Grandpa died, and we immediately went for each other's throats over the inheritance.

Then a blizzard hit, trapping us all in the family estate.

An app appeared on our phones: [THE LAST ZOMBIE: FINAL RECKONING].

We had to pick a hiding spot.

The last one standing—the last human standing—would inherit everything.

I chose the dark, silent recording studio in the basement. Away from them all.

When it was time to pick special powers, my family chose powerful weapons or pocket dimensions full of supplies.

I chose Bio-Stasis. It slowed my cells to a crawl, and my body along with them.

My stepbrother's fiancée, Chloe, called me an idiot. "Hiding from your family and picking a useless power? You're on a suicide mission."

They threw a zombie-slaying party upstairs, already celebrating an inheritance they hadn't even won.

Until, one by one, they turned. And started tearing each other apart.

What they didn't know... was that I'd rigged the game from the start.

The only way to win was to stay completely silent.

The fight for Grandpa’s fortune began the second his funeral ended. The arguments were just heating up when a freak blizzard rolled in, trapping us all in the estate.

"I told you we should've split the money and run!" Sarah shrieked. "But no, you all had to fight. Now look at the snow! We're trapped for a week!"

Grandpa was barely in the ground, and the estate was already a war zone of complaints.

Everyone wanted the biggest piece of the pie. They were ready to draw blood for it.

"Don't say that, Sarah." My stepbrother, Liam, glided over, a reassuring smile on his flawless face. "It's rare for us all to be together. Grandpa wouldn't want us fighting like this."

He always knew the right thing to say.

At twenty-eight, Liam was the family's golden boy. He'd been groomed to take over the family empire.

I turned to leave, but a piercing electronic chime stopped me.

Everyone’s phone went off at once.

"What?" Liam’s fiancée, Chloe, frowned, moving closer to his side.

I looked down at my phone.

A blood-red scale appeared on the screen.

[Welcome to The Last Zombie: Final Reckoning.]

[Detected: 15 members of the Sterling family.]

[Objective: Eliminate all zombies. The last player standing inherits the entire family fortune.]

[Current Asset Valuation: $12.7 Billion.]

The living room went dead silent.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" Liam tried to close the app, but the screen wouldn't budge. "Who made this?"

[Exit Denied.]

[Forced Binding in Progress...]

[Binding Complete.]

I tried hitting the home button. Nothing.

The app had taken over my phone completely.

"This has to be a hacker," Uncle Marcus snapped, fumbling with his phone. "I'm calling the cops."

"No signal," Aunt Linda's voice trembled. "The lines are dead. All of them."

Liam cleared his throat. His natural leadership made him the center of attention. "Everyone, calm down. This has to be a technical glitch. Or someone's prank."

[As a show of good faith, a one-million-dollar reward will now be transferred to each player.]

[Please check your balance.]

My banking app pinged with a new notification.

A million dollars.

The room erupted. Everyone was frantically checking their phones.

"Oh my god, it's real!"

"This is impossible!"

"A million dollars! It's really here!"

Liam’s face went pale. He knew.

[Phase 1: Choose Your Sanctuary.]

[Option A: The Main House - Ample supplies, wide view, accommodates 10 people.]

[Option B: The Hunting Lodge - Contains an armory, well-defended, accommodates 8 people.]

[Option C: The Recording Studio - Underground, soundproof, accommodates 2 people.]

[Selection Time: 10 minutes.]

[Countdown has begun.]

"This is easy," Liam said, his composure returning. "We choose the main house. It's the safest, with the most supplies."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Right, we should stick together."

"The main house has a security system."

"And enough food to last until help arrives."

I listened to them talk.

Then I made my choice.

"I choose C."

Every head in the room snapped toward me.

"What?" Liam's eyes widened. "Ava, are you kidding me?"

"The recording studio?" Chloe scoffed, wrapping her arm around Liam’s. "It's a tiny, dark hole. Liam, darling, can you believe her? Is she insane?"

As an architect, I knew every corner of this estate.

Grandpa built that studio when he was young. It had the best soundproofing money could buy and its own ventilation system.

[Player Ava has chosen: The Recording Studio.]

[Time remaining: 8 minutes.]

"Ava, this is a bad idea." Liam walked up to me, his blue eyes filled with concern. "We need to stay together. Protect each other."

"She's just trying to get your attention, Liam," Chloe rolled her eyes, her voice laced with annoyance. "Such a classic, pathetic move."

The other family members started whispering.

"Let her go."

"She was always the weird one."

"We don't need a liability."

