As he drove towards his destination, Ryan couldn't believe his eyes. Everywhere he looked, which admittedly was only where the street lights still worked or the headlights landed, the once-sleepy small town of Arborville looked like a city recovering from war.

A number of buildings were scorched, broken, smashed in, or destroyed completely. Even the streets themselves were marred everywhere by potholes. Some were large or deep enough that even the large truck had to swing around them.

Cars of every variety were stopped along the road or had crashed into something just off it. In most were dried out, partially decomposed green cocoons that resembled the one he himself had clambered out of only this morning. Pileups of four or more were common though they became less so as he neared the city proper.

Though the blood stains splattered across cracked sidewalks and storefronts got disturbingly more frequent. At first he hadn't been sure all those stains were actually blood… but then he'd seen a few next to dismembered limbs and that had pretty much been that.

Ryan had no intention of going back to the hospital. Even if he made it back to where they'd taken him, he doubted Mike and the others were still there. Kurt had mentioned having a place in the woods. Ryan figured if his friends had gotten out - and weren't out looking for him - that they would go there.

Problem was, Kurt hadn't told him where that was. Nor would Ryan be able to find them easily. Arborville had earned its name from the fact that the town was smack dab in the middle of three large forests. Nothing else for nearly a hundred miles, not even another town. So finding them, assuming they were alive and could be found, would take some doing.

Ryan couldn't just go home either. He'd never been to his dad's new place after the accident and couldn't even pretend to remember the address. Still, he would need a place to rest eventually. The truck's clock told him it was almost midnight, though Ryan felt like it was early morning. That 'angel' must've kept him out for most of the day.

Luckily, the freeway seemed pretty clear. At least, the leftmost lane was. The rest were packed tight with smashed vehicles and other debris. At least one cocoon in all of them, some held several. More than a few cars had the decomposing bodies of their former drivers.

Needless to say, the drive was a creepy one. Ryan tried turning on the radio, but only static came through the preset stations. FM/AM, didn't matter. He didn't have his phone with him either, so he had to settle for the one CD left in the truck. Ryan smiled broadly in appreciation when he saw the track it'd been left on. Then he rolled down the windows and stuck his left arm out to keep pace with the beat.

AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' boomed out into the night. He tapped the repeat button and sang loud and proud all the way to his aunt and uncle's land just outside the city limits.

Bonberry Farm was empty. Not even his cousin's overly protective rottweiler, Buster, was there to greet him as he pulled up - though his collar was still on the porch. Ryan vaguely recalled something about his aunt and uncle going on their 25th anniversary trip, but that must've been over a month ago. Surely they should've been back by now?

All depends on where they were when it happened. Ryan guessed as he hopped out of the truck - making sure to leave it running with the headlights on just in case - and looked cautiously around. And what they ran into after, I guess.

The front door was locked, but with Ryan's new superpower that didn't last very long. A single point was all it took to change the handle's status from 'locked' to 'unlocked' - a fact Ryan's inner gamer klepto was much amused by. It also kept him from having to make a new lock later if he'd been forced to ash it.

"Hello? Auntie Ann? Uncle Harvey? Chris? Anybody?" Ryan called out from the doorway, hoping at least one of his family members had survived this mess. His country kin were also trigger happy rednecks, so it was a good ten minutes of calling out and waiting before Ryan felt it was safe enough to enter. Would suck to make it all this way only for his cousin Chris to finally prove his marksman skills.

The interior was just as silent as it'd been outside. And, this far out from the city lights, just as dark. The light switch wasn't working and the truck's headlights wouldn't be of any further help if he went in, so Ryan decided to use some of the points he had left over from Jack. Most had been funneled into increased constitution and strength in case he had needed to run, but not all of them.

Now what he needed was some good ol' fashioned night vision. In games, particularly the tabletop variety, this was usually referred to as dark vision or low-light vision. In the real world, it generally came in two forms: infrared or thermal imaging.

