Something Is Wrong

The light in the bathroom had changed.

It was no longer the sharp white from the ceiling. It looked warmer now, softer, like late afternoon sunlight had somehow entered through a broken cloud. Barry's eyes opened slowly. The tiles beneath him were cold, but he didn't feel any urge to move right away. His mouth was dry. His thoughts were scattered.

He sat up slowly. His body moved without any stiffness. He glanced at his arm, the same one Jamie had bitten.

The wound was gone.

There was no blood. There wasn't even a scab. Just a faint pink patch and some tightness in the skin where the teeth had sunk in. It looked like it had healed days ago, not minutes ago.

His face twitched. His breathing felt steady. Too steady.

'Why don't I feel anything?'

He pushed himself up, expecting his muscles to resist or ache. They didn't. In fact, his body felt strong. Energised, like he had just woken from the best nap of his life.

That was when it appeared.

A small sound — like a click — echoed somewhere inside his head, and something flashed in front of his eyes. Bright text appeared, not on a screen, but right in the air before him, glowing softly in perfect straight lines. It was boxed in like a status board, white and steady.

[Name: Barry Quell]

[Age: 16]

[Level: 0]

[Race: Zombie (Sead)]

[Status: Stable]

[Energy Level: 92%]

[Free Points: 0]

[Stats — Strength: 6 | Speed: 8]

[Level up to unlock new features]

Barry's body stilled.

He looked over the floating message again, each word staying frozen in place no matter where he moved. It followed his vision, like it was tied to his mind. He stepped to the left — it followed. Right — still there.

The word "Zombie" made his stomach twist.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He felt a chill in his fingertips, but not from fear. It was something else. Something cold, like he was standing near a freezer.

'No... this can't be right. I can't be a zombie.'

He stood in front of the mirror. The bathroom was still a mess. Blood on the floor. Broken glass by the windows.

His reflection looked mostly normal. His hair, that slightly messy dark blonde, was untouched. But his skin was a little paler. Not ghost-white like Jamie's had been. Just... drained. Faintly muted, like someone had taken a photo and turned down the colour.

He leaned forward, inspecting his own face.

No redness in his eyes. No rotting skin. No sunken cheeks.

Just a little pale.

He raised a hand and pinched his cheek.

He felt it.

But not the way he used to.

It was like tapping a table with a finger. He knew he'd touched something, but there was no pain. It didn't even sting. It was just pressure.

He tried again, harder. Still the same.

'It's like pain is just a whisper now.'

He looked down at his arm again. The place where Jamie had bitten was still smooth, almost like a healed burn. He traced his fingers over it. It didn't hurt either.

Barry stood there a moment longer. The system message didn't disappear. It didn't flicker. It just waited, floating quietly.

He let out a slow breath.

'So… I'm still me. But I'm something else now.'

The words repeated in his head. Over and over.

Zombie.

But his mind was still clear. He could think. He could remember. He wasn't hungry, not really. His body felt cold, sure, but not weak.

There was more. Another line appeared:

[Consume raw flesh to maintain sentience]

[Energy drops slowly over time]

[Warning: Sentience loss begins below 40% Energy]

His hands clenched without thinking.

'So I can lose my mind? But not yet… I'm still here.'

He shook his head and walked slowly to the stall door. He pushed it open and looked around. Jamie was gone.

The last time he had seen him, Jamie had been on the floor, groaning and pale, with blood down his chin. Now the space was empty. A few spots of blood led toward the hallway.

Barry stepped out. The system message remained on the side of his vision, not blocking him anymore, but staying there like a quiet warning.

The air outside the stall smelled different. Less metallic. More sour. The hallway beyond the bathroom was quiet. Too quiet.

No footsteps. No students. No yelling.

The university had gone still.

Barry rubbed his hands together, more out of habit than need. They didn't feel cold, just less warm than usual. His body temperature had dropped, but he hadn't noticed it until now.

He looked at the blood trail again.

Jamie had walked away.

Barry didn't follow yet. He walked to the sink instead. Turned on the tap. Water flowed out normally. He splashed it on his face. The coldness didn't shock him. It felt like room temperature against his skin.

He looked back up. The mirror showed the same pale version of him. His eyes looked sharp though. More alert.

He dried his face with his sleeve. The system message hovered on.

Strength 6. Speed 8.

Nothing amazing. But not zero either.

He wasn't dead. Not fully. But he wasn't exactly human anymore either.

He touched his chest. No heartbeat. Just a strange hum, like a machine gently running deep inside him. It wasn't noisy. Just faint. Constant.

His thoughts drifted to what he was supposed to do next.

He couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. He needed answers. He needed to know what was happening outside. Why people were turning. Why he wasn't like the rest.

But most of all…

He needed to make sure he stayed himself.

He looked down the hallway again. Still quiet. Still safe — at least, for now.

So he stepped out of the bathroom, into the empty corridor, and started walking toward the soundless world beyond.