[Selection time has ended.]

[Sanctuary assignments are complete.]

[Player Groups:]

[Main House: Liam, Chloe, Sarah, Marcus, Linda, and 7 others.]

[Hunting Lodge: Unclaimed.]

[Recording Studio: Ava.]

Chloe glanced at the list, a smug smirk on her face.

She flicked on the family channel's live stream, grinning into her phone's camera.

"Oh, darlings!" her voice dripped with fake sweetness. "Looks like our little architect wants to go play in her dark little box!"

She tightened her grip on Liam’s arm, her eyes full of possessiveness masked as flirtation.

"Oh, let her go, honey," she purred to Liam. "We'll be up here having our apocalypse party. We can handle a few zombies without Miss Misery ruining the mood."

"This game is a joke!"

Chloe's voice came through the family channel, followed by the pop of a champagne cork.

I was already in the recording studio.

It was small and dark, just as they'd said, but the soundproofing was perfect.

I could hear their faint laughter from upstairs, like it was coming from another world.

[Phase 2: Choose Your Talent.]

A new menu popped up.

[Option A: Weapon Mastery - Drastically improves accuracy and handling of all weapons.]

[Option B: Enhanced Physique - Increases strength, speed, and endurance.]

[Option C: Pocket Dimension - Grants extra inventory space.]

[Option D: Short-Range Teleport - Allows instant travel within a 50-meter radius.]

[Option E: Bio-Stasis - Slows down personal metabolism and viral activity.]

[Selection Time: 15 minutes.]

The family channel exploded with excitement.

"Weapon Mastery! Definitely Weapon Mastery!" Uncle Marcus shouted.

"We need people who can fight and run," Sarah added. "Enhanced Physique is good too."

Liam's voice cut through, calm and commanding. "Everyone pick a combat talent. We need a balanced team."

"I'll take the Pocket Dimension," Chloe cooed. "I can carry extra guns and supplies for all of us."

"Smart choice, honey," Liam praised. "Every good team needs logistics."

"Then I'll take Short-Range Teleport," Liam continued. "I can rescue teammates or scout ahead."

The others all called out their choices. Almost everyone went for Weapon Mastery or Enhanced Physique.

I stared at the description for Option E.

[Bio-Stasis: Drastically slows metabolism. Suppresses viral and toxic agents in the body. Side Effect: Reduced movement speed.]

It looked completely useless.

Choosing to make yourself slower in a survival game was suicide.

But I remembered everything.

[Player Ava has chosen: Bio-Stasis.]

The channel went quiet for a few seconds.

Then came the laughter, louder than before.

"Hahaha! What did she pick?"

"Bio-Stasis? What kind of garbage Talent is that?"

"Does she want to slowly starve to death in the basement?"

Chloe's laugh was the sharpest. "Oh my god, Ava! You're a genius! First the most useless sanctuary, now the most useless Talent! Are you trying to set a new record for stupidity?"

"Maybe she has her own plan," Liam said, though he sounded unconvinced.

"What plan? A plan to die faster?" Sarah shrieked.

A private message pinged.

[Liam: Ava, what are you doing? If this is about getting my attention, it's not the way.]

[Liam: I know you have a crush on me, but this is too much. You don't have to hurt yourself to prove a point.]

[Liam: We can talk after this is over. Just... be safe, okay?]

I almost laughed. Of course. Liam thought I was still in love with him.

In my last life, I was the lovesick fool who followed him around like a puppy.

This time, I just wanted to watch his perfect world burn to the ground.

[Talent selection countdown: 3... 2... 1...]

[Selection complete.]

[Talent Assignments:]

[Weapon Mastery: Marcus, Sarah, David, and 5 others.]

[Enhanced Physique: Emma, James.]

[Pocket Dimension: Chloe.]

[Short-Range Teleport: Liam.]

[Bio-Stasis: Ava.]

"The perfect team comp!" Liam announced on the channel. "We have firepower, mobility, and support. This game is already ours."

The others cheered.

"One less piece of dead weight to carry," someone muttered.

"Let her rot in the basement."

I muted the channel and started checking the studio's equipment.

It was even better than I remembered.

On top of the soundproofing, it had an independent air purifier and a stash of emergency rations.

There was even a small generator.

Grandpa had clearly built this place to last.

I could feel a subtle change in my body.

My metabolism was slowing, my heartbeat evening out, my breaths growing deeper.

It felt strange, like the whole world was in slow motion.

The sounds of celebration drifted down from the family channel.

