Zombie Apocalypse System

Soundlessly, Vincent opened the door slightly and peeked.

'A human?' A huge burden fell off his heart, and he relaxed slightly.

A tall, skinny man nervously walked up and down the house, tightly holding his left palm within his right palm.

"Who are you?" Vincent opened the door.

"Aghh!" The man jumped in fear, falling to the side.

"Ahh-Ahh..." The man panted in fear. Tears welled in his eyes.

"I asked who are you?" Vincent frowned.

"I-I'm Finn!" The man exclaimed in panic.

"What are you screaming for?" Vincent spoke through gritted teeth. "Do you want the monsters to find us?"

"I-I'm sorry," Finn lowered his voice.

"Quick, enter," Vincent slightly moved his head, gesturing Finn to enter the bathroom.

Finn stood up quickly and ran into the bathroom.

Vincent closed the door.

"Your hand..." Vincent frowned as he noticed Finn clenching his left palm.

Blood dripped on the floor.

"I-I got cut when trying to enter through the window," Finn replied.

Vincent nodded in understanding. 'The window I broke...'

"My name is Vincent. Do you mind me asking, how did you come here?" He questioned.

"I-I was with a group. A monster chased us, and we got separated. I ran alone. This place seemed like a good shelter, so I entered."

Vincent nodded.

Drip!

The blood dripped on the blue bathroom tiles.

Vincent's eyes widened. 'His hand...If I remember correctly, the animals have an enhanced sense of smell. If those monsters are anything alike...no, if I assume those monsters have an even stronger sense of smell, won't they be able to smell the blood and find us.' The frown on his face deepened.

Anxiety took over Finn as he saw Vincent's expression.

'I don't know how the situation is outside, but the government can't handle this. It's chaos. Laws don't exist anymore, I'm certain. In those dark times, everyone prioritizes their own survival.' Vincent reasoned internally. 'Should I kick him out?...No' He shook his head. 'If I kick him out, I'll be sentencing him to death.'

The images of him abandoning that father and child flashed in his mind.

'Though times are dark, I haven't abandoned my humanity. I'm still human. I can't leave him to die just because of such a small injury.'

Vincent turned the faucet, but no water came out.

'As I suspected, the water network of the city must be destroyed.'

"Wait here. I'll see if there is first aid or something to help with your wound," Saying this, Vincent left the bathroom.

Quietly, he walked into the kitchen to first search for water. As he suspected, since no one had lived in this house for a long time, he found nothing but thick layers of dust. The fridge was empty.

In the corner of one drawer, he found a half-empty jar of honey.

'Great!' Vincent celebrated internally. 'Though there is nothing in the house, at least there is honey. I heard it can be used for wounds. In an extreme situation like now, it's better than nothing.'

Vincent took the jar of honey and quietly searched the rest of the house for the first aid, but in vain. He returned to the bathroom with the jar of honey.

A small puddle of blood had formed below Finn.

"I found just this," Vincent walked in and locked the door behind.

He looked around the bathroom. His eyes landed on the curtain of the bathtub. His gaze went up and landed on the silver-colored pipe from which the curtains hung.

Riip!

Vincent put the jar on the ground and tore the textile curtain.

As he took down the large curtain, he ripped several smaller pieces out of it.

"Wipe your wound with those," He grabbed the silver pipes.

"Aghh!" Vincent pulled with all his might.

The pipes were lightly placed into the bathroom tiles, so they came off easily.

The pipes were L-shaped and hollow.

Vincent put his feet in the corner of the L shape and started moving one end up and down. In just a minute, the material of the pipe at the corner gave up and tore, leaving Vincent with two separate pipes.

"They are hollow but can be used as a weapon for now."

He glanced at Finn.

"What are you doing?" He caught Finn staring at him. "I told you to wipe your wound with the curtain."

"Ahh...I'm sorry," Finn snapped out of it and quickly grabbed the curtain. He started wiping the blood off his wound.

"When you're done, apply the honey on your wound and then wrap a clean piece of the curtain around your wound," Vincent instructed.

Finn followed his instructions. It didn't take him long. He applied the honey and tightly wrapped the curtain around his palm, stopping the bleeding.

In the time Vincent met Finn, and they did all those things, night fell outside. It was barely 16:30, but night had fallen. A consequence of the dimensional rift in the sky.

Vincent licked his dry lips in an attempt to moisten them. He was thirsty.

