《Fanatic's Nightmare》 The Beginning My name is Norman Decker, and I am a high school student. I have a perfectly normal life, average scores, and never did good in sports. A typical, normal 17-year-old boy. My one and only solace from my parents pressuring me to study, are video games, especially ones about zombies, and I''m pretty good at them too. I''m always known as the zombie fanatic in my group of friends. You''re probably wondering why I''m telling you all this. Well, it''s because I''m in literature class, and I''m bored, so I''m talking to an imaginary audience. ¨CTeacher: Norman, can you repeat what I just said? ¨Cum, no sir, I wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¨CT: well, at least you''re honest. Pay attention, this part is important. ¨Cyes sir. I glance at the wall clock, and see that the class is almost over. Nice, I just have to hang on a bit more, and then it''s lunchtime! *Bell rings* -T: alright everyone, be sure to study for your upcoming exam, your midterm marks depend on it! Also¡­ I get out without losing a single second, and rush to the dining hall. I grab my food, and sit behind a table. -?: how can you get here so fast? It''s literally been 2 minutes since the bell rang, and you''re already sitting behind a table ready to eat. ¨C its food, I don¡¯t mess around with food. -?: I give up. You can''t stop a hungry beast like yourself from feeding. ¨Cyou''re right. Also, hello Marcus. This is one of my best friends Marcus. Although he sometimes acts like a major asshole, he''s a pretty nice guy, and he''s kind of black, though he has no African blood in him. But, he considers himself black, and he''s allowed to say the N word, so why should I care. -M: hello, it''s not like I just saw you last break time. ¨Cwell, I say hello to anyone, anytime I meet them, so you just gotta say hi back. -?: Hi! ¨Csee? Ayden gets it! Hello! Ayden is also one of my best friends, but because we''ve been friends longer, and the fact that he doesn''t hate zombie games, made us closer. Also, he refrains from being a dick, so I like him more. ¨CA: where the fuck is he? -M: bitch, you''ve been hanging out with him for 3 years, and you still don''t know he arrives late at lunch? ¨CA: I know, but he''s never this late. ¨Cremind me why we always wait for him to come before we start eating? -M: because you get cranky when you''re hungry. -?: hey guys sorry I''m late. ¨CHey Dex, that doesn''t even make sense, why would you stay hungry to wait for this man? ¨CA: stop it, start eating or you''ll never stop. This is Dexter, I call him Dex for some reason. He''s kind of the playboy of our group, and the horniest too. ¨CI seriously hate my life. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if a zombie apocalypse suddenly happened? ¨CD: dude, we''ve been through this, we all want it to happen. The only thing is, science is a bitch and it doesn''t let them exist. ¨CI know, but¡­ -M: No butts! Can you even run a mile without dying of exhaustion? Oh yeah, I forgot to say, I''m fat. ¨CWho says the zombies have to be speed demons? They could be normal walkers. ¨CA: well, hate to break it to you, but you don''t get to choose what type of zombie is after your brain. Besides, where the fuck would you find a weapon to fight back with? I smile. ¨CWell, I do have those combat knives for emergencies¡­ -A: let me rephrase, where would WE find a weapon to fight back with? ¨Cwe can always use screwdrivers and kitchen knives until we find better weapons. -M: just let it go, we''ve been through this shit too many times for him to change. ¨CD: I mean, it''s true that we don''t have weapons laying around, but he''s not all wrong. ¨CSee? He gets me! I happily look over to him, and I see he''s not even looking at me. ¨CAnyway, I''m done, so I''m gonna go out. ¨CA: we''re coming too. I look over my shoulder to see Marcus and Ayden following me. ¨CDex? Don¡¯t stay there for a whole century, come out when you''re done. He gives us a thumbs up and continues eating. We usually have a spot we gather in, it''s not very much of a spot, it''s more like a place we subconsciously gathered at. Anyway this spot, has a very good view of the main gate of the school. We talk about some bullshit while we wait for Dex to come out. ¨CD: so, did you guys watch any new pornos lately? ¨Cyeah of course I have. ¨CA: oh my god I found a new video of¡­ Yeah, believe me, you don¡¯t want to hear Ayden talk about porn for 30 minutes. I stand silent as I listen to him blabbering, and notice a man walking funny coming through the main gate. ¨CHey