Date: April 17th, 2027
Place: New York City – Lower East Side
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I sat there on the floor, my back against the wall, staring at what was left of Mr. Greene. His head was half-caved in, a dark slurry of black and red spilling across the carpet. My chest rose and fell too fast, ragged breaths scraping my throat.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
I'd killed him.
No. Not him.
Not anymore.
But that face, those hands—it was him once. The man who used to nod at me in the hallway, carrying groceries for his wife. He wasn't a stranger. And now he was gone because I… because I had no choice.
I looked at the hammer in my grip. The steel head was slick, clumps of black matter clinging to it. My reflection stared back at me in the blood-stained metal, pale and hollow-eyed.
And then the words burned across my vision again.
[You have slain a Tier 1 Zombie.]
[+10 Essence absorbed.]
[Level Up!]
[Analyzing soul resonance…]
[Class Assigned: Laborer (Common).]
[Warning: Class rarity determines attribute growth and skill acquisition.]
They didn't vanish. The letters hovered there, etched into reality itself.
I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, the text was still there.
A new line appeared.
[Status unlocked.]
[Say "Status" to display personal attributes.]
I swallowed, my mouth dry as ash. "…Status."
The word echoed inside my head like I had spoken it in a cave. The HUD snapped open instantly, bright against the darkness.
---
Name: Elias Cross
Level: 1 (Tier 1 – Awakened)
Class: Laborer (Common)
Secondary Class: None
HP: 120 / 120
MP: 20 / 20
SP: 100 / 100
Attributes:
- Strength (STR): 8
- Endurance (END): 10
- Agility (AGI): 6
- Intelligence (INT): 5
- Perception (PER): 6
- Charisma (CHA): 4
Free Attribute Points: 5
---
The numbers meant nothing, but everything at once. Strength, endurance, agility… it was like some sick parody of a video game. Except this wasn't a screen. This wasn't something I could close. It was burned into me.
And it was real.
The moment I looked at the numbers, I could feel them. The faint thrum of my heart pumping a little steadier when I focused on Endurance. The way my grip tightened automatically when I thought of Strength.
This wasn't an illusion. This was me. My body. My soul. Quantified.
The HUD shifted again.
[Distribute 5 Attribute Points.]
[Recommendation: +2 STR, +2 END, +1 AGI.]
[Note: Allocation is permanent.]
Permanent.
I stared at the text, my pulse racing. This was real power. And it wasn't asking. It was demanding.
Somewhere down the hall, a door slammed. A man screamed—a sound cut short by a wet tearing noise.
I didn't have the luxury of hesitation.
My thumb twitched unconsciously, as if confirming something only I could see.
[Points allocated.]
[Strength increased to 10.]
[Endurance increased to 12.]
[Agility increased to 7.]
The change was instant. My body hummed with raw energy, the fatigue in my muscles dulling. The hammer in my grip no longer felt awkward—it felt like an extension of me.
It was terrifying. And addictive.
But before I could process more, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.
I jerked my head up. Shadows stretched under the emergency light. A man stumbled into view, clutching his stomach. His shirt was soaked with blood.
"Please…" he gasped, his face pale, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Please, help me—"
He collapsed onto his knees. His hands clawed at the carpet, his body shaking violently. I scrambled forward instinctively, reaching out—
—and froze when his skin rippled.
His veins darkened, spreading like black lightning across his arms, his neck, his face. His eyes rolled back until they were nothing but white.
"No," I whispered, backing up. "No, no, no—"
His head snapped up. His jaw opened too wide. His scream was inhuman.
He lunged.
I swung the hammer.
This time, it didn't slip. The weapon cracked across his skull with a wet crunch. He staggered, but kept coming, his hands clawing for my throat. I gritted my teeth, slamming my shoulder into his chest and driving him back. He snarled, spittle flying, his teeth snapping inches from my face.
I shoved him down and brought the hammer down again. Once. Twice. A third time. Each blow sent shockwaves up my arm, each impact spraying more dark fluid across the floor.
By the fourth strike, he stopped moving.
My breaths came in ragged gasps, my chest on fire. My arms shook from exertion, but beneath the exhaustion was something else.
Strength. Real strength.
The HUD flared again.
[You have slain a Tier 1 Zombie.]
[+10 Essence absorbed.]
The glowing text lingered for a moment, then faded.
I sat back, panting, staring at the body twitching in its final death throes. My stomach lurched, bile rising in my throat, but I forced it down. I couldn't afford weakness. Not now.
The world was ending. And somehow, I was supposed to survive it.
---
The apartment building erupted in chaos.
Doors slammed open and shut. Screams rang out from every floor. Footsteps thundered up and down the stairwell. Somewhere below, glass shattered.
The infection was spreading too fast.
I couldn't stay here.
But I couldn't just run, either. Not if there were people still alive inside. Not if there were voices crying for help like Mrs. Greene's had.
I tightened my grip on the hammer, knuckles white. My heart pounded in my chest, fear clawing at me, but beneath it burned something else.
Resolve.
I wasn't going to let this place become a tomb.
Not without a fight.
---