I gritted my teeth, eyes watering as I held back a hiss of pain and tightened the strip of cloth wrapped around my forearm. Beside me were several other pieces of clothing, all soaked with blood.

I’d retreated back to the house I’d originally woken up in to treat my wounds. All things considered, I’d say I'd gotten pretty lucky. My fingers hadn’t lost any functionality, so no structural damage, and while the bleeding had been profuse at first, it had calmed down quickly, meaning the bite had missed any arteries.

That just left one worry: the risk of an infection. I’d cleaned my wound with the bottled water in the fridge and treated it with the ointments I’d found in the bathroom, but it might have been too late already. Without the ability to get to a hospital or seek professional treatment, even a minor infection could be debilitating, possibly even fatal.

But that was out of my hands. I’d done everything I could, and fretting over the rest wouldn’t help, so I instead turned my attention to my apparently indestructible phone.

Zombie (Creeper) slain: +2 XP Daily Quest I progress: +20% (1/5)

Just two short lines, but it felt like they opened up a box full of spiders. Prioritizing my injury, I’d forced myself to put the message out of mind until I’d gotten treatment, but now I no longer had an excuse to continue ignoring it.

I took a deep breath to keep myself calm as I began to unpack the information presented. First, the word zombie. It made sense. Human-like appearance, decaying body, rabid behavior and an unquenchable desire for human flesh... Pretty fucking obvious, actually, now that I could take a moment to look back on it. What else could that thing have been?

A fucking zombie...

My stomach churned. Having it spelled out like that made me want to puke, and no matter how hard I tried to hold it off, my fears of a potential infection were redoubled. If that zombie could transfer its sickness through a bite like the ones in the movies and TV shows I’d seen, I was pretty much fucked already.

Another deep breath, and I shut my eyes for a moment to force myself to calm down. I was already bitten. Nothing I could do to change that. Instead, let’s try to analyze the situation a bit more.

Why was there a zombie here? Better question—why the fuck did it exist? Was this creature one of a kind, or were there more of them lurking outside? At the very least, I had to assume the latter. But again, where the fuck did they come from? I couldn’t possibly have just slept through a massive viral outbreak, could I? Or maybe these things weren’t even infected humans to begin with, but a whole separate type of creature entirely.

And where the hell was everyone? There wasn’t a soul in sight. What about my family, my friends...

I winced. Not out of concern or fear, but a real, almost physical pain at the top of my skull. Family, friends... of course I had those. I closed my eyes, trying to think. A few letters popped into my head, attached to blurry faces that only grew fuzzier the more I tried to make them out. Some vague memories, growing fuzzier the more I tried to make them out. So far away...

I blinked. What was I thinking about?

Right, where did all the people go? It made sense that an apocalyptic-type event would make them flee to a safer area, but where exactly would that be? Some kind of fortification somewhere, or an underground bunker? And still, the biggest question was how all of this could’ve possibly happened without the slightest awareness on my part. I couldn’t possibly have blacked out for that long, right?

I sighed heavily. None of this shit was making any sense. I shelved all those unanswered questions for later and brought a new set to the forefront. The phone. How had the message known to appear? Was it bugged, tracking my every action somehow, or was there someone watching me in secret? I wasn’t quite conceited enough to think I was all that important, but what if I’d been abducted and this was some sort of CIA experiment? That thought made me want to rebel and toss the phone out the window, but that would be an incredibly idiotic move. This was my only source of information at the moment, no matter how vague or confusing said information might be.

Finally, I needed to consider the contents of the message itself, aside from it having named the creature a zombie. Killing the thing had apparently gained me two “XP,” whatever the hell that was supposed to be. I clicked out of the message and went back to the menu. The second button from the top on the left read “XP Shop,” and it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together, but what exactly would I be able to “buy” from there? Something that could help me survive, maybe like a gun? But how would that stuff even get to me out here? I tapped the button, but the message remained unchanged.

The XP Shop is currently unavailable. Please complete Daily Quest I to unlock the XP Shop.

Daily quest. That was also the second part of the zombie-kill message. I clicked back to the main menu and selected the “Quests” tab.

