Gary felt a rush of energy sweep through him as his hit points were restored to their new total of 45 points. His character sheet flashed in front of his eyes.

Class: Human Undead

Type: Heavy Zombie

Level: 2

Experience: 1625/3000

Hit Points: 45/45

Recovery: 2 HP/10 minutes

Attacks:

Claw +20% 2-6 Infectious chance +35%

Bite +30% 4-8 Infectious chance +75%

Special Weapon: Shovel +30% 6-9 damage, Critical Hit 18, 30% chance to stun

Defence:

Damage Resistance: All damage reduced by 2 points except for critical hits.

Immune to poison. Immune to drowning. Immune to radiation. Immune to Diseases. Immunity to infection.

Special:

Regeneration.

Regain 4-8 HP for eating the living.

Regain 3-6 HP for eating the recently deceased.

Goal: Defend yourself. Eat the Living. Level up.

Gary felt stronger, faster and more capable than when he’d been shuffling around at level 1. He also noted that his attack damage for Simon had improved. Was that because he was getting better, or had Simon somehow become stronger as well?

Rain stood in front of him.

“Um, so, thanks,” Gary said, “And, uh, you know, why?”

Rain had been one of the other gambles that he’d been taking. He’d already sensed that she wasn’t happy with the behaviour of her companions and had hoped that she would stay out of the upcoming fight.

Having her switch sides was something he hadn’t dared hope for.

Rain looked at him with the same inscrutable expression.

“You need to live,” she stated, a sentence which made no sense to Gary. She said the words with an odd, halting conviction.

“And killing the living is...” she continued. She frowned, searching for the right word.

“... wrong.”

She nodded, as if satisfied she had got a hand-me-down rule right.

Gary gazed at her, lost for words and perplexed.

Okay, he thought, at some point I’m going to understand whatever the hell is going on with this person. Right now, she’s on our side, and that’s all that matters.

Rain held her hand out, and Gary handed her back her knife.

They turned to look at the battle taking place in front of the altar.

There were eight people standing, including Jonathan. The seven that had turned on Morgan had now turned their rage against Forge. This was, however, not as easy as overpowering Morgan had been. The warrior was huge, and everyone had seen what he could do with just one fist. His strength was superhuman, and they knew it.

So they had formed a circle around the warrior, who was keeping them at bay with swipes of his axe, snarling. Two of the survivors had retrieved the five foot high metal candle holders and were using them as impromptu spears, trying to stab at Forge with the pointed end. The jabs were ineffectual, however, barely puncturing Forge’s tattered armour.

If the warrior had taken any damage, he wasn’t showing any signs of it, and so a strange dance-like non-fight was occurring. The survivors circled the huge warrior like wary wolves whilst Forge lashed out with his axe, keeping them at bay but not injuring them. Jonathan stood as part of the group, still gripping the glowing sword, righteous rage on his face.

Gary had no way of knowing the odds of either side winning the battle. If he had to place a bet, it would have been on Forge. It didn’t matter that there were eight against him. They were level 1 humans, none of them used to fighting. Forge was just toying with them, waiting for one of them to get too close so he could kill them.

“Give up,” Jonathan said. “If you do, I promise you won’t be harmed.”

Forge barked a cynical laugh and slashed his axe at Jonathan. Jonathan leapt backwards, and the axe went wide.

Over on the other side, the corpse of Annabel was being munched on by the two remaining zombies in the church. Caught by surprise, she’d been pinned down and unable to overcome the creatures.

“We have to help them,” Gary hissed at Rain.

“You mean, I have to help them,” Rain replied. It was the first sign of humour or humanity that he’d caught from her.

“I mean… yes?” Gary said, “If you don’t mind?”

Rain glanced at Forge, surrounded by the few remaining survivors.

“They’re not relevant,” she said. “We need to go now.”

Yet again, Gary found himself on the back foot where Rain was concerned. The blue-skinned woman was operating under an obscure code of her own.

“No,” Gary said, “We’re not leaving them. Forge will kill them.”

“Perhaps,” Rain said, “It doesn’t matter. I need you to come with me.”

Gary frowned. He was starting to suspect that Rain had double-crossed her former companions simply because she wanted to sell him herself. But that didn’t feel right. She seemed more concerned with Gary’s safety and survival than anything else. If she had decided she could sell him and take the reward for herself, then she was even more ruthless than the other three.

Except that she hadn’t been willing to let them force Gary to slaughter the survivors. Sure, she had waited until the last second before stepping in, but that had been because she’d been waiting to see what Gary would do.

“I don’t understand,” Gary said. “Why are you doing this?”

Before Rain could reply, the side door to the church burst open.

