The hall was only a couple of people wide, but the two zombies in my way were fairly spread apart. Passing the first one only required a quick sidestep to avoid its grasping limbs, while the one that was standing right in front of the door leading to the stairs posed no real problem, as it had no arms. Slowing down to a fast walk, I winded up my metal bat and when the zombie did a face first lunge in my direction; I slammed the bat into the side of its face sending it into the wall on my left in a spray of blood and bone. Feeling the familiar itch and then quickly reading the defeated notification, I knew the zombie was gone and done for. Even though its face now looked like a piece of smashed avocado, I still didn't want to take the risk and double checked it was dead through the system.
Kicking the zombie, I activated the loot function, receiving only a common level zombie skin. Even with braining the zombie and looting its body, only a couple of seconds had passed, so I wasn't worried the slow-moving zombies in the hall would catch up to me already. However, the sound of the door from which I came out of smashing into the hall in a shower of wooden splinters spurred me back into quick action. I slammed my shoulder into the door that the zombie I just killed was standing in front of and found myself in an enclosed concrete stairway. Pushing the door closed behind me, I saw there was no way to lock it, which must have been a security feature of the building and decided to just get out of the building and head to the walled off carpark I had seen from the apartment.
Peering over the rail, I saw that there were close to ten floors worth of steps I needed to reach the bottom that ran in a circle all the way down. There appeared to be no obstructions from the old building, like damaged stairs however, there were shambling silhouettes of several zombies standing on the stairs. Considering the stairs were actually quite narrow, being only as wide as two men abreast, I knew I would have to do some skull bashing along the way. Which in one way wasn't exactly an awful thing, as after the zombie in the hall, I knew I was only ten experience points from my first level. Not wasting anymore time, I began running down the stairs; I didn't sprint, just kept myself at a semi fast pace. Knowing that a trip down these concrete stairs, with zombies below and an even more scary zombie following behind, would be disastrous to say the least.
While I ran down the stairs, I pulled up my profile page for a quick scan, due to its semitransparent nature, it didn't affect my vision, so I wasn't worried off being blinded and losing my footing.
Name:
Grubbitish Reinbach
Level:
0
Experience to Next Level:
90/100
Race:
Human
Class:
None
Profession:
Leatherworker – LVL 1
Health:
110/110
Stamina:
100/100
Mana:
100/100
Armor Value:
100/100
Seeing no real changed besides the increase in experience points, I dismissed the window. 'Hmm, considering all my physical actions recently and no apparent change to my stamina bar, it must affect another part I'm not aware of, like maybe skills?' I pondered as I made my way down another floor's worth of stairs coming up to my first zombie obstruction. Two zombies standing only a couple of steps away from each other blocked my way down. They had already turned in my direction upon hearing my approach. With my boots echoing quite loudly in the enclosed stairway.
As if in challenge both, zombies roared in my direction and stumble walked towards me. Not wanting to be caught on an over swing by one of them, I first approached the zombie closest to me and with the extra height I gave its chin a full forced, pushed kick, sending its body flipping end over end down the stairs. Now I made some space. I approached the second one and brought my bat down in a chopping gesture. Unfortunately, I had missed the top of its skull, as when it attempted to walk up a step its foot slipped and it stumbled to the right, making my bat slam into its shoulder instead. When my bat connected, it still sent a heavy crack to ring out and the zombie's shoulder also dislocated, now appearing further down its body.
This didn't appear to affect the zombie, as after its body stopped its awkward stumble by hitting the waist high rail, it made a direct lunge, its left arm leading the way on its own. Not having enough time for another swing, I lifted my vambrace covered arm and smacked the approach limb away before sending a spartan styled kick into the zombie's chest. Only wanting to make some space, I wasn't prepared when the zombie, who was already braced against the rail, was sent over the edge from the force of my kick. "Oh, shit!" I cursed as I quickly looked over the railing to see the zombies' flailing body sly down more than seven floors before slamming into the floor at the bottom. The sound of it hitting the ground was like someone had dropped a bucket of jelly onto the floor. It was as if the zombie had no bones, hitting the ground and straight away turning into nothing but a pile of minced meat.
The sight made me dizzy for a second, but the low gurgling roars coming from just below me made me quickly turn back to the zombie I had already kicked down the stairs. The zombie was only now getting to its feet, but it looked like it was truly struggling as several parts of its body were at odd angles. Clearly the short trip down the stairs did more damage than I planned. Seeing its vulnerable state, I ran over and slammed the bat into its head in a flash, turning it into a boneless corpse that rolled further down the steps. I ran down the stairs and was just about to loot kick it when the sound of something slamming open the door above me rang out. I reactively looked up but due to the circular nature of the staircase, I wasn't able to see what it was. I had two guesses, though, and both weren't good news for me. Quickly kick-looting the zombie, I picked up what looked like a bottle of juice and threw it in my backpack before continuing back down the stairs.
Sounds of footsteps ringing out above me made me quicken my pace down somewhat. While I cleared the next three floors without obstruction, I felt that same notification itch I had received several times earlier, but now the itchy feeling was a lot stronger. I imagined it was because I had finally reached the first level up and there was more information than normal, however I didn't want to check it at that moment, wanting to wait until I was at least in a semi-safe spot.
