"Library Lockdown: A Quiet Place... Until It Wasn'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 humor absent. "You heard the latest?" Collins asked, stepping in without waiting for an invitation which made Luke raise an eyebrow but he didn't comment as Collins seemed worried.

Luke nodded grimly. "About the zotes? Yeah, I’ve been following."

Collins leaned against the wall. "It’s all over the place, man. Some people are saying it’s a hoax. Others are saying people have already started getting sick. It’s crazy out there."

Luke sat down, running a hand through his hair. "You think they’re really gonna do it? Release the virus?"

Collins shrugged, but his face betrayed his concern. "I don’t know, but if they’re serious, we’re screwed. The government’s been quiet, and that’s never a good sign."

The two sat in uneasy silence, the weight of the day pressing down on them. Neither of them could have predicted just how quickly the world would spiral out of control.

"Hey where's Jeff?" Luke asked steering the conversation away from zotes.

"Oh he went to get something outside" Collins replied distracted by this own thoughts.

"Oh alright man I'm off to the library with Mira to clear my head so ummm bye...?" Luke's old habit kicked in while he stood up about to leave.

"Oh alright man, was just checking up on you" Collins replier while stepping out still looking distracted.

Luke shook his head."if only everyone was as worried as Collins is". Collins was a good guy in Luke's books, has a bit of anger issues but a good guy nonetheless. Always moved around with Jeff who was a big dude. A giant with a mild personality. Luke smiled thinking of their weird friendship on his way to the library.

Even the library, usually a sanctuary of silence, felt like it was holding its breath.

Mira was already at their usual spot, scribbling down notes like a machine. She didn’t seem too concerned, but Luke couldn’t shake the sense of dread creeping over him. Today was supposed to be the day the zotes were going to release the UBEV virus, and the idea had been eating away at him for days. But here he was, sitting in the library as if everything were normal. He couldn’t focus.

“Are you even reading that, or just staring at the page?” Mira asked, not looking up from her notes.

Luke grunted. “Thinking.”

“Thinking? Oh, that’s dangerous,” she replied with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. But the noise outside the library caught his attention—a commotion that didn’t belong in the usually calm space. A group of students rushed past the window, their faces pale, panic in their eyes. Luke’s stomach sank.

“They’re running... What’s going on?” Luke muttered.

Mira raised an eyebrow. “It’s not that serious, right? Maybe it’s just some drama or another protest.”

“I don’t know... It doesn’t feel right,” Luke said, standing up. “Stay here. I’ll check it out.”

“Not a chance,” Mira shot back, grabbing her bag. “If it’s something stupid, I’ll make fun of you for it later.”

They moved cautiously through the rows of bookshelves. The usual hum of quiet voices and shuffling pages was replaced by a sense of unease that hung heavy in the air. The deeper they went into the library, the louder the murmurs became.

Then, a loud crash.

Luke and Mira froze, staring at each other. A student came running past them, blood dripping from his arm, wide-eyed and panicked.

“Jesus, what happened?” Luke asked, grabbing the boy’s shoulder.

“They’re... they’re biting people!” the student gasped, his voice shaky. “They’re everywhere! People are... turning into something. It’s... it’s like a nightmare.”

“Biting?” Mira repeated, her voice low.

The student didn’t answer. He yanked himself free from Luke’s grip and bolted down the hallway, disappearing into the chaos.

Luke turned to Mira, his face pale. “This is real. This is happening.”

Before Mira could respond, another scream echoed from downstairs, followed by more chaos—shouts, sounds of things being smashed. The library, once a place of refuge, was now a death trap.

“We need to get out of here. Now,” Luke said, grabbing her wrist.

Mira nodded, her eyes wide, her hand gripping his. Together, they ran toward the exit, down the flight of stairs but as they reached the door, it slammed shut, trapping them inside.

“Locked,” Luke muttered, panic creeping into his voice.

Behind them, the sound of footsteps grew louder. Someone—or something—was coming.