Mike felt strange to be walking in such a large group. The two parties of six were making their way down the stairwell in silence.

More than one person on the roof had whined about all of their fighters leaving at once. It had only taken Troy a moment to put them all back in line.

He simply pointed out that either the roof was a safe zone or it wasn’t.

If it was there was no point defending it too thoroughly.

If it was not then they didn’t have the manpower to mount a real defense anyway. The area was too exposed and much too large for twelve amateurs to protect.

Sobering words no one had wanted to hear. The dissenters had then decided to raise a ‘militia’ as they called it for when the ‘hunters’ were away.

Mike’s group left before their plans were finished. Not that he would have cared what they decided anyway. A militia was a step in the right direction of adapting to the new world, but it was a baby step.

He was running flat out and sometimes it felt like he wasn’t adapting fast enough. Just thinking of the level two zombie brought a chill to his spine that didn’t go away easy.

Knowing the level two’s movements were patterned helped his anxiety. All he had to do was see through their movements. It meant fights would take longer but they really weren’t that much more dangerous. Not if he was careful.

At least one on one anyway. The story would change if he was fighting two or three of the upgraded deadmen at once.

“What are you thinking about,” Troy asked. The young mage was walking at his shoulder.

He now wore a long black robe and carried a thick leather bound tome. Mike assumed it was a grimoire from the system.

It gave off a cold energy, an almost suffocating feeling of death surrounded it. Mike wanted to ask about it. It didn’t fit in with Troy’s whole ‘fire magic’ gimmick.

In the end Mike didn’t ask. He wouldn’t get a satisfying answer. Not unless he paid something for it. The magician guarded his secrets too closely. Maybe he’d been like that before the world changed.

Mike wasn’t sure. But he figured Troy’s hunger for power came from the same place as Yunah’s sudden confidence, and his own decisiveness. Side effects of the system revealing the real people hiding in their shells.

Troy craved power. Personal or political, it didn’t really matter as long as it was real. Trading favors and guarding secrets was just an extension of the whole mentality.

If they became actual friends he would probably open up more.

Mike honestly wasn’t sure it was worth the effort.

Answering Troy’s question he said, “I’m thinking we need to work together. Like one big team.”

“Why do you say that? Aren’t you three super badasses now?”

Mike grunted. Even he didn’t know why he felt so paranoid about the upcoming fight. But paranoid he most definitely was.

“That’s a problem too what if we weren’t here. What would the rest of you do?”

Troy didn’t hesitate to answer grim as it was, “we’d probably still be huddled on the roof waiting for rescue…”

“If you had gotten to the roof at all,” Mike reminded him. Troy nodded, recognizing the point.

“We owe you a lot.” Troy said.

“Not my point. I’m only saying you guys need to step up soon. We can’t be everywhere.”

Mike wanted to mention his mom, to stop hinting and say outright he would be leaving as soon as possible. The words just wouldn’t come. He felt guilty.

Had clearing out the building actually been a bad thing for the group? Had he blocked their chance to adapt and grow out of a selfish need to be strong for his family?

They weren’t questions he could answer. Especially not when he considered he’d act the same way given a second chance.

Making allies might be important. Making friends could wait.

“Walk me through our cooperation then.”

For the first time he was sure he had Troy’s full attention. It sucked that his first admission had to be that was just a gamer with delusions. He’d never lead a combat group etc. Not outside of a game anyway.

That didn’t mean he didn’t have eyes.

“Some things are obvious, like long ranged attackers in the back. I guess that’s you, the cousins, and Jessica.

There’s really no way around me being in the front line so I’ll take Rajesh, Sara and the big guy with the ax. Dan has a spear so I want him in the second line with Romero and Pony tail over there. Let’s leave Yunah to float around with her stealth. Who knows she might just save us all when this blows up in our faces.”

Troy thought for a minute then suggested, “What if we held Dan back to protect my group then split into three prongs. You down the middle and Yunah and Rajesh both leading a team?”

