The Zombie Butcher looks at me with absolute malice in it’s gaze. Smoke still rises from it’s burnt flesh. It’s eyes flash red as it roars.

AAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

My hand drops down to the tire iron on my belt. The slightly heavy metal quickly warms as mana wraps around it. The song of Mana Saw rings out as if it’s my answer to the zombie’s battle cry.

The thing charges me. Now significantly slower than it was before. It raises its large knife as it draws close. In a flash the metal sings through the air missing me by a hair.

My tire iron flashes through the air colliding with the zombies arm just in time to prevent me from being split in two. I watch as two health points disappear from the Zombie, as the blue of the mana digs into the things's forearm.

It roars in pain kicking out at me. I’m sent flying into a pile of boxes. For once I don’t cough up blood after being thrown into something.

I quickly recover, mentally thanking whoever put the boxes there to cushion my impromptu flyt. I conjure a Rifle Round letting it sail into the thing's face. It crashes into it’s left eye leaving a dark bloodied hole where the bloodshot orb use to be.

The zombie stumbles back from the attack as it’s hand races to the socket. It roars with rage as it does so. It's a single good eye locks onto me and I know it’s going to take much joy and pleasure in killing me.

It charges at me and I only have enough time to lift the tire iron to intercept it’s attack. The force of it’s blow rattles my bones and leaves my arms feeling numb. I ignore the pain and lash out with an attack of my own.

A trail of blue energy arcs out behind the tire iron as it sails through the air on course with the things head. The tire iron flies off course. The mana around it disperses as I feel the metal leave my grasp.

Pain unlike anything I’ve felt explodes in my hand. Looking down I see that fingers are missing from my right hand. Blood spurts from the stubs where my pinky, ring, and middle fingers used to be.

Looking up I see the Zombie Butcher smiling with glee. It raises it’s mangled knife high above it’s head. Ready for it’s final attack. It holds it there just above it’s head, enjoying it’s moment of victory.

Zombie Butcher

Level: 22

HP: 0/115

A silver blade pokes out the middle of it’s head. The zombie falls to its knees revealing Decker standing above it, blade in hand. Blood covers his face and one arm hangs limply to his side.

“I said.” He takes a heavy breath. “Not on my watch.”

He falls to the ground exhausted and in pain. I quickly follow suit. Every breath feels like broken glass is cutting my chest. But I’m alive and so is Decker. We survived.

Level Up

I feel cold water flood me as my nearly empty mana pool replenishes in an instant. The sensation is so shocking I forget the pain I’m in for a second. Then it passes and I’m brought back down to earth. Where my lungs feel like glass and my fingers are missing.

At the idea of my fingers my heart skips a beat. Looking around I see the three digits on the floor next to me. I quickly retrieve them and arrange them in proper order in my lap. Then I take them and hold them against their right stubs.

I make a quick prayer to whatever Gods are out there watching over. Then I close my eyes following my mana pool to my hand. I travel the familiar path to my hand where I find the stubs that are my fingers.

I faintly sense the channels that run along my detached fingers. Sparking hope in me that I may not be a cripple just yet. I pull as much mana as I can and force it out like I had done to my ribs the day before.

The mana flows outside of the channels and into the flesh and bones of my body. White hot burning pain flares from my hand but I don’t stop. I pour in more and more mana draining my pool to a quarter before the pain subsides. Opening my eyes I see my hand still glows an arctic blue.

Almost too scared to do it I let go of the fingers. Expecting them to fall as I do so. Instead the fingers stay standing on the stubs. The light fades completely revealing that each finger has a circular scar from where they were chopped off.

I flex my hand feeling my fingers respond. They bend and curl as if nothing had happened. Rubbing my thumb against them I can still feel with them. I feel tears well up in my eyes as I realize I got my hand back.

“What the hell was that?” Decker asks.

His eyes bulge in amazement as he studies my five fingered hand. He reaches out tentatively touching the reattached digits.

“Magic. Heals. But it costs a lot. And it hurts.” I say

My words come out stilted as pain still flairs in my chest. Closing my eyes I focus on my internal anatomy. Thirteen ribs sit broken while two others are fractured. Some vessels in my body are broken spilling blood where it doesn’t belong. In all honesty I’m surprised I’m alive let alone conscious.