guys, does that guy look suspicious to you? The others turn their attention to said person. ¨CA: He''s awfully slow. -M: yeah, I''ve seen slower guys. ¨Cokay what I meant was that does that guy look like a zombie to you? ¨CD: enough with the zombie bullshit. It is not possible for them to exist. I ignore him and slowly approach him, watching him carefully. ¨Csir? Are you okay? If this is a prank, stop it, because I will take it seriously and may hurt you. He doesn¡¯t answer, and changes his path to me. ¨CI said I will take action; do you hear me? He suddenly raises his head and looks at me, his eyes red with blood, and veins sticking out of his neck. I approach him, kick under his feet to make him fall down, and put my foot on his forehead.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¨Cguys, I''m not kidding, this guy seriously looks like a zombie to me. The three approach me and inspect the person, and look at each other in shock. ¨CA: I''m positive this guy''s a zombie. ¨Cso can I kill it? -M: how the hell do you plan on doing that? I raise my foot, and stomp with all my might on his skull crushing it. ¨CD: that''s how. ¨Cokay guys we gotta warn anyone we can okay? Dex, go to the broadcasting office and announce the problem. Marcus, call 911. And Ayden, try to find any sort of weapon. Offer help to anyone you can, and arm them if possible, don''t feel guilty if anyone dies ok? ¨CA: stop for a fucking second and think! Zombies are fucking real! We''re all in serious danger, how can you be so calm when this is happening? I grab Ayden by the collar, and close up to his face. ¨CThis is not the time for us to panic. If we even hesitate for a second, we might die. So you lot go do what you''re told, or this will get a lot worse than it is right now. He nods nervously, and rushes towards the school, alongside the other two. ¨Chey wait! They turn around. -15 minutes, main gate, if anyone''s late, leave them behind. Marcus turns around, clearly panicked. -M: stop bossing us around like you know what to do. -*shouting* Do you have a better plan? If you do I''m all ears. Last I checked I was the only one not pissing themselves. Go do your fucking job, and don''t be late. He flips me off, and turns to run the other way. ¨Cokay, now time to find a vehicle. I go outside the gate, and walk towards the parking lot. There aren¡¯t many cars, but I see an SUV with broken window and an open door. I walk towards it to see a woman sitting on top of a man''s corpse, eating. ¨CI''m sorry. I kick the woman in the head and close the SUV''s door on her head, repeatedly, till she''s dead, well, dead again. I search their corpses, and find the key to the car, and their wallets. Afterwards I look in the trunk and find a cloth with some wiping fluid. I wash off the blood from the car, get in, and drive to the nearest gas station. The outbreak hasn''t yet spread to there, so there wasn''t any panic going on. I fill up the car with gas, and go inside the store. ¨CShopkeeper: hi! How can I help? ¨CI''ll be right back. I gather a lot of canned food, water, batteries, a radio, a flashlight, some duct tape and a bottle of Vodka. I go up to the shopkeeper to pay up. She starts checking everything, and then gets to the Vodka and looks at me. ¨CS: show me your ID. ¨CI, I don¡¯t have it with me. ¨CS: then I can''t sell you this. I groan and get close to her face. ¨CThere''s a zombie outbreak going on out there, and we need all this to survive. I suggest you take the same stuff I got and get to your loved ones. ¨CS: sure, I think I''d know if there were zombies roaming around. ¨CIf not then why the fuck would I have someone else''s brains on my fucking clothes? Now you listen to me, this is happening whether you like it or not, so if you want to live, get the same stuff I did and go to your loved ones, understand? She looks into my eyes, not visibly scared, but I can see her hands shaking. She then nods, and rushes to pick up the items. ¨CS:*distant* I swear to god if you''re lying I will find your ass. ¨CYou''re welcome for saving your life. I jump back in the car, and drive back to school, and see a horrifying sight. A whole bus of elementary students crashed into the gate and opened it, and the passengers, being children, were eating away at each other or at the driver. I struggle not to vomit, and then slowly back away into a side alley. I get out and check the trunk again, and find a tire iron. I slowly approach the bus, and see the children again. I gasp subconsciously, and then straighten up, and approach them. "I''m