The Fifth Survivor - Episode 2 Read online

  There’s gonna be hell to pay! I will be the ultimate ruler of the Hybrid Corp. Empire and eventually the world will bow down to the real master. Just remember this, my dear brother and father, karma is a bitch!”

  “Damn, looks like there is some real bad blood in this family already. I could let this family drama destroy the Hybrid Empire from within. However, I can ill afford to let more people get killed, although it looks inevitable at this point.” George says.

  He folds the paper and decides to save it as evidence hoping that he doesn’t lose it and is able to survive the horror experience. As he looks around, he sees a wooden closet that he opens. Looking inside, he spots a new weapon.

  Picked up a Grenade Launcher. This weapon packs an explosive punch. Three kinds of ammo can be loaded including standard, flame, and acid. It’s preloaded with six standard grenade rounds.

  Standard Grenades: 6

  Once he picks up the grenade launcher, George looks around for anything else but finds nothing else useful. Looking through the books, they all seem to be related to taxidermy and notes that are labeled by Herman himself. That suggests that the study belongs to Herman and Anthony has his own adobe elsewhere in the mansion. None of the books really strike any interest, so he leaves the room and reenters the hallway. From the hallway, he enters through the double doors.

  Entering through the double doors, he enters a hallway with the same eerie green wallpaper. The only difference is there is barely any light in the hall with the only source of light being a lit lantern. A zombie walks in his direction and he shoots it in the head with no trouble at all.

  Pistol Ammo: 11

  After killing the zombie, he explores the rest of the hallway. Before George can turn the corner, he is grabbed by a zombie that he fails to spot. The zombie takes a bite out of his shoulder and George takes some damage.

  Condition: Caution (Level 1)

  Pushing it away, he backs away as he shoots the zombie dead.

  Pistol Ammo: 7

  George ends up using more bullets than he wanted due to the poor lighting causing him to miss the head. He reloads his gun with his last magazine and quickly realizes that just like the hospital that ammo will be at a premium along with health.

  “I gotta be smart with my ammo. It looks like bullets are going to be far and few between in his place.” He says to himself.

  George heads to a gated door that is locked. Despite trying to pick the lock, he is unable to pick the lock as its features are rather advanced for his skill level.

  Lockpicking Level 8 Required.

  He quits on the door and turns around. As George turns back, he sees an oak door that is locked. It has a picture of the king of clubs indicating he needs the King Key to open the door.

  Turning the corner, he sees a door that he missed next to the double doors. He sees that it’s locked, but the locking mechanism is on his side. A simple turn unlocks the door and he enters through. He sees a hallway with beige walls and chandelier lighting up the area. There is a zombie with its back turned in front of him.

  Not wanting to waste his bullets, he attempts to ambush the zombie from behind. He pushes the zombie from behind and quickly runs to a door that is under the stairway leading to the second floor.

  When George enters the room, he sees that he’s in another storage area. This time though, he sees what looks like a big machine next to a bunch of shovels and gardening supplies. He sees some pickups on the floor along with a note.

  Picked up two jars of Gunpowder A.

  Picked up a jar of Gunpowder B.

  Picked up a First Aid Spray. Restores Full Health.

  “Hey hotshot, I figured you would come in here looking for information. I happen to be doing the same. I left you these items in case you were coming here. Watch yourself! This mansion is full of creatures and one hell of a secret. Signed - Your secret admirer.”

  “Well, it looks like my ‘guardian angel’ has helped me again. If only she revealed herself, but in time I guess.” George says and breathes a sigh.

  There is also a small book on the floor as well that he begins to read. It is handwritten though.

  Reloading Station and Gunpowder Manual

  “I hope whoever finds this manual will find it helpful should the zombie apocalypse take place. Please read carefully as the information could save your life.

  In the mansion, you will find two main types of Gunpowder. They are labeled A and B. Gunpowder A will convert into pistol ammo while Gunpowder B will convert into Grenade Rounds provided that you can find a Grenade Launcher. I’m sure that bastard Herman has one hiding in his room somewhere. Now pay attention to the next part.

