You decide to risk it and begin pushing the box aside. As you do, the top (amaturely folded closed) pops open, revealing its contents-- your tools.\n\nYou skim over the screwdrivers and wrenches before landing on two options: your crowbar, or your hammer. You only have one belt loop intact to keep a tool in-- which one do you pick up?\n\n[[Hammer|Hammer]]\n[[Crowbar|Crowbar]]

You run towards the door at the foot of the stairs, which has been boarded shut.\n\n<<if $crowbar gte 1>>\s\nWith your crowbar, you begin prying up the boards, secretly praying that the door upstairs can hold <<print $pronoun2>> in long enough for you to make your escape. Thankfully they come off quickly enough, because you hear a crack from upstairs as the bedroom door splinters. \n\nYour back is facing towards the stairs-- you can either spin around and brace yourself for combat, or you can continue to pry up boards and try to escape.\n\n[[Brace for combat|Door Combat]]\n[[Keep prying up boards|Crowbar Boards]]\n\n<<else if $hammer gte 1>>\s\nWith your hammer, you begin trying to pry up the boards, but it's of no use. You hear a crack from upstairs as the bedroom door splinters, and a cold sweat creeps across your brow as you are suddenly face to face with the <<print $noun>> you once loved.\n\nYou freeze as <<print $pronoun>> takes a step closer to you, and for a fraction of a second you think you see a faint glimmer of recognition in <<print $posadj>> eye. You hear <<print $pronoun2>> grunt quietly before taking a half step back.\n\nYou have two choices: either fight <<print $pronoun2>>, or try to talk your way out.\n\n[[Fight|Door Combat]]\n[[Talk|Talk End]]\n\n<<else if visited("Back Entrance")>>\s\nYou came looking for a way out, but you are now suddenly face to face with the <<print $noun>> you once loved.\n\nYou are weaponless, and you are trapped. You close your eyes as <<print $pronoun>> lunges towards you, accepting your fate and hoping that it doesn't hurt too much.\n\nOh well, at least now you can be together... forever.\n\nEND.\n\n<<else>>\s\nThere is no way to pry these boards up by hand. You need to hurry up and find a way out, the door upstairs can only keep <<print $pronoun2>> in for so long.\n\n[[Go to the back entrance|Back Entrance]]\n\n<<endif>>

Meekly you begin to reach your hand towards <<print $posadj>> face, immediately retracting it when <<print $pronoun>> begins snarling.\n\n"Dear," you say, trying not to flinch at the sight of <<print $posadj>> skin decomposed and hanging off <<print $posadj>> body, "love, it's me. Don't you remember? We love each other, and you would never do anything to hurt me."\n\nFor a split second you think you have gotten through to <<print $pronoun2>>, before <<print $pronoun>> knocks you over and sinks <<print $posadj>> teeth into your leg.\n\nWhy did you think you could reason with a zombie? Oh well, at least this way you will be together... forever.\n\nEND

You continue clearing the pile in front of the door, which thankfully seems to be going relatively quickly.\n\nA creak from the floorboards at the opposite end of the room quickly tell you that you are not alone.\n\nYou spin around and there <<print $pronoun>> is-- skin rotting off the bones, just as you two had observed on the undead idling outside in the fields.\n\n<<if $hammer gte 1>>\s\n\s\nYou grip the hammer in your hand, mentally assessing the situation: you are alone, with <<print $pronoun2>>, and there is no exit.\n\nYou freeze as <<print $pronoun>> takes a step closer to you, and for a fraction of a second you think you see a faint glimmer of recognition in <<print $posadj>> eye. You hear <<print $pronoun2>> grunt quietly before taking a half step back.\n\nYou have two choices: either fight <<print $pronoun>>, or try to talk your way out.\n\n[[Fight|Fight End]]\n[[Talk|Talk End]]\n\n<<else if $crowbar gte 1>>\s\n\s\nYou grip the crowbar in your hand, mentally assessing the situation: you are alone, with <<print $pronoun2>>, and there is no exit.\n\n\nYou freeze as <<print $pronoun>> takes a step closer to you, and for a fraction of a second you think you see a faint glimmer of recognition in <<print $posadj>> eye. You hear <<print $pronoun2>> grunt quietly before taking a half step back.\n\nYou have two choices: either fight <<print $pronoun>>, or try to talk your way out.\n\n[[Fight|Fight End]]\n[[Talk|Talk End]]\n\n<<else>>\s\n\s\nYou begin breathing shallowly as you mentally assess the situation: you are unarmed and alone with <<print $pronoun2>>, and there is no exit.\n\nYou close your eyes and try to go to a happy place as your lover lunges towards you with a snarl. Well, at least this way you'll be together... forever.\n\nEND\n\n<<endif>>

