The night came without warning.
No screech from the sky, no sudden red glow or demonic pulse from the clouds. It simply arrived, as if someone had drawn a dark curtain across the heavens. Where once there had been the golden hue of a setting sun, now only velvet black stretched over the rooftops.
And silence..
That was the most unsettling part. The birds that usually chirped even at dusk were gone. No cicadas, no rustling leaves.
Just the soft hum of the HUD in Yhakal Elpizo's hand and the faint hiss of the flickering porch lamp trying to keep the darkness at bay.
He stood on the edge of his backyard, surveying the tiles.
His lawn was still neatly sectioned into five lanes, grids glowing faintly, indicating where plants could be placed. Yet something had changed. He could feel it in his bones, and even the Peashooter beside him seemed nervous—its leaves trembling slightly in the breeze that wasn't there.
He tapped his HUD.
Night Mode Activated
Solar levels: Reduced
Visibility: Reduced
Environmental hazards: Present
New Obstacle: Gravestones
Suggested loadout: Nocturnal units, mushrooms, ground-sweepers
Yhakal grimaced. "No Puff-shrooms yet? Figures. Gotta earn my way out of the tutorial arc."
He took a step forward and saw it—slowly rising from the soil, a jagged, slick gravestone pulsing with a dull, greenish glow. Then another. And another. Within seconds, five had emerged, blocking entire lanes of the lawn.
New Obstacle Identified: GravestonesEffect: Occupy tile space, spawn zombies during wave surgesCounter: ??? (Unknown)
Behind him, a wooden creak. The shed door had begun to open slowly, as though stirred by an invisible hand. Yhakal took a cautious step toward it, but before he reached it, the HUD pinged again.
New Plant Unlocked: Coffee Bean"Wakey-wakey, dead things flakey!"Usage: Activates sleeping mushrooms. One-time activation.
He blinked. "So they are giving me shrooms now... just on hard mode."
Inside the shed, a pod pulsed with green bioluminescence. It twitched as he neared. The surface split open like an organic ziplock bag, and a strange, squat plant plopped out onto the dirt. Its face was groggy, with eyes half-lidded like a creature dragged out of bed at 3 A.M.
New Plant Acquired: Fume-shroomClass: Gas projectile (short-range)Ignores shields and screen doorsPassive: Emits dense vapor—low light, high damage
"Welcome to the squad," Yhakal said. "You'll fit right in."
The first zombie appeared before he could finish planting his second Sun-shroom. A low groan drifted across the night, dragging with it the unmistakable scrape of fingernails against gravestone.
It was the Tofu-Head Zombie again—but this one had vines wrapped around its torso like a makeshift apron.
Identified Variant: Compost Worker (Tofu Variant)Behavior: Slow; spawns basic minions from backpack composterWeakness: Fire or splash damage.
"Okay," Yhakal muttered. "Let's test this."
He deployed a Coffee Bean directly on the Fume-shroom.
The shroom twitched once, then snapped awake. A low, angry growl rolled out of its mouth before it began huffing thick, green clouds of spores. The Tofu Zombie coughed, staggered, and dropped a small pile of dirt—out of which crawled two tiny mini-zombies wearing gardening gloves.
"Oh heck no," Yhakal snapped, mashing the deploy button for a Wall-nut.
The Wall-nut blocked one of the new lanes just in time. The other mini-zombie went straight for the Sun-shroom, gnawing furiously.
"Ellis, how's your lawn doing?" he asked through the comms.
"Honestly? Not as bad as yesterday. I figured out symmetry gives bonuses."
"…You what?"
"Like—plants feel happier if they're placed symmetrically. I think my Peashooters are critting."
Yhakal didn't have time to argue plant psychology. More gravestones were pushing up from the soil, and one began to crack open like a coffin. The light from the HUD dimmed as the shadow that emerged loomed tall and regal.
A new zombie stepped onto the lawn.
Tall, gaunt, dressed in a blood-spattered apron and wielding two silver spatulas like twin blades. His chef's hat was pristine. His expression was pure contempt.
New Zombie: Graveyard GourmetTraits: Mid-boss classSummons Mini Chef zombiesBuffs all nearby units with "Gourmet Aura" (+20% attack and movement)Quote: "A balanced diet includes sautéed neurons and roasted memories.
"Yup. Boss fight."
The Gourmet raised one spatula, and with a metallic clang, three smaller zombies in miniature chef outfits burst from the gravestone. They immediately began chopping their way through the front line.
Yhakal planted a Cherry Bomb. The boom was spectacular—but the Gourmet remained standing, only mildly singed.
"Immune to explosives, huh? Of course you are."
Then, as if mocking him, the Gourmet began monologuing. "Let it be known: I, Basil Fauxmeat, am a chef of morals. No animal shall be harmed—only the conscious devoured!"
Before he could launch another spatula, Yhakal noticed a strange glow coming from behind the shed.
The HUD blinked again.
New Plant Acquired: Hypno-shroom
Effect: Turns first zombie that eats it into an ally
One-time use
Range: Front-row trap only
With no time to lose, he dropped it directly into the Gourmet's path.
The chef stepped on it—and paused.
His eyes widened. His spatulas dropped.
"…The brain," he whispered. "It is not just nutrition. It is… music."
Then he turned.
With a sweeping motion, he cleaved through one of his own mini-chefs. The others turned on him in shock, and the next ten seconds were chaos. The battlefield turned into a Shakespearean tragedy of betrayal and sautéed betrayal.
In the end, the Gourmet fell to his own creations. As he died, he smiled—content.
The lawn was quiet again.
Wave Cleared Bonus Unlocked: Grave BusterLoot Gained: Golden Mushroom (?)
Yhakal picked up the glowing fungus. It pulsed warmly in his palm. Not quite a plant, not quite a tool. Something else.
Ellis jogged over, sweaty and dirt-smudged.
"That was intense," he said. "That chef guy? Kind of made me hungry."
Yhakal didn't answer. He was staring at the golden mushroom. Its glow wasn't natural. It was rhythmic—like a heartbeat.
And somewhere beneath the earth… something responded.
A groan.
Low, ancient.
Something older than zombies. Something not vegan.