A short walk was all it took before we finally reached the parking lot. Luckily any infected that remained were too far away to notice us. I quickly shuffled through my backpack and grabbed my car keys, then we hurried inside the truck. It was a classic pickup truck, black paint and some American made brand. The engine started with a soft sputter and rumbled to life. I quickly backed up the car, and sped out of the parking lot. We weren't going to look back---not now---not ever. The first few minutes of the ride were silent, only the rhythmic hum of the engine and our ragged breaths could be heard. Jake was first to break the silence.
"Well that went better than it could've." Jake said, letting out a loud sigh.
"Hey, if it wasn't for Landon's fucking bullets we would have all been dead." I called out, looking back in the rear view mirror at them.
"We only won because we worked together, if any of us weren't there, we would have been fucking toast." Landon said, a smile across his face.
"That's true. Anyways, where the hell are we going to go?" Jake's bubbly expression turning serious.
"It's risky but… we need to head to the city." Landon said, looking towards Jake,"Once you reach the Parkway and Quillson intersection, take a left to the grocery store. It's right next to the tech building that was being made." Landon added, pointing in the directions that Jake needed to follow.
"Got it." I shook my head at Landon.
It took longer than we wanted because of abandoned cars and debris in the road, but we soon made it to the intersection. I turned left like instructed, then quickly turned into the parking lot of the grocery store.
"Wait what…" Jake whispered, staring at the empty lot in disbelief and slowly lowering his extinguisher.
"Where is everybody?" I questioned, peering around for any stray infected, "It's packed full of cars… but it's like they all left, or were attracted somewhere else…"
"It's really strange, but still we need to go inside." Landon instructed us, "Jake, open the back of the truck, then we go straight inside. Only grab essentials like canned food, water, and some easy snack foods."
We jumped out of the car, opened the trunk, then rushed inside. We drew our weapons as we stepped inside, but not a single soul was heard. It looked like every person who was inside was abducted, leaving everything else the same. Still, we pressed through, checking every nook and cranny before we began looting. Once the coast looked clear enough, we ravaged the store. We each grabbed a cart and started filling it with different items we needed.
Jake went for everything snack related: trail mix, beef jerky, the works. If it was already packaged and wouldn't expire for a couple weeks, it was in his cart. Landon got all of the fruits and vegetables that could last us over a week. He grabbed sacks of potatoes, some oranges, and apples. I got all of the canned goods. It didn't matter if it was beans, peas, ham, if it was canned, It was mine. I also grabbed some steaks that were still fresh along with a grill. Once we found a place to settle I was going to smoke the meats for a long lasting food source.
We all headed back to the truck once our carts were full. But since we didn't have any bags, we just brought the carts up with the food. It had the woods for the rest of our lives, but we weren't done yet. I forced Landon back with me for another cart full of things for cleaning and cooking. We loaded our last cart full of pots and pans, dry rubs for the meat, cleaning supplies, and some camping gear. Once we were done with that cart, I sent Landon back out. I went to where the grill was and grabbed two propane tanks for the grill. Slowly carrying them out, I loaded them onto the truck and we headed across the street to the crumbling tech building. Pulling into the quiet parking lot, we surveyed the area for any infected, but just like before, none were to be found.
"Jesus fucking christ." I muttered to myself, in disbelief that not a single soul was around.
"It's like we're the only people left…" Landon said, his face shocked as he looked around for anybody we missed.
"Standing still and looking around isn't going to change anything," Jake hollered as he left his seat and went to open the doors to the building,"Let's at least find a place to settle before we get entranced by disbelief."
"You're right; Landon you bring the cart with the canned foods while me and Jake get us up to the roof. It's only about six floors but still be on guard." I ordered, grabbing my javelin as I helped Landon bring down the first cart.
We slowly approached the building, preparing for any infection to come out. It was a six story building. Everything had been built besides the windows and flooring. It had the look of an old soviet apartment, everything was gray and depressing, but we would soon know this place as home.
