1 – A Survivor

Cody Wolfe didn’t know how long he had been running. His legs and lungs were on the verge of giving up.

But those three living corpses still chase him.

The black-haired young man has no weapons. Even if he was holding one, he wasn’t sure he could fight with such extreme fatigue.

Those zombies were only meters away from him. But they were not getting faster. Instead, Cody’s speed decreased because of the exhaustion.

He would become their meal if things continued like this.

Feeling he had no choice, Cody turned towards a house with an open door.

“Damn it!“ Cody cursed as he discovered the broken doorknob, preventing him from locking it.

Meanwhile, the growl of the zombies was so close.

The zombies were still chasing him as he ran into the house. He entered a toilet, locked it, and then sat on the floor to catch his breath.

That’s all he can do. He hid to rest for while seeking a solution. Running further was impossible, with little stamina remaining.

But he won’t be able to stay there forever.

The zombies pounded on the door. As time went on, it got louder.

Cody squeezed his head, not knowing what else to do. Those zombies won’t stop.

The only way out was through that door.

Two months had passed since the zombie apocalypse, yet Cody had never encountered zombies like them. Usually, those walking corpse just walk around like drunk people, but sometimes with large number. So it’s hard to fight them.

Therefore, he and his traveling companions were surprised when they discovered zombies that could run. They were unprepared and became victims of the ferocity of those awful beings.

Only Cody escaped.

The pounding grew harder, swaying the door. Cody rose to his feet, gulped hard, and took a few steps back.

Apart from being faster than ordinary zombies, they seem stronger.

The door will break soon. Should he give up?

No. Cody didn’t like that idea. He survived long enough. He didn’t want his fight and struggle to be in vain.

Thus, he lowered his backpack, then raised both fists.

“Come on, you mindless f*ckers!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “Fight me!”

Those words were not to provoke the zombies, but to strengthen his resolve. He would face death, after all.

He would only stop when his heart stopped beating.

Ding!

In front of Cody, a screen materialized, black and transparent, bearing a single line of text.

[Congratulations, Cody Wolfe! We have selected you to use the Zombie Control System. You can control zombies according to your will]

Cody could only stare at the floating screen. His brain still couldn’t process what was happening.

[Scanning the zombies around...]

[Three zombies found]

[Choose 1 zombie you want to control by pressing the image]

Then, three images of the zombies that had been chasing Cody appeared.

The bathroom door slid in, triggering Cody to flinch.

There’s no time left.

[You still want to survive, right? Use this system, then]

Cody focused on the word ‘survive.’

The bathroom door collapsed, and the zombies rushed in.

Just then, Cody pressed one of the zombie’s photos.

[Now you can control these zombies with your mind]

Just inches away, two zombies were about to bite Cody. But the third one grabbed those two beings’ clothes, making them fall backwards.

Cody held his breath. The zombies he controlled did what he wanted.

The young man then made his zombie hold the other two living corpses on the floor, allowing him to escape.

But he stopped after only running a few meters.

He had already gained a power, why did he have to run away?

The young man glanced at his zombie, who was struggling to hold off its enemy. Those two undead growled and tried to creep over to Cody.

Cody’s breathing grew more intense once more. But this time not from exhaustion. Overwhelming emotions filled his heart.

He was tired of running away. He also won’t forget how those creatures killed his friends.

Cody still left, letting his zombie do its job. No. The young man won’t run away.

After a quick search, he took a metal stool from the kitchen and returned. That thing is quite heavy and sturdy, making it suitable as a weapon.

When he arrived near the bathroom, one zombie escaped and ran towards Cody. The young man greeted that being with a strong head blow using the stool.

The zombie fell and Cody didn’t waste the opportunity. He smashed that being’s head many times using the stool.

Black blood spurted in various directions. Despite his hand joints feeling on the verge of breaking from excessive movement, Cody didn’t care.

“Hah, hah….” He then stopped, while panting like crazy.

The zombies are no longer moving. Its head was shapeless.

After only running away for so long, he won against one of them.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. Yes, those beings are mindless and likely cannot feel pain. But Cody still felt something after destroying one of them.

He enjoys it. It’s the same as when he defeated a powerful boss monster that killed his character many times in a game.

A few seconds passed. The young man glanced at the bathroom. The enemy undead crawled out, even though Cody’s zombie still holds it back.

He wasn’t satisfied yet.