To say the street was pure carnage would be an understatement. It looks the same as it did when I looked down at it from above, so I managed to not gag at the sight of it this time. What I did gag on was the smell, I should have expected it, but I didn't. Blood and guts does have a smell, it's just there isn't normally enough blood to smell. But out here, there is more than enough. A couple dozen bodies line the street, most half eaten or contorted in some weird way. Somewhat thankfully, no sign of any jelly controlled zombies. That just begs the question. Where are the damn things?

Right on queue I feel a presence scuttling up behind me and immediately jumping straight at me. A flick of my tail leads and an audible splat sounding out behind me and some gore landing in my peripheral vision on my right. Also made my tail sting again! I finally got it to feel better after slapping that zombie! Good thing I decided to pull my horns out, I have a feeling I'm going to be using them a lot today, and that my tail is gonna hurt like hell at the end of this.

I let out a sigh and start creeping down the street, trying to head my best approximation of south. I know for a fact that the streets aren't perfectly aligned with the cardinal directions, so I'll have to weave my way through the city.

It's quiet until I reach the end of the street, at which point I need to cross an intersection and head a different way. Of course as I go to cross a damned jellyfish scuttles out from under a car and leaps at me. I'm ready for it of course, but it was a bit faster than I anticipated. I miss my stomp and end up panic punching it out of the air head on. The hard beak scrapes my knuckles as I turn the ugly bugger into goo, giving me a nasty cut along the back of my left hand.

“God damn it!” I shout while cradling my hand, the cut throbbing with pain.

Fucking little shit! I can't afford the mana to heal myself right now. This is exactly why I want to stomp, kick, and slap them. I take off my jacket and rip the one remaining sleeve off, then tie the clean part of it around the cut to act as a bandage. Fuck it, while I'm here I might as well go all in. I tear the remains of my jacket to pieces, then tie those pieces together as a makeshift face covering. This way if anyone sees me with my tail and horns out I can at least hide my identity. Not that there is anyone around to see me by this point.

I reluctantly continue onwards, trying to keep a constant vigil on my surroundings for any trouble. But strangly, it's still quiet. Like all the zombies just up and left, only bodies litter the streets. I sense another jelly fish hiding in a car with a broken window, and this time prepare properly for it. The little shit lunges at me the moment my hand appears in the window, and promptly impales itself on the butter knife I hold out. It slides off back into the car with a wet plop and I continue on my way down the street.

I thought I would need to hug alleys and hide in shadows but if there isn't anything out here aside from these demented little fucks I can just run down the main roads and get there faster. I cross an intersection at a hardy jog, only to have a jelly fish try to burst out of some bushes and rush me. It's far enough away I can't sense it, but that also means I have plenty of time to react. I simply step to the side as it leaps and hold the butter knife out. Unfortunately, the butter knife has had enough, and with a clank the blade snaps off the handle. The jellyfish tumbles to the floor with the blade still protruding from it, but thankfully dead, and I'm left holding the unless handle.

Well shit, I was hoping it would last longer than that. Then again, for a cheap butter knife that was decent I guess. Given they probably didn't make it with the expectation people would be slashing and stabbing demons with it. I pull a pen out of my pocket and take it in hand to use as a replacement weapon. These things will probably be one time use if they even do any damage. Hopefully my supply holds out until I get to the southern bunker.

At that moment, a flash followed by a loud bang rings out from a high window of the building next to me. Followed immediately by another, then a third a few moments later. Gunfire, someone is still alive in this absolutely horrendous hellhole. The flashes and bangs keep ringing out for a few more moments, then silence. Either they got whatever was after them or they are a demon food now. Hard to tell from out here, but I didn't hear a scream. They might be dead, might not be. Unfortunately I don't have the mana to help them either way.

Mana: 2203/13,908

Strangely that gunfire didn't bring anything else out of the shadows. Hold on, now that I think about it, even stranger is the fact I can't hear more gunfire. The breach happened what, a half hour ago-ish? This place should be crawling with defenders, soldiers, drones, everything! And I know for a fact the military did not roll out of town overnight, because they were pestering me all night! Then again it's pretty apparent this whole thing is ten different sets of sideways given how the central bunker was sealed.