sorry". I kept saying as I caved in their skulls. After they were all down, I go in to see if anyone was left alive. I find a little boy, with tears in his eyes, silently crying. I approach him to pick him up, and see his intestines poured out of his stomach. This scene made me vomit uncontrollably, and when I turn around to think what to do, I see that the light in his eyes had disappeared, and he slowly starts to move. ¨CI''m really sorry. I hit him in the head, and avert my eyes and leave the bus. It takes a couple of minutes for me to calm down. ¨Cokay, the others should be here now. I wait for 5 more minutes, but no one comes out. ¨CGod damn it! I put some covers on the car, and rush inside the school, to see small bunches gathering around the speakers. ¨CD: this is Dexter speaking, we are stuck in the broadcasting room. There are 3 of us, if you''re capable, please come help us. ¨CPerfect, just perfect. I go inside the main building, and head to the broadcasting room. On the way, as I was taking a corner, I suddenly face a zombie, but it just ignored me and started walking away. ¨CThey''re sensitive to sound, and probably blind. Good to know. As I get to the hallway where the broadcasting room is located, I see about 10 of them gathered at the door, knocking furiously, but they seem to have barricaded the door. Good thinking. I look around to see if there is anything I can use, but the only thing is an empty trashcan. I pick it up, and throw it to the opposite side of the hallway, and it makes a very loud noise. The zombies all follow the direction of the sound, and get away from the door. I grab the slowest one, and smash its skull in with the tire iron. The others seem to have heard the noise of me doing so, so they turn to me. I squeeze by them barely, and get to the trashcan again. This time, I kick it into their feet, so they fall down, and I finish them off be putting the longer end of the tire iron on their head, and then kicking it in. After they''re finished, I knock on the door. ¨CGuys, it''s me, you can come out. They open the door, still on guard. -M: it took you long enough! ¨Cyeah, sorry¡­ -A: what happened? You don''t look as leader like anymore. ¨Cyeah, I''ll explain later. Follow me, I got a car. ¨CD: how did you kill all of these guys? ¨Cnot¡­ not the time, just follow me, quietly, they seem to be blind, but super sensitive to sound. They all nod. We silently go through the school and reach the main gate. The three try to look into the bus. ¨Cdon''t, just don¡¯t, you can''t unsee it. We all quietly get in the car, and I get us out of there. ¨COk, who''s house is closest? ¨CA: mine. ¨Cokay, we''ll go there, you go in and tell your parents, and us three will disperse to buy as much canned food and water we can buy. Any questions? ¨CD: yeah, shouldn''t we get out of town? ¨Cyou''re right, but we gotta gather our families at least. Then, we need a place to stay. -M: I think our land in the outskirts will help. ¨Cyes definitely. We arrive at Ayden''s place, and he rushes inside, and we get out of the car and rush to gather supplies. After we come back, we wait in the car for Ayden, to see him and his family come out the garage with their own car. I nod at him, and tell him to follow us. We get to Marcus''s house, and the same stuff happens, but he only comes out with his siblings. ¨CWhat about your parents? -M: they prefer not to listen to the rebel. I ignore his response and turn to Dex. ¨Chey Dex, where¡­ -D: don¡¯t bother. I look back to see him dead serious. ¨Cno matter what¡­ -D: *angry* I said, don¡¯t, bother. I turn around and shake my head. ¨CI hope you don¡¯t regret this. We race to my house, where I live alone with my brother, Connor. I stop the car in front of my house and get out as fast as I can, and go into the house. ¨CC: hey dude! You''re home early! ¨Chey, no time to talk, grab canned food, flashlight, kitchen knives and screwdrivers. He first stops to question me, but then quickly rushes to do as I said. It takes a while for him to gather everything, and pack up some clothes, and then stands in front of me, waiting for an explanation. ¨CC: so? What''s wrong dude? ¨Cyou know I always wished for zombies to be real? ¨CC: yeah? ¨Cit''s happening, but it''s not what I imagined it to be. He first scuffs, then looks into my dead serious eyes, and his expression changes. ¨CC: wait, you''re serious? I nod gently, and he runs his hand through his hair. ¨CC: how do you know? ¨CI''m guessing my school was ground zero, or near it at least. ¨CC: did, you kill anything? I stay