Violet Starberry at the End of the World

Your name is Violet Starberry, and in the early 2000s, nuclear war devastated the earth, transforming everyone into mindless cannibalistic monsters, destined to devour everything, including each other. Ironically, you were sitting in Chemistry class when it happened. Frankie, possibly the most rotten human being alive even before her zombi-fication, was busy tossing grapes at your head while Mr. Carlson’s back was turned. He was grabbing at a stack of exams, of which included your sixty percent, that you sacrificed your very limited free time and sleep for. It would be another round of screaming and smashing dishes when you got home. [[Next]] (set: $points to 0) (set: $points2 to 0)

The amount of violence that you saw through the door was kryptonite to the psyche of any normal human being. You guess that at this rate, you may as well wait out the apocalypse since the zombies don’t seem to be getting along with each other either. Which is an understatement, if you couldn’t tell. The zombies seem to have the same amount of fun ripping into mutated flesh as they do human. [[Back|Next]] (set: $Door to $Door + 1)

You frantically check your face and body for any signs of damage or mutation. By some miracle, there seems to be none. How strange! [[Back|Next]] (set: $Mirror to $Mirror + 1)

Exit You peek your head outside, and the coast is uncomprehendingly gory but clear. Ring ring ring! You pick up the phone to hear the last words of your estranged parents: We love you. [[Next -> A]]

And so it happened. Frankie’s eyes bulged. Her teeth chattered. Then the skin on her face bubbled off and she HOWLED. Mr Carlson rushed over, concerned, shouting for you to call the police. But there was not even enough time to pull your phone out of your pockets, before more people an to mutate. So you ran. Thankfully, you find an empty bathroom and lock yourself in. [[Crack the door open ]] [[Check the mirror]] (if:$Mirror >=1 and $Door >=1)[[Exit]]

Shaken, a subconscious thought floats to your mind: Is this what I’ve wished for? Now, your future is completely yours. No one to dictate how you should live, how you should dress. You kinda feel bad for how everything’s gone for everyone else though. But then again, your sanity is hanging by a thread. Probably best to look on the bright side instead of dwelling on these things. [[Next -> R]]

You giddily draw up a bucket list. It’s not very thought out since you made it on short notice. What do you want to do first? [[Loot free stuff from the mall|Go to the mall]] [[Pick up hobbies and learn things that you’ve always wanted to learn, but did not have time before|Go to the Library]] (if: $library is 0 and $mall is 0)[[[Go Home|Go home]]] (if: $library >= 1 and $mall >= 1)[[[Go Home|Home]]]

There’s absolutely no way your parents survived. You need some time to process. Luckily, if there’s one resource in abundance now, its time! [[Go back| R]]

Go to the mall The mall isn’t super populated on the account that was Monday when the apocalypse began, but there are a few zombies roaming around nonetheless. It’s good to be careful while you go on your looting spree. But first, you need to eat, or at least stock up on food and supplies. How about you go to the food court? (set: $mall to it +1) [[Next|T]]

Go to the Library This will be fun and deeply fulfilling. You’re so tired of being told that your interests are pointless or that your efforts are not enough. Now you can improve yourself at the pace that actually works for you! (set: $library to $library +1) [[Next|I]]

On the way home, you spot a zombified Frankie, in a brutal fight with the posse that once trailed behind her like a pack of hungry dogs. Seeing her finally turn on her crew makes you laugh sardonically. Unfortunately, this alerts their attention and they charge at you as your vision begins to blur in fear and anger. It was 2 years ago in sophomore year when ou were walking in the halls when someone suddenly pushed you HARD into the lockers. Shocked, you froze, not knowing how to respond. As you spin around in shock you see a beautiful blonde girl walking arm in arm with a young man who you presume to be your boyfriend. You see a flash of her eyes, dark, grinning and villainous. You felt humiliated. You wondered why she pushed you. Were you too ugly? You never felt comfortable with your body but never considered yourself ugly before. Or was it because you acted too weird? You were home schooled by highly religious parents up until the start of high school, and you never really felt like you could fit in with anyone. But for whatever reason, it was from that point on when she marked you as a target. Because you failed to stand up for yourself and it soothed her ego when she ripped from your bag from your hands and tossed into the cafeteria trash. You angrily bite hard into Frankie’s neck, finally snipping off the last strand of her control over you. [[Next|a]]

