Chapter 17

The fall seemed to last an eternity as I held Allie tightly in my arms, resolved to protect her at all costs. I tried to use my legs to slow the rate of our descent, but long years of use had left the metal sides of the chute slick enough that my efforts proved futile.

Light suddenly expanded in our vision, and before we knew it, we crashed with a sickening splat. I lay there for a long moment, buried beneath bulging plastic bags that had unfortunately burst and spilled all their nauseating contents on top of me.

When the world finally stopped spinning around me, the first thing I did was pull aside the black plastic bags and look for Allie, who had tumbled free from my embrace upon impact.

“Are you alright?”

She nodded. “What about you? You bore the brunt of the impact.”

I was relieved to find that asides from suffering the indignity of being caked in multiple layers of rotting food, she seemed otherwise fine.

“I’m fine. It’ll take more than something like this to kill me off,” I boasted, and instantly regretted my words when Allie jumped at me, pushing me out of the way.

“Watch out!”

I looked up to see a zombie flailing its arms wildly as it tumbled out of the chute. It crashed right at my feet with a wet splat. I snarled while fumbling for my shotgun. It had also become lost in the fall.

“I can’t find my rifle!” Allie cried out.

Fuck it. Some things have to be done the old way.

The zombie was still recovering from the crash when I hauled it by the scruff of its neck. I roared as I took hold of the waist of its pants with my other hand, then slammed it face-first into the metal side of the trash container we were in.

The zombie didn’t even have a chance to cry out as I slammed its head against the metal siding, leaving a sizeable dent with red smeared all over it. Without giving it a chance to recover, I drew it back and slammed it again, even harder this time. The dent grew even larger. I was about to repeat this process again when Allie gave a small cry.

“Another one!”

I gave an inarticulate cry of rage as I flung the zombie in my arms right into the path of the next zombie. They met in mid-air with a sickening crunch. Meanwhile, Allie placed something hard in my hand without a word.

I didn’t even look down to check what it was. I just swung it as hard as I could against the head of the zombie lying on top. I tried to lift my weapon for another swing, but the weight felt off and I realized I was holding an oversized ladle. The weak metal had bent under the violence of my earlier blow.

The zombie was beginning to stir so I reversed my grip on the ladle and stabbed the handle right into its skull. It penetrated with a hollow crunch. I placed my foot on its face while I used both hands to stir the metal bar as violently as I could. That seemed to finally do the job, as the zombie finally stilled with a final shudder.

The bottom zombie wasn’t stirring at all. Maybe I had already brained it good. I tugged at the ladle, intending to use it to ensure it was down for good, when a massive explosion rattled the ground under our feet and a blast of hot air from the chute above laid me out flat.

When I gingerly opened my eyes, I could see orange tongues of fire glowing within the chute high above us. At least no more zombies would be falling on top of our heads.

Goddamn zombies.

“Kyaa!” Allie suddenly cried out.

“What?” I shouted, leaping to my feet and looking around for the next zombie menace.

“R-Roaches!” Allie had the grace to blush under my withering stare. “B-But they’re huge!”

That's my girl. She could fight off the 8-feet tall Pinkie without a second thought but she turned all weak-kneed in front of a 1-inch roach.

Women. Go figure.

Trying my best to ignore the unholy stench that surrounded me, we finally dug out our weapons and climbed out of the trash container. After brushing away the worst of the rotten refuse away, we reloaded our weapons while we took a moment to examine our surroundings.

“Looks like it’s part of the underground parking garage,” I observed.

Allie nodded while pointing to a nearby sign. “There, let’s get moving.”

I blinked owlishly at her. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“What?”

The sign read, “Service elevator to mall access.”

“After all we did to just barely escape, you want to go back there?”

“What choice do we really have? There are only two doses of the cure left.”

I couldn’t refute that. I could still complain, though. “How the hell did people find them so quickly? It’s barely been 30 minutes since stage two began, probably less.”

