The stench of decayed flesh awoke V's consciousness as she tried to activate her senses. Her pale eyes opened, showing irises colored with a faded, yet vibrant blue, unlike her whole childlike body who was pale and greenish. She could only see blurred images and hear muffled sounds as she sensed the hunger arising again. She groaned as her painful body, or corpse to be more accurate, slowly moved, hazel brown hair in the mud. Her only accurate perception was her sense of smell. It was like she could sniff every little piece of bone beneath the sludge she was on. As she tried to locate her surroundings without much result, a robotic voice rang in her head like a distant echo.

Your soul was succesfully incorporated into a 'Zombie'.

You are now classified as a sentient undead being. The common skills 'Hunger' and 'Super Smell' have been added to your Soulbook.

The System has successfully created for you the Unique Skill 'Puppet Lady'.

For more information, please consult your Soulbook.

Super Smell, Hunger and Puppet Lady, huh... All these informations somewhat makes sense for me, but I can't put the finger on why. System, show me the Soulbook? Is that how it works?

As the 'newborn' zombie was about to try and speak out the command, the System answered immediately as if it could read her thoughts.

Soulbook of V@$?@!%.

Unique Skill: Puppet Lady.

Common Skills: Hunger, Super Smell.

The Soulbook appeared to her as the only clear thing she could see, even when she closed her eyes. It was like magic had imprinted it into her brain. Yet, no other informations were given.

It isn't any clearer, but I now have a lead on what was my name. V clearly is the first letter of my name, but why are there error symbols following that? It's like someone's purposefully mocking me. Surely someone with a child voice and an ego greater than mine, heh... System, explain all the skills to me. Mocking child or not, the System has to help me, right?...

The Unique Skill 'Puppet Lady' enables you to animate non-sentient beings such as rocks or trees. This process creates an 'Artificial Soul' who will obey but costs mana and energy, which are both limited. This Unique Skill also protects you from most psychic attacks.

'Hunger' is a skill specific to the Zombie Race. It makes its user feel a never-ending hunger for flesh. The more the user eats, the more tolerable the feeling becomes. When flesh or meat is consumed, all the physical traits of the user rise. However, if the hunger is not satiated for a certain amount of time, all physical attributes lowers. Physical attributes include strenght, speed, and more.

'Super Smell' is a skill that...

Stolen novel; please report.

Stop. I know what that does, I'm not that dumb.

Traces of any particular intelligence possessed by V have not yet been found. The System is tasked to respond to the Soulbook's related questions.

I just got insulted by a f*cking being with universal knowledge. But, I guess I can rely on him, heh...

Dismissing the unnecessary last dialogue behind her, the woman stuck in a young girl's corpse finally tried to get up on her own two feet. Unfortunately, both the muddy floor and her weak constitution made her fall each time she tried to walk. Resigned, she crawled her way through what seemed to be a flat sludgy terrain. Step by step, the hope that maybe she would find food kept her going. After all, whatever would do the trick.

Just a few minutes passed by, but they seemed more like hours for the zombie who did her best not to lose her will to survive. As she looked up, the grey sky who always seemed to be clouded by dark spots, seemed to announce an incoming storm. Wind blew through the desert of mud and bones. There appeared to be no signs of life for hundreds of meters away. Yet, some courageous and crooked trees stood out, fighting their own urge to fall to the ground. V began to understand with each second passing by that she would not live longer if she didn't rely on something else than her resolve. As she smelled the scent of a small tree nearby, she knew what she had to do.

Awaken and serve your mistress, I need you.

A long silence occured...

Then, the creaking sounds of wood were heard. The weak, yet tall tree in front of her seemed to start moving in weird and inhuman way.

Tree Puppet: Krrrr...

V: Eurghh... Ergh!

V, thinking she could speak with her new body, just made the typical undead sound, ridiculing herself. But, what she did not understand, was that she just announced her presence to all nearby creatures.

As soon as she was picked up by the moving tree, the guttural sound of incoming zombies startled her.

I should have tried to speak earlier! Thank god! If we follow them, we will surely find food. I should have found the horde earlier!!

Zombie A: Erghhhh...

Zombie B and C: Eurghhhh!

Three incoming zombies made the young girl sigh in relief. Trying to communicate her friendliness, she reciprotated the urging sounds.

V: Erghh!

If she could have seen herself in the mud, she would have surely saw her radiant smile, for a zombie...

However, the puppet tree holding her up with his 'left arm' which was thin, yet solid, did not seem to want to approach the other undeads. On the contrary, it slowly moved away, being as fast as it could be.

Follow them, they surely will help find food.

Nevertheless, the tree continued to back off. Her gut feeling made her finally understand the meaning behind the puppet's atittude.

Her so-called 'new undead friends' would not help her nourish herself,. Simply because she was their newfound meal.

Oh God! Aren't zombies supposed to be friends? F*ck me, I'm so freaking stupid. This zone is so empty of living targets, that zombies indulge in cannibalism! Why did they not eat one another yet?

As soon as she asked herself, two of the approaching enemies jumped on one another, irritated that the other tried to steal it's food. The third one, who was much closer, ran as fast as he could, jumping on the puppet tree's leg and immobilizing it.

I hate being a zombie! It's the wild wild west out there!

The attacker crunched the tree's leg, breaking it. Her sole protector falling down, V was boiling with anger. Ignoring her fear of death, and only listening to her growing frustration, she grabbed the zombie and disloqued its head with newfound strength.

F*ck that shit. I'm not going to stand by, pitying myself. I'm here because I wanted it all. I'm not some damsel in distress, waiting for a moving tree to save me. There can only be one meal at a time, and that's never gonna be me.

As she thought that, she devoured the still moving zombie, tearing it to pieces.

It was her first meal, and not the last.