It’s night time, which makes it harder for zombies to see you, but it is also harder for you to see the zombies as well. You began your journey at the mall by stumbling face first into a 7 foot tall Dallas Cowboys fan (which you gathered from his blood stained T-shirt) and spent the rest of the night dodging and weaving your way to the food court kitchen. [[Next|E]]

The back of the kitchen is full of cooking supplies and kitchen appliances. You make yourself a burger and crack open a can of coke. The taste is familiar and comforting. However, you expected to be ravenous. Its been at least 36 hours and even after all of that exercise, you find that you don’t actually feel hungry or thirsty. With nothing else to do you decide o proceed with your previous plans. [[Next|M]]

Makeover time!!!!!! (if: $points >= 0 and $points < 100)[Total Points: $points/100 [[Clean yourself up]] [[Nevermind, I want to go to the Library| R]] ] (if: $points >= 100 and $points <= 150)[Total Points: $points/150 [[Clean yourself up]] ] (if:$points >= and $points <=5)[You look an ugly mess.] (if:$points >= 6 and $points <= 10)[You have a great time trying out overpriced mall clothes, but to be honest, you look tacky.] (if:$points >= 11 and $points <= 20)[Hmm... you are actually kind of pleased with the way you look in the mirror?] (if:$points >= 21 and $points < 100)[Honestly, your beauty would put Frankie to shame! If only they can see you now... But this is far from perfect.....] (if:$points > 100 and $points <= 150)[Finally, you have nothing to be ashamed of.]

(set: $random to (random:1,10)) You got $random points! (set: $points to $points + $random) (if:$points <= 150)[[[Back|M]]] (else-if:$points > 150)[[EndingA]]]

50 years later... Violet feels the cool, comforting breeze as she cruises her pink jeep steadily through the ruins. “This is true freedom,” She thinks, “No one to ever bother me again.” She’s older now. Smarter too. Though, she looks as young as the day the chaos began, she thinks. By some miracle, her zombification did not take hold of her mind, and yielded her a godlike list of powers. She rarely needed to eat nor sleep, and if she really took care of herself, she would be practically immortal. She marvels at how lucky she was to be the only one to survive the apocalypse, and how much better she has become. After all, on her never ending journey in pursuit of knowledge and self improvement, she had even developed a treatment to undo the effects of zombification. But her terror at the idea of meeting another human again scared her more than the zombies that hunted her across the globe, and she could not force herself to use it. “Maybe its better this way, no one paid attention to me before, at least I have freedom now...” Occasionally, when a pesky thought floated to her mind, questioning if someone would finally love her as she was now, she coldly brushes it aside. But when she finally sleeps, a feeling of emptiness haunts her dreams. (link:"Ending A")[(gotoURL:"https://665115c8015cdf7be19009f9--unique-dasik-5d89e4.netlify.app/")] [[Replay?|Untitled Passage]]

It’s not so easy to make it into the library though. After an intense session of cat and mouse, you escape a feral horde by crawling through a hole in the fence. Unfortunately, you sustain a bad scratch on a rusted nail. That’s not good. You need a tetanus shot ASAP. But with no one to administer it and the hospital overran with zombies you may as well do some research on how to take care of yourself in the meantime. [[Next|S]]

After about half an hour spent learning about tetanus treatments, you realize your tetanus infected wound is no longer hurting. Actually... it’s completely healed! At least you don’t have to learn about Tetanus anymore. Or maybe you will learn it just for the sake of it? [[Next|s]]

