Not knowing what to do, I tried to lock the door one more time and was again rewarded with the same message.
You do not have access to that skill yet.
Come on. I could easily see the game being hardcoded like that. After all, securing doors was one of the very things that made the Survivors safe. They’d never let a Zombie learn lock picking, so why would they let me do the reverse?
It made sense. If I had been one of the rich players on the other side, I’d have been pissed if the Zombies could do what I was trying to do. Zombies are supposed be beating down doors, not manipulating their locks. I just had to remind myself that there were a lot of locks in the world of Headshot Somebody was going to forget to secure one of them once or twice, and the when they did the Zombies would be inside their once-safe little hidey holes and there'd be a cascade of carnage.
Wasn’t that the way it always worked in the movies?
I couldn't wait any longer. I still didn't think that escape was an option. If I didn’t want to get shot in the back when they came back down from the roof, it meant that a direct assault was my only option.
It was suicide, but I didn't think that I had any other choice.
They might not be expecting me, so there was a chance I could ambush them. I didn’t think that a bright, flat roof was the best place for that to happen but I tried not to think about it too much. I’d settle for doing some damage before they got me. Infectious Bite sounded too good not to make use of, and if they got me after that, well… So be it.
Maybe I really could shove one of them off the roof and get a few chomps in on the other. All I could do was try. They could be cowards like the last one, and that might be just the edge I needed for my gnashing teeth and tearing claws to take his life from him before he could get a clean shot at my head.
As slowly as I could, I grabbed the handle of the door and turned. It swung silently open on well-oiled hinges, and thankfully the short flight of stairs that led to the roof was still clear of debris and broken glass. At least nothing would be crunching beneath my feet to give me away.
I crept up the stairs, actually shading my hand against the sun at one point even though it was almost down by now. The shadows were getting longer, but until the sun had set I probably wouldn't be happy with the level of light that was out here.
I dropped down to my hands and knees and crawled carefully up the last few steps, remaining on all fours as best I could as I craned my neck and tried to scan the rooftop without giving myself away.
It was empty. There was no one here.
Surprised, I raised myself up on my haunches to try and get a better angle. Sure enough, the flat roof was devoid of any life at all, be it human or Zombie.
What had happened? Had they gotten worried about getting flanked and logged out? If Headshot was going to let them do that, then I was in way over my head. They could log back in at any second, and then…
No. No way. Deep Dive studios weren’t idiots. They would never let a game mechanic like that out the door, let alone squeak into a flagship release. I didn’t know if the Survivors had the same logout rules as I did, but I refused to believe that they could simply abuse the system and vanish into thin air. It just didn’t make any sense.
Then again, neither did the fact that they had vanished…
I stood up a little higher and then pushed myself to my feet, climbing the rest of the stairs. There wasn’t anything for them to hide behind, no bulky air-conditioning units or water towers or whatever. If they were up here, they were invisible. And if the game was going to make me deal with invisible opponents, I might as well rage quit right now…
The edge. They must be hanging from it. The sneaky bastards probably had ropes or even harnesses. I could picture it, them perched on a ledge just below the line of the roof, waiting for me to get close before they popped up and sent me reeling with a hail of bullets that would shred me right down to the bone.
Well, two could play at that game. If they were doing what I thought they were doing, they’d be vulnerable. I picked an edge that I was pretty sure they weren’t hanging from and crept toward it, intent on scanning the side of the building and then moving to one of the other sides to do the same. If I was lucky, I’d see them before they saw me…
The sky was getting darker by the moment. I watched where I put my feet, all the while listening for the scrape of climbing equipment or a whisper carried on the wind I presumed was gently blowing. I was careful. I was quiet.
And I was wrong. As I got to the edge and looked down the length of the building, I didn’t see the Survivors. Well, not really. Instead, I spotted that strange, lone Zombie crawling slowly down the brickwork toward the street where two fresh, red splotches were still pouring their hit points onto the asphalt.
I’d thought we all looked the same before I saw some of the Zombies bulk up and go Beast Mode back there, and this guy was different again. Once he got to the ground he somehow stood straighter than the ones I’d seen so far. He had more poise. Even from here I could tell that his eyes were sharper, and they held an intelligence that I hadn't seen in my compatriots.
And he could climb. I wondered if I could to, but just the thought of trying to go up or down the sheer sides of the building with my strong yet seemingly-incapable-of turning-a-damn-knob hands made my stomach twist into knots.
Obviously, there were abilities that I had yet to earn, and it looked like climbing was one of them.
I'd been worried about attempting an ambush on a pair of Survivors, but this guy had clearly done it with ease. I didn't have to have seen it happen to know what had gone down. They’d come up looking for me and found him. He'd thrown them from the roof and then proceeded to crawl down to eat what he could of the bodies.
The bodies. That was experience, right there. Sure, it wasn't technically mine, but I'd already learned that this game didn't care about that. There was no such thing as kill stealing in the Zombie Horde.
If you eat it, you earned it.
