The Crisis

Begin...

A “choose-your-own-adventure” game created by Megan Runkle and Kristina ElmslieArtwork by Lord Elmslington

Inspired by Erik Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development

You open your eyes slowly, sitting up and rubbing your head. It hurts. Looking around, you notice that you are in a dimly lit tunnel. You can only see about a hundred feet in each direction. The walls are made of tiles, and there is a track on the ground. You think that it might be a subway passage. How did you end up here? What happened? You can’t remember how you got here or what you were last doing. You hear shuffling in the tunnel to your right, but don’t see anything.

»Go left.»Go right.

You stand up and start heading away from the sound. You’re not sure what it is, but it sounds like trouble to you. After walking for a few minutes, you notice a figure lying on the ground ahead. A man. He seems to notice you, too.

“H-hello? Please! Please, help me!”

»Question the man.»Keep going.

You stand up and make your way towards the sound. Maybe it will help you figure out where you are. As you near it, you are able to make out muffled snarling and ripping. You imagine that it must be a wild animal, although you still can’t make out anything in the near-dark. To be safe, you take caution and walk very quietly. After another minute, a figure comes into view. Actually, two figures. One is crouched over the other. Eating it. You freeze, panicked and terrified. After getting over the shock, you turn and sprint in the other direction. Once the sound disappears behind you, you stop, doubled-over and breathing hard. You jump when you hear a voice.

“H-hello? Please! Please, help me!” You look up and notice a man lying on the ground ahead.

»Question the man.»Keep going.

You take a few cautious steps towards the man.

“What’s going on?” you ask.

“My leg—ah—it’s pinched. Lodged under this rock. Ah, please,

could you move it? I’m afraid we don’t have much time,” he

replies, breathless and wincing. You look him over, noticing that

he looks very pale. His leg is bleeding fairly heavily under a

decently sized rock. You’re not sure if the man would make

very good company in the shape he’s in, but at least he looks

very grateful that you stopped. You bend down and push the

rock aside with ease and offer him your hand.

»Continue...

You decide not to take any unnecessary risks, and pass him by, as he continues to cry for help at your back. After a few minutes, the tunnel comes to an end. Looks like the ceiling caved in. You look around and notice a metal door. You walk over and tug on the handle, but it doesn’t budge. You continue pulling on it desperately, but it seems to be jammed. It looks like you won’t be able to open it alone. You decide to double back and try to recruit some help. You head back to the guy you saw earlier, and notice that his leg seems to be pinned by a large rock. The man seems to be distracted. He’s looking the other way, eyes bulging. You follow his gaze and notice a figure is moving around by the wall. It’s crouched over, sniffing, and its movements are strange and stiff.

»Continue...

“Ah, thank you, my friend!” he smiles and takes your hand, pulling himself up.

“What’s your name?” you ask him, “Do you know how I got here?”

“The name’s Erik, and no, I haven’t a clue. I’ve been running from the

zombies, myself, but the tunnel caved in ahead. I’m so glad you stumbled upon

me.”

“Zombies!? Are you serious? You must be mad.”

“No, really! You haven’t heard? They’re everywhere now. Say, I think I saw a

door up near the cave in. What do you say we get out of this tunnel?” You nod,

your head spinning with images of zombies. You can’t believe something like

this could truly happen in real life. You follow Erik and soon reach a metal

door. He tugs on it, and although at first it seems jammed, eventually it opens

up to the subway terminal. “Ah, how lucky,” he comments. Your head is still

spinning.

»Continue...

“What was that!?” you exclaim, terrified and trembling. The man on the

ground is shaking as well, and you barely hear him mumble something

about zombies.

“Zombies?! You’ve got to be kidding!” You approach the man and kick the

rock from his leg. You can’t believe that zombies really exist, although

apparently one just attacked you. Your head spins. The man gets up and

eyes you with caution. You suppose that he doesn’t trust you, but who can

blame him?

“We’ve got to get out of here. I saw a door up ahead.” You begin walking

back to the door, and when you notice his absence, you turn and tell him to

hurry up. The man slowly follows you, clearly shaken, until you reach the

door. When you ask his name, he hesitates before telling you that it’s Erik.

“Well, grab on, then.” You instruct Erik, and both of you together manage

to yank the door open, revealing the subway terminal.

»Continue...