Quests: Ongoing Completed Pending Daily

For the sake of due diligence, I clicked through each of the first three options, and unsurprisingly found them empty. Then, I tapped on the “Daily” button.

Quest: Daily Quest I Task: Slay 5 Zombies Progress: 1/5 (20%) Reward: Unlock the XP Shop. +10 XP or Daily Quest II unlock. Additional Note(s): All Daily Quests must be completed before 0:00 of the following day.

I read over the information, trying to process what it was telling me. I was supposed to... kill four more zombies? That confirmed there were more of the creatures out there, but... why was I being tasked with this? Was it a job, or some kind of test? I was sorely tempted to tell the thing to fuck off, but I didn’t see much else in the way of options. What could I do, stick around here and hope for help to arrive? I doubted anyone knew I was here, and even if they did, would they take the risk to come save me? I certainly couldn’t assume as much.

The third choice was to make a run for it. The problem with that was I had no idea where or what “it” was since I had no idea where I was. I’d be running around blind in a world apparently full of zombies, and my chances of success in that scenario didn’t sound particularly optimistic.

I went back to the phone. Maybe there was a little more information I could get out of this thing, something that would help direct me to the correct course of action. I clicked back to the main menu and selected the “Characters” button.

Select a Character (1/4): Ryan Slater (C)

Yep, that’s my name alright. Seeing it written down here like felt unsettling, like it was some kind of invasion of my privacy. As soon as I thought that, I had to laugh. Right, the invasion of my privacy was the pertinent issue here, not all the fucking zombies crawling around. I tapped on it.

Ryan Slater Species Subspecies Classification Primary Path Primary Title Secondary Title Human None Tier 0 Chosen None None None Attributes Innate Equipment Titles Perks Boons Afflictions Total Constitution +5 -- -- -- -- -- 5 Strength +6 -- -- -- -- -- 6 Agility +4 -- -- -- -- -- 4 Dexterity +5 -- -- -- -- -- 5 Willpower +1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 Intelligence +1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 Foundational Paths (0/1) Ancillary Paths (0) Skills (0/3) Abilities (0/3) Perks (0/2) Talents (0) Boons (0) Afflictions (1) Level I Zombification (Infection) Powers Innate Equipment Titles Perks Boons Afflictions Total Health 93/100/100(%) -- -- -- -- -- 93/100/100(%) Regeneration +.015%/hr -- -- -- -- -- +.015%/hr Resistances Innate Equipment Titles Perks Boons Afflictions Total Equipment Slot Equipped item Main-Hand -- Off-Hand -- Head -- Torso -- Neck -- Hands -- Finger -- Legs -- Feet --

What in tarnation...

I read over the table of information, unsure how to make heads or tails of it. Half the shit made no sense. The other half... also made no sense. Ooh, look at that, I’m a human! Very useful information there, never would’ve guessed that one. Paths, titles, attributes, powers... what the hell was all this crap? 93% Health? So, what, I’m like 7% of the way dead? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Then I saw the “Afflictions” section and my stomach dropped like a rock. Zombification... infection...

Shit.

I checked over myself physically. How did I feel? Not too bad, aside from the aching wound on my wrist. At least, I hadn’t felt too bad until I’d read that line. Now it felt like my stomach was swirling and I could throw up any minute.

Come on, calm down. How the hell could this thing know if I was infected or not, anyway? Did it have some kind of covert medical scanner built in? But as much as I desperately tried to be skeptical about it, my more rational mind was having trouble believing my own doubts.

No, if the almighty cellphone said I was infected, I had to at least assume as much. Okay, so what exactly did the infection mean? Was I going to die? How long did I have left? It said it was only level one, so that was promising, right? Maybe it was even treatable. Hoping to get some more information, I tapped on the condition. A small window popped up.

Affliction: Level I Zombification Affliction Type: Infection (Tier I) Effect: Advances to Complete Zombification 12 hours after infection time (time remaining: 11:44:52). May elevate to higher levels of Zombification upon experiencing further infection incidences. Treatment Method(s): Can be remedied using a Zombification Cure. Persistence Rating: 2

I stared at the timer for a moment, just watching it tick down. Watching the remaining seconds of my life tick down. Twelve hours... less than twelve hours remaining.

