The world was ending.
Lena stood atop the ruins of a collapsed highway, staring at the dying city below. Buildings crumbled like sandcastles as the earth split open, swallowing streets whole. The ocean roared, its waves rising like great beasts, swallowing everything in their path.
The once-thriving metropolis was nothing more than a graveyard now—one where corpses weren't even left to rot, only erased by the relentless force of nature.
She tightened her grip on the rusted metal railing beside her. The wind howled, thick with smoke and salt, burning her throat with every breath.
There was no salvation coming. The governments had collapsed. The military had fallen silent. The last broadcasts had screamed of safe zones, but those were gone now—wiped away like the rest of civilization.
Lena had fought to stay alive, scavenging, hiding, and outmaneuvering desperate survivors who had turned into monsters long before the world itself began to fall apart. But what was left to fight for now?
She let out a slow breath, gaze locked on the massive wave forming in the distance. The tsunami stretched across the entire horizon, swallowing the skyline as it rushed forward.
Even now, she didn't flinch.
If this was how it ended, she would meet it head-on.
The wall of water surged toward her, roaring like a god's fury.
Then—
Everything went black.
---
A sharp gasp tore from Lena's throat as she jolted awake.
She wasn't dead.
The air around her was thick with the scent of damp earth and salt. Instead of concrete and twisted metal, soft grass pressed against her palms. The distant crash of waves filled her ears—not the violent roar of a tsunami, but the rhythmic, endless sound of the sea.
Slowly, she sat up, her body stiff but uninjured.
And that's when she saw it.
An island.
A small one—no more than five acres of land. It was covered in thick, lush greenery, with tall trees bordering the edges, their leaves rustling in the breeze. Beyond them, the ocean stretched endlessly in all directions. No signs of civilization. No ruins of the world she had left behind.
Her pulse quickened.
Where the hell am I?
This wasn't Earth. Or if it was, it was a version she had never seen before.
Then she saw the structure.
A wooden hut stood in the center of the island, half-collapsed and worn with time. The roof sagged, a section of the walls had caved in, and the entire thing looked like it would fall apart with a single strong wind.
Lena's instincts screamed at her to stay alert. Something was wrong.
Before she could move, a sharp piercing pain shot through her skull.
She barely had time to gasp before a cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
[Welcome, Survivor #9073. You have been selected for the Island Survival Program.]
Lena froze.
The voice was inside her head.
[Your current status: Beginner. Resources: 0. Shelter: Poor. Objective: Survive and develop your island. Failure to progress will result in elimination.]
Her blood ran cold.
Elimination.
It didn't take a genius to understand what that meant.
She had played enough games, seen enough twisted survival scenarios to know this was more than just relocation. This was a test. And if she failed—if she didn't "progress" fast enough—she wouldn't just be left to starve.
She'd be erased.
Lena took a slow, measured breath.
No use panicking. She needed information.
She scanned the island again, eyes sharper now. Every detail mattered. The trees could provide wood and shelter. The ocean—if it wasn't poisoned—could offer food and water. The hut, as broken as it was, might hold supplies.
First step: Assess the situation.
Second step: Find a way to win.
Because she wasn't going to sit here and wait for death.
She had survived hell once.
She would do it again.
And this time—
She would make sure no one could control her fate.