The mirror in front of me reflected the same fear in Trixie's eyes when I left her behind the booth. I turned on the faucet and let the cold water cascade over my skin. I tried so hard to scrub away the filth and blood that clung to me. Despite my efforts, I still couldn't get rid of the guilt that had settled deep within me.
thud-thud-thud I honed in on the thumping sound from the girl's restroom. I thought about Trixie, about how she had been mauled by a zombie. I thought about Shae, about how she had become one of them. Their desperate cries for help echoed in my mind. It was a haunting reminder of what I had done. In my whole life, everyone has been waiting for me to slip up. This night was supposed to be me breaking free from their expectations. I can't believe I made another mistake. If only I had never suggested to escape the gathering, they would still be alive. But, now they're gone and I had to live with the fact that I'm the reason why they're dead. Panic gripped me, squeezing the air out of my heart and lungs. It felt like drowning in a sea. It is too much to bear. Suddenly, the lights flickered for a moment and then went out completely, plunging the bathroom into darkness. I fumbled back for the faucet, trying to find something to hold onto. After what seemed like an eternity, the lights flickered back on. I turned around, expecting to see the empty restroom once again, but instead, I saw Trixie and Shae standing behind me. They are covered in gore and their eyes are lifeless and hollow. The two figures took a step closer, their movements slow and jerky. I tried to step backward, but I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground. I can't move, can't breathe, and can't stop crying. I curled up in a ball underneath the faucet, trying to hide from the horror that was unfolding before me. As I lay there, trying to catch my breath, a gentle and steady drumbeat began to swell. In twilight's hush, where the morning mist rise Lies upon a delicate paradise Among the ancient pines, Where the roots of old and new intertwine The figures disappeared and the restroom was once again empty. My curiosity got the best of me, so I followed the source of the music as if nothing malevolent just happened. The sound seemed to come from inside the convenience store. I cautiously stepped inside and scanned the area for any signs of danger. From the ashes of our past, we rose With every step, forging a bond so strong, In Alatus, a new chapter we chose To this evergreen home, our hearts belong As I moved deeper into the store, the hymn grew louder. It had a pace that encouraged movement without feeling rushed, making its melody rise and fall in a way that felt like a celebration. Finally, I came across a portable hologram projector sitting on the cashier's counter. The projector displays a holographic image of the district's logo. When the hymn ended, my father pops up. "Attention to all citizens of Alatus District! This is Vice Mayor Aroñes Fortalejo with an urgent announcement," he said. The sound of his voice filled the air. A sense of relief washed over me, knowing that he was safe. I'm glad nothing bad happened to him. "Approximately half an hour ago, a series of explosions devastated the outskirts of our community. I regret to inform you that the rumors of a zombie outbreak in our region are, in fact, true. The undead have been spotted at the Night Cirque and the Alatus District Hospital, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake." My brows scrunched in confusion as his words sank in. My thoughts immediately turned to the raging creatures I had encountered on my way here. Their blank eyes and tainted blood flashed in my mind. Does that mean they are already spreading around the other regions of the Maharlikan Republic? Are they the reason why the communication servers are down? "On behalf of the entire Alatus District administration, I offer our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones during this crisis." he momentarily paused. The camera pans to other officials who are all facing down. "As we work tirelessly to contain this crisis, I urge all citizens within the district borders to exercise extreme caution. For your safety, please make your way to the Alatus District Hall as soon as possible. Here, you will find food, water, and a haven from the undead threat." Then, the hologram flashed what was happening right now at the district hall. There were loads of volunteers and refugees outside the building. I spotted my mother as one of the volunteers which made me tick out another worry in my mind. I'm really glad she's safe too. "Our top priority is your safety and know that we are doing everything in our power to protect you and keep our community safe. Stay vigilant, stay strong, and may the gods protect us all." The marching beat started to swell again and that