Sid climbed down the fire escape, every step rattling the rusted frame. The zombie below raised its head at the sound, a guttural groan spilling from its throat. Up close, the stench struck him immediately. Thick, sour, and rancid.

It was the kind of rot that clawed at his nose and coated his tongue, worse than any trash pile he’d ever let fester in his room for months. His stomach lurched, but he forced it down, muttering to himself.

"God... no one ever mentioned the smell. In the game, it was just some random lines on the avatar. This... this is on another level."

The zombie staggered toward him, each movement dragging flesh against bone in a way that looked disturbing.

"Pfft, too slow. You’re not even worth the stamina bar."

Sid squared up in front of the zombie, bouncing lightly on his toes. He raised his fists, grinning wide.

"You don’t even know, do you? Back when I was on a losing streak, I used to shadow box in my room just to blow off steam. Hours of it. My chat thought I was losing my mind, but nah... it kept me sharp. Stress out, hands up. Easy."

He threw a few quick jabs into the air, exaggerating every motion.

"See this? Crisp form. Solid reach. I could crack your skull in one clean hit. Check these muscles... not impressed? How about these six-pack abs, huh!"

He laughed, bobbing his head side to side as if he had an audience again, his voice spilling over in the same nonstop chatter that once made him a hit streamer.

But his focus slipped. While he kept mocking, the zombie lurched forward faster than expected. In a blink, its jaws snapped and clamped down on his jacket. The fabric tore with a sharp rip, teeth scraping close to his arm. Sid shoved it back with a curse, stumbling away.

"Mother fu—are you serious?!"

He glanced at the shredded sleeve, his face twisting. The wet fabric dripped, glistening with foul saliva. He gagged as the stench hit him, rank and sour like rotting garbage soaked in acid.

"Oh my—God!"

He squealed, ripping the jacket off his shoulder, shaking it. For one second, he stood glaring at the zombie, rage boiling in his chest, curses spilling from his mouth. But, as he stare longer a familiar icon burned as the zombie about to move again.

"W—wait... is that?"

A keyboard key floated in the air next to its head, pulsing like a quick-time event. Sid blinked, stunned.

"Hey! Easy, man, I’m trying to—"

His vision flickered, cutting him off. Bright blue text seared across his sight.

[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED!]

[Skill Unlocked: Combat Vision]

[Button prompts will appear to guide the best possible action in combat. Activate by staring at an enemy for at least one second, or by saying the skill’s name.]

The keys floated in his vision, pulsing in rhythm with the zombie’s stagger. Sid’s mouth fell open.

"No way. You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s literally giving me a tutorial QTE."

The zombie lunged, jaws snapping forward. The letter [D] flashed in front of its head, bright and insistent. Sid’s instincts kicked in. He shoved his weight to the right, feet scraping across the ground. The zombie’s teeth cut through empty air, missing him by inches. He spun around, heart beating.

"Holy crap! That was—wait. So the prompts aren’t for my avatar. They’re for me. Back on Earth, pressing D made the character move right. But here? I’ve gotta move my own body to match the key. That’s freaking awesome!!!"

Another icon flared. [A] . The zombie swiped with a rotten arm. Sid darted left this time, the strike missing his shoulder. A laugh burst out of him.

"Oh, this is sick! It’s like the game is feeding me perfect counters. All I have to do is keep up."

The zombie groaned, stumbling forward with a jerky swing. [Ctrl + Space Bar] flashed overhead. Sid hesitated for half a beat, then dropped into a clumsy crouch and threw himself sideways, landing in a messy roll. The zombie’s arm whistled past, smacking the air where his head had been. He scrambled back to his feet, grinning ear to ear.

"Dude, this is insane. It’s like I can see the future. I just have to match the buttons fast enough. If I mess up, I’m done, but if I nail it..."

He threw up his fists again, bouncing in place.

"Then this apocalypse is about to feel like a highlight reel."

The zombie lurched again, another prompt glowing. Sid braced, eyes locked, heart pounding with adrenaline.

"I wasn’t just surviving here... I was playing!"

Another prompt blinked into view, this time different.

[Light Attack: Left Mouse Button]

"Oh, no way. It’s actually letting me swing back."

He lifted his fists, heart pounding, and lined up with the zombie as if he was back in front of his webcam, shadowboxing for the chat that wasn’t here.

The zombie staggered forward, arms flailing. The icon pulsed brighter. Sid snapped a jab straight into its jaw. His knuckles smacked against cold, rubbery flesh, harder than any punching bag he had ever hit. The impact jolted up his arm, and the sour reek of decay blasted into his nose. He gagged but didn’t stop.

"Ugh, God, you smell like roadkill!"

He spat, wiping his mouth with his shoulder. The zombie reeled, but didn’t fall. Another prompt lit up.

[Heavy Attack: Right Mouse Button]

"Alright, big hit coming!"

He planted his foot, twisted his hips, and drove a right hook across the zombie’s temple. The blow cracked against bone, the sound dull but sharp enough to make his hair stand on end. For a second it felt less like fighting a monster and more like brawling with a wasted drunk trying to bite his ear off.

The creature snarled, staggering sideways. Its gray skin stuck to Sid’s fist like wet dough, and he pulled his hand back with a shiver.

"Ew, ew, ew! Oh, that’s nasty!"

Still, his adrenaline roared higher. Another command flashed.

[Grab: Hold E]

Sid’s eyes darted to the zombie’s small backpack, straps hanging loose against its hunched shoulders.

"Oh, so that’s how we’re doing it? Wrestling with accessories."