The storage building was eerily quiet. Inside, the air was thick with unease. The group had done their best to barricade the door, but the makeshift barricade of old shelves and desks didn’t feel strong enough.
Favour perched on a crate, thumbing through the battered virology book he’d salvaged from the library. He mumbled to himself, occasionally glancing nervously around. Justin, unfazed as usual, was munching on a pack of biscuits he’d somehow stashed in his bag. “You seriously brought snacks during a zombie outbreak?” Collins snapped, his irritation rising. “What? Comfort food,” Justin said with a shrug. “You’d be amazed how thinking clearly works when you’re not starving.” Collins grunted, muttering something under his breath as he resumed pacing. Luke leaned against a wall, his arms crossed, eyes fixed on Akin and his small group of students. They had been in the building before the outbreak started, and that fact gnawed at Luke. Akin seemed too relaxed, too prepared, which only heightened Luke’s suspicion. Mira noticed his scowl and nudged him lightly. “You’re staring.” “I know,” Luke replied, his voice low. “It doesn’t make sense, Mira. How were they already here?” “Maybe they got lucky?” she offered, though her tone lacked conviction. “Luck doesn’t feel right. Look at them,” Luke said, nodding subtly toward Akin, who was seated in the corner with Charles and two other students. “They’re too calm. They knew something, Mira. I can feel it.” Before Mira could respond, Luke spoke up, addressing Akin directly. “So, Akin. Care to explain how you and your buddies were already holed up here before everything went to hell?” Akin glanced up, his expression neutral. “What’s your point, Luke?” “The point is, everyone else was blindsided, running for their lives, and yet here you are, chilling in the safest spot on campus. Feels a bit too convenient.” Akin’s face darkened. “You think I planned this? That I knew this was going to happen?” “I don’t know what to think,” Luke admitted. “But I know when something doesn’t add up.” “Hey, enough!” Charles interjected, his voice sharp. “We’ve all been through enough today without turning on each other. Focus on surviving, not pointing fingers.” Collins, however, seemed to latch onto Luke’s suspicions. “Luke’s right. It’s weird. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around how you got here so fast.” “Maybe because I’m not as slow as you?” Akin shot back, his voice laced with sarcasm. Collins took a step forward, fists clenched, but Jeff was quick to place a calming hand on his shoulder. “Easy, Collins. Let’s not lose it.” Mira grabbed Luke’s arm, pulling him aside. “Seriously, Luke? We don’t need this now. If you piss him off, he might turn on us when we need him.” Luke sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I just... I don’t trust him, Mira. And if he’s hiding something, we deserve to know.” “Maybe, but don’t make an enemy out of him just yet,” Mira advised. The tense atmosphere in the room eventually settled, but the undercurrent of suspicion lingered. Luke kept a wary eye on Akin, determined to uncover the truth. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the room, followed by the unmistakable sound of scratching at the barricaded door. “What the hell?” Justin blurted, dropping his biscuit packet. The room fell silent, everyone frozen in fear as another bang rattled the door. 'Shit you've brought them to us" one of the student with Akin muttered angrily. Everyone ignored him. “They’ve found us,” Jeff said grimly, gripping a broken chair leg like a club. Collins grabbed a metal pipe, his knuckles white. “Let them come. I’m ready.” Luke moved toward the barricade, his jaw clenched. “Everyone, stay quiet. If they get in...” “If?” Favour squeaked, clutching his book to his chest. “...we fight,” Luke finished, his voice firm. The banging grew louder, more insistent, the wood creaking ominously under the pressure. Luke exchanged a look with Mira, who nodded, her hand steady on a piece of broken glass she’d picked up earlier. As the infected outside continued their assault on the door, Luke couldn’t shake the feeling that the real danger wasn’t just outside—it might be sitting in the room with them.The banging at the door grew louder, splinters flying off the barricade with each hit. The tension in the room was suffocating, a mixture of fear and suspicion thickening the air. Everyone held their makeshift weapons tightly, their eyes darting between the door and each other. Luke’s gaze fell once again on Akin, who sat unbothered, his arms crossed. His relaxed demeanor infuriated Luke. How could someone be so calm when chaos was clawing at their only line of defense? “Help reinforce the barricade!” Luke barked, directing his order at Akin and Charles. Akin didn’t budge. “And risk being the first one dragged out? No, thanks.” “You’re unbelievable,” Collins growled, stepping forward with the metal pipe in his hands. “Collins, not now!” Mira snapped, grabbing his arm. “Focus!” Jeff and Justin rushed to push a heavy cabinet against the door, adding another layer of protection. Favour fumbled with his book, muttering what sounded like prayers under his breath. Luke glanced at Mir
