Apocalypse game, p.5
Apocalypse Game, page 5
Grissom High School: Outpost
Fortification Level: 4
Grissom City Threat Level: 6
Safe Zone: Inactive
What the hell? Fortification? Safe zones? What is this? I had no answer, which was becoming incredibly annoying rather quickly. Damn you, Callisto.
Though it stands to reason that if this is an outpost, people will be inside.
Should I risk it?
I didn’t see another option besides bypassing the school and heading straight to the city, but that seemed even more foolhardy than braving the school.
Guess I have my answer.
Gun raised, I headed inside the building.
I pushed the double doors open as silently as I could and stepped out of the frigid winter air to the calm stillness of Grissom High. The warmth that met me told me that the building wasn’t abandoned, that or they’d left the heater on.
I guess a sky-high electric bill is the least of anyone’s worries at this point.
The thud of the door was soft, but in the silent air, it was louder than a gunshot. I winced as the echo reverberated through the hallway, and I ducked behind a row of blue lockers and waited for a response to the noise.
Nothing, not a peep.
There wasn’t a sound in the place, but I had a sinking feeling that it wasn’t abandoned. It didn’t feel like an empty school. There was a liveliness to the space, some ineffable quality that told me I wasn’t alone.
I couldn’t cower behind the lockers forever, so with trepidation pulsing through me, I moved forward.
My footfalls echoed softly on the soft orange tile as I passed open classrooms. Most of them were a mess, desks overturned, papers and books everywhere. But as I went deeper, there were a few signs of life. Makeshift bunks and sleeping bags were in a few of the rooms with boarded-up windows. I wanted to call out and see if anyone was here, but my brain vetoed that idea.
Let’s just announce our presence to potentially dangerous people. Anyone could be here. Murderers, rapists…Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The longer I remained undetected, the better.
I came upon a crossroads that led to the cafeteria and the gym. I decided to check the gym first when there was a squeak of rubber on tile. Someone’s tennis shoe rubbed against the floor, just barely audible.
Then there was the very audible sound of a shell being racked into a shotgun.
I threw myself to the side as someone attempted to take my life.
The boom rang loud in my ears as pellets struck the floor and wall to my right as I hit the ground hard. I didn’t bother aiming and brought my revolver in the general direction of the shooter and fired. The pistol bucked against my hand, stinging my wrist as the deafening blast of gunfire rang through my skull. As soon as I fired, I scrambled to a set of lockers for any semblance of cover I could find. Hiding behind them for all I was worth.
“Friendly, friendly!” I shrieked at the gunman.
Silence stretched for a second before being broken by the clack of another shell being chambered. “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to fall for that bullshit!” the shotgunner said in a harsh feminine voice.
“No tricks, I’m friendly.”
“You tried to shoot me.”
“You fired first, asshole!” I shouted.
“Fu─“ she began, but was cut off by a familiar voice.
“Adeline, that’s enough. Hold your fire.”
I turned around to a terrifying sight. Six people, all wearing dirty clothes and what looked like military issue body armor. Each of them holding very large weapons pointed at my back.
“Ah…hello,” I said and froze, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.
Most of them were strangers, but I recognized the one who’d spoken. Mr. Mitchells lowered his weapon and stared at me in disbelief. “Killian…is that you?”
“Yeah, could you not shoot me, please? I’m having a really bad day.”
He ran over and helped me to my feet before grabbing me in a rough hug. “Jesus, son. I thought you were dead like the rest.”
Oh right. It’s only been a couple of hours for me, but he hasn’t seen me in over a month. And a month in the apocalypse could be a long freaking time.
“It’s good to see you too, Mr. Mitchells,” I managed to eke out through his bear hug.
He let go of me and stood back. “Where have you been? How are you alive?”
“It’s a very long story,” I said and stowed my gun away. “And frankly, I doubt you’d believe me if I told you.”
He stopped, his eyes narrowing. “I understand you’re entitled to your secrets, but things haven’t been easy here,” he began before he sighed. “Sorry. It’s been a long month. Let’s get you some food, and maybe you can tell us what it’s like out there.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
I fell in line behind him, but before I could take a step, Adeline shouldered past me, holding a black and very menacing shotgun, her blue hair tied in a messy ponytail.
“Hey, thanks for, you know, not blowing my head off.”
She glared at me and didn’t say a word as she caught up with the rest of the group, leaving me to play catch up.
I didn’t say anything and just followed them.
Damn, it’s like the first day of high school all over again, and I just went and pissed off the popular crowd.
Except now, everyone has guns.
With my personality, I think my life expectancy just plummeted.
They led me to the cafeteria, which was filled with about a dozen people sitting around the laminated plastic and metal lunch tables, eating off the ugly lime green lunch trays I’d come to despise during my time here. Though, from the smell of the food cooking, I might actually be able to get a better meal here, even though the world went to shit.
Mr. Mitchells brought me over to the counter, where a wide array of unappetizing meals would usually be arranged. Instead, there was a large pot of simmering meat in a sauce and about two metric tons of cooked white rice beside it.
