Across the track, three other Eds—each more decayed and accessorized than the last—were stretching their rotting limbs. This was a . A crackle came over the intercom: "Welcome to the Meat Grinder! Last corpse standing wins!"

The buzzer screamed. Immediately, the world became a blur of spinning blades and flying limbs. One Ed tried to take a shortcut through a giant fan; he emerged on the other side as a pile of diced meat, his player’s ghost floating helplessly. Ben sprinted across a narrow beam, hearing the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of another Ed hopping right behind him—literally hopping, since he’d already lost both legs to a laser grid. "Throw me!" a voice yelled through the proximity chat.

The neon lights of the "Blood Party" arena flickered, casting a sickly glow over the starting line. , the exhausted human, wiped sweat from his brow, while his zombie best friend, Ed , stood beside him, vibrating with mindless excitement. But today was different. They weren't alone.

Ben watched as a rival player picked up their Ed’s severed head and launched it like a football toward the finish line. The head bounced off a wrecking ball, bit a dangling power cable, and swung across the gap, beating everyone to the goal.

As the survivors gathered at the podium, limbs missing and skin bruised, they didn't reach for a trophy. They reached for each other's arms—mostly because they needed spares for the next round.