Even though you weren't expecting to, you had a good evening. Usually movie nights with your cousin Dale are a bit of a chore. Although he is nearly 29, his enthusiasm in the cinema is that of a 12 year old. This is especially apparent when whatever cookie-cutter horror movie you are watching has a 'jump scare'. But tonight was a pleasant surprise, the movie was 'so bad it's good'. And you felt you and Dale were actually able to bond over the experience. Your mothers would be both be proud of you, keeping what's left of the family together...
Another stroke of good luck is that your crappy car has functioned perfectly tonight, no malfunctions or stalls like usual. So driving back from the cinema made a good night even better. Dale's happy munching of popcorn is an oddly soothing background noise and you feel somewhat disappointed when he stops chewing to ask you to pull over so he can get some cash out of the ATM across the road. You tell him to be quick, as cops are extra vigilant about illegal parking on a Saturday night, and your pitiful cash flow can't survive another ticket.
You check your phone as Dale exits and crosses the road. You have no messages.
Pretty typical actually, there is a reason that you and your only cousin spend every fortnight together, you don't really know anybody else. You decide to check your emails too when suddenly you are shaken to the core by the loudest sound you have ever heard.
BOOOMSHHH!!!
Your brain seems to 'skip a beat' as if it momentarily shut down and had to reboot to process not only the sound but the sight from your car window. There was a crash and an explosion, and it seemed to be between multiple vehicles...your brain is just able to process the next sight without your sanity completely leaving you.
City chaos [http://img14.deviantart.net/d7c9/i/2009/069/3/1/paradise_city_color_by_neisbeis.jpg]
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Within the network of the wreckage there are people....very badly hurt people who look like they shouldn't have survived what ever accidents they were in....and they were walking. There are sounds of screams and other crashes that seem to be coming from a short distance away from your car, but the main sound is the boom and crack of a shotgun. A man in a tattered shirt is firing wildly into the crowd of the walking injured. But something is wrong....the bullets are hitting them... but not killing them.
Your mind snaps into panic and worry mode, time to think practically. There is no time to speculate on why those people seem to be shrugging off bullets or why they are walking towards that man so slowly when he has a gun pointed at them......Dale! is he still across the street? A large fire from the crashed cars is blocking your vision of where the ATM is from your car. Before you have time to think about it for too long, you notice that some of the walking injured are now headed towards your car, albeit slowly. Some that were stalking the man with the shotgun have also noticed you in your car, and about 6 shambling people are making their way over.
As they get closer you see that the injuries are more than severe, these people literally look like corpses. Bone and flesh exposed, whited out eyes and missing limbs. The sound of burning wreckage and increasing screams are slowly being blanketed by heavy moans from these corpse people.
The man with the shotgun stops firing and turns towards your car, finally seeing you. He begins to yell out to you, his arm is waving you over. You are gripped with confusion and panic over what these things are, who that man is, and where your cousin might be. It's time to make a decision.
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Run towards the man with the shotgun (Go to Section 11)
Run to the side of street where dale was (Go to Section 16)
Stay in the car and attempt to drive through the crowd (Go to Section 8)