college later. If the statue that should be in the trophy case is missing or broken, which it has never been before, then that proves the objects he takes with him can change the 'settings' of the day.
You see, Zachariah Kane has a theory - some strange power has grabbed his world and locked it into a loop of time. An invisible sealed box where events are endlessly stuck on repeat. A living experiment proving the theory of Schrodinger's Cat.
In case you don't know it, allow me to briefly explain. The theory states that if you place a cat in a box with some uranium and seal it shut, so it is impossible to know anything that is happening inside, the cat will enter a state of simultaneous life and death. Science works through observation, so until the box is opened and it is confirmed if the cat is alive or dead, it must by default be both.
And doesn't that explain all these Resets nicely? The people in this world are trapped in the last day of their lives, endlessly dying only to live again and start the cycle over.
Zachariah doesn't think it's his power that caused the Reset. He is just one human after all, and even though he is stronger now after killing thousands of Zombies, he wasn't at the start of the Resets. No, his ability seems to effect only himself, allowing him to be aware of the cycle repeating around him. Which begs the question - can he share this ability with someone else?
If he could, who would he pick? Claude? It might be fun if he could remember their sessions together, but he'd do his best to escape then, instead of delivering himself shamelessly like a lamb to the slaughter.
Zack would have to think hard on this. With a cheerful whistle Zack quickly got ready and set off to college to confirm the results of his trophy experiment. And catch Claude for a bit of fun while he's at it.