I crept up to the window. A massive shape loomed on the other side, and I immediately ducked down. When nothing happened, I raised myself back up and peered out at the warehouse.

Several shapes were slouching about between the shelves. I could only catch glimpses of them, but they looked vaguely like piles of garbage brought to life.

These had to be monsters, but what exactly were they? The system wasn’t providing any information, but maybe I just needed a clearer view. I pressed my nose against the glass...

And almost yipped as one passed the window again, sliding forward with halting motions not unlike a slug. Even through the window I caught the dog-awful whiff of decay and rot. Bones and pieces of packing material stuck out of the grayish goo that comprised the creature’s bulk.

It was also a long enough view for the system to finally provide some details.

Zombie (Advanced)

Level 5

After several weeks, a zombie begins to undergo its metamorphosis. While it may no longer hunger for the flesh of the living, it will do whatever it can to acquire the materials it needs to build its nest. Make sure that it doesn’t consider you among them.

Although the good news is that the tried-and-true method of aiming for the head still applies, the bad is that their head may be... difficult to find. Best of luck, adventurer!

Level five? That was... a slight jump from my own. And while these were labeled as zombies, they certainly didn’t look like it. There were no arms, no mouths. No heads at all, just like the words had said. How was I supposed to even hurt something that looked like a pile of garbage?

I’d just have to try. If nothing else, this one outside the window stood between me and freedom. If I burst out the door and struck before it realized I was on top of it, maybe I could break past and get outside.

And I had at least one advantage this time. The system had said the head might be difficult to find, but I already had an idea of where to look.

If it wasn’t on the outside of the trash pile...

With a plan for escape, I padded to the door and nosed it open again. The goo-zombie stood perhaps six feet away from the entrance. I had no idea if it was looking at me or not. Perhaps the monster didn’t even ‘see’ the way normal creatures did. The earlier zombies certainly appeared to be blind.

Plus, the words had said these weren’t as aggressive as the basic zombies. Or, well... it had implied such, anyway.

Maybe I could have just slipped by it, maybe I should have just slipped by. I could have fled the warehouse and gone in search of easier prey.

But easier prey no longer provided experience. And I had to admit, I had a taste for it now. As disgusting as these zombies were, the rewards more than made up for the trouble. A regular zombie had given XP and common cores. What might these advanced versions provide?

So rather than sneak, I attacked.

The goo-zombie didn’t twist or moan or even register my existence until I was right on top of it. Forepaws swung, Claw Slash activated, and in a heartbeat, I’d cut a deep gash nearly two feet long and a half-dozen inches deep into the middle of the junk pile.

Bones splintered. Bits of trash went flying in all directions. The entire goo pile shuddered as my claw rent it open, and from deep within came a low moan, one I’d grown to know well in the last few hours. The gash split wider. Deeper.

And there it was. Peeking out from inside the center of the pile. A tuft of hair, sticky and matted, but clearly still attached to a skull.

Found you.

Before I could lunge forward, the goo pile shuddered. Matter reformed into a pair of arms, seizing me about the waist and hurling me away. I had time for a single surprise howl before my body slammed into the warehouse wall and I tumbled in a broken heap to the floor.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I lay there, stunned, watching the goo pile, certain it was going to flow over me at any moment. It didn’t. Instead, it sealed the hole I had ripped in it back up and slithered away.

Heaving myself to my paws, I watched its retreat. My breathing was ragged, and the pain digging into my chest made me think that at least one of my ribs might be broken. It took three cores before the pain subsided.

That left me with four cores to my name. Still more than I’d started with, but if I got injured even one more time by this monster, I’d be in dire straits.

Yet it still seemed worth at least one additional attempt. I just needed to be smarter about it.

I pulled up my interface and considered my options.

-Stats-

Power: 10 (+2)

Speed: 5

Agility: 5

Presence: 5 (+2)

Mind: 5

Points Available: 5

While additional Power might allow me to rend these monsters apart more quickly, that wouldn’t matter if I couldn’t get to the head in time. I needed to strike rapidly, and retreat before it could form its arms for a counterattack. Speed would allow me to move quickly, but...

