Quiet Time

A glint from a window across the street catches my eye as the curtain flutters in the breeze.

'Crap'

It was all I could manage to think before the cold feeling of death overtook me again. My consciousness was gone before the sound even left the rifle.

'Must have been a sniper. How do I deal with that?!'

Thoughts churned through my mind as I floated aimlessly waiting to be greeted by the mysterious voice in the void. Perception of time was difficult, but it felt longer than most visits.

'They wouldn't abandon me, not when I've shown such progress, right?'

"You're showing some progress," The detached voice had returned.

"But, what are you waiting for? I would have assumed you would have chosen your perks and resurrected immediately," it added.

'I can resurrect on my own?'

Floating in place, afraid of missing a single word of explanation, I listened closely. It wouldn't be unusual for the voice to continue his lecture without caring for questions.

"Of course you can…"

The voice didn't avoid answering the question directly this time. Something must have changed for it to acknowledge my existence.

"You just have to concentrate on the perk list and it will appear like last time"

As I concentrate on the his words, the previous holographic screen that was in front of me appeared once again.

"Whoa-ho-ho! You even earned another perk," it chuckled, "you're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

I diverted my attention to the new screen that was within my view, and saw what it had been talking about.

[Please Select Your Perks For Resurrection]

[Increased Volume]

[Decreased Volume] - Your clumsy attempts at being quiet have earned you an entry level stealth perk. Snap your finger to reduce the volume you produce by 10 times.

'This new perk is amazing!' I thought, as I looked at the screen with an obvious choice in mind.

With a sniper present in the area there was no way I wouldn't be able to make use of being extremely quiet.

"Not quite amazing, but it is a start at your collection"

'So I have to choose which perk to take?'

"Well, normally… never mind that, we'll talk about it if it becomes a concern. The moment you concentrate on one of these two perks you'll be reborn again."

'Well, the choice is clear…'

Using all of the focus that my soul could muster, I focus on the words that floated in front of me. The decreased volume perk may not have been the most elite perk, but it was enough for me.

The perks list seemed to vibrate as if it were reading my intentions and my vision faded to black, before I felt the sudden familiar jolt that pulled me back into my apartment.

The first thing I do is snap my fingers

I snapped hard, but it was impossible to hear it over the pounding of the beast on the front door. He had only been partially turned, like the police officer, so he isn't much of a threat, but he's always there.

Getting up and taking a step seemed almost supernatural. The sound of my own footsteps were gone!

No, they were there… but they may as well have been gone with how quiet they were.

"Haha" I couldn't help but chuckle out loud, which was muffled to the volume of a mere whisper, "This is awesome!"

"Now, I'm not stuck in my own head like a crazy man," I shout while staring at the metal door.

Even my shout wasn't loud enough to stir the creatures on the other side.

"With this, I can definitely hunt that sniper down,"

My mind begins forming plants to locate the shooter before I have to deal with the police officer. There's no way I can handle the fire without luring the officer away, which is going to cause a scene for sure…

'Thankfully I had seen which building they were in'

I rush around my apartment and gather supplies. The first thing I need to locate is my old baseball bat. It's the usual weapon that I was bringing out with me on my attempts, but I hadn't had time for it lately.

To test a hypothesis, I grab my bat out of my bedroom and quickly drop it on the floor. A dull thud is heard, but it is significantly quieter than it would have been had I not earned the perk. Perfect.

The knife that accompanied me proved to be useful, even if it was fragile, so that would come with on our hunting trip as well.

But, before we leave…

I unlatch my front door and let the creature waltz into my apartment!

The grotesque visage of the monster greets me again as its smiling face lumbers toward me slowly.

I'm fully prepared this time, and strike it in the chest with a side kick with all of my strength. I might not be as tall as it, but it's not powerful.

As the former man attempts to balance after being thrown back by the kick, I quickly sidestep around them and slam the door closed. Thankfully, it isn't nearly as loud as it could have been, though it did worry me.

"Come on. We gotta make this quick! We don't want to attract your daddy!" The thought of the large creature sends a shiver down my spine as I swing my bat at the beast's knees to bring it to my height.

As it buckles over, it lunges out.

Prepared for such a simple attack, I step to the side and wait. It might not be powerful, but it will still infect me!

The lunge does the rest of the work in causing the creature to lose the rest of its balance, and it fell to the floor.

Before it can get up and make anymore of a ruckus, I repeatedly smash its head with my bat. There couldn't be an opportunity for the big one to get involved. That wouldn't be good for anyone.

Waiting a few moments and realizing that our fight didn't seem to disturb any of the other denizens of the apartment building, I sigh in relief.

"Without you attracting attention to my door, I doubt I'll have to worry about anyone tearing it down. While I'm gone," I mutter as I kick the corpse to the side of the room.

This may seem hopeful, but it allows me to have a base to return to if necessary.

It is probably selfish, but I had fallen to that thing in the past. I needed the confidence boost of defeating it easily in order to prepare myself for the challenge that would come. This way, I get practice, protect my home, and get revenge.

I hurry my footsteps as I cross the small apartment and approach the escape window. No matter how hard I wish for two paths when I wake up, only one is available.

Opening the window, I look back into the apartment one last time, 'I seriously hope our fight didn't throw off the timetable too bad.'

It was time to find that shooter.