The lights to the room are suddenly cut off.
After a few seconds, there's a click and a small flame appears from a lighter. I giggle excitedly, bouncing in my seat. One by one, Mom lights each candle on my birthday cake. Laughing wholeheartedly, I make silly poses while my family takes pictures of me.
I close my eyes, searching in my mind for the bestest wish I can think of. I quickly glance at my family, then the cake, blowing the candles out as fast as I can.
Cheers erupt from my parents and siblings and Dad starts cutting the widely decorated dessert. Some of my friends are here too. I give everyone a toothy grin and clap my hands together to express my happiness.
"WAKE UP, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!"
My older brother named Kai leaps onto my bed, shaking me awake. Wait...that was a dream? But I didn't even get to try the cake yet! I guess I'll be doing that today anyway.
I jolt when he suddenly starts tickling my sides. "Okay, I'm awake!" I squirm under him, gasping for air.
I quickly rush downstairs in my pajamas, closely following Kai.
Arriving at home from a long day at an amusement park, we arrive back home in time for dinner. I'm not hungry though, I'm too excited to finally get to eat my birthday cake.
After what feels like an eternity, everyone gathers around the table while Mom gets the cake and candles. Just like in my dream, the lights go out after the 4 sticks of wax are placed in their proper positions. I close my eyes, repeating my wish from last night.
When I open my eyes, I freeze. When did all the cheering and laughter stop? It's too quiet. One of the small flames flare to reveal a gaunt face with sunken eyes. Kai??
A sudden hissing sound makes me jump in my seat. A candle had melted completely and a fire started to spread across the icing on the cake. As the heat consumed the colorful pastry, it produced more light. All around me were the same horrid creatures. They slowly turned to face me, sneering and hungry.
I open my mouth to scream, but my vocal chords fail to produce any sound. My feet carry me as fast as they can, dashing out the front door and onto the sidewalk. I soon regret it when hundreds more of those terrifying zombies on the street notice my presence and start chasing after me.
Stuck with no other option, I flee to a dark alleyway at the end of the road. They shouldn't be able to find me there, right?
My assumption proves to be wrong as the crowd follows me to the dark space.
I scale up a stone wall in mere seconds, now stuck between two groups of houses, each swarming with flesh-eating monsters. They push against each other, unable to follow me up.
Suddenly, a number of individuals in the crowd start roaring and ripping apart other zombies. They plunge their hand into where their heart would be and pull out a small oval-shaped gel. They devour it, and some grasp their head before letting out a powerful scream.
The ones who had just killed their own kind stare at me with their empty eyes, like they can smell me. Without warning, they leap onto the gate I'm crouching on and immediately start advancing toward me.
I sprint in the other direction, bounding off garbage bins when I reach the end of the fence.
These zombies are so much stronger, faster, and smarter! They attacked the other ones too...I struggle to keep my distance from them.
My legs start to burn, but the pounding is nothing compared to that of my heart.
My eyes widen when I see my path ahead of me blocked by a giant sturdy barrier. I whip my head around, eyes swiveling for anywhere to escape.
I'm trapped.
My eyes close shut, squeezing together tightly. All I want to do is get out of here. Footsteps thunder toward me at a frightening pace. My body is thrown against the wall and I feel teeth closing on my neck. Before any pressure can be applied, my physical form disappears from the creature's grasp.
"Uhhhh..." the zombies stare at the area I had just been occupying. Slowly, they start to shuffle away to find another easy catch to prey on.
Meanwhile, I am now in a royal castle 10,000 years in the past.