Chapter 60: C■rc■sa

Leo flinched in horror. How did he end up here? What had caused this sudden shift? 

He covered his mouth with his hands as a nauseating smell carried by the wind entered his nose. The smell of rotting flesh, of brittle rust rushed him from behind. He turned, hoping to see the source of the nauseating smell.

His gaze was met with towering skyscrapers and the ruins of modern civilization. Corpses upon corpses of disfigured bodies hang from the streets, scattered on the roads and perched on tree tops.

His heart raced uncontrollably as he covered his mouth to stop his dinner from clawing its way back up. A wave of realization hits him and he stares at his hand. Unlike his small childlike ones, his hands were bigger like those of an adult.

The place resembled a twisted nightmare, with the black stars and the darkened sun hanging loosely above. Then, a banging noise took his attention. A huge hand rose in the sky, threatening to crush the city beneath. A surge of panic gripped him, and he jolted. He ran in the opposite direction, desperate to escape.

Yet, the scene remained the same no matter how far he ran. In every direction, bodies lay brutally disfigured beyond recognition.

In the distance, all he could see were malformed bodies. Streets bearing deep gouges as if by monstrous claws, their patterns curling like tentacles gripping helpless prey.

He paused, his chest pounding from exhaustion. What is this place?! Why am I here?!

Suddenly, a rustling noise from behind took his attention. He turned, slowly. Holding his breath, he examined the surroundings. A garbage bin was shaking.

His heart pounded as he approached. He reached for the lid, yet he paused. His heart pounded, his mind telling him to run and never look back. Perhaps it was curiosity that took hold of him. 

He turned open the lid. What greeted him was a grotesque sight—groans escaped the twisted figure of what he believed was once a man. His limbs were bent and folded like crumpled paper, and his innards spilled grotesquely from his mouth. A choking, gurgling voice begged for help, the sound more animalistic than human. Pitch-black eyes stared blankly at Leo, and his skin was riddled with deep, festering blisters, oozing a dark, viscous fluid.

Leo let out a horrified scream. He wished he never opened it, he should have never opened the lid. The bin fell, and the man started to crawl toward Leo.

Quick to his feet, Leo started running again, away from this place, away from this nightmare. Multiple groaning sounds met his ear yet he ignored them. As he ran, he couldn't help but notice the familiar streets, the familiar buildings, and the familiar pavements.

He ran, not knowing where to go, but something felt off—these streets, these buildings—they seemed familiar. The groans kept getting louder and he decided to enter a building, locking the door and rushing inside one of the rooms where he thought was safe. "Shit! Shit!" he cursed. "This is a nightmare, this is just a nightmare."

He repeated those words until his chest finally calmed down. He looked around. Seeking for anything of use. In one of the drawers, he found a gun with bullets scattered in a mess.

The corners of his lips raised. "Am I in RE or what?" he said, mockingly.

After picking up the gun Leo explored the other rooms where papers and newspapers were thrown on the floor. As he passed each room, his mind was beginning to have doubts. Isn't this...

A room in the rear corner caught his attention. He briskly walked towards it, horror anticipation filled his mind. "No way, this can't be."

Leo's hands trembled as he surveyed the room. It looked like... his office. But no—his mind was playing tricks on him. The chair was in the corner, the papers pinned to the wall. The desk, the documents... everything was too familiar. A sickening feeling crawled up his spine as the truth hit him. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be his office. "This is my office..." he exclaimed in horror.

A groaning voice from behind pulled him out of his stupor. He raised his gun and slowly approached the source. In there, a woman with her head sewn to her legs met his vision.

The woman groaned, her teeth were gritting in a crazed manner as she sped up toward Leo. He pulled the trigger and shot the woman, yet despite hitting her in the head, the woman continued to approach. Only when he shot her multiple times did she stop moving.

"What kind of zombie apocalypse am I in?!"

The gunshot took the attention of the surrounding creatures. The bodies opened their eyes and faced the direction where Leo shot the woman. they raced towards the building, each having different mutations in their body.

Fuck my life! he cursed.

He opened the door and rushed out. Without a direction, he ran as a hoard of creatures chased him. Leo sprinted, his feet pounding the cracked pavement as the creatures gained ground. He ducked under a broken streetlamp, barely avoiding a clawed hand that swiped at his face. His lungs burned, and his legs screamed for rest, but he couldn't stop. Not now. His eyes darted around, desperate for any sign of escape, but the streets stretched endlessly, empty and suffocating.

Through the haze of his panic, Leo's eyes locked on the distant subway entrance. A flash of hope flickered, but it was quickly replaced by doubt—was this an escape? He didn't have time to think, only to run.

He rushed towards it with all his might. Long did his ammo run out, he had no way of fighting back the endless hoard of creatures.

He reached the entrance and the noise from behind vanished. Confused and disoriented, he slumps on the cold floor. "What is happening!"

He looked around, his mind still unable to fully process the events laid in front of him. The subway, unlike the horrifying scenery outside, were clean, spotless even.