The terminal is, unfortunately, as dimly lit as the tunnel. Both of you step into the corridor and close the metal door behind you. Erik quickly makes his way over to a small velvet covered bench and takes a seat, pulling out a wrap of gauze from his pocket.

“Hey, do you want me to do that for you?” you offer.

“No, no, really, I’d like to do it myself,” he replies, a certain amount of worry coloring his expression. You hear a rustling somewhere in the terminal, not too far away.

»Help him.»Let him take his time.

“We don’t have time for this,” you insist, patience thinning and worried

about the impending zombie attack. You quickly take the gauze from him

and begin to unwrap it. You tightly wind it around his wound, hoping to

stop the bleeding until you can get to a hospital.

“There. Now we’ve got to get mov-” Before you can finish your thought,

the near-by shuffling turns into footsteps, approaching fast.

»Continue...

“Okay, that’s fine,” you tell him and keep watch while he works on bandaging his leg. The shuffling you heard fades away. Luckily, you must not have given away your position.

“I think we’ll be fine,” he comments while he bandages. “Do you have any weapons for me? We can fight our way to somewhere safe.” You nod and feel your pockets, realizing that you have two pocket knives. You set one down on the bench next to him.

“Great! Are you ready to move?” he asks, finished with his leg, and stands up. “I don’t think we’re in such a bad situation. We’ll be fine. Zombies aren’t that hard to deal with, you know?”

»Yell at him for not taking your situation seriously.

»Encourage him.»Move on.

“Are you crazy!? Why didn’t you help me? I could have died!” You sit down and hold your ankle, glaring. “You’re good for nothing. Worthless! I should have just left you back there! You’re a terrible companion!”

Erik takes your harsh criticism quietly, looking guiltily at the floor. Once you’ve sat for a few minutes and cooled off, you decide that it would be best not to stay in one place for too long. You stand up.

“Let’s get going,” you say, but Erik seems unsure. He hesitates, and then nervously shakes his head.

“What do you mean no? We’ve got to move,” you tell him.

“I… I don’t know…we might get into more trouble…” he mumbles.

»Continue...

“Come on Erik, I can see that you would be a great zombie fighter. I know you’ve got it in you,” you encourage. “You look so strong and tough! You’d be the best! None of them will be able to touch you. You’re amazing!” Erik watches you, slowly starting to nod.

“Yeah, you’re right. I am the best! Come get me, zombies!” Erik yells, his voice bouncing off the halls of the terminal. He stands up and opens his arms in a kind of ‘bring it on’ stance, beginning to walk away into the dark.

»Continue...

“Hey!” you call out to it. You never were the brightest chap. It quickly turns towards you and begins to snarl and run in your direction. You realize your grave mistake and feel your pockets. Luckily, you have a small pocket knife, which you unsheathe and hold out to the approaching figure. It doesn’t seem to be very bright, either, as it runs directly into the knife and falls over, silenced.

»Continue...

You quickly turn, and notice two figures loping towards you with impressive

speed. Feeling your pockets, you realize that you have two pocket knives,

which you extract. One, you toss to Erik.

“Here, man, help me out,” you instruct him, and take a fighting stance. You

deal with one zombie quickly, and turn to see if Erik needs any help. He is

standing behind you, cowering, and clearly not engaging the remaining

zombie. You look around quickly, trying to pinpoint its position, but it now

has the upper hand. It rams into your side, causing you to painfully twist your

ankle and fall to the ground. The zombie comes down on top of you, but you

are quick enough to position your blade in a manner that defeats the zombie.

You stand up hurriedly.

»Yell at him for not helping you.

»Encourage him to try next time.

»Move on.

As if on cue, you hear some shuffling very close by. And quickly, the shuffling turns into running footsteps. You take the knife that you had earlier given to Erik, and stand poised for the fight. You dual wield the knives, taking down all three of the attacking zombies. Unfortunately, at the end of the fight, both of the knives have been broken. The handles are no longer attached to the blades, and there is no safe way to hold them any longer.

»Continue...

And the zombies respond. Three running figures quickly come into view, and Erik runs to meet them head-on, weaponless. You can’t help but think he’s being a little over-confident. You pick up the knife that he left behind and run into the battle, dual wielding the blades. Erik is overcome by the zombies, but you manage to rescue him. Unfortunately, by the time you’re both safe, both of the knives have been broken. The handles are no longer attached to the blades, and there is no safe way to hold them any longer.