There was one problem with those types of sight though. They relied on highly sensitive sensors that weren't exactly compatible with human biology. Ryan wasn't ready to go full cyborg just yet and he had a feeling putting gallium arsenide in his eye to act as a photo cathode (the seeing part) - even with his power - wouldn't end well.

Thankfully, the animal kingdom held a number of examples of nocturnal hunters whose eyes would do just fine. Seeing Kurt transform earlier had piqued his curiosity and made him wonder whether he might be able to emulate it. The only question now was… which animal to choose?

If he had access to the internet, this would've been an easy decision. But without a computer all Ryan had was his memory to go off.

Cats came to mind immediately. Even the average housecat could see easily in areas that had their owner fumbling for a flashlight. And the bigger ones… his auntie Ann had once found herself being watched by a mountain lion when she'd turned their porch light on. According to her, it'd been darker than the devil out.

And having a literal 'eye of the tiger' sounds pretty badass. Ryan imagined. Yup. Tiger it is.

Would you like to permanently upgrade your human eyes to those of a tiger? Cost: 75 points per eye. Yes, or no?

"75 points, huh? Not bad. Mike Tyson would be proud." Ryan commented to nobody in particular. He confirmed the upgrade.

His vision went black immediately. Not dark, like when you closed your eyes, just… nothing. Ryan had to steady himself on the wall at a sudden sense of vertigo, but he missed it and fell forward onto the hardwood. By the time he hit the floor, the change was done.

And… also not? The sensation was strange. There hadn't been any pain, more like the fluid in his eyes grew hot and swirled around. A bit disorienting, but nothing like the other changes he'd made to himself.

Ryan blinked a few times and felt at his face. His vision still hadn't quite returned yet.

Did I just blind myself? He wondered.

Then the darkness began to fill with black-and-white shapes. Slowly, very slowly, he found that he could make out the hallway and stairs. Then his family's shoes lined up against the wall.

All told, it took about an hour for his new vision to really come into focus. But man was it worth it.

The interior of the house had been impenetrably, forebodingly dark before but now it was as clear as day. Clearer, even. Ryan could pick out even the lint at the end of the hallway with perfect clarity. He even felt like his sense of distance was better now. It wasn't quite like he could measure it, nor could he put a number to the feeling. He just knew roughly how far away the couch was and could read it at a glance as easily as he would normally know whether a soda was in reach.

It took some getting used to though. He bumped into half the house trying to change out of that stupid hospital gown. Luckily his cousin was roughly the same size, so the jeans fit once he got the belt tight. Then he managed to slam his bruised side into the porch railing on his way out. Marveling at how 'bright' the farm was now didn't really help the whole walking thing.

Another negative he discovered came from the truck lights. The low beams were like halogen flood lights now. And yet… not painful to look at. Just uncomfortable enough that Ryan had to shield his eyes when he walked towards it.

Once the truck lights were out though, the landscape of the fields and trees afterward was…

"Beautiful…" Ryan murmured as he watched a field mouse scamper through grass a good thirty or so yards away. It looked for all the world like a normal mouse - until Ryan saw drips of liquid coming from its mouth that sizzled when they hit the ground.

Is that acid? He wondered. If rats got that too, no grain storage in the world would be safe.

After a time, he noticed that movement seemed to draw his attention immediately. It was strange, almost like the scene tended to fade away if nothing moved - yet if something did it jumped to the forefront of his vision. It wasn’t just creatures either, it could be anything. The rustle of the orchard leaves in the wind, the sudden sway of the property line fence, or the owl taking flight after that mouse.

Ryan had never seen an owl in flight before and he stared, transfixed, as it swooped down and then off again with its prey firmly grasped in one of its talons. One of its four talons. It even had two pairs of wings - the second pair unfolding as it went. From this angle it almost looked like some kind of owl-caterpillar-hybrid.

Considering he had barely been able to see the tree line before, his new tiger eyes were shaping up to be the best upgrade he’d made yet.

Unable to help himself, Ryan started singing in a low voice. "~ It's the cream of the crop, rising up from the shadows of nuh nuh nuhhhh-nuhh~".

