Nightmare Paradise : Starting as a Doctor

Lynn and Alice observed the horde of zombies from a distance at the end of the hallway. The normal zombies shuffled about aimlessly while the hulking brawler stood motionless in the center.

Lynn turned to Alice. "I'll rush into the crowd and cut down as many normal zombies as I can. Then I'll lure the brute away so you clean up the remains.”

"Understood," Alice replied, hefting her crowbar.

Gripping his sword tight, Lynn launched forward with blistering speed, quickly closing the distance. Before any of the zombies could react, his blade was a silver blur hacking left and right. Body parts and severed limbs flew through the air as Lynn carved through the horde.

Within seconds, over a dozen zombies lay dismembered on the ground. Lynn glanced down at the gruesome sight, nodding in satisfaction. During all this action, his eyes were always following the brawler zombie who had just realized its horde was being attacked.

The hulking creature released an enraged roar and began lumbering towards Lynn. Just then, a sudden, deafening scream erupted from behind Lynn. The shrill cry was unlike anything he had heard from the undead before. For a moment, Lynn was stunned.

If the brawler was still in front of him, what on earth could be screaming behind with such bone-chilling intensity?

From a blind spot that neither Lynn nor Alice had checked, a massive zombie suddenly appeared. It reached the same towering height as the brawler but looked distinctly different.

The zombie took a forward-leaning posture, its weight shifted towards its front leg. With a crackling sound, the creature charged forward aiming to crush Lynn.

"Lynn, dodge to the right!" Alice suddenly shouted from down the hall, alarm in her voice.

He immediately chose to trust his companion's instruction. Acting on instinct, Lynn dove to the right just as the massive body whistled past, smashing into the wall that was just near him. A loud crash rang out as shards of the wall exploded from the point of impact.

Lynn quickly scrambled back to his feet and retreated several paces to gain distance. He turned to get a look at whatever had nearly smashed into him.

A new type of mutated zombie loomed where Lynn had been standing only moments before.

Its body was encased in a distorted fusion of sinew, muscles, and bones. What once might have been soft flesh had hardened into a cage of calcified tissue and plates - a twisted imitation of an armor. The misshapen skull looked like a fleshy and bony helmet, its lidless eyes glowing with putrid yellow light.

The armored zombie’s body appeared to be covered head to toe in segmented bone plates that mimicked the look of an armor. Jagged pauldrons jutted out from its broad shoulders. The chest and abs were wrapped in interlocking bands of bones that flexed with each step. Its thighs were covered in ridged greaves that tapered down to its feet.

The thick exoskeleton-like armor formed from the fusion its own bones and rotten flesh covered its hulking frame. The bones were fused together, forming a seamless and impenetrable surface.

The armored zombie released another bone-rattling screech as it pried itself from the cracked wall, chunks of drywall and dust falling from its armor. It turned towards Lynn, murderous intent burning in its glowing eyes.

“So this is the [Armored Zombie], it’s a humanoid tank” Says Lynn, eyeing the creature cautiously.

This was the first time Lynn had encountered this type of zombie, but he already had an idea of what mutations it possessed. Thanks to the confidential documents they had found in Dr. Stein's hidden room, many details were recorded about the various experimental zombie types created using the [Distorted Flesh] samples.

One excerpt had described a subject that showed signs of extreme ossification - the hardening of soft tissue into bone. The details aligned perfectly with the bony plates covering the zombie before him.

"An entire body transformed into natural armor by fusing bone and tissue together...these mad scientists really pushed the human form to its limits with their experiments," Lynn muttered to himself.

The armored zombie hissed, its skull-like head swiveling back and forth as it regarded Lynn and Alice. The small pinpricks of glowing yellow light emanating from its eye sockets seemed to burn with hatred and bloodlust.

Lynn recalled another crucial detail from the files - the Armored Zombie's traits made it incredibly resilient against physical attacks. Its thick exoskeleton could withstand tremendous blunt force trauma and deflect bladed weapons.

Lynn gripped his sword tightly, his mind racing to formulate a strategy.

Lynn’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation. Dealing with one mutant zombie would not be an issue. But facing both the lumbering Brawler and the heavily Armored creature at once posed a serious threat.

He needed to a wider area. This cramped hallway provided little room to maneuver.

Lynn called out to Alice down the hall, “I’m going to lure these two away! Clean up the normal ones while I deal with them.”

Without waiting for a response, Lynn dashed down an adjoining corridor, putting some distance between himself and the two mutants. Glancing back, he saw the creatures lumbering after him in pursuit.

“That’s right, just follow me,” Lynn muttered. He continued retreating until he reached a wider hospital area. A reception desk and waiting chairs occupied the open space.

Lynn stopped and turned to face the approaching zombies. The Brawler entered first, followed shortly by the Armored creature.

Seeing no easy path of escape, Lynn blew out a long breath and rolled his shoulders. “Alright you freaks of nature, let’s dance.”

The Brawler zombie let out a guttural roar and charged forward swinging its massive fists. Lynn nimbly dodged the blows, causing the creature to crash into the reception desk, shattering it into splinters.

“So much for a warm welcome, huh?” Lynn quipped, keeping his tone light despite the precarious situation.