Just as I reached what was the fourth floor, going by the number four written above the door leading back into the building. I had to pull up short, as just when I was nearing the door, it opened with a slam, hitting the opposing wall hard enough to echo throughout the stairway. I raised my bat instinctively, reading to home-run the zombie but paused as it was not a reanimated corpse I was facing, but a very animated human. The man appeared a little familiar to me, but I wasn't a hundred per cent sure that I knew him. He was dressed in a black shirt and jeans with a denim blood splattered vest. He had slicked back hair that looked to be filled with so much grease it wouldn't move even if he went skydiving. In one hand, he held a blood-covered machete and what appeared to be a common plastic shopping bag in the other.
For several seconds we just stared at each other, until the sound of a roar coming from behind the slicked haired man rang out. It was the loudest zombie roar I had heard so far and sounded full of rage. "Shit!" The man cursed and finally breaking eye contact with me, he slammed the door shut behind him, pulling out a rusting metal pipe from his shopping bag. He wedged the pipe between the doorway and the floor, creating an improvised brace before turning back to me with the same wild, blood-shot eyes.
"Hello." After several more seconds of silence under the man's intense stare, I squeezed out an awkward greeting. The man finally reacted and with shaky eyes he approached me, causing me to take involuntarily step back that also made him pause. With a sheepish smile that looked like it was missing more than one tooth, the man replied, "Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you." The man took a gulp and looked back the way he came before turning back to me with the same odd smile, as if he was happy and about the cry at the same time. "I'm so happy to find someone else. You're that lad who walks past the chopshop at night, right? Do you know what's going on here? How we got here?" The man started rambling, asking question after question.
When he said chopshop, I finally remember where I knew this guy from. He was one of the guys who stood in front of one of the businesses back in Bayswater, looking shifty, much like the others. Even though a part of me was happy to see I wasn't alone here, the man's presence also made me worry. I hoped it wasn't the entire world that had been transported here. I couldn't imagine what would happen if his sister and mother were transported here, let alone his little brother. Just the thought almost sent me into a bigger panic than being bitten by that zombie earlier had. Shaking away those thoughts, I focused on the man with the wild eyes again, and tried to remember if I had heard someone call his name before.
"Just relax. Umm, your name's Beetle, right?" I said as I made a slowdown hand gesture with my hands. The man, Beetle, finally halted his twenty questions and nodded in reply, as sweat ran down his forehead like a river. I didn't know whether it was nerves or exhaustion, but the man looked sick. He was as white as a ghost. "Okay, my name's Grubbs. I don't know how we got here either. I woke up in an apartment several floors up. Since then, I haven't been able to do much besides fight off a couple of zombies. You're the first person I ran into so far. Have you seen anyone else, alive I mean?"
The man shakily wiped some sweat off his head, and while his whole body looked jittery, like he was vibrating on the spot, he replied, "No, no one else. I'm... I'm the same woke up and found a zombie in the apartment bathroom. I got this here cutter after I bashed its head on the sink." The man held up his machete and waved it around, making me take another step back so as not to get cut but the shaky man. The man looked as if he was about to speak more but looking behind me, the man's already bugged our eyes looked to get even bigger.
"Crap." I barked and turned at the sound of feet approaching above me, also following where Beetle was looking. Seeing not the horde of zombies from the hall which I hoped for out of the two guesses at what was following me, but instead found the large headed zombie with its wriggling tentacle tongue. It was currently only a floor above me and looking directly at Beetle and myself as it trudged down the steps. Its speed wasn't fast, but its steps were steady, far steadier than the other normal zombies.
Turning back to the horrified looking Beetle, I gave the man a light shake as I began descending the stairs again while yelling, "Run dude! Run!" The man looked to have woken from his stupor and with an almost comical, full body jump, he began running down the stairs next to me while calling for all kinds of gods to save him. I think I even heard him asking for the god of boobs to nestle him in her safe bosom at one point. Even though the situation was terrifying on many levels, the words still made me chuckle a little. I was still taking the steps at a semi fast jog, so as not to trip but Beetle apparently did not share the same caution I did, as he sprinted down the stairs with no care for his footing, stumbling and half tripping multiple times, only his desperate grabs onto the safety railing saving him from going headfirst down the stairs.
Beetle kept looking back as he ran down, as if the zombie with the tongue was right behind him, which also didn't help with his footing. After passing one of the curves of stairs to reach the next set, Beetle didn't spot the zombie that was lying on its belly. With clear broken legs, the zombie must have been stuck in the stairway for a long time, as it looked somewhat thinner and more decayed than the ones I had previously seen. "Watch out!" I yelled out to warn Beetle, but it was too late. The zombie grabbed a hold of the man's leg on the way past, tripping him up and sending him rolling down the stairs with a cry.
