章 2: The Evolution Button: What Will Zorvax Become?
In the rubble of what used to be a vibrant city, Zorvax shambled through the streets, his mind alive with plans and questions. The new 'Zombolution System' interface floated before him, and he eyed the grayed-out "Evolve" button with frustration and determination. "How to get those points?" he muttered, his voice a mere whisper of its former self.
Zorvax's footsteps squelched on the damp ground, a stark contrast to the silent tread of his fellow undead who wandered with no direction or purpose. They seemed not to notice him, as if he was just another part of the desolate landscape.
Pondering his next move, Zorvax looked down at the other zombies. "Maybe I can get points from them?" he guessed, speaking to no one in particular.
The thought stuck with him, and soon, he found himself drawing a rusty knife from within his torso—a grim reminder of his death and current state. "Sorry, friends," he said, almost apologetically, to the oblivious zombies around him.
A shabby zombie, dressed in what must have been a businessman's attire once, shuffled towards Zorvax. He stood still, considering his action, and then, with a sudden burst of movement, he struck, aiming for the creature's head.
The businessman zombie stumbled and fell with a dull thud; its head now parted from its body. Zorvax looked at the interface, hoping for a sign.
---
[Evolution Points: +1]
---
"There we go," Zorvax said, a sigh of relief escaping as he saw the numbers increase. "One down, many more to go."
As the days turned into nights and back again, Zorvax found himself locked into a routine. Spot a zombie, eliminate it, and watch the points accrue. Each encounter was a mix of mechanical action and survival instinct.
"Evolution Points: +1," he would note each time, marking his slow but steady progress. The repetition of his actions and the regular chime of the interface became a rhythm to which his new life was set.
After each grim task, Zorvax would look at his hands, his expression conflicted. "Is this what I am now? A hunter of my kind?" he asked himself. There was no answer but the echo of his voice amidst the ruins.
He lost track of how many zombies fell by his hand. Each day, the interface's announcements were the only thing that broke the monotony.
---
[Evolution Points: +1]
---
Eventually, he murmurs, "Evolution Points: ninety... just ten more to go." He looked around at the quiet city—a silent witness to his relentless quest.
Taking a moment, Zorvax leaned against a crumbling wall, causing bits of plaster to fall. He looked down at the knife in his hand, now covered with marks and stains of his deeds. "I never thought it would come to this," he said, his voice conveying remorse.
He raised his head, looking toward the horizon where the city's broken silhouette met the sky. The promise of what the "Evolve" button could unleash spurred him forward.
Zorvax pushed off the wall and resumed his mission. The lifeless eyes of the zombies he passed seemed to follow him, but he paid them no mind. His focus was on the future, the potential to change, to become something more than a mere eater of flesh.
With each step, he repeated the number of points he needed, like a mantra. It was a number that represented hope, a way out of the darkness that had consumed him. "Ninety-one... ninety-two..." he counted, each number bringing him closer to his goal.
The days continued to pass, and Zorvax moved through them like a ghost, his eyes always returning to the glowing interface that held the key to his evolution.
As Zorvax continued his solitary march through the desolate city, the days blurred into a routine of survival and the pursuit of evolution. The quiet streets became his arena, and the zombies his unwilling adversaries in the quest for those elusive points.
The city seemed to stretch forever, its hollow buildings like silent spectators to his mission. Occasionally, Zorvax would pause, look around at the gray world, and sigh. "I used to walk these streets without a care," he'd say softly, remembering a time before everything had changed.
One day, as he rounded a corner, he came face-to-face with a new challenge. A dog, its form altered by the same plague that had claimed him, growled menacingly. Its eyes, once perhaps full of loyalty and joy, were now just empty and hungry.
"Whoa there, Fido," Zorvax said, trying to sound confident. "Let's not do anything we'll regret."
The dog didn't seem interested in conversation, though, and lunged. Zorvax dodged, more agile than he would have been in his past life, and caught the dog's mouth with his hand. He couldn't feel the bite, thanks to his newfound immunity to pain, but he knew he had to act fast.
"You're fast; I'll give you that," Zorvax grunted, wrestling with the zombie dog. With a swift motion, he used his other hand to drive his knife into the animal's head, ending the struggle with a sudden silence.
He stood there momentarily, breathing heavily—not out of necessity, but out of habit. "Looks like you were barking up the wrong tree," Zorvax joked to the fallen creature, trying to lighten the mood in the only way he knew how.
The interface appeared then, its ghostly screen cutting through the dim light. Zorvax's eyes went wide when he saw the number.
---
[Evolution Points: 100]
---
"Well, I'll be..." Zorvax said, a smile trying to form on his decaying face. "Guess it's my lucky day."
He stared at the [Evolve] option that now beckoned him. His hand hovered over it, trembling with the magnitude of the moment.
"Here goes nothing," Zorvax whispered and tapped the option.
He waited, every second stretching out longer than the last. "Come on, come on," he urged, as if talking to a stubborn lock he was trying to pick.
Finally, the interface shimmered, and a light engulfed him, pulling him into an experience he could have never imagined. It was a turning point, a metamorphosis that would redefine his existence in this ravaged world.
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