  - Converting type A gunpowder alone will net you a pistol clip or eight bullets.

  - Converting type B gunpowder along will net you six standard grenade rounds.

  Now here are a couple of hacks you can use to create other varieties of grenade ammo.

  - Mix a jar of gunpowder A with a jar of gunpowder B and you will get gunpowder AB.

  - Mix two jars of gunpowder B and you will get Gunpowder BB.

  Here is what you will get from the different combinations.

  - Gunpowder A = 8 pistol rounds (1 pistol magazine)

  - Gunpowder B = 6 standard grenades rounds

  - Gunpowder AB = 6 acid grenade rounds

  - Gunpowder BB = 6 flame rounds

  Once you have the desired combination, you can place the mixture into a reloading station and it will convert the mixture into usable ammo. Take the ammo and load it to your weapon.

  Notes: The amount of gunpowder is limited, so plan carefully as some ammo types are more effective than others depending on enemy type. That part you’ll have to figure out as you go. Also, be careful about mixing gunpowder. Once you mix two kinds of gunpowder, there is no way to reverse the process. So think carefully before creating a certain ammo type. As you get more experience you might learn how to stretch gunpowder to create more ammo.

  I hope this manual whoever finds it. Hopefully, I’m just a man who has lost his mind and the zombie apocalypse won’t happen. With Hybrid though, you can’t be too sure.”

  After reading the small handwritten manual, George finally knows what to do with the gunpowder he found. He counts four jars of gunpowder A and two jars of Gunpowder B. He thinks carefully on what kind of ammo to create. Mostly zombies have appeared and he figures the bigger creatures won’t appear until he reaches the laboratory. For now, he focuses on getting more pistol ammo.

  Taking a few minutes he decides to load in the gunpowder into the reloading machine.

  You have inserted four jars of Gunpowder A into the machine.

  +32 Pistol Ammo. Pistol Ammo: 39

  You have combined two jars of Gunpowder B to get Gunpowder BB.

  You have inserted a jar of Gunpowder BB into the machine.

  +6 Flame Rounds

  You have learned a new skill, Ammo Crafting. Increase this skill by crafting ammo. Increasing this skill will yield more ammo when converting gunpowder!

  Ammo Crafting Level: 1 - Yields normal ammo amount

  +100 Crafting XP. Every conversion equals 50 XP.

  Crafting XP (Experience Points) - 100/200

  Now that he has learned to craft ammo, he is locked and loaded. He decides to save his first-aid spray in case his condition is bad. He heads back out to the hallway only to see the zombie he pushed still alive and well. He shoots a couple of headshots to kill the zombie, wasting as little ammo as possible.

  Pistol Ammo: 37

  At this point, he is unable to explore the rest of the first floor. He decides that he’ll have to explore the second floor as he searches for the other keys.

  Before he takes the stairs up, George hears moans coming from upstairs suggesting that there are zombies upstairs. Going up the stairs carefully, he keeps his pistol armed. When he reaches the second floor, George sees a zombie to his left and kills it with three headshots.

  Pistol Ammo: 34
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  He quickly turns around and sees a zombie diving towards him. Backing up, he tries to get away from the diving zombie. The zombie is able to land on his right leg and begins to try to bite it.

  “Take this you zombie freak!” He screams as he stomps the head of the zombie with his left foot.

  He avoids taking any damage and catches his breath. Spotting a door to his left, he sees that it’s locked and has a picture of the king of diamonds. Heading straight, he quickly checks the map and sees a couple of doors above the storage room. Walking to the door straight ahead, he sees the doorknob is missing. However, he does see another door leading to the room inside.

  He walks to the door to his left and unlocks it by turning the lock. Entering through the door, he finds himself in a hallway with royal blue wallpaper. While the hallway is well lit and looks nice, he hears a noise that is not so nice.

