SCT-Novel Chapter 55: Eva...
Chapter 55: Eva...
Ethan’s mind was a storm of fear, urgency, and determination as he sprinted into the devastated streets of Atlanta, the distant groans of the undead echoing like a constant drumbeat in the ruins around him, mingling with the sharp metallic tang of blood and the stench of rot that clung to the air like a suffocating shroud.
His heart pounded so hard that he could feel it thrumming in his throat as he tightened his grip on the baseball bat, the weight of the simple wooden weapon grounding him even as the chaos of the city threatened to overwhelm his senses.
Every corner he rounded, every alley he entered, was another gamble against the hordes of monsters that had taken the city, their numbers far beyond what any survivor could have imagined, moving with an unnatural hunger and an eerie coordination that made each step forward a battle for life itself.
From the very start, Ethan knew that this would not be a simple matter of swinging at mindless Level 1 zombies. The streets were littered with corpses, overturned cars, shattered shop windows, and debris from buildings that had fallen victim to the disasters that had overtaken the city, and it was clear that the undead had been feeding not just on the living but scavenging what they could, creating a chaotic environment where danger could appear from any angle.
The first group he encountered was small, perhaps no more than four Level 1s, staggering toward him with their arms outstretched and moans that sounded more human than animal, but Ethan’s hands were steady, his strikes precise, and with each swing of his bat, the skulls of the creatures cracked and fell, the satisfying sound of destruction marking +5 Boyfriend Credits for each kill.
He barely had time to count, his mind already moving to the next threat, calculating the quickest way to dispatch the growing numbers before they could surround him.
It was not long before the situation escalated. From the shadow of a collapsed building emerged Level 2 zombies, larger, faster, and somehow eerily aware of their surroundings, their movements sharper, almost tactical, forcing Ethan to leap aside just as their claws grazed his arm.
The fight became a blur of motion, his bat swinging in arcs that had to be perfect to hit their skulls without leaving himself exposed. One misstep, one failed swing, and he would be bitten, infected, lost. But the fear, instead of paralyzing him, sharpened his reflexes. Every strike was counted, every movement measured. +20 Credits flickered with every successful hit, fueling his determination to continue.
The streets narrowed as he pressed on, forcing him into tighter alleys where the shadows themselves seemed alive with danger. Here, he met his first Level 3, a hulking monstrosity whose speed and strength were terrifyingly unlike anything he had seen before.
Its teeth snapped just inches from his shoulder as he rolled under a low beam, barely avoiding a fatal bite, and he slammed his bat into its temple with all his might, hearing the echoing crack as it collapsed. +100 Credits. The numbers began climbing faster now, each one a reminder that every life he took in these streets was a step toward saving Eva.
But the true nightmare came as he reached what had once been a busy intersection, now a war zone. Level 4 zombies, massive creatures with jagged claws and mangled faces, surged from every direction, their groans mixing with the screams of those few survivors who had not yet been devoured. Ethan had to improvise, using overturned cars and debris as makeshift barricades, leaping from vehicle to vehicle, swinging his bat in wide, desperate arcs.
One of the monsters lunged at him, and he barely managed to dive to the side, his shoes scraping against broken glass as the creature’s teeth tore through the hood of a car he had been using as cover. +500 Credits flashed on his HUD, but there was no time to celebrate. Each second here was precious, and the zombie hordes were relentless.
At one point, he found himself surrounded, a tight cluster of Level 2s and Level 3s pressing in from all sides, and for a moment, he froze, panic threatening to break his focus.
But the thought of Eva, lying weak and dying, steeled him, and with a feral yell, he swung his bat with every ounce of strength he could muster, pivoting to hit the ones behind him while simultaneously dodging the attacks of the ones in front.
It was a ballet of survival, brutal and messy, sweat and blood mingling as he twisted, ducked, and smashed, hearing the crunch of bones, feeling the impact reverberate through his arms. +20, +100, +20... the credits piled up almost too quickly to count, each one a tangible sign that he was closer to the threshold he needed.