Both his and Finn's stomachs growled occasionally.

'Though the body can last a long time without food, it's better to take the risk now and search for resources. When I get too hungry, I'll be weaker. That'll only increase the danger outside.'

"Finn, this can't continue," Vincent said. "We need resources. We need food and water. It's too dangerous now at night. We don't know if the monsters can see at night. If they do, then we'll be at a disadvantage. We'll wait till morning and then search the adjacent building for resources,"

Finn nodded. "You seem to know a lot on how to survive." He said.

"No, I'm just cautious and implementing the basic knowledge. If the monsters have a vision close to that of cats at night, we'll be doomed at night. I'm just thinking through my actions several times before actually implementing them."

"I-I see." Finn lowered his head. He was so scared, let alone think so profoundly as Vincent, he couldn't even think straight.

"We'll take turns sleeping," Vincent said. "You sleep first. I'll wake you up when it's my turn to sleep."

Finn nodded. He leaned on the wall and closed his eyes. It didn't take long to fall asleep as he had been exhausted and under immense stress. Now he could finally relax for a second.

...

Several hours later.

"Finn, wake up," Vincent shook Finn.

Finn slowly came to himself. "Wha...?"

"It's your turn. Remember. If you hear footsteps or any monsters nearby, wake me up immediately. We need to be prepared to run."

In the darkness of the night, the screams of the monsters rang in the distance. The distant screams immediately freshened Finn. Their life was at the edge. There was no time to relax.

Finn nodded, and Vincent went to sleep.

...

As the hours passed and dawn approached, the screams of the monsters became less. And when dawn arrived, the screams completely disappeared.

"Vincent..." Finn called.

Vincent's eyes flew open, and he jumped. Living on the edge, he couldn't relax even in his sleep. "What happened?" He asked, alert.

"It's dawn," Finn replied.

It took Vincent a few seconds to calm down. "How was the situation at night?"

"T-Their screams filled the night. A few times, the beasts came close, and I was about to wake you up. But luckily, they left." Finn replied.

"So they were active..." Vincent muttered, falling into deep thought. Under the threat of his life, his mind raced, thinking of several possibilities in just a few seconds. 'So, it safe to assume that the beasts are more active during the night,'

Vincent grabbed the weapon he prepared beforehand, the hollow pipe. "Finn, take the other pipe and follow me. We'll go and search the adjacent house."

Trembling, Finn grabbed the remaining pipe and followed after Vincent.

They left the bathroom and walked to the broken window of the house.

Vincent took the lead. Careful not to cut himself on the glass remaining on the window frame, he jumped out of the house.

Immediately, he lay on the ground on his stomach, hiding behind the rubble of his fallen house.

Though Vincent assumed the beasts were more active during the night, it was just his assumption. He wasn't willing to bet his life on it, so he was extra careful.

Thud!

Finn landed beside him and crouched.

Vincent looked around, and after confirming that the surroundings were clear, he raised in a crouching position.

Slowly, he moved along the wall of the house, heading to the other side where the adjacent house was.

Vincent moved carefully but also quickly. Finn followed.

Their hearts raced, adrenaline pumping. Just being out in the open exposed them to tremendous danger.

In a minute, they reached the other side of the house. As they entered the small space between the two houses, they relaxed slightly. Their exposure was far less here.

Clash!

As quietly as he could, Vincent broke the window above them with the pipe.

Immediately, he and Finn shielded their eyes as a portion of the glass shards fell on them.

"Support me to get up there," Vincent turned to Finn.

"H-How?"

Vincent put the steel pipe aside and put his open palms one under the other. "Do it like this. I'll step on your palms."

Finn nodded and followed Vincent's instructions.

Vincent took his pipe. "Be sure to hold me well. We can't waste any time." 

Finn nodded and lowered his palms.

Vincent stepped with one foot and raised, immediately supporting himself with one hand on the wall of the house.

Clack! Clack!

He hit the glass shards on the window frame, further breaking them.

"I...can't hold on much longer..." Finn uttered, his face red as he gave it his all.

Then, Vincent threw the pipe inside the house.

Swoosh!

Vincent grabbed for the small surface before the window frame and pulled himself up with Finn's support from below.

Thud!

Vincent entered the house.

Immediately, he took the pipe and looked around the house, searching for any danger.

Clothes were thrown all around the house, and there was no dust, indicating that someone lived here not long ago, probably until before the towers descended.

