Albert Lane (53 Albert Street) 

You’re exhausted and drained and limping. That scratch on your ankle is sure flaring up – bright red in colour. You glance towards the far end of the lane and see the Italian Restaurant, Vapiano, just metres ahead. It looks so sophisticated…until you realise there’s people trapped behind the glass, while zombies rip into them. Their screams are terrifying. Mary’s still with you…you can’t leave her in this lane. Heck, you shouldn’t be here either.

“You!” A woman, dressed in city chic leaps towards you, high heels swinging in her hands. “Help me!”

She throws herself at you. You catch her as she falls, her blood seeping into your shirt. She has a gaping hole under her arm. She’s been bitten?

“I have a friend,” she says, gasping for breath. “She’s in Mary Street, and she’s trapped!”

You wonder where she’s getting all this energy from when half her torso is missing…

“We can help you,” Mary says.

You feel the hysterics rising in your chest. Help her? You can’t even help yourself, let alone two people now. A siren bellows through the sky above you. You look up. To your right, zombies hang off the Landlines artwork on the building facade. Helicopters hover. And then, fire! Bullets pelt down into the mall, silver sparks ricocheting off the pavement. Bodies fly in the air. Healthy bodies, while the rotting ones thud to the ground. Are special defences shooting everyone, anyone?

“Run!” A tall middle-aged businessman with black hair wearing a dapper suit grabs your arm. “We have to get out of the city!” he shouts.  “I’m a town planner. I know where the plans are for the tunnels we built under City Hall last year when we renovated.”

A zombie stumbles out of nowhere and lunges at you.

Mary kicks at your shins. “Do something!” she squeals.

You pick up one of the woman’s heels, and strike the zombie right between the eyes. It falls to the ground. Splat. You feel a mix of disgust and excitement. If you know anything about zombies, it’s this: that zombies were people who were alive before they became infected. What sort of sick person are you turning into? Surely a zombie apocalypse wasn’t all it took to bring out your dark side. No. You can’t think about that now. You’ve succeeded in your first kill.

And there’s no time for compassion. It’s man eat man, and you need a weapon – and the woman’s heels work well…she won’t need the second one if you leave her here. Your conscience plays with your mind. Your mother told you never to steal.

Do you:

70 Mary Street: Decide that your mother is right. You have a weapon, and it’s not stealing if you take the owner of it with you. You drag the woman to her feet. You’ll help the woman’s friend, take Mary with you, and maybe you can make a run for it from there. Head East and turn right when you reach Mary Street (Go to the other side of the road opposite 70 Mary Street – Efflorescene). 

Or

Archives Book Store: Ignore mother, rip the heel out of the woman’s hand, and take off with the town planner for the city plans? Mary can come with you if she stops kicking your shins. Go East until you reach Charlotte Street. Turn right into Charlotte Street until you reach Archives Book Store (40 Charlotte Street).