Home

In a quiet neighborhood far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, several shadowy figures can be seen sluggishly moving around.

Their body is grotesquely deformed and mutilated, some parts are falling off, others became nesting grounds for flies. They look vile and disgusting like an offspring of abomination. It's a miracle that they could even walk. Based on those factors, no one would even think that they are alive let alone be a threat. Correction, no sane people, that is. 

But today, they were proven wrong. 

An owl stationed on nearby pole could attest to that. It had come early tonight for it's meal, the rats that have plagued the residents so many time. It was an animal so it found no joy nor honor in exterminating the vermin for the residents here, it was merely sating it's hunger. 

Tonight, however, it felt a oddly human feeling, that is, fear. 

It had witnessed from start to finish the tragedy that had occur shortly before the boy returned home. It watched as the residents of this neighborhood, the towering giants called human that it was so cautious of, tore each other apart. It couldn't understand why for nature didn't gave it the intelligence it needs to process this situation but, it felt one thing for sure, instinctual fear. The sheer savagery unfolded reminded it of the wolves that resided in a far away forest.

It started with an elderly man leaning against an utility pole, clutching his chest in pain. The nearby residents must have recognized him, so they ran to support him but the moment he lifted his head up they were horrified. His face was unrecognizable from the sweet old man that they knew and loved, his skin was melting off revealing a disgusting visage underneath.

Out of nowhere without any warning, the old man pounced on the young man in front of him biting down on his neck until his blood became the pole's new paintjob. The people nearby were mortified and ran off in horror.

From then on, it was a full on spiral down into chaos. The neighborhood, which was peacefully quiet before, erupted in to panic. Screams of women and men rang out in the air. The same scene that was happening in the city at the time was also happening in this small neighborhood. The familiar song of chaos played out beneath the night sky. But after a while, the screams went silent, everything was over. Another colony of flesh eating monster was created.

Back to the present. 

The owl has stopped watching the moving corpses, instead, it was watching a boy moving around in the shadows in curiosity. He was trying his best not to make any noise sneaking around under the cover of darkness but he was obviously clumsy. He was running from cover to cover, hiding behind fences, using empty bottles and pebbles to distract the zombies until he reached the white mansion on top of the hill.

But the owl noticed something. 

A creature was shadowing him, it made little noise and stuck to the shadows. This monster was on all four, crawling from shadows to shadows like a giant spider stalking it's prey, and it was inching ever closer to the boy. Closer and closer to the boy's unsuspecting back....

MC's POV

Finally I've returned home, I'm standing right in front of my house right now, it's iron gate is right before me. 

"This is it" I thought. I turn around to check my surrounding one last time.

No zombie in sight but I still have to be careful. I open the door as slowly as possible to not make any noises. The door creeks a little bit making my heart jump in panic. Did anything hear that?

I came face to face with the house wooden door. Nervous, I take a deep breath to calm my self. Before I reached my hand on the door knob however, I felt something staring at my back so turned around to check. 

Nothing. There was nothing behind me. Maybe I was just too nervous.

Brushing aside the anxious thoughts, I turn the door knob and open it. I peek inside the house and look around to see if the coast is clear. Seem like everything is in order, no signs of a break in and everything was where they should be. I go inside the house and lock the door behind to make sure, I also close down the curtains on the nearby windows too.

I look around the house and get a bit sentimental, everything was familiar, safe. I can't fully put in it into words but it felt like I've finally returned home after a long journey. Yes It had been a very long night but I'm home now. I've reached my destination. I feel like I can breathe a huge sigh of relief after all that has happened.

*click*

What was that? Did the door knob just moved?

Was there someone following me? I didn't see anyone and, as far as I know, those zombies can't open doors.

Just as I go to check...

*crash*

The window nearby shatters, pieces of glass were flung everywhere, revealing a spider-like monster crawling on the floor where the shattered glasses are.

I duck into a nearby sofa before it could make eye contact with me. It's definitely looking for me alright. I could see it sniffing the air and using it's spider legs to move up the wall. It's movements is so creepy that it send shivers down my spine. It has long silky black hair, so long that it covered the monster's whole face as it looks around.

