A few minutes later, Ryan drove away from the dealership inside a new car. Jacob warned him that the gas in the tank would last for about one hundred and fifty miles, and then he left. Now that he could travel at speeds over thirty miles an hour, Ryan arrived at his parent's house in under half an hour.

Now outside the city, zombies are much less common sights. There are several cars in driveways of houses, and a few on the street, but a clear path is open for Ryan to drive. While most people hurriedly exited the city, people in the suburbs bunkered down and attempted to wait out the storm. The image of a house turned into rubble, coupled with the huge indents in the road, are enough to baffle Ryan. As he drives over the holes, he wonders what monster could have caused them.

A few second later, Ryan is pulling into the driveway of his parents. Thankfully, no zombies surround the house and the windows are not broken. The same can not be said about the neighbor's home.

"Mom? Dad?" Ryan yells at the house after exiting the car. There is no reply. "I'm going inside,"

Ryan uses the key from under a buried rock inside a planter on the porch. This allows him access through the front door, and Ryan draws his sword, ready to strike at any zombies that might be inside the house. The kitchen looked sacked, but nothing was broke. Any food that could be stored without electricity for long periods of time was taken from the shelves, but otherwise, the kitchen was clean.

'They must have left in a hurry, but not forced,' Ryan thought as he looked around. The family photos of when he was younger were gone, which meant his mother and father packed up and left instead of having their home looted. 'Maybe they're safe somewhere else...'

Ryan continued to creep around the house but failed to see even a single zombie. At the end of his crawl, Ryan returned to the front door to lock it and then went to the living room in the basement. There, Ryan took off his equipment and analyzed everything he had.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

A high-visibility safety helmet, a textile motorcycle jacket, heavy work gloves, a hammer, an ice pick, a lighter, a pistol, a sword, a scabbard, a flashlight, an adjustable wrench, keys to his locker at the waste station, a tube of chapstick, and his wallet.

Ryan takes the sword and walks to the bathroom. A quick turn of the faucet confirms that water is still working, and Ryan takes a shower. The water is cold and uncomfortable, but Ryan still soaps up and washes every part of his body that he can. While washing, he also tries to fish out the bullet stuck in his back but fails. Once finished, he exits and returns to his supplies.

After hiding the weapons under the couch, Ryan lays down on it. A few minutes later, he is asleep. After two nights of sleeping while hanging from his vest, the comfort of the couch is a welcomed change.

>Name: Ryan Stone

>Class: Tycoon

>Credits: 2434 ₵ 

>Str: 15

>Dex: 13

>Vit: 12

>Int: 11

>Wis: 10

>Luc: 11

>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Swords 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1,

>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Sword, Belt Scabbard, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket

>Current Injuries: Slight burns, cuts along legs, calloused hands, bullet stuck in back, bruised back,

>Weapons

>>Iron Dagger, 100 ₵ 

>>Steel Sword, 300 ₵ 

>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ₵ 

>>Steel Spear, 300 ₵ 

>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ₵ 

>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ₵

>Armor

>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ₵ 

>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ₵ 

>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ₵

>Skills

>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ₵ 

>>Spears 1, 300 ₵ 

>>Swords 1, 300 ₵ 

>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ₵ 

>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ₵ 

>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ₵ 

>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ₵ 

>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ₵ 

>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ₵ 

>>Climbing 1, 300 ₵

>Items

>>Plastic Bag, 1 ₵ 

>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ₵ 

>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ₵ 

>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ₵ 

>>Glass of Water, 10 ₵ 

>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ₵ 

>>Cheeseburger, 50 ₵ 

>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ₵ 

>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ₵ 

>>Filet Mignon, 140 ₵ 

>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ₵ 

>>Lighter, 50 ₵