It all started three years ago, everything was normal. People went to work and students went to school, unaware of the disaster that was headed their way. At the root of it all was an illegal breeding center, known for producing rare and dangerous canines. Shielded by the mafias, they flourished undetected for years. Yet, in a humorous twist of faith, nature pulled its own practical joke. One of their dogs became infected with a peculiar strain of rabies, or so the people liked to believe. Regular rabies typically results in fever, difficulty in swallowing, excessive drooling, staggering, seizures, and paralysis leading to death. However, this unique variety of rabies causes aggressive behavior, altered perception, and enhanced physical abilities. And just to clarify, when they refer to enhanced physical abilities, they don’t mean infected individuals will suddenly gain superhero-like strength to lift yachts while casually enjoying ice cream. Instead, it simply means that rabies wi
VOLUME 1: Decay August 5th, Saturday, 9:32 p.m., Eldorado City. Finn paced back and forth inside a tiny studio apartment, his stomach growling with hunger and his head pounding from the lack of sleep. He sneaked a peek through the window blinds, muttering irritably, “Can’t you guys just leave already?” Different types of zombies filled the streets. Fat, thin, tall, and short. They wandered about, attacking anyone they came across. Then he went to the bathroom and turned on the faucet but when nothing flowed out, he couldn’t resist the urge to kick it over and over again until it broke. “And no water too!” He curled himself in the bathtub and bit his nails until they bled. “I’m gonna die,” he muttered, his voice trembling. “I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die.” After some time, he pulled out his phone from his hoodie pocket. Only 3% battery left. He couldn’t charge it anymore either because the power went down three days ago. The last message he got was from his brother,
[A/N: This is still the same story. I swear. This chapter is not a mistake.] August 6th, Sunday, 7:21 a.m., Cedar Avenue. A van covered in solar panels stopped under the narra tree just beside the road where few zombies roamed. “Still, you’re really brave, huh, Franklin. I don’t think I’d ever eat meat for the rest of my life.” Said Adara to her oldest brother. They were inside the van, eating. She and Jimmy were having boiled sweet potatoes while Franklin had some rabbit jerky. The three of them had the same shade of auburn hair that they pulled into a low pony and the same hooded, brown eyes. There was definitely no denying they were siblings. “Why? It’s a good source of protein and last time I remember, you were such a bacon fiend.” “Well, eating meat has been fun till you’ve become one of the meat. Plus can’t you see those things outside? They’re all just a walking sack of decaying meat.” “Enough, Adara. Let other people eat.” It was Jimmy, an ex-military, and the middle si
August 6th, Sunday, 9:16 a.m., Eldorado City. Finn gathered all the courage he had, bit the neck of his hoodie to prevent himself from screaming, and with one quick motion, he pushed himself up the floor. He let out pain-filled moans as he did that. “Hnng! Uh… Haa…” Sweat trickled down his forehead and down to his cheeks. He felt like passing out. He desperately looked around him and saw there was still some stuff left on the second floor. Few impractical clothes—string bikinis and such. They wouldn’t protect against zombie attacks. Still, he collected them to use as bandages. Seeing himself in the broken dressing cubicle mirror across from him, he couldn’t quite decide which was worse: Duct tapes and cardboard cutouts or colorful string bikinis. ‘Rainbow turd…’ And… He was somehow hurt by what he thought. But then, he noticed something surprising: his wounds weren't bleeding. The blood pooling around him had come from elsewhere, leaving him bewildered yet oddly relieved. ‘Is
August 6th, Sunday, 11:30 a.m., Eldorado Hospital. Finn got out of the car and limped towards the hospital. ‘What the heck was that thing earlier?’ He wondered. ‘Though I’m grateful and all but that must be the mutation thing, huh.’ Then he paused to catch some breath. ‘Ha! Why must everything be painful? Why must that thing have to end so fast?’ Like he expected, the place was completely vacated. Having been abandoned for almost three years, it had started to slowly deteriorate, becoming an empty and decaying structure. The air hung heavy as he limped through the entrance, carrying the musty scent of neglect. The reception area, once a bustling hub of activity, was now a desolate space filled with overturned chairs and a faded, disheveled reception desk. He limped further into the hall. Rusty gurneys lie discarded in twisted angles, covered in tattered white sheets. His footsteps echoed but rather than wasting time scanning the area, he started searching for painkillers. But ala
The smell of peanut butter and coffee wafted into his nostrils which reminded him of his hunger.“Oh, you’re awake. You want some?” Offered Dr. Martinez. He was on the floor preparing the MRE (meal ready to eat). He only had three packs remaining.“I’d greatly appreciate it.”A single cracker smeared with peanut butter in one corner and half a cup of sugarless coffee was all Dr. Martinez gave him but he was grateful enough for these. He had been starving for who knows how long already.“If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you get locked in there?” Asked Finn.Dr. Martinez just laughed—a helpless one. “T’was my daughter. I got bitten by a dog and she locked me in there in case I turned into a zombie and… that’s it. She said she wouldn't want to fight me if it came down to it and the dog wasn’t even infected, I swear. Just a normal dog. I know because it was three days ago when that happened and I’m still human. What about you? Why are you here? You never separate from your brother.”Fin
Finn screamed in searing pain. He could almost feel his flesh boil as they slowly tore apart. He repeatedly slammed his head against the dirt from the raging headache as though somebody put a wedge in every crack of his skull. All that while his limbs shot in all directions—he was miserable. The opioid stood no match.Zombies started to gather around him but surprisingly enough, they—who normally didn’t hesitate to sink their teeth into somebody else’s flesh—didn’t attack him. They simply stood around him, seemingly confused. Finn was in the middle of transitioning into one of them. At this point, Finn wasn’t quite human. Not quite a zombie either.He shouldn’t be transitioning until the 48-hour mark but for some reason, it happened early.Then amidst it all, a gunshot reverberated. It came from a man at the side of the van—a beefy, tall man. Beside him was a petite woman who was a bit taller than average.“What do you think, Jimmy?” Said the woman. “And that—that person was supposed
August 7th, Monday, 11:00 a.m., Wantuki Forest Camp.At this point, for lack of better words, Finn had only one brain cell left. Its sole mission? To remind its owner to shout “Sam” whenever possible.Finn was currently in an underground bunker with the sibling trio: Franklin, Adara, and Jimmy. Going through various tests and scrutiny.For the last hours, he was under Franklin’s watch, a quite obsessive one; it was almost frightening when finally, there was some progress.“How many fingers am I raising?” Asked Adara while raising a finger in the air. Her oldest brother tasked her with testing Finn’s remaining intelligence and to measure his responsiveness too.“Saaaaaaam!” Still with his phlegm-filled, rockstar wannabe scream.Adara had the urge to pull her hair in frustration. “Very well,” she hissed and turned to her oldest brother. “So much for stopping the transitioning process, Franklin.” She sneered.“Heh! But look carefully, Adara.” Said he as he pointed at Finn. He was current