Daniel Hunter
Age: 18
Level: 6
XP: 0/3200
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: ???
Health: 10/10
Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 12
Unspent Points: 2
Dan stayed on the ground for a long moment, a heavy silence settling over the group. Finally, he whispered,
Dan: "I killed him…"
Eli: "Dan, you had no choice."
Dan: "I could have restrained him. He asked to be left alone."
Eli: "Dan, he was crazy. He was attacking to kill you."
Still…
Tears slowly welled in Dan's eyes as the harsh reality sank in. Not even a day had passed since the apocalypse began, and he had already taken a human life.
Dan remained on his knees, staring at the floor, when suddenly two arms wrapped around him in a quiet embrace. He looked up to see Jade, her green eyes filled with silent understanding.
Too choked up to respond, Dan stayed still as Jade held him gently. The four of them remained in silence for a few moments.
Eventually, Dan gathered himself and smiled weakly at Jade, who smiled back before they both stood.
Dan: "Let's get back. This floor is too… dirty for us to stay. We'll try the second floor and check there. After making sure all the rooms are empty, we'll move some beds and get some sleep. We'll keep two groups of two—one to watch while the other sleeps for three hours. We don't have time to lose. Let's go."
On reaching the second floor, they found all the doors could now be opened. Luckily, the infected from reception had grown tired of smashing at the stairway doors since no one had tried to come up.
There were very few infected on the second floor. After swiftly dealing with them, the group quickly set up watches. They chose an apartment slightly larger than the others and silently moved a few beds and furniture to barricade the front door.
Inside, they sat together on the beds, a heavy silence hanging between them.
Surprisingly, Jade was the first to speak, her green eyes locking onto Dan's.
Jade: "You had no choice, okay? None of us blame you for what happened. Please don't blame yourself."
Dan looked at her, touched, and smiled weakly.
Dan: "I'll try."
Her words somehow eased the tension.
Eli: "I have to say, I didn't expect that from you, Jade."
He laughed softly, earning a playful slap from Mia, which made everyone chuckle. Dan and Jade both blushed slightly.
Dan: "Alright, everyone. I think we need to change plans. Now that the doors can open, there's a real chance we'll be flanked if we make too much noise. Tomorrow, we'll try to close the reception doors as quickly as possible and barricade them with a metal pipe. Three of us will hold off the infected long enough for the one responsible to close the door. Since we have stairs on both sides, my suggestion is this: three open one door and attract the infected, while the other closes the door from the opposite side. Any suggestions?"
Dan looked around at the others, gauging their reactions. Mia nodded slowly, determination settling in her eyes.
Mia: "Sounds risky, but it's our best shot."
Jade remained quiet for a moment, then spoke.
Jade: "If we're splitting up like that, we need to be sure our signals are clear. No mistakes."
Eli: "I can rig something—like a whistle or some sort of noise maker—to signal when it's time to start and if something happens a signal to pull back, We'll need it."
Dan considered this and nodded.
Dan: "Good idea. We'll also keep our comms open. No running off without a signal."
A heavy weight settled over them all again. The reality of their situation pressed hard—any mistake could mean death. But amidst the fear, there was a growing sense of trust between them. They were no longer strangers, but a small team bound by survival.
Dan glanced out the window. The sky was almost brightening now, the sun slowly rising on the horizon clouds. The city was eerily silent except for the occasional distant groan or scrape from somewhere below.
Dan: "We'll rest for the rest of the night. Stay alert, but get what sleep you can. Tomorrow's going to be long."
Mia pulled a threadbare blanket over her shoulders.
Mia: "We don't get to just rest anymore, do we?"
Dan shook his head.
Dan: "Not really. But we do what we have to."
Jade shifted, breaking the silence again.
Mia: "We should think about supplies too. Food, water… weapons. We can't rely on levelling up forever."
Eli nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Eli: "There's a supply closet on this floor. If it's still intact, we could scavenge some tools or canned food."
Dan: "Good call. We'll check it out tomorrow before we move on."
They all agreed silently. Tomorrow was uncertain, dangerous—but they had a plan, and that was something.
Dan felt the weight of leadership settle on his shoulders again. He swallowed hard but looked at his group with a newfound resolve.
Dan: "We're going to make it through this. Together."
As the night slowly faded away, the group settled into uneasy rest, each mind racing with the trials yet to come.