Holstering her pistols, Jean wasted no time in bringing the store page back up. She wasn't precisely sure what the boss wave would entail but wanted to give herself the best chance she could. As she looked it over, she realized her arm was still aching. She glanced at it and, noticing the chunk of flesh missing and blood still oozing, realized that it hadn't automatically heal. She went to the consumables section.

Instant Heal: 10 coins

An emergency medical kit looted from an ambulance. Will fully heal between waves.

Medical Kit: 15 coins

A medical kit looted from a drug store. Will heal 15% damage on pickup. Not usable between waves.

She selected the instant heal and received an odd sensation as her arm knit itself back together. For good measure, she bought a medical kit as well. She heard it thunk behind her near the entrance to the stadium. She absently noted that the ammo kit was still grayed out and not selectable. She didn't have time to ponder it, however, so she went on. She went to the survivor's tab.

Survivor: 50 coins

A basic melee fighter. They will fight by your side to the end which, let's face it, will probably come quickly for them.

Ranged Survivor: 60 coins

A survivor with a ranged weapon. Should add about fifteen seconds to their lifespan.

Jean blinked at the tooltips. The game developers seem to enjoy using dark humor. She considered buying a couple but didn't want to spend all of her remaining coins on them. She also didn't see the point in buying only one or the other. They seemed to complement each other so she'd wait. Besides, these were the early levels and she should be able to handle them on her own.

She hoped.

She went to her upgrades screen next.

Upgrade Pistols: 100 coins

There's got to be some better weapons out there, right?

Attack: **

Upgrade Armor: 100 coins

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Putting something between you and a zombie bite is generally a good idea. Just ask the millions of dead who didn't.

Defense: *

She sighed. After the healing she only had a hundred and ten coins left. If she wants to upgrade something, she's going to need to make a hard choice. She looked the armor, thinking back to her wound in the last wave. It might have helped then, but she has a lot of room to play with. If she can kite the hordes, she wouldn't need the armor. She can hold off on that for now. She clicked on Upgrade Pistols. There was a flash of light and her holsters seemed to get a little heavier. She removed the guns and examined them, noting the difference in weight and shape.

Collector's Matched Set:

A lovingly restored set of old Army service pistols. It's not illegal to loot if there's no law.

Attack: **

They were a polished blue with light brown wood on the handle. On the left side of each, a small placard with the name “General Samuel Akins” was inlaid into the wood. The right side had a small engraving. She spun them, trying to get a sense of the way they moved. She found she could control them just as easily as her scavenged pistols and the extra heft should help if she had to get close.

That was all she could do now. She only had ten coins left but kept the page up. Looking over the terrain, she decided that getting some barriers up soon will certainly help in the long run. While she was fairly mobile, funneling the zombies can only help especially as they got higher in number. Also, it would limit how many could surround her if she had another incident like last time.

Jersey Barriers: 20 Coins

A plastic wall filled with water. While not ideal, it will work as a decent obstacle for one or two zombies.

Defense: *

It looked like her terrain could be upgraded like her own gear. Jean couldn't imagine the orange barriers doing much against a large horde, but the small numbers she's had so far could be managed. She wondered what other barriers would be available. Cars, maybe? She thought wrought iron would be a stretch but perhaps some sort of palisade using sign poles and sheet metal? Maybe there would be walls with scaffolding. She shook her head. Right now, all she could see is the next upgrade which were the Jersey barriers.

As the time ticked down, she looked longingly at the Badass survivor.

Badass Survivor: 200 Coins

This survivor, either through receiving a gift from the virus or sheer willpower and intelligence, is a certified badass. They start with one powerful skill and have upgraded defense and attack. Over time, if they survive, they will rank up, gaining additional strength and evolving their skill.

A powerful ally that will rank up and get stronger? Yes, please, she thought. She wasn't certain if there was a point to getting the lower survivors if you could save up and get one of these instead. What was that saying, though? “Quality over quantity, but quantity has a quality all its own.” The zombies were a good example of this, but she didn't have legions at her beck and call. She considered the tactic of using the lesser survivors. Most likely, they were just meant to be another type of barrier to protect the Badasses and herself.

It didn't matter right now, anyway. She didn't have the money for any of them. She'd just have to kill a lot more zombies and she'd see for herself. She dismissed the page and looked at the timer. She had five seconds. She stretched her neck and hopped on the balls of her feet, willing herself to stay light and nimble. She didn't want to end up on the ground in a group of zombies again. She shuddered at the thought. She just needed to keep moving. Speed is armor.

As the last second ticked away, there was an unearthly howl as a large form appeared in the distance. The boss had arrived.