»Continue...

“You could have helped me a little, you know,” you sigh. “Well, oh well. Come on,” you conclude, and go over and offer to help him up. He takes your hand and stands shakily. You both very quietly make your way down the hall until you find a door that says ‘office’ on a small plaque. When you try the handle, it turns. You thank the stars for your luck and enter the room, looking around. You try the light switch, but nothing happens. At least it looks safe, you think. You scan the desk and notice that it’s rather barren except for a radio. You sit down and switch it on, scanning the channels. Finally, you pick up on something.

“Zombies– if anyone– safe house– church on 7th street—” the radio buzzes and then cuts out.

“7th street? That’s not too far from here… Only two blocks,” comments Erik, “Maybe we’d be safe there…” You nod in agreement and stand to go.

»Continue...

“Great, now we’ve got to find new weapons…” you mutter and grab onto Erik’s wrist, leading him down the hallway. Soon enough, you bump into a bench displaying a selection of top-notch zombie fighting weapons. Two baseball bats and one light saber lay exposed and free for the taking. Erik picks up one of the bats and swings it around a bit, frowning. Then, he swaps it for the light saber and practices his attack with the obscure weapon. He smiles.

“This is perfect!” Erik exclaims, “This is just right for me. I’ve found something I can use! How lucky is that?” he eyes you with hope.

»Insist he use the bat.»Let him use the light saber.

You exit the office and bump into a bench. In plain sight are a selection of top-notch zombie fighting weapons. How did you miss this earlier? Two baseball bats and one light saber lay exposed and free for the taking. Erik picks up one of the bats and swings it around a bit, frowning. Then, he swaps it for the light saber and practices his attack with the obscure weapon. He smiles.

“This is perfect!” Erik exclaims, “This is just right for me. I’ve found something I can use! How lucky is that?” he eyes you with hope.

»Insist he use the bat.»Let him use the light saber.

“Could you at least try to take our situation seriously?! You act as though we’re on vacation! You must be an idiot if you say we’ll be fine. I bet you won’t be any help to me at all!” You scold him, fuming. Who does he think he is, some world-class zombie slayer? You are stressed out. Erik takes your harsh criticism quietly, looking guiltily at the floor. Once you’ve sat for a few minutes and cooled off, you decide that it would be best not to stay in one place for too long. You stand up.

“Let’s get going,” you say, but Erik seems unsure. He hesitates, and then nervously shakes his head.

“What do you mean no? We’ve got to move,” you tell him.

“I… I don’t know…we might get into more trouble…” he mumbles.

»Continue...

“Yeah, let’s go! You’re probably the best zombie fighter there is. I am so lucky to have found you! You’re amazing, you know that? Absolutely amazing,” you tell him, and he nods appreciatively.

“Yeah, you’re right. I am the best! Come get me, zombies!” Erik yells, his voice bouncing off the halls of the terminal. He stands up and opens his arms in a kind of ‘bring it on’ stance, beginning to walk away into the dark.

»Continue...

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” you warn, “We’ve still got to be careful. But yeah, let’s go.” You both very quietly make your way down the hall until you find a door that says ‘office’ on a small plaque. When you try the handle, it turns. You thank the stars for your luck and enter the room, looking around. You try the light switch, but nothing happens. At least it looks safe, you think. You scan the desk and notice that it’s rather barren except for a radio. You sit down and switch it on, scanning the channels. Finally, you pick up on something.

“Zombies– if anyone– safe house– church on 7th street—” the radio buzzes and then cuts out.

“7th street? That’s not too far from here… Only two blocks,” comments Erik, “Maybe we’d be safe there…” You nod in agreement and stand to go.

»Continue...

“Dream on, Luke Skywalker,” you scoff and take the light saber from him and put the bat back in his hand. “B-but… really, I think the light saber is the right weapon for me. I used to play with them all the time as a boy, and I can defend myself pretty well with them. I’m not very athletic…”

“Trust me, you need to use the bat,” you insist. “This isn’t the time to be trying out different options. How are you going to fight zombies with a light saber?” You take the other bat and grab his wrist, beginning to pull him down the hallway.

»Continue...