silent, and point to my clothes. ¨CC: oh my fucking god. He comes close and hugs me, and then grabs my shoulders and shakes me a bit. ¨CC: don''t worry, we''ll get through this. He grabs his car''s keys, and we get out of the house. ¨Cyou get in the car; I''ll be right there. I go to Marcus, and knock on the window. -M: yeah? ¨Clead the way to your place. He gives me an aggressive look, and then sighs. -M: fine, follow us. I rush back to Connor, who''s sitting in the car. I get inside, and let out a big sigh. ¨Cfollow that SUV. He does so without questioning where we were headed. We stay completely silent for about 30 minutes, and then he starts talking. ¨CC: how many? ¨CI lost count already. ¨CC: you have to remember, they are not people anymore, they''re dead, if anything, you''re doing them a favor. ¨Cyou think I don¡¯t know? I''m the dude that was always talking about slaying zombies, but after actually doing it, I''m not so eager anymore. The road ahead is oddly empty. ¨Chey, doesn''t this¡­ Suddenly a bright light blinds me, and a loud sound deafens me, and a pain in my head starts growing, as if my head was gonna split in half, and although I couldn''t see or hear anything, I felt as my consciousness was fading away. Chapter 2 - The Contest After a while, I wake up, to find us in the same exact position that we were at, only that the cars had stopped. I look over to Connor to see if he was okay. ¨Cwas that just me? ¨CC: no, it happened to me too. I quickly get out of the car to check on the others. ¨Chey, are you guys alright? They look very confused, but they nod. I sit on the ground, leaning against the SUV, and then suddenly a sound starts playing. It''s like the American national anthem, but different. A person starts talking over the music. ¨CAnnouncer: Hello and welcome to the 37th outbreak contest! All of you who can hear this, are chosen to participate in the contest. The main objective is, to find a cure for the zombie virus, or survive long enough for someone to find one. You all may now choose and item or skill, and it doesn''t have to be on the list. Suddenly, a game-like window opens up un front of me, and it contains a list of skills or items, and a search bar. I type in pack-a-punch, and another window saying "you may not choose this item yet" shows up, so I type in Exo-Suit, and another window saying "requested item is available, are you sure you want to choose this item?" and I press yes. I look up from the window, and look at the others, seeing Marcus, Ayden, Connor and Dex all looking confused like me, and the others are just looking at us in confusion. After about 10 minutes, the announcer goes on. ¨CA: now that all of you have chosen, let me announce something. If the challenge is beaten, the world will return to its former state, as if nothing happened. Only those who can hear this announcement can remember what happened, and the others will be completely erased from existence and memories if they die. All of you who either finish the challenge or survive it, may bring everything you got here, be it memories, items, skills and etc. to your former lives. Also, if two chosen individuals fight to the death, the other may take their items, if they have any, but skills will die with the person. This match is also watched by sponsors, whom may choose to either help you on your journey, or block your path, so try to please them for your benefit. You can also level up, which means defeating enemies will make you stronger too. We all wish to see an entertaining contest, Happy Surviving! We all stand in shock, trying to digest what just happened. Connor slowly comes out of the car, and approaches me, and the others follow as well. ¨CA: you all got that too? ¨CD: yeah, that was weird. ¨CC: so what did you guys all get? ¨CM: I got a skill that will let me erase my presence in the shadows, in the future. ¨Cin the future? What does it do now? ¨CM: It increases my stealth. ¨Cokay, what did you get Ayden? ¨CA: I tried to get insta-kill, but it gave me hyper damage. ¨CD: which means¡­ -A: It lets me and my groupmates deal double the damage for 30 seconds. ¨Cokay¡­Dex? ¨CD: I''m immune to STDs, and if I fuck anyone or anything, I get 1% of their stats, for now. ¨Cyou¡­ you could''ve chosen a better skill, why that one? Why did you choose the most disgusting skill there could be? He smiles. ¨CD: I''m fucking Dexter; I''ll do whatever I want. We all laugh a bit. ¨CM: and you? I look at my window, and see the Exo-Suit. I select it and press equip, and it appears on my body. ¨CC: what''s this? ¨CIt¡¯s an Exo-Suit. ¨CA: What does it do? ¨CI actually don¡¯t know yet. I look at the window again, and press details, and this chart shows up. Item Name: Exo-Suit (MK.1/?) Abilities: Double Jump, Mid-Air Boost, Double Unarmed Damage, Double Stamina, Exo-Upgrade Slots I read the details out load for the crowd. ¨CA: wait, isn¡¯t this, way more OP than our skills? ¨CM: well it can''t be upgraded like ours.