2 Perks?!

As I turn my head to greet the howling sound behind me, I feel a stinging sensation in my neck and my vision begins to fade as I am thrown through the alley. Collapsing with the ground, I tumble, only to notice my body still standing next to the escape ladder.

There was no time to process what occurred as I find myself floating aimlessly yet again.

"Congratulations!" The voice enters my ears as if it were mocking me, "This was your shortest run yet, but you made it further than ever!"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I ask, half expecting the mysterious echoing voice to actually respond to my question.

"You even unlocked a perk!" The gruff voice added, seemingly elated. It was obvious now that I was being ignored.

Before my wandering soul, a holographic vision appeared…

The blue window reminded me vaguely of some futuristic videos I had seen before this mess. Could the mysterious voice have something to do with an advanced civilization like in the movies?

[New Perk Unlocked!]

[Increased Volume] - You were so obnoxiously loud, we've decided to enhance this feature! Snap your fingers to toggle the ability to increase all noise produced by you by 100%.

[Please Select Your Perks For Resurrection]

[Increased Volume]

I stare blankly at the information for a moment, "Perks?!"

The voice hadn't mentioned anything about perks prior to this. What else did it hide?

"Just focus on the perks that you would like to activate on your next attempt, and you will be able to use them." Droning on the voice continued as if it were simply speaking known information. "Remember, you must save Elaine. These will help you with that goal."

The voice finally includes something useful, almost as if he was trying to help. It doesn't sit right with me that I could have more information to accomplish this task easier though.

"Perks?!" I raise my voice, upset, "I can unlock freaking perks?! You're just now telling me this?"

I'm not sure how increased volume will help me, but the ability can be toggled. It was worth taking to see if the perks were legit. It would take some experimentation to determine how to unlock new ones, but first I had to make sure they were real.

As I focus on the [Increased Volume] in front of my vision, the familiar jolt caught me and my vision was shifted by to the familiar respawn point in my room.

Every resurrection carries a weight, but this one has given me new hope. In the event that the perks aren't the voice playing with me, I am certain that I'll be able to accomplish the task he had given me.

I remember the mistakes of my previous iteration and stay as silent as possible. The creature is still banging on my door like I remember, but I won't let it get to me this time.

Walking on the balls of my feet, I slowly cross the room and grab the familiar decorative dagger from the wall.

I want to confirm whether it was my volume, or my terrible luck.

On one hand, if it was my luck that it was patrolling the area, I won't have the ability to overcome the obstacle and will need to seek new passage. On the other, if my luck is good and the volume was key, I'll be able to dispatch it unharmed.

Gently opening the window, I crawl out to the fire escape. Remembering how loud it was when I was in a hurry, I ease my way onto the old metal structure to reduce the clanging as much as possible.

The old ladder at the bottom is an obstacle that can't be overcome with silence, but this time I patiently peer into the alley and try to identify any threats before I make my decision.

The banging from my apartment hasn't stopped, but it hasn't increased, which indicates that the large beast hasn't joined in the destruction. My hunches seem to be going well at the moment.

In the alley there's a tall black figure curled into the fetal position. It's arms extend all the way down to its knees and seems almost too skinny to exist. I can't see the full details of the creature because of the darkness, but I think it is what killed me.

It appears to be asleep.

Deciding that I didn't want to risk waking the monstrosity by jumping on the ladder like I had previously, I climb as far down as I possibly could before I drop my knife to the ground.

I hold my breath as my heart stops. It sounds as loud as a gunshot in the quiet alley.

Thankfully, it didn't seem to disturb the figure in the darkness.

'Thank god,' I sigh in relief as I jump from the ladder and stumble next to the knife.

'No!' I clench my teeth as my ankle twists in the wrong direction. It turns out that even falling is going to take practice!

In a panic, I search for the knife, which ended up under my body.

I manage to locate it and grip it tightly in my hands as I rise to my feet, my eyes fixated on the figure like a deer staring into headlights.

An eternity seemed to pass before I took a breath, but the it didn't seem to notice me.

'That's definitely what killed me!' seeing the figure up close, the arms didn't appear to end in hands, but rather blades made of bone.

Being as silent as possible, I sneak up to the monster with the blade in my hand. My hands tremble at the thought of it noticing me before I have a chance to attack it, but there's no holding back now.

As I get closer I notice more and more detail. The flesh seems to be melting from the body of the humanoid, and the face is merely two sunken eye holes. I'm not sure what could make such a creature, but it's not a good sign.

'If I don't take it out now, I'll never leave my apartment…' I attempt to rationalize my actions and build my strength, but it doesn't help.

The distance slowly closes and, to my surprise, it doesn't seem to flinch. As soon as I'm within arm's reach I raise my decorative blade over my head and strike at the base of its skull.

The creature immediately goes limp and collapses on the concrete below.

Time seems to stop. The thought of this thing surviving is unbearable. I only hope that my limited encounters have granted me the ability to dispatch this formidable enemy without facing it.

'Thank god,' I exhale and attempt to catch my breath, it feels like I've been holding it for an hour, but only a few moment have passed.

I pry my knife from the head of my foe and stab it a few extra times to ensure that it is dead, before I stare down the alley.

I can do this!