sound may have irritated Shae because the light taps she's making earlier became harder. And before I could react and check the door, she already bolted out of the restroom. I cussed as soon as I saw her running towards me. She already has blank eyes and a droopy mouth like the others. The only distinct feature from her is the bite mark on her left cheek. The exposed insides of her mouth leaked the familiar black substance all over her dress. I immediately took the portable hologram and went out of the store in an attempt to run away from her. Shae gripped my arms from behind, her cold fingers digging into my skin. I shouted her name, hoping to snap her out. She released a guttural growl, her eyes devoid of the warmth I had cherished for years. I could barely recognize her; the girl who had once laughed beside me during family reunions—who had comforted me during my darkest days, was now a hollow shell, driven by insatiable hunger. With a kick, I sent her sprawling to the ground. The sound of her body hitting the concrete echoed in my ears like a death knell. “Please, Shae!” I pleaded, my voice trembling. But now, as she struggled to rise, I felt my heart shatter at the sight of her twisted form. In that moment, memories flooded back—our first get-together as children, where we discovered our shared love for stargazing. I could still hear our youthful voices whispering dreams under the night sky, feeling invincible together. She stumbled forward again, and instinct took over. I fought back fiercely, dodging her attacks as flashes of our hiking adventures flickered through my mind—those carefree days spent exploring trails and sharing secrets amidst the trees. With each strike I dodged, I remembered how she had always encouraged me to embrace my emotions instead of retreating into my mind. “You can’t hide forever,” she would say with that infectious smile of hers. Just as I felt my strength waning against her relentless assault, three sharp gunshots rang out. Shae staggered back before she collapsed in a heap. I stood frozen, breathless, staring at her still form. I fell to my knees beside her lifeless body. “Shae…” I choked out. The black blood pooling around her was a stark reminder of what had been lost. Another figure appeared in front of me so I raised my head. She looked at me, full of concern. My body went numb as another long-forgotten memories came rushing in to my mind. A mixture of joy and sadness prevailed in my heart. I don't know how she ended up here after all those years of not showing up. I approached Caite and for the first time in a long time, I gave her a firm hug.Fear and desperation could lead us to do some stupid things. Every time I bumped into someone, they were not in their right minds to think — either they push you aside or hurt you outright. Help was almost impossible to find in times of catastrophe. So, when Caite appeared in front of me and hugged her, oh, I fucking regret that. My emotions carried me away — I even forgot how much I hated her. I was the first to pull away from the hug. My arms dropped awkwardly to my sides as I avoided her gaze. How could I look at her properly? Come on, me and my friends used to taunt her online for petty reasons—stupid jokes that spiraled into something cruel. I did so many horrible things to her, yet here she was, saving my ass like none of it mattered. To escape the thick silence between us, I bent down and picked up the portable hologram I had dropped earlier. My hands moved slowly, deliberately, as if dragging out the moment would somehow make this less uncomfortable. I slipped it into my b
The car slowed down as we passed a line of abandoned vehicles on the side of the road. Bloodstains marred their surfaces when I peeked inside. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Maybe the Grove is already overrun by zombies," Caite said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. I could see the hesitation in Vino’s expressions. He was starting to doubt our plan too, but we needed to meet our friends as we had planned earlier. “Look, we should still head to the camping site,” I suggested, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “We agreed to regroup there.” Caite shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “But what if it’s too dangerous? We could be walking into a trap.” “We can’t just leave them behind,” Vino countered, his brow furrowing in thought. “We need to at least check it out.” “Fine,” Caite relented, though her tone suggested she was still uneasy. “But if it looks bad, we head straight to the District Hall for backup.” I nodded, feeling the weight of our decision. With tha