<<if $crowbar gte 1>>\nYou give up trying to pry up the boards and lift your crowbar into position, your mind aching with dread as it fills up with the memories you shared together. "No," you think to yourself, "<<print $pronoun>> is gone."\n\nA cold sweat creeps across your brow as a creak from the bottom stair indicates you are no longer alone, and you are suddenly face to face with the <<print $noun>> you once loved.\n\nYou freeze as <<print $pronoun>> takes a step closer to you, and for a fraction of a second you think you see a faint glimmer of recognition in <<print $posadj>> eye. You hear <<print $pronoun2>> grunt quietly before taking a half step back.\n\nYou have two choices: either fight <<print $pronoun2>>, or try to talk your way out.\n\n[[Fight|Fight End]]\n[[Talk|Talk End]]\n\n<<else if $hammer gte 1>>\s\nYou raise your hammer and take a swing, the first blow making contact with <<print $posadj>> skull with a sickening crunch.\n\nYour hammer gets stuck.\n\nYou fill with dread as <<print $pronoun>> takes a step backwards, barely even registering the hit. Your hammer still stuck in <<print $posadj>> head, <<print $pronoun>> refocuses <<print $posadj>> undead eyes on you and takes another step forward. \n\nYou close your eyes and try to go to a happy place as your lover lunges towards you with a snarl. Well, at least this way you'll be together... forever.\n\nEND\n\n<<else>>\s\nYou begin breathing shallowly as you mentally assess the situation: you are unarmed and alone with <<print $pronoun2>>, and there is no exit.\n\nYou close your eyes and try to go to a happy place as your lover lunges towards you with a snarl. Well, at least this way you'll be together... forever.\n\nEND\n\n<<endif>>

You run towards the back entrance, immediately remembering you two had barricaded it when the outbreak first occurred. How the heck did <<print $pronoun>> get in and out to forage food for you two in the first place??\n\nYou don't have too much time to think, you hear thuds coming from upstairs as <<print $pronoun>> slams against the door, trying to escape. \n\nDo you attempt to move the items barricading the door, or do you go back towards the front door to look for another exit?\n\n[[Move the items|Barricade]]\n[[Go back to the front|Door]]

<<set $partnergender to prompt("What is the gender of your lover? Type M for male, or F for female")>>\s\n\s\n<<if $partnergender is "F">>\s\n<<set $pronoun = "she">>\s\n<<set $posadj = "her">>\s\n<<set $pronoun2 = "her">>\s\n<<set $noun = "woman">>\s\n<<else if $partnergender is "M">>\s\n<<set $pronoun = "he">>\s\n<<set $posadj = "his">>\s\n<<set $pronoun2 = "him">>\s\n<<set $noun = "man">>\s\n<<else if $partnergender is "f">>\s\n<<set $pronoun = "she">>\s\n<<set $posadj = "her">>\s\n<<set $pronoun2 = "her">>\s\n<<set $noun = "woman">>\s\n<<else if $partnergender is "m">>\s\n<<set $pronoun = "he">>\s\n<<set $posadj = "his">>\s\n<<set $pronoun2 = "him">>\s\n<<set $noun = "man">>\s\n<<endif>>\s\n<<set $crowbar = false>>\s\n<<set $hammer = false>>\s\n\s\nYou pull your bloodied hands back in horror. Your lover, seconds ago writhing in agony as you attempted to stem the flow of blood from the fresh bite wound on <<print $posadj>> leg, has turned.\n\nYou have approximately 5 seconds to run.\n\nYou whisper a hasty "Goodbye, I love you," to what once was your most beloved companion as <<print $pronoun>> begins to convulse, in a futile attempt to make peace with what you need to do. You sprint out of the room, slamming the door behind you and running down the stairs.\n\n[[Run towards the back entrance|Back Entrance]]\n[[Run towards the door|Door]]