That strange Zombie looked back up at me and I looked down at him. Our eyes met, and an instant later I turned and hurried back down that flight of stairs, going as fast as I could to the ground floor to get my fill before he gobbled down everything.
Chapter 15
So, it turns out that it takes a long time for a slow ass Zombie to go down twelve flights of stairs. At least my feet couldn’t get sore, but that didn’t take away from the fact that I had plenty of time to bounce from boredom to wariness and back again.
By the time I got down to street level it was dark enough for me to feel like the hunter and not the hunted, and the fact that the power was still out made it feel like Los Angeles was mine. Any Survivor still out roaming the streets was in for a rude awakening.
The moon was throwing plenty of light, and between that and the stars my Low Light Vision was more than enough for me to find my way to the bodies splashed on the street. The other Zombie was gone, and after I scanned she shadows for a couple of seconds I decided that he’d moved on.
Even though it was easy to spot the bodies, in truth I probably could've closed my eyes and let my nose do the finding, since that’s how brightly feral the scent they were giving off felt. The Survivors were spread out before me like a Thanksgiving feast and it took everything ounce of willpower I had not to dive right in.
It had been a feeding frenzy with the last one. These kills seemed different, though. For a start, although I may have technically lured them to the rooftop through a combination of accidentally letting myself be seen from the street and then distracting them from my hiding place, I hadn’t really had a hand in their deaths.
Get over it, I scolded myself. There isn’t room for those sort of niceties. Besides, a lot of them was already gone. That strange Zombie had certainly eaten his fill, but he'd earned every bite.
As I crouched down and hurried to start my own consumption, whatever misgivings I had quickly evaporated and I di
dn't feel like I was taking anything from anyone. If I hadn't have lured those two up to the roof, that Zombie’s ambush wouldn't have worked. I may not have been the brains or the brawn of that particular operation, but I’d played an important part.
And for that, I deserved to eat.
Besides, I was more and more aware that my continued survival was all grabbing as many experience points as I could get. Everything always was of course, but ever since I saw those Zombies flick a switch and bulk up I’d been wondering if there were other options as well.
When I’d played this game in the Beta it'd been different. Sure, at first there had been a rush to the top just like always, but when Deep Dive studios had held off on the skills and ability trees until release everyone had slowed down. Levelling had made you faster and allowed you to take more hits, but now that the game was launched and the ability points were unleashed…
But I didn't know how far I’d get this week. But Headshot was going to become far more frantic than it had ever been. Mondays in particular were going to be insane as Zombie players, now familiar with the new mechanics and eager to advance to gain their abilities, launched frenzied attacks in an effort to gorge themselves as early as possible. No more waiting around. No more feeling the game out. People were going to do what they had to do to level, and I could certainly see the appeal of at least making it to the tier that let them choose to get ripped with muscle. Those guys would make a dent in the Survivors that my current form could only dream of. If I’d had their raw power half an hour ago I would've torn the Survivors to pieces myself, which would have meant that I’d be rolling in even more experience points.
That was the way this game worked. You do what you have to do to get ahead, because the path to power lies only through power.
But you had to get there first. And I was still wary. Even though it was dark, I was too unfamiliar with what Survivors could do to truly feel safe here.
I was beginning to wonder if going into the center of LA had been a good idea. Now that the Survivors seemed to feel safe enough to go out in bands of ones and twos, maybe I should be thinking about retreating to the suburbs. Would I be better off trying to go back towards my house, where at least I was more familiar with the landscape? It was far easier to hide in a place I knew, and as I gobbled down the last of those two bodies I decided that was exactly what I would do.
I’d go home, though instead of clicking my heels together three times I’d have to drag my ass all the way back there in real time.
As I finished the last scrap of that sweet, sweet flesh a message blinked at me for a second and allowed it to come into focus.
Congratulations! You have achieved level 4. Your hit points are now (15). Your speed is now (5). You have also consumed enough experience to unlock access to a new Zombie tier. Choose now, and be advised that your choice is permanent for the current game week. Would you like to become a Tank? Tanks are huge, muscular zombies that can take a beating and bring the pain. If you accept this transformation your Strength will triple. Your hit points will become (50). Your speed will revert to (4). You will gain immediate access to new abilities, forgoing some of the ones you already have. Remember, these choices are PERMANENT for the duration of the game week.
I thought about that for second. Tanks were certainly appealing. I mean, just look at all of those hit points! They might be a little slower than I’d just become, but I’d already put up with that for the whole game, so it might not be so bad. Besides, with that much Strength, I was having trouble imagining the amount of damage I could do. One-shotting a Survivor wasn’t out of the question at all, and that had a certain temptation that I was finding it hard to resist…
As appealing as all of that sounded, the playstyle of a Tank didn't really suit me. It wasn't me, no matter how much I tried to convince myself that it was.
No, I thought at the game prompt. I’ll wait and see what else is on offer.
The menu immediately changed, responding to my desires.