“Dream on, Luke Skywalker,” you scoff and take the light saber from him and put the bat back in his hand. “B-but… really, I think the light saber is the right weapon for me. I used to play with them all the time as a boy, and I can defend myself pretty well with them. I’m not very athletic…”

“Trust me, you need to use the bat,” you insist. “This isn’t the time to be trying out different options. How are you going to fight zombies with a light saber?” You take the other bat and grab his wrist, beginning to pull him down the hallway.

»Continue...

And then you bump right into four zombies, sitting on the floor and tearing at the trash. They look at you, eyes glowing, and begin to snarl. You raise your bat, ready to fight, and Erik shakily does the same. The zombies charge at you, and you aim for the head. You’re not sure what Erik is aiming at, however, as you can’t help but notice that he completely misses with every unconfident swing. After taking care of the four zombies solo, you bend over, breathing heavy. You’re beginning to get tired.

“Hey, I think we should explore the different hallways,” Erik offers. “I know how to get to the exit from here, but I think I want to test out some different options.” You can’t help but feel a little irritated with his bat-swinging ineptitude. You straighten up to look at him.

»Let him explore.»Insist on heading straight to th

e exit.

And then you bump right into four zombies, sitting on the floor and tearing at the trash. They look at you, eyes glowing, and begin to snarl. You raise your bat, ready to fight, and Erik shakily does the same. The zombies charge at you, and you aim for the head. You’re not sure what Erik is aiming at, however, as you can’t help but notice that he completely misses with every unconfident swing. After taking care of the four zombies solo, you bend over, breathing heavy. You’re beginning to get tired.

“Hey, I think we should explore the different hallways,” Erik offers. “I know how to get to the exit from here, but I think I want to test out some different options.” You can’t help but feel a little irritated with his bat-swinging ineptitude. You straighten up to look at him.

»Let him explore.»Insist on heading straight to the

exit.

“Yeah, sure, whatever you want, Luke Skywalker,” you joke and offer him a small smile. He looks overjoyed.“Great! I know I’ll be able to help you fight the zombies with this. I promise to help you in every altercation from now on,” he grins. “Oh, by the way, I guess I’ve had this in my pocket…” He pulls a flashlight out and hands it to you. You think that it might have been a helpful tool to have a couple hours ago, but thank him nonetheless.

“So, I think we should explore the different hallways,” Erik offers. “I know how to get to the exit from here, but I think I want to test out some different options.”

»Let him explore.»Head straight to the exit.

“Yeah, sure, whatever you want, Luke Skywalker,” you joke and offer him a small smile. He looks overjoyed.“Great! I know I’ll be able to help you fight the zombies with this. I promise to help you in every altercation from now on,” he grins. “Oh, by the way, I guess I’ve had this in my pocket…” He pulls a flashlight out and hands it to you. You think that it might have been a helpful tool to have a couple hours ago, but thank him nonetheless.

“So, I think we should explore the different hallways,” Erik offers. “I know how to get to the exit from here, but I think I want to test out some different options.”

»Let him explore.»Head straight to the exit.

“Sure, we can explore a little,” you agree. “Lead on.” Erik looks thankful and leads you down a few hallways, looking around. Eventually, you find a door that says ‘office’ on a small plaque. When you try the handle, it turns. You thank the stars for your luck and enter the room, looking around. You try the light switch, but nothing happens. At least it looks safe, you think. You scan the desk and notice that it’s rather barren except for a radio. You sit down and switch it on, scanning the channels. Finally, you pick up on something.

“Zombies– if anyone– safe house– church on 7th street—” the radio buzzes and then cuts out.

“7th street? That’s not too far from here… Only two blocks,” comments Erik, “Maybe we’d be safe there…” You nod in agreement and stand to go. You leave the office and make your way to the exit of the terminal.

»Continue...

“Sure, we can explore a little,” you agree. “Lead on.” Erik looks thankful and leads you down a few hallways, looking around. You don’t find much of use, but Erik seems to be in high spirits.

“You’re a really good guy to be stuck in a crumby situation with,” he tells you. “I really think we’ll make it to safety. I’ll get you there.” For some reason, the combination of his bright mood and pep talk cheers you considerably. You make your way to the exit of the terminal.

»Continue...

“I don’t think so. Let’s just get to the exit,” you grumble. Before he has time to answer, the sound of running alerts you to a coming threat. You turn and see five zombies headed your way, snarling. Both you and Erik fight them, although his below average batting skills leave you fighting alone. By the end of the fight, you are dead tired. You have to take a few minutes to rest before you can even speak. You are out of shape.

