Sudden Battle

Alex placed his loot in the fridge and the freezer, and stored the rest of the protein powder on the pantry.

After the quick sorting, he made his way to the front door and made sure it was unlocked.

He doesn't want to be locked out if he ever got chased by a zombie.

With a successful looting run, he gained some confidence that he could do it again.

He cheerfully made his way down planning how to enter the next apartment when he sae something standing at the hallway.

He tensed up and remained rooted at the end of the stairs.

The dead body lying down earlier is now idly standing with its back wide open for an attack.

It's standing up now meaning its not playing dead anymore.

Should he take the chance now for a preemptive attack?

Or should he just run for it.

No, he already lost the chance to choose.

The dead man sniffed the air a couple times before turning to him.

"Sh*t."

Alex turned back and made a mad rush towards his apartment.

The zombie was only a few meters away and could attack him any time!

Alex clumsily fetched his weapons on his pockets as a series of thoughts crossed his mind.

Why did it only reanimated now?

Does it take such a long time for dead people to be infected?

Most importantly, should I fight back or just hole up in my apartment.

Before he could fully climb up to the second floor, a strange feeling rose inside him, telling him to dodge to the side immediately.

And he was thankful that he did.

Splat!

Sisisisiii!

A small gash appeared on the concrete steps and dust particles flew everywhere.

"What the hell?"

Alex felt the urge to throw up from the stench, not knowing if the stench came from the dust or from the thing on the middle of the stairs.

A green sticky substance dripped on the concrete. It sizzled and emitted a strong pungent smell.

"Is that acid?"

Alex felt his throat tighten. His instincts told him the substance is dangerous and he shouldn't be hit by an attack like that.

He glanced at the monster who spat out such a thing and noticed the bulging throat that's slowly getting bigger.

"It's recharging? I may have a chance! But safety first!"

Alex climb the stairs and hid on the corner, waiting for the target to follow him.

His back against the wall while he performed his breathing technique to calm his stampeding heart.

His mind worked wonders under pressure. The warm current floeing inside him also helped him relax snd think clearly.

The target seem to be a range attacker with minimal melee capabilities. It doesn'tseem like a fast runner or a good close combat fighter.

They're prwctically the same in paper stats but the enemy's just more toxic.

Also, getting bitten is a huge no go since its teeth or saliva could be acidic.

Alex waited nervously but the target didn't come up.

He decided to take a peek and saw it standing idly again, actively sniffing the air.

"It should be able to smell me, but unless it can see me, it won't take action."

"With the charging time between attacks, it should be enough for me to beat it."

Or is it?

Shouldn't I just go back and hole up on my apartment?

But letting something dangerous like that on the loose might be more detrimental in the long run!

What if it wandered on the second floor and found him sleeping!

While contemplating, Alex finally realized he was actively gathering energy on his body and he is getting heated up.

Can the special energy help him recover if he ever got hit by the toxic spit?

Or can he also use it to attack?

How does he even do that?

Alex did something stupid and closed his eyes.

He could feel the special energy circulating in his body gathering in the center of his stomach before going out and spreading everywhere for another cycle.

He followed the ones going to his hand and tried to control it by gathering the energy on his skin.

His eyes open in shock.

"It was that easy?"

Alex tried to casually stab the back of his hand but a transparent layer of soft but sturdy light blocked the tip of the knife, only causing a strange sensation like someone was tracing the back of his hand with a stick.

Is this enough to protect him from the attack?

Can he recover after the fight?

"New world, new rules. It's better to find out now while everything seems to be simple."

Alex started breathing more.

"Uuuuuuuh....haaaaaaa."

If he's going to make another stupid decision, he wants to make sure he's properly supplied with what he needs.

After a couple of cycles, he steeled himself and jumped out of his hiding place.

The creature turned around and opened its mouth, and a huge lump travelled through its throat and came out as a toxic spit.

Alex threw the tenderizer as a distraction but it actually hit the dead man's forehead causing its aim to go way up than intended.

The zombie missed!

It was the chance he needed.

Alex lunged forward and stabbed the man in the head.

A successful attack but it was not enough.

The knife didn't pierce through the skull and just caused a long cut from the top of the head to its lower ear.

The dead man tried biting him and he quickly pulled his hand back.

"Sh*t! My hand hurts!"

His right wrist slightly turned red and green and there's a burning feeling on his skin.

He jumped frantically on the dame place, trying to tide the pain and used the hem of his shirt to cover his burnt hand.

"Aaarrghhh!"

Which seemed to only hurt him more.

He made one error in judgement - he assumed that only its spit was toxic but it's breath also has corrosive properties.

He successfully focused the special energy on his wrist for faster regeneration - which he immediately felt doing its wonders, allevisting some pain.

Alex dodged the next attack and kicked the man's chest to put some distance between them.

He can't feel anything from his right hand but he can still move it.

It's starting to feel numb and it feels weird.

Seeing the saggy throat bulging once more, Alex leaped forward and grabbed the man's chin and pointed it's mouth away, exposing its neck.

This time he made sure to cover his hand and palm with protective energy.

Then a question came up - should he puncture the growing tumor with the knife?

He didn't take long to decide.

He can't afford to.

He gently stabbed the side of the neck instead of the actual throat.

Splurgh!

The wound started spurting green liquid but it didn't reach him.

He didn't let go and twisted the knife, creating a wider and deeper cut.

More acid splashed on the floor as the saggy throat deflated like a balloon.

Though he neutralized the target's ability, the fight isn't done yet.

The zombie's hands are still moving and started clawing at him.

"Damn it!"

Alex stepped back and tried to dodge the arms that was trying to grab him.

"Stay back! Cockroach!"

A loud bang sounded.

Alex punched the toxic dead man in the face.

Bam!

The corpse fell down.

Alex was shocked by his actions, did he just smack someone down to the ground with such a force?

His right wrist felt stiff, so he started moving it around.

Alex became excited!

The special energy can do a lot of things!

Alex stared at the dead man who was now sporting a caved-in skull.

His eyes shifted from the corpse to his fist.

He did not feel any pain.

Did he really become so strong just after making use of the special energy?

Or the most probable reason, was the enemy on a weakened state?

Alex doesn't know the reason, and doesn't want to find out now.

After knowing the fight was over, his bidy instinctively released the stress it accumulated.

His hands started aching and Alex had to cycle his breathing technique ti start some process of regeneration.

He decided to finish things fast and grabbed the knife to stabbed the corpse in the head, leaving it embedded to guarantee the kill.

After making sure the enemy is down for good, he immediately postponed his adventure for tonight and ran back to his apartment.

He took out a pack of salt and started rubbing it on his hands.

He also poured a can of soda and rubbed the liquid all over his body.

He didn't forget to wash his face and the top of his head.

It's not enough to clean him thoroughly, but the soda is better than nothing.

Then he sat down on the center of the living room and meditated, enduring the throbbing pain on his hands and wrists.

It took around half an hour for the small burn marks to heal and another half for them to scab.

As for the bigger ones, he had to spend more time to heal them but the pain became much tolerable after the initial recovery.

Alex took out his notebook and jotted down his findings.

Special Energy can be used for:

1. Attack and Defense

2. Regeneration and Physical Enhancements

3. Mental and Spiritual? Will have test it out.