Wits End Graveyard

[Human Devoured: Progress Towards Next Evolution: 18%]

[Hunger 40%]

[Survival Mode Deactivated]

Chloe's eyes fluttered open, and her vision returned in waves. First she saw light and shadows and then the faint outline of objects and finally color and depth returned to her.

There was a strange texture in her mouth. Kind of soft and grainy, like eating jell-o with sand in it, but it tasted different. Meaty and satisfying.

She blinked and squinted down at a heavy object that was lying in her lap. It was an old man's head. The skull was sliced open like a watermelon, and it looked like the brains had been scooped out.

Without thinking, she licked her fingers clean and then grimaced in horror when she realized what the taste in her mouth was.

Her brain was conflicted. On one hand it tasted amazing, better than her grandma’s cooking, but on the other hand she knew she was tasting an old man’s brains.

She sat up abruptly, and the old man's head rolled away from her. Her eyes widened as a message appeared in her mind.

[Memory Extractor activated]

A searing pain like hot knives behind her eyes lanced through her head and visions bombarded her.

She was looking through somebody elses eyes. It was a man. His hands were old and wrinkled and he was holding a shovel and digging a deep square hole.

He’s a grave digger.

His spade hit something metallic - a treasure chest.

The vision changed, and Chloe saw men dressed in leather armor. They were kicking the old man and asking him for the treasure.

A man with a long scar across his nose raised a sword and said, “You don't steal from the Bone Collectors and get away with it.”

The old man raised his hands to cover his face and screamed.

The vision ended abrupty and the pain in Chloe’s head subsided. She felt tension leaving her body like a weight had been lifted from her.

She pushed herself away from the bloodied corpse, resisting her urge to sceam in panic. She spotted a basin in the corner of the room, and she hurried over to wash the blood off of her hands. As she approached the basin, she saw three words written in blood on the mirror.

Danger Get Out.

“What danger?” she whispered.

She looked around the cabin, but there was nothing there. Apart from the dead body, a bed and a spade. But the blood was fresh, and it looked like it was her handwriting.

She saw no danger. She was sure she was safer in this house than outside in the mist.

She washed the blood off of the mirror and a stranger stared back at her. Her hair which was once brown had turned silver. Her eyes were now light blue with dark rings around them and her skin had turned a sickly pale with a long cut along her cheek.

There were more cuts on her body, but none of them bled and none showed signs of healing.

“What’s happening to me?” she whispered.

A message appeared in her mind’s eye as if in response to her panicked words.

[Aspect]

[Name: Chloe Porter]

[Race: Undead]

[Class: Lesser Zombie]

[Abilities:]

- [Memory Extractor] (Auto Response)

- [Ethereal Armament of Space]

“What the hell does that all mean? Is this a video game?”

She rubbed her eyes and the vision disappeared. If the message was real, then that meant she really had turned into an undead.

“Hell no. This can't be happening!” She backed away from the mirror and clutched her stomach. She was going to be sick again.

She needed some fresh air. She crossed the room to the window. Just as she placed her hand on the window sill, she heard the sound of digging in the graveyard and voices speaking in hushed tones.

Careful not to make any noise, she peered through the glass.

"He'll kill us all if we don't deliver it soon," said one voice.

"We need to get this done. Get another spade from the house."

She could see a tall, thin man standing in front of two burly men. The tall man wore a black suit with a long white scarf wrapped around his neck. Chloe was sure he was the man from her vision. The one that had killed the old man.

“Oh crap,” she mouthed. She needed to get out before they found her.

She opened the window and the rusty hinges creaked loudly.

"What's that," said a voice.

"Shhh, it came from the house."

Footsteps approached the house, and she quickly climbed out the window and jumped to the ground. She landed silently and crouched low. A thin layer of mist still hung over the graveyard, but Chloe could smell the thugs. They had blood on their hands.

The door opened, and a man entered the house. Chloe kept low and crawled away on her hands and knees until she found cover behind a gravestone.

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"Blast it," came the voice from inside the house. "Looks like some wild animal got to the grave keeper. Ate the poor bastard’s brains clean out."

"Bring the spade and leave him be,” said the gruff voice. "We don't have time for this crap.”

“We can't just leave him unburied, his soul will haunt us.”

“Bury him or get the treasure, you choose.”

"Ok, I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Through the mist, Chloe could make out the faint outline of the cemetery gates. She needed to get away. The message on the mirror had made it clear. She was in danger here.

She crept forward, staying low and moving from one gravestone to another, all the while making her way to the exit.

“Where’s Ned, he should be helping us dig,” said a gruff voice.

“He's pissing behind the tree.”

Leaves crunched behind Chloe, and she spun around in time to see a short man holding a spade in his hand.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” said the man.

“Ned, get over here,” said the gruff voice.

“Look what I just found, boss,” said Ned.

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Ned jabbed the spade into Chloe’s back and forced her towards the group of thugs.

If her heart could beat, then she was sure it would be pounding in her chest like a drum. She was terrified.

Her evening had gone from bad to worse, and it was looking like what little luck she’d had, had finally run out. So much had happened in such a short space of time. She didn't think anything could surprise her anymore.

Hell, she’d been portaled to a new world, seen magic, been turned into a zombie, and now she was about to get killed by a group of grave robbers. All she needed now was an elf riding a dragon, and she could officially die knowing she had seen it all.

“Keep moving, pretty thing,” Ned breathed down her neck.

She felt a shiver go down her spine as the man’s putrid breath washed over her.

“I'm just out for an evening walk,” she said, trying her best to sound calm.

