《The Horde》 0 Prologue 0 Prologue ¡°This is Ron, bringing you the biggest gaming news! Last night, a legend died! You heard me right folks. News was released earlier this morning on one of the biggest guilds in one of the most popular zombie VRMMORPGs, Apocalypse: Day Zero. The guild, Ramify, released the cruelest PK in history in video format. Let''s watch as some of the biggest players in the game kill one their own, The Admiral.¡± The annoying man on the laptop screen was replaced by in-game footage from the someone''s viewpoint. It showed a team of people fighting zombies nonstop. Their teamwork was impeccable. ¡°A quick rundown: the guild is entering one of the hardest zones in the game, Atlanta, Georgia. The zone was made where you would have to shovel zombie after zombie to take even a step. And that''s just the horde level zombie! The streets are strewn with one of the highest amounts of special zombies seen! Atlanta is topped only by the biggest of cities, including New York and Vegas. Ramify seems to be in the middle of a high level quest to make their way to the capital building in their group of twenty four. And that''s where the drama starts! Only three blocks away from their goal, the guild gets hit by a massive horde, called by the death screech of a banshee. With very little options on their platter, the team follows the guidance of their tactician, The Admiral. That''s this one, in the white.¡± The clip pauses as it''s focused on a man in a spotless white uniform. While every other player seems to be trying their hardest to mince as many bodies as possible, he can clearly be seen avoiding the fight and directing the ring of people surrounding him, protecting him from the undead monstrosities. The clip resumes playing, the sounds of gunshots, screams, and the sounds of flesh being sliced or smashed resuming at its intense volume. The video taker seemed to be on the inside of the ring, near the middle. The player had an assault rifle and was being conservative with his or her ammunition. The anchorman was relatively silent as the group moved as a single mass towards an open door, vaguely seen through the deteriorating bodies. The video continued as four gunners, the camera man included, straddled the doorway while laying down cover fire for their retreating comrades. One huge bear of a man brought up the rear, cutting down zombies one after the other with his stop sign, now battered and bent. A massive metal desk was used to block off the doorway. Half of the group rested, while the other half set out in pairs, probably to check for unwanted guests or other entry ways. ¡°The horde was valiantly fended off, buying time for the guild. This is where we''ll skip, as the leaders of the group just spend time planning while the others rest. Unfortunately, we don''t have footage of the planning, as Red Barrel, our camera man, is actually pretty low ranked inside the guild.¡± The video was set in fast forward while Ron rambled, effectively causing me to start to ignore him. My interest picked back up when Red Barrel and his guildies started to climb stairs, emerging at the top of a building. He and a few other gunners walked to the edge of the building to shoot down the climbers, mid-level specials that scaled the side of buildings. Some bathers cleaned up the ones that had already made it to the top. The gunner looked over the edge to see a sea of bodies. He, as the anchorman pointed out sometime earlier, took aim at the climbers and started to assist them on their way to the crowd. The gunner, now out of targets, looked around. The Admiral stepped closer to the edge to gaze down at the horde. A few grenades went off in the mass of bodies, but it had barely made a dent. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°These three players, the ones approaching The Admiral, are arguably the most popular players of ADZ as well as the highest ranking members in the guild, Ramify. The beauty on the right is Anna Rosalez, with the title The Huntress. She''s been claimed to be the best sniper in the game. She''s the gunning expert of Ramify. The Russian looking man on the left is Boris ¡®Grizzly¡¯ Bershov. With his strength, he can wield almost anything that can be called a weapon. He''s been seen favoring street signs though, perhaps showing a bit of his humorous side. And in the middle, the big shot himself, Jake Pressley. An expert in anything he tries, his nickname is ¡®First,¡¯ which is his rank since the game came out. Let''s watch and see what unfolds.¡± The trio walked over to the officer, striking an unheard conversation, causing The Admiral to turn around. The Huntress and First were pretty calm, but unease was plainly apparent on Grizzly¡¯s face. The Admiral¡¯s face couldn''t be seen. The conversation seemed to heat up, just to abruptly halt. The Admiral turned back around to the audience beneath him. First wore a ferocious smile as he raised his leg. A kick uncoiled, launching the man off the building. His uniform disappeared passed the edge. The laptop was slammed close and thrown on the bed. Though it was already months ago, it still infuriated him. I watched it one more time to remind myself what all of my efforts, past and future, strived for. Revenge. I grabbed my checklist, thinking about the few months I used to prep myself.
1.get money for new toon and preset
2.pray for a good starting location
3.start game
4.buy custom skills
5.grind
6.travel/ quest
7.grind
8.grind
9.
10.