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¨CYeah, about that¡­ -M: it can? ¨CYeah, it''s written right here, " Exo-Suit (MK. 1/?)". ¨CA: seriously? I wish I picked an item too. ¨Clet''s just leave this aside for now, we got important things to do. Let''s get to Marcus'' land, so we can be safe. ¨CD: you''re right, and I don''t see why you guys are making a fuss out of this. I mean, if he''s stronger, we''re stronger, aren¡¯t we? ¨CMy point exactly. Now get in the cars, I don¡¯t want an accident before we get ourselves a solid and stable base of operations. -M: hey, since when did our place become our base? I turn to him, furious, and get close to him. ¨CI know you don¡¯t get this, but I feel like every single life I can¡¯t save, is the one I take, and with a base, I can save a lot more people, even if it means putting my life at risk. ¨CM: why? Why would you do that? ¨C because just earlier today, I had to kill a full school bus of elementary schoolers, and look one in the eyes as it turned into a monster, so unless you have an experience of the same caliber, you can kiss my ass. He looks at me, as if his opinion of me had changed, and then backs away and gets in the car. ¨CM: let''s go. We all get back into our cars, and follow Marcus to their place. After a 2-hour drive, we get there, but we can''t get in. ¨CM: great, we don¡¯t have the key. Ayden inspects the wall''s height. ¨CA: we can probably jump that. ¨CC: no we can¡¯t, besides, there''s barbed wire up there. I also inspect the height, and suddenly realize something. ¨CGuys, I can jump it. ¨CM: yeah right, just shut up till we figure something out. ¨CD: no, he''s actually right, he''s got the suit, so he has a double jump, so he can jump higher than us. ¨CMy point exactly, now back away. I equip the suit, and back away to rev up and jump. -wait, how do I even use this thing? -A: You¡¯re asking us? You¡¯re the one that got it! -yeah yeah, now shush. I run towards the wall and jump, to see my jump height significantly increased, enough to easily jump over the wall. -M: oh yeah Norman, watch out for the dog. As I land, I look around, to see a big German shepherd, growling at me. -you know you could¡¯ve told me this sooner right? -M: yeah, I forgot. Don¡¯t hurt him if you can. -okay, but no promises. I slowly approach the gate, and open it. -I really hope this dude comes in handy, ¡®cause he¡¯s scary. -M: yeah he¡¯s a good boy. You Just... WATCH OUT! Suddenly a zombie grabs me from behind. The others rush to help me, but I grab it, and smash it to the ground, and crush his skull with my foot. - Jesus Christ this suit feels good! The dog slowly approaches me, shaking it¡¯s tail. -M: I think he likes you! It happily starts bouncing around me, waiting for me to pet him. -okay, okay. Jeez, what¡¯s his name? -M: we call him Cesar. -could you think of an even more generic name? Marcus chuckles, and I continue on petting Cesar. Ayden stands by and watches us for a bit, and then rushes out to bring in the others. I slowly walk into the place, and see a moderately big house, with a large garden area surrounding it. -*whistle* you guys have it good! Marcus smiles, and goes inside the house to look if there¡¯s anything there. I walk towards the gate, to see what¡¯s taking the others so long, and suddenly hear Ayden: ¡°HELP! THERE ARE ZOMBIES HERE!¡± I let go of Cesar, and run towards the source of the sound. When I get there, I see about 15 zombies, surrounding the cars and bashing on the windows, and Ayden standing on the roof of the car, and shoving the zombies away. -Fucking use your skill! -A: I don¡¯t know how to! -Just imagine being stronger, and hit them! As I say this, I run towards the zombies and start punching them in the head, and making as much sound I can so they turn away from the car, but they don¡¯t notice me, and continue to bash on the glass. Suddenly, those surrounding the car, start falling to the ground. -A: Ha-ha! I did it! I killed them! -focus! There¡¯s still more! I continue on hitting their heads in, and I catch a glance of Jacob¡¯s (Marcus¡¯ older brother) face, and I immediately realize that he is terrified, and probably