Danny's breath grew heavy, and cold sweat dripped down his slim face as he stood before the five bullies.
It had been the semi-final of the annual talent hunt program at school two days ago, and Danny, the perennial target of everyone's mockery, had surprised everyone by defeating the five most popular dancers with his natural dance talent.Now, these bullies had cornered him, claiming that they needed to "teach him a lesson" because they couldn't accept their defeat.Jon, the leader of the group, sneered at Danny and ordered his two lackeys, "Pour the chemical on his face. Let's see how he shows up to dance tomorrow with a burnt face!"Danny had already been beaten to a pulp, rendering him unable to escape or call for help. He could only kneel there, his hands held up high by two of the boys, while another approached him with a vial filled with a lethal acid.The sound of the approaching footsteps reverberated in Danny's ears, growing louder and more ominous until the boy reached him. Suddenly, Danny's head was yanked up by one of the boys, and then the inevitable happened. The first droplet of the sludgy liquid from the vial hit his face, causing searing pain that jolted him awake.He screamed in agony as the rest of the acid cascaded onto his face, tearing at his flesh and burning intensely. The pain was unbearable, and Danny found himself wishing for his eyes to be gouged out just to escape the torment.Fuelled by his cries, his attackers grew more vicious, pouring the remaining contents of the vial onto Danny's whitish face before callously dropping the canister, allowing him to writhe on the floor in despair.The anguish overwhelmed him. He desperately longed for the pain to end as he rolled from one spot on the floor to another, his screams reaching a fever pitch.The burning sensation intensified, and he could feel his face being ripped apart. His brain and consciousness started to fade away, slipping further into a realm of darkness.If hell truly burned like this, Danny thought, even Lucifer would choose to mop the floors of paradise than endure such excruciating agony.As the excruciating pain consumed him and his screams filled the empty basement, Danny realized that he was alone, abandoned in this desolate place.The boys had deliberately brought him to the basement late at night when everyone, including the janitors, had already left the school. The security guard, if he was still on duty, was probably asleep with drool on his face.Help wouldn't come for him, and Danny was acutely aware of this cruel reality. His brain, perhaps seeking refuge from the overwhelming torment, shut down abruptly, plunging him into unconsciousness.."Wake up, idiot!" a whispered voice pierced through the darkness, accompanied by faint slaps on his cheeks.Danny fought against the heaviness of his eyelids, slowly forcing them open. A blonde girl sat above him, delivering more slaps to his face."Arrrgh," he groaned, clutching his throbbing head. "Did I just dream all of that?" he questioned, hoping against hope that it had all been a horrific nightmare."No, Danny, you didn't dream it. Now get up before they break through the door again," the blonde girl, a stranger to him, warned urgently.Danny's body ached, and his legs felt weak as he struggled to stand. He surveyed the room, his eyes scanning the surroundings, until they landed on trails of blood and a lifeless body sprawled on the floor. His scream of terror echoed through the room."Holy shit! What is this?!" he roared, his panic gripping him to the core.Reacting swiftly, the blonde girl ran towards him, her hands clasping over his mouth, stifling his scream."Are you insane?!" she growled. "You'll attract more attention shouting like that. What's wrong with you?"Danny finally had a chance to observe her. Her blonde hair was disheveled, hastily bundled up into an updo. She wore a short tank suit with a white crop top underneath, a crop top stained with red and rusty marks.Blood stains!How had he gone from being attacked by Jon and his gang to finding himself trapped in a room with a blood-soaked killer? Danny shook off the girl's hands, stepping back with a mixture of fear and suspicion."Did you kill them? Are you going to kill me too?" he asked, his voice quivering.The girl's indifference towards the lifeless body confirmed Danny's worst fears about her being a cold-blooded murderer."Enough with your nonsense, Danny. We need to block that door before more of them come," she said, throwing her hands up listlessly before moving towards the door.Damn it!Danny couldn't allow her to lock him inside with her, potentially meeting the same fate as the person lying on the floor, whose face he couldn't clearly see.The victim's skin appeared scorched, and the way the blood seemed to merge with their flesh unnerved him. It was as though they had been burned alive before being killed, a chilling scene reminiscent of horror movies.Convinced that the girl was a psychotic cannibal who would burn him before decapitating him and feasting on his flesh, Danny's survival instinct kicked in.Ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg, he charged at her, catching her off-guard, and forcefully flung open the broken door, creating a wide enough opening to escape.As he dashed out into the corridor, Danny was abruptly halted by what he discovered. The building was enveloped in darkness—utterly dark. But that wasn't the only disconcerting aspect. The walls were marked with streaks of blood, and most of the railings were broken. A flickering bulb on the ceiling added an eerie touch to the already gloomy atmosphere.Danny couldn't help but wonder about the place he had stumbled upon. What had led him to this nightmarish setting? He hurried down the corridor, his heart pounding in his chest.Suddenly, a faint sound reached Danny's ears. A wave of relief washed over him at the realization that he wasn't alone. Another living person was in the building, and perhaps they were running from the same terror he had encountered.The sound emanated from a nearby room, vibrating like a growl. Danny couldn't tell if the person inside was in pain, but the thought crossed his mind that there could be another killer or that the girl he had encountered had accomplices.Should he run from them? What was he supposed to do?Despite the darkness that impeded his vision, Danny resolved not to abandon a person in need. Leaving someone behind to die wasn't an option for him.He steeled himself for the unknown, determined to save whoever was trapped in that room. If the situation became overwhelming, he would flee for his own safety.With cautious steps, Danny approached the door, trying to minimize any noise. He made progress until he accidentally stepped on something, which he soon discovered was a severed head."Ahhh!" he screamed involuntarily, taking a step back. But he couldn't escape what his eyes beheld—the rest of the dismembered body and dark worms slithering out of it.Danny's initial impulse was to stomp on the worms before they crawled up his boots but that was when the door of two rooms including the one he was about to go into to save the victim that was inside burst open.Growling, twisting, and running to him were two people. A man dressed in a bodyguard suit and a girl in a party gown with both of their attires dark from something he presumed was dried blood.Worst, they had the same charred effect on their skins. He could not see well but when the bulb blinks, he would catch a glimpse of them until he won't.Who runs like a defect and snarls with their teeth hitting one another loudly?Was he supposed to run from them or— what in the world was he supposed to do?Damn the darkness, he could barely see.His heart thumping harder than ever, “Who are you, people?!” he chose to holler.As if his voice was recharging their strength, the two strange-looking people began to approach him faster. Impulse told Danny to run. He wanted to run but then, he asked himself why he should run from the two harmless people who looked like they needed his help.“Are you guys okay?” he asked but to his dismay, the man tripped on the dead body on the floor and fell on it while the girl tripped on the man and fell on the floor.Now, they were both crawling toward him, snarling and outstretching their hands reaching out to him.The man first grabbed Danny’s leg but Danny jerked away in fright. “What's wrong with you?!” he hollered again, already starting to sweat in the hot corridor.Some black worms were crawling out of the dead body and crawling up the body of the two people in front of him –but they seemed not to care about the slimy things as they entered into their ears and even their mouths.“What in the world is this?!” Danny grumbled in disgust, almost puking.He heard a noise fr
Abruptly, the girl had turned to the screen and Danny who was as lost as a puppy could only do the same.The breaking news had different tapes of streets, cities, and countries being displayed. The roads were secluded and it was the afternoon unlike now when it was the night.Cars were dumped around, blood stains and bodies could be seen on some of the streets the screen displayed with the word ‘AFTER’ boldly stamped on the screen.“It is just a day and it's already worst than I thought.” the girl muttered beside Danny.Danny glanced at her and asked the question dancing in his throat. “What is worst than you thought?” he asked with doubt, still finding it hard to stomach the whole zombie thing the girl had mentioned to him.Suddenly, almost immediately he asked that, the serene display on the screen change to the opposite. Danny heard screams and gunshots and when he turned back to the screen, what he saw left his jaw slacking.“That is what's worst than I thought.” the girl breathed
Somehow, the statement made him stand abruptly up. “I am not going anywhere outside. Those things are right out of the door. Why not just wait until help comes?” He argued.He heard the grunt which came from her in reciprocation to his words. “Tell me, Danny, how did you suddenly turn from the intrepid one to this scaredy cat?” To that, he had no answer. Never had he been a fearless guy so whatever she was saying was as alien to his ears as this reality he found himself.“You heard the lady, the zombies can't move in daylight. If we go in the morning, we stand a better chance to keep alive.” she raised and dropped her shoulders, her chest heaving in apparent frustration.He heard the broadcaster but that point did not serve enough to make him any less scared.“But it's dim in the building!” he found the nearest excuse that came to his mind. “What building is this anyway?” he blurted, turning to swivel his neck around as though he was just noticing his surroundings.The widening of t
