The streets had transformed into something from a nightmare.
Marcus and Elena moved through the darkening city, every shadow potentially hiding something dangerous. The infected were everywhere, stumbling through intersections, hunched over bodies, clustered around storefronts drawn by sounds or movement.
"There," Elena whispered, pointing to an overturned bus that created a barrier across the street. "We can use that for cover, then cut through the parking garage."
Marcus nodded, not trusting his voice. His heart hadn't stopped racing since they'd left the alley. Every few minutes, his System would ping with information he didn't have time to process.
[Hostile Detected: Zombie - Level 2]
[Hostile Detected: Zombie - Level 1]
[Warning: High concentration of zombies ahead]
"Zombies," Marcus muttered. "The System is calling them zombies."
"At least it's straightforward." Elena crouched behind an abandoned car. "No sugarcoating what they are."
They sprinted across open ground to the bus. Marcus's lungs burned by the time they pressed against its rusted side. He wasn't built for this much running.
A zombie lurched around the bus's front end.
BAAM!
Elena reacted instantly, bat swinging up to catch it under the chin. The crack echoed like a gunshot, and the zombie crumpled. Before it could rise, she brought the bat down on its skull twice more.
[Zombie Defeated]
[Elena Vasquez has gained 10 EXP]
[As her Faith Keeper, you gain 5 EXP]
"You get experience from my kills?" Elena asked, breathing hard.
"Apparently. Five points." Marcus checked his status. "I'm at 20 EXP total. Need 80 more for level two."
"I'm at 35." She wiped blood from her bat on the Zombie's shirt. "Come on. Before more show up."
The parking garage was a concrete tomb filled with abandoned vehicles and deep shadows. Their footsteps echoed too loudly, announcing their presence. Marcus kept his hands ready, that golden light flickering weakly at his palms. He'd figured out he could charge up Divine Amplification before using it, though it drained his Faith Points faster.
They were halfway through when the growling started.
Not the rasping, mindless sounds of regular zombies. This was deeper, more purposeful. Intelligent.
"Oh, that's not good," Marcus breathed.
The creature that emerged from behind a support pillar stood seven feet tall. It might have been human once, but the transformation had warped it into something else entirely. Gray skin stretched over grotesque muscles, and its fingers had elongated into claws. The System window appeared unbidden:
[Zombie Brute - Level 5]
[Warning: Enemy significantly above your level]
[Recommendation: Flee]
"I'm on board with fleeing," Marcus said.
The Brute charged.
Elena shoved Marcus aside and met the creature's rush with her bat. The impact sent her sliding backward, her feet scraping against concrete. The bat cracked but held.
"Divine Amplification!" Marcus thrust his hands toward her.
Golden light enveloped Elena, and suddenly her movements sharpened. She ducked under the Brute's follow-up swipe and jabbed the bat into its knee. The joint buckled with a wet crunch.
[Faith Points: 45/100]
The Brute howled and backhanded her. Elena flew three feet into the air and crashed into a car door with a sickening thud.
"Elena!" Marcus ran to her, hands already glowing. "Minor Heal!"
Warm light flowed from his palms into her body. It wasn't much, he could feel that instinctively but cuts closed and the dazed look in her eyes sharpened to focus.
[Faith Points: 35/100]
"Again," she gasped. "Hit me with the buff again."
The Brute was limping toward them, rage burning in eyes that held far too much awareness for a Zombie. Marcus poured more energy into Divine Amplification, feeling his reserves dip dangerously low.
[Faith Points: 25/100]
Elena rose, bat ready despite her injuries. The enhancement made her faster, stronger, but Marcus could see the math. They couldn't win this fight. The level gap was too wide.
"Protective Aura," he said desperately, activating his newest skill.
A shinning barrier appeared around them both, translucent gold, barely visible. The Brute's next attack crashed against it, and while it still sent Elena staggering, she didn't fall.
[Faith Points: 10/100]
"The exit!" Elena shouted. "Run!"
They bolted. The Brute chased, its injured leg barely slowing it down. Marcus's lungs screamed, his legs felt so tired and black spots danced in his vision from Faith Point depletion.
They burst out of the parking garage into fading daylight. Elena grabbed his arm and yanked him left, down a side street Marcus didn't recognize. Behind them, the Brute's roar shook windows.
"There!" Elena pointed at a squat brick building ahead. "My place!"