“They must have figured out something we haven’t,” Allie said with an annoyed toss of her hair. A yellowed leaf of lettuce tumbled free and fell to the floor. I opened my mouth to make a sassy remark when she lifted her eyes to meet mine with a fierce warning look. “Don’t even think about it.”

I coughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Ahem. At least we can confirm that the cure wasn’t on those terrorists at the ventilation shaft. There’s no way any players disturbed that room and lived to tell the tale.”

Allie chewed on her lips for a moment before flashing me a sweet smile.

“What?” I said, immediately alarmed. I knew that look.

“Well, there are two possibilities I can think of now. One, that the antivirus can be randomly looted from the zombies’ bodies, or two, that it can be earned or purchased at Charon’s shop or some other mystery location.”

“But we killed a bunch of them, and it didn’t yield anything,” I protested.

“Maybe we needed something we didn’t have before..” Allie trailed off.

I blinked. “The hunter orb? You think it works against non-users?”

“Well, we’ll never know unless we try. Fortunately, my strong, capable man already slayed two of those horrible monsters while defending his poor, frail little woman.” Allie fluttered her eyelashes at me in a way that made my skin crawl.

“Cut it out,” I said, scratching at an itch I couldn’t quite reach. “What do you want now?”

“Honey, we have to search the zombies,” Allie said plaintively.

I looked back at the trash container we had just climbed out of in disgust. Then I glanced toward my sweet, loving girlfriend, and indulged in some very black thoughts. Undeterred, she just smiled innocently back at me.

Rolling my eyes, I hopped back into the waist-high pool of decomposing trash while cursing at how flimsy these damn trash bags had been. I waded around the sea of unnamable garbage until I found the corpses of the two zombies I had dispatched.

“What now?” I grumbled, but the moment my left wrist drew near the zombie, I felt a tingle in my brain. Touching my left wrist, I saw a new alert along with the rest of the usual information.

Undead minion - Zombie level 1

Loot found:

Mana orb essence x .05

Undead minion - Zombie level 1

Loot found:

Mana orb essence x .05

Small antivirus sample x1

Do you wish to pick up the loot?

This was it! I must have missed this alert in the rush of the fight earlier. I nodded enthusiastically at the system prompt, then realized the gesture was useless. That’s when a new notification popped in my head.

New loot acquired.

Mana orb essence - .10%

Small antivirus sample

That was strange. The system had never been this helpful before. Suddenly, a new line appeared in my mind.

Notice: System has been recently upgraded, and user interface has been enhanced.

Notice: Antivirus samples collected - 1/10

Well, that explained it, I guess. I was still wrestling with how I felt about a smarter tattoo or whatever this system in my head was, when I heard Allie’s concerned voice.

“Kai? Is everything alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s great. Apparently, our systems have just been upgraded. I just picked up .05% of a mana orb essence and a small antivirus sample!”

“That’s great news!” Allie exclaimed.

Shrugging, I couldn’t match her enthusiasm. “I suppose. We’ve still got a long way to go though. It says I only have 1 out of 10 samples.”

“Small gains will eventually yield large rewards, honey. If we had this thing when we fought off the terrorists earlier, think about how many extra orbs we’d have right now.”

I suddenly frowned. “You don’t think that’s what those veteran users have been doing all along?”

Allie nodded. “That’s probably how 3 have already managed to collect their antivirus doses so quickly.”

“Then we have to hurry. We’re already too far behind,” I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along as I headed for the service elevator.

“We might not be as far behind as you think. We just took out a whole bunch of zombies up there, remember?” Allie pointed out. “We just have to get there in one piece.”

“I hope that still counts as our kills, and that there’s no timer.”

“Small gains,” Allie said, squeezing my hand. “We’ll make it work.”

I nodded, gratified to see that fire blazing hot and bright in her eyes.

Hope was back with a vengeance.

The elevator’s doors parted and revealed a surprisingly well-lit corridor, considering it was just another service corridor.