I convinced them to go to our house first before meeting up with Papa. I didn’t want to risk getting infected and passing it onto others with sticky blood splattered all over my body. As we entered the gate, I noticed all the lights were off. When I stepped inside the house, I gulped and started to sweat profusely. I wasn’t used to the oppressive darkness that enveloped the space. Our helpers must have evacuated, just like the rest of our neighbors. They should have, because if not, that meant they were dead or in danger. The moment I crossed the threshold, a horrible sight greeted me: blood smeared across the walls and furniture, along with bullet holes punctuating the halls. My mind raced with possibilities; it seemed likely that after we left, an attack had occurred. I didn’t waste any time lingering on the gruesome scene. I dashed up to the second floor where my room was located. Rummaging through my closet, I grabbed two sets of loose and comfortable t-shirts and jogging pa
Yesterday, something inhumane taints our blood, turning almost everyone into killers. In just a few hours, mayhem and misery claim so many innocent lives. Most of them don’t get the chance to say goodbye to their families. Some don’t even realize their entire family is also dead. The most solemn part of it all is that they die alone, without knowing the reason for their ill fate. Afterward, our healthcare providers can only cover their bodies in white cloth. An euthanization act by striking their brains prevents them from mowing down the remaining survivors of this devastation. It becomes the unspoken rule every time one of us dies, which is traumatizing since we are all cooped up here, confronted with horror all day long. Then, they transport the corpses outside the barricades. However, they can’t dig a mass grave given our current situation. Because of that, the plaza turns into a mortuary site. It’s obvious everyone can’t rest well, knowing we need to pierce the heads of our d
I was taken aback when Papa emphasized each word, saying, “You’re not listening to me." Before I could speak up, he pulled me toward the entrance. All I could do was follow his footsteps. We walked cautiously and slowly so that no one would notice he was taking me away from the group. We stopped when he reached the top of the stairs, just before the door to the district hall. “Hanggang dito na lang ako,” he said, turning to me and grasping both my hands. I took another step to stand level with him. “Hu...huwag mong kakalimutan ang bilin ko saiyo,” he whispered softly. His expression softened, and then he hugged me. Never have I thought I would see papa lose his stern demeanour in my entire life. I always thought nothing scares him; but now that he’s instructing me to hide with his precious journal, I know for a fact that shit was about to go down. He released my hand and gently pushed me toward the entrance. “Papa…” I called him out, but he didn’t look back again. He squeezed into
The rain became heavier, piercing my skin with a chill that seemed to seep into my very bones. Water trickled down my face, mixing with the tears that streamed from my eyes, creating a blur of salt and rain that stung my skin. The raindrops clung to my eyelashes, weighing them down, making every blink a struggle. Its sound was deafening—a constant, pounding beat that filled my ears and drowned out all other noise. It was as if the sky itself was weeping with me, its tears falling in torrents that threatened to wash away everything in their path. Vino released my wrist. I could hear his deep, labored breathing. Summoning all my courage, I turned to face him. Dark blood stained his white t-shirt. He tried to look at his back, so I crawled over to examine it. My hands trembled as I lifted his shirt, revealing a large bruise on his back—it was blue, almost turning dark violet. The bruise surrounded several small gunshot wounds on the right side of his back. Memories of how he had hugg
As I sit beneath the canopy of a large tree, the gentle breeze picks up. The branches swayed, stirring the leaves above. Their edges fluttered softly against each other, creating a gentle rustle that gradually grew louder, enveloping me in a soothing embrace. It felt as though I was a leaf being gently swept away by the breeze. "Peace is always beautiful, isn't it?" The moment I heard his voice, my brief sense of comfort vanished. "You're here..." My eyes widened as I stared at him leaning against the tree. "Kuya, is that really you?" "It's been a while since you last called me that," he said with a playful smile, adjusting his position. Numbness consumed me — suffocating me. "Why did you do that?" My voice cracked, and I looked away. He chuckled. “Kailanman hindi ko sisirain ang mga binitawan kong pangako saiyo noon,” he said. His soft words caused my fists to clench. I gripped the grass tightly, almost as if I wanted to tear it apart. "“At ngayon, lalong nasira ang mga binita
