BOOM!
An explosion erupted outside as screams echoed in the night
"Huh...?! The fuck is happening?"
I forced myself out of bed, stumbling across my apartment. I grabbed the cabinet—stabilizing myself. I squinted at the clock, trying to see the time in the dark—too lazy to turn on the light.
11:04
"Who in their right mind would throw a party at this hour?"
And why the hell are they so loud that I could hear them from this high up?
I stumbled to the window, trying to see what all the commotion was about. I wasn't really angry at the fact that they ruined my sleep. I was fairly used to it by now, with my landlord randomly barging in, trying to evict me.
I peeked my head out the window, then suddenly—
"Agh—the hell?"
I was blinded for a moment. Dust and dirt flew up like wind currents, filling the area like a fog. When I regained sight, I could barely see anything from the entire area, turning into a dirt storm.
I covered my entire face. Coughing as I stepped back inside to get away. I looked again when the chaos had settled.
"Holy shit...! Z-Zombies!?"
knock! knock!
My head snapped toward the sound.
My door?
I have a bad feeling about this. I stumbled back to my room, trying to find a weapon, a metal pole from a vacuum cleaner.
Better than nothing.
I slowly crept up to the door, weapon ready to strike at any moment.
"H-Hello?"
I heard faint rustling outside the door, like a body was being dragged. I peeked through the peephole.
Empty.
I didn't bother to go outside to check. That was way too risky. I was planning to check the tv not before something stopped me in my tracks—
BANG!
A person slammed against the door as it flung open.
"H-Help..."
He was choking on his own saliva, body convulsing, and lurching towards me.
I was hesitant to take a swing when something smashed the back of his head first.
WHAM!
The person went down in a single hit. Its head caving in, blood splattered everywhere.
"You okay?"
"Evelyn!?"
I never expected the girl of my dreams to come and save me. Red eyes, white hair, and a nurse's outfit that could almost be considered a dress code violation. She had streaks of bloodstains all over her.
Even covered in blood... she looked unreal.
She was my next-door neighbor, and we've never really gotten close, even though we've lived in the same complex for almost a decade. We just kept exchanging glances every time we saw each other. She was always at work as a nurse most of the time.
The bat stayed stuck on the zombie's head. She wiped the blood on her short skirt, looking back outside the door, checking for incoming threats. I lowered my weapon, still processing the sudden events that had just happened.
She glanced at me like she was admiring a celebrity before looking over the railing.
"As much as I want to talk more with you, we have no time." She looked petrified, staring down the apartment complex.
I looked over to a horrible sight.
It looked like a riot—people running as a growing horde of zombies closed in. Some tried to fight back, but others were overwhelmed, and cars slammed into each other in the chaos.
It's an actual zombie apocalypse.
"Thank god we're high up here..." I nervously laughed, trying to undermine the madness that's happening.
Evelyn sighed in relief. "I thought you'd be more... panicky."
"Nah... I kinda wished for something like this to happen."
I always loved zombie-apocalypse tropes, even played those games all the time. The thrill of surviving in a ravaged city while fighting off zombies was definitely one of my biggest fantasies.
I snapped out of my delusion. Reality is gonna be way worse.
"Barricade the exits—now. Going down is a bad idea."
We started hauling furniture towards possible exits, leaving the fire exit free just in case.
There were only three people on our floor—Well... used to be three. The 3rd person is lying on my doorstep now. There was no reason for us to go down and call for help, especially with all the chaos down there. Staying was the safest option for now. Unless, of course, they were smart enough to get up here.
"S-Shouldn't we call for help?" Evelyn was surprised by my sudden change in character.
Although things were chaotic, panicking would only make things worse. Besides, it's not like we're in any danger right no—
BANG!
Sounds of panic echoed through the hallway.
The emergency exit...