The rest was blank. I didn''t want to get caught up in my plans to be unable to improvise. The first two items were checked off, but I kneeled once again and prayed my heart out for a good location. Once done, I stood and slipped into the capsule. I was finally ready. 1 Small Beginnings 1 Small Beginnings ¡°Your character has died.¡± I was met with a disembodied voice. ¡°To continue playing, a new character is required. Purchase new character?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please select either common, uncommon, or rare. Each have the prices required indicated.¡± I pressed the rare option, ignoring the ridiculous price beside it. ¡°To make the best selection, a question will be asked. Please answer this question: What are you looking for this game?¡± I struggle to answer like last time by announcing that I came for a challenge. ¡°Revenge.¡± *** The voice sent me off with a bright light and a sentence. ¡°Your starting location will be randomized. Good luck.¡± I looked around and stood up. The height felt pretty close to real life. White skin. Some kind of fatigues, which was promising. I checked in between my legs. I had never heard of a male player with a female character in this game, but I probably wouldn¡¯t say anything if it happened to me. I looked to where I was just sitting. It was a mattress on the ground. A light blanket was nearby. No pillow. The frame was lying nearby. Well, half of it. It was split in the middle, the wood probably being used to keep the fire nearby burning. My gaze wandered to the wall, and I froze. There were tons of words scratched into the wall in a crude way. A large fraction was the word ¡®Why¡¯ followed by more words. ¡®WHY.¡¯ ¡®Why did they have to take HER!?¡¯ ¡®Am I alone¡­?¡¯ ¡®Surrounded.¡¯ ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®Drill Sarg?¡¯ My head felt like it was splitting. I¡¯ve never felt a migraine like this. It subsided, and I found myself on the ground, sweating and with a dry throat. Was I screaming¡­? The sun, which was just rising earlier, is now flooding the room from the only window earlier. I took a swig out of a canteen next to the mattress. ¡°Character bio.¡± A window appeared in front of me.
Connor SteeleAge: 28
Connor was born and raised in the middle of nowhere, Georgia. Most of his life was pretty unremarkable, besides the fact that he lived alone with his mother. School had bored him. He scraped by with Cs in most of his classes. His only really enjoyable class was JROTC, teaching him about the military. Most likely persuaded by this, Connor joined the Marines right after high school. He found his groove here, fitting right into it. He didn''t need to think, because he was told what to do. Then, the apocalypse started. He was on leave at home. He enjoyed his time with his little sister. His mom had been sick recently, just like half of almost everyone else in the world. He had just gotten home from hunting to find what used to be his mom over a body. His military instincts took over, and he blacked out. He was never the same, until 6 months later, he decided he needed to move on.
The memories flooded me, like a tragic movie. Tears were spilling before I could even process how sad it must have been. To clear my mind, I opened up the skill list.
Skill list
ArcheryLevel 1
Knife masteryLevel 1
LeadershipLevel 1
Military CQCLevel 1
MarksmanshipLevel 1
Conditions
Mentally insane Militeristic instincts Street smarts
SurvivalLevel 100 Mastered
¡­ I¡¯d never heard of someone¡¯s character having level 100 survival. Basically, the level indicates how well a character will do whenever the player logged off. I could probably leave my character handcuffed in a car at the bottom of a river with an army of zombies on either bank and log on with more ammo in a safe house. But still. Insane. That one was, obviously, bad. Though I didn¡¯t know what this could mean. Still, it¡¯s better than my last character. The skills were more or less the same, but John Bennet, A.K.A. The Admiral, had Parkinson¡¯s, rendering all skills but leadership useless. He was actually an admiral. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Waking myself, I set out around the house. The bow with a quiver of arrows were next to the door. Grab. The knife next to my bed. Grab. Backpack. Grab. Shoes. Grab. Keys. Grab. Flashlight. Grab. Canteen. Grab. Keepsake family photo. Hesitant grab¡­ That¡¯s about everything in this tiny trailer. I step outside and see¡­ a truck? My truck? This is weird. Well, it¡¯s my truck now. I hop in and try to start it, but it¡¯s long since been empty. I knew that. Right? I shake my head and searched Connor¡¯s memories. It¡¯s no good. They¡¯re too corrupted. Snagging the map from the car door pocket, I start towards a gas station. Wait, how¡¯d I¡­ never mind. I have to find out where I am first off. Course, the bio said I was in Georgia, which is good. I start at a light jog, a pace I know I can keep up for half a day. The Marines made sure of that. I¡¯m on the lookout but I¡¯m sure there aren¡¯t any zombies nearby. Connor¡¯s been wiping out the few surrounding houses on this street. From my past character, I knew what started out as a sickness was really a parasite that take control of the central nervous system. The parasite then reproduces (asexually, before