[Before we begin, just want to let you know that the name does not mean that this is the final part. It is only meant to be used as a "chapter" name.] {{This section is reserved for those who have chosen the pistol in the previous episode. Read below if you chose the rifle.}} [Zachary loads his gun. He's prepared for a fight.] "The sound wasn't that close, do we need to be doing this already?" You ask, somewhat confused. [Zachary responds without moving.] "You don't know what these things are capable of, son." [You're very worried now.] [There's another sound almost directly behind where Zachary is aiming. He swings around in a quick motion, almost perfectly 180 degrees.] "Get behind me, and stay facing back." He says, in a very serious tone. [You do as he says, but you feel something on the ground.] [You look down and find that it's just a puddle, but it's not made of water.] "Hey, uh, Zach? What is this stuff?" [He turns around to see what you're talking about. He goes to answer, but you both hear something close to you. You can tell that Zach is on high alert now.] "Don't touch it. You don't want to know what it is." [You don't like the statement. You don't know whether it's something bad or just gross. Is it possibly "Jarate" or is it something corrosive?] "Okay..." You say. [You should just listen.] "Let's go. I think I see some supplies a bit ahead." Zach says, passively. [You don't say anything, but start following him. Now that you're in another room, the puddle is out of sight, and therefore, out of mind.] [A couple minutes later, you both find some food, and an extra semi-automatic Glоck 19. A great upgrade to your pistol. It even takes the same ammunition.] "Lucky." Zachary says. [He doesn't seem angry that you found a new weapon, he almost seems happy about it.] "At least we're safer. Semi-autos are easier to use than a pistol. Probably." "Yeah. Should I fire some rounds to see how it feels? Make sure it's better?" "No, it's fine. It's better, no need to waste ammo to check how much better." He replies. [He's right. You figure that you should just pick it up and move on.] [A couple minutes later of pretty much nothing happening, you hear something shatter very close to you. You're pointing in the direction it came from, so you feel safe, until suddenly...] [Something comes out from infront of Zach, which catches you both off-guard.] "FIRE" Zachary yells. [Both of you start firing at... whatever this thing is...] [It quickly falls to the ground in pain.] "Well, this was faster than I thought it would. But the same could be said about my heart right now." Zachary says, jokingly. "Yeah, that was pretty fast. Also, the recoil on this thing is not towards my liking, but it does seem more effective than a normal 12R pistol. 18R is a lot better. Plus 3R per shot!" You say, excitedly. "Well, I guess let's head back now." Zachary says. "Yeah, let's head back." [On your way there, you find the exit to the level. What a surprise!] "Okay then." Zachary says. "We should probably mark this down and tell Liz about it when we get back." You say. "Alright, I'll mark it down." [You head back after Zachary marks it on his map that he pulls out of nowhere.] [To be continued]
[Before we begin, just want to let you know that the name does not mean that this is the final part. It is only meant to be used as a "episode" name.] {{This section is reserved for those who have chosen the rifle in the previous episode. Read above if you chose the pistol.}} [Zachary loads his gun and aims up while peaking around a corner. You can tell that he's ready for this.] "Do you think it's really that close?" You ask, worried by his behavior. "Don't think so. But as they all say, better to be safe than sorry." He replies. [You can tell by his tone that he's very serious.] "Load it." He says. "What?" You ask him. "Load your weapon. If it's close, you need to be ready in case-" He replies. [He gets cut off by a very close sound. Probably no more than 4-5 meters away.] "LOAD IT!" He yells. [Zachary is now very afraid.] [You load the gun. Now you're ready.] [You go next to him, but slightly behind him. You know it's better to stay back, just in case.] [You both advance into the next room, but find that there isn't much in there.] "Clear." Zachary says, just loud enough for you to hear it. "Keep you weapon up though." [You listen. He's the one who's been using these things for a while anyway.] [You find some chocolate bars and water in the room you walk into.] "Hey! Zach! I found something!" You excitedly shout. "Nice, but tone it down. It'll hear us." Zachary responds, quietly. "Cover me while I put it away." He says. [He pulls out a backpack from seemingly nowhere. Now you're really confused] "Uh, ok. Now what the heck was that? Where did that come from?" You ask, very confused. [He looks at you.] "What? The backpack? That's an ability you'll learn in a bit, dear friend! For now, just- cover me. And don't think about it too much. I'll explain when we get home." He replies. [You figure that there's nothing else you can do for now regarding this magic, and cover him.] "Alright, all done. You can continue on now. I've got the supplies. Nice find though." He says, returning the way he was going while raising his gun. [A couple minutes go by and you two are slowly separated further and further. When suddenly...] "OH GOD NO!" Zachary yells in the distance. [He fires several times at whatever he's just encountered. You counted around 4-5 shots.] [You feel immense fear as he starts running towards you. The footsteps quickly approaching, followed by slowing down and a quick shot, and a reload. A repeating process. You know he's run into something, but you're confident you can help.] "GIVE ME A HAND HERE, MAN!" Zachary screams, before sending another round into the creature. [You hear whatever that thing is screaming in agony.] [You run as fast as you can to where you heard him.] [The adrenaline is going through you like crazy right now. You feel like you have unlimited energy. You run faster than you've ever run before, until finally...] "I'm here! Are you alright?" You say, while holding your gun up and putting your back to Zach. [...] "Zach?" You ask, turning around. [He's hurt and unconscious. You're not sure if he's dead or not, so you go to check his pulse.] "Oh thank god!" You say to yourself, after feeling his pulse. [You look around to see if that thing he was shooting at is nearby. It is. Thankfully, it's dead.] "Good work, soldier." [You check the bag he had to see if there's anything to help him. There's some smelling salts to wake him up, but you figure it's better to let him rest instead of waking him and making him suffer through the pain. Either way, you'll be needing to carry him back, which you begin doing.] "Don't worry. You'll be okay soon." You say to him, quietly. [You grab everything that you brought and look around briefly for any extra supplies you can grab, but you don't see any.] [You start carrying him back, when you realize...] "Where am I even at now?" [You made the common mistake of not making a mental map on your way here.] [You wander for almost an hour before you find something. At this point, Zachary is awake.] "Oh, god man. What happened back there? I thought I got that thing, but I guess I was wrong." [These are the first words you hear out of Zachary's mouth after he wakes up.] "Oh! Thank god you're awake!" You say to him. "Wait, you found the exit while I was knocked out?" He says, ignoring your previous statement. "Wait, this is the exit?" You reply. "So it seems." He says. "What about your gun?" He asks. [You left it back there. No way you're making it back.] [To be continued]