“Which way?” I asked, hefting the fire axe I had casually snatched from an emergency box on our way to the elevator. It felt unwieldy in my hands, but at least it would serve as a silent option in case we met a stray zombie on the way.

I followed Allie’s directions as she led us through narrow corridors without hesitation. I have no idea what kind of mental compass she’d been born with, but I honestly felt like the system should award her with a special ability or something, just to acknowledge how amazing she was.

“Just past that door,” Allie whispered, jolting me out of my contemplations.

I nodded as I approached the double doors just ahead. I pushed quietly until I could peek out through the gap. The scene before my eyes was much as I had expected.

The fire alarms blaring all over the mall had effectively scattered large groups of zombies. I could see plenty of stragglers restlessly running back and forth on different levels of the mall. Everywhere, except the place I cared about the most. Not far from here, I could see the Wild Bill’s Hot Dog restaurant, or at least what remained of it.

The entire front facade had been blown to smithereens. Shards of glass were spread all over the floor along with still-burning bits of debris. The automatic fire sprinkler system had been activated, but the fire must have been fierce enough that I could still spy several fires guttering here and there.

Thankfully, the fire alarms continued to ring over the speakers while the explosion had cleared most of the crowd of zombies previously swarming to the restaurant while the flames did the rest.

This entire section of the mall was deserted.

We advanced as quickly as we dared at a low crouch. I didn’t spot any signs of movement, but I still breathed a loud sigh of relief as we stepped over the scorched remnants of the restaurant’s door. Water reduced our visibility, but even after the explosion, it was surprisingly easy to spot the zombies. Well, pieces of them that remained, at least.

“I’m going to be sick,” Allie moaned, but she still dutifully laid her hand near the severed head lying on the floor.

“Small gains, remember?” I couldn’t resist but imitate her earlier tone.

“Oh hush.”

We split the restaurant in two halves and tried to cover it as efficiently as we could. Our harvest proved far more bountiful than we could have hoped. Not only did we find collect over 3 mana orbs each, we also managed to complete our antivirus samples. That’s when an unexpected development arose.

Orb User Tier F

Orb User Level: 1

Mana Orbs: 18

Skill Orbs: 1

Special Orbs: 1

Orb Keeper Charon’s Trial of the Ark - Stage 2 is in progress.

Users 9/100

Current Objective: Find the antivirus and save yourself.

Available antivirus vials: 2/5

Current antivirus samples in inventory: 10/10

Alert! Condense antivirus vial at the nearest Orb Center before available supply is exhausted.

Special Challenge - Tier C+

Slay other users to harvest their orbs: 0/15 orbs.

Note: Only orbs looted from personal kills will count toward the challenge.

Rewards: Mana orb x15, Mystery Orb x1.

We huddled back at the corner of the ruined kitchen, taking refuge from the falling water under a half-collapsed refrigerator unit as we chewed on this unexpected development.

“It’s obviously Charon’s Candyland,” I pointed out. “The problem is how many of those bastards are lying in ambush, waiting for an opportunity to strike out.”

Allie nodded. “We don’t even know how many of them there are.”

“Should we try to find another Orb Center? I remember that Dave guy mentioning several shops in the previous trial.”

Allie pursed her lips, then resolutely shook her head. “There’s no time. What if someone else manages to condense another vial while we search?”

“Fine then. You find a good vantage point and cover me while I go down there by myself.” Allie immediately scowled at me, but I shrugged it off. “I have my dash skill, remember?”

“You realize it still won’t let you outrun a bullet.”

“Then do you have a better plan?” I muttered.

Allie took a deep breath, but still hesitated before finally speaking. “I do, but you’re not going to like it. We strike first.”

“What?”

“Instead of sneaking right into the middle of a possible ambush, we create a diversion and fish out whoever’s lurking out there. Between my scoped rifle and your speed, we should be able to either outright kill or at least disable one or two people at least. Then we can either retreat or advance depending on the circumstances.”