The orange glow of the evening sky spilled through the cracks in the boarded windows, casting long shadows across the storage room. The muffled groans outside had faded, replaced by the occasional scrape of undead feet shuffling across the pavement. Inside, the group sat in uneasy silence, their nerves fraying with every passing second.Luke stood by the barricade, his eyes scanning the darkening campus outside. His thoughts, however, were locked on Akin and his group, seated in the corner. The unease in his chest had only grown since Bayo's arrival.Bayo lay on a makeshift bed of torn-up jackets and cushions. His pale, sweat-soaked face twitched as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Jeff crouched beside him, carefully cleaning a jagged wound on his arm."He's burning up," Jeff said, glancing at Luke. "But he's alive. For now.""Alive and infected," Collins muttered, pacing the room. He tightened his grip on the metal pipe he carried. "We’re sitting ducks if he turns in here.""H
“Damn it! Of all schools, why hers?!” Joseph Erickson cursed, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The car roared down the highway, his foot pressing hard on the accelerator, daring the engine to give out. “If anything happens to her... I swear to God, those bastards are going to pay. Every last one of them!” he yelled, slamming the dashboard for emphasis. Joseph wasn’t just any soldier—he’d recently been promoted to sergeant, and he took pride in his discipline. But hearing that Mira, his younger sister, was trapped in a terrorist attack, all that discipline flew out the window. And zombies? The thought made him scoff angrily. Zombies sounded like a bad joke, but the situation wasn’t funny. “What the hell is the government even doing, letting things get this bad?” he muttered, punching the steering wheel. His phone buzzed on the passenger seat. He glanced at the screen before snatching it up and putting it on speaker. “Yeah, Dad, I’m not tu
Amos paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, the faint hum of the overhead bulb doing little to soothe his growing frustration. "What the hell is wrong with them!?" he spat, his voice sharp with anger. He dragged his hand through his disheveled hair, his breath coming in short bursts. "I told them to keep it quiet. Just stay in the shadows, but no—they had to involve those damned terrorists!" Amos’s mind raced, piecing together the fragments of chaos. The serum—the very thing he had sworn to keep hidden—was now at the center of this unfolding nightmare. How had Zotes learned about it? Worse, how had they turned it into a weapon? He clenched his fists, veins bulging against his skin. His phone buzzed, jolting him out of his thoughts. This time, the caller ID read Unknown Number. He hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen before answering. "Who is this?" he barked. A gravelly voice responded, calm yet laced with menace. "Governor Amos. We've been expecting your call. S
Luke stood frozen, his thoughts racing as he tried to make sense of what he’d just witnessed. What the hell was that? Zombies don’t move like that. Are they even zombies? The memory of their precise, coordinated attack churned in his mind, leaving a cold weight in his chest. “Bloody hell!” Collins exclaimed, pacing frantically. “What was that? We’ve got to get out of here! We can’t stay in this death trap—we’ve been exposed!” Collins’ words snapped Luke out of his daze. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. Across the room, Mira gripped a shard of glass so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Mira,” Luke said, his voice tight as he gently wrenched the glass from her hand. “Did you see that? They weren’t just attacking—they had a plan. They were working together.” “I saw it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s like...they knew what they were doing.” “They took Bayo,” Jeff muttered from the corner, his voice hollow. “Dragged him like he mattered to them.” “Val
June 10, 2030 Bang! Bang! Luke's head snapped toward the door as something—or someone—banged on it with relentless force. His throat tightened, and he swallowed hard as the pounding grew louder, each blow more determined than the last. Slowly, he crept toward the door. “How many?” Luke whispered. “Check the window, bro,” Collins hissed back, his voice strained as he leaned heavily against the shaking door. Luke peeked cautiously through the window, his breath hitching as he caught sight of the chaos outside. No amount of mental preparation could shield him from the grim reality of what he saw. His shoulders sagged, and he shuddered despite himself. There were five of them—students—now part of the undead. A cold dread settled over him as he realized he recognized three of their faces. “If someone had told me four days ago that I’d be fighting for my life against zombies, I’d have had them checked for madness at the nearest mental facility,” Luke thought bitterly. His stom
