Survival against the odds
He tapped his fingers against his knee, his mind racing.
Okay. Think. What's the situation?
The virus wasn't just some regular outbreak anymore. If the reports and that insane livestream were to be believed, people weren't just dying. Some were coming back from the dead.
Zombies!
The word felt ridiculous in his head, but there was no other way to describe what he had seen in that grainy, shaky footage. The Metuber's panicked breathing, the eerie silence of the research facility, and then the bodies moving.
Yet, people in the chat had called it fake. CGI. A publicity stunt. But the death toll was climbing.
Adam exhaled, rubbing his temples. Panic wouldn't help. Survival would.
He stood and surveyed his small apartment. A third-floor unit better than street level, but far from secure. Only one entrance: the front door. His window overlooked the street, directly across from the convenience store where he had just started working. No fire escape. No back door.
If something or someone tried to break in, he was screwed.
Step 1: Secure the Apartment
He locked the door and pressed his ear against it. Silence. For now.
The bookshelf was his heaviest piece of furniture. He dug his fingers under its edges and dragged it toward the door. Not perfect, but enough to slow down anyone or anything trying to force their way in.
He took a step back, his pulse steady but quick.
Step 2: Check Supplies
He opened his cabinets, laying out his entire stock on the counter:
Four packs of cup noodlesTwo bags of chipsSix bottles of waterTwo energy barsA handful of instant coffee packets
Adam frowned. If he rationed carefully, this might last four days, five at best. But what then?
Would the lockdown lift? Would authorities step in? Or would things spiral further?
No use of panicking. One problem at a time.
Step 3: Find a Weapon for Self-Defence
He wasn't a fighter. Never had been. But if people really were turning into… things, he needed something to defend himself.
The kitchen knife was an obvious choice. He picked it up, testing its weight. Sharp, but too short. If something got close enough for him to use it, he was already in trouble.
Digging through storage boxes, he found a metal rod from his broken chair. He gripped it tightly, giving it a few test swings. Not bad. He also had a cricket bat which can now be used to fend off those creatures.
Not ideal, but better than nothing.
Step 4: Gather Information
Adam sat back down, reopening news sites, survival forums, and emergency guides. He needed to know what to expect.
If you're stuck inside, conserve energy. Don't waste food. Keep quiet to avoid attracting attention.
Barricade your doors. If you have a fire escape, keep it as a last resort.
Stay away from hospitals and police stations - they'll be overrun first.
That last one made his stomach twist.
A sudden ping jolted him out of his thoughts. His phone screen lit up with a message from Josh:
"Bro, where are you? It's bad, man. They're not human. If you're safe, STAY THERE. Don't come out."
Adam's blood ran cold.
He tightened his grip on his phone, rereading the message. Josh never panicked like this.
The plan was simple for now: Stay inside. Stay quiet. Stay alive.
But deep down, he knew - this was only the beginning.
Adam lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His apartment was eerily quiet, save for the distant wail of sirens and the occasional hum of the city beyond his window. He had done all he could - secured the doors, checked his supplies, and even found a few makeshift weapons.
His body begged for rest, exhaustion creeping in after hours of tension, but his mind refused to settle. He turned on his side, shutting his eyes, willing himself to sleep.
Then, he heard it.
A scream.
Not the kind from a horror movie. Not a panicked cry for help. This was raw, primal, full of terror.
Adam's eyes shot open. His breath caught in his throat as another scream rang out, then another—closer this time.
Heart pounding, he sat up and crept toward the window, carefully peeling back the curtain just enough to peek through.
The streets, once still and empty, were now filled with figures. They staggered in the dim glow of streetlights, their movements were unnatural. Their clothes were torn, some covered in dark, wet stains. A woman limped forward, her arm bent at an impossible angle, yet she didn't seem to notice. Another figure, a man in a security uniform, stumbled toward a parked car, slamming his head against the hood as if confused.
Adam's grip tightened on the curtain.
They're real.
He watched in frozen horror as a man sprinted out of a nearby alley, breathless, his arms pumping as fast as they could. He didn't get far.
One of the creatures jumped the man, catching his leg in an instant. The man fell, screaming, trying to crawl away. More zombies swarmed him, their fingers clawing at his skin, dragging him down.
The screams cut off.
Adam snapped the curtain shut, his pulse hammering in his ears.
This isn't happening. This isn't happening.
If there was any silver lining, it was that these things weren't fast. They shuffled, stumbled, but they weren't fast.
But sleep? That was out of the question.
His hands were shaking as he walked to the kitchen, opening a pack of instant coffee. He dumped the powder into a mug and poured water from one of his bottles, stirring it with the back of his spoon.
He took a sip, the bitter taste grounding him.
"I need to stay awake. This isn't the time to drift off."
He sat by his barricaded door, gripping the metal rod he had found earlier.
Outside, the screams had faded.
But he knew, without a doubt that this was only the beginning.
Adam sat in silence, gripping his coffee mug tasting the bitter liquid going down his throat. The weight of what he had just seen pressed against his chest, his heartbeat a steady drum of anxiety. They're real. They're out there.
And they weren't alone.
A sudden burst of rapid gunfire shattered the uneasy quiet outside. Adam flinched, nearly dropping his mug. He went back to the window, careful to stay hidden behind the curtain.
Down below, a convoy of military vehicles had rolled into the street. Soldiers in full gear spread out, forming a perimeter. The creatures turned toward them, drawn by the noise.
Then, the gunfire began.
Bullets tore into the pale figures, jerking their bodies back as they staggered under the assault. Some collapsed, limbs twitching, but to Adam's horror, many kept moving.
A soldier shouted something, voice muffled by his helmet. Another raised a rifle and fired in short, controlled bursts, aiming for the chest, the limbs - anywhere that could slow them down.
It wasn't enough.
One of the creatures, a man in a torn hoodie, lunged at a soldier. A single bullet blew half his jaw off, but he didn't stop. His fingers closed around the soldier's vest, dragging him down.
Adam clenched his jaw as another gunshot rang out, this time from a sidearm at point-blank range. The soldier kicked the corpse off him and scrambled back.
More gunfire. More figures falling.
But not staying down.
One by one, the creatures started to rise again. The ones that had fallen moments ago, missing chunks of flesh, riddled with bullet holes, began to twitch and move.
The soldiers weren't prepared for that.
Adam could hear the panic in their shouts, their formations breaking. A retreat order was given. The vehicles roared to life, engines sputtering as they tried to fall back.
Then, a scream - one of theirs. A soldier was dragged into the horde, his rifle clattering to the ground. The others didn't stop. They couldn't.
The last of the vehicles sped off, leaving the bloodied street behind.
A cold realization settled over him. If they couldn't stop it, no one could.
Then-
BANG.
Adam froze.
It came from his door.
BANG.
His fingers tightened around the metal rod. His breath was shallow, every muscle in his body tense.
BANG.
Was it human? Or was it one of them?
Adam didn't move. He held his breath.
Then, a voice – hoarse and desperate.
"Open up! Please!"
Human, a woman.
Adam took a single step forward – hesitant and with caution.
He wasn't sure if he was about to let someone in , he did not knew what their intention might . Someone maybe looking to rob someone of their supplies as there was no way one would go outside in these conditions and it was not sure how long the lockdown will go on.
Adam looked through his key hole to check if it really was a single person or a group.