What's the meaning of life?
It's a question everyone has asked themselves at least once. Death is inevitable. It's frightening to think about, and knowing that future generations may not even have a clue who you were when you were alive is a hard pill to swallow.
Is there even a point in living when you know that you—and most people—won't accomplish anything noteworthy enough to be remembered? Do you ever wish your life could have some kind of excitement before you die, so you'd at least have one unforgettable moment to look back on? Have you ever wished you could do the fantastical things you see in comics and cartoons?
If so, be careful what you wish for. Not everything will turn out the way you want it to.
[Location: Toronto, Ontario]
"Wake up, you have school in thirty minutes."
Hearing the voice call out to him, the boy slowly sat up in bed before standing and walking to the washroom, six feet away. He turned the right faucet handle to the left, letting water flow out. Grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste, he began brushing his teeth. After finishing, he washed his face.
When he was done, he looked into the mirror. Staring back at him was a boy roughly 5'11", with wavy black hair and hazel eyes. He was slightly overweight, with a face that could be considered good-looking if he lost a few pounds.
"Sigh… I gotta lay off the chips," he muttered, looking at his flab and love handles.
He left the washroom and walked to his closet. After taking out his uniform, he quickly got dressed and made his bed. Once everything was done, he headed downstairs to the living room.
Five minutes later, two more people came down the stairs. One was a woman with black hair flowing down her back. She wore comfortable clothes and had sunglasses resting on her head. The other was a younger boy with curly dark brown hair, wearing a blue shirt and black sweats with a cross-and-halo logo.
"You ready, Johnny?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, Mom."
The boy, now known as Johnny, responded. His full name was Johnathan, but his family called him by his nickname.
The three walked out the front door and toward the black BMW in their driveway. After getting in, they drove off toward Johnathan's school.
"Antonio, did you make the basketball team?" Johnathan asked his brother.
"Yeah," Antonio replied.
The two continued talking about random things until they reached the school. Before getting out, Johnathan kissed his mother on the cheek and dapped his brother up.
After saying his goodbyes, he stepped out of the car and walked toward the entrance. Once inside, he wandered the halls until he found his classroom on the first floor. The door was already open. He walked in and sat beside one of his best friends, who had his head down on his desk.
"Yo, Ivan, what's up?"
Hearing his friend's voice, the Latino boy lifted his head, revealing straight shoulder-length hair and dark brown eyes.
"Yo, you're finally here," Ivan said with a small smile, dapping Johnathan up.
"Where's Danny?" Johnathan asked.
"He's still on his way. You know how he is—probably snoozed his alarm again."
Johnathan chuckled softly as they continued talking. A couple of minutes later, a Filipino boy with tanned skin and short straight hair ran into the classroom, breathing heavily.
"I made it—huff—thank God."
He walked over and sat in the seat in front of Ivan.
"You might want to sleep earlier, Danny," Johnathan said with a grin.
"Yeah, I can't believe this keeps happening," Ivan added. "We're already two months into school and you're still waking up late."
Danny covered his ears. "Stop nagging me."
The three continued talking until their teacher walked in.
The room quieted down as attendance began.
"Ivan."
"Here."
"Daniel."
"Here."
"Johnathan."
"Here."
After attendance, the class began a lesson on STDs. While the teacher spoke, Johnathan rested his head on his desk, thinking about the math test he had next period.
Fuck, I didn't even study, he thought, closing his eyes and silently wishing something would postpone the test.
HOOOOORNNNNNNNNNNNNN
The entire class jumped as the windows shattered.
"Trumpets?" Johnathan thought, confused.
The agonizing screams of his classmates cut off his thoughts. Looking around, he saw blood streaming from some students' eyes and noses.
"Arghhhhh!"
Terrified, Johnathan grabbed his bag and stood up. He had a terrible feeling that something was about to happen.
"Ivan, Danny!"
"Already on it," they said in unison, grabbing their bags.
The three ran out of the classroom.
"Stop! Stay in the—" the teacher began, but before he could finish, two students lunged at him with crazed expressions.
"ARGHHH!"
The teacher screamed as the students began tearing into him.
Johnathan and the others ran in horror, joined by several other fleeing students. As they sprinted down the hallway, Ivan shouted, "Let's go to the cafeteria! We need weapons if something like that happens again."
Johnathan and Danny quickly agreed. The sight of their teacher being attacked had shaken them badly.
They raced through the halls, passing students covered in blood. A minute later, they reached the kitchen.
They rushed inside and grabbed knives—two each in their hands and two more in their bags.
"We'll need food too," Johnathan said. "If I'm right about what this is, we won't survive without supplies."
They packed six containers of food and several water bottles.
"Good. Let's get the hell out of here," Danny said.
They ran out the back door.
Once outside, they froze.
"Fuck."
Fires burned everywhere. Cars were crashed and overturned. And in the distance… actual zombies.
Instead of taking the main street, they hurried toward a smaller, narrower road that looked less crowded.
They moved quietly, occasionally hiding behind cars. By the time they left the school area, they were drenched in sweat and out of breath. The constant sprinting and fear had drained them faster than they expected.
Slowing down, they took small sips of water as they walked through a neighborhood filled with burning and flipped cars.
Groans and screams echoed from nearby houses. Fear clawed at them, but adrenaline and the will to survive kept them moving.
After walking a few more meters, they sighed in relief. No zombies seemed to be following them.
Then two figures emerged from the shadows of a house.
"Shit," Johnathan muttered.
"It's only two," Danny said. "We can handle them. Just don't make too much noise."
Despite his confident tone, Danny was still just a teenager with no real fighting experience—especially against something that didn't seem to feel pain.
The other two weren't much better. Their hands trembled, slick with sweat.
But they had families to check on. They couldn't afford to be paralyzed by fear.
They tightened their grips on their knives.
Just as they were about to charge, Johnathan noticed a few large rocks nearby.
"I have an idea."
The others paused as he quickly explained his plan.
AN: They didn't encounter many zombies because most were still inside homes, workplaces, or other enclosed spaces. Since the zombies are too mindless to open doors, there are fewer of them wandering the streets.