scarred for life. It takes a while till we take them all out, and we bring in the cars. I look over to Ayden, to see him drenched in sweat, and breathing heavily. I go over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. -It gets easier. -A:*shaking* yeah?, well what if it doesn¡¯t? -do you think we have any other option? He sits down on the ground, to catch his breath. -A: the sounds they were making, they sounded like they were in pain. -they¡­ they are in pain, at least I think so. How would you feel if you started eating people, and all you could do was watch? He gently nods, and gets up. -A: you¡¯re right. If everyone from our own world is here, they won¡¯t have any chance if they aren¡¯t chosen by those people. -yeah, that¡¯s why we¡¯re gonna save anyone and everyone we can. Now cheer up, we don¡¯t have time to be down. We push the cars towards the house, and see Marcus coming outside. -Anything? -M: good news, this place has solar panels, so even if power is out everywhere else, we¡¯ll be fine on that front. -I feel a but coming. -M: yeah, the bad news is, the power conduit is bust, and we don¡¯t know how to fix it. Connor suddenly appears out of nowhere. -C: actually¡­ I think I can. -um, why? -C: I kind of got a skill that lets me repair, upgrade and make things. -M: then what are you waiting for? Follow me! Marcus grabs Connor¡¯s hand, and rushes behind the house. I look around to see if anyone needs me, and then start experimenting with the suit. I start jumping around, I use the midair boost, thrust around and slide, just to get more used to the feeling of having an Exo-Suit. After a while, I jump on the roof to rest a bit, and I open my status window to see how I was doing. -STR D huh? I guess that¡¯s normal. I look at my EXP bar too, to see that I only have 15, out of 100, and I¡¯m still Lv. 1. -Jeez, is this dark souls or something? I continue to see if I can figure out anything else, and when I¡¯m done, night had fallen. -M: Oi! Get down from there! I chuckle and jump down from the roof. -M: May I ask what the fuck were you doing on the roof? ¨C I was catching my breath. Okay¡­ let¡¯s go inside, and see what the fuck are we gonna do. Name: Norman Decker - Lv: 1 - EXP: 15/100 HP: E - STR: D - AGI: F - STA: F Items: Exo-Suit (Mk. 1/54) - Skills: None Titles: Overweight (120/90) Name: Connor Decker - Lv: 1 - EXP: 0/100 HP: E - STR: E - AGI: E - STA: E Items: None - Skills: Tinkerer (1/10) Titles: None Name: Ayden Price - Lv: 1 - EXP: 11/100 HP: E - STR: F - AGI: E - STA: E Items: None - Skills: Hyper-Damage (1/10) Titles: None Name: Marcus Weiss - Lv: 1 - EXP: 0/100 HP: E - STR: F - AGI: D - STA: F Items: None - Skills: Sneak (1/10) Titles: None Name: Dexter Grace - Lv: 1 - EXP: 0/100 HP: E - STR: E - AGI: E - STA: E Items: None - Skills: Sexual Predator (1/10) Titles: None Chapter 3 - The Sanctuary We go inside the house, and all sit around a table. -D: okay so, what are we gonna do? -A: I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve lived just fine listening to what Norman says, I¡¯m okay to continue doing that. -M: You¡¯re the boss I guess. ¨C okay then. I think our first priority now should be to secure this place completely. -M: isn¡¯t this place secure enough? ¨C against a couple zombies, sure, but against a horde, this place is like a house of cards. -J: so what should we do? We all turn around to look at Jacob, and start whispering to each other. -A: don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weird that he¡¯s the first one out of the others to talk to anyone but their family? -yeah, I don¡¯t know how to respond. -C:*clears throat* I think I should be on fortifying duty, because of my skill. -agreed. Me, Ayden and Marcus should run out to get supplies every 2 or 3 days. -D: We should train our bodies too. -Yeah, especially me, the way we are now, our chances of surviving are slim. The only reason we¡¯ve survives this long is because we relied on game logic. Oh, Marcus, What¡¯s your skill? -M: I tried to get a skill that let¡¯s me hide my presence in the shadows, but I got sneak instead. -wow, the system really is a dick. Actually, your skill will be useful while we¡¯re gathering supplies. -M: I guess. -D: what about me? I give him a meaningful stare. -You stay here, until we get you, something to help you. We nervously laugh for a bit, then something comes to my mind. -hey you know what? Dex, you can make somewhere for us to train, you know martial arts, don¡¯t you? He thinks for a while. -D: If Connor helps me build, I can do that. -good. I turn