Gary whirled round, his heart pounding. More undead were spilling through the side door.

What the hell? We got rid of all of them!

It took him a couple of seconds to recognise the figure leading the new mob of undead as they entered the church.

He was dressed in familiar looking black robes, its face split in two with one eye hanging down. With its good eye, the horror fixed its gaze on Gary. Hatred burned there.

A notification flashed in front of Gary.

Your Revenant has arrived (Zafier level 4 Revenant, Necromancer)!

Kill your Revenant before it kills you!

“Gaaaaaaarrrrrrrryyyyyyy!”

Zafier pointed a desiccated finger at Gary.

“Oh no,” Gary muttered.

Rain’s eyes fixed on Zafier.

“Is that... do you have a revenant after you? Already?”

“It looks like it? I guess?” Gary said.

“I don’t believe this,” Rain muttered, “This reality was seeded, what, six hours ago and you already have a revenant?”

She paused, then added;

“I mean, that is just so Gary.”

Gary froze at the phrase.

Oh no, he thought, please don’t tell me that’s a thing where she comes from.

“What did you just say?”

“Never mind. I’ll deal with this,” Rain said, pushing Gary backwards.

Rain raced towards Zafier, her knives drawn. Three of Zafier’s zombies moved to block her, swinging with their vicious claws.

Zafier, blocked from reaching his target, looked at Gary even more furiously, his finger still pointing at Gary.

“I mean, this is just my luck, isn’t it?” Gary muttered to himself, “Of course I’ve got zombie with a grudge on my case. Of course I have.”

And had Rain really said what he thought she had?

Gary prayed he had misheard her. Because the implications of not having done so were too horrible for him to think about.

A scream from behind him broke Gary from the tumult of emotions and thoughts. He spun round to see that Forge had killed one survivor, cleaving him in two with his giant axe as if he was cutting through warm butter. Except this butter bled and spilled guts and viscera everywhere.

Gary glanced back again at Rain as she stabbed, sliced and ducked the zombies that Zafier was commanding. She was that impossible blur again, spinning and dodging their attacks and then cutting them down. More zombies were spilling through the door.

That can wait, Gary thought. I don’t care what Rain thinks is important. Forge is going to kill everyone here if I don’t help to stop him.

Except that Rain had taken back her knife, which left Gary relying on his claws. He looked around for a weapon to use.

Over in the north transept he spied his shovel, propped against a pillar and forgotten about in the last half an hour’s mayhem. Without hesitation, Gary ran towards it. He noticed his levelling up had made him faster than before. He wasn’t shuffling anymore, and his running speed was the same as he was used to.

Okay, so there is something to be said for levelling up, he thought.

He hadn’t had a chance to assess how he felt after the initial burst of hit points through his body. As he rushed towards his shovel, however, he realised that not only was he faster, he felt tougher and stronger. He’d already fought three heavies, and he knew from that experience that they were more dangerous than the standard zombies.

Which meant that Gary was more dangerous now, too.

He reached his shovel in the triage area. Chantelle, the girl who had attacked him, was still leaning against a pillar, nursing her broken wrist. She looked terrified as Gary approached her, but he ignored her. Grabbing Simon, he whirled round the pillar and raced towards Forge.

Barging between two of the survivors, he slammed Simon as hard as he could into Forge’s red-bearded face.

Forge roared in shock and anger.

Critical Hit! You hit Forge (Level 13 Warrior) for 18 points of damage.

Forge is stunned for one round.

“WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?” Gary shouted.

Forge’s status bar blinked into sight above his head.

Hit points 90/170

Mana Points 7/55

“Hit him!” Gary shouted. Forge stood like an oak tree wobbling in the wind, his eyes rolling in his skull.

The others didn’t need telling twice. Acting as one, in a mob-like frenzy, they kicked, punched, stabbed and hit Forge. Gary hit Forge in the face again for another 6 points of damage. The two survivors wielding the five foot iron candle holders landed blows worth 5 points each, and one of them stunned Forge again, as 2 and 3 point punches and kicks rained down on the warrior.

Jonathan swung the glowing sword he’d retrieved from Annabel and hit Forge for a massive twenty points of damage.

Forge, stunned again, tried in vain to lash out with his fist, but only punched the air.

Hit points 46/170

Mana Points 7/55

“Kill the bastard!” someone screamed. Forge roared as Gary smacked him with the shovel again. Forge fell to his knees.

“I’ll kill you all!” he raged.

More punches, kicks and blows. Another stun.

And then Jonathan, with a roar of fury, skewered the red-haired giant with his glowing sword.

Another notification flashed in front of Gary’s eyes.

Forge (Level 13 Warrior) is dead.

Shared kill.

You gain 325 experience points.