Zombie apocalypse! As if the existing one wasn't enough Chapter - 1

The only thought racing through my mind as I frantically ran from the horde of zombies chasing me was,

"Why did it have to be fucking zombies?"

"Why did I not just pick fucking Kryptonian instead of mythos summon?" I cursed my foolishness.

"Oh, but being a Kryptonian would be so boring to read about. Boo hoo! Fuck you, past George. I would not be in this position right now if I had chosen any other powers instead of the one that required a fucking medium to summon fictional items. It may sound great, but it was a little fucking hard to do when you get spawned in the middle of a fucking zombie horde."

You might be wondering why I had committed such a grave mistake. Let me take you back a few hours ago when I stumbled upon a Worm CYOA. Despite the fact that I should have been getting some sleep or preparing for my upcoming interview, as it often happens, that was precisely the moment when unconventional and fascinating things suddenly become irresistible.

So, I filled out the CYOA and made it as different as possible from any Worm CYOA I had ever read. And what better way to make things better in a world that is on the verge of dying than to add a zombie apocalypse into the mix?

Without much consideration, I selected a plethora of drawbacks to unlock the overpowered abilities, even leaving some of the regular points unused to make the story more interesting. Afterwards, I went to sleep, oblivious to the mistake I had just made.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in the middle of a road, disoriented and bewildered. Before I could gather my bearings or discern why I was there, I heard a raspy growl sent shivers down my spine.

"That doesn't sound good," I muttered under my breath.

Suddenly, a few feet away from me, I spotted a man whose face was mostly torn off and was dripping with blood. He limped towards me with one of his feet facing the wrong way, and I knew at that moment that I was either having a terrible acid trip or I was caught in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

Without a moment's hesitation, I bolted in the opposite direction as the undead creature began to give chase. In situations like these, running seemed like the most sensible course of action, no matter the circumstances.

As I kept running, a few more zombies joined in on the chase, and I just cursed, “Why the fuck couldn't they be the slow kind of zombies?”

That brings us back to now.

As I kept running, I tried to recall all the selections I had made that could help me in the current situation.

Unfortunately, I still had nothing to use as a medium or sacrifice to use my powers, and I had no idea where my base was. Even my chosen companions were nowhere to be seen.

As the horde of zombies closed in on me, I braced myself for the worst. But then, a blinding white light erupted, striking the undead creatures and sending them flying in all directions. Dazed and confused, I struggled to regain my senses and make sense of what was happening.

And then I saw her.

<Angel Vicky Image>

Standing before me was a vision of otherworldly beauty, her ethereal appearance almost too perfect to be real. She radiated power and grace, and I couldn't help but be drawn to her. As I watched, a set of magnificent white wings emerged from her back, unfurling majestically as she took flight.

It took me a moment to realize who she was. She was the angelic version of Glory Girl, one of the companions I had chosen to accompany me on this journey.

As the adrenaline from the zombie attack began to fade, I realized that the other companion I had chosen must be nearby. And just as I thought this, I heard a voice behind me.

“Looking for someone?”

Turning around, I saw a striking woman with curly red hair, light brown eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her face. She had an hourglass figure, with her large breasts accentuated by her form-fitting red attire. As a cape, she wore a similar outfit, but without a hood.

<Red Queen Amy Image>

Without thinking, I blurted out, "You actually."

She responded with a fake smile that promised pain if I tried to lie. "Interesting. Funnily enough, we were also looking for someone who was not undead to get some information. So who are you? Do you happen to know what is happening around here and where we are?"

As she spoke, Glory Girl finished off a few more zombies before landing gracefully next to her sister. The two of them stood side by side, a striking contrast of light and dark.

Despite their striking presence, I knew that I couldn't afford to be distracted by their appearance. I realized that any attempt at deception would likely be detected by their powers, leaving me vulnerable once again. With this in mind, I opted for honesty.

"My name is George, and you both are in a different world," I admitted.

The sisters exchanged a look of surprise, though they didn't seem entirely caught off guard.

"So this is Aleph?" Vicky asked. "I don't recall encountering any zombies on Aleph before."

"No, you're actually on a different version of Earth Bet. I assume your old world was destroyed?" I explained.

"Does that happen often, people from destroyed worlds end up here?" asked Amy with a hint of suspicion.

"Not really," I replied. "But I'm in a similar situation myself."

"You are not being entirely truthful," Vicky retorted.

"You're right, I can't lie to you," I admitted. "I'm not from this world, but my circumstances are a bit different from yours and I kinda need your help to not end up as zombie food."

Amy considered my words for a moment before responding, "If you have information that could be useful to us, we could possibly offer assistance in return. But we'll need more details before we commit to anything."

Vicky looked at me quizzically. "Are you not a parahuman?" she asked.

"I am," I answered. "But I'm currently unable to fight."

“Are you a thinker?”

"I'm not exactly a Thinker, more of a Trump actually," I clarified before diving into the details. "Essentially, this world is the same as yours up to a point where Nilbog went mad and created a virus that would turn the entire Earth into a monster paradise."

"The virus was designed to be stealthy, infecting the population before showing any symptoms. However, it was discovered too early and a vaccine was developed with the help of Uber and Leet," I continued.

"The vaccine was highly effective, but it was discovered that if someone was infected with the original Nilbog virus for at least a day before being vaccinated, they would develop a severe side effect. This side effect caused people who died from any cause to rise as zombies," I explained.

"Governments and the PRT acted swiftly to contain the situation, resulting in many cities being walled off with strict rules regarding the dead. However, the world as a whole became a very different place," I finished.

"If you're new to this world, how do you know so much about it?" Vicky asks.

"It's a bit more complicated to explain," I reply.

"We have time," Amy says.

"Can we at least not have this conversation in the middle of nowhere?" I ask.

"Why? You got any real estate nearby?" Amy retorts sarcastically.

I go to say no, but that's when I receive the coordinates of my base, which I had previously selected, directly into my brain, along with instructions on how to enter.

“Funny you should say that,” I replied.

“If you follow me.”

“Right, that seems like the smart decision, to follow someone we don't know,” Amy said sarcastically.

I sighed. “Look, I know it sounds sketchy, but you already know I'm not lying.”

“That's exactly why we are skeptical. You say that you're new to this world, yet you know a lot more about it. You also know who we are and what our powers are, and you somehow have a  base here,” Amy accused.

“Like I said, I mean you no harm. It's not like I can cause any harm to either of you at the moment. It's complicated, and it's going to take time to explain. I don't want to shatter your worldview in the middle of dead zombies.”

“He is telling the truth,” Vicky said.

Amy put her hands up in frustration, which did interesting things to her chest, and said, “Fine, where are we supposed to go?”

As Amy reluctantly agrees to follow me, I lead the way towards the coordinates I received. We move through the ruined streets, dispatching any stray zombies that come our way. As we walk, Amy continues to eye me suspiciously.

I understand her caution, and I try to reassure her. "I know this all seems crazy, but I promise I mean you no harm. And as for how I know about you and this world, it's a long story that I'm happy to explain once we're in a safer place."

Vicky seems to trust me, but Amy remains unconvinced. "Fine, where are we supposed to go?" she asks, her tone still tinged with suspicion.

After providing them with directions, we reached the base of a hill, where an ominous looking cave entrance stood. It didn't look like any kind of secret base at all.

Both Amy and Vicky regarded me with skepticism.

Undaunted, I simply shrugged my shoulders and confidently led the way forward.