chapter two

Ethan blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He was no longer in the dark, oppressive alleyway, but instead stood in a brightly lit room with clean white walls and a high ceiling. The air felt sterile, and there was an unfamiliar hum of technology around him. He looked down and saw that Sarah was still with him, equally bewildered. He looked around and saw he was in a more serene environment

"Where are we?" Sarah asked, her voice echoing slightly in the empty space.

Before Ethan could respond, a holographic screen appeared in front of them, flickering to life. A calm, synthetic voice spoke.

[ SYSTEM MESSAGE : Welcome, Ethan Harris. You have activated the Zombie System. This system is designed to provide strategic assistance and resources to help you in this event of a catastrophic outbreak. Please remain calm as we process your request. ]

" Are you seeing this?" Ethan looked at Sarah who didn't understand a thing he was saying.

Ethan frowned, trying to grasp the situation. "Strategic assistance? What does that mean?"

He felt a sharp pain to the back of his head once again and the holographic screen displayed itself yet again

[ SYSTEM BOOTING IN 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 ]

[ SYSTEM SUCESSFULLY ACTIVATED ]

[ SYSTEM NAME : ETHAN HARRIS ]

[ AGE : 32 ]

[ SKILLS ; NONE ]

[ SYSTEM TASK ; KILL THE FIRST THREE ZOMBIES AND YOU WILL BE GIVING THE PRIVILEGE TO THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES ]

Before Ethan could say a word, he looked up again and the Holographic system displayed another message

[ SYSTEM REWARDS ; A series of options, each labeled with different types of assistance: Weapons, Medical Supplies, Tactical Support, and Reconnaissance. You have the opportunity of picking just an option after fulfilling your first mission. ]

Ethan throbbing headache began to calm itself. He looked around and the message disappeared

Ethan glanced at Sarah, who looked at him and wondered what was going on with him. "We need to find your sister first. Do you have any idea where she might have gone too or been too?" Sarah asked still looking around the environment.

" I am not sure, we both haven't talked before the apocalypse broke out but I am sure she would make her way back home. That is the first thing my sister would do." Ethan replied

" How do we get out of here? Do you have any ideas?" Sarah looked at Ethan

" First we need weapons. We can't just venture into the city swarm with zombies. We need to have something we can defend ourselves with. " Ethan. replied holding his head

" What was that you were saying before? What do you mean by a Zombie system?" Sarah asked, helping Ethan to get up to his feet. " I might have seen it wrong. I am not sure what I saw but whatever it is, I think they helped us get away from the horde."

Ethan pushed the door gently and they both walked out and saw an armory right In front of them. "I think whoever did this just helped us. They are a life saver." Ethan smiled running towards the Armory to gather weapons and supplies. Sarah trailed behind him as they both walked into the armory. They were surprised to see all sorts of weapons hanging on the walls and tables.

" Wow!" Sarah ran towards a compound arrow and picked it up, taking as many arrows she can find. Ethan looked at her " Why aren't you going for a gun. A gun is faster and more reliable" He advised as he took a bag he saw on the floor to have it loaded with weapons.

" We don't want to make a sound when we shoot or kill these creatures." Sarah replied

Ethan nodded, he remembered the zombies were drawn to sounds. He looked through the armory and saw some silencer he can use with his pistol. Grabbing all they needed, they were set to face whatever comes next.

Before they could blink, everything became white again and they saw themselves back in front of the horde. " Damn it! what the hell just happened?" Ethan shouted looking at Sarah as they began to shoot to clear a path for themselves.

As Ethan killed many zombies on his way, the system began the count and it became more like a game zone for him.

They were able to get away from the zombie when the holographic message appeared again.

[ SYSTEM TASK SUCCESSFULLY DONE! ]

[ CONGRATULATIONS ON YOU FINISHING YOUR FIRST MISSION]

[ PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK THE SYSTEM FOR ANYTHING WEAPON NEEDED IN DEFEATING THE ZOMBIES]

Ethan looked again and the system was gone. " How do I even contact the system when I need it?" He thought to himself and it looked as if the system could hear his thought

[ SYSTEM REWARDS WOULD DISPLAY ITSELF ONCE YOU ARE PERILOUS SITUATIONS. NOTE : YOU HAVE ONLY ONCE CHANCE TO PICK WHATEVER COMES YOUR WAY ]

Ethan sighed and looked at Sarah who was trying to catch her breath. " We can't stay here, we need to be on our way." He helped Sarah to get feet.

Sarah's stomach rumbled and they knew they had to find a place to eat. The whole city looks deserted and most of the cafeteria were swarmed with hordes.

" We need to find a more decent place to look for some food." Ethan looked at Sarah

They were a few miles ahead of the horde when they saw a cafeteria ahead of them. Feeling tired and hungry, Ethan and Sarah increased their pace.

Ethan. looked at Sarah " I will try to go in while you have my back. On the count of three." He raised his hand as he counted the numbers before pushing his way into the little cafeteria right in front of him. Everywhere looks dirty and unkept. Flies buzzed around and Ethan saw the attendant who had herself poisoned. " Look around and see if we can grab anything to eat. And make sure you are not to attract the walkers." Ethan advised

They split up to find some snacks or food and meet back at the same point. Ethan grabbed as many snacks as he could come around and went back to the spot to wait for Sarah but was surprised to see her being pushed out of a corner. Sarah fell to the floor while Ethan ran to help her. He raised his head up but was met by a sharp blow to his face. He groaned as everything became hazy. Ethan fainted.