I sat in that garage for maybe ten minutes. Maybe twenty. Hard to tell.
The shaking in my hands eventually stopped. My breathing steadied. The wound on my arm continued to knit itself together, slower than I'd hoped, the pain fading to a dull throb that spiked whenever I moved wrong.
My mind kept circling back to one thing.
Home was two and a half blocks away. My parents were there.
They had to be there.
I pulled out my phone. Still no signal. I'd tried calling them four times since the sky changed colors. Nothing. Not even a busy signal.
They're fine, I told myself. They're inside. Doors locked. Safe.
Dad was smart. Former Marine. He'd know what to do.
Mom always kept the pantry stocked. They could hole up for days if they needed to.
They were fine.
I almost believed it.
[Stat Points Available: 2]
***
I needed to understand what I was working with. Needed to know if these stat increases were actually helping or if I was just feeling an adrenaline-fueled placebo effect.
I pulled up the status window again.
[Status]
Level: 2 XP: 5/50
Stats: Strength: 9 Endurance: 7 Agility: 10 Mana: 0
Unallocated Points: 2
Skills: Cognition - Level 4 Stealth - Level 1 Desperate Strike - Level 1
I stared at it.
It was like a character sheet. Like something from a game. Numbers that represented me, my capabilities, broken down into categories.
Strength. How hard I could hit, how much I could lift.
Endurance. How much damage I could take, how long I could last.
Agility. How fast I could move, how well I could dodge.
And Mana. Currently at zero. I focused on it, trying to understand.
[Mana: 0]
[Unable to allocate points]
[Requirement not met]
So I couldn't increase it yet. Didn't even know what it was for. Magic? In a world where dogs turned into monsters, maybe that wasn't so far-fetched.
I looked at the skills section.
[Desperate Strike - Level 1]
[After taking damage, your next attack deals 25% increased damage]
[Cost: Stamina]
That's what had happened during the fight. When the dog bit my arm, when that notification flashed, my next hit had been harder. Strong enough to crack its skull.
The system wasn't just tracking me. It was helping me. Giving me tools to survive.
I looked at the unallocated points again.
Two points. During the fight, I'd been too weak. My first swing had barely fazed the dog. If I'd been stronger, I could have ended it faster. Taken less damage.
But I'd also barely dodged its attacks. If I'd been slower, I'd be dead.
I stared at the numbers, trying to logic through it.
Strength meant hitting harder. Ending fights faster. But if I couldn't dodge, I'd just die with bigger muscles.
Agility meant not getting hit. But if I couldn't hurt them, I'd just die tired.
The dog had been fast and strong. The things out there would be too.
I needed both. But I only had two points.
My hand hovered over the mental interface. This felt too important. Like I was gambling with my life and didn't know the odds.
What if I chose wrong?
What if these stats were the difference between making it home and ending up like... like what I'd seen in that driveway?
"One point to Strength," I finally said.
[Strength: 9 → 10]
The change was immediate but subtle. My muscles felt denser. When I picked up the hammer, it felt lighter. Not by much. Maybe ten, fifteen percent? Enough to notice.
I swung it experimentally. The movement was smoother. More controlled.
Okay. That was real. Tangible.
"One point to Agility."
[Agility: 10 → 11]
This one was harder to quantify. My body felt more responsive. I shifted my weight and the movement came easier, more natural. Like my brain and muscles were communicating faster.
I did a quick sidestep, then another. Definitely smoother than before.
Better. I was better.
Still not good enough, whispered a voice in my head. That dog almost killed you. There are bigger things out there. Faster things.
I pushed the thought away and checked my arm. The wound had closed into an angry red line, still tender but no longer bleeding. The flesh was knitted together but it looked wrong. Uneven. Like it had healed too fast and didn't quite remember how.
I tested my grip. The arm worked. That would have to be enough.
I grabbed the hammer and moved to the garage door.
The street outside was darker now. That sickly green-purple sunset had faded to night. A few houses had lights, generators maybe, or battery backups. Most were dark.
I could see shapes moving in the distance. Hear things. Wet sounds. Scraping. Growls that made my skin crawl.
Two and a half blocks. I could do this.
I had to.
***
End Chapter 3
Current Status:
Level: 2 XP: 5/50
Stats: Strength: 10 Endurance: 7 Agility: 11 Mana: 0
Unallocated Points: 0
Skills: Cognition - Level 4 Stealth - Level 1 Desperate Strike - Level 1