Nazir El Din woke up to the sound of his alarm ringing. Still groggy from sleep, he rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. He yawned and stretched his arms before deciding to get out of bed. It was a typical Monday morning, and he had to get ready for school. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and checked the time. He still had time.
He makes his way to the bathroom, where he washes his face and brushes his teeth, After getting dressed for the day, he heads to the kitchen, where his mother had already prepared breakfast, He felt grateful for the delicious spread of labneh, zaatar, and fresh bread.
He ate quickly, feeling a rush of excitement run through his veins, as he thought about the day ahead. The morning sky was clear, and the sun had yet to rise, he could tell it was going to be a beautiful day.
After breakfast, Nazir gathered his textbooks and shoved them into his backpack, leaving his house and making his way to the bus stop. He stood there, waiting for the bus to arrive, feeling the cold morning air nip at his skin. While waiting for his bus, he saw his neighbors off to work at the nearby factories.
As the bus arrived, he got on, and made his way to his usual seat, greeting his friends who were already on board. Everyone was happy and laughing, excited about the day ahead.
As he arrives at school, which is located in the bustling city of Beirut, Nazir feels a sense of anticipation and curiosity. A new history lesson awaits him, and he was eager to learn more about the Ottoman Empire, whose remnants still permeate Lebanese architecture.
The day goes by quickly, and by the end of it, he feels his mind buzzing with newfound knowledge and inspiration. The bell rings, signaling the end of the day, and Nazir makes his way back home on foot.
Nazir usually enjoys his walk back home, taking his time to appreciate the vibrancy of his city. However, today was different. As he approaches a busy intersection, he hears loud screaming and shouting. People were running in all directions, and in a split second, Nazir almost gets hit by a car.
He falls to the ground, feeling disoriented and dazed. As he tries to stand up, he feels the blood rush to his head, and his heart pounding erratically. He stumbles to his feet, trying to gain his balance, and then walks towards the crashed vehicle.
As he approaches the car, he realizes that the driver is not human. It's a zombie. A surge of terror runs through his veins, leaving him immobilized.
Suddenly, the zombie lunges towards him, its eyes clouded with chaos and hunger. Nazir's instincts kick in, and he runs for his life, not daring to look back.
The streets today were no, longer filled with joy and laughter. Instead, they are now filled with the cries of bystanders and the moans of the undead. They were coming out from every alleyway and building, their numbers too many to count.
Nazir makes his way through the alleys, his goal being to reach home. As he runs, he hears the deafening sounds of gunfire and screams of people pleading for mercy.
His heart pounding and his breath short, Nazir finally reaches home, his entire body shaking with adrenaline. He rushes inside, locking the door behind him.
Once he was inside, he saw that the entire house had been ransacked, with broken objects and overturned furniture in sight. Everything looked like a scene from an apocalypse movie.
"Hello? Dad? Mom?" he called out, but there was no answer.
Suddenly, he heard a muffled groan coming from the corner of the living room. He cautiously made his way toward the sound and saw his parents, now unrecognizable zombies. He was utterly shocked and heartbroken, "No! This-this can't be...Shit!"
His now undead parents lunged at him, ready to tear him apart, but by a hair's breadth, he managed to dodge both of their hands and run away.
He quickly ran up the stairs and dashed towards his siblings' rooms, first opening his 14-year-old sister's door. He went inside, looking around, opening the wardrobe, and looking inside. Not seeing her inside, he looked under the bed, finding her there. She was shaking and crying quietly with her eyes closed.
"Nadine. It's me, Nazir!"
"Nazir?"
"Yeah, it's me-" he suddenly chokes on his words, trying to hold in his tears. "Come one, sis, we gotta get out of here."
She suddenly shakes her head, protesting his words. "I won't..."
"There's no choice! Come on!" He shouts at her, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of under the bed.
"No!" She shouts
"Damn it! Come on!" He shouts at her again, this time also giving her a slap on her face.
She instantly stays quiet and gets up quietly, following Nazir.
They quickly make their way to their brother's room, opening the door, only to find out that the room is empty, with only items of furniture inside. Then they heard a groan behind them. They turned around only to see their late parents clumsily stumbling up the stairs.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Nadine shouts out in fright and in grief. "NO! MOMMA! DAD"
*GROANS* Their parents now slightly faster stumble up the stairs.
Nazir strongly slaps his hand on his sister's mouth and holds it there to keep her quiet. This action might seem savage and unnecessary, but he didn't know how to keep her quiet and he wants to keep her safe by whatever method he can use.
They make their way to the bathroom, more precisely. Nazir pulls Nadine with him while she keeps crying muffled to their now undead parents.
Nazir opens the door, pushes his sister inside, and slams the door shut. "Damn it, where's Rami?!"
His sister is now sitting on the floor, couped up in the corner of the room, crying. Not being able to hold it anymore, Nazir's eyes start to water and tears eventually starting to falling down and starting to sob.
"Shit...Why...?"