chapter one

{ BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE }

" You do know my wife is hosting this party for your birthday?" Rick grinned looking at Mark as they stake out at the front of Lord Patrick's home. " I told you, Rick. Cassandra is planning a surprise party also and gosh I can't wait to have her all to myself." Mark replied

" Cassandra? The girl with a big tilt." Rick looked at Mark and laughed.

" Don't laugh, she is the woman I wanna spend the rest of my life with." Mark burst out laughing

" oh really? You said the same thing when you met with, Lily. Or do I need to remind you?" Rick laughed passing the stethoscope to Mark. " Patrick is on the move, We need to catch him in the act if we are going to have him arrested. Let's go!."

Lord Patrick was being watched by the FBI for some time now. He had been involved in some drug dealing and needed to be brought in. Rick took out his radio phone calling all police units.

As the police units mobilized, Rick and Mark stealthily moved closer to Lord Patrick’s mansion, blending into the shadows. The mansion, a sprawling estate with tall iron gates and meticulously trimmed hedges loomed before them.

“Keep it quiet,” Rick whispered, his eyes scanning the perimeter. “We need to catch him in the act.”

Mark nodded, adjusting his grip on the stethoscope. The two men crept towards a side entrance, where they knew Patrick would be exiting any moment. The tension in the air was palpable, the night silent except for the distant hum of traffic and the flickering of light bulbs.

Suddenly, the side door creaked open, and Lord Patrick stepped out, accompanied by two burly bodyguards. Mark and Rick exchanged a glance, their muscles tensing in readiness.

“Now!” Rick hissed into his radio, signaling the waiting units. Instantly, the tranquil night exploded into chaos. Police cars roared to life, headlights cutting through the darkness as officers poured out, weapons drawn.

“FBI! Freeze!” Rick shouted, stepping into the open, his badge glinting under the harsh lights. Lord Patrick froze, his eyes widening in shock. The bodyguards reached for their weapons, but the police were quicker.

“Drop your weapons! Hands on your heads!” Mark ordered, his voice steady. The bodyguards hesitated, but seeing themselves hopelessly outgunned, they complied, slowly raising their hands.

Lord Patrick sneered, his aristocratic features twisting in contempt. “Do you know who I am?” he spat, his voice dripping with disdain.

Rick stepped forward, unfazed. “We know exactly who you are, Patrick. And tonight, you’re going down. If you think you can wiggle your way out of all of this then you don't know who you are dealing with." Rick smirked

As the officers moved in to cuff the suspects, Rick’s radio crackled with a new message. “Dispatch to Agent Rick, we’ve intercepted a communication. Patrick’s men are aware of the raid and are heading to his secondary location. Proceed with caution.”

Rick’s face tightened with determination. “Looks like the night’s just getting started,” he muttered. He turned to Mark. “We need to move. The party might be a bit delayed.”

Mark smirked. “Let’s wrap this up quickly. I’ve got a surprise party to get to.” With that, they hurried back to their car, ready to chase down the remaining members of Patrick’s drug ring and put an end to his criminal empire once and for all. " Have him sent to the narcotic department," Rick instructed one of his men as they raced into darkness.

" Step on it, Mark, or we are going to lose them," Rick shouted a little impatient

"You need to slow down mate. We are gaining on them." Mark replied his muscles tensed as he swerved into the road hitting the racing car beside him.

The men looked out of the car with the police site blaring. " Watch out!." Rick shouted as the men bashed into the oncoming vehicle. The accident was fatal as they were in critical condition. " Call an ambulance." Rick looked at Mark as he helped the men on the floor.

" We need an ambulance here right now, multiple casualties. We need some medic and fast." Mark radioed

He was moving closer to Rick when he heard a bullet fly past his ears. He looked at his front and watched Rick land in his kneels.

The look in his eyes showed he wasn't anticipating the incident. Everything becomes hazy. Rick looked at Mark as the muffled sound of the incoming ambulance was viably heard. He looked at his ringing phone and tears fell off his eyes. He saw Martha was calling.

" Stay with me man, don't you close your eyes. You hear me! You are going to be fine. Stay with me!" Mark shook Rick as he tried to keep him conscious.

Rick felt life slowly leave his body but the constant voice of Mark and the loud siren kept his eyes open. Rick looked up the roof and saw a figure I'm black. He pointed towards the location while Mark tried to trace the killer leaving him on the cold ground. He closed his eyes as he felt a hand lift him into the carrier to be carried into the ambulance.

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{ WEEK ONE }

Rick had just opened his eyes in a very long time, everything felt like it wasn't real as he looked around to see many people coming in and out of the ward. " Where am I?" he said slowly opening his eyes. He saw a woman putting on a white gown and pressing something into his IV. " who are you?" Rick asked, his vision a little blurry.

" You need to relax, Mr Rick. We are doing everything possible to make sure you are alright." She replied

Rick tried to get out of bed but couldn't. He closed his eyes again and drifted into a long sleep.

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{ WEEK TWO }

Rick had his eyes opened again and this time, he saw there were little people in the ward and most of them were scared. It almost looked like a bad dream. He looked around and the sound beep of the machine could be heard. Rick looked at his gunshot wound and saw it was getting healed but his body felt sore. He looked at the flowers that were brought and noticed they were recent and blossoming. " Can I have some nurse over here?" Rick shouted but the people looked at him like some lunatic. " A nurse please!" Alex shouted again

" Can you keep your voice down? You are going to wake up the sick." Another patient shouted at Rick and he kept quiet. Rick looked at the table, he saw it was a message from his wife and wondered why she had never come to visit him once. Trying to get to the paper. Rick fell off the bed and collapsed. He felt a loud ring in his head.

The pain was so excruciating that he held his head in agony and pain. " What is happening to me? Can someone help me please!" Rick shouted out loud. Suddenly, a mysterious system appeared right in front of him. " What? What the hell is this? Can anyone see this?" Rick looked at the scripted message right in front of him.

[ YOU HAVE BEEN PICKED AT THE EARTH SAVIOUR. YOUR BLOOD CAN END THE BREAKOUT OF THE APOCALYPSE. PRESS YES/NO TO ACCEPT THE POWER OF THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM ]

" Zombie system? What the hell is a Zombie system?" Rick asked himself as he fell into a long slumber yet again.