A sudden movement caught the corner of his eye. A dark-green jeep had turned off the road onto his uncle's property. Ryan was about to get back into the truck when he recognized the driver, despite the man being about two hundred yards away.

It was his cousin! Chris was alive! And he had a man?… woman? Someone with him. The other person - gender to be determined - was dressed in a heavy hunters jacket and had what looked like small tusks jutting up out of their lower lip. Ryan could see a number of rifles and open boxes in the back seat.

The tusked individual pulled a pistol as they pulled up, but Chris put a hand on their arm. His face was one of surprise and disbelief as he got out of the vehicle. His companion, a full-blooded orc who looked somehow familiar, got out with him.

"Ryan?" Chris asked cautiously, as if he didn't believe his own eyes.

"The one and only." Ryan responded magnanimously. It felt great to be in real clothes again.

"What happened to your…" Chris gestured vaguely at his face with one hand. He stopped a good seven feet away, keeping his distance.

Ryan frowned. Was it that visible? "Part of my power. Where's uncle at? Have you seen my father?"

Chris's guarded expression fell. "Not since all this started. Mom and pop are up at the cabin. I just came here with Trixie to grab some stuff from the basement." He said, indicating the orc woman on his left. She looked to be an easy 300 lbs of… something. Her arms were as thick as Ryan's thigh and she had over a foot of height on both of them.

Trixie? Ryan wondered as he took in the large woman. Now that she was in the light, her skin looked to be a dark green color that lightened up around her face.

Ryan stepped forward and extended a hand.Whatever she looked like, now or before, it wasn't on him to judge. "Pleased to meet you, Trixie. I'm Chris's cousin."

Trixie's face held an unreadable expression. "Chris told me his cousin couldn't move." She rumbled in a clearly suspicious voice, her pistol from before still in her meaty right hand.

Ahh, so that's it. Ryan thought, realizing the issue. They don't believe it's really me.

"Did he tell you about how we once got caught looking at his dad's porn underneath the pool table? By his sister? Or about that time when she found him out back on the trampoline with--"

"Hey, hey now!" Chris interrupted, an alarmed look on his face. "Come on, man. I believe you, alright? No need for the rest of that."

Trixie looked between the two of them for a moment, as if unsure whether to ask about what just happened or to let it pass. Then she just chuckled and put her gun away in a side holster.

"Well, if he believes ya then that's good enough for me. Bring 'ere here, cuz!" The orc woman said as she came in quick and embraced Ryan with a big hug that lifted him off his feet.

Cuz? Ryan asked himself as Trixie apparently did her best to crack his spine in half. When did he get married?

------------------------------------------------------

About a month and a half ago, it turns out. Chris and Trixie had met through guild raids on World of Orcraft and fallen in love about two years ago. She'd moved across the country to elope with him just a week before the world had gone haywire. Talk about timing.

Ryan analyzed both of them with his power while they talked. Chris unlocked the side shed with a key and flipped on the generator inside, powering up the house so they'd have somewhere to sit down and catch up.

Name: Chris Richards

Age: 24

Race: Human (Super)

Attributes:

Strength: 17

Dexterity: 16

Constitution: 18

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 12

Superpower(s):

Limited Shapeshifting (humanoids): Grant's the capability to change one's appearance to match that of another humanoid. Accuracy of features in new form is based on memory. Assumes the subject's physical attributes.

Name: Trixie Richards

Age: 23

Race: Woodland Orc, Havoc Tribe - A race of evolved humans bred for battle stemming from the world of Argonak.

Attributes:

Strength: 41

Dexterity: 27

Constitution: 44

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 9

Superpower(s): None.

Limited shapeshifting. It made sense now why they had been so suspicious of him. And as for Trixie… Havoc tribe orcs were one of the main playable races in Orcraft. No wonder her face looked familiar, she'd become her in-game avatar! Ryan briefly recalled that very same face - much more pixelated at the time - being in a screenshot his cousin had sent him once.