you ask) and keeps the microscopic copies in the mouth. Specifically, the saliva. Turning a corner, I enter what isn¡¯t really known as unknown territory, but more like outside my hunting grounds. More backroads. Checking around to make sure I¡¯m alone, I compare the street signs with my map, but it covers too much of an area to display such tiny roads. I shrug, stepping off in double time. Cadences spill from my mouth before they cross my mind. They¡¯re amusing and pass the time, so I let Connor keep going. It was never this confusing with The Admiral. I come up to an expensive looking house still a few miles away from the gas station. It¡¯s the only house I¡¯ve seen so far with the car still parked. I try my luck and walk up to the door. Pulling out my knife, I enter cautiously. First, gotta clear the house. The car outside shows that there should be someone or something here. Checking the corners, I finish the first floor. Ignoring the urge to loot it now, I move to the upstairs. Breathing. I hear breathing from the room on my left. Filling my lungs, I inch the door open. 1. 2¡­ 5 bodies. Oh God. Two are hanging from the ceiling. Another has a hole in his head. There¡¯s blood everywhere. The parasites were ordering the two zombies to eat, feeding the brain bugs. I crept in quickly, already wasting breath by watching. I shift my knife, grabbing the balanced tool by the blade. With a flick, I the knife stabs the zombie on the right in the leg. I rush the left before it can react, snatching its head and breaking the neck. Finished, I turn and grip the knife handle, pull it out, and stab into the body¡¯s eye socket. Double checking that both zombies are dead, I sit to catch my breath; however, I found that the action was unnecessary. I¡¯m not winded in the least. Connor¡¯s nerves were a step above a robots. I cut the bodies down, one of them barely ten years old. I shiver. I go to the gun by the third body. A handgun. I look at the zombies and see a couple of bullet wounds. All nonlethal. He must¡¯ve unloaded all but the last shot, saved for himself. I check the gun, proving my hypothesis. I move to his pockets, searching for keys. I shake my head, and resume my sweep for zombies. Although I doubt I¡¯ll find any, I prefer to be sure. About 30 minutes later, I emerge out of the house. In addition to the keys, I also found some food. Though most of it was spoiled, I still managed to find a couple of cans. I look through the windows and then check myself. I pop the trunk, ready for surprises. My guard finally down, I hop in and turn it on. It purrs to life. I throw it in reverse, and make my way to the gas station. This time, it goes by much faster. *** The gas station had much better maps, letting me know that I¡¯m not too far from my real life home town. This was the only good news, though. The pumps were empty, as were the shelves inside. Still, half a tank should suffice. With no better plan, I begin my drive to Thomaston, Ga. A/N: Please don¡¯t stalk me TT~TT 2 Game Manual A/N: So! Answers chapter! I had some really good questions last chapter, so I thought I¡¯d hit ¡®em up. Maybe add some drama. Leeeeet¡¯s seeeeee! Thought I¡¯d work on Horde first today. Also, I went back and changed the rifle mastery to marksmanship. 2 Game Manual (Unknown POV) ¡°Sir.¡± The AI¡¯s voice distracted me from my five minute break. It¡¯d better be important, because I only get two of these. ¡°What is it Eve.¡± ¡°You asked me to inform you when someone got a character with the Mental insanity condition,¡± The door bursts open. ¡°Mr. Sanders! Tell me what¡¯s going on right now!!¡± Tch! It¡¯s my secretary. She nags me more than my mom ever did. ¡°Why did you pick now to show up¡­¡± (Sanders) ¡°Eve.¡± (Secretary) ¡°Ms. Adams asked me to inform her whenever you gave, quote, ¡®the creepy sadist smile,¡¯ unquote.¡± Double tch! You¡¯d think that making the virtual reality technology and owning the most successful business in the world would finally earn me some freedom. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Adams. He signed a waiver.¡± (S) Shit. Her eyes grew wide. ¡°What. Did. You. DO.¡± (A) ¡°¡­ Nothing.¡± (S) ¡°Eve! What-¡° (A) ¡°Override protocol. Code: 58008. Lockout Ms. Taylor Adams.¡± (S) ¡°Wha- That passwor- WHAT DID YOU DO!?¡± (A) *** (MC POV) *Scooooop* *Crunch crunch crunch* Despite all of the rage in my body that ruins reason and happiness, there¡¯s one area it will never dominate. And that is love. *Scooooop* *Crunch crunch crunch* My love for cereal is eternal, and shall never give into the hate! *Scooooop* *Crunch crunch crunch* *Sluuuuuuurp* ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± My love for cereal pales in comparison against my need for coffee. Anyway, I took a break to eat something. Cause ya know. Food. But I am not a man to waste time! I grab the ADZ instruction manual and pour into it. It¡¯s old news by now, but hey, whatever can give me an edge. When you start the game, you play as a random person with their own past. The character determines what kind of skills you start with. The character is takes over in survival mode. (More info on pg. 4) Character Bio: Each character has their own past. Their own story. To see your character¡¯s past, open up the character bio screen in-game. At this point, memories will flood your