Chapter 1
Chapter One – The Beginning of the End
The city was too quiet.
Ethan noticed it the moment he stepped out of his apartment. Usually, this late at night, the streets still carried echoes—cars rushing past, laughter spilling from bars, the hum of life that never seemed to sleep. But tonight, all of it was gone. The silence pressed against him, and for a second, he almost turned back.
But staying inside felt worse. The walls of his apartment were closing in, and he needed the run to clear his head. So he shoved in his earbuds, tugged his hoodie tighter, and jogged down the block, sneakers smacking against pavement.
His phone buzzed in his pocket—again. He’d been ignoring it since yesterday. News alerts. Emergency warnings. Social media going crazy with blurry videos of people foaming at the mouth, screaming, tearing at each other. He scoffed under his breath. People eat up hysteria like candy.
He rounded the corner onto Main Street.
The convenience store’s neon sign sputtered weakly, buzzing in and out. For a moment, he thought it was empty, until the glass door swung open. A man stumbled out, half-collapsing against the frame before lurching forward into the streetlight.
Ethan slowed, one earbud slipping free. The man’s shirt was soaked down the front—dark, wet, glistening. Blood. His arms hung stiff at his sides, movements jerky and wrong, like bones didn’t fit in his body anymore.
Then came the sound. From inside the store.
A scream—raw, animal, ripping through the air before breaking off into a gargle.
Ethan’s heart slammed against his ribs.
The man’s head twitched, then turned. His face slid into view, and Ethan’s stomach lurched. The eyes were the worst—clouded over, milky, shot with red veins that pulsed and throbbed. His mouth hung half open, lips torn, strings of saliva dripping to the pavement.
For one stretched-out moment, they stared at each other. Ethan’s body screamed at him to move, but his legs locked.
Then the man lunged.
Ethan staggered back, then turned and bolted.
His breath came in sharp bursts, every muscle in his body screaming as he sprinted down the block. He didn’t dare look back, though he could hear it—the dragging scrape of footsteps chasing him, faster than they should’ve been.
Windows along the street lit up, curious faces peeking out. But when they saw what followed Ethan, curtains snapped shut. Locks clicked. No one opened their doors.
“Help!” Ethan shouted, his voice cracking. No answer.
He cut across the street, nearly tripping over the curb. His phone buzzed in his pocket again, harder this time. With trembling hands, he yanked it out, glancing down as he ran.
NATIONAL EMERGENCY ALERT
Do NOT approach the infected. Stay indoors.
If bitten, seek immediate quarantine.
Quarantine. Infected.
The words blurred in his vision, terror smothering him.
Something snarled behind him. A wet, guttural noise that wasn’t human.
He shoved the phone back into his pocket and forced himself faster. But deep down, Ethan knew the truth:
This wasn’t panic. This wasn’t fake news.
The world was ending.
