As I lifted myself up by a chunk of the house I had just been sitting in, I found myself staring at an army of demon-dogs. All of them were pushing closer to me, and the ones responsible for blowing my shelter down hopped out of the rubble beside me. Each one growled as it tiptoed closer, the vibration shaking my chest.
"You've got to be shitting me… wait—" I said as I called for the sword. "Where the fuck did that Twinkie go?"
Scanning the area, I spotted it. The moonlight reflected off the wrapper. It was sitting right in the middle of one of the huddles.
"Okay, doggies… just don't move… please?" I said, lowering myself into a blitz position, my sword resting on my shoulder, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The system panel had not disappeared. It sat blinking violently, the edges of the words distorting at random. Almost like it had gotten a virus, like some old-school computer.
[ THREAT_THREAT_THREAT ]
[ T46EA8_tHR3A7_T-R*AT ]
"God damn, what the hell is going on with you?" I asked the panel before mentally telling it to disappear, leaving only the demon-dogs in my view. "If I run right at it… maybe they won't have the chance to move at all," I thought out loud, formulating a plan to save my snack.
"Well… here goes," I said as I swung the blade, running forward. It felt weightless in my hands, like I was carrying air. "Shit… Nooooo!" I screamed as the massive group moved in at once, stomping my snack immediately. "You fucking assholes! Bad doggies!"
"Domain of Absolution," I called out. The world around us vanished, replaced by my domain. "I'm pretty sure when I'm in here, y'all are fucked," I said as I felt the power well up in me, my confidence wavering slightly as a window popped into my peripheral vision.
[ HEALTH 70/100 ]
[ MANA 65/100 ]
[ -15 MANA PER MINUTE DUE TO DOMAIN USAGE ]
I tried to dismiss it, but it seemed that while I used this skill, it would be stuck in my vision. "I guess it's more handy than annoying… shit!" I said as I dodged an attack from three demon-dogs, lifting my blade to slice one in half, my blade gliding through skin and bone with ease. "Holy shit… I really need to read more of this system stuff… something is definitely different here."
For half a second, none of them moved. The demon-dogs just stared at me, their bodies tense as if the space itself had changed in a way they understood. Then the nearest one let out a shriek and lunged, like whatever fear had held it back had vanished.
I continued to massacre the pack of morbidly disfigured dogs, collecting every gem they dropped along the way. By the end of the five minutes, I counted over forty beasts that had met their demise at my hand. The actual fight lasted so long the sun had started to rise, showering light on the absolute destruction I had caused.
After catching my breath and calming down from the adrenaline, I found a new house to hide in. A few streets over lay a small house with a shed in the back. "For a few hours, I guess a shed could work." With a heavy sigh and shrug, I dragged my feet to the shed, opened the doors, and made myself at home.
Inside it was nearly empty, with only an electric push lawn mower and some flower pots inside. I laid my pack on the mower, lowering my head onto it, trying to force rest. After some time passed, I drifted to sleep, stomach empty but alive.
*BANG*BANG*BANG*
The sound of the shed doors being tugged at forced me from my slumber. As I opened my eyes, I was met with a slew of system notifications.
[ PLAYER INCOMING ]
[ CAUTION_CAUTION ]
"Hello? Is someone in there?" the person said, the sound of a key being pushed into the lock following. "I'm coming in. I mean no harm… it's crazy right now."
As the door opened, I saw another human for the first time in almost two days. He was roughly my age, but slightly taller than me. A charming yet scared smile was on his face.
"You know there's a bed inside, right?" He offered me a hand. "Hey, I'm Joe, and this was… my shed," he said, laughing as he pulled me up. "Come inside, I have food and water."
"Can I trust you? This apocalypse system shit says you're a player as well."
Joe turned, grinning big enough that it forced his eyes closed. "Yes… I'm not cut out for this, but somehow I've managed to stay alive this long… though coming out here may not have been my best choice."
I followed him into the house, where he showed me to the living room. Family pictures covered the walls and furniture. In every one was Joe, a woman, and three young, smiling children. A large family portrait hung where Sam would have put a flat screen. In the corner was a gaming PC like his and a makeshift desk.
"Ahhh, you play… well, played games?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what kind of games he played. The mood in the room shifted into a warmer, more inviting tone.
"Yea… before the power shut off, I loved playing the online role-playing game…" Looking over at his setup, frowning lightly, he continued, "I made some good friends over the last few years… I never really felt accepted in the real world, but those guys… they made me feel seen."
I sat down as he spoke, the couch creaking as I let my full weight fall onto it. "Oh my god… why did I stay in the shed? This is sooo much better." Kicking my boots off, I relaxed even further into the soft fabric. "So what was your gamertag?"
"Hahaha, it's really stupid, but it was XiXteabagXnoobsX," Joe said as he nervously laughed like he had just told a bad joke.
"You've gotta be shitting me!"