They were already handing out weapons and making patrol schedules.

A party of the dead, and they didn't even know it.

The app's cold tone pinged again.

[Talent selection is complete. The Reckoning begins.]

Day one. The game began.

Gunshots echoed from outside.

I watched on the studio's security monitor as dozens of slow-moving figures shambled around the estate.

Their skin was a sickly grey, their eyes vacant. They moaned, mouths hanging open.

Zombies.

But just as I expected, they were incredibly slow. They looked like they could do little more than bite.

The family channel was on fire.

"This is too easy! These things are slow as turtles!"

"One-shot headshots!"

"This isn't a survival game, it's target practice!"

Chloe's voice was the most excited. "Darlings! Watch this!"

On screen, she raised a sniper rifle and aimed at the nearest zombie.

BANG!

The zombie's head exploded.

Chloe immediately held up her phone for a selfie, the headless corpse in the background.

"Perfect shot!" she bragged on the channel. "We should celebrate!"

"Celebrate what?" Liam's voice cut in.

"Our victory, of course!" Chloe giggled. "These slowpokes are no threat at all! We should have a party!"

She paused, then her voice got even more excited.

"I know! Let's crank the estate's sound system! Blast some music! It'll make this zombie hunt way more fun!"

"Good idea," Sarah agreed instantly. "These things are deaf and blind anyway."

"I'll go turn it on!" said Marcus.

A few minutes later, deafening rock music blasted through the estate.

The thumping bass and crashing drums vibrated all the way down to the basement.

Even through the soundproofing, I could feel the intense vibrations.

My family was on a killing spree, laughing and shooting to the rhythm.

"This is awesome!"

"We're apocalypse hunters!"

"Bring it on! More!"

Their laughter and screams mixed with the music, creating a head-splitting racket.

My private messages pinged.

[Liam: Ava, are you okay? Is it too stuffy down there?]

[Liam: I can protect you if you want to come up.]

[Liam: Even though you chose a strange talent, I won't abandon you.]

Before I could reply, Chloe's voice dripped into the channel. "Oh, Liam, darling. Why are you wasting your breath on that coward?"

Her tone suddenly turned sharp.

"She chose to hide in the basement, which means she doesn't trust us! If she wants to be a lone wolf, let her!"

"Chloe, be nice," Liam tried to placate her. "Ava is still my stepsister, our family."

"Family?" Uncle Marcus chimed in. "Real family sticks together, they don't hide in a corner!"

"Exactly!" Sarah agreed. "She's just trying to be different!"

"And she hasn't said a word on the channel," another cousin, David, added. "Who knows what kind of scheme she's plotting?"

"She's just spreading bad vibes," said Emma. "I vote we mute her. We don't need her ruining the mood."

"Good idea," Marcus agreed instantly. "We need unity in wartime. No room for pessimism."

"What does everyone else think?" Sarah asked.

A chorus of agreement.

"Mute her!"

"I support it!"

"She doesn't talk anyway!"

Only Liam hesitated. "Isn't that a bit much..."

"Darling," Chloe interrupted him sweetly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You have a whole family here to protect, including your fiancée. She chose to isolate herself. We're just respecting her choice."

[System Alert: Channel Admin Liam has muted Player Ava.]

I looked at the notification and a cold smile touched my lips.

Everything was going according to plan.

I got up and started reinforcing the studio's soundproofing, pulling extra acoustic foam from a storage locker and sealing every crack around the door and walls.

When the music outside hit its peak, I felt it then—a strange thrumming deep in my blood. Something ancient and hungry was waking up inside me, agitated by the noise.

But just as quickly, my Bio-Stasis kicked in. My metabolism slammed on the brakes, and the agitated microbes settled back into a deep, quiet slumber.

The truth of the game was simple.

The virus wasn't spread by a bite.

It was activated by sound.

The party upstairs raged on, my family lost in the thrill of the slaughter.

They had no idea that every gunshot, every scream, every beat of the music was waking up the plague inside them.

And my "stupid" choice, the one they mocked and isolated me for, was the only thing keeping me alive.

"Another round!" Chloe yelled on the channel. "Crank the music to max! Let these zombies feel the power of rock!"

The music got even louder.

Through the monitor, I watched my cousin David spray a crowd of zombies with bullets. Then he suddenly doubled over. He slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a hacking cough.

When he pulled it away, I saw it: dark red veins crawling up his neck like angry vines.

But David just shook his head and thumped his chest.

"Probably just drank too much," he said to the person next to him.

No one paid attention.

The party wasn't over.