“What about the zombies? They’ll come flocking to you as soon as they hear the gunshot. Besides, there are AK-47s galore from all the dead terrorists. We’re not the only ones with a gun.”

“That’s why I have you, my big, strong man,” Allie said with a sultry smile.

“Not funny, Allie. This is serious.”

Her expression suddenly turned solemn. “I know that. In fact, you’re the one who’s not taking this seriously at all.”

Her words struck me like a punch straight to the gut. She must have read it in my expression, because she nodded to herself as she relentlessly drove her words forward.

“You’re still under the delusion that we can win this without killing other users. Don’t you see how close we’ve come to losing everything? Can you really bear to watch me die without doing everything in your power to stop it? Because I sure as hell can’t, and I won’t. I refuse to let you die by my inaction. So stop making me out to be the villain here, because I’m not and it's not fucking fair.”

I clenched my jaw as my hands balled into fists at my sides. “I never meant to do that. You know that.”

Allie raise her hand to stop my words. “Really? When you stopped me from shooting Steve, did it feel good, knowing you’d saved their innocent lives from the clutches of your murderous girlfriend?”

I shook my head. “It’s not like that, Allie.”

“Like hell it isn’t. I don’t enjoy shooting people any more than you do, you know. Before today, I’ve never so much as trained my sights on another human being, let alone shot down god knows how many people in the span of a few hours.”

Allie’s breathing came in ragged bursts now, as hot tears began to spill from her eyes. “I just can’t bear to lose you, and I will kill any son-of-a-bitch who even tries. Why can’t you see that this is not a fairy tale where the hero wins in the end and gets to live happily ever after? This is the real world, and the instant you show one moment of weakness, you get a bullet to the brain and it’s all over, just like that.”

“I know, I know. It’s just that, that..”

“Don’t you see how badly it hurts me when you look at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m a monster. I’m not. I’m your girlfriend who loves you and will do anything to keep you alive. So don’t look at me with those eyes anymore. I’m still here, I’m still your Allie..”

Ashamed beyond what words could express, I drew her into my arms. At first she resisted, but then she slowly let herself collapse against my chest, her words dissolving into quiet sobs.

“I’m sorry, Allie,” I murmured, and I truly was. I had never even realized until she told me. Had I really been such a despicable bastard all along?

She pushed herself off and gazed up at me. “Don’t be. Just do better, baby. You know, for us?”

“I will,” I vowed grimly. “I promise.”

Allie nodded at my words. “Thank you. I know how hard it is for you, and I know that if it weren’t for me, you’d rather die than compromise on your principles. After all, that’s part of why I fell in love with you.”

I began to nod when Allie suddenly pushed me aside and lifted her rifle.

“Step out with your hands where I can see them, or I will blow your brains out!”

I fumbled for my shotgun as I whirled around.

“Alexia? Is that you? Oh, thank god. I need help. Please, it’s Susan, she’s-”

Inevitably, it was Steve again. God knows how he managed to survive, all covered in blood as he was now. What twist of fate kept inexorably drawing him back to us?

When I heard the familiar click of the rifle’s safety being disengaged, I swallowed hard and reached out to place my hand on the barrel of Allie’s gun.

She looked up at me then, that same sorrow I had glimpsed earlier flooding into her eyes once more.

I nodded faintly to her, then turned around. “Steve, what happened? Where’s Susan?”

“She’s hurt. She’s hurt bad, man. We need help. God, we need help,” Steve babbled, drawing a few steps closer until he stopped cold, staring at the barrel of my shotgun pointed straight at his chest. “K-Kaizer? What’s going on?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask, Steve. How did you make it out of that elevator in one piece, and how did you find us again?”

Steve began to back away, shaking his head in confusion. “I-I don’t know, I’m not sure. It’s all just a blur. We saw you jump out of the elevator and we just followed..”

“No more bullshit. I will shoot you down right where you stand unless you start telling me the truth, right here, right now,” I growled, motioning with my shotgun.