I focus on the bleeding letting the mana pour out of the channels into my body. I watch as the energy clots blood, mends the broken and torn blood vessels and then dissipates. Leaving blood still outside of my circulatory system but I’m no longer bleeding and breathing feels slightly easier.

The tingle in the back of my mind gives me the sensation that I’m not going to die anymore. At least not immediately.

“You just did it again didn’t you? Can you heal me?” Decker asks.

Regrettably I shake my head.

“From what I can tell I’m just speeding up my natural healing. And still it took all I had to reattach the fingers and stop some internal bleeding. I still have broken ribs.”

“So you can’t heal others?” He asks.

“I don’t know. I haven’t tried. But I don’t think I can. I need to be able to feel inside of myself and know where the damage is. Then I flood that spot with enough mana to heal faster.”

“Fascinating.” He says.

He moves over to sit next to me facing the large hole in the wall opposite to us. His breathing sounds even as we sit in silence. Regaining our strength and thinking over what just happened.

“The more time passes on the more dangerous this place is going to get.” Decker says.

I nod my head.

“We need to figure out what’s going on. The zombies, the magic, everything. We need more answers. I mean the name for this one changed. Have you ever seen anything other than just a zombie?”

I hadn’t and shook my head to show him that I’m listening. I wholeheartedly agree with him. But I have no clue how to go about figuring this all out. I’m barely able to keep myself alive.

“Can you access that building management screen from here?” He asks.

I mentaly think Safe Zone bringing up the large blue screen from before. However this time most features seem greyed out. I maneuver the map of the building or access any of the building’s stats. However I can still browse the store on the right side.

“Yeah I can see it.”

“Earlier you mentioned there was a pencil mark next to your name right?”

I nod, eyeing the mark.

“Do you think it’s possible to assign ownership to someone else?” He asks.

Unsure I menatly focus on the pencil mark.

Do you wish to assign Ownership of your Safezone?

Yes/No

Thinking it over I only see one logical thing to do. I have no clue how to manage the building. What we’ll need or not need. But Decker, he has experience. He’s been leading us ever since I found him. If anyone should be the owner of the Zone it should be him.

I mean isn’t that part of the reason I was so ready to die to protect him? And to add to that this man actually listens to me. He treats me better than anyone in my life has.

I mentally check the yes mark. Another blue screen appears in my vision.This one asking me to designate the new owner. I look over at Decker and mentally select him. His name fills in black space and then the screen fades slightly with grey lettering covering it saying ‘waiting…’.

“Are you sure kid?” Decker asks.

His gaze focuses on a screen just before him. His eyes move from the invisible screen in front of him to me.

“Yeah. Besides, you're already like the leader. And I think you’ll be able to utilize it better than me.” I say

A smile breaks across his face.

“I won’t disappoint you kid.”

He pats my shoulder while focusing back on the screen before him. Then the greyed out screen before me disappears. In its place a new message waits.

Ownership successfully assigned.

Decker’s eyes glaze over as we continue to rest. I can feel the ambient mana inside of me already trying to mend my bones. It’s like hundreds of fire ants are crawling through my chest.

“We should probably try getting back. It’s dangerous out here.” Decker says

I nod my head while standing up. The movement almost causes me to black out. Despite being out of the woods I still have broken ribs and lost blood. Looking down at Decker I see concern in his eyes. His empathy for me only hardens my resolve to make sure he doesn’t die.

He stands and yanks the sword from the zombie's skull. He wipes the silver blade clean of the blood and puts it back in the scabbard attached to his waist. He undoes the binding holding the scabbard to his belt and then uses the sword as a cane.

I grab my tire iron and strap it back to my utility belt. Then We hobble down the flight of stairs and into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen I get that strange tingling sensation in the back of my mind. My eyes gaze across the room landing on the door to the walk in fridge.

Something about the door draws me to it. Be it curiosity or that insistent whispering in my mind. I hobble to the door, placing my hand on the handle.

I look at Decker, requesting permission to open the fridge. He gives me a nod but his eyes scream to be on full alert. So I slowly pull on the handle releasing the latch that keeps the door closed.

The door cracks open a hair letting out a gust of cool air. On top of the cool air is the musty scent of urine. Looking through the crack I see multiple figures shifting around in the darkness.

Scared to know what the figures are, I conjure a floating orb to illuminate the darkness. Twelve people flinch collectively at the light. All pressed in on each other and watching the door in fear.

“Holly crap.” I say, surprised to find so many people.

“They’re alive?” Decker asks.