I stumble back away from the zombies. Fear chills me to my bones. My legs move without command. Turning from the beings trying to eat me, I race across the lobby floor. My feet fail to gain traction causing me to fall to the ground. My head smacks against the cold floor.

My vision blurs as I raise my head and try to get back to my feet. My clammy hands slipping as I push my way up. I get my legs underneath me, intent on getting as far away as I can.

A tugging on my foot sends me skidding forwards. My face painfully slams into the floor. My eyes tear up as my nose howls in indignation at taking the brunt of the fall.

Looking back I see a zombie crawling towards me, it’s arm outstretched to grab me again. It’s nails are a dry pale yellow. Black veins pulsating across its palm.

It grabs onto my leg and starts dragging me back towards it. It’s vice-like grip digs into me painfully.

I kick back at it, knocking it’s grip off of me. Freed from it I race to my feet. My heart sounds like drums in my ears. I lose focus on everything else as my whole being thinks of only one thing. Escape.

The stairwell races into view and I don’t hesitate to race in. I turn corner after corner as my legs carry me up the stairs. The sign indicating the fourth floor flashes across my vision. I stop dead in my tracks as a thought bubbles up through the panic. The panic room!

There are two rooms in this building with an internal locking mechanism that isn’t reliant on key or electronic locks. The fourth floor and the eighth. The room's lock is a dead bolt that you press into the ground making it so the door can only be opened from the inside.

I rush onto the floor racing past the kitchen/break area. I round a corner and skid to a halt before the door leading to the panic room. I try the handle pushing with all my might. The door flies open revealing a gruesome scene.

Blood coats the wall across from me, pooling on the ground in an ungodly amount. A woman lies on the ground, her eyes unfocused as a man kneels above her. Blood soaked hands dig into her chest pulling out guts, and whatever mushy bits a person has inside of them, and shoving them into its mouth.

The door slams into the wall with a great thud. Breaking the spell the room was under. The zombie snaps up from it’s meal and turns to me, bloodshot eyes locking onto me. Something behind it’s gaze switches as it stands facing me. The blue box above it’s head flashing red as it starts to shamble towards me.

Zombie

Level: 2

HP: 15/15

HuuuUUGGGG!

It moans in a horse voice as it stumbles forwards, blood covered arms strech out towards me. I backpedal until my back hits a wall. My knees feel weak as I watch it stumble towards me, faster than the ones downstairs.

My legs give out and I fall to the ground as the zombie draws ever closer. It’s eyes reminding me of one thing. I’m its prey. This is how things are meant to be. This is how the world works. The strong prey on the weak.

It’s the same lesson my dad taught me through the eighteen years of my life. Prey are either used or run away to live another day. It’s why mom ran away, it’s why I ran away.

The shackles of my designation in life weigh heavy on me as the zombie lunges at me. Instinctually I put my arms out holding the zombie at bay. It’s teeth snap at me as it tries to push forwards. It’s cold blood coated arms slapping at me as it tries to grab onto something, but my arms are just slightly longer.

Why am I fighting this? It would be much easier to give in. To just let the predator before me just eat me. The world is ending anyways, what’s there left for me? I didn’t have much to begin with. Why not just give in and be the prey I was born to be?

My elbows bend and the zombie slowly starts making ground on me. It’s fingers latching onto my shoulders with an iron-like grip. Pulling it closer and closer.

“What was your desire?” A voice whispers in my head.

Without hesitating I answer “Strength”. The thought is brought forth without my conscious command.

“The world is changing. You can too.” A prideful voice echoes in my head.

The voice brings a calm to my mind forcing out the thoughts of despair. With the despair gone, only a single thought remains, I can change. That single thought plants the seed inside of me.

Who said I had to be prey? My father? My mother? No one ever called me prey but myself. It’s the title I bestowed upon myself because I’m weak. Because I never fought back. I’m not wrong in that the world is prey and predators. But who ever said I had to be one of the prey?

I grow hot as rage sweeps through my mind. I’m no longer going to be the prey. I’m no longer going to run away like mom did. I’m going to grow strong and break free of the shackles life threw on me.

AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGG!

I roar out pushing against the zombie with all my might. It flies backwards while trying to pull me by my shoulders. I resist it’s grip and kick out at it, knocking it off of me.

Freed from it’s grasp I grab the first weapon that comes to mind, the baton attached to my duty belt. The baton extends out as I swing it above me. The zombie is still recovering from being thrown as I move to stand above it.

I bring the metal down against the things head. I feel the bone cave in as a wet crack rings out. Brining the baton back up I glare daggers at the still moving zombie.

“I’m not prey!” I yell out, bringing the baton down again.