Sounds of the zombies outside of their door running down to the source of the scream reverberated and finally, Danny could freely breathe. He hated himself for being relieved that danger was out of their door and heading to someone else. Someone who might just be as scared as him, if not more.Picturing the zombies eating out the intestines and brain of the victim caused him to belch in fright. The belching caused his stomach to churn even louder. He sat down, holding his stomach which was now stinging with pains caused by hunger.Surprisingly, he wasn't as thirsty as he was hungry. He wondered why.As though matching the rhythm of a song, the stomach of the girl also made a lazy grumbling sound which was even louder than the sound of his own. He glanced unconsciously at her just to follow the hilarious sound but she had also looked his way. Awkwardly yet again, their eyes collided and Danny shyly looked away in speed.“Let's smash.” he heard her loud voice declare. She did not mean
“This is stupid suicide.” Danny heard the voice of the girl beside him and he gasped in shock. His forehead was already boiling and the sweats dripping from it and every other part of his body was too cold to match the hotness he felt.He hated himself for chickening out like that but the scene in front of him had risen all of his fear hormones— and the adrenaline rush gushing over him spurred his paranoia to life and he was edgy. Fear had gripped him, sadness too.He did not like too much Aunt Theida but he did not wish for her to be eaten by zombies too. Also, Aunt Theida was the last person he thought he would find in this strange new world. If Aunt Theida was here, just how many more of people he knew could also be?Or maybe it was merely sheer coincidence. Not to mention he was only looking from afar so, the woman could just be someone who looked quite similar to his Aunt Theida. And sound similar too.Oh, and had a dog too. One that looked like Aunt Theida’s.He knew his though
“You always like this Danny. Amnesia shouldn't make you like it any less.” the girl who had removed her waist belt and her short pant had dropped from their place and onto her ankle shamelessly said.Why was she after knowing him for just two days speaking of what he always liked? Danny wondered.He stood now, staring at her growler, unable to cast his glance away from it. There were little strands of hair just growing around her vagina and Danny saw that she had a more darker shade of pink for her front butt complexion.He shouldn't be looking so intently at a woman’s ass but his shock and uncertainty had rendered him unable to avert his gaze. Was it truly that or he was finding an excuse for the lust which had now started to engulf his senses?“See, Danny? You want it too.” He heard the girl whisper as though she could read his mind.He gulped the first time, then the second and the third.He was not ready to have sex. His fears wouldn't let him. What if he ended up doing nonsense a
Danny and the girl synonymously jerked away from the door. The motion was sudden and caught them taken aback.The man did not wait for them to willingly open the door or not. He started to bang on the already broken door which fell with an enormous creak inside the room. It led to the average-sized mattress placed to shield the open parts of its land with a big thud inside the room. The mattress landed on every part of the room aggressively, almost tearing it apart.The girl, probably the smartest female Danny had seen – already predicted the fate of the aftermath of the door getting broken down and the mattress thudding that way.She took Danny’s hand and ran straight to the toilet, locking the door firmly behind them while Danny heard the noises from a swarm of zombies running inside the room.“Get away from her! Get away from HER!” the man was yelling nonstop and sounds of body thumping on the floor could be heard.The little girl’s voice was also ringing uncontrollably with fear.
Almost at once, the zombies charged at him. In the same vein, he also withdrew from his mission and tried to crawl back into the room but it was too late.A zombie grabbed his hand and almost sank its teeth into it.“Pull me inside, pull me inside!” he roared with a loud cry as he yanked his hand away from that zombie, still crawling back.Another zombie flew on top of him before the number increased. Their dreadful breath and growling sprawled all the little strength he had left to fight.He needed to survive.Danny forgot about crawling and rapidly, he stood up. It was a difficult task, standing up but he did it. The weight of the zombies trying to take a bite of his flesh was heavy on him but the fear of being bitten sent the Superman mode in him off.He wanted to dash back to where he came from but he got overwhelmed by the zombies pulling at a single foot away from him. Now, he had to forget about running and had to fight them off.He wondered why the girl had not come out to hel