"Why is this happening? How did things end up like this?" I said while running.

I keep running through the forest, bleeding and unable to run properly. With each step, I hear the relentless pursuit of the undead behind me. Exhausted, I wonder, 'Should I just let them eat me?

Spotting a small cabin in the forest, I raced towards it, hoping to hide inside and evade the pursuing zombie.

I can hear the zombies around the area, listening to their guttural sounds.

I check my injured, bleeding leg, wondering how I can survive this. Is this how I will die, bleeding to death?

Suddenly, I heard a ringing phone, and shock coursed through me as the loud sound threatened to attract the zombies toward the cabin.

"Damn! Why is there a phone in here, and why the heck is it ringing?"

In a panic, I grabbed the phone, frantically trying to turn it off, all the while hearing the zombies banging on the cabin, desperately trying to get inside.

"I guess this is it. I'm going to die because of this stupid phone." I finally turned off the phone, but the zombies had already destroyed part of the cabin and were rushing towards me.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" I shouted, then I opened my eyes, checking my surroundings, only to realize that I was in the midst of a dream.

"What? That was a dream? Damn, stupid dream. I thought I died." I come back to my senses, only to hear a ringing phone.

So the ringing phone wasn't just a dream," I said as I answered the phone. "Who could be calling?"

"Hey! Why are you not answering the phone? Were you asleep?" said a man's voice.

"Sheen? Why are you calling this early?" I said, yawning.

"What do you mean, 'this early'? It's already afternoon! Did you forget our plan for today?" said Sheen.

I checked the clock, and it was already 2:30 pm. "Oh, my bad. I was streaming until midnight, so I overslept," I said.

"Anyway, get your ass off the bed and get ready! I'm about to finish my shift, and Ryo is already on the way here," said Sheen.

"Okay, okay, stop acting like my mom. I'll be there," I said, ending the call.

I stood up and noticed I was wet from sweat. 'I should take a shower.'

I took a shower, dried my hair with a towel, and changed my clothes. Checking the time, it was still 3 o'clock. I sat in front of my computer and scrolled through FaceNote.

As I scrolled through my feed, I saw a video showing a commotion, explaining the heavy traffic.

The video depicted two trucks colliding with each other, impacting several other cars, and resulting in numerous injuries.

But what concerned many people the most was that inside one of the trucks were corpses. That's why there were many police at the scene.

"What the hell? Corpses inside the truck? Are they involved in some illegal activities?" I exclaimed.

As I watched the video, my phone rang, and I saw Sheen calling me again.

"I'm on my way," I said.

"Hey, I think my shift will be extended because there is a major accident. The hospital is kind of packed right now," he said.

"Oh, I saw the video. Is it because of that? They said there were corpses inside the truck," I said.

"Yeah, the hospital is a bit hectic at the moment. Apart from that, there have been numerous injuries. Anyway, Ryo is already at the hospital; he mentioned he's going for his regular checkup since his training ended early. Traffic is quite heavy at the moment. Call Ryo when you arrive," Sheen said.

"Okay, see you guys there," I said, then hung up the call.

I got ready and left my apartment. Since there's quite a bit of traffic, I think I'll use my bike. The hospital isn't far from here; it takes 20 minutes to bike there or 10 minutes by bus.

The breeze was so cold as I biked. I observed the traffic and tried to navigate my way through it with my bike.

Sheen, Ryo, and I have been friends since 1st year of high school. The three of us are opposite. Sheen is kind of a brainy type; he's always at the top in school when it comes to academics, so I guess it's not surprising for him to be a doctor.

Ryo is the athletic type; he's excellent when it comes to sports. Since high school, he played baseball in our school, which led to him getting scouted, and now he is a professional baseball player.

Then one day, we met at the computer shop near my house, although it's kind of far from school. I saw the two of them looking like lost babies who didn't know anything when it came to gaming.

So, I taught them, and we clicked because they also enjoyed playing. I was fond of survival games, and they were into them as well.

Those two are busy, and I'm always available because my profession is a content creator on MeTube. I stream and post videos about games.

Sheen and Ryo suddenly decided to meet this Saturday because they are free until Monday. They said they missed playing, so we decided to meet and go to Sheen's house to play.

As I was on my way to the hospital, I saw the trucks that caused the traffic. "Man, just what happened here?" I stopped for a moment and took a picture. There were still many injured people around the area.

I think this will be good content for my MeTube. As I was checking the photos I took, I heard someone screaming.

I checked the surroundings, and then I saw a woman struggling because a guy was trying to do something to her. The bystanders tried to stop the guy, but he was unexpectedly strong.

"Wow, what's going on? I feel like I should capture this on video; I'll just blur their faces afterward," I exclaimed as I took a video on my phone.

"Hey, man! Stop! What are you doing? Aren't you ashamed?" exclaimed the guy trying to restrain the agitated man.

The guy turned around, his eyes looking rather menacing and his complexion pale. He seemed to be mumbling something incoherently.

"What are you saying? Speak up so I can understand you," the man insisted, attempting to hear the other person's words.

As he leaned in to listen, the other guy suddenly lunged at him, biting his ear.

"What the heck! It hurts! Get off me! My ear will fall off!" screamed the guy in agony, desperately trying to push the assailant away.

The police and the people near the area tried to stop the guy, but he abruptly commenced biting them randomly.

The person who had been bitten shouted in pain, rolling over the floor and slowly getting up. He suddenly looked like the guy who bit him. He appeared pale, and his eyes were scary. Shockingly, he too started to bite other strangers.

"I think things are not looking good. I should go where Sheen and Ryo are." I stopped taking a video and started to pedal my bike.

As I was trying to leave, a guy tried to jump on me, but I kicked him and pedaled as fast as I could.

I tried calling Ryo, but he wouldn't answer the phone. I didn't want to believe what I saw, but I think something serious is happening right now.

Finally, I arrived at the hospital, but things didn't look good. People were screaming and panicking, and I heard gunshots. "Ryo and Sheen, I hope those two are