[Zombie Classification Identified]
[Ghoul]
[Condition: A sleeper who wakes up at nighttime with full power.]
[Background: The infection focuses on raw survival instincts, creating a scavenger-focused predator. Ghouls are incredibly strong for their size and can tear through walls, doors, and obstacles to reach prey. However, intelligence is severely reduced—they rely on brute force, smell, and sound rather than planning.]
Sid's breath hitched as the text faded. His eyes darted back to the street where more and more of the things leapt from high-rises, their howls cutting through the air. Broken glass rained down as they poured onto the street, sprinting on twisted limbs that somehow carried them at terrifying speeds.
"Oh yeah, ghouls. Perfect name for these things. They're strong as hell and dumb as bricks, but I don't care how stupid they look; if they catch me they'll rip me in half. I've seen enough to know when to fight and when to run."
He didn't wait any longer. Sid turned and sprinted, forcing his legs to move as his lungs burned. His right knee screamed with every step, but fear drowned out the pain. His stamina bar plummeted, flashing red across his HUD. A warning pulsed in the corner:
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[Your stamina is critical. You'll collapse at zero.]
If it hit zero, he'd drop where he stood, helpless.
"Sht, sht, not now! Don't you dare gray out on me! One collapse and I'm ghoul chow!"
The animals didn't slow. Their bodies weaved around obstacles, instincts leading them through the wreckage like it was nothing. Sid followed, copying their path as best he could. His HUD pinged warnings, red markers lighting up behind him as the ghouls gave chase. His eyes fixed on the flashing tails ahead.
"C'mon, c'mon, Wilder. Stick with the herd. If they can survive here, so can I."
Then, as if they sensed the danger swelling behind them, the deer veered sharply, antlers and bodies cutting into a new path. Sid's stomach dropped when he realized they weren't just running straight anymore… they had turned, darting toward the edge of the block.
He skidded, nearly falling, before pushing himself after them, his voice a ragged growl.
"Where the hell are you taking me now?"
The deer that looked like Bambi slipped through a narrow gap between two collapsed buildings. It darted over rubble and twisted metal, muscles trembling with fear.
His HUD flickered, the glowing path he'd been following suddenly stuttering and ending. He blinked twice, trying to force the map to refresh, but the gridline just stayed blank. Nothing was recorded here. The starter map ended right at the alley where the deer had vanished.
His chest heaved, panic clawing at him as the roars of the ghouls swelled behind. The ground shook with their stampede, claws scraping metal, glass breaking. His every instinct screamed not to go somewhere unknown but the deer were gone, slipping through like they knew the way.
"Blank map? No memory?! Great. Great! System, you're really out for blood tonight. But screw it—I'd rather risk the unknown than get torn apart by Ghouls."
He bolted after them, ducking into the narrow path. His HUD immediately shifted, the map filling in jagged lines and fresh detail as he stepped into the uncharted area.
[Map Expansion: New Territory Discovered]
The air changed. The further he went, the more the stench of rot gave way to damp earth and greenery. The ruined city melted into overgrowth, shadows stretching across wild grass and towering trees.
Branches pressed overhead, weaving together. His feet crunched against roots and soil, not pavement. For the first time since waking up here, Sid felt the world breathe.
He glanced around, breath ragged, eyes wide at the richness of it. Nature wasn't just creeping in, t had taken over. Like it had been waiting all along for the world to end, only to finally reclaim its crown. He whispered, slowing just enough to take it in.
"Holy crap. The forest… it's alive. This place isn't on the map, but it's here. Like a hidden zone. What the hell did you deer drag me into?"
His HUD pinged softly again, filling with new topography. But ahead, tucked almost out of sight, something broke the natural pattern. Through the trees, half-swallowed by vines and moss, sat a small cabin. Its roof sagged with age, windows dark, but it was standing.
"A cabin…? No way. Did they… did they just lead me to shelter? Thanks, Bambi."
Sid's lungs burned as he staggered through the last stretch of trees, the forest pressing in like it was swallowing the night whole. The cabin loomed ahead, its frame leaning but intact, a survivor of years of rot and storms. The final threads of sunlight bled across the treetops, and he knew if he hesitated even one second, the dark would win.
"Move, damn it, move!"
He hissed, forcing his right knee into one last sprint. Pain shot through the joint, but he ignored it, stumbling up the warped wooden steps. His shoulder slammed into the cabin door. The hinges screamed but gave way, and he tumbled inside just as the last sliver of light blinked out behind him.
The system's voice rang out the instant he crossed the threshold:
[MISSION COMPLETE: Temporary Safe Zone Secured.]
Sid collapsed against the door and dragged it shut, his heart pounding in his chest. For a long moment he sat there with his cheek pressed to the cool wood, his whole body trembling. He barely noticed the sweat running down his jaw until it stung his lips. His stamina had nearly hit zero, but he made it.
When he finally lifted his head, his flashlight beam cut across the cabin's interior. Dust floated like snow in the air, stirred by his intrusion.
The walls were cracked, the roof patched in places with planks nailed long ago, and cobwebs hung heavy in the corners. The furniture was sparse—a broken chair, a table leaning to one side, and an old stove rusted shut. But the four walls stood. The windows were boarded. The door had a lock.
It was small. It was ugly. It smelled like mold and rust. But it was shelter. A real one. Sid laughed, pushing himself upright.
"Not bad… not bad at all."