Nightmare Paradise : Starting as a Doctor

Lynn's eyes are drawn to the hulking creature at the center of the frenzy.

The creature is larger and more muscular than any other zombie, with thick, bulging veins visible beneath its rotting flesh. Its skin is a sickly gray, and its eyes glow with a murderous intensity. Its jaw hangs open, revealing rows of sharp, broken teeth, drool dripping from its mouth. Most distinct are its oversized fists, which look capable of smashing through concrete with a single blow.

This brutish zombie was clearly the one who had smashed the wall, producing the noise that drew the others. And the woman's scream indicates she had been taking shelter inside.

Lynn's mind races. He's not confident he can take on this brawler zombie and the entire horde at once.

Crouching low, Lynn carefully observes the scene, trying to gauge the situation. About two dozen normal zombies mill about, while the hulking brute seems fixated on something just inside the crumbled wall. Lynn can just barely make out muffled cries and shuffling from within. The survivor must still be alive, for now.

Lynn knows he needs to act fast.

With this many zombies, fighting in close range is a death wish.

"Maybe I can try attacking from long range, to reduce the numbers of normal zombies," Lynn mutters to himself.

He looks down at his feet and crouches to grab some rounded debris scattered on the ground.

With the increase of his strength and dexterity stats, he is confident that he could throw these debris at a speed that would be deadly if they struck a zombie's head.

He opens his personal information panel to check his status. Lynn looks at his free attribute points - he still has 1 available.

He decides to add it to dexterity, hoping to increase his throwing accuracy.

[+1 Dexterity]

As he allocates the point, he feels a sudden flux of energy course through his body, as if strengthening him from within.

Lynn feels a tingling sensation start from his fingertips, slowly spreading up his arms and down his spine. It's as if thousands of microscopic nerves are awakening, becoming more sensitive and responsive. His senses feel sharper, his movements more fluid and precise.

"Let's try throwing," Lynn says.

He grasps a chunk of concrete debris roughly the size of a baseball. Aiming at a zombie shuffling nearby, he hurls the projectile with a snap of his wrist.

As Lynn throws the heavy chunk of concrete, the muscles in his arm throb and swell with the effort. He feels the energy coursing through his limb, tracing all the way down to his fingertips before transferring into the projectile.

The stone slices through the air in a blur, crashing into the zombie's forehead with a sickening crack. Dark blood and brain matter explode outward as the creature crumples to the ground.

Before the other zombies can react, Lynn lets loose another stone, striking down a second zombie. Then a third, fourth, and fifth in quick succession. With his enhanced dexterity, his throws are lethally accurate.

The brutish zombie lets out an enraged roar as it sees its horde rapidly thinning. It charges toward Lynn, fist raised to smash him into a paste.

Sensing the imminent threat, Lynn's reflexes take over. With lightning speed, he scoops up another chunk of debris and whips it at the hulking creature.

The stone strikes the zombie square between the eyes just as it nears striking distance. The hulking zombie barely flinches as the stone smashes against its forehead. It continues lumbering towards Lynn unfazed.

"What a thick skin," Lynn curses under his breath, seeing the brutish zombie unaffected. Luckily it seems slow compared to Lynn's newfound agility.

Gripping his sword tightly, Lynn nimbly avoids the zombie's crushing swing as it rushes towards him. He ducks around to its back while it is still turning.

Lynn knows he needs to target the normal zombies first, to avoid getting surrounded. As the lumbering brute zombie continues pursuing him, Lynn springs into action against the remaining zombie horde.

With graceful and precise slashes, he decapitates two zombies in quick succession. As another latches onto his sword arm, he pivots sharply, using the zombie's momentum to fling it head-first into the wall, producing a sickening crack.

Not slowing down, Lynn ducks low to avoid the swing of a zombie missing its lower jaw. As it stumbles past him, he drives his blade upwards through its throat and into its skull.

The brutish zombie bellows enraged at seeing its horde cut down. It charges Lynn with thundering footsteps.

Sensing the attack, Lynn dives and rolls to the side. The massive fist just grazes his shoulder, almost knocking the breath out of him with its sheer force. But Lynn uses the momentum to fluidly sweep his sword through three zombies in one clean arc.

Only a handful of the undead remain.

Lynn knows he needs to finish off the last of the normal ones quickly before exhaustion overtakes him. With desperate strength, he throws himself at the remaining zombies, cutting them down one after another until only tattered corpses surround him.

Gasping for breath, Lynn now faces off against the hulking zombie alone.

"You're the only one remaining," Lynn says, he takes a deep breath, his eyes locked onto the brutish zombie.

The brute seems even more enraged at the loss of its pack, releasing an ear-splitting roar. It charges Lynn with a surprising burst of speed.

But Lynn is ready - he sidesteps the blow and then strikes swiftly, slashing the back of the creature's knee as it barrels past him.

Howling, the zombie stumbles but does not fall. Lynn presses his attack, using his smaller size and agility to gain the advantage. Each time the brute swings its massive fists, Lynn dodges before darting back in to deliver another slash to its limbs.

Slowly but surely, Lynn's precise attacks cause the hulking zombie to weaken and slow. Oozing wounds cover its body, and its movements become more lumbering and uncoordinated.

Seeing his chance, Lynn readies for one final attack. As the zombie swings again, he ducks down and then springs upwards, putting all his strength into driving his blade directly through the bottom of the creature's jaw.

The sword pierces deep into the zombie's mouth, finding the weak point in the roof of its mouth and impaling its brain.

The massive zombie sways and then collapses to the ground with a resounding thud. At last, it lays still.

Lynn stands there, breathing heavily, as his sword slides free from the creature's skull.

Wiping the blood and grime from his face with a weary arm, Lynn mutters, "This is turning into one hell of a day."