"Can it even see with all that hair?"  I thought to myself. " If this keeps on I'll get discovered. I need to get to the basement. It should be under grandpa's wine cabinet."

If I make any sudden moves now, I will surely be caught. I need to distract it somehow.

That is when an idea pop into my head. We're in the living room right now, I could use the TV to distract it. I reach out for the remote on the sofa armchair but I have to be as carefully as possible to not alert the giant spider-woman monster on the celling. My heart almost jumped out of my chest a few times as I was reaching for the remote because the monster keep turning it's head around like a surveillance camera. I finally got ahold of the remote and pressed the red button to turn on the TV.

The black screen of the TV flickers to life, showing a news broadcast. The monster was startled by the myriads of sounds and lights filling it's vision. Curious, it descend from the ceiling and tilt it head at the screen in front of it. 

The monster is occupied, good. Now to get to the basement.

The wine cabinet that leads down to the basement is right next to me. All I need to do is pull the hidden lever behind grandpa's favorite wine. I scan the cabinet for a bit and saw it, grandpa's beloved Mariko Omnis and behind it, a small lever. I pull the lever and the cabinet slides over slowly, revealing a stairway down below.

I turn around to check on the monster, good, looks like it's still preoccupied. Or at least that's what I thought at first, as soon as I turn my back on it, it suddenly go berserk and start slicing wildly at the TV. The sounds of fragments being tossed in all directions can be heard as the monster's long claws tears the TV apart like paper. The TV is completely destroyed it's black screen is filled with claw marks, small electric sparks still flicker in the now expose wires.

The monster turns around, drools still running down it's snarling mouth, both of us make eye contact with each other. An electric current shoots down my spine and I immediately make for the basement. I had only gotten down a few step before my world get flipped upside down and I plant face first into the ground. The monster had gotten a firm grip on my leg and was itching to tear it off, it's other hand raised ready to chop my legs off. I spun around and kicked it right into the face, the monster seems to be caught off guard as it falls on it back and let go off my legs. 

I rushed right down the stairs as soon as my leg got freed, almost tripping on the way. But to my dismay the path further down was blocked by an door.

A steel door with an electric lock? Password? Are you kidding me?!!

Damn it! It's grandpa's paranoia, he was always afraid that some non existent robber would steal his stuffs so he would always take precautions. To think I used to agree with him, now his concerns for safety is going to kill me!

I try to open the door with force, even bashing it with my shoulder but nothing is working. I can see the shadow of the creature behind my back tower over mine, it's claw spreading out like the scythe of a reaper. I turn around and see it lunges at me, it's scimitar like claws ready to skewer me.

It's over... It's completely hopeless...

My legs finally gave out. I could only hopelessly put my arms up to defend my self. My mind gave up. Any second now the monster's claw would run through me and end my misery. 

But that second never came. I open my eye to see the pointed tip of the monster's claw merely millimeters away from my face. I could feel the confusion on the monster's face too, it's was trying it's best to reach out it's outstretched arm to kill me but no matter how hard it tries it can't reach me. I look behind and understood the reason. 

It's upper body was completely stuck as the cabinet closed halfway through it's lunge trapping it's lower body above. The monster's energy ran out and it's outstretched arm suddenly became limp as it's face fell onto the ground.

I was in a daze, my heartbeats still ringing in my ear. This is the second time I escaped a near death situation already. Had the cabinet been a bit slower, I would have died. I guess I have my luck to thank for it. I regain my composure and stand up. 

I face the steel door again and type in what I think is the password- my birthday. I'm a bit anxious since it has been a long time since grandpa's showed me his basement. If he had changed the password then it would leave me awkwardly stuck between a rock and a hard place. The lock process for a bit then the light turn green.

Thank god ! I let out a huge sigh of relief.

I went down further and didn't forget to turn the door behind me, just in case the monster comes back to life.

Suddenly my leg gives out and I fell down to stairs. My body is completely stiff and I can't move a single muscle. Look like tonight did a number on me, my mind is completely exhausted and I can't think anymore. My body relaxes and my eyelids slowly close. 

The cold stone floor became my warm bed.