“Come on, let’s go,” you say to Erik. He begins to lead you, but seems unsure about his directions. He is certain about one hallway until you walk for a few minutes, and then he changes his mind and tells you that you need to go the other way. And not only that, but his moods are changing, too. He’s gone from peppy to apologetic to hopeless to confident in the matter of minutes. By the end of an hour, you are very lost inside the terminal, and very confused about Erik.

»Continue...

“I don’t think so. Let’s just get to the exit,” you grumble. Before he has time to answer, the sound of running alerts you to a coming threat. You turn and see five zombies headed your way, snarling. Both you and Erik fight them, and you can’t help but be impressed by his light saber wielding skills. By the end of the fight, you are moderately tired. You are out of shape.

“Come on, let’s go,” you say to Erik. He begins to lead you, but seems unsure about his directions. He is certain about one hallway until you walk for a few minutes, and then he changes his mind and tells you that you need to go the other way. And not only that, but his moods are changing, too. He’s gone from peppy to apologetic to hopeless to confident in the matter of minutes. By the end of an hour, you are very lost inside the terminal, and very confused about Erik.

»Continue...

“I’m sorry…” Erik sighs. “Maybe we should rest.” You think it might be dangerous to sit, but you are exhausted. You agree and plop down on a nearby bench.

“Since we seem to be stuck together, maybe we should get to know each other. What’s your story?”

»Brush him off.»Tell him about yourself.

“I don’t think so. Let’s just get to the exit,” you grumble. Before he has time to answer, the sound of running alerts you to a coming threat. You turn and see five zombies headed your way, snarling. Both you and Erik fight them, although his below average batting skills leave you fighting alone. By the end of the fight, you are dead tired. You have to take a few minutes to rest before you can even speak. You are out of shape.

“Come on, let’s go,” you say to Erik, who nods and begins to lead you to the exit. Unfortunately, it turns out that Erik is not very good with directions, and you end up lost inside the terminal.

»Continue...

“I don’t think so. Let’s just get to the exit,” you grumble. Before he has time to answer, the sound of running alerts you to a coming threat. You turn and see five zombies headed your way, snarling. Both you and Erik fight them, and you can’t help but be impressed by his light saber wielding skills. By the end of the fight, you are moderately tired. You are out of shape.

“Come on, let’s go,” you say to Erik, who nods and begins to lead you to the exit. Unfortunately, it turns out that Erik is not very good with directions, and you end up lost inside the terminal.

»Continue...

“I’m sorry…” Erik sighs. “Maybe we should rest.” You think it might be dangerous to sit, but you are exhausted. You agree and plop down on a nearby bench.

“Since we seem to be stuck together, maybe we should get to know each other. What’s your story?”

»Brush him off.»Tell him about yourself.

You both exit the terminal, and you don’t think you’ve ever been so happy to see the sky. It’s sunny outside, warm, but not humid. You smile and breathe in the fresh air. It doesn’t seem like things are going to be so bad, after all. You imagine a soft pillow waiting for you at the church on 7th street. You’re so close. You take a seat in the soft, green grass and Erik follows your example.

“Since we seem to be stuck together, why don’t you tell me about yourself?” Erik interrupts your day dreaming.

»Brush him off.»Tell him about yourself.

“It’s not that interesting. And I don’t think you really need to know,” you answer, frowning. Erik seems to be offended, and scoffs.

“You don’t think you need any intimacy, is that right? Do you think you’re better than me? We’ll see what you think once you’re in isolation!” Erik looks sincerely hurt, rises, and starts walking away.

“Erik, come on. Wait—” you begin, but he cuts you off.

“Forget it! Don’t follow me!” he cries, and runs away.

»Continue...

“It’s not that interesting. And I don’t think you really need to know,” you answer, frowning. Erik seems to be offended, and scoffs.

“You don’t think you need any intimacy, is that right? Do you think you’re better than me? We’ll see what you think once you’re in isolation!” Erik looks sincerely hurt, rises, and starts walking away.

“Erik, come on. Wait—” you begin, but he cuts you off.

“Forget it! Don’t follow me!” he cries, and runs away.

»Continue...

“Yeah, sure. I was born in this town. I have one sister, she lives on 18 th street. I sure hope she’s okay…” you tell him, thinking of your sister.

