1: Chaos And Betrayal

Ace Crown stepped on the gas, speeding his way out of the city. He pursed his lips, focusing his gaze on the road ahead. His mind was filled with thoughts about Hannah, his girlfriend, and soon-to-be fiance.

Earlier that day, Ace went to pick up the engagement ring he had ordered to propose to his girlfriend, but suddenly, a huge explosion broke the bustling rhythm, sending shockwaves throughout the city. A blinding light flashed for a minute before it was replaced with thick and dark smoke.

Buildings crumbled one after another like sandcastles, and a thick dark smoke spread through the air, turning the day into night with the darkened sky. People reacted by instinct, running through different directions to escape, terror and confusion painted on their faces.

It didn’t take another minute for everything to fall into ruins. Debris and abandoned vehicles were scattered on the once-lively street. Amidst the madness, screams for help and death throes could be heard. Nobody was prepared for what happened, leading to complete chaos.

In the middle of the devastation, Ace darted through the debris-strewn street. Blood, sweat, and grime streaked his face, mixed with tears streaming from his eyes wide in desperation. His mind raced, recalling the safest route to get to his car.

A glint of hope shimmered in his eyes when he managed to find his old truck in the corner of the parking lot. He dragged his shaking body to the vehicle and started the engine, praying he’d make it out alive of that place.

“Damn it!” Ace cursed under his breath when a horde of zombies emerged from the ground. He hesitated for a second before gripping tightly on the steering wheel. With determination in his eyes, Ace braced himself.

The engine roared as he floored the gas pedal, making his way toward the zombies. Blood smeared on his windshield, unfortunately, the windscreen wiper wasn’t working, blocking his vision.

Ace didn’t stop and barreled toward the zombies. His truck swerved and jolted, the tired screeching against the asphalt. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as his heart pounded hard in his chest. Ace clenched his jaws with the jarring impact, his car shuddering as it plowed through the wave of undead. He repeated the same thing until he made a path for himself to head home.

*****

“Babe! Where are you? Answer me!” Ace called, kicking each door in the house to find his girlfriend.

For a moment, he was relieved that everything seemed fine in the neighborhood. He was glad he chose to live outside the city, giving him more time to escape from the impending danger.

“Hannah! We need to hurry—What in the world?” Ace was stunned, looking at his girlfriend curled in bed with none other than his best friend, Mike.

They were in their birthday suits and Ace didn’t need to hear any explanation to understand what was going on.

“You son of the a bitch!” Ace grumbled, pulling his best friend up and hitting him in the face. “How could you?!”

Mike groaned but managed to smirk at him. “Don’t blame me, man. Hannah said she likes me more,” he said, taunting Ace.

“Babe, I don’t mean to.” Hannah bit her lower lip as she put on her clothes. She stared at Ace with an innocent look in her eyes, hoping he’d listen to her explain.

“Please, listen to me,” Hannah continued.

Ace shook his head, his hands balled into fists. “Listen to what?” He lashed out, glaring at his girlfriend. Inside his pocket was the engagement ring he bought to propose to her.

He did everything to survive the sudden disaster in the city just to get home and make sure Hannah was safe, only to discover her illicit affair. To Ace, his girlfriend and best friend's betrayal was way harder to deal with than the zombies he raked with his truck.

“Oh, shit! What is that?” Mike stared outside and pointed at the undead making its way inside the room. He hurriedly put on his clothes and grabbed Hannah by the hand.

“They’re here,” Ace mumbled and peeked through the window. He turned to the others who magically disappeared. When he rushed outside the bedroom, he saw the two fighting against the zombie by the stairs.

Ace came to help, grabbing a baseball bat on his way. He hit the zombie’s head but it wasn’t enough to stop it. “Get something sharp and try cutting its head off,” he told his friend who was confused as to why there was a zombie all of a sudden.

“Hurry!” Ace yelled before turning to Hannah who was frozen in her feet. “Get to the truck. We need to get out of here,” he said, holding the zombie off using the bat in his hands.

Hannah pressed her lips into a thin line, her eyes filed with conflicting emotions as he fiddled with the hem of her shirt. She glanced at Ace and took a step closer to him. With Hannah’s trembling hands, she pushed Ace to the zombie before running downstairs.

“Let’s go, Mike!”

Ace stumbled forward, losing his balance. His eyes widened in shock and betrayal as he looked at Hannah. Reality hit him like a kick in the shin when his girlfriend didn’t hesitate to push him to death.

His body moved on its own, instinctively reaching out for the handrails to avoid the fall. Ace managed to grab something to hold on to, however, he didn’t have time to escape from the undead who waiting for their chance to attack him.

Refusing to resign to his fate, Ace held the baseball tightly and smashed the zombie’s head. Although he managed to kill it, the zombie scratched his arm with its fingernails.

“Crap!” Ace groaned when a searing pain shot through his arm.

In the next second, he felt the infection starting to take hold, a cold and and creeping sensation ran through his spine.

“No way… No fucking way! I won’t end like this,” Ace muttered like a mantra while catching his breath. Slowly, he felt a strange sensation, like a ripple spreading through his body.

Ace’s mind rapidly expanded. He started to sense the space around him in a way he never had before. Ace blinked his eyes, and his insight enhanced, seeing the very fabric of reality, making him almost too sure he could manipulate it.

As Ace continued to explore his newfound ability, he focused his mind and extended the range of his senses, creating a dimensional space out of nothing but the empty area before him. It was invisible to the naked eye, but Ace could feel it as if it was an extension of his body.

“This is amazing,” Ace said, getting up after pushing the zombie’s remains to the side.

“This must be the key to survive in this cataclysm.” Ace clenched his fist. He could feel the world was changing, and even though the future was uncertain, one thing was clear…

Everything was far from over.