I entered the building first, looking at both sides of the doorway before giving the signal to enter. We slowly crept into the building, searching for any infected, but again, none were found. All we saw was some unopened boxes to our sides with a receptionist's desk in front of us. Jake searched the right side of the building before hollering us over, he found the staircase. We slowly climbed up the stairs, being careful not to drop any food from the cart. Reaching the second floor we were met with another empty sight.
This floor was full of empty cubicles, probably for people who would have jobs in the future, but that's not the case anymore. Entering the office, I split up from Jake and Landon. I went down the right aisle while they took the one ahead of us. Slowly creeping through the aisle I checked every cubicle for any sign of life, but nothing was spotted.
"There isn't a single fucking thing here." Jake whined.
"Keep your guard up, they could come from anywhere." I said, checking in between the desks.
But nothing was inside the building. After climbing the rest of the floors, we reached the roof, and it was untouched. Walking to the railing, I looked past our area and into the main city. All I was able to see was destruction. Tens of thousands of infected had flooded the streets, and tens of buildings were up in flames.
"... Jesus fucking christ.. Everything is ruined…" Landon said, his eyes filled with shock.
"It hasn't even been a day, and yet everything looks destroyed." Jake said, surveying the destruction in front of him.
"Whatever happens these next few days, we just need to make sure we get prepared." I say, turning to face the two of them,"I'm planning on surviving until the very end, and I'll need you two to do it with me. So are you in?"
"Of course I am." Jake said confidently,"I'm not going to just sit around and do jack shit."
"Don't worry, we will make it out of this. No matter what." Landon said, patting me on the back.
"Well if that's the case, then we have to head back down and grab all of the supplies." I say with a forced smile on my face,"Jake helps me bring stuff in while Landon maps out our area."
"Oh why yes, your royal highness." Jake said, sarcastically bowing down to me.
Unpacking didn't take that long, it was just hard to climb up 6 stories with 60 pounds on your back. While we did, Landon managed to draw a vague map on the floor of the roof using some sharpies from our bags. It mapped out the grocery store, some other buildings nearby, and the main road that leads to the city. He also set up a makeshift alarm that rings if anybody tries to walk up the stairs. Getting back to unpacking, we built one of the tents we got from the store and put all of our spices, dried food, and other things that didn't need immediate attention into it. We set up one of the smokers and a grill and started cooking the meat we grabbed.
Since we couldn't make real beef jerky, we instead shortened the process and went straight to smoking the meat after slicing it thin and seasoning it accordingly. Using some thicker steaks, we made dinner. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was a new home for us. I called Landon over to us, and we indulged in the meat. It was some of the best meat I have ever had. Maybe because I am such a good cook, or because we were starving for real food, but it was fucking delicous either way. Before we went to bed, we set up one more tent next to the other one so we could take turns to sleep.
"I'll take the first watch," Jake said, grabbing his bat while heading to the railing."
"Jesus...Even after smashing in tens of infected skulls you're still not tired?" Landon said as I nodded in agreement.
"There weren't that many infected. And besides, if I couldn't do this much then how am I supposed to survive in this world?" Jake added, looking at the sun as it faded past the horizon.
"You did good Jake, you too Landon. I wouldn't want to survive this with anybody else but you guys." I said solemnly.
"Thanks...Now go to bed 'cause I'm waking you up in two hours." Jake said, a small smile across his face.
"G'night guys." Landon said, all of us saying it back.
Jake and my shifts passed by quickly without anything happening, but when the moon was directly above us, a loud eclectic hum woke us up, and with the hum came a bright flash of light. Once the flash subsided, a game-like screen appeared in front of our faces.
System developed: Welcome
"Are you guys seeing this?" I ask, shocked by the screen.
"If it's a random blue screen, then yes." Landon says with my same expression.
"Is it telling us that only 90 thousand people survived? That means over 60% of the city is infected…" Jake said, as a mask of horror wrapped his once calm face.
Because of your amazing accomplishment of surviving the highest ranked District in Arizona
At the cost of all infected you face having heightened stats, you will be given greater rewards and skills!>
"...Is this saying that everything we've done so far… was just preparation for a fucking game?" My face now filled with the same horror as Jake's.
"So if this is a game, then does this mean that there is a way to win?" Landon questioned.