  “What the heck is that? It sounds like a zombie is having quite a meal.” He says with his pistol in hand.

  Walking through the hallway carefully, he sees a desk that he opens without unlocking it. He finds something inside.

  Picked up a Pistol Magazine. +8 Pistol Ammo.

  Pistol Ammo: 42

  Once he grabs more ammo for his pistol, George continues to walk and turns the corner. When he turns the corner, George sees a couple of zombies eating a human on the floor. He sees the blood splashing out of the body as the zombies feast on it. Wasting no time he begins to shoot the zombies.

  George kills one of them easily with a few shots before it can turn around. Despite reloading, he kills the zombie easily.

  Pistol Ammo: 38

  The other zombie gets up and turns around. While he shoots the zombie, the zombie begins to run towards him. The zombie slashes him with its claws and causes a decent amount of damage.

  Condition: Caution (Level 2)

  George ends up meeting a runner zombie with a crimson face. The zombie is codenamed Crimson Face. These zombies are stronger than regular zombies and they’re able to run. As a result, they can chase and run down survivors making them dangerous adversaries.

  Running from the zombie, he tries to kill the zombie and runs out of bullets in the magazine. With no time to reload, he spots a knife next to the dead body. The zombie runs towards him and grabs him. With the knife in hand, George has a tough time using it and the zombie bites him causing damage.

  Condition: Danger

  He finally gets a hold of his knife and uses it to stab the zombie straight in the head. The zombie goes down with the knife in its head and moans as it dies. Blood comes out of its head and spreads throughout the blue rug.

  “Damn that was close. Now we got runner zombies? Oh crap, this shit just got more fun and not in a good way. This old man is gonna get his money’s worth in this devil’s playground.” He says to himself licking his wounds.

  George uses the First Aid Spray.

  Condition: Fine

  Gathering himself, he takes a look at the body of the man who was killed. When he reviews the body well, his mouth drops in total shock…

  “Oh my God! It can’t be!” He says in shock.

  Chapter 6

  “No, it can’t be. There goes my smoking gun, damn it! What the hell was he doing in here?” George says

  When he looks at the body, George finds out that the dead body is that of Reuben. Seeing Reuben torn apart, he knows that his case against the 75th precinct is pretty much shot to hell. He uses his mini-camera to take pictures of the body in hopes that he can prove something.

  “Crap that would’ve secured my case. Damn it, I just want to know what the hell he was doing here. Could it be he wanted to get evidence to help us or obstruct evidence?” He says looking at Reuben.

  Looking in his pockets, George finds no notes or any indication of what Reuben was doing in the mansion. However, he does find something.

  Picked up a Key. Checking the key, there is a picture of a Queen found on a standard deck of cards.

  After getting the key, he decides to backtrack and go back to the room that he missed. Walking back towards the room, he gets to the door and opens it. Entering the room, he enters what looks like to be a small library. The room has the classic brown wood color that one would associate with a library. There are quite a few bookshelves and a desk with an 1800’s era cherry wood chair.

  He sees a green book just sitting on the desk and it’s titled, “The New York Guide to Botany.” Opening the book, he begins to read it.

  The New York Guide to Botany - Guides to Herbs

  “New York is home to some unique herbs, many of which have been used by Native Americans since the 1700’s or earlier. There are several herb types that prove to be useful, but in this particular volume, we will discuss the three main types of herbs and a possible rare one that exists in the state of New York.

  First, we got the green herb. By itself, it heals partial health, but it can be combined with a red or blue herb to enhance its healing ability.

  Next, we got the blue herb. While it doesn’t heal health, it’s the only herb that is capable of healing a person if they are poisoned. It can be mixed with a green herb to heal health as well.

  The third main type is the rarer red herb. It might be useless by itself, but if combined with a green herb it will enhance the healing ability of the green herb exponentially. It can also be mixed with a blue herb, but only if it’s mixed with a green herb already. With this combination, any person in bad shape can be recovered in no time.