“I hope so too, man. I don’t have any siblings, but I’m really worried about my dog, Fido. I had him since he was a puppy. He’s seventeen! Believe that? He’s at home all alone… I’ve been worrying about him constantly…” Erik tells you and nods. You nod a little bit, too. As you sit, you realize how fatigued you are. You feel old. You begin to wonder whether or not you’ll be able to survive this zombie outbreak or not. You’re so very tired.

»Rest.»Move on.

“Yeah, sure. I was born in this town. I have one sister, she lives on 18 th street. I sure hope she’s okay…” you tell him, thinking of your sister.

“I hope so too, man. I don’t have any siblings, but I’m really worried about my dog, Fido. I had him since he was a puppy. He’s seventeen! Believe that? He’s at home all alone… I’ve been worrying about him constantly…” Erik tells you and nods. You nod a little bit, too. As you sit, you realize how fatigued you are. You feel old. You begin to wonder whether or not you’ll be able to survive this zombie outbreak or not. You’re so very tired.

»Rest »Move on.

“It’s not that interesting. And I don’t think you really need to know,” you answer, frowning. Erik seems to be offended, and scoffs.

“You don’t think you need any intimacy, is that right? Do you think you’re better than me? We’ll see what you think once you’re in isolation!” Erik looks sincerely hurt, rises, and starts walking away.

“Erik, come on. Wait—” you begin, but he cuts you off.

“Forget it! Don’t follow me!” he cries, and runs away.

»Continue...

“Yeah, sure. I was born in this town. I have one sister, she lives on 18 th street. I sure hope she’s okay…” you tell him, thinking of your sister.

“I hope so too, man. I don’t have any siblings, but I’m really worried about my dog, Fido. I had him since he was a puppy. He’s seventeen! Believe that? He’s at home all alone… I’ve been worrying about him constantly…” Erik tells you and nods. You nod a little bit, too. As you sit, you realize how fatigued you are. You feel old. You begin to wonder whether or not you’ll be able to survive this zombie outbreak or not. You’re so very tired.

»Rest »Move on.

The sound of his running feet echoes, and you sigh, rubbing your head. The sound of running feet is persistent. You realize that just Erik couldn’t be making so much noise, and you look around. Six zombies are making their way towards you with impressive speed. You quickly stand, picking up your bat. The zombies hit the ground eventually, but you have great difficulty ending the fight. When it’s over, you plot back down to the ground.

You frown and rub your head. You realize just how tired you are. You feel old. You wonder if you’ll be able to survive this zombie outbreak or not, especially alone. You’re so very tired.

»Rest.»Move on.

The sound of his running feet echoes, and you sigh, rubbing your head. The sound of running feet is persistent. You realize that just Erik couldn’t be making so much noise, and you look around. Six zombies are making their way towards you with impressive speed. You quickly stand, picking up your bat. The zombies hit the ground eventually, but you have great difficulty ending the fight. When it’s over, you plot back down to the ground.

You frown and rub your head. You realize just how tired you are. You feel old. You wonder if you’ll be able to survive this zombie outbreak or not, especially alone. You’re so very tired.

»Rest.»Move on.

The sound of his running feet echoes, and you sigh, rubbing your head. The sound of running feet is persistent. You realize that just Erik couldn’t be making so much noise, and you look around. Six zombies are making their way towards you with impressive speed. You quickly stand, picking up your bat. The zombies hit the ground eventually, but you have great difficulty ending the fight. When it’s over, you plot back down to the ground.

You frown and rub your head. You realize just how tired you are. You feel old. You wonder if you’ll be able to survive this zombie outbreak or not, especially alone. You’re so very tired.

»Rest.»Move on.

You close your eyes and lean your head back against the wall. You decide to rest until you begin to feel better. The weight of stagnation pulls on your body, and you swear you can feel yourself aging. Time must be moving so slowly. You can feel it draining you of your life. After what you guess must be hours, you hear the now-familiar sound of running footsteps. It takes all of your strength to pull yourself up from the floor. There are seven zombies nearly on top of you by the time you get up, and you have an incredibly difficult time fighting them off. At the end of the fight, you collapse on the hard ground of the terminal. The dream of the safe house seems so far away. You reminisce about your adventures so far today.

»I have some regrets.»Things turned out alright.

