August drank up the last bottle of beer. He fixed his long hair and tied it up with a string. But there were still some tiny hairs going through his face. He shook his head trying to fix his vision. He didn't know how many bottles he had drunk. But the owner didn't want to give him anymore. 

“Get out of here, you bastard! Next time, bring more money! You didn't even pay half of it!” the old woman nagged. 

August winced and covered his ears. He was laughing as he was walking out of the small restaurant. 

“Crazy bastard!” 

August didn't mind what she said. He tried walking straight but he was really drunk. He even hit a man he was encountering. 

“Fix yourself, loser!” said the man. He glared at him. 

August raised his hands and nodded. He continued walking on the side street. It had been a week since he drowned himself in alcohol. That was the only thing he could do to ease the pain he was feeling. His wife had just divorced him because he couldn't provide for her. She left her with some old man who was much richer than him. Luckily, they don't have any children yet. But August loved his ex-wife so much. He even begged her not to leave him. But she was firm in her decision. Now he was alone. Unemployed, drunk, and alone. He doesn't know where he will go now. He wanted to eat but he didn't have any money left. 

August stopped walking when he heard a scream. He looked around and saw that he was already near the park. Since his ex-wife left him, this had been his home. He had a small bag with him and all his stuff was there. 

August looked at the tree just at the entrance of the park. That was where the scream was coming from. 

“H-Help!” 

August flinched. For a second, he thought he didn't want to interfere with whatever was going on. He continued walking to the entrance. 

“Grr…”

August looked at the tree as he walked carefully. He felt that he was suddenly sober because of the scream he was hearing. He looked around and there were no other people. Even the people he slept with in the park were gone. Each homeless person had a place inside the park. He managed to get the bench as his bed.

“Weird,” he said. Mostly the park should still have people. Some partners like to stay in the park at night too. August usually sees couples making out in the dark. It was a free porn viewing for him. 

August suddenly felt nervous when the screaming stopped. His curiosity rose as he heard some growling and munching sounds. It was like someone was eating loudly but not a person because it was growling. Like a dog who doesn't want to share its food. 

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August gulped and stared at the tree. He slowly approached it. He became aware and he felt his senses become clear. He could hear his heartbeat throbbing as he took every step. Then he stopped and finally saw what he was hearing. 

“F-Fuck…” he whispered. 

It was a man devouring a woman. The blood was all over. August felt his stomach go upside down. He touched his mouth to stop himself. But because he was also drunk, he couldn't help but to vomit. The man was eating the woman's flesh! He felt he vomited all the alcohol and food he ate that day. He couldn't help but make a sound too. And because of what he did, the man, or whatever was eating, the woman looked at him. 

“Grr…”

August's breathing became hard. He stopped and looked at the man. His eyes widened when he saw its face. The eyes were white. The skin was pale and almost dead. There was blood all over its face and body. August's knees became soft and he trembled. He fell to the ground. 

“System activated. Host awakens.”

August looked around when he heard a voice. It was the voice of a woman but was more like a robot. But his attention was diverted again to the creature in front of him. It was already standing while staring at him deadly. 

“W-What…”

“Welcome, Augustus Clarke. Please take the weapon beside you to kill the zombie.”

“Huh?” August frowned. He looked at his side and saw a knife just lying on the ground. “W-Who are you? Z-Zombie? What zombie? Where did this knife come from?!” 

“Please take the weapon and prepare yourself for the fight.”

“Grrr!”

August gulped again. He felt he was completely sober because of what he was hearing and seeing. It was a zombie. There was a real zombie in front of him! August thought that he could only see this from movies. 

He immediately grabbed the knife and forced himself to stand up. The zombie was approaching him slowly. He blinked and saw something come out from its side. 

Name: Zombie 

level: 1

Agility: 1

Strength: 1

Vitality: 1

Intelligence: 0

Weakness: The brain should be damaged

August frowned. “Am I still drunk?” He blinked again but the words were still not gone. 

“Danger! Danger! Kill the zombie! Don't let it bite you!” the voice said again. 

August tightened his grip on the knife. He took a deep breath. He was a gamer back when he was still single. He knew what a zombie was. He just couldn't believe that he would see one in reality. 

“Grrr!”

August held the zombie's neck to stop him from walking when it got near him. It was reaching his face and its mouth kept on biting. The smell was awful and was making him vomit again. But he stopped himself and stared at the zombie. 

“I-I'm sorry, man,” he said. Then he pierced the knife on its head until it stopped moving. August let go of the zombie and stepped backward. He was gapping seeing that he had just killed a man– no. It was a zombie. 

“Congratulations, Host! You killed your first zombie. You are now at level 2. Please check your items to see what weapons you could use.”

August blinked and saw a word in front of him. There was information about him. What level he was and what his skills were. He saw the word item. 

“H-How do I see it? Do I click it?”

“Yes.”

August clicked in the air and the word item lightened. Then he had a knife and a pistol floating in the air. August smiled in excitement. 

“This is sick! Why do I have this? And who are you? Where are you? Do I have something in my ear?” 

August touched his ears but there was nothing.

“I am your guide. I will explain to you more. But you need to prepare for another battle again. Then find a safe place.”

“Huh?” August's eyes widened again when he saw that the woman was now moving. “H-How did I get the weapon?”

“Grab it.”

August was about to take the pistol. But he remembered that he didn't know how to use it. Plus, he was trembling in fear again. So, he took the knife. He was amazed again because it felt real to him. 

“Danger! Danger! Kill the zombie! Don't let it bite you!”