“Save it for someone who cares,” said Ned.

They reached the edge of the graveyard where two men were waist deep in a hole and the man with the scar, who was clearly the boss, was standing above them. They had just found the small treasure chest and the boss was inspecting the lock.

“Hey there, little girl,” said the boss, looking up from the chest. “So, what are you doing out here all alone?”

“I was looking for my pet rabbit,” she said quickly. “He sneaks out sometimes, father will be so mad. I'm sure he’s already out looking for me.”

The scarred man scratched his chin with the blade of his knife and said, “Nice try, but there ain't no houses near here.”

He eyed Chloe’s strange clothes and said, “You are far from home, little girl.”

Chloe began to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.

“What is it, cat, got your tongue.”

She looked at her feet and shifted awkwardly in what she hoped was an innocent damsel in distress kind of look. She hoped that if she acted weak, then maybe they’d let her go.

“Did you know the grave keeper?” asked the man.

She shook her head.

“A friend of yours, perhaps?” said the man.

She was too afraid to meet his eyes. Everything about him scared the crap out of her.

“Do you know what we do to little sneaks?” the man continued.

Chloe gritted her teeth but remained silent.

The corners of the scarred man's lips curled in a smile. “The old man stole this from us. He deserved what he got. Unfortunately for you little girl, the Bone Collectors don't leave any loose ends.”

The burly men laughed- a low, menacing sound.

Chloe looked up and just as she did, a spade hit her from behind. She fell forward into the hole. Her face sunk into the soft earth and her vision blurred.

The blow made her head spin, but she felt no pain. She started to stand, but the spade hit her again and her face pressed into the dirt once again.

“She’s a tough bitch,” said Ned.

[Hunger 35%]

“Kill her already,” said the boss. “We have what we came for. It's time to go.”

Chloe covered her head as blow after blow rained down on her. With each hit she took, anger built inside of her and her hunger grew.

If they carried on, they’d cave in her skull and crush her brains. She knew that was instant death for a zombie.

“Just knife her already, Ned,” said the boss. “This is taking too long.”

As Ned leaned over her, Chloe twisted around and caught his arm. He tried to pull back, but she was stronger. She yanked him forward, and his arm made a loud snapping sound as it tore out of its socket.

Ned screamed as his arm dangled from it's socket like a floppy fish.

Chloe’s fear faded as seething anger boiled inside of her.

Her sister had once told her that Chloe was dangerous and strong. She didn't have to be the victim anymore.

Her father had sent all three of the siblings to self-defense classes when they were young, but at that moment all of her training went out the window and her survival instincts kicked in.

She leapt out of the hole with her claws extended. She slashed one thug across the face, and he fell screaming.

She landed and pounced on the man and headbutted him so hard that his nose shattered and her head spun.

Cold iron stabbed into her back and she felt the blade penetrating her lungs.

“Her blood's all dried up,” the boss shouted as he pulled the knife out of her back. “She’s a demon.”

Chloe heard noise behind her and saw one of the men carrying the small treasure chest scrambling out of the graveyard.

She didn't care about gold. She turned back to the boss. She could smell his blood, and it made her hungry.

"I’ll call the Talamasca," he said as blood gushed down his face. "They'll have you burnt at the stake.”

“Talamasca,” she said the name and the familiar word resonated in her head like a gong going off.

While she was distracted, the man pushed her aside and got up and ran for it. He’d made a big mistake. Her hunting instinct drove her forward after the man. As he turned to scream, she pounced and caught him from behind, dragging him to the ground.

He landed heavily with her on top and the blood frenzy overtook her. She tore open his tunic. He was a killer, and he’d tried to kill her too, he deserved to die.

“Please,” he blubbered pathetically. He looked so pathetic and helpless. It made her feel strange. She’d always been bullied by older kids, but nobody had ever been afraid of her.

She liked this new feeling.

She ran a single nail down the man’s chest, watching the blood run. The sight was mesmerizing. She wanted to taste it so bad.

A movement in the corner of her eye made her look up, and she saw the rabbit sitting on a gravestone and watching her. The amulet burnt against her chest and she felt her blood rage subsiding.

“You are not a monster,” she told herself.

She got up off of the man and turned around. She might be a zombie, but that didn't mean she had to be a monster.

“Keep telling yourself that demon bitch!” he shouted. “You’ll be burning in hell before this night is over.”

She turned her back to the man, she decided that she’d call the town guards and have him arrested, that would work.

A leaf crunched behind her, and the man’s knife sliced cleanly across her neck.

“Die, you demon bitch!” he growled.

If she was human, she would have been choking to death in a puddle of her own blood.

Chloe twisted around and grabbed him by the throat lifting him off the ground.

He squirmed and feebly punched her face but she did not let go.

This man was a murderer, it was in his nature to kill without remorse. If she let him go, how many more victims would there be?

“I really wish you hadn't done that,” she said through gritted teeth.

She squeezed tighter and tore out the man’s throat in one fluid motion.

[Human Bandit Killed - Progress Towards Next Evolution: 22%]

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She dragged his body to her new home. When she reached it, she kicked open the door and tossed the body on top of the grave keeper’s.

Something was wrong with her, she should feel something. She’d just killed a man. But all she felt was the blood on her hands. It was drying now, getting sticky. The bright red fading to brown-everywhere but inside her clenched fists.

She hid her hands, hid the blood, hid herself. Her mind, less numb than her heart, knew that there was no point in beating herself up. The man was evil, he was food.

“Hope,” she whispered.

The word echoed around the empty house and faded. She was becoming a monster, and the realization frightened her.

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