The plan wasn’t significantly different only more fluid so Mike agreed. Though he did have a complaint on Rajesh leading a wing.

“Fine but let Sara lead Rajesh’s group. She’s senior and has seen more action. I trust her not to break and run at the first sign of trouble.”

“Fair enough,” Troy answered, smiling slightly, “Let me tell him the bad news.”

Mike had to laugh at that. He might not get a long with Troy but seeing how he reacted to Rajesh he knew the magician didn’t actually hate him.

That was enough for now. Allies and all of that…

The stairs down to the basement were horror movie dark. That is to say they could see but not well.

Trying the switches did little good.

Mike cursed himself for not thinking to bring a lamp or flashlight.

He needn’t have worried. It turned others had them covered.

Dan from Rajesh’s group and the short glasses wearing girl from his own, Jessica, had both brought lights.

Jessica’s was attached to a bulky plastic looking gun she’d exchanged from the store.

Several people took out their cellphones and switched on flashlight apps to help. Then a glaring LED flared to life.

Everyone turned and there was Dan duct taping a flashlight to the end of his spear.

“What? I don’t like the dark,” was all he said. Nobody bothered to ask.

The lights did make the trip considerably less spooky. In the distance shadows pooled. And it was easy to imagine things moved beyond the light’s reach.

Nothing attacked them.

Anything that might have been lurking was scared off by the intensity of their lights. Not that anyone was actually sure there were monsters in the darkness. Imagination tends to react to stress, birthing demons where there where none.

As an anticlimactic feeling began to settle in over the group Mike felt his tension rising instead. The system wouldn’t have sent them on a mission to kill the basement BOSS, if there was no BOSS in the basement.

“Hold up,” he called over his shoulder as he raised a hand. Looking over to the side he met Yunah’s eyes and nodded forward then made a shushing motion.

She understood him instantly as she went full stealth mode to silence her movements. Walking with a light footed, feline grace, she disappeared into the dark in moments.

Time seemed to crawl as he waited. Had he just sent Yunah to her death? And other such negative thoughts repeated over and over in his mind on a dark loop.

Just as he was getting ready to start ordering a rescue mission Yunah appeared at the edge of the light without a sound. Dropping her stealth she walked over to Mike.

He motioned for Troy and Sara to join them. After a momentary pause he reluctantly added Rajesh.

“What did you find?” Mike asked the second everyone was gathered.

Yunah looked around the group before locking eyes with him as if to emphasize her report was for Mike not the group. He appreciated the show of loyalty. However, Sara, snickering off to the side, did lessen its impact somewhat.

Ignoring Sara, Yunah said, “it’s holed up in the boiler room. I don’t know if it knew we were coming or was always there.”

The boiler room was relatively small with a third of the already tight space given over to equipment. Working together as one big team would be impossible if they went in after the big guy.

“Any chance you can lure him out to meet us?” Troy asked hopefully only for Yunah to dash his hopes.

“None. He saw me when I entered the boiler room and just sat there watching me.”

“W-wait he saw you?” Mike needed the clarification. Yunah’s stealth mode was impressive. He couldn’t see through it in a short amount of time. It shouldn’t have been surprising.

But it was.

“Why does it look like?” Troy prompted.

“Bigger than Mike but rotting like a zombie. I think he was armed too but he didn’t attack me so I didn’t see his weapons.”

Troy looked at Mike. Mike shrugged, looking around the group. No one knew how to go forward.

So Mike stepped up, “I guess we stick to the plan. I’ll hit him first…” He paused for a second as if the thought just occurred to him.”Ah but if I can’t hurt him then we get out of there ASAP. No one dies for a lost cause. Just run. All the way to the roof if you have to…”

Nobody argued. There were a few head nods and mumbled good lucks then everyone broke out into their smaller teams, leaving Mike alone at the front.