“So, what were the two of you talking about?” Engineer Akinyemi asked heatedly, his voice rising as he seized the opportunity to vent his pent-up frustration. It was clear he relished having found scapegoats to redirect his irritation over the class's lack of attention. “Mafia, sir,” Charles quipped smugly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Beside him, Akin smirked, clearly amused by the situation—or so it seemed. “Oh, mafia, is it?” Engineer Akinyemi repeated, his sudden, smile catching Luke’s attention. Something about the way the lecturer said it made Luke uneasy. He knew Akinyemi well enough to tell the man was plotting something. The grin on Charles’s face faltered, while Akin shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Since you seem so interested in the mafia,” the lecturer continued, his smile widening, “perhaps you can enlighten the class. Can either of you give me two other names for the mafia?” The question landed like a grenade. Akin stared at the floor, his e
June 7, 2023 Mira found herself staring at him again. She didn’t mean to, but her gaze kept drifting toward the boy, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by her friends. They teased her relentlessly, prodding her with sly remarks and knowing glances. Mira would shrug them off with a witty comeback, masking her feelings behind a veil of indifference. It wasn’t that Mira disliked guys—she didn’t. But most of them had a way of disappointing her. They either acted ridiculously around her, trying too hard to impress, or came off as fake, masking their true selves behind a façade of bravado. Over time, she had grown disenchanted. She avoided their advances and wrote them off as a collective bore. Then came Luke. She remembered their first meeting vividly. It was during her 100-level year, right after she’d resumed classes. She had been sitting quietly, flipping through her notes, when he walked up to her. “Hey there,” he began, his tone easy and his smile unassuming. “I’m Luke, a fellow c
Luke stood frozen, his thoughts racing as he tried to make sense of what he’d just witnessed. What the hell was that? Zombies don’t move like that. Are they even zombies? The memory of their precise, coordinated attack churned in his mind, leaving a cold weight in his chest. “Bloody hell!” Collins exclaimed, pacing frantically. “What was that? We’ve got to get out of here! We can’t stay in this death trap—we’ve been exposed!” Collins’ words snapped Luke out of his daze. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. Across the room, Mira gripped a shard of glass so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Mira,” Luke said, his voice tight as he gently wrenched the glass from her hand. “Did you see that? They weren’t just attacking—they had a plan. They were working together.” “I saw it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s like...they knew what they were doing.” “They took Bayo,” Jeff muttered from the corner, his voice hollow. “Dragged him like he mattered to them.” “Val
Amos paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, the faint hum of the overhead bulb doing little to soothe his growing frustration. "What the hell is wrong with them!?" he spat, his voice sharp with anger. He dragged his hand through his disheveled hair, his breath coming in short bursts. "I told them to keep it quiet. Just stay in the shadows, but no—they had to involve those damned terrorists!" Amos’s mind raced, piecing together the fragments of chaos. The serum—the very thing he had sworn to keep hidden—was now at the center of this unfolding nightmare. How had Zotes learned about it? Worse, how had they turned it into a weapon? He clenched his fists, veins bulging against his skin. His phone buzzed, jolting him out of his thoughts. This time, the caller ID read Unknown Number. He hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen before answering. "Who is this?" he barked. A gravelly voice responded, calm yet laced with menace. "Governor Amos. We've been expecting your call. S
“Damn it! Of all schools, why hers?!” Joseph Erickson cursed, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The car roared down the highway, his foot pressing hard on the accelerator, daring the engine to give out. “If anything happens to her... I swear to God, those bastards are going to pay. Every last one of them!” he yelled, slamming the dashboard for emphasis. Joseph wasn’t just any soldier—he’d recently been promoted to sergeant, and he took pride in his discipline. But hearing that Mira, his younger sister, was trapped in a terrorist attack, all that discipline flew out the window. And zombies? The thought made him scoff angrily. Zombies sounded like a bad joke, but the situation wasn’t funny. “What the hell is the government even doing, letting things get this bad?” he muttered, punching the steering wheel. His phone buzzed on the passenger seat. He glanced at the screen before snatching it up and putting it on speaker. “Yeah, Dad, I’m not tu
The orange glow of the evening sky spilled through the cracks in the boarded windows, casting long shadows across the storage room. The muffled groans outside had faded, replaced by the occasional scrape of undead feet shuffling across the pavement. Inside, the group sat in uneasy silence, their nerves fraying with every passing second.Luke stood by the barricade, his eyes scanning the darkening campus outside. His thoughts, however, were locked on Akin and his group, seated in the corner. The unease in his chest had only grown since Bayo's arrival.Bayo lay on a makeshift bed of torn-up jackets and cushions. His pale, sweat-soaked face twitched as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Jeff crouched beside him, carefully cleaning a jagged wound on his arm."He's burning up," Jeff said, glancing at Luke. "But he's alive. For now.""Alive and infected," Collins muttered, pacing the room. He tightened his grip on the metal pipe he carried. "We’re sitting ducks if he turns in here.""H