“What do you mean? I don’t understand, Kaizer. Why are you doing this?”

“That’s what I want to ask you. First, a man wielding your bat nearly caved my entire skull in.”

“I-I accidentally dropped it. You saw me!”

I nodded. “Sure, alright. Then back at the corridor. Something’s been bugging me all this time. Why would you suddenly jump out and start yelling at me when you know goddamn well this place is crawling with zombies?”

Steve shook his head nervously. “I’m sorry, man. I, I was just so happy to see you. I messed up, alright?”

“Oh, you messed up, alright. You messed up big time. See, what you don’t realize is that on our way here I took a passing glance inside that elevator.”

Steve’s expression suddenly froze, and my blood ran cold as my suspicions were confirmed.

“Yeah, you know what I found there, right?”

“What?” Allie whispered next to me.

“You remember my machete couldn’t even make a dent on that monster’s arm? Well, I found its claw just lying on the floor there, severed clean off.”

“What?”

“Now Steve, or whatever the fuck your real name is, you’re gonna tell me exactly where Susan is, or I’m going to blow your guts out all over the walls.”

At my words, everything suddenly changed. All the fear and panic melted away from Steve’s expression, gone without leaving a single trace behind. Instead, only a coldly calculating look filled his face. It was blood-curdling, how swiftly the change had come over him. Such a thing couldn’t be normal.

“Just who are you?” I whispered, tightening the grip on my shotgun.

“Thomas Price, contractor,” he said simply, emotionlessly.

“Contractor?” I echoed dumbly.

“He’s a killer for hire,” Allie hissed.

“That’s one way to put it,” Thomas said. “I prefer to think of myself as a specialist who deals in a very specific field of expertise. You see, the world needs people like me in order to-”

What was this madman doing? What was the point in this senseless monologue when I’d clearly demanded to know where his..

That’s when realization struck me, and I pulled the trigger.

Something about my expression must have warned him, because Thomas was already moving by the time I fired. What shocked me wasn’t just how fast he reacted, but what he did next. Instead of leaping away from the shot as I had expected, he charged straight at me with manic confidence.

That’s when I watched the pellets I’d fired crash against an invisible barrier, leaving only several blue ripples in the air. The impact staggered him momentarily, but the confidence in his face surged as I stumbled back while pumping my shotgun and he resumed his charge while a knife materialized in his hand, seemingly out of nowhere.

Allie’s gun roared from behind me, but her shot bounced off the invisible barrier with a flash of blue light, the man’s charge not slowed down in the least this time.

I hastily squeezed the trigger once more, and that’s when things finally took a turn for the worse for Thomas Price, contractor.

Only a single blue ripple appeared this time, but the impact stopped the assassin’s charge cold while he bent around his midsection like he’d been gutpunched. He stared at me uncomprehendingly with bugged-out eyes, but I didn’t bother to offer an explanation while I pumped another round and fired, the barrel of my shotgun not 3 feet from his face. How could he know that after our last encounter with Pinkie, I'd decided to load alternating shells of #4 buckshot and 2-3/4 slugs. The extra punch from the solid slug rounds certainly came in handy now.

Multiple blue ripples blossomed again, but the glow was much weaker this time around. I was gratified to see blood flying in the air, and pumped my shotgun again.

Allie beat me to it, as her next shot barely produced any reaction from the invisible barrier. A howl of pain and a generous splash of blood saw Thomas lying curled up on the floor.

I approached him cautiously while keeping my shotgun trained on his head the whole time. He looked up at me with blood on his lips, disbelief still etched plainly across his face.

“Why..” he managed hoarsely, and at first I couldn’t understand his words. That’s when I realized he wasn’t looking at me, and the question had been addressed at an entirely different person than I’d thought.

My blood ran cold as I whirled around, crying out, “Watch out, it’s..”

I turned around just in time to see the shadows behind Allie suddenly coalesce into the figure of a woman leaping forward with a knife clutched in her hand.

“Susan!”