I feel drops of blood fly onto my face as the baton sinks deeper into the zombies skull. The red box above it’s head flashes

Zombie

Level: 2

HP: 8/15

Its pale nasty arm reaches out grabbing me by my leg. It tries pulling me in, but a kick sends it arm flying. It rolls over onto its back. I stomp forwards, pinning it to the ground with a leg.

It’s hands wrap around my ankle but I ignore them as I bring the baton down again and again. It’s skull caving in more and more with each swing.

Zombie

Level: 2

HP: 5/15

Zombie

Level: 2

HP: 3/15

Zombie

Level: 2

HP: 1/15

Zombie

Level: 2

HP: 0/15

The light above its head flashes black before disappearing. Yet I don’t stop. I swing down with all my might over and over. Pouring out years of pent up self hatred and bottled aggression. I’m not going to be the prey anymore and I never will be again.

It’s head becomes a pile of mush and only then do I stop. My chest rises rapidly as I struggle to get enough oxygen.

PING!

Level Up

A blue light flashes before me in the shape of a box with letters. The box breaks the spell that the rage inside of me had over me.

Level up? What does that mean? Like a video game?

The light disappears and I’m left with the gruesome sight of my attack. The blood and guts filling the hallway with a horrid smell of iron. Looking at it I see bits of hair here and there, a yellow tooth visible through the pink and red mush.

My throat burns and vomit races out before I can stop it. I pull back retching, my eyes never leaving the body. The rage bubbles up inside of me again and I force myself to stop vomiting. I refuse to be ashamed of what I had done.

I changed. I survived. I shouldn’t be ashamed of that. Right?

HuuuUUGGGG!

Another horse moan breaks me from the shock of my actions. The girl who the zombie was eating starts convulsing in a sickening manner. Her body rises to a standing position, all the while pained moans continue to escape her. Her eyes roll and meet mine and I see the same pale bloodshot death behind them. Black veins bulge and race across her skin.

Zombie

Level: 1

HP: 10/10

The zombie lurches forward it’s eyes locked onto me. It takes it’s first step and I hear the squeak before it’s body falls to the ground, slipping on its own blood. It crawls forwards, dragging it’s intestines behind it.

The rage from earlier grows in me as I charge myself forwards. Within moments I’m in front of this new zombie as it makes its way to a kneeling position, bits of it’s guts falling out of the cavity in its chest.

Before it can do anything I kick it back into the wall covered in its own blood. Raising the baton I swing down across my body, cracking it in the skull and sending it sprawling to the ground. I raise the baton high and pull it down with all my might. It smacks into the side of the zombies skull and I feel the bone cave in as I do so.

AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGG!

Pulling back for another attack I let out a roar. Then I feel vertigo as my leg is pulled out from under me. The wall becomes a ceiling and my head smacks into the ground blurring my vision.

I feel my leg pulled more as the zombie starts crawling across my body. I kick out but it’s already crawled past my legs. I sit up while swinging the baton at the monster. It flinches back from the attack but doesn't stop. I watch as it opens its jaw intent on bitting into my chest.

Panic races through me as I shove the baton into its mouth, holding it at bay. I grab the base of the baton with both hands and push back while trying to sit up. The monster weight shifts just enough and I twist. Throwing the thing off of me.

I send a kick out towards it forcing us both apart before it could get another hold on me. I crawl back and to my feet before it can recover. It crawls to its feet and lurches towards me. I pull back swinging out with the baton like it was a bat.

Another cracking sound sends the monster falling to the ground before me. I stomp on it’s chest, pinning it in place. I lash out letting the baton smash into its skull over and over. The blue box above it’s head flashing as I do so, blood spurting everywhere. The crack becomes a thud and the body stops moving. The box flashes a black color before disappearing. I’m left gasping for air and feeling drained.

PING!

Level Up

I read the prompt and when I’m done it vanishes. Making me wonder if it was ever there to begin with. With it gone I’m left alone with two corpses. Looking at them reminds me of the other zombies downstairs and why I ran up here.

HuuuUUGGGG!

The sounds of moans spread into the room and I feel the color drain from my face. More and more different moans start sounding. I race up and I realize what’s happened. The zombies heard me screaming and made it to this floor.

Through the glass window set into the wall of the hallway outside the panic room. I count at least three zombies shambling into view. Part of me wants to go out and fight them, the angry predator in me hungry for more blood. The other part realizes that taking care of a single zombie was hard enough. Three might be impossible without a better weapon.

Mind made up I run to the open door slamming it shut. With the door closed I slam my foot on to the peg that secures the room. With the door locked I breathe a sigh of relief.

PING!

Quest Complete:

Get to safety

Reward:

Class Selection