If I want to use that new bracelet, I’m going to have to spend more on Agility at some point, I told myself, allocating all five points to the stat. And more evasion is what I need right now. It’s a win-win.

Immediately, my steps felt lighter as my Agility doubled. While I couldn’t move my paws any faster, they didn’t seem to touch upon the warehouse floor with the same force. There was more energy coursing through me, and my muscles felt more tightly coiled than before.

Soon as the cooldown on Claw Slash reset, I dashed forward.

The goo-zombie was just standing at the end of an aisle, though it did seem to be focused on subsuming a small pallet on one of the shelves. Again, it didn’t react to my approach.

My Claw Slash tore through the pile, ripping bones and cardboard and wood, leaving a gash wide enough to fit my whole body through and revealing the back of the zombie’s head. The goo pile dropped the box it was subsuming, its whole surface rippling. It formed arms and reached for me.

But I was already leaping away, and its hands grasped at nothing. Then, I darted in again.

The hole I’d made was sealing itself shut, not exactly very fast, but not slowly, either. Already it was too large to wedge my whole body through. My head would just barely fit.

I wriggled in through the hole, jaws snapping. However, the zombie head was just slightly out of reach, and so my teeth connected with nothing. The goo continued to seal, bones and other debris pressing in on all sides. I felt like I was caught in a vise, and the air was difficult to breathe.

Is this what the system had meant about not becoming part of the pile? I imagined my skull floating around amidst all of this other detritus for the rest of eternity. My jaws snapped faster. The head remained stubbornly out of reach. The air was becoming fetid.

Outside, my paws scrabbled against the pile for purchase. I felt the goo pile’s arms wrap around me, but they could no more pull me out than I could advance forward. I was stuck.

Then the arms wrapped tighter and began to squeeze.

Pain screamed through me, and I snapped all the more frantically. My paws fought the outside of the pile, and just when I thought they might sink and be lost with me, my right paw found purchase on something hard and metallic, just enough I was able to push myself forward another few inches and my jaws crunched upon the back of the zombie’s head. Putrid brains and skull fragments the consistency of rotten eggshells filled my mouth.

The arms wrapped around me fell away immediately. Using my new purchase, I pushed myself out, and my head released from the pile with a loud pop. I rolled backwards, coming to a stop against the warehouse shelving. Blessed air filled my lungs.

You have defeated: Zombie (Advanced) — Level 5

300 XP, 1 Common Core, and 1 Yellow Quality Loot Box awarded.

My tail began wagging as I read through the message. This was a much better prize than I’d expected! The system had mentioned earlier that loot boxes could come from monsters, but I’d yet to encounter it with the basic zombies. It seemed the advanced versions were a little more profitable.

Shaking away any remaining goo still clinging to me, I surveyed the warehouse. My vision still showed four more dots moving about, but they appeared to be further in.

Safe for the moment.

I pulled up my inventory, then selected the loot box. The moment the yellow box appeared in front of me I nudged it open, my tail wagging furiously with excitement. With luck, this time it would be something I could actually use...

Two small leather wraps lay at the bottom. They were too short to be collars. I was honestly stumped as to their purpose before the system chimed in.

Dual Wands of Stupefy

Level 3

For the discerning canine who wants to level the playing field with humanity and their pesky guns, these tools are invaluable. Each wand can release a single shot that will stun a target for X seconds equal to your Mind value (currently: 5), up to 30. After both shots are fired, the wands have a ten-minute cooldown.

Note: This is a two-handed (pawed) weapon. Must be equipped to forelegs.

I felt somewhat chagrined as I equipped the wands. This was a weapon that would have been much more useful before my fight with the goo-zombie. Yet I couldn’t feel too bad about the situation. Suddenly the remaining dots in the warehouse didn’t seem like monsters to be avoided.

They felt like prey.