What will you learn? (if: $points2 >= 0 and $points2 < 100)[Total Points: $points2/100 [[Start Reading]] [[Nevermind, I want to go to the mall| R]] ] (if: $points2 >= 100 and $points2 <= 150)[Total Points: $points2/150 [[Start Reading]] ] (if: $points2 >= 1 and $points2 <= 5)[Currently Reading: Textbook of basic medicine You struggled through it. Maybe your parents were right after all....] (if:$points2 >= 6 and $points2 <= 10)[Currently Reading: Knife throwing tips It was fun! Now you can use your knowledge to knock down some zombies!] (if:$points2 >= 11 and $points2 <= 20)[Currently Reading: Secrets to the universe and beyond: a Guide to Astronomy You found it to be fascinating. Way easier to understand than medicine!] (if:$points2 >= 21 and $points2 < 100)[Currently Reading: Introduction to Quantum Physics If only your parents could see you now.... would they apologize for calling you stupid?] (if:$points2 > 100 and $points2 <= 150)[Finally, you have nothing to be ashamed of.]

(set: $random2 to (random:1,10)) You got $random2 points! (set: $points2 to $points2 + $random2) (if:$points2 <= 150)[[[Back|s]]] (else-if:$points2 > 150)[[EndingA]]]

With the adrenaline still pumping through your veins, you rushed down the street towards your house. The remnants of violence permeate the once cozy home. You find your mother and father lying on the couch cuddled together in their favorite spot. The tenderness and familiarity of the scene breaks your heart. You squat down next to them realizing that this is actuallythe closest you’ve sat near them in years. The blinding guilt causes you to gag, as you hold back the need to vomit. [[Next|r]]

In fact, you are so, SO guilty. You should have been with them at their last moments. You should have said “I love you” back to them when they called. So why didn't you? You feel confused, and lost. You were angry at some point, feeling righteous in your sadness. After all, when Frankie and her posse began cornering you every day after school, why did they tell you, coldly, to “be stronger” and to use the situation as fuel to study harder and become better? Instead of providing the love and help you needed? [[Next|t]]

But now, none of it really matters. All you can remember are the times you helped your mother cook, the toys they generously showered you with when you were young.. You thought that both their holds over you being gone would be so freeing. So perfect. But instead you just feel empty. What should you do now? [[...]] [[Bring everyone back]]

“.....” Why? What if you get hurt? What if you get really hurt? It’s safer in the quiet. [[...]] [[Keep living]]

You pull out the strange stone you found at the mall. What will you wish for? [[“I wish for the power to modify reality at will”]] [[“I wish for mind control powers on zombies”]]

Tears well in Violet’s eyes as she begins to feel nauseous. “But Violet, I’m here. Don’t be scared.” “Do you feel it? The god of lust and blood calls out for new disciples” The feeling becomes more and more overwhelming until she finally pukes. She feels her body distort, guessing that the transformation is just as horrifying as what happened in the chemistry lab. Violet’s hatred and anger at Frankie, her parents’ neglect, and herself bubbles over. She runs, screaming, down the street. She sees the zombies turn their head towards her, making their way at a steady pace. But the taste of their disgusting, pathetic, blood and the steady march towards the all-consuming call of death now makes her ecstatic. When she is finally overtaken, her last words dissolve, unheard into the ether... (link:"Ending B")[(gotoURL:"https://66511c004b92a68dbb91a164--beamish-croquembouche-1cc40c.netlify.app/")] [[Replay?|Untitled Passage]]

Your name is Violet Starberry, and in the early 2000s, you walked out of the chemistry classroom early. When you passed by Frankie, she yelled and jumped out of the way, terrified. You made your way home. Your parents were sitting in the sofa at their favorite spot, cuddled together. When you come in, they look over at you. “Mom, dad. I love you guys.” Baffled, your parents return the sentiment, before they begin berating you about returning home from school early, and the failed chemistry test. You interrupt them: “I have to go. I’ve had a break from you guys to realize that you guys need a break from me as well. I will be safe and I will be back. I know you won’t trust that, but I this needs to happen. I’m done with being told that I am weak for suffering.” Then, you walk out the door, strengthened at promise of a more colorful future. [[Replay?|Untitled Passage]]

(link:"Ending C")[(gotoURL:"https://66511c0b4b92a68db291a175--inquisitive-begonia-b7ca2a.netlify.app/")] [[Replay?|Untitled Passage]]