Something on the counter caught my eye as we passed it. It was small and boxy. Shiny silver metal gleamed around it. Only the front was any different. There was a rectangular screen and a flashing green light next to it.
“What the hell is that, Mr. Mitchells?”
He sighed. “Call me Isaac. There’s no point in standing on formality anymore.” He looked at me sideways with squinted eyes. “And this is a vendor. Haven’t you seen one before?”
I shook my head.
“Oh, well. They’re dispensers. They show up at any place with enough people to warrant a classification. Since we’re just an Outpost, we only got one. This one is programmed for food, but I wouldn’t use your coins on it if I were you, not while we still have plenty in the freezer.”
He handed me a plate piled high with curry, at least I thought it was curry, and let me pick a table to sit at.
Not knowing anyone here besides Mitchells, I sat alone at an unoccupied table and took a tentative bite. The food was good, a little bland, but filling. I ate and tried to plan my next move.
But I didn’t really understand anything he’d just told me.
More than anything, I don’t have a clue what’s going on. I need more information before I do something as stupid as to try and destroy the world. The world looks pretty messed up as is. I don’t know what more I can do.
Let alone what’s happened since I’ve been gone.
I was interrupted from my thoughts by two trays slamming down beside me. Mr. Mitchells and Adeline sat down next to me.
Mr. Mitchells was as calm and friendly as ever, but Adeline set down a pistol next to her tray, the barrel pointing in my direction.
Yippee, she looks like she’s ready to take me out back and demand my lunch money or shoot me. One of the two.
I turned and glared at her. “You realize we had Calculus together, right?” I asked, my voice biting.
Her eyes narrowed, her lips forming a hard line. “That was a month ago. A lifetime ago.”
“Guess I can’t argue with that. But if you could not point a loaded firearm in my direction, I’d consider it a personal favor.”
“Don’t make any sudden moves, and you’ll be fine.”
I sighed. “I bet you’re just a riot at parties.” I shifted my focus to Mr. Mitchells, ignoring Adeline entirely. “What happened here? Where is everyone else?”
He sighed, pulled out a copper-colored hip flask, and took a swig. “Dead, or gone,” he said and stowed the flask back in his pocket. “It’s bad business all around. The first week wasn’t so bad. Pretty much everyone from the surrounding area took shelter at the school. It was easily defendable, and there was plenty of room and supplies to go around. When the military showed up, we thought the worst was over with.”
“Let me guess,” I said, pointing my fork at him. “They weren’t here to help.”
“Oh, no. They were. They brought more food and medical supplies than we knew what to do with. They set this place up with enough supplies to grant us the Outpost fortification. They were in the process of upgrading it further when those damn monsters showed up.”
I paused, my fork halfway in my mouth. “What monsters?” I asked around a mouthful of curry.
Adeline raised her eyebrows at that. “You don’t know? You’ve been out there all this time, yet you’re acting like this is the first time you’re hearing about all this.”
“Well, because it is…”
I tried to come up with a plausible way to explain how I time skipped a month into the future. I came up lacking in every regard and settled for a blatant lie.
“I bashed my head pretty hard a while ago. I’ve been in a coma since all this started.”
They looked at me with skepticism evident in their eyes but thankfully didn’t press me on the issue. I heaved a mental sigh of relief when they changed the subject.
Adeline stared at me, pushing a lump of meat around her plate. “So…what’s your class?” she asked before taking a drink of water.
I looked around the room, confused. “Class? This is the lunchroom.”
She slammed her bottle on the table, and the bottom crumpled a little, sending droplets of water over the table. “No, moron. What’s your class? You know, the weird fucking screen floating in front of your eyes. You have one, right? Everyone does.”
Oh, duh. Well, shit.
I can’t exactly freaking proclaim that I’m the Demon Lord sent out to destroy the world, now can I?
There’s absolutely no way that conversation goes anywhere but south for me.
“Uh, what’s yours?” I asked, trying to deflect the question.
“Gunner,” she said. “Most everyone got stuck with the Soldier class, but I’m one of the few here with a rare class.”
“According to the military, almost everyone got the Soldier class,” Mitchells said.
Well, thanks for the save there, Adeline. I forgive you for mistaking me for a shooting target earlier.
“Yeah, that’s what I got as well.” I shrugged. “Guess you got lucky.”
“Lucky?” She scoffed. “Yeah, the whole world goes to shit, but at least I get some cool parlor tricks.”
“Ah.” I shut up, not knowing what else to say.
“So, what’s your level? And stats?” she asked, changing the subject.
I sighed and set down my fork, pushing my tray away. “I’m only level one, and I have no idea how the stats even work.”
Adeline raised an eyebrow. “Level one? You really were in a coma then?”
I nodded. “What level are you?”
“Five.”
I grabbed my bottle of water and chugged half of it just for something to do.
All of this was crazy, and I was still playing catch up trying to process everything. Levels, skills, and stats. It was all so familiar to me, yet completely alien at the same time.
And on top of everything, I couldn’t be honest with anyone about who I was or what really happened to me, so playing mental gymnastics while trying to wrap my head around everything was giving me a serious headache.