No. I wasn’t totally fucked yet. I had time, and it even said there was a cure. I tapped on it for more information.

Item: Zombification Cure Item Type: Consumable (Tier I) Effect: Instantly removes all levels of Zombification. Toxicity Rating: 3 Attainment Methods: Available in the XP Shop. Also comes as a 1/128 Drop from most Zombie variants.

A drop? I wasn’t sure what it meant by that, but the XP Shop! That was promising. It also meant my decision had been made for me. No running, no staying put. I had to go out there and kill four more zombies. Four more...

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, replaying the battle with the zombie on the street. It was still fresh in my mind, the creature’s horrific scream, its bloodied and decaying face. The stench of ripe death and the sensation of its jagged teeth ripping into my flesh as its cold body struggled underneath me.

I shuddered. That was not a memory I could ever forget. And now, I had to go out and fight four more of those things. Kill four more of those things.

What a lovely morning this was turning out to be.

No, I couldn’t let myself be rattled by this. Think about it rationally. Okay, zombies are scary as shit, no denying that, but are they really that bad? I mean, the one I’d fought hadn’t been particularly strong or impressive physically, and my admittedly limited knowledge of pop culture aligned with the idea that they were basically just slow, stupid, and uncoordinated humans. Hardly a creature of nightmare once you get past the surface-level fears. The only real threat came from their bite, but that would be a close-range attack, and human teeth aren’t that sharp. If I wore thick clothing, I could be perfectly fine. Compared to having to fight a large animal like a tiger—forget that, even a big dog—a zombie was basically a walk in the park. Maybe that was why people loved the idea of a zombie apocalypse so much: the undead are so weak and pathetic, everyone just assumes they’d be one of the survivors.

That thought made me chuckle. But even after all that rationalization, I couldn’t shake all of my fear and apprehension away. There were still a number of things that could go wrong, and even a slight mistake could result in my death. Hell, it was possible I could make no mistakes and still wind up getting eaten alive.

But the only thing that would prove assuredly fatal was just sitting around here doing nothing. Before I had the chance to get cold feet, I stood up and began searching through the house for potential weapons and gear. In one of the closets, I found a leather jacket and a pair of thick jeans, both of which fit me well enough. There was an assortment of knives available in the kitchen, but I decided against taking them. While they’d be a suitable weapon against a living opponent, I was operating under the assumption that zombies would require direct damage to the brain to put down, and that would be difficult to do with a knife unless I could get a good stab into the eye. The otherwise empty garage was filled with various gardening tools, including some shovels. I took a few test swings with one, but decided it was too cumbersome to wield effectively. I did, however, find a nice motorcycle helmet, which would provide some much-needed protection for my most vulnerable appendage. The laundry room was where I found my weapon of choice—a sixteen-ounce hammer with a straight claw rip at the back. I also discovered a pair of gloves, but elected to only wear one on my off-hand so I could maintain a good grip on my weapon.

Having gathered all of my equipment, I made use of the bathroom—which flushed, thankfully, though the water in the tank didn’t refill—and went to the kitchen to grab a snack. No sense in going zombie-hunting on an empty stomach. It was mostly just cookies and the milk from the fridge, but I gorged it all down and examined my laid-out gear as I ate. No question I was going to look ridiculous, but who was there to judge? I doubted zombies were much in the way of fashion connoisseurs. The important point was that this outfit would ensure almost every inch of my flesh was covered. As long as I didn’t get swarmed and overwhelmed, I was actually starting to feel pretty confident about my chances of not being viciously eaten alive.

What an encouraging sequence of words that is.

It was about nine o’clock by the time I’d put on all of my gear and headed out the door. It was a cool morning, so I didn’t feel too hot even underneath the leather jacket and jeans. Good weather, honestly. Comfortable, and the air felt crisp in my lungs as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, in and out.

I opened them with purpose. Armed, armored, alert.

It was time to begin the hunt.