"Let's just… see what else it has to say." Jake adds, wiping his face with his shirt.
It is now your duty, O' ones chosen by the system, to defeat those that plague this world, and restore peace to your cities. The System will help you by granting quests that improve upon your personal skills. Every quest completed will award you status points or even skills that can help your subjugation of the "So basically, we need to do all kinds of quests to improve our skills and then do more quests?" Landon questioned.
"It's pretty straightforward but this "Let's just get the rest we can, then get our quest in the morning." Landon says, stretching his back,"Also, it's your turn to watch Jake."
We all managed to get back to sleep and woke up around seven. We reorganized our gear, packed our supplies, and waited for the quest to pop up. We only had to wait a few minutes before the quest came in.
First Quest Wave! Quest type: Group Subjugation - Find and kill 1 "Okay it seems pretty straight forward," Landon says, already formulating a plan in his head, "Since we're only a party of three, Jake you take front left, while Ethan stays on the right while being slightly behind you so that he guards the same range, but can also help me if we get flanked by any infected."
"That'll work." Jake says, already stretching his legs before we go down.
"It looks like where we need to head isn't towards the city, thank god about that." I say, continuing,"It's only about a 5 minute walk from here, so let's get headed."
Heading down the stairs and out onto the road, we find the path we need to take. Weaving through countless abandoned cars and strangely empty streets, we manage to find the building they are in. Heading up to the door, Landon gives the signal and Jake kicks open the door. Inside the first floor were around 10 zombies, most of them only being regularly sized, but one stood out from the rest, literally. Standing close to seven feet tall and built like an absolute unit. But before we took him down, we'd have to take out the runts first.
Two immediately noticed us through the crack in the door and stumbled, groaning towards both me and Jake, so we nodded to each other and charged in to deal with them accordingly. Jake rushed up to the pair and sent the first zombie crashing to the ground with a flying knee to the face, while winding up for a swing with his bat, snapping the other's neck with a sudden pop. The other one charged back at Jake, but one shot from Landon's bow sent him ragdolling to the floor. The ones after me went to flank around me. I dealt with them by piercing the bottom of the first one's skull with my javelin, and swung it back around into the side of the remaining one's head. Four down.
A pair of infected went after me and Jake, but they were dealt with easily. Two more attempted to flank and attack Landon, but I broke one's knee with my spear and stabbed it through the skull. The other one got grabbed by Jake, thrown to the floor, and smashed to bits by Jake's bat. Now only the big guy remained. He charged at me with blistering speed despite his size and threw a gutwrencher of a punch. I managed to barely block it with the broad side of my javelin, but the pure force nearly shattered my forearms and sent me sliding a few feet back. This wasn't going to be easy in any way.
"ETHAN BUY ME SOME TIME!!" Jake yelled, "GET HIM DOWN TO OUR LEVEL IF YOU CAN SO THAT I CAN SMASH HIS BLOODY SKULL IN!!"
"OKAY I'VE GOT IT!!" I hollered back at Jake.
Getting him to take a knee wasn't going to be easy, but it isn't impossible. He again charged at me, but I knew what was coming so I dodged to the side. Using this opportunity I flung the spear into his knee, but somehow he was still standing.
"Oh Shit." was the only thing I was able to say before his massive fist collided with the side of my body. The pure force behind his fist sent me careening into a nearby sofa, which cushioned my fall and tipped back and over. Whipping back towards Jake, he threw another impossibly strong punch at Jake, who just barely managed to dodge out of the way. Jake countered the beast with a clean swipe across the chin, but he ate the hit and threw another jab at Jake, who was able to redirect it. But I could see that Jake was going to run out of steam soon, so I needed to get up. No longer would I be the weak one who was too useless to save his own friends, I was going to become someone who can protect.
Despite my aching ribs, I crawled over the sofa and stood back up, and charged. All of my strength was put into this final attack, muscles tensioned like metal wire already springing into action. Right as Jake was about to take a hit to save Landon, I gripped the spear that was still lodged in the tank's knee, and forced it deeper, spewing green blood back at me. The monster let out a blood curdling roar that could be heard for miles and began to wildly thrash around, but that didn't stop me. I pushed as far as I could before the beast finally took a knee. Putting a foot on its thigh and retrieving my spear, I spun its tip upwards and thrust it clean through his throat. I missed his vitals but made it so that he couldn't speak anymore.
