An empty hallway greets me but the distant sounds of moans still permeate beyond the rhythmic screeching of the fire alarm. Looking left and right reveals no shambling bodies. I walk out and think of a plan to clear the floor.

Each floor after the second is built generally the same, the tenth being the most different. A large rectangle with two sets of inner walls that make each floor look like a boxy eight. The inner walled off sections house the mail room for the floor, private restroom, small break rooms, and some meeting rooms.

The elevators sit in the middle of one of the long walls. Following the wall with the elevator in either direction will lead you to the group bathrooms and the stairwells. One stairwell on either side of the elevators in the middle.

After coming out of the elevators is an open hallway with a kitchen type set up for employees to eat and store personal lunches. Getting to the back wall you’re met with windows that stretch around the whole floor except for the wall with the elevators. Cubicles fill in the empty space on each floor.

Following the path I would take to patrol the floor leads me into a figure eight. I crouch and hug the wall with windows. I turn left and start walking. I check the mail room and find nothing to worry about and continue on. I reach the open space at the end of the floor, filled with cubicles.

I walk around them all keeping an eye on the spaces beneath the desks that lets me see across the floor. Nothing moves or makes me think that a zombie is hiding in a cubicle. I make it to the corner of the floor and check the next hallway that leads to the stairwell and the elevators.

Two figures stand in the hallway, one in front of each open door leading to the stairwell. The starwell further from me appears to have another zombie rocking just beyond it, occasionally coming into view.

Not being able to see if any other zombies are on the floor I deliberate between using mana or trying to save it. I take a second and form a plan. I take my free hand and make a gun symbol.

Artic blue light illuminates the corner I’m in as Rifle Round forms before me. I close one eye and take aim at the zombie furthest from me. The spell fires off singing a quite whistling sound and leaving a sky blue trail floating in the air.

The spell zips into the zombies head and punches a hole clean through, dissipating in a small explosion as it does so. The zombie falls to the ground, the blue box above it flashing black before disappearing.

The body hitting the ground grabs the attention of the other zombie in the hall. With a hoarse moan it starts shambling towards the other zombie, followed by two from the stairwell closest to me. While a single zombie from the stairwell furthest from me shambles out and trips over the zombie.

While I can’t lock the doors leading to the stairwells while the fire alarm is going off I can close them. They automatically open when the alarm sounds but they aren’t constantly being forced open, just held.

So after the three zombies get far enough away I sneak forwards to the stairwell door. Pulling on it causes a loud click as the mechanism holding it open snaps and lets the door swing close. The zombies in front of me snap around eyeing me.

They howl at me as they recognize me as prey. They start their slow shamble forwards. Expecting it this time I don’t panic and run with fear like I did before. I’m not the prey they think I am. The same burning anger rises in me as I bare my teeth.

I stand and charge the four activating my Mana Saw around my baton. I let the anger eat away at any doubt in me, hesitating now will only get me killed. I meet the first zombie right in front of the elevators.

I lash out with the baton aiming between the creatures eyes. With the force of my attack and the mana coating the shaft, the tip of the baton digs into the skull like it was butter. The numbers in the floating box above the zombies head decrease fast and in a second reach zero. The box flashes black and disappears. The zombie falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes, my baton sliding from the skull with ease.

I lurch backwards as the next zombie lunges forwards grabbing out at me. I avoid it’s grab and back peddle just out of it’s reach. It charges forwards, tripping over the corpse at its feet.

Not wanting to be tripped again like before, I slam the baton down on it’s head before it could try and trip me. It’s skull splits open with ease and it’s health drops to zero in an instant. I jump backwards expecting another attack.

The third zombie walks around the two corpses following me with a madness I’ve never seen in any other creature. The hunger behind their eyes is almost frightening. I take another step back giving me a little more breathing room.

I lunge forward like a fencer, my baton being my sabor. It digs into the eye of one zombie depleting its health fast as it’s brains are turned to mush. I pull my baton free and watch it’s body fall.

A sudden pressure on my shoulder pulls me backwards. The grip of the fingers feels almost painful. Trying to recover I trip over my own feet falling to the ground.

A new zombie falls into my view as It’s pulled down by it’s own vice-like grip. The zombie looks at me and lunges for me. I drive my baton into it only to find the black metal pressing against the zombies skull. My mana is no longer rotating around it like a saw.

Cursing to myself I push the baton forwards, throwing the zombie back a little. Twisting over to my belly as fast as I can I notice the zombie crawling to a kneeling position.

I lash out slamming the black metal into the thing's shin. Sending it toppling over to its side. It’s head smacking the ground with a satisfying thud. Leaping up

Leaping up and on to the zombie I straddle the monster, lifting the baton above my head. Casing Mana Saw, I feel the baton heat up in my hands as energy coats it’s surface. Like it’s a dagger, I bring the baton down. The mana-covered weapon chews through flesh and bone, eating away at brain matter until the zombie stops moving. The blue light flashing black and disappearing.

I stand up quickly whirling around looking for another enemy. Not noticing any I let the spell dissipate and quickly make my way to the other starwell door. Peeking into the stare well doesn’t let me see anymore zombies but I can hear their moans echoing around.

I close the door hoping that the snapping sound wouldn’t bring more zombies down on me. Looking back at the five bodies before me I’m left feeling satisfied with my spells. Sighing I put my back to a wall and slide to the floor feeling tired after the fight.

PING! PING!

Level Up

Level Up

Two windows pop up before me in quick succession with two sounds of a bell. They disappear after reading them. I open my stat screen and read over it. I notice that I’ve leveled up twice and I now have ten free Attribute Points to spend.

I contemplate on what attributes I should increase. Right now the most useful attribute I have would be my Intelligence, but I don’t know if that’s going to last forever. Thinking it over I decided to spend only half of my Attribute points, dumping them all into my Intelligence.

PING!

Title unlocked: Enlightened

You are four times as smart as the average person.

+10 to Mana

The new screen before me baffles me for a second. That’s a nice surprise, it looks like I can also gain titles that give me buffs. I open my character sheet and read over it.

General information:

Attributes:

Value

Name:

Joel Dylan

STR:

9

Level:

4

DEX:

6

To Next Level

5/75

AGI:

6

Sex:

Male

END:

9

Age:

19

INT:

20

Class:

Mage

WIS:

11

LUC:

4

HP

100/100

CHA:

5

Mana

50/50

PER:

8

WIL:

6

Free Attribute points:

5

So the more I kill the stronger I get, and the stronger I get the more efficiently I can kill the zombies. I smile to myself, I’m a predator that grows stronger the more I kill.

I stand after letting my mana pool replenish. Looking inside of myself I can tell that my small pond is growing. With a bit more points I might be willing to call it a small lake.

I search the rest of the floor finding no zombies and make my way back to a starwell. Looking through the glass window in the door I don’t see any movement but I can still hear muffled moans. I set my heart and slowly open the door and head towards the third floor.