You close your eyes and lay down on the soft grass. You decide to rest until you begin to feel better. The weight of stagnation pulls on your body, and you swear you can feel yourself aging. Time must be moving so slowly. You can feel it draining you of your life. After what you guess must be hours, you hear the now-familiar sound of running footsteps. It takes all of your strength to pull yourself up from the ground. There are seven zombies nearly on top of you by the time you get up, and you have an incredibly difficult time fighting them off. At the end of the fight, you collapse on the hard ground. The dream of the safe house seems so far away. You reminisce about your adventures so far today.

»I have some regrets.»Things turned out alright.

You close your eyes and lean your head back against the wall. You decide to rest until you begin to feel better. The weight of stagnation pulls on your body, and you swear you can feel yourself aging. Time must be moving so slowly. You can feel it draining you of your life. After what you guess must be hours, you hear the now-familiar sound of running footsteps. It takes all of your strength to pull yourself up from the floor. There are seven zombies nearly on top of you by the time you get up, and you have an incredibly difficult time fighting them off. At the end of the fight, you collapse on the hard ground of the terminal. The hope of safety seems so far away now. You reminisce about your adventures so far today.

»I have some regrets.»Things turned out alright.

You pull yourself up off the ground using almost all that’s left of your strength.

You have to keep moving, or you’ll be in even more trouble. You stumble down

the hallway until you find a door with a small plaque labeled ‘office.’ When you

try the handle, it turns. You thank the stars for your luck and enter the room,

looking around. To your surprise, Erik is sitting in the chair behind the desk.

“Erik! I can’t believe I found you,” you exclaim, relieved, and close the door

behind you.

“You actually came to find me?” Erik asks, seeming touched. “Things are

starting to look up, I guess. This radio seems to work, too.” He continues

scanning the channels and eventually picks up on something.

“Zombies– if anyone– safe house– church on 7th street—” the radio buzzes and

then cuts out.

“7th street? That’s not too far from here… Only two blocks,” comments Erik,

“Maybe we’d be safe there…” You nod in agreement and stand to go.

»Continue...

You exit the office and then find your way out of the terminal. Carefully, you make your way to the church on 7th street. To your surprise, you encounter no zombies on the street. You are extremely relieved, but exhausted. When you reach the church, you squeeze Erik’s shoulder.

“We really made it,” you sigh, looking at the church.

“Yeah, we did,” he smiles, and pauses thoughtfully. “If you had to do it all again, would you do it any different?”

»No, we did alright.»Yes, I messed up.

You pull yourself up off the ground using almost all that’s left of your strength. You have to keep moving, or you’ll be in even more trouble. You and Erik stumble down the hallway until you find a door with a small plaque labeled ‘office.’ When you try the handle, it turns. You thank the stars for your luck and enter the room, looking around. You try the light switch, but nothing happens. At least it looks safe, you think. You scan the desk and notice that it’s rather barren except for a radio. You sit down and switch it on, scanning the channels. Finally, you pick up on something.

“Zombies– if anyone– safe house– church on 7th street—” the radio buzzes and then cuts out.

“7th street? That’s not too far from here… Only two blocks,” comments Erik, “Maybe we’d be safe there…” You nod in agreement and stand to go.

»Continue...

You pull yourself up off the ground using almost all that’s left of your strength. You have to keep moving, or you’ll be in even more trouble. You stumble down the streets, surprised not to encounter any zombies on your way. You arrive at the church on 7th street, and to your great delight, Erik is there waiting for you.

“Erik! I can’t believe I found you,” you exclaim, relieved. He smiles.

“We really made it, huh?” he reaches over and clasps your shoulder and pauses thoughtfully. “If you had to do it all again, would you do it any different?”

»No, we did alright.»Yes, I messed up.

You pull yourself up off the ground using almost all that’s left of your strength. You have to keep moving, or you’ll be in even more trouble. You and Erik stumble down the streets, surprised not to encounter any zombies on your way. You arrive at the church on 7th street without any problems.

“We really made it,” you sigh, looking at the church.

“Yeah, we did,” he smiles, and pauses thoughtfully. “If you had to do it all again, would you do it any different?”

»No, we did alright.»Yes, I messed up.

You pull yourself up off the floor using almost all that’s left of your strength. You have to keep moving, or you’ll be in even more trouble. You stumble down the hallway and out onto the street, surprised not to encounter any zombies on your way. You carefully make your way to the church on 7th street, and to your great delight, Erik is there waiting for you.

