The Crisis

The Crisis

A ―choose-your-own-adventure‖ game created by Megan Runkle and Kristina Elmslie
Artwork by Lord Elmslington
Inspired by Erik Erikson‘s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development

Begin...

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.
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...

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.

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.

―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.
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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

―Yeah, sure. I was born in this town. I have one sister, she lives on 18th
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 18th
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.

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.


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.


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.
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 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.
go.

» Continue...

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?‖


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


You pull yourself up off the floor using almost all that‘s left of your
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?‖


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


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

―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.

―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.

―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.

An Explanation of Events
Each 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.

The Crisis

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