mind, giving you a mini-movie of your character¡¯s life, if you will. However, as a person experiences many moments in life, we¡¯ve made some of those memories unlockable. They¡¯re randomly triggered. I flip to page four in between bites. UI: This game is not like many others. The reason is simple: we want realism. The game was made to let you experience a zombie apocalypse. How can you do that with bars in the way? Or when you focus on levels? Our game offers next-level realism. There is no HUD, no health bars. If you take damage, you feel pain. If you run a lot, you get tired. If you¡¯re low on food, you feel hungry. Skills: The skills are your characters experience, taking the place of generic levels in this game. For example, if your character is a Japanese sword master, he has, say, level 54 sword mastery. When you start the game, you have yet to train with the sword, so you will find yourself swinging blindly. The more you as a player use the sword, the higher level the skill gets, the better you are with the sword. You will continue to unlock memories about sword mastery and passages in the character bio until level 54. After reaching the same level as the character, you will find leveling it up to be difficult. *Scooooop* *Crunch crunch crunch* *Sluuuuuuurp* I skip a couple of paragraphs. The last skill, the survival skill, is a special skill. This is how well your character will do when you log off. Having a high level does not make your character omnipotent, however. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. This skill does not rise. Pause. *Gulp* *Scoo- I glance down at my bowl and discover it empty. I down my coffee and make my way to the capsule. When I left Connor, it had been at an abandoned house about halfway to Thomaston. *** After the bright light had effectively blinded me, I looked around. Seems like I just woke Connor up. Yawning accompanied a stretch as I got up. Then, I noticed that I¡¯m not where I left Connor. Panicking and now fully awake, I gather up all of my stuff and grip my knife. I¡¯m in some kind of class room. There are desks nearby. A school? I look out of the window. I¡¯m on the second floor. I can see a house through the trees. Maybe that¡¯s the one? I go to the door. Stepping out, I find my foot caught. The floor is suddenly getting closer! Ow. I get up and look at the reason. Seems Connor set up an alerting system by tying a bunch of silverware together on a string. The ends of the string are tied to two knives, both sticking out of the walls. Crafty. But where¡¯d he get the string? I take the system down to use later. It goes into the side pocket of the backpack. I move down the hall. Something assaults my nose, and I start coughing. It¡¯s coming from the door on my left. The stench activates my tear ducts. I crouch, inch the door open, and ease inside. All of the desks are pushed back. The floor can barely be seen through a group of unmoving zombie bodies and blood. The zombies seem dead. They number in the tens, surrounding less decayed bodies in the middle of the room. Most of the ones in the back have their heads at a weird angle or a large incision at the neck, while the front row has a mixture of bashed in heads, stab wounds, and a couple of well-placed bullet wounds. There are remains of broken weapons in some of the bodies. One of the zombies is even missing the top half of its head. The ceiling shows traces of what¡¯s missing. Sick. I inspect the other group of bodies. These ones are a mix and match of bodies of all ages and number about six. They look to have been human right before death, though a couple of bite marks can be seen on a few. There is one thing they all have in common. A large cut at the neck. I hastily set up the sound trap and start to look through Connor¡¯s memories. --- A scream. The school? Running. Front door unlocked. Gunshot. Shotgun? More running. Door. More screams. Zombies. Distracted. Vulnerable. Stab. Cut the jugular. Break a neck. Ram knife into windpipe. Zombies dead. People. Hostiles? Bite marks. Hostiles. Shotgun guy first. Saying something. Who am I? Why does it matter? Dead anyways. Knife into the neck. Slice. Woman attacks. Hostile. Block, elbow. Knee. Slice. Rest are afraid. Scared. Of me? Screams. Annoying. Child. Sis? She runs towards me with a knife. Not Olivia. Hostile. Done. Shotgun. Ammo? A little. Double barrel. Sawn off. Slow. Old guy had some string. Food? One can. I check not Olivia. Backpack. Stuffed bear. Pockets? Seeds. Seeds? Whatever. Done. Tired. --- I come back to myself. Sweat. I¡¯m sweating? But I¡¯m so cold. This pack is pretty heavy¡­ A thought comes to my mind. I throw the backpack down and look through it. The string was in the side pocket, so there¡¯s no need to check there. I can see a handle. I pull it out, and it¡¯s attached to a sawn off. My stomach threatens mutiny, but I can barely think. A weird feeling in my throat. I leave the room and throw up in the hall. A/N: So thoughts on this chapter? Questions answered? Was it too short? Lemme know in the comments! P.S. Don¡¯t expect a chapter tomorrow. I¡¯ve got a transfer orientation to attend. Wish me luck! Note: Dropped Dropped. Only started this because there was a significant lack of zombie stuff on RR. And this would turn into something really dark... So yeah. Sozz.