Hefting his ax in one hand combat knife in the other Mike took a deep breath. Counting to ten helped him stabilize his emotions. Until he knew exactly what he was fighting Mike didn’t want his adrenaline taking hold.

Finding the boiler room took little effort. It was down a short hallway from the storage cages on the opposite end of the basement from the laundry room. Mike had never had reason to go there but he knew where it was. The door had a large caution plaque and a sign that read ‘Boiler Room’ on its heavy metal door.

The door was open when Mike came to it. Whether Yunah opened it or the BOSS left it that way he didn’t know.

Inside the long rectangular room the floor turned to a metal grating. Every step Mike took announced his presence to the dark.

A snuffling in the distance caught Mike’s ear. From recognizing the sound of a zombie moving to the big bastard crashing into him less than a second passed.

In blind panic Mike struck out with his ax leaving it embedded deep in the zombie’s chest. Then something slammed into him sending him airborne.

Fire magic lit up the air and a *wuff* *wuff* sound of magic powered rifles rang out.

People charged and the zombie met them ripping and crushing all in his path.

As Mike struggled to stand he shifted his knife to his dominant hand.

Everything hurt. His brand new armor was cracked down the front panel. And he’d sprained an ankle by landing badly on it. But he could still move, still fight.

Forcing his tender ankle into a momentum building jog he watched the giant monster zombie reach over and rip the ax wielding black man’s left arm from his shoulder.

Blood stained everything and while the zombie had several serious wounds it was still going strong.

Another globe of Troy’s fire burst on its chest and as it beat the first out with its palms Dan peeked out from behind a workbench to stab the monster in the eye socket.

His blow missed by inches, bouncing off the upper cheek bone but the monster’s reaction indicated it had been plenty painful.

Stepping on a body Mike recognized as Romero in a detached corner of his mind, he stumbled a half step.

It likely saved his life – or at least a few broken bones – as the monster’s weapon, a giant bone mace flew through where his head had been.

Swearing he spotted Yunah behind the monster cradling Sara’s head in her hand. He yelled her name as he recovered his balance. She looked up, fury and pain both discernible in her eyes.

Without words Mike nodded his chin at the zombie boss. Yunah closed her eyes, breathing out then lifted her sword.She was in.

Finally through the chaos Mike shouldered into the zombie. It staggered but Mike was the one overmatched.

His strength was not enough to over power the monster so he switched to shallow cuts of his knife.

Distracting and annoying he had help from Dan, Troy and at least one of the gun users as he danced within the zombie’s embrace.

As the fight dragged on it became obvious Mike’s attacks were not working. Had he not known Yunah was out there waiting to deliver a decisive blow the mental burden might have been too much.

Rolling under a nasty swing of the zombie’s mace, Mike caught a glimpse of Rajesh huddled up against some crates. Terrified his gaze constantly moved between the fight and the door.

Mike spat at him in disgust, returning to the dance.

His energy was far from unlimited though and soon he found himself a half step too late.

Mike’s only consolation was he ate fist not mace as the blow took him straight to the floor.

Grinning and spitting blood Mike noticed movement in the corner of his eyes. Praying he was right he used his skill challenging roar.

Instantly the zombie’s attention was focused on him, even ignoring a fireball from Troy. Though the fire seemed to be smaller than before.

The zombie raised its mace in a two handed grip high over head. Mike closed his eyes in resignation for a moment until he heard the scream.

Yunah, having jumped to the zombies back, rammed her sword into the monster’s neck. Even after the seemingly fatal wound, the zombie still reached back and unslug Yunah hard into the metal grating.

Seeing the zombies face so close to his own Mike exploded upwards in pain and desperation. Taking his combat knife he drove it into the zombies throat, up into the roof of its mouth and deep into its brain.

Collapsing he felt the zombie’s weight added to his own. A red system announcement appeared in his HUD. He was too busy to bother with it.

“Troy!?” Mike called, praying things weren’t as bad as they seemed.