"NOW! I'M HOLDING HIM DOWN SO TAKE YOUR FUCKING SHOT!" I yelled at both Jake and Landon.
Landon drew his bow and lodged an arrow straight into its eye, but it only made him thrash around harder. The brute clawed at its face and swatted blindly yet met no purchase, and finally, Jake was given his perfect opening. He raised his bat with rage and practiced precision, brought it down with crackling force, and began brutally hammering away at the skull of the kneeling mass of muscle. He didn't stop when its skull was broken, nor did he stop when its brain became mush. Jake hammered his dented bat into what remained of its skull until he was trembling and wheezing, sweat matting his hair to his face.
He wiped his face with his sleeve, stared up at the ceiling and took a shaky breath, "Its finally over, damn."
"Me and Landon will go up and finish the other five infected. Jake… just lay down here and rest up." I said wincing at the gorey puddle, slowly climbing the stairs with my bloody spear. It took us another 3 minutes to finish with the others, but we eventually cleared the first quest.
Congratulations! You are the first party in North America to complete a quest rated C rank! You have reached level 1 and will be awarded status points to increase your physical capabilities. And for your party's accomplishment, you have each been awarded 1 As the screen faded away, a gust of wind formed in front of us, slowly gaining speed until it disappeared. Where the small tornado formed were four chests, one for each of us and another for supplies. Walking up to my chest, I grabbed its lid and opened it up. Inside were a spear and chestplate.
"Congratulations!" A blue popup window appears above the chest, "You have found your first pieces of equipment. Equipment is obtained from reward caches after completing a quest or through crafting, and it can give you a powerful boost for your conquest against the infected. Inspect your equipment by saying Doing as it instructed, I grabbed the spear and said Setting aside the spear, I grabbed the chestplate, and again chanted "You guys should open your chests too." I suggest passively as I fasten the breastplate to my torso.
Landon and Jake gave each other a fleeting glance then eagerly went to loot their spoils of battle. Jake acquired As Landon was basking in the triumph of obtaining a powerful new weapon, Jake had wrenched out the bloodied arrow, tossed it to Landon's feet and began giving his own weapon a test run.
I sat the body upright against the wall and let Jake slash away. Wielding his Zweihander, he swung his sword across the chest of the infected. It cleaved through the mass of muscle that was its chest, leaving a gaping crimson valley that immediately cascaded over with thick, viscous blood. He swung at it again, aiming for the shoulder. Like butter, it bit straight through the thick bones and cleanly severed the arm. Jake inspected his weapon with childish giddy looking back and forth between it and the new stump. Now that it was my turn, I planted my left foot, pivoted with my right, then cocked my arm back and rocketed the spear straight through the center of the undead's chest. It left a hole as deep as Landon's arrow and as wide as Jake's blade. We knew that we were finally ready for more.
"Let's head back to camp and update our stats there." I say, wiping the blood off of my weapon.
"Agreed, I wonder if they'll even do anything." Jake pondered, following me as we exited the building.
It wasn't long till we got back to base, retracing our steps, we found where we needed to go. Once we returned to base, we set our weapons down and opened our systems back up so we could figure out what they really do.
The glowing blue screen flashes with each syllable, "It seems that you all have some questions about "What are… skills?" I asked the system.
"So basically, completing quests levels you up, which in turn gives you skill points to boost your strength or whatever, and a skill that helps with whatever you're lacking?" I said out loud, "Either the system is making it extremely easy for us to kill the infected, or eventually it's going to get way harder to complete quests."
"I would have to guess the latter. I mean come on, our first quest was to kill 15 infected and one of them was built like a fucking polar bear!" Landon said, stressing his words, "We have to start taking these quests seriously, because from now on, we could be facing hundreds if not thousands of infected, or tens of those huge ones."
"That's true, but for now, let's just adjust our stats and prepare for the next quest." Jake says, sitting down and flicking open his status window.