After confirming that the house was empty, without danger, Vincent returned to the window. He removed all the glass shards off the window frame and leaned over the window frame.

He extended his arms down.

With a jump, Finn grabbed his hands, and Vincent pulled him up inside the house.

Vincent headed to the kitchen, and Finn followed.

Upon opening the fridge, a wide smile spread on Vincent's face.

There were several bottles of water. A bottle of juice and several cans of food in the fridge. There was also a tray of homecooked food, but it has already gone bad.

Vincent immediately took a water bottle and greedily gulped it down, hydrating himself.

Finn also took a bottle and drank water.

"Go look around the house and gather clothes. We can't wear the same clothes all day, and we can use clothes for wounds." Vincent said.

Finn didn't complain and went into the bedroom.

Vincent opened everything around the kitchen.

A new, suitable weapon entered his eyes as he opened a drawer. A big cooking knife. Without hesitation, he took it and continued searching.

In the end, he found a few packs of noodles.

Finn also returned with a bunch of clothes.

So, they prepared to leave.

The first aid kit was on the fridge. They took it and left the house.

Carefully, they headed back to their hose and entered through the broken window. They didn't relax and immediately entered the bathroom, locking the door behind them.

Vincent put the items they acquired on the ground, analyzing them.

'Those water bottles, food cans, and noodles should be able to last us a few days,' Vincent analyzed. 'With the cooking knife, we have a weapon. And we also got a first aid kit. Not bad.'

They also took other daily necessities like a fork, spoon, and a cup.

"Well, let's eat," Vincent grabbed a can of food.

Finn nodded.

They each opened a can of food and immediately dug in.

...

Time flew by, and quickly, a week passed since the towers descended.

Vincent and Finn sat on the floor of the bathroom, eating.

'It's been a week since the towers descended. According to my observations, the monsters are mostly active at night.' Vincent thought, eating. He glanced at the bathtub filled with several first aid kits 'We have gone through all the houses in the surroundings and took all the resources.'

He glanced beside him. There were several cooking knives. 'That said, these are our last cans of food.'

Near the bathtub were two bottles of water.

'We're running low on water, too,' Vincent raised his head and looked at the window. 'Night will fall soon. The monsters will get active.'

"Finn, we're running low on supplies," Vincent spoke. "I know a supermarket nearby. We should be able to get lots of resources."

During these few days, Vincent and Finn grew closer.

"I-Isn't it too dangerous?" Finn questioned in worry.

"It is. Everything is dangerous now. Nothing is safe. But we should get the resources while we still have energy. If we wait, it'll only get more dangerous."

Finn stayed quiet but nodded.

"We'll go tomorrow morning."

"Alright,"

Vincent and Finn finished their food and went to sleep.

One slept while the other kept watch. They took turns during the night.

The occasional roars of the monsters filled the night. But they were far less than previously. After a week, those who survived learned to be far more careful and to avoid the monsters.

The hours flew by, and soon, dawn arrived.

In the morning, Vincent woke Finn up, and taking a pair of knives, they left the house.

Due to the lack of sunlight, it was not particularly warm outside. But at this moment, when adrenaline rushed through their body, Finn and Vincent didn't feel cold.

They quickly moved down the streets.

Vincent observed the state of the streets and the state of the city. He couldn't help but recall when those streets bustled with vendors and people. Now they were in ruins and deserted. The foul stench of rotten vegetables spread through the air.

If not for the threat to their lives, Vincent would have thought this all was a dream.

"Vincent, that is..." Finn furrowed his eyes. He ran before Vincent into the distance.

"What is it?" Vincent slowly walked behind him.

"Bleeeugh!" Suddenly, Finn collapsed into the distance, vomiting.

"What happened?" Vincent ran to him.

The moment his eyes landed on the sight a little before Finn, he felt as if someone cut his legs. His knees trembled, and he collapsed on his knees.

The feeling of his intestines turning over went up his throat. "Bleeeah! He vomited to the side.

A dead body lay before their eyes. The body was in such a bad state that if not for the long hair, they wouldn't even know it was a woman. The whole abdomen and chest of the woman were ruptured. The intestines, heart, lungs, everything has been eaten, including the eyeballs. The skin on the face.

The mouth of the woman was wide open, the tongue eaten. The eye sockets were empty, and the blood around it had dried up. A rotten stench filled the air.