“Erik! I can’t believe I found you,” you exclaim, relieved. He smiles.

“We really made it, huh?” he reaches over and clasps your shoulder and pauses thoughtfully. “If you had to do it all again, would you do it any different?”

»No, we did alright.»Yes, I messed up.

You pull yourself up off the floor using almost all that’s left of your strength. You have to keep moving, or you’ll be in even more trouble. You and Erik stumble down the hallway and out onto the street, surprised not to encounter any zombies on your way. You carefully make your way to the church on 7th street.

“We really made it,” you sigh, looking at the church.

“Yeah, we did,” he smiles, and pauses thoughtfully. “If you had to do it all again, would you do it any different?”

»No, we did alright.»Yes, I messed up.

“No, I’m satisfied with the way things have gone. We did good, friend,” you respond and smile at him warmly. You and Erik enter the church together, and you feel entirely satisfied with your life.

Congratulations, you survived the zombie outbreak.

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“Yeah, maybe I would have… I do have some regrets, I must admit. I’m disappointed in the way things turned out, Erik, I feel so bad…” you begin to break down, realizing that this is the end of life as you knew it. “I messed up..” you lean on him and cry, so absorbed in your feelings of futility that you don’t even notice the sound of footsteps approaching.

You become a snack for eight hungry zombies.

You did not survive the zombie outbreak.

Play again? or Want to learn about the inspiration behind the game?

“You know, this is okay, Erik,” you say aloud to your absent friend. “I’m satisfied with the way things have gone. I’m satisfied…” You drift off to sleep, overcome with fatigue. When you wake up, you’re being carried.“What..?” You are confused and drowsy. You look up, and realize that you’re in Erik’s arms.

“Here we are… we made it. We made it to the church,” he replies softly and smiles. You look around, and realize that you really are at the front of the church. He must have carried you there. You and Erik enter the church together, and you feel entirely satisfied with your life.

Congratulations, you survived the zombie outbreak.

Play again? or Want to learn about the inspiration behind the game?

“I’m sorry, Erik…” you say aloud to your absent friend. “I messed up. I’m so disappointed in the way things turned out, Erik, I feel so bad…” you begin to cry, filled to the brim in despair. You don’t notice the sound of approaching footsteps until it’s much too late.

You become a snack for eight hungry zombies.

You did not survive the zombie outbreak.

Play again? or Want to learn about the inspiration behind the game?

An Explanation of EventsEach of Erik Erikson’s 8 psychosocial stages of development are represented in this game.Each time the player fails to resolve a crisis, the player meets a zombie. The fight results in the player receiving a penalty- a twisted ankle, broken weapon, harm to the player’s relationship with his companion, an increase in the player’s fatigue, etc.

The stages explained:Trust v. Mistrust- Erik’s “basic needs” are represented by his need to be rescued by the player while his leg is pinned by the rock. Failing this stage by leaving Erik behind harms the player’s relationship with Erik.

Autonomy v. Self-doubt- Erik desires to wrap his leg himself. Failing this stage by helping him will harm Erik’s self confidence, leading to the player fighting the zombies alone, and will cause the player to twist an ankle.

Initiative v. Guilt- Player must balance how much he punishes Erik. Failure to do so by being too harsh or too lenient will result in a broken weapon and the player being forced to fight the zombies alone, increasing fatigue.

Competence v. Inferiority- Erik tries to find something he is good at when the player discovers the new weapons. If the stage is failed by insisting Erik use the bat, he will be unable to help you in future fights and lose confidence in himself. Player’s fatigue will increase.

Identity v. Role Confusion- This stage is represented by Erik’s desire to explore his different options. If the player insists on heading to the exit without exploration, they will get lost and Erik’s personality will become unstable.

Intimacy v. Isolation- Erik desires to form a closer relationship with the player. If failed, the player loses the company of Erik and must deal with the next zombie attack by himself, increasing fatigue.

Generativity v. Stagnation- Player must choose to focus on the future and keep moving. If failed, player becomes more fatigued and risks being unable to find Erik.

Ego-Integrity v. Despair- Player must reflect on previous actions and assess satisfaction with previous choices. If failed by deeming the past unsatisfactory, player does not survive the zombie outbreak.