Chapter 4: Undead Welcome Party
"Okay—okay—they're getting really close now!" Mario yelled, holding his shield up like it could magically solve their zombie problem.
Andrew had his sword half-raised, wobbling like he was about to fight off a swarm of mosquitoes, not a horde of undead villagers. "Just give me a second! Nobody in the webtoons ever explains how to fight real zombies on day one!"
"USE YOUR MAGIC!" Mario shouted, ducking a grasping hand as one of the corpses stumbled toward them. "That green flame thing—come on!"
Andrew blinked. "So you have been reading my webtoons."
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!"
"Ohhh, so suddenly my hobbies are useful, huh?" Andrew shot back, half-smirking. "Now the nerd with no life is your last hope."
Mario grabbed his sleeve. "Do something! They're going to eat us!"
Andrew raised his palm toward the zombies. The green flame flickered… then sputtered. "I don't even know how to—wait."
Just then, a ding echoed in both their ears—like the soft chime of a microwave, if that microwave controlled your fate.
A glowing window popped up in front of their eyes, floating mid-air. It shimmered with pulsing symbols before shifting into legible text:
[SYSTEM INITIATED]
Welcome, Traveler.
Combat Protocol Unlocked.
More panels opened, flooding Andrew's vision.
"OH MY GOD," he gasped, eyes sparkling like a kid in a candy store. "It's an interface. A real stat window. There's inventory, skill trees, even—"
"NOT THE TIME!" Mario screamed, yanking him by the collar as a zombie lunged.
The two of them bolted down the village path, dodging crumbling fences and fallen carts as the undead moaned behind them.
"I NEED FIVE MORE SECONDS!" Andrew shouted, flipping through menus with a swipe of his hand.
"You're trying to read the manual in the middle of a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE?!"
"I'M TRYING TO NOT DIE EFFICIENTLY!"
As they ran, a burst of instinct—or maybe desperation—snapped Andrew into action. He turned, held up his hand, and shouted:
"Let's see if this does anything! FIRE BURST!"
A wave of dark green flame shot forward, slamming into the front line of zombies.
They stumbled back, scorched—but not dead.
The smell of burnt undead filled the air.
Andrew stared. "…Okay. Note to self: zombies are flame-resistant. Fun."
"WE'RE GONNA DIE," Mario wailed.
"Not before I finish checking the skill menu!"
They dove through the open door of the nearest house, slamming it shut behind them. Mario shoved a heavy table against it while Andrew knocked over a broken shelf to wedge it shut. They didn't stop until every window was blocked with old furniture, planks, and a broken door that had fallen from its hinges.
Finally, panting and half-dead from panic, they slid to the floor.
Andrew, still wide-eyed, pointed at the shimmering panel hovering beside him.
"Do you see this?"
Mario didn't even blink. "Of course I do, you webtoon addict."
Andrew huffed. "Okay. That's enough laughing."
He swiped, and a tiny spark of fire flicked upward like a candle trying to be threatening.
"Cool points: zero," Mario said, deadpan.
"Shut up," Andrew muttered, watching the flame fizzle out like a sad matchstick.
Outside, the groans of the undead were growing louder.
Inside, two high schoolers with swords, shields, and a shared love of video games were sitting in a half-collapsed house, making survival plans like it was another strategy session back home.
"We need to get out of this village before nightfall," Andrew said, finally serious.
Mario nodded. "And we need to find weapons that actually work."
"Preferably before we become extras in the next zombie webtoon."
They both looked at each other.
And started laughing.
Nervous. Tired. But alive.
For now.