to the non-chosen, the family I guess and think. -do any of you know how to cultivate land? Marcus¡¯ sister, Marie(?) raises her hand. -okay, with the help of Connor, make an area to grow food, we can¡¯t rely on canned food forever. Mr. Price, you¡¯re a doctor, right? -Mr. Price: yes. ¨C can you make a list of all the medicine we have, and what we may need in the future? -Mr.: yes. -thanks. I look at Mrs. Price and Jacob, and think. -Jacob, is there anything you can do that may be useful? ¨C J: I know kick-boxing. -awesome, help Dexter with the training grounds, and help Connor out too whenever you can. -J: okay, got it. -chill, you don¡¯t have to act so tough, if you¡¯re always this stiff, life will be hard. I turn to Mrs. Price. -ma¡¯am, do you know how to sew? -Mrs.: I can, though I¡¯m not very good at it. -M: I know how to sew too. -perfect. Mrs. Price, you¡¯re on housekeeping and sewing duty, that¡¯s shared with Marie. -M: Maria. -sorry. And you, please teach Mrs. Price how to sew. -M: okay. -okay everyone, we all have a role to play right now, if you have any complains or suggestions, come to me. I stay silent to see if anyone has anything to say. -that¡¯s it for tonight, you all rest up, and get on your duties tomorrow morning. Also, always have a pack ready to leave in case of an emergency. I walk outside, and look up. -whoever did this, couldn¡¯t you have just left out the children? As I look back down, I see Cesar with a tilted head standing in front of me.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. -hey bud! Come here, let me pet you! I sit on the stairs, and he comes and sits beside me, and rests his head on my lap. I put away the suit, and start petting him. I don¡¯t know how long I was sitting there, but eventually, I get up and go inside, to rest up for the long day ahead, but fail to do so, as the faces of all those I put down kept appearing before my eyes, so I stayed awake all night. In the morning, I hear some metal being hammered away, and some wood being chopped. I get up, and go outside, to see Jacob, Dex and Connor, reinforcing the gate. -C: good morning! -good morning. Need a hand? -C:yep, can you bring over that log over there? I nod, and walk over to pick the log up. I lift it up with way less effort that I thought I¡¯d need. -D: damn, you got some serious muscles! -I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. I look at my stats, to see that my strength has risen to D+, but my level and Exp are still the same. -I guess the + makes a lot of difference, huh? I bring over the log, and head back to the house to eat something. I head inside the kitchen, and grab a can of beans, heat it up and start eating. While I was eating, Marcus came in the kitchen. -M: hey. -*mouth filled* hey. He grabs another can, heats it up, and sits beside me and starts eating. -M: hey, I¡¯m sorry about how I acted yesterday. -it¡¯s all good bro, no worries. Just, try to be little bit more considerate, eh? He nods while slowly eating his food. -when you¡¯re done, come outside, let¡¯s test out our new toys. He chuckles, and nods. -M: okay, be right there. When I walk back outside, I see the guys resting. ¨C hey, guys we¡¯re gonna test out our skills and items in a bit, just saying. They all nod, and then continue to talk among themselves. I equip the suit, and jump on the roof again, and hang my feet of the edge. I stay up there a bit, and see Mr. Price come outside from below me. -Mr.: um, Norman? I have the list. I jump down from the roof, and land beside him. -good morning. So what do we got? -Mr.:luckily we have antibiotics, some rubbing alcohol, some vodka and drinks, but no gauze or sterilized fabric. There¡¯s a bottle of painkillers too. -okay, good, what is an absolute necessity in the future? -Mr.: some gauze, clean fabric at least, some sharp tools just in case, some thread for stitches, and we can never have too much antibiotics. -roger that, thanks. -Mr.: should I start doing something else? I gently grab him by the shoulders, and shake him a bit. -ease up. You¡¯re our doctor, and until there¡¯s an emergency, you should help wherever you can. He nods nervously, and goes back inside. -ah, motivating people is a pain, I should get someone else to do it. Marcus comes out of the house, and comes over to me. -M: So? What¡¯re we doing? I invite him to follow me, and go over to the guys at the to be training grounds. -okay, now, let¡¯s talk about your powers. Ayden has the hyper-damage, which is basically double-damage, Connor is our Tool smith, and is also on defense duty, Dex, well, we know what he has, and Marcus has the ability to sneak, which will be useful. Now what we¡¯re going to do is find out the limits of our powers, except for Dex. *Dex mumbles damn it!