Darkness—a hollow blank space that has nothing much to offer. Just like an emptiness that keeps expanding further and further as the universe continues to expand forever. They say the never-ending darkness instills terror in our lives, but with just one light, all of it will be gone, and I was right! At the end of darkness, there would always be light waiting for us to discover. A blinding white light, as if it's smiling at you, ready to swallow you. Spiraling shivers traveled across my body. What was I even doing there? Was I dead? Had I become one of them? I looked up at the light and witnessed how it turned fiery. The familiar smell of burned flesh lingered in the void. The hot atmosphere made me sweat and lose my breath, convincing myself that I was really dead and finally in my hellish afterlife. But a voice echoed, telling me to wake up. Not long after that, I regained consciousness. There I found myself in the midst of leaping flames that burned like a temper. I uttered a lo
That night, we moved in the dark.Caite rolled up the maps and tucked them under her jacket. I packed the rations into my backpack, careful not to clink the cans together. My hands were slow, deliberate, like they knew this was the last time they’d touch anything here. Caite zipped up the last of the bags while I double-checked the load. We were leaving tonight. Just the three of us.Tito Weston stood by the edge of the clearing, arms crossed. His face was unreadable, but his eyes… they were tired in a way I hadn’t seen before. Not just sleep-deprived or worn thin from another chase through the woods. This was something deeper. Bone-tired. Soul-worn.“Everything’s here,” he finally said, voice rough. “Food, medkits, iodine tabs, lighter.” He walked over, pulled something from behind his back, and held it out to me. A compact silver handgun. Standard grip. Full mag. Clean. Reliable.“For protection,” he said.I hesitated for a second. Then took it.The weight settled into my palm like
It had been hours since we heard it, but the fuzzy voice through the static still echoed in my mind. ...puso ng isla… sinaunang karunungan… …ang banal na ubasan… magdadala sa santuwaryo It's deep-cut stuff. Only someone born here would get it. And I knew it meant something. It meant refuge. I didn’t tell the others. Not even Caite. But she knew something was up. She kept throwing glances at me across the campfire like she was trying to read a book she couldn’t open. I gave her nothing. Not until we were alone, kneeling beside the gear pile under the tarp. “It’s in Panimo, the island's center,” I told her in a whisper. “Woodpine Valley University is located in there. A safe zone. But the only way in is through the old ossuary beneath the church.” Her mouth parted slightly. “How can you be sure?” “I grew up hearing stories from Lolo. ‘When the light is low, seek God below.’ He said it's a passage they used to say when hiding during storms. Or wars.” “And you just...
Ginny was gone. So was Carmen. Jia too.We stayed in our temporary campsite. Seb had just finished sharpening the edge of a wooden spear. Adrian kept pacing, muttering numbers and map coordinates like they were holy verses. Rory wouldn’t talk. Weston tried, but she stared right through him, like he was air.It was Caite who broke the silence.“We can’t just sit here and cry.”“Who’s crying?” Rory snapped.Caite didn’t flinch. “You, inside.”That shut everyone up.We spent the rest of the day like that—half grieving, half scheming. Chief Andy took stock of supplies while Brie and Mat cleaned what weapons we had left.The drone may be gone, but not our fight. They wanted blood? We were ready to give them hell.Seb pitched noise decoys. Adrian suggested mimicking old military distress beacons. Weston described pressure-triggered tripwires using broken mine casings. Everyone added something. It was messy, desperate, but alive. Something we hadn’t felt in a long time.Then came the questio
We rested longer than we should’ve. Trying to breathe—each breath heavier than the last. We couldn’t make the sounds we needed to. No one could cry, not even if they wanted to. The silence was loud enough.When the first light came, everyone decided that it's time to bury her.The ground was cold under my fingertips, and the air smelled like wet leaves. We didn’t even mark the grave. Just piled the earth over her body.Caite paced. She looked at the ground when anyone tried to say something about Ginny. I almost thought she was going to break again. Maybe I wanted her to. She was always the one with words for everything. Always the spark.Now... nothing.I didn’t know what to say either. I was starting to forget how.I stared at the spot where we left her—too much like something I should’ve done differently, but I couldn't do it now, could I?But then the windows behind us shattered before I could process it. I heard Tito Weston shout, but it wasn’t a call to action. It was a warning
