Chapter 10 — The Siege Begins
They barricaded the door and stepped back, breathing heavy, eyes sharp with tension. Margaret crept to the kitchen window, peering out cautiously to see if Uncle Tim and the others were awake.
"Derek," Margaret whispered, "go upstairs and grab your father's phone. We might need it."
"Okay, Mom," Derek replied, already moving quickly up the stairs.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream shattered the uneasy silence outside.
"Ahhh!!"
Then a shout rang out sharply from Uncle Tim's direction.
"Sandy?! Oh no! Get off her!"
Everyone flinched, fear and surprise flashing in their eyes.
Gregory didn't hesitate. He rushed toward the side door nearest to Uncle Tim's RV, the bat Ming Sūlín had handed him gripped tightly in his hands.
Ming Sūlín followed close behind, shouting to her mother as she moved to lock down the cabin.
"Mom! Lock the doors and windows, turn off the lights, and try not to make noise! You'll attract more dogs—I saw more than one!"
Margaret hurried to obey, moving swiftly and quietly, her hands trembling just slightly.
Gregory stepped outside, bat raised, eyes scanning the dark yard. Ming Sūlín walked alongside him, heart hammering, every sense screaming danger.
The night held its breath.
⸻
From the darkness near Uncle Tim's RV, muffled growls and wet snarls erupted. Faint moonlight revealed grotesque shapes shuffling into view—twisted figures wrapped in torn clothes stained with grime and dried blood.
Gregory swung the bat fiercely, striking the nearest zombie's spiked club with a sickening clang. The creature stumbled, its rotten flesh barely holding together.
Ming Sūlín gripped her fillet knife, eyes sharp as she lunged at a snarling figure wielding a rusty machete. The blade nicked her arm, but she stabbed deeply into its neck.
[You killed x1 Zombie | Kill Points +2 | 20 EXP | Loot auto-added: x2 rolls of old cloth, x3 damaged portable solar panels, x1 cabin key (quest item), x1 yellow-grade tactical dagger (every 100 strikes triggers triple attack), 15 silver coins]
Maybe we can check other cabins if we find a key on a zombie. Otherwise, why would they give her a cap and a key that wasn't hidden?
The stench of decay grew heavier as more undead poured from the shadows—each wearing faded jackets, shredded jeans, broken boots, gloves clinging to skeletal hands.
A blood-encrusted ring slipped off one corpse's swollen finger, and a bone amulet clattered near another's feet.
A tattered blueprint fluttered in the breeze—a crudely drawn trap schematic, stained and torn.
"Keep back!" Gregory barked, swinging the bat again to crack a spiked baton wielded by a hulking zombie.
Ming Sūlín dodged a poison-tipped dart, narrowly avoiding a stab from a broken sword etched with undead runes.
She dispatched another with a swift cut to the head.
[You killed x1 Zombie | Kill Points +3 | 25 EXP | Loot auto-added: tattered leather gloves, rusted machete, x1 silver talisman, x1 worn-out boot, x1 fire-starting tool blueprint, 20 copper coins]
Suddenly, frantic growls erupted as a massive zombie hound burst through the trees, crimson eyes blazing, slobber dripping from its jaws.
Ming Sūlín sidestepped just in time to avoid snapping teeth, spinning to slash its flank.
[You killed x1 Zombie Hound | Kill Points +3 | 30 EXP | Loot auto-added: torn leather armor piece, broken crossbow with undead carvings, blood-stained bone charm, x1 gold coin stamped with undead sigil, x1 rare weapon blueprint (poisoned blade), 50 silver coins]
The fight pressed close. Grotesque forms attacked from every angle, dragging spiked clubs and cleavers through the air.
Ming Sūlín took a step back, pulling a broken sword from a fallen zombie's grip, testing its weight despite the jagged edge.
More shuffling figures appeared, their torn shirts and jackets fluttering in the night breeze.
She slashed and parried, collecting scraps of torn fabric and bones left behind.
[You killed x3 Zombies | Kill Points +5 (distributed as +2, +2, +1) | 50 EXP | Loot auto-added: x6 rolls of old cloth, x1 set of torn clothes, x1 rusty spiked baton, x1 rusted-encrusted necklace, x1235 copper coins]
Outside, the pack circled the cabin, low growls melding into a terrifying chorus.
Inside, breaths were shallow and hands trembled as everyone listened to the siege.
Ming Sūlín tightened her grip on the fillet knife, knowing this was just the start of a long, brutal fight for survival.