"Get...away..." Vincent uttered as he barely stood up and walked away from the dead body.

Finn followed.

However, the rotten stench still lingered in their nostrils, making them vomit everything they have eaten.

'This is reality?' A thought crossed Vincent's mind as he supported himself with his hands on the ground, preventing him from falling. His body trembled, and he couldn't stop vomiting. Tears welled in his eyes, both of emotions and of the strong stench in his nostrils. 'This is what has become of our world? This is our new reality?'

Vincent wanted to shake everything off. He wanted this all to be a dream, but the strong stench in his nostrils reminded him otherwise.

"This is not real. It's impossible. Impossible!" Finn shouted, denying the reality. "I don't want to die! Someone, please save me! The military! That's right. The military. They'll save us."

However, how could he and Vincent not know that even the military was powerless?

In this situation, where supernatural, human-eating monsters turned real, did they have any hope?

It took them time to calm down and accept reality. After dozens of minutes, after there was nothing to vomit anymore, Vincent gathered the determination and strength to stand up.

The gruesome scenes of the rotting corpse flashed in his mind, but he closed his eyes and pushed down the urge to vomit.

"Finn, let's go," He grabbed Finn and pulled him away. Vincent took the bottle of water, which he had stuffed in his clothes, and after drinking to calm down, he gave the rest to Finn.

Finn drank the remaining water, and they ran away from the rotting corpse. Now, they had no choice but to continue to the supermarket.

They vomited everything and also drank half of their water resources.

Slowly, they walked toward the supermarket while supporting each other.

...

In about fifteen minutes, they arrived at a high supermarket.

Cracks spread throughout the whole structure of the supermarket, but it held.

The glass on the front, including the glass door was shattered. And because of the less sunlight, the insides of the market were dark.

"We arrived,' Vincent looked at the supermarket, heaving a sigh of relief.

Grrrr!

A low growl rang from inside the supermarket.

Vincent's heart skipped a beat. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and his mind raced with thoughts.

'A large suupermarket? It's dark inside?' Suddenly, his eyes widened as he came to a realization. The monsters that avoided the day. The supermarket was a perfect place for them to hide.

His mind was preoccupied with the gruesome scene of the rotting corpse that he overlooked such an obvious thing.

A second after the growl, a foul stench reached their nose.

"RUN!" Vincent roared, pushing Finn aside.

Instinctively, he reached for the knife on his waist with his right hand, grabbing it.

ROOOAR!

A dark-purple figure leaped from the darkness inside the supermarket. An monster with hairless, smooth dark-purple skin. It resembled a hound. But the teeth on its open mouth were several times sharper than that of a hound. Its red predatorous eyes capable of freezing blood in the bodies of its prey. A foul, rotting stench released from its mouth.

Thud!

The hound barred its teeth into Vicent's left shoulder.

GRRR!

It shook its head violently, raising Vincent off the ground.

The knife in Vincent's hand flew away. Pain surged through his body. He felt the whole left side of his body go numb in an instant as blood poured down his shoulder.

The speed of the monster, he couldn't even react to it.

THUD!

The beast slammed him on the ground.

"Couoghh!" All the air left Vincent's lungs, his eyes wide in excruciating pain.

"AGHHHH!" Vincent roared in pain. He had one more knife to the left side of his waist, but he couldn't move his left arm at all.

"Help me! Finn! Help me!" Vincent roared, but as he glanced to the side, he saw Finn staring at him, his body paralyzed in fear.

Vincent could feel the sharp teeth of the hound reaching his collarbone.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He slammed his right fist into the monster's neck in a last attempt to survive, but the monster didn't even budge. It didn't take long before Vincent lost his voice.

'I'm going to die! I'll die here.' Vincent lost all hope. No one could help him now. His vision started blurring. Blood poured down his shoulder, soaking his clothes. Yet the monster refused to let go. As if it was sucking his blood.

'I'll die. I don't want to die. Why did all of this happen? Ahh... That corpse must have felt the same as me when dying. A pitiful woman. To be devoured.'

Vincent's vision gave out. He could only see white dots as he barely hung on the last strands of consciousness purely by his will to live.

Suddenly, the white dots in his vision turned blue as if something blue appeared before his eyes. But before Vincent could see anything, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

[You awakened the Zombie Apocalypse System]

[Do you wish to initiate the apocalypse?] - [Yes/No]