You have elected to remain a Zombie, with only the Stats and Abilities available to your rank. You have earned the ability “Dangerous Sense”. This is a passive ability.
I cocked my eyebrow. Danger Sense. That sounded useful, and in a game as fraught with danger as Headshot I was sure that I’d find a lot of opportunities to use it.
When I’d been gorging myself on the bodies of the victims of gravity a minute or so ago it had been easy to think that the Zombies would own the night. Now though, with my thoughts more focused on survival than nourishment, everywhere I looked I saw signs of trouble.
How long would it be before I was in the crosshairs or iron sights of a Survivor manning a lookout? How many eyes would be on me soon, peering at me through blackened windows as I did my best to hurry past? If the Survivors weren’t out scavenging they’d be hunkered down, happy to take pot shots at me with little risk to themselves.
And why not? The cost of a bullet had to be small compared with the chance to earn some more experience.
If someone did decide to open up on me from one of the buildings, there wasn’t much I could do but pray that they didn’t hit anything vital before I got out of range. Even if I worked out where the shots were coming from and went on the offensive, they’d have more than enough time to spray me with so many bullets that they'd shatter my limbs and flay my flesh, no doubt actions that would slow me down enough for them to get an easy headshot off at me.
I looked around. From the North and the South there were other zombies approaching me, but there were just as many walking in other directions. Each of them seemed to have an idea about what to do next, but they weren’t moving in concert. We weren’t even a proper horde; just a million souls with a million useless ideas about what ‘progress’ was.
I hadn’t gotten any rest this morning, so I knew I should probably make it an early night. With that in mind, my thoughts turned toward home. It was a long walk, and without the safety in numbers I’d enjoyed for a little while last night, I should probably do it now.
And, though I was having trouble admitting it, eating those two bodies had made me hungry in real life as well, and when I looked at the game time I saw that was pretty close to 8 PM. This was probably a prime time for everybody to be logged in, Zombies and Survivors alike. It may be dark, but they'd be out there, waiting for me.
I'll eat, I told myself. Maybe I'll even let myself have a nap. I’ll set my alarm for two or three in the morning, and I'll come back into the game then. It should only take me a couple of hours to walk my zombie ass home, and I'd hopefully even have time to find a spot to log out safely before I had to go to work.
It sounded like a good idea. It even felt like one, but that meant I had to log out now.
Lacking any better options, I headed back to the river. It had worked before, and the Zombies that I could see up the street looked to be pretty much ignoring me. They were all trying to get into apartment buildings or skyscrapers or various stores without much success.
Now and then, blocks away from us I heard the light pop of a handgun, but it seemed like both sides had pretty much retreated to lick their wounds. Everyone was cautious, and that sure included me. Headshot was becoming a far more intense game than most of us realized, and as I slipped into the shadows and then stealthily climbed the wall that separated the street from the river a few blocks later I was pleased to see that it didn't look like anyone notice me as I slunk slowly beneath the water’s surface and once more plunged my hands into the cement bank, gripping tightly as I let the world fade out and then in around me.
Chapter 16
My phone was ringing. I hadn’t heard it in Headshot, but that didn’t mean anything. It’s always been notoriously hard to crawl out of these fully immersive virtual realities unless you set the pre-existing conditions to listen for things like doorbells or your wife’s voice. If you really wanted to, you could tell the program to keep an ear out for the ding of the microwave. As soon a
s it heard the noise it would bump you out of the simulation, whether you liked it or not.
That had gotten on people’s nerves fast, so nowadays you could just set it to send you a message in the game. Most people didn’t even bother doing that, anymore. Why cater to the needs of the real world when you can live in the virtual one?
I sat up and grabbed the phone off the desk beside me so that I could see who was calling. It was Lori. I didn't have a very wide circle of friends, but my ex-girlfriend had somehow managed to put herself certainly squarely in the middle of it.
I stabbed at the answer button and said, "Hey.” I didn’t want to talk. According to her, that was just one of the many reasons that we had never worked.
“Ryan.” My name in her mouth sounded it always had. She said it short and sharp, the way you yank on a dog’s choke chain. I suppose that there must have been a time when things between Lori and I were good. I’d even tricked myself into thinking they were great, but even I couldn’t remain that gullible for very long.
We’d gone out for two years, though that had fizzled to an end eight months ago.
I rubbed my eyes. The game was already beginning to take a toll on me. I held the phone away from my face for a second to look at the clock. 9:30… “What have you been up to?” I asked, and immediately flinched. I didn’t want to know. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, it was just that I didn’t have room right now for someone who wanted to drag me over the coals about my shortcomings.
I never claimed to be all the things that she needed. But somehow, it had still been my fault that I wasn’t.
“That’s a dumb question," she shot back. I heard the momentary gentle clatter of a fork against a plate. It was pretty obvious that she was eating, and hearing her put something into her mouth, chew and then swallow made me even hungrier than before.
Headshot: One in the Gut (Book 1 of a Zombie litRPG Trilogy) Page 7