They moved cautiously toward the RV Uncle Tim had brought, the doors left wide open as if someone had fled in a hurry. Pale moonlight revealed fresh drag marks in the dirt, streaks of blood smeared across the gravel and vanishing into the woods.
The sight sent a shiver through Ming Sūlín and Gregory. Something—or someone—had been dragged away, leaving a grim trail.
"Someone's been taken… or worse," Gregory muttered, eyes narrowing as he scanned the treeline.
Ming Sūlín stepped forward carefully, fillet knife ready, every nerve alert. The eerie silence of the woods felt heavier now, thick with unseen threats.
The open RV doors creaked faintly in the night breeze, beckoning them into unknown danger.
It was then she felt it—familiar, uncontrollable. Her body pushed her into the backseat on auto-pilot.
Why is she on auto-gear?
This damn dungeon was going to be the death of her—and the forced scripted scenes were kind of annoying.
Ming Sūlín watched herself near the RV entrance, stepping in to peek inside.
She saw nothing but darkness—until a shadow moved in the corner.
She stepped closer, trying to get a better look.
Dammit—only idiots go investigate in zombie movies and shows, and they always die first! Ming Sūlín hated being forced to have a front-row seat to this horror show.
She felt like the people in movie theaters yelling at the girl not to go in when the killer is clearly waiting.
Her body took one more step when Gregory's cautious whisper broke through.
"Anything?"
Her head shook on its own before she could answer, turning back over her shoulder.
"No, I don't see anyth—"
She was cut off as a large shadow lunged at her at high speed.
Everything froze like someone hit pause.
Holy shit! She thought she was a goner.
Ming Sūlín turned pale, felt imaginary sweat drip, and patted her chest to calm her racing heart.
[Would you like to use a hidden key to unlock the hidden resources point?]
[Yes]
She didn't hesitate before clicking yes.
[x1 key used, 3 remaining]
[Hidden Mission: Free fallen unfortunate characters 0/6 and fallen souls trapped in the dungeon 0/30 (special rewards)]
This time she got a mission to free souls—pretty awesome—and a special reward for completing it.
The moment she did, she was freed from the dungeon's power, using the momentum to throw herself backward into her father, knocking them both to the floor as she reached out to close the RV door.
⸻
When they got up, Gregory looked into the slightly open RV window. He made out Tim's face—half-eaten and grotesque.
The sight scared him so badly he stepped back and tripped, falling to the ground. He covered his mouth, sobbing.
"Oh gosh, Tim!"
Ming Sūlín rushed to his side, covering his mouth with her hand, then raised a finger in silent warning. She pointed behind him toward the glowing green eyes that had been stalking them.
Gregory quieted down.
Ming Sūlín never took her eyes off the figure. She stared into those eyes as she spoke cautiously, her voice trembling.
"Dad, when I count to three, you run on two, okay?"
"Okay, but be careful," he replied after a brief hesitation.
"One…" A growl rose from the woods.
Growl.
"Two!" She pushed Gregory up; he ran off in one direction while she charged forward, wielding her fillet knife and military tactical knife.
"Three!!"
The creature with the green eyes leapt from the woods, meeting her head-on. Ming Sūlín dodged, sliding under it and recovering quickly as it passed. She closed the gap, hopping onto the zombie hound's back.
She gripped it firmly—one hand on its neck, the other pressing into its ribs. With a flick of her wrist, the dog collapsed limp.
[You have killed x1 yellow-grade Zombie Hound | Kill Points +3 | 80 EXP | Loot auto-added: x4 rotten dog meat, x6 zombie hound teeth, x2 pelts of fur, x1 leather, x1 owner collar (pet companion always finds home and owner never lost, even in death)]
She barely caught her breath before zombie Uncle Tim burst out of the RV, heading straight for her.
Ming Sūlín jumped aside, rolling to break her fall, then recovered quickly. Pulling out the spear from her inventory, she struck swiftly, severing his head.
[You have killed x1 yellow-grade character zombie (Tim) | Kill Points +3 | 95 EXP | Loot auto-added: x1 blue-grade damaged camping RV, x1 coal grill, x2 propane gas tanks, x1 large ice chest, 12-pack beer, x8 chocolate bars, x2 camping tents, x4 folding chairs, x1 steel pot, x1 cast-iron skillet pan]
[Congrats on freeing trapped soul of character Tim! 25 EXP earned 1/6]
Ming Sūlín surveyed her surroundings, then rounded the RV back to the cabin side door, where her mother and father waited for her.