<<if $crowbar gte 1>>\s\nYou convince yourself that there is no reasoning with a zombie, and you swing your crowbar right at <<print $posadj>> skull.\n\nIt makes contact with a sickening crunch, and <<print $pronoun>> staggers to the side. You swing again-- this time, it seems to have done the trick-- <<print $pronoun>> falls to the ground, twitching.\n\nYou crouch down to make sure <<print $pronoun>>'s dead, and you hear a faint gargling sound. Wait, was that your name? No, it couldn't be.\n\nYou take a few steps back, adrenaline subsiding and heart heavy with just having killed the <<print $noun>> you once loved.\n\nYou drop the crowbar and sit down, exhausted. At some point you're going to have to move <<print $posadj>> body, but for now, you just need to rest. \n\nTo be continued...\n\n<<else if $hammer gte 1>>\s\nYou convince yourself that there is no reasoning with a zombie, and you raise your hammer to take a swing, the first blow making contact with <<print $posadj>> skull with a sickening crunch.\n\nYour hammer gets stuck.\n\nYou fill with dread as <<print $pronoun>> takes a step backwards, barely even registering the hit. Your hammer still stuck in <<print $posadj>> head, <<print $pronoun>> refocuses <<print $posadj>> undead eyes on you and takes another step forward. \n\nYou close your eyes and try to go to a happy place as your lover lunges towards you with a snarl. Well, at least this way you'll be together... forever.\n\nEND\n\n<<endif>>

Frantically you double up your efforts, ignoring the splinters in your knuckles and the sound of the thuds coming from upstairs as <<print $pronoun>> throws <<print $posadj>> weight against the cracking door. \n\nYou finally free the last board from the front door, just as you hear the bedroom door upstairs swing open and release its rabid prisoner.\n\nYou fling open the door and, clutching your crowbar, begin sprinting out into the darkness-- whatever may have been out there no longer matters, you can take them out with your weapon, but you can't face <<print $pronoun2>>. Not yet.\n\nYou hear <<print $pronoun2>> howl as <<print $pronoun>> lunges out of the front door after you, but you can't stop. No, looking into those eyes might convince you that <<print $pronoun>> is in there somewhere, and you can't risk it. \n\nHeart racing, you pick up the pace as you run through the field surrounding what was once your dream house. Groans and snarls fill the air as your presence is noted by the undead previously lying dormant outside. You need to find shelter.\n\nTo be continued...

It's Just a Flesh Wound

You begin tearing down the chairs and boxes piled in front of the door, attempting to clear the exit so that you won't be trapped with whatever <<print $pronoun>> has become. \n\nIn pulling out a chair from the stack, you accidentally knock over a box that hits the floor with a clanking noise, which seems to have only enraged <<print $pronoun2>> as the thuds from upstairs are now accompanied with snarls. Unfortunately, it seems to have landed in the small area you've cleared.\n\nDo you leave the box where it is and keep clearing the barricade, or do you risk making more noise to move it to the side?\n\n[[Keep clearing|Clearing]]\n[[Move the box|Box]]

Iris Sun

<<set $hammer = 1>>\s\n\s\n<<if visited("Door")>>\s\n\s\nYou pick up the hammer and close the box. Now that you are armed, you have two options-- do you want to continue clearing the barricade, or do you want to try to pry up the boards on the front door?\n\n[[Continue clearing|Clearing]]\n[[Go to front door|Door]]\n\n<<else>>\nYou pick up the hammer and close the box. Now that you are armed, you have two options-- do you want to continue clearing the barricade, or do you want to find another way to escape?\n\n[[Continue clearing|Clearing]]\n[[Go to front door|Door]]\n\n<<endif>>\n

<<set $crowbar = 1 >>\s\n<<if visited("Door")>>\s\nYou pick up the crowbar and close the box. Now that you are armed, you have two options-- do you want to continue clearing the barricade, or do you want to try to pry up the boards on the front door?\n\n[[Continue clearing|Clearing]]\n[[Go to front door|Door]]\n\n<<else>>\nYou pick up the crowbar and close the box. Now that you are armed, you have two options-- do you want to continue clearing the barricade, or do you want to find another way to escape?\n\n[[Continue clearing|Clearing]]\n[[Go to front door|Door]]\n\n<<endif>>\n