There were two choices in front of Gerald.
One was to ignore the zombie outside, trusting the structural integrity of the door to keep it away.
The second was to take the initiative and strike now, killing the zombie before it becomes a problem.
The dilemma here was that, the zombie could become a problem very quickly if he was unlucky, and he wasn't willing to bet that the door could withstand the pressure from more than one zombie at a time.
So, in reality, there was only one choice to take if he was to adapt to this new world.
'A fight it is then.' His expressionless face hardened even more.
But of course, he wasn't just going to throw himself into battle without proper preparation. Caution wasn't one of his dulled emotions.
The first thing he did was find the largest and thickest sweater he had, one that covered the exposed skin of his forearm most of his neck.
He also wore boots, and tucked his pants into them.
All this was to reduce the chances of him being bitten or scratched.
He figured that the material would at least offer some protection against direct contact with the saliva or possible nail secretions of his new opponents.
Becoming a zombie so quickly in the Apocalypse would be a real shame.
After that, he used a strip of cloth to secure his knife firmly to his right hand.
To prevent it from slipping off during the heat of battle.
When he was done, he stood in front of the door and took a deep breath, before approaching it.
The first thing he did was stick his ear against the door, using his improved senses to try and ascertain the zombies position from its growls and footsteps.
"Grrrr..."
Another growl.
*SHUFFLE*
'It's on the move-"
*BANG!*
Gerald flinched slightly, withdrawing from the door.
"RAAARR"
*BANG!*
With an almost expressionless face, Herald estimated it's attack frequency.
'One, two, three... Go!"
With his left hand, he opened the door just as the zombie lunged, sidestepping it and lunging right after, his knife slicing through the air.
But he wasn't as lucky this time around.
The zombie coincidentally raised its hand at the critical moment, the knife slicing into its forearm instead of its head.
A trivial matter to it.
Smelling a living being, the zombie was sent into a frenzy, slapping out its hands towards Gerald.
He leapt back, but was still hit in the shin, losing his balance.
*THUD*
He fell on his back, a barely perceptible panic flashing across his face.
This is where the lack of combat experience was highlighted.
A more experienced fighter would immediately roll out of the way when they fell on their back, but Gerald was NOT a more experienced fighter.
The zombie lunged at him on all fours, and it seemed as if the world had slowed down.
Gerald could see the small pieces of flesh in its teeth, accompanied by rabid foam.
He could smell the pungent scent of blood even before its mouth was upon him.
Even though he could see all this, his body couldn't react fast enough.
It definitely seemed like all was lost.
Until...
{Ability triggered}
He felt a surge of energy flash through his nerves, and a feeling of walking on clouds hit him all at once.
*SWISH*
*SLICE*
A few minutes passed.
Gerald stood up shakily, went to the door, and bolted it properly, before leaning his back on it and sliding downwards into a sitting position.
He was panting.
'That zombie... It seems stronger than Damian.'
Yes, and it reacted faster too.
But Gerald wasn't in the state of mind to think about it too much.
Instead, he was thinking about what happened just earlier.
'Limktless Evolution.'
The increased adaptability trait was starting to show its usefulness, increasing his reaction speed at the brink of death.
But the main focus of Gerald at the moment was the intense emotion he was feeling right now.
Intense emotion.
'I felt like I was going to die just now. But...'
He sat up straighter, covering the right-side of his face with his palm, the fire in his exposed eye more than he had ever felt before.
'Why does it feel... SO DAMN GOOD?!
{Your Agility has increased slightly}
***** ***** ****
A/N
Hello dear readers.
So I just thought I should make it clear. There won't be an exact value for physical stats since this isn't a gamer system.
But of course, the choice rests with you guys. Comment below if you think I should give him quantified stats.
Happy reading!