* Okay, who¡¯s going first? -C: I guess I¡¯ll go first. I started testing out the skill I got since morning, and found out that at this level, this skill allows me to reinforce and strengthen everything to their best physically possible condition. I¡¯m guessing as it levels up, it¡¯s gonna let me do abnormal adjustments. Also, crafting or modifying anything requires a large amount of materials, so you guys have to gather those for me, and, I think that¡¯s it. ¨C okay good to know. Marcus? -M: well, while you were in the kitchen, I activated my skill and then entered, but you didn¡¯t notice me. I turned it off to see if you were even paying attention, but you heard me before I came inside, so this skill is pretty useful. I haven¡¯t tested it on zombies though. -you should. -M: yeah. He looks up, to see me looking at him eagerly. -M: What? Now? -Yeah now! Do you have anything better to do? He starts looking around, and then at Dex and Ayden, who shrug at him, and gives up. -M: No I don¡¯t. Where are we going anyways? -D: We? -Yes we, we are all gonna use our stuff against zombies, and let Dex watch. We laugh, although for a short while, but we laugh nonetheless. Jeez, it feels like it¡¯s been ages since I last laughed. -Alright, you lot get ready to roll out, Connor, can I talk to you for a sec? -C: Sure. I drag him away from the others a bit. -C: What¡¯s up? -Can you craft anything with what we have now? -C:*Sigh* Yes, but not much. I¡¯ve set it as my main objective to get the training grounds up and running, but after that, maybe one single weapon. A club, for now. -Okay, how fast can you make that? -C: Five minutes tops? Maybe even less. -Good, make that and pass it to Dex, he¡¯s the only one of us that doesn¡¯t have anything to fight with, well, nothing abnormal. And about the grounds¡­ -C: Yeah? ¨C I need a lot of weights, it seems my build is mostly STR, so I want to boost that as far as possible early on. -C: Got it. I nod at him, and go towards the gate, and Cesar follows. I lean against the wall next to the gate, and pet Cesar a bit. After a few minutes, I see the others coming up to me, with gym clothes, and backpacks, with an extra one in Ayden¡¯s hand. -Thanks, where¡¯s Connor? -C :I¡¯m not coming. ¨C Why? -C: I don¡¯t have any combat qualities, and we need at least one of us to stay behind, don¡¯t we? I growl. ¨C Fine, but u better do something useful while we¡¯re gone. -C: Oh, and Dex, catch! He throws Dex the club. -D: What¡¯s this? -C: A little thing to help you out there. Dex looks at me with a confused look. ¨C No, he¡¯s not gay. I told him to make you that. Because, you know, you don¡¯t have any combat things. He sighs. -D: Sure, thanks Connor. Connor nods in response. - Okay let¡¯s plan ahead. Ayden, you keep the hyper-damage off until we need it. Marcus, have your stealth activated at all times. Dex, you, just, don¡¯t fuck anyone okay? Dex chuckles. -A: What about you? ¨C I¡¯m gonna master the controls of this, thing, and kill zombies with my bare hands. -M: You seem awfully excited for the second part. ¨C I thought I would be, but I¡¯m not. At least not as much as I would¡¯ve been yesterday, before all this. Dex opens his mouth to say something, but Marcus stops him. -M: We haven¡¯t seen what he has. Just, don¡¯t. I glance at Marcus with an appreciating look, and then shake my head to clear my thoughts. ¨C Okay, this is not a joke anymore, call for help even if you feel like you are in any sort of thing you can¡¯t handle. I will be on higher ground just to observe everything, so don¡¯t freak out, and stay together. Don¡¯t split up until you have to, okay? And if any of you spot other people, hide, and tell the others. If you get separated from the others, get yourself to a spot away from constant attacks, and call for help. If other people show up to help you, don¡¯t tell them about our group and our location. If the people are hostile, run. Don¡¯t even think about fighting them. And last but not least, pick anything and everything you can. You never know when you¡¯ll need all that junk. -A: Copy that. ¨C And new rule, from now on, pretend we¡¯re soldiers. We all laugh again. ¨C Okay I¡¯m gonna jump over the wall to observe the other side. Don¡¯t open the door unless I tell you. They all nod. It seems like my logical explanation set a new picture of me in their heads. I hope it stays that way.