I just did a small hop over the zombie who also reached for me when I passed and ran down the stairs following Beetles flailing form. The man landed in a heap at the bottom of the second-floor entrance, groaning and cursing. Reaching the man, I spotted a zombie only a short distance away, stumbling towards us. Before checking on Beetle's state, I approached the zombie and with one swing from my bat I clobbered its brains down the stairs. Turning back, I looked up to where we had come from and couldn't see the zombie with the tongue, letting out a breath of relief. I then ran over to Beetle, who was now cradling his left arm, which, on approach, I noticed was hanging a little limply on the now teary-eyed man. 'Crap,must be dislocated,' I thought and then asked, "Are you alright dude? Can you stand?"
Beetle snap back at me, "Do I look fine!? Ouch! Shit on this shitty place!" I didn't take the man's anger to heart, as he looked to be in a lot of pain. In the awkward silence that followed, while Beetle gingerly rubbed his arm and heavy breathing noises through his teeth, the familiar sound of steady bare feet on steps coming from above rang out. I looked up at the stairs above and even though I could see it, I knew the zombie with the tongue was only a floor above. I looked back to Beetle, who was also looking up. The man appeared even more pale than before, almost transparent, with absolutely no colour in his thin cheeks. I reached out and said, "Come on, I'll give you a hand. We only have one more floor and then we can find somewhere to hide."
Beetle used his one good arm and pulled himself up with my assistance, but once on his feet, he cried out in pain when putting his weight on his right foot. Looking down, I saw the foot looked slightly twisted and couldn't help but curse under my breath as I thought, 'Damn! People with leg injuries are always the first to go in zombie movies.' I made eye contact with Beetle, who also looked at me with a deep fear seeping out of his very being. "Please don't leave me. Please." That very thought that came to my mind was quickly snuffed out, even without the man's words that made me feel especially guilty at the thought of abandoning him. I also liked to believe I wasn't that type of person. I always wanted to be a person like my father, someone everyone and anyone can rely on.
With a somewhat guilty stiff smile I replied, "don't worry dude, I won't do that. This world is quite magically. It's like a video game. I'm sure it'll be as easy as pie to heal your foot and arm. Here, lean on me." Beetle, with tears in his eyes, choked out a relieved thank you that made me smile and he wrapped his good arm around my shoulder. Half carrying, half hopping, I led Beetle down the stairs as I thought, 'Hmm, I must have already become stronger. There was no way before today I could hold a full-grown man's weight and only feel a slight strain. Does this mean my strength before transitioning was already below average, and the transition brought all my values to the average?' The logic felt right, as not just my strength, but considering all the physical stuff I had been doing in the last hour and my current physique before waking up here, I felt as if my stamina had also improved.
Even though it took much longer, both Beetle and I reached the bottom floor in only a handful of minutes. Coming to a stop right next to the zombie that had taken a nosedive down back near my original floor and was now a pile of jelly, I hesitated whether to loot the body but decided against it after only a second, as the sound of the tongue zombie following us was still there and I didn't want to face that thing right now. Looking right in front, across from the start of stairs, I saw an open door that had a blinking light board above that read Exit and Lobby with an arrow pointing at the door. Turning to face Beetle, who was panting heavily and breathing through clenched teeth, I gave him my own tired smile and said, "Almost their dude. When we find somewhere safe to hold up, I'll see if I can find a way to get you all healed up."
Beetle just did his best to smile in return, with a small grunt of pain that I took for acknowledgement. Facing forwards again and just as we both stepped towards the exit door, the sound of wet growl rang out behind and a little above us that made all the hairs on my neck stand up. Before I could do anything, I felt a wet rope like thing wrap around my neck several times and then tighten. With a strangled grunt, I let go of the bat and Beetle, who dropped to the floor in a pain filled clatter. Without even a moment to think, I was yanked backwards, right off my feet, my back slamming into the floor with a heavy thud. I put both my hands on the slimy rope around my throat and did my best to relieve some of the pressure, to give me a chance to breathe, only managing to get my fingers in between a fraction.
With my fingers wedged in-between, I managed to gather a little of my breath back, and in a half choke I called out towards Beetle, "Help m..." But was cut off as the slimy rope tightened again and began dragging me across the floor and back towards the stairway. Instead of the stairs, though, I was dragged into the middle of the area, sliding right over the zombie jelly, covering my backpack and pants in rotting flesh before I found myself lifting off the floor. If I was only struggling before now, I was truly being choked, as my whole body was lifted from the floor and was left dangling in midair, like I was being hanged. With blood-shot eyes and a face turning purple due to lack of breath, I stared straight at Beetle, who had just got back up with the help of the wall and my bat that he had picked up off the floor. He made direct eye contact with me, and as my eyes screamed for help, hell, my whole body was screaming for help, as I kicked at the air effortlessly. Beetle just looked at me with nothing but fear and, while limping, turned his back on me and headed straight for the exit door, making my stomach feel as if it was about to drop out of my ass.
If I had breath, I would have cursed the prick out with all the worst names I could muster under the sun, unfortunately I could do nothing of the kind. Even worse, my vision was beginning to turn blurry, as I saw black spots flicker in and out. 'I can't die being hanged like some old western's outlaw!'