The banging at the door grew louder, splinters flying off the barricade with each hit. The tension in the room was suffocating, a mixture of fear and suspicion thickening the air. Everyone held their makeshift weapons tightly, their eyes darting between the door and each other. Luke’s gaze fell once again on Akin, who sat unbothered, his arms crossed. His relaxed demeanor infuriated Luke. How could someone be so calm when chaos was clawing at their only line of defense? “Help reinforce the barricade!” Luke barked, directing his order at Akin and Charles. Akin didn’t budge. “And risk being the first one dragged out? No, thanks.” “You’re unbelievable,” Collins growled, stepping forward with the metal pipe in his hands. “Collins, not now!” Mira snapped, grabbing his arm. “Focus!” Jeff and Justin rushed to push a heavy cabinet against the door, adding another layer of protection. Favour fumbled with his book, muttering what sounded like prayers under his breath. Luke glanced at Mir
The storage building was eerily quiet. Inside, the air was thick with unease. The group had done their best to barricade the door, but the makeshift barricade of old shelves and desks didn’t feel strong enough. Favour perched on a crate, thumbing through the battered virology book he’d salvaged from the library. He mumbled to himself, occasionally glancing nervously around. Justin, unfazed as usual, was munching on a pack of biscuits he’d somehow stashed in his bag. “You seriously brought snacks during a zombie outbreak?” Collins snapped, his irritation rising. “What? Comfort food,” Justin said with a shrug. “You’d be amazed how thinking clearly works when you’re not starving.” Collins grunted, muttering something under his breath as he resumed pacing. Luke leaned against a wall, his arms crossed, eyes fixed on Akin and his small group of students. They had been in the building before the outbreak started, and that fact gnawed at Luke. Akin seemed too relaxed, too prepared,
The group moved through the campus, their breaths heavy and their nerves frayed. The eerie silence was broken only by the faint sound of distant screams. Luke led the way, his eyes scanning every shadow for movement. “There it is,” Jeff whispered, pointing to the storage building ahead. The old structure looked like it had seen better days, its peeling paint and broken windows giving it a haunting appearance. “Let’s get inside,” Luke said, quickening his pace. Jeff stepped forward with his trusty brick, smashing the padlock off with one swing. The door creaked open, revealing the dark interior. “Wait,” Mira said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Do you hear that?” Everyone froze. From inside came the faint murmur of voices. Luke motioned for the group to stay quiet as he pushed the door open wider. Inside, they found a small group of students huddled in the corner, their faces pale with fear. Among them was Akin, his sharp features unmistakable even in the dim light. “Akin?”
June 9, 2030 Luke tried the door, it wasn't locked but pushed as a student ran past it erratically. "Don't give me a scare like that man" Mira complained while sounding relieved herself. "Sorry but lets get out of here" Luke replied sounding worried. Luke's heart was still pounding as he and Mira rushed through the library’s back exit. The sounds of chaos echoed through the campus—the screeching, the distant gunshots, and the inhuman growls that made the hairs on his neck stand on end.It was pure mayhem outside. Luke witnessed betrayals of all sorts as everyone tried to survive. “its really happening" Luke said, his voice barely above a whisper, panic creeping in as he glanced back towards the library. They had to keep moving; they couldn’t afford to be caught in the open. . . . . . . . The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the eerily quiet campus as Luke and Mira hurried away from the library. The occasional scream and distant shouts were enough to keep t
June 9, 2030 Today was the day Luke's entire world unraveled. His sanity teetered on the edge, and his mental resilience would face its greatest test. The morning had started innocently enough, like any other day. Yet, beneath the surface, Luke was a bundle of nerves. The zotes had made their chilling promise clear: if Nigeria failed to meet their outrageous demands, they would release the UBEV. Luke tried to shake off the unease as he went about his morning routine, but every news alert on his phone was a reminder of the looming threat. Social media was ablaze with speculation, jokes, and outright denial about the virus's potential release. "People always joke until it’s too late," Luke muttered, scrolling through the chaos online. He hadn’t even stepped outside yet, but something in the air felt… off. A knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Yo, Luke, you good?" Collins’ voice called from outside. Luke opened the door to find his friend standing there, his usual