Gary felt the now-familiar minor rush of experience points coursing through his veins. He gathered that when multiple people fought an opponent, experience was awarded to all those involved, although the person who put the killing blow in gained the lion’s share.

Jonathan pulled his sword out of Forge’s massive frame, and the warrior fell to the floor, face down. Jonathan’s expression was a mixture of disgust and fury.

Then shock.

His eyes glowed and his body was suffused with a glowing white light. It lasted a split second.

“I just levelled up!” Jonathan gasped.

“Look out!” Gary shouted.

There was no time for any of them to drop their guard. The two zombies that had been feasting on Annabel’s corpse and were now hungry for more flesh. It was the couple that had died holding each other’s hands. Gary noted that, even in undeath, they were holding hands.

“Is that Mark and Sandra?” someone from the group said.

“Not anymore,” Jonathan said in a grim voice as the couple shuffled towards the group. He turned to face them, his sword held ready.

“Wait!” Gary said, suddenly recalling his power to be ignored by the dead. “I can kill them myself. You don’t need to get involved.”

He ran towards the couple and smacked them both with his shovel.

The crowd of survivors that had defeated Forge, however, had blood on their minds now. They pushed past Gary, lashing out at the zombie couple, killing them easily.

Gary was startled by another notification.

Mikey (Level one teenager) has died.

Gain 100 Experience.

Mikey? Gary wondered for a second. Who the hell is Mikey?

A few feet away, Chantelle screamed.

“Mikey, NO!”

The teenager I bit!

He whirled round to see Chantelle still leaning against the pillar as her former boyfriend crawled towards her. Chantelle kicked at his face. The zombie that had been Mikey grabbed her leg and raised his head up, planning to bite down.

With five quick strides, Jonathan reached Chantelle. He raised his sword and, with a roar of disgust, brought it down on Mikey’s back three times.

Mikey stopped moving. Chantelle kicked his hands off her, still screaming.

“Did he scratch you?” Jonathan asked.

Chantelle checked her arms and legs, then shook her head.

*

Jonathan stood up and his eyes found Gary’s. The teacher’s eyes burned, his jaw set hard with anger. For a second, Gary thought Jonathan was about to come for him. Then the teacher’s eyes flicked across to the side door and he pointed at the last battle taking place.

At the other end of the church, Rain was ducking and weaving as more zombies, commanded by Zafier, shuffled through the door. Rain had taken out most of the undead, her knives reaching their targets with unnerving speed and killing them with one blow. For their part, the zombies almost seemed reluctant to attack her. Their attempts to claw at her were sluggish, even unenthusiastic.

Zafier’s one good eye latched onto Gary and he broke away from the battle at the side door, intent on his singular goal of killing Gary.

Gary groaned and turned to face the undead necromancer with his shovel. He didn’t know if he could kill his foe again, even with the level up he had received. His legs and arms felt as weak, like he was trapped in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.

“Friend of yours?” Jonathan asked, standing beside him.

“I don’t know,” Gary said, “I’m not sure I can take much more of this.”

Jonathan readied his glowing sword. Gary lifted his shovel.

Zafier approached the two of them, his hands crackling with dark energy. The two bolts streamed out of his hands and caught Gary full in the chest. Gary screamed as his body burned.

Zafier casts darkfire at you, you lose 12 hit points

Zafier casts darkfire at you, you lose 10 hit points.

“Gaaaaaarrrryyyyyy!” Zafier hissed, his one eye gleaming with glee as Gary fell backwards. His chest was black and scorched, the aroma of his own burnt flesh stinging his nose.

Jonathan swung at the undead necromancer, his sword slicing into the undead creature’s side. Zafier roared in fury and turned his attention to the teacher, lashing out with two more darkfire balls of energy. It was Jonathan’s turn to scream as his ragged and torn suit was burned away.

Gary struggled to his feet, looking back at the survivors he had been fighting with. They were standing still, unsure of what to do.

Gary snarled and smacked Zafier with Simon.

You hit Zafier (Level 5 Undead Necromancer) for 5 points of damage

Please, please say I stunned him, Gary thought.

He was back down to 23 hit points. If he hadn’t levelled up, he’d be close to dead already.

No stun notification appeared, however. Instead, there was just the status bar.

Zafier (level 5 Undead Necromancer, Revenant)

Hit Points: 85/100

“Oh, come on!” Gary screamed, “Eighty-five? Overpowered, much?”

Jonathan had recovered in the meantime, however. Despite the blackened burns across his body, he charged back into the fight, slicing at Zafier.

Zafier (level 5 Undead Necromancer, Revenant)

Hit Points: 75/100

Zafier lashed out at Jonathan, this time with his claws. Jonathan screamed in agony as the claws raked across his chest, opening up for savage wounds and causing blood to flow. Jonathan dropped his sword and fell to his knees.

“Aaaaaagh!” Gary screamed, and he hit Zafier for all he could. “Just die already!”

You hit Zafier (Level 5 Undead Necromancer) for 5 points of damage

Zafier is stunned

Zafier (level 5 Undead Necromancer, Revenant)

Hit Points: 70/100

“YES!” Gary shouted, and he smacked Zafier with the shovel again.

You hit Zafier (Level 5 Undead Necromancer) for 4 points of damage

Zafier is stunned.

Zafier (level 5 Undead Necromancer, Revenant)

Hit Points: 66/100

“There you go!” Gary ranted. “How do you like that, hey?”

He was babbling like a demented lunatic now.

He smacked Zafier with the shovel again.

You hit Zafier (Level 5 Undead Necromancer) for 5 points of damage

Zafier (level 5 Undead Necromancer, Revenant)

Hit Points: 59/100

Zafier’s one good eye blazed with fury, as Gary’s last hit failed to stun him. Gary screamed in frustration. He had been so close, but he knew that two or three more attacks by Zafier would kill him. He wasn’t even scared of the idea of dying. He was just furious that it was going to be at the hands of this undead creature he’d already killed once.

Zafier leapt on top of Gary and started to strangle him.

Zafier strangles you for 8 points of damage.

Gary was so startled by Zafier’s sudden change of tactics that he let go of his shovel and clawed at the creature’s face.

You hit Zafier (Level 5 Undead Necromancer) for 4 points of damage

Zafier (level 5 Undead Necromancer, Revenant)

Hit Points: 55/100

Zafier’s eye was gleaming with anticipation as Gary choked beneath his hands.

“Gaaaaaarrrrrrryyyyy….” he gloated.

Gary lashed out, but Zafier had the advantage. Another 6 points dropped off Gary’s total and red flashes appeared at the corner of his eyes. He was down to 7 hit points, the blood rushing to his head as Zafier strangled him and he tried to claw at the revenant. Another 5 points as Gary choked and struggled.

Then Zafier’s grip relaxed.

His one good eye went wide with shock.

The revenant slumped forwards, two black knives in his back.

Gary scrabbled at the body on top of him, pushing it aside.

Rain stood over him.