The plastic crinkled as I dropped it back on the table and drummed my fingers along the vinyl. “So, I’m guessing levels work like they do in any video game. You earn experience for various actions, and you get points to put in stats?”
“That’s pretty much exactly right. Most of us earn experience by killing the monsters, but there are a few other ways to earn points in the form of quests,” Isaac said, interrupting whatever Adeline had been about to say.
“It really is like a game…so our attributes, how do they work?”
They cocked their heads at my words. “Attributes? What do you mean?”
“The whole Strength, Endurance, Wisdom thing. Those are called attributes in traditional tabletop games.”
Adeline scoffed. “Nerd.”
I couldn’t take her attitude toward me any longer and whirled on her. “Yeah, I’m a nerd, but when the fucking world turns into a game, how about not pissing off the gamer?”
She stood, her green eyes piercing as she stared me down. “A gamer who doesn’t know how to play the game isn’t a gamer. You’re just a liability.” She turned to Isaac and scoffed. “I don’t trust him. Coma? We’re really supposed to buy that?” She turned to me, glaring. “He’s hiding something.”
Adeline grabbed her tray and stormed off.
He sighed and took another drink from his flask. “You’ll have to forgive her, after everything…well, it’s becoming rather hard to trust people these days.
“But to answer your question, your stats work pretty simply. Raising your Strength increases your physical ability. Perception seems to increase your senses, and it goes from there. It’s been over twenty years since my gamer days, so I’m sure you know how these things work better than I.”
Huh. I leaned on my chin, my fingers tapping against my lip in thought. That’s about what I figured.
“What about Charisma? That’s the only one I can’t figure out.”
“Well, from what little we can see, it increases a person’s likability, but more than that. It gives a small increase in the amount of experience you get for completing quests.”
I whistled. “That’s kind of handy.”
Going by what I know, I’ll need to solidify my build before I ever allocate a single stat point. But I really don’t know what my class can do. Going by my single skill, I’m close quarters, but I can’t make an informed decision without knowing more.
I guess the best thing right now is to watch and wait until more info presents itself.
“If you’re finished eating, we can go to the gym, talk to everyone and see where you best fit in. You’re welcome to stay, but everyone pitches in for the good of the community here.”
I stood, grabbing my tray. “Absolutely, I’ll help howe─”
A man burst through the double doors of the cafeteria like there was a fire. Early to middle-aged with thick mahogany hair and a rugged beard. He held a hunting rifle and looked around till he spotted Isaac. “Incoming! Eight. Moving fast!”
Everyone leapt to their feet instantly, most heading for the door like well-oiled machines.
Only the two of us remained.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We’ve got trouble coming. You asked about the monsters earlier. Well, you’re about to see them up close. C’mon, we need to move,” he said and headed for the door without looking back.
Shotgun toting high school girls and monsters.
What’s the world come to?
I pulled my pistol and raced after everyone.
Chapter 5- Carnival Beasts
All I had to do was follow the heavy thud of boots as nearly everyone fled the confines of the halls and headed outside. I took a left and followed a girl no older than me as she burst through the east entrance to the school’s football and track field.
Everyone gathered along the concrete walkway that split in several directions and led down to the stands and field.
I walked down and met up with Isaac and Adeline, who were a few dozen feet from the clay-colored rubber of the track field, crouched down behind a chest-high concrete wall that separated the field from the stands.
They had weapons in hand. Adeline had her shotgun, and she loaded a couple of shells before racking it. Isaac held a hunting rifle like he knew how to use it, and as I met them, he flicked the safety off and braced the gun on the wall, staring through the sight.
“Get ready. They’re here.”
“What’s here?” I hissed.
Adeline glared at me and took a hold of my shirt, pulling me down. “Stop standing there like a dumbass and get serious.” She grabbed my chin and forced my head in the direction of the football field. “Look. This is what we’ve had to deal with for the past month while you were asleep or whatever.”
My comeback died on my lips as I caught what the others were looking at.
In the distance, on the other end of the field, were eight hideous creatures.
Three of them crawled up the goal post and sat perched, giving me a better look. I couldn’t make out much from this distance, but they were long and lean quadrupedal monsters, six-foot or so and reptilian in appearance. All of them had scales and thin, pointed ridges down their slender bodies.
Each had a multitude of assorted colors. From gray with glittering white ridges along its back to a grassy green with bright red talons and spotted scales along its flank. All the same creatures, but each had a distinct color scheme to them.
“Holy shit,” I said.
I hadn’t spoken loudly, but as soon as I said anything, all three of them on the post turned in my direction and opened their long, narrow mouths. They bared several rows of vicious ivory teeth and let out horrendous half hissed shrieks.
I winced in pain as my ears rang from their screams. I shook my head, trying to chase the last of the ringing as the echoes faded.
That was from a football field away. Up close, and I’d have likely been knocked unconscious.
Isaac cursed and fired. The crack of his rifle sounded, and the shot took the green one in the shoulder. Bright yellow blood splattered across the ground, but the thing didn’t drop.