The drone hovered just above us like an obedient pet, its whirring quiet enough to blend with the wind. No longer a threat, not since Adrian disabled its tracker. He gutted the thing’s surveillance feed too. Now, it only saw what we wanted it to see. It moved when we moved. Stopped when we did. We split into two teams. Adrian and the others stayed to protect the satellite. The rest of us were on supply duty—Chief, Tito Weston, Mat, Leo, Carmen, Caite, Ginny, and me. Every day was the same: scout, scavenge, and pray the creepers didn’t catch our scent. "You’d think the zombies would get tired after running nonstop," Mat grunted as we navigated a ruined highway covered in wreckage. He nudged a fallen sign with his boot. “Welcome to hell, population: us.” Caite snorted. “Do you ever stop talking?” “Not unless someone blows me up.” “Tempting,” I muttered. "Basta if I die, I want a burial where the creepers can’t find me. Drop me in the ocean or launch me into space.” "You’d
The distant moans of the undead became a constant reminder of our grim reality. Their decaying stench clung to the air as we trudged through the desolate streets. After the harrowing events of the previous day—bringing down one of those relentless drones—we knew time wasn't on our side. The military's puppets would be searching for their lost toy, and we had to act fast. In order to make our plan work and turn their weapon against them, we needed to scavenge for food, equipment, and supplies. But time really is a commodity we scarcely possessed. The frame of abandoned establishments silhouetted against the violet dusk, like a fossil from a world we no longer knew. The sun was already setting down again. Everyone needed a rest. And so, we set a camp in the middle of the broken road. Someone got the fire going, and everyone gathered around it. The flames crackled, but its warmth barely touched the cold that clung to our skin. I sat apart, a little farther from the group, hugging
The screams of the woman who was mauled by the creeps inside the falling bus kept replaying in my mind. She was literally right behind me, and her hands were within my reach, but I was too slow to move. Her daughter's eyes gazed at mine, and I could only pretend to look at the trees beside her. The way she looked and her non-stop sobs made me feel really anxious. The feeling of something blocking my airway came back in an instant. The bus driver and a stranger with an undercut pixie went to her side. I wanted to go there and offer my condolences to her mother, but the guilt I was facing right then ate all of my strength from the inside. I couldn't seem to move at all, and my body just stuck to the ground. A hand tapped my shoulder. It was Caite, and the first thing I noticed about her was the grey clothing strapped around her left arm. "How's your burn?" I asked. "Mildly painful, but I can manage," Caite replied lightly, touching it. "Ate Thilda helped me bandage it to prevent inf
Darkness—a hollow blank space that has nothing much to offer. Just like an emptiness that keeps expanding further and further as the universe continues to expand forever. They say the never-ending darkness instills terror in our lives, but with just one light, all of it will be gone, and I was right! At the end of darkness, there would always be light waiting for us to discover. A blinding white light, as if it's smiling at you, ready to swallow you. Spiraling shivers traveled across my body. What was I even doing there? Was I dead? Had I become one of them? I looked up at the light and witnessed how it turned fiery. The familiar smell of burned flesh lingered in the void. The hot atmosphere made me sweat and lose my breath, convincing myself that I was really dead and finally in my hellish afterlife. But a voice echoed, telling me to wake up. Not long after that, I regained consciousness. There I found myself in the midst of leaping flames that burned like a temper. I uttered a lo
As I sit beneath the canopy of a large tree, the gentle breeze picks up. The branches swayed, stirring the leaves above. Their edges fluttered softly against each other, creating a gentle rustle that gradually grew louder, enveloping me in a soothing embrace. It felt as though I was a leaf being gently swept away by the breeze. "Peace is always beautiful, isn't it?" The moment I heard his voice, my brief sense of comfort vanished. "You're here..." My eyes widened as I stared at him leaning against the tree. "Kuya, is that really you?" "It's been a while since you last called me that," he said with a playful smile, adjusting his position. Numbness consumed me — suffocating me. "Why did you do that?" My voice cracked, and I looked away. He chuckled. “Kailanman hindi ko sisirain ang mga binitawan kong pangako saiyo noon,” he said. His soft words caused my fists to clench. I gripped the grass tightly, almost as if I wanted to tear it apart. "“At ngayon, lalong nasira ang mga binita