The streets themselves seemed alive with danger. Collapsed buildings created narrow choke points where zombies could trap him, abandoned vehicles blocked the way, and the smell of decay was overpowering, seeping into his lungs and making him gag as he pressed onward.
A Level 4 burst from a shadow, and Ethan had to climb the roof of a small mini-mart, his shoes dragging along the edge as the creature’s claws scraped just beneath him. He could feel the vibration of the impact, could hear the guttural snarls as it lunged repeatedly, but he leapt to another rooftop, landing hard on the tiles, and drove the bat down into its skull as it reared back, earning another +500 Credits.
Hours passed, though it felt like minutes. Ethan moved through the streets with a focus that bordered on obsession, his entire being dedicated to one singular goal: to accumulate enough credits to open the Health Menu and save Eva before it was too late. Level 1s, Level 2s, Level 3s, even sporadic Level 4s—all fell to his bat, his reflexes honed to a razor’s edge, his mind calculating the fastest route through the chaos, anticipating the next attack, the next obstacle.
He climbed buildings, vaulted over barricades, slid under windows, and ducked through broken doorways, his body battered, bruised, and bleeding, but still moving, still fighting, still surviving.
At one point, a small horde cornered him in an abandoned supermarket, the doors smashed, shelves overturned, and zombies pressing in from every side. Ethan backed toward a display of cans, swinging his bat in wide, calculated arcs, taking down one after another as he slowly moved backward, using the shelves as partial cover.
A Level 3 lunged at him from behind a collapsed counter, and he pivoted, driving the bat into its temple, +100 Credits flashing again, before spinning and hitting another Level 2 that tried to flank him, +20. Each kill was precise, deliberate, and necessary, a dance with death itself, and yet with every strike, with every groan of the undead falling, he could feel the distance between himself and Eva shrinking, the hope of saving her flickering brighter with every accumulated credit.
By the time he finally saw the HUD notification that he had surpassed 20,000 Boyfriend Credits, Ethan was panting, soaked in sweat, grime, and blood, his arms trembling with exhaustion, yet his eyes blazed with determination.
He had done it.
He had earned the right to access the Health Menu.
He could now procure the cure, the medicine, the solution that could save Eva, and even as his body threatened to collapse under the strain of the fight, under the weight of the countless undead he had slain, he began to make his way back through the broken streets, his bare feet scraping over rubble and shards of glass, each step a testament to his resolve.
The journey back was not easy. Zombies still lurked, shadows moving at the edges of his vision, some lunging as he passed, but he moved with the precision and ferocity of someone who had been tempered by fire, striking down every threat with a combination of desperation and skill.
He climbed through broken windows, vaulting over fences, dodging swarms of Level 2s that tried to ambush him, earning credits almost automatically as he moved, though now the numbers were secondary, irrelevant compared to the thought of Eva lying there, suffering, waiting for him to bring her salvation.
And finally, he reached the apartment building, his lungs burning, his body shaking, every muscle screaming in protest, yet he felt a surge of hope, a rush of anticipation, because in just moments, Eva would have a chance to live again.
He reached the doorway, paused, and then stepped inside, only to have his chest tighten, his stomach drop, and a cold, searing horror wash over him, as Helen stood over Eva, a knife in her trembling hands, and his friend lay lifeless, blood pooling around her head, the finality of the act hitting him like a hammer.
"I... I... I’m sorry Ethan... I had to do it..." Helen whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Ethan sank to his knees, the world around him collapsing, his vision blurred by grief, anger, and disbelief, his mind screaming against the reality before him, the culmination of all the desperate battles, the accumulation of every credit, the struggle through every street, all ending in a tragedy that neither skill nor determination could undo.
Ethan’s hands hovered over Eva’s body, shaking violently, rage and despair mixing into a storm of emotion that made him feel as though the entire city had turned against him.
He could barely form the words, barely breathe... Barely think...
How painful?