They hit the building's entrance at a dead run. Elena fumbled with her keys, somehow miraculously still in her apron pocket—and got the door open. They tumbled inside and slammed it shut just as the Brute rounded the corner.
It crashed into the door with enough force to crack the frame, but the heavy security door held. For now.
"Basement," Elena gasped. "Now."
They stumbled down stairs in near-total darkness, guided only by emergency lighting. The basement was exactly as Elena described, a reinforced Cold War relic with thick walls and a heavy door. Once they were inside and had sealed it, Marcus finally let himself collapse.
[Quest Complete: Survive Your First Day - 100%]
[Rewards: 100 EXP, Basic Skill Selection Available]
[LEVEL UP!]
[You are now Level 2]
[All stats increased]
[Faith Point maximum increased: 150]
[You have 3 attribute points to allocate]
[Elena Vasquez has reached Level 2]
Marcus lay on the cold concrete floor, staring at the notifications, and started laughing. It was slightly hysterical.
"We made it," he said. "We actually made it."
Elena sat against the wall, still clutching her cracked bat. "Day one," she said quietly. "That was just day one."
The weight of that statement settled over them. Day one of how many? What would tomorrow bring? What about next week, next month?
Marcus pulled up his Basic Skill Selection options:
[Choose One:]
[1. Enhanced Blessing - Rank F: Increase buff duration by 50%]
[2. Faith Regeneration - Rank F: Restore Faith Points 25% faster]
[3. Group Heal - Rank F: Heal multiple targets simultaneously]
He chose Faith Regeneration without hesitation. If today had taught him anything, it was that running out of Faith Points at the wrong moment meant death.
[Skill Acquired: Faith Regeneration - Rank F]
"Hey," Elena said, drawing his attention. She'd pulled out her own System window, studying it in the dim light. "My class has a party system feature. I can invite you to form an official party. Says we'll get shared EXP and can see each other's status."
"Do it."
A notification appeared:
[Elena Vasquez has invited you to join her party]
[Accept? Y/N]
"Yes"
[Party Formed]
[Members: Marcus Chen (Faith Keeper), Elena Vasquez (Combat Specialist)]
[Party Bonus Unlocked: Coordination increases by 10% in combat]
Marcus opened his mouth to comment when new text scrolled across his vision:
[Congratulations! You have survived Day 1 of the Apocalypse]
[Global survival rate: 23%]
[The System acknowledges your achievement]
[New Quest Available: Build Your Sanctuary]
[Description: A Faith Keeper requires followers, and followers require safety. Establish a sanctuary capable of housing at least 10 survivors.]
[Reward: Sanctuary Management System Unlock, 500 EXP]
[Time Limit: 7 Days]
Marcus shared the quest information with Elena. She read it in silence, then looked around the basement, bare concrete, a few storage shelves, one exit.
"Seven days to turn this into a sanctuary for ten people," she said. "In a city full of monsters, with no power, no running water, and no food supply."
"Yeah."
"Your class doesn't do anything halfway, does it?"
Marcus shook his head. "Apparently not."
Elena stood, testing her injuries. The Minor Heal had done good work, she moved stiffly but without serious impairment. "Okay then. Tomorrow we scout the building, secure what we can, and figure out what we need. If we're doing this, we'll do it right."
"We?" Marcus asked.
She met his eyes. "You saved my life today. Twice. And that Faith Keeper thing, I've experienced it. When you buffed me, I was faster, stronger, better. If you're trying to build something in this hell, I want in." She paused. "Plus, we've got six days to find eight more people, and I'd rather take my chances with you and them, than alone."
[Elena Vasquez's trust in you has increased]
[Faith Points regeneration rate increased by 5% when near Elena Vasquez]
Marcus felt that warmth again, the sensation of belief, of trust, translating into tangible power. His Faith Keeper class was starting to make sense. He didn't grow stronger through individual combat prowess but through the people who chose to follow him.
It was a strange kind of power. Terrifying in its own way.
"Okay," he said, standing on shaky legs. "Tomorrow we start building something worth believing in."
Outside, in the darkness above, howls and screams echoed through the dead city. The Brute hammered against the building's entrance a few more times before giving up. And somewhere in the distance, those reality-rifts continued to pulse, bleeding alien energy the world
Marcus Chen, failed seminary student turned Faith Keeper, closed his eyes and prayed for the second time that day. Not for salvation or divine intervention.
Just for the strength to make it to morning.
[Day 1 Complete]
[Days until Phase 2: 29]