The Inheritance Game- Only Silence Survives

Day three.

"Is anyone alive? Please, answer me!"

The voice came from the family channel, filled with terror and despair.

It was Aunt Linda, but she sounded nothing like the elegant woman she used to be.

"I'm in the wine cellar! Is anyone else alive?"

"Me too!" Uncle Marcus's voice trembled. "But I can hear monsters all over the place!"

I watched the carnage inside the house on my monitors.

Bodies were strewn across the living room, the carpet stained a deep brown with blood.

The family members who had been laughing and chatting just days ago were now either shambling monsters or lifeless corpses.

Only four were still alive, hiding in the wine cellar.

Linda, Marcus, and two of my younger cousins, Kevin and Tom.

"Where's Liam?" Kevin's voice was young and terrified. "What about his teleport ability?"

"He passed out!" Marcus answered. "He used it too many times. He's completely exhausted!"

"What do we do now?" Tom sobbed. "We're going to die in here!"

Muffled sobs came from the cellar.

"What is happening?" Linda asked, breaking down. "Why are people turning without being bitten?"

"It's because someone was infected from the start!" a sharp voice suddenly cut in.

Chloe.

She was still alive.

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked urgently.

"Think about it!" Chloe's voice was laced with a hysterical paranoia. "David was the first to turn, but he was acting weird before that! He must have been infected all along and spread it to the others!"

"But he didn't have any wounds," Kevin said weakly.

"Who knows?" Chloe retorted. "Maybe he got scratched while he was on patrol outside! Maybe the wound was too small to see!"

"What about the others?" Tom asked. "Why did Emma and James also..."

"Because David infected them!" Chloe interrupted. "This virus must spread in a way we don't understand!"

"Are you saying..." Marcus's voice was filled with dread.

"I'm saying the infection is already in this room!" Chloe shrieked. "One of us is a ticking time bomb!"

The wine cellar went silent.

Then it erupted into a furious argument.

"You're crazy!" Linda said angrily. "None of us have symptoms!"

"Not now, but that doesn't mean you won't!" Chloe shot back. "David looked normal right before he turned!"

"By your logic, you're a suspect too!" Kevin shouted.

"Me?" Chloe's voice got even sharper. "I've been with everyone the whole time! And I have weapons to protect myself!"

"The weapons again!" Marcus exploded. "You're still hung up on those damn weapons!"

"If you had just listened to me about managing them, maybe so many people wouldn't be dead!" Chloe countered.

"Bullshit!" Tom roared. "It's because you selfishly hoarded them that we didn't have enough firepower!"

The argument escalated, each of them pointing fingers at the others.

Fear had stripped them of all reason.

Just then, a cold, electronic tone sounded.

[Emergency Protocol Activated: Channel Permissions Reset.]

[All Admin Privileges Revoked.]

"What?" they all gasped.

[Channel Permissions Reset to System Default.]

[Updating Game Information.]

I sat up straight. It was finally time.

[System Announcement Updating...]

[Update Complete.]

A new announcement appeared on everyone's screen.

[Reckoning Game - Phase 1 Rules]

[VIRUS TYPE: NOISE-ACTIVATED VIRUS]

[ACTIVATION CONDITION: SUSTAINED EXPOSURE TO 60+ DECIBELS]

[TRANSMISSION METHOD: AIRBORNE. NO DIRECT CONTACT REQUIRED.]

[INCUBATION PERIOD: VARIES. FASTER ONSET WITH STRONGER NOISE STIMULATION.]

[NOTE: Virus activation method has been updated: Noise-Activated, Airborne.]

The channel fell deathly silent.

A few seconds later, it was filled with a new kind of despair.

"Noise-activated?" Linda's voice trembled. "That's impossible!"

"Airborne?" Marcus was practically screaming. "Then we're... we're all..."

"We were lied to," Kevin sobbed, his voice cracking. "The whole game... it was a lie from the start."

"Wait," Tom choked out. "The last line. Look at the last line!"

[NOTE: Virus activation method has been updated.]

"Updated?" Chloe's voice was a raw, terrified screech. "What the hell does it mean, updated?"

They all realized the horrifying truth at the same time.

The announcement had been edited.