Date: April 18th, 2027
Place: New York City – Lower East Side – Elias' Apartment Building
---
We didn't linger.
Miguel tightened his grip on the wrench, his broad shoulders rolling back as if shaking off exhaustion. Claire clutched her stake, knuckles pale but her eyes steady now. I hefted my hammer, its weight familiar in my hands, blood dried along the steel head.
The three of us stepped back into the hall.
The building breathed around us—creaks in the pipes, faint groans echoing through the walls. But there was something else now, beneath it all. A low, irregular thud. Not footsteps. Heavier.
Miguel heard it too. His brows furrowed. "That ain't normal."
Claire's breath caught, hazel eyes darting to me.
"Stay behind," I told her quietly.
We moved down the hall. The sound grew louder. A steady, wet dragging noise. Then a guttural snarl, deeper than the ones we'd heard before.
The hallway opened into a laundry room. Blood streaked the walls. Washing machines were overturned, doors torn off their hinges.
And in the center of it stood something new.
It was taller than the others, broader. Its skin was stretched tight across muscle that bulged unnaturally, veins black as tar pulsing beneath. One arm was grotesquely swollen, nearly twice the size of the other, its claws curved like knives. Its jaw unhinged wider than any human mouth should.
Its eyes burned pale, locking onto us instantly.
Claire gasped, stumbling back. "What… what is that?"
The HUD answered before I could.
[Tier 1 Mutant Zombie – Brute]
[Threat Level: High]
Miguel spat. "Well, shit."
The Brute roared, the sound shaking the walls. Then it charged.
---
It was fast. Faster than its size should've allowed.
I shoved Claire behind me and swung the hammer upward. The Brute's swollen claw came down, smashing against the steel. The impact rattled my bones, the force nearly tearing the weapon from my grip.
[HP -15]
[Current HP: 116 / 140]
[SP -8]
[Current SP: 102 / 110]
I gritted my teeth, shoving back, but it was strong. Stronger than me.
Miguel roared, swinging his wrench into its side. The metal rang against bone, cracking ribs. The Brute staggered, snarling, then backhanded him across the room. Miguel slammed into the wall with a grunt, falling to one knee.
Claire screamed.
The Brute turned toward her.
"No!" I lunged, bringing the hammer down into its leg. Bone cracked, the limb buckling. It roared, crashing to one knee.
"Claire—heal Miguel!" I shouted.
She blinked, tears streaking her face. Then she nodded, darting toward Miguel.
"Minor Heal!"
Her hands glowed, golden light spilling over him. Miguel groaned, his bruises fading, his ragged breath steadying.
[Miguel Alvarez – HP Restored: +25]
[Claire Thompson – MP: 30 / 40 → 20 / 40]
[Claire – Essence Gained: +10]
The Brute lunged at me again, its massive claw slamming down. I dodged sideways, the carpet tearing under its strike. My SP dipped further.
[SP -6]
[Current SP: 96 / 110]
Miguel roared, charging back in. "Got your back, hermano!"
His wrench smashed into the Brute's jaw. I swung the hammer at the same time, the weapons colliding with bone from opposite sides. The skull cracked, black ichor spraying across us.
The Brute shrieked, flailing wildly. Its swollen arm lashed out, slamming into my ribs. Pain exploded in my side.
[HP -22]
[Current HP: 94 / 140]
[SP -10]
[Current SP: 86 / 110]
I staggered, blood in my mouth. My vision swam.
"Elias!" Claire screamed.
"Not yet," I snarled, raising the hammer. "I'm not done yet!"
The Brute lunged again, jaws wide. I swung upward with every ounce of strength.
[Skill Activated: Heavy Swing]
[150% STR damage applied.]
[SP -10]
[Cooldown: 6s]
The hammer crashed into its skull. The impact echoed through the room, bone exploding beneath the steel. The Brute's head snapped sideways, its body collapsing to the floor with a thunderous crash.
It twitched once, then went still.
The HUD burned.
[You have slain a Tier 1 Mutant Zombie – Brute.]
[+50 Essence absorbed.]
[Level Up!]
[Distribute 5 Attribute Points.]
Miguel Alvarez – Combat Contribution Detected.
[+20 Essence absorbed.]
Claire Thompson – Support Contribution Detected.
[Healing performed: +15 Essence.]
---
The silence after the roar was deafening.
I leaned against the wall, chest heaving, hammer slick with gore. My ribs screamed, every breath sharp with pain.
Miguel wiped blood from his lip, grinning despite the bruise forming across his cheek. "Now that was a fight."
Claire rushed to me, her hazel eyes wide with panic. "Elias—your ribs—"
"I'm fine," I lied through clenched teeth.
She didn't hesitate this time. Her hands pressed to my side. "Minor Heal!"
Warmth surged through me, knitting the broken ribs back together, the pain fading into a dull throb.
[HP Restored: +30]
[Current HP: 124 / 140]
[Claire Thompson – MP: 20 / 40 → 10 / 40]
[Claire – Essence Gained: +10]
I exhaled slowly, the weight lifting from my chest. "You're getting good at that."
Claire's lips trembled, but her eyes were steady. "Then I'll keep doing it. Until you stop needing me."
Miguel laughed hoarsely. "Guess I picked the right crew to shack up with." He wiped his wrench clean on his shirt. "Hell of a first day."
I looked at both of them—Miguel bruised but grinning, Claire pale but resolute, my own arms still shaking from the fight.
We were battered. Bloodstained. Exhausted.
But alive.
And for the first time, I felt it in my bones: we could be more than survivors.
We could fight back.
---