Trixie caught him staring. The orc woman matched his gaze unflinchingly, a look of amusement on her harsh face.

"It ain't polite to stare ya know." Her deep voice admonished, the country accent evident despite the change. "And before ya ask, I like what happened. An' so does Chris. An' that's all that matters to me."

Ryan quickly held up his hands. "I didn't mean anything by it. I only woke up yesterday, still trying to figure out what's what right now."

Trixie and Chris shared a look and Ryan felt his stomach drop as he realized what he'd just admitted. If they knew about the bounty…

Chris spoke up first, seeing the distress on Ryan's face. "We ain't turning ya in to that ruddy bastard, cousin. Relax." Chris assured him.

"Ain't got no need for his money neither. I have all I want right here." He added, gripping Trixie's hand and sharing that lovebird gaze all newlyweds had.

Trixie blushed a deep green and the pair kissed, Chris expertly evading the tusks on his way in. when they were done, which took a bit longer than was normally appropriate for polite company, Chris stood and retrieved three beers from the pantry.

"So." Chris began, sliding one across to Ryan and handing one to Trixie. The latter popped open the cap on a tusk and took a swig. "You start. Tell us your story and then we'll go. We got some time 'fore pop expects us back anyway."

Ryan nodded and checked the bottle. Bartlebys' Barnyard Bash. It was a relatively cheap yet flavorful thing from his cousin's favorite microbrewery. And it was cold. A bonus from being stored in a house with no heat.

Ryan twisted off the cap with only a little effort, grateful he'd improved his strength earlier, and began relaying everything that had happened since he woke. He left nothing out. They were family, after all.

"- and then I absorbed him and came here. Hoping to either find you guys or somewhere to lay low for a bit." Ryan finished.

Chris whistled long and slow. “Hell of a story, man. And one hell of a power you got there. As for us…" He grabbed everyone another round, then began sharing their side.

"I was driving home with Trixie when it happened. Or at least, I musta been 'cause it was only the two of us when I woke up. She scared me right to bits when she popped out a week later-"

Trixie went to slap him on the shoulder, but seemed to think better of it. Chris smiled reassuringly at her and kept going. "But I knew that pretty face was my girl, tusks or nuthin. And by then mom an' pop were up. Her power’s this fancy kinda…" Chris made a few random gestures with his hands, clearly trying to imitate something he had only seen a few times.

Trixie saved him. "Magic. Pretty sure anyway. She has ta wave around a bit, but once she does it's quite a sight, trust me."

Chris nodded as Ryan's eyes went wide. He didn't interrupt, but it was a near thing. Superpowers, other races, and now magic? Ryan resolved to analyze his aunt as soon as he had time. If her power really was magic, and they weren't just confusing it for another superpower, well..

That'd be pretty damn cool. Auntie Ann was a badass old lady, after all. Now she'd be a badass sorceress!

Lost in the possibilities of magic potentially being real, it took him a moment to realize Chris had started talking again.

"-- and that’s when we decided to just go to the cabin and wait this mess out. Or at least until things had calmed down some. Took what we could and put the rest in the basement. Only come back here at night when it’s dark. Keeps me from having to shoot at anythin.”

Ryan felt like he’d missed something, but he let it go. “Speaking of, how often have you had to fire that thing around here? It felt like half the city was on fire when I left, but there wasn’t much out this way.”

Trixie snorted. “That’s ‘cause of the stuff in the woods. The animals got powers too, ya know. Bears as big as this house and hawks that can multiply. They’re still what they were, mostly, but they’re more now. Some’re angrier, some’re calm. They leave us be at the cabin for the most part, long as we do the same. Still...” she gave Chris a look. "Doesn't always go that way."

Chris nodded with a suddenly serious look. “Seen a few cars on the road… didn’t look like they crashed the normal way. None o’ them shells in ‘em neither. If you’re gonna be on the freeway out here, you be careful cousin.”

Ryan was starting to feel like the world got more dangerous by the hour. It would’ve been overwhelming, but honestly… It was kind of exciting. Life before had been dull. Monotonous. Everything figured out, catalogued, and blogged about on the internet a dozen times over.

Now though? Now the whole world was new!

And deadly, of course. But like Uncle Harvey would say: “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”

It was a bit troubling to realize the eggs were people in this case.

“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye out. I'm going back into town tomorrow to look for Mike and the others.” Ryan responded. "Going to take some time to experiment tonight. Figure some stuff out. Is there anything I should--?" He let the question hang in the air.

Chris picked up his meaning and waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, help yourself. Most of the supplies are in the basement, though. Just lock up when you leave. Can't make it too easy if someone comes lootin after all."

Ryan's cousin leaned back in his chair and stifled a yawn. "Well, it's late. We gotta head back or they'll come lookin. Yer welcome to come stay with us, but I'm not gonna try'n tell ya what to do."

There was a brief pause while Chris waited to see if Ryan would take him up on it, but the moment passed. Truthfully, Ryan would have gone, but he couldn't leave his friends behind. He also had some unfinished business with a a pair of psychopaths. Not to mention whatever he was going to do about Marcus...

"Alright then. Here's the keys." Chris shrugged and slid a ring with three keys on it across the wooden table.

Ryan took them, looked at them, then slid them back. Chris cocked an eyebrow as if not understanding. Trixie spoke up. "He don't need em, darling. Remember? Might as well keep 'em."

"Oh, right. Forgot about that." Chris muttered, sticking the keys back in his pocket.

Trixie came around the table as everyone stood up. She gave Ryan another spine-shattering hug. "You be safe now, y'hear? Come on up to the cabin if you get lonely. We're safe as can be up there. At least, if you don't count the wolves."

Ryan wasn't entirely sure if she was joking, but Trixie laughed and the pair headed down to the basement to get the supplies they had come for in the first place.

Ryan followed. He was interested to see what he'd have to work with and more than a little curious to finally be allowed down there. His uncle was a proud doomsday prepper and had been stockpiling for years. Nobody except their aunt had been allowed in his "silo" since he'd started. It was something of a family joke, but according to his uncle it was no good to hide something if people knew you had it.

Ryan couldn't really argue with that. Especially now. And hey, who would've thought the old man would be proven right?

The basement door at the bottom of the stairs was a heavy oak door set in a metal frame. Chris unlocked it with the key and a pin combination entered onto a grey metal pad - 2016. The last world series win year for his uncle's favorite baseball team.

On the other side was what looked like a small warehouse. Shelves on shelves of cans, boxes, and plastic containers all separated into aisles. There were four specifically for food (canned goods, dried goods, and drinks, and 'basics'), two for equipment (medical and repair), one just labeled 'parts', and one that didn't need a label as the racks of guns and ammo made it rather obvious. Several grills, sacks of charcoal, and several waist-high stacks of MREs - military food bags, basically - lined the far wall.

"Mother of mercy." Ryan muttered as his cousin and Trixie walked in. "Uncle Harvey wasn't playing around, was he?"

Chris didn't turn around, but Ryan could hear the smugness in his response. "Nope. My dad don't play. Between this and the cabin we're set for years, man."

Ryan helped the two load up the jeep, stacking a few boxes or ammo and food basics - flour, sugar, and the like - into the backseat. The owl-thing from before watched them work, its large head swiveling as they walked back and forth. It didn't make a move towards them, so Ryan left it alone.

Once the jeep was loaded, the pair took off. Chris promised to come back in two nights to see him, this time with Ann and Harvey. Ryan promised not to take any unnecessary risks. Trixie gave him another hug, and then they were off.

Ryan headed back to the basement. He sat on the bottom step, looking at all the supplies with his newly improved vision. He felt like a banker might, staring out over a vault of wealth. The sheer amount of points he could get from all this…

Ryan sat for a bit, lost in thought. Then he pushed himself up off the stairs and got to work.