The words came out like a prayer. His eyes shone as he hugged it to his chest, rocking it back and forth.
"You don't understand. This… this is my S-tier comfort food. Back home, I lived off this stuff. Spoon, bread, or straight out of the jar, it didn't matter. Peanut butter was life."
Without hesitation, he cracked it open. The rich, nutty smell hit him instantly, and he dipped his finger straight into the creamy surface. He licked it clean, eyes fluttering shut.
"Oh my god… it's real. It's actually real. I'm not even exaggerating. This is divine. This is RNGesus himself reaching down and saying, 'Sid, you suffered enough. Here, my child, have peanut butter.'"
He dropped into a crouch, laughing through a mouth still sticky with the spread. He scooped another fingerful, licking it greedily before holding the jar high above his head like a trophy.
"Praise be to LootSense! Praise be to RNGesus! The apocalypse is officially won."
Satisfied, he triggered [Instant Loot], and the jar shimmered out of his hands.
[Peanut Butter Jar x1 acquired.]
He did a little jig in place, humming to himself as joy bubbled out of him. But behind him, a sound stirred… the thick drag of meat across tile. Something small, pale, and swollen crept forward, its vine-like arms stretching toward Sid's feet.
Sid, oblivious, dusted off his hands and let his eyes wander over the shelves.
"Eh. Food complete. Got soup, oats, tuna, jerky, beans, bar, and my holy grail. Now let's check the liquid section. I'm calling it now energy drinks or iced coffee, RNGesus style."
With a grin, he shoved the cart forward, humming like a kid, the flashlight beam cutting through the gloom. Behind him, the faint, wet drag followed closer, almost brushing against his heel.
Sid pushed the cart toward the back of the store, humming under his breath and licking peanut butter from his thumb. His flashlight beam bounced along toppled shelves until it landed on the huge beverages aisle that stretched across the wall. He grinned, picking up speed.
"Now we're talking. The holy section of any grocery store. Drinks, soda, and water. Please let there be a cold energy drink still alive in there. I'll even settle for bargain-brand lemon tea."
As he got closer, his LootSense stayed silent. No sparks of white, no glowing outlines. Just dull, empty shelves glowing in the dark. Sid slowed, blinking in confusion. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, then squinted again. Still nothing.
"…Huh? No loot? That can't be right. Did my wallhacks break already? Hey, system, you didn't scam me, right?"
He tilted his head, shaking it as if that would refresh his vision. He even wiped his hoodie sleeve across his eyes dramatically, then looked again. Still no shimmer. Just dead silence.
"Okay… weird. Maybe it's bugging. Maybe drinks don't count as loot? That'd be dumb. C'mon, water is like the SSS-tier of survival. Don't tell me this skill doesn't even track hydration items."
He laughed nervously, but he still pushed the cart closer. Curiosity burned hotter than caution.
"Fine. If you're glitching, I'll just check the old-school way. Who needs glowing hacks when you got… a flashlight."
He clicked the beam toward it and froze. His mouth hung open, the words dying in his throat. Inside the massive beverage aisle, there weren't bottles or cans stacked neatly in rows. The glass was fogged, streaked, but the shapes inside were unmistakable.
Dozens, maybe hundreds of bodies pressed against each other, filling every inch of space. Their skin looked waxy, their limbs bent abnormally, like wet clothes crammed into a washing machine. Sid staggered back, voice cracking.
"What the hell. That's not soda."
The longer he stared, the worse it became. The bodies weren't decayed like the ones outside. They looked preserved. Their chests didn't rise or fall, but their faces were slack, lips parted. Sid's grip on his flashlight tightened, his own breath loud in his ears.
"Holy shit. I knew these guys…"
A system window suddenly flared across his vision.
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[Zombie Classification Identified]
[Sleeper]
[Condition: Weather-sensitive or environment-sensitive zombies.]
[Background: These zombies enter a state of dormancy until conditions trigger their activity. Cold, heat, rain, thunderstorms, or nightfall can awaken them. Their metabolism slows almost to a stop while "sleeping," preserving their body and allowing them to ambush unsuspecting survivors. Once active, they attack with heightened ferocity and speed.]
"Sleepers? Oh, hell no. In the game, they're just background zombies you pass by, maybe light them up with a molotov, and that's it. But here? Seeing them in, like… realistic, full HD flesh-and-blood animation? Nah, this is nightmare fuel. Way creepier up close. Seriously, which sadistic dev thought this was a good design choice?"
Sid took a cautious step forward, shining his flashlight across the massive beverage aisle. The "sleepers" were fascinating, a perfect mockery of death. He edged closer to the far end, crouching low, inspecting them from tip to toe.
Their bodies were arranged unnaturally, stacked neatly against the shelves, yet each one was distinct. Arms curled, heads tilted, faces slack in a way that felt uncannily real. Sid's lips curled into a mix of awe and amusement.
"No… no snoring, no twitching. These things are actually sleeping. Like real corpses pretending to nap. Incredible. Honestly, the detail here is absurd. Whoever animated these… respect, I guess."
He reached out slowly, running a fingertip across the nose of one of the zombies. The skin felt cold, rubbery, perfectly molded.
"Yep… nothing. They're not waking up. Their little trigger is weather or temperature, probably. Hot sun, rain, storm, whatever. They're choosy sleepers. Like… picky, high-maintenance pets."
Sid grinned mischievously and pressed harder. He gently opened an eyelid, then the other.
"Even poking the eyes? Nada. I think I could tickle these guys all day and they wouldn't budge. Let's see… nope, still nothing. Beautiful. It's like touching the stillest mannequin ever."
Feeling bolder, he touched several more, gently nudged a hand here, pressed a shoulder there, laughing softly to himself.