I let out a stressed sigh as I look up to the slowly darkening sky, the sun finally starting to dip below the horizon. Is the southern bunker even safe? I assumed it was before because dad texted me and it didn't seem panicked, but maybe he was still texting them as well. It’s impossible to ask him now, since the power outage took cell service down too. Which is also weird, because I’m pretty sure cell towers are supposed to have backup generators or batteries. Fuck, I’m going to get to the southern bunker and find a bloodbath aren’t I? I just know it won't be that easy.

I let out a huff and resume jogging down the street, picking up my pace a little to keep making use of the little sunlight remaining. I’m going to have to make use of my phone's flashlight, or unshift my eyes and see if they provide any night vision. I don’t want to do that though because nothing screams shoot me like having glow in the dark eyes in the middle of a blackout combined with a breach event. And using the phone as a flashlight isn't the greatest idea either because I might need it if the power gets restored or I can at least get a signal.

My internal bemoaning is interrupted by yet another jellyfish trying to jump at me, this one coming from somewhere behind me. It gets unceremoniously slapped out of the air by my tail as I pay minimal attention to it before going back to my griping. I don’t get to gripe for long though, because as the final rays of the sun disappear behind the horizon a long, unsettling, unified moan echos from everywhere in the city at once, so powerful it literally shakes the ground. What the fuck was that?! Oh hell no!

The thump of something against glass on my left gets my attention. I look over and can make out a silhouette of someone banging on the window of some sort of bakery across the street. A moment later the figure throws themselves at the window, shattering it as they fall out onto the street. Yea, if that's not zombie behavior I don't know what is. I quickly start sneaking up the street, trying to get distance between me and the bugger. Out of nowhere the window of the building I'm passing blows out, covering me in glass and making me let out a surprised yelp. A body falls next to me, and instantly looks up straight at me. I freeze, it stares, then opens its mouth and starts letting out a continuous and horrendous screech that rips through the street.

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Shit! I stomp the jelly fish on the back of its head to shut it up but the damage is already done. All around me similar screeches follow, then the sounds of shattering windows and the thud of bodies hitting the ground. Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I take off in a sprint, barely avoiding a zombie tumbling out of a window in front of me. Well I guess that answers the ‘where they all where’ question. Fuckers were waiting inside the buildings! But why didn't they come out before for things like the gunshots? Unless, where they were waiting for the sun to go down? Fuck!

I continue running as controlled bodies pile out of buildings around me, some going through doorways, but most bashing down the doors or going out windows. One falls from above, smashing into the car next to me and setting off its alarm, adding more noise to the chaos. I keep running, hoping to find somewhere to lose them, but they keep coming relentlessly from all directions. Behind me I hear the rushing of footsteps as the ones who have finally gotten up start to give chase. But my options quickly thin out, as zombies continue to pour into the street from all sides. I'm quickly boxed in, nowhere to run as zombies tumble over each other out of the door of the building next to me. A light pole on my right is the only place they aren't, so I look up and leap as high as I can. I almost reach the top of the fifteen foot steel pole, grabbing onto the pole part with both hands and wrapping my tail around the light arm. I quickly scramble up to the very top as the tide of bodies crashes into the pole, causing it to begin wobbling as they try to climb it themselves. Being stupid and weak only a few of them actually get some foothold or a boost and get a foot or two up. Of course they instantly fall back into the sea below, but it’s still scary as fuck given I can only see their silhouette right now, but even that final trickle of light is about to finish fading.

Fuck it! I un-shift my eyes, the orange glow coming through and trickling out over the demonic controlled hoard below. My vision improves, not immensely, but I can now make out individual bodies in the crowd and shapes in the environment. I also make out just exactly how much they are making the pole sway with their banging, clawing, and slamming against it. It’s a lot, as the pole starts to rock back and forth a good two feet in distance and let out creaking to voice its displeasure at the punishment. It’s clear its not going to last long at this rate, so I start looking around for my exit strategy. The building is the closest thing to me, about six feet away, but its roof is still another seven feet up. An easy enough jump normally, gets a bit more complicated when your footing is narrow and swaying back and forth. Other options include a pole down the street, or trying to jump over the zombies and continue running.

But that final option is nipped when I notice more bodies coming out of the darkness to join the mass at the base of the pole. Great, the continued screeching is attracting more. I thought they were deaf, apparently only selectively. If I jump to the other pole it will just be a repeat of this one, so roof it is. I start edging myself up into a crouching position, trying to adjust my balance in tune with the swaying to stay on. The pole’s creaking continues to get louder as I line myself up with the edge of the roof, preparing to jump up to safety. I wait for it to sway away, then back towards the building. At the apex of the swing I launch myself up towards the ledge. My calculated trajectory is a bit off, and I end up slamming my chest into the edge of the roof instead of landing on it. My legs flail for any kind of foot hold as I desperately dig my fingers into the roof material and wrap my arms over the edge. It takes a moment to lock in my grip, but as I do I hear a metallic snap, followed by the loud clatter of metal hitting the ground and the zombies going even more ballistic with their howling. I take a few breaths, then swing my right leg up and hook it over the edge before rolling myself onto the roof.

I lay there panting for a few moments, the clamor of the zombie horde still going on below. Judging from the sound of it, I made my jump just in time. I flip over and stare off the edge of the roof at the mass below, the zombies stare back, clamoring at the side of the building like they did the pole in an attempt to climb it or knock it down. Unfortunately for them, the building is a lot tougher and seems to be taking no damage from their assault. But I don’t know if that will last, as even now more of them are emerging from the darkness to join the cabal of munching on Lucy's brains. There has to be at least fifty of them fuckers down there so far, and the number is going up!

I stand up and step back from the roof edge, keen to take stock of my available options before getting into a situation where I need them. On the other three sides are other buildings, the one behind is much too tall to jump up to, basically being a skyscraper. But I might be able to break a window and enter it if need be. The one down the street is a little one story building, making the jump down to its roof easy. The problem is the building past that is as tall as this one, meaning I'd have to jump back up to continue. And up the street is a full story taller, but easily jump-able. So I at least have somewhere to go if shit hits the fan. My only concerns are the zombies below knocking the building down, or…..

My train of thought is broken by the sound of shattering glass somewhere above me, followed by the constant screech of a falling zombie. I watch as the silhouette comes into view, continues falling, then slams into the roof so hard it punches through while rattling the whole building. Yea that, fucking raining zombies is not what I need to deal with right now. Come on any more? No? Thank God.

It seems the tower is at least empty, or close enough that I won't have a constant rain of zombies on me. Though if it really is empty, it's not a bad option. I walk back to the edge of the roof and stare down into the horde below, their screeching reaching renewed peaks upon seeing me. Fuck, there is at least seventy of them down there now! Wish I had a grenade or something, I don't think my screech could hurt them from up here. Not that I'd want to waste the mana. Then again, my max capacity has gone way up. Which means more mana and more damage per attack. Nah, I need to save my mana. The drain may be lowered but even with my tail, eyes, and horns out I'm still losing mana, albeit a lot slower than before. Just a few more points and I might even be positive. I got to remember to grab that passive skill too. I should have taken it to start but I had Anna going bananas in my ear.

Well, the good news is I'm a lot closer to evening out the mana regen than before. The bad news, it only took a shit ton of people around me being turned into zombies to do it. I let out a sigh and go to the other side of the roof next to the big sky scraper. Better to get away from the hordes while I can. The skyscraper seems to be abandoned, if they low amount of falling zombies is any indication.

There is about a seven foot gap between the roof and the skyscraper caused by the alley between the buildings. The alley currently has nothing in it, but if the zombies figure out I'm on this side I'm sure they will fill it. Speaking of filling, all the windows on the sky scraper are still filled in, and I don't have anything to break them with. I discarded the broken butter knife pieces because I figured they would be dead weight. All I have on me are pens and pencils, and I'm not throwing away my phone. I take a quick look around, but it's an old flat tar roof. Nothing up here except for some ac units, vents, the access ladder hatch, and the hole from the falling zombie.

Wait, I'm strong as fuck now, why don't I just rip an part or piece off of something and throw that? I walk over to the nearest vent and inspect it. Sure enough it’s old and rusty, and a quick tug results in it almost coming apart in my hands. I manage to wrestle it free of the roof without destroying it completely, then walk back over to the edge. I line myself up, and chuck the thing as hard as I can at my targeted window, a large full floor panel for a conference room of some sort. I might have gone a bit overboard, as it smashed the window out and continued sailing into the dark room, resulting in a loud crash and the sounds of metal tearing and wood splintering. Whoops, if anyone asks I'll say the zombies did it.

Of course said zombies don't hear shit on account of them being half deaf and screaming at the top of their lungs. I back up halfway across the roof to give myself a running start then run at full speed and jump off the roof into the opposing building.

OH SHIT TO FAST!