  The final herb type is the purple herb. Not much is known about this herb. It was recorded in historical records to be used by the natives to recover from the most mortal of wounds. Apparently, the herb can restore full health and poison in one application which is the same as mixing a red, green, and blue herb together. Without evidence of an actual purple herb existing in today’s time, we cannot say for sure if it still exists or if it has become extinct.

  There may be more combinations out there that we’re unaware of. The best way to find out is to mix the herbs yourself. After all, the best way to learn something is to try it yourself.”

  Looking around in the small library, he sees a locked desk that he opens with his lockpick. When he opens the draw he finds a jar.

  Picked up a jar of Gunpowder B.

  Heading to the back of the library, he finds a cabinet with a glass door covering the one small item inside. He looks at the item and picks it up.

  Picked up a Clay Figurine. This figurine looks like the Greek Hero, Achilles.

  George puts the small figure in his pocket along with the Perseus figure. With nothing else to find, he leaves the library. Back in the hall, he walks until he gets to where Reuben’s dead body is located. He tries to open the door behind Reuben, but it’s locked. Spotting a picture of a jack of hearts, he uses the jack key to open the door.

  When he opens the door, it leads him back to the main hall that the front door is located. The only difference is that he’s located on the second floor. George spots double doors ahead. However, with the queen key in his hand, he decides to take a detour back to the first floor.

  George remembers a door in the first floor west hall that was locked with a picture of a queen. He goes through the dining room and sees the wooden cabinet starting to crack.

  “Oh shit that cabinet is not gonna hold any longer. I better keep it moving.” He says as he runs out of the dining room.

  Back in the dark hallway, he heads towards the door that was locked and uses the queen key to open it. Entering through the door, the dark hallway continues and he hears the noises of crows chirping. Walking slowly he sees a stairway. Next to the stairway, he sees a huge bird cage that was housing crows. Looking up, he can see the crows standing on a water pipe that is running through the house. He sees something on the floor next to the cage.

  Picked up a Green Herb.

  He is careful to be quiet as he doesn’t want to aggravate the crows and be attacked by them. So he goes up the stairs quie
tly and goes through the door, which leads him to another hallway.

  The hallway has a tacky mustard color and is filled with more art pieces such as Renaissance-era statues along with Greek era statues. The only source of lighting surprisingly is the torches on the walls. George sees a door in front of him and a dead body next to it. He decides to not go through the door just yet and explores the rest of the hallway.

  Turning the corner, he spots a zombie wearing a tailor’s outfit suggesting he was the tailor for the Clark family. George pumps four bullets into the head of the zombie before it goes down.

  Pistol Ammo: 34

  After the zombie goes down, George continues down the hall to find more statues and a jar of gunpowder next to one of the statues.

  Picked up a jar of Gunpowder A.

  He spots a door leading to the end of the hall. Not sure where to go, he looks at his map. According to the map, the door that has the corpse next to it leads to a dead end suggesting a key item might be inside. With that in mind, he turns around and heads through the door. The body on the floor remains still to George’s relief.

  When he closes the door, George sees a small stairway within a hallway made out of pure white marble. There are lights all over the hallway keeping it illuminated. He walks up slowly with his pistol armed making sure no zombies or creatures are around. When he goes up the stairs, he sees a stone in the middle of the path.

  Walking up to the stone, he sees a key in the indention. Pulling it out with some effort, he gets his hands on the key.

  Picked up a Key. Checking the key, it has a picture of a King similar to the one you would see in a standard deck of cards.

  After picking up the key, he sees the marble walls close in and trapping him. He also sees a replica of a knight’s armor move in. George is unable to head to the back of the hallway, so he tries to head back the way he came from. Before he can escape though, he sees a statue of a knight with a spinning blade come in his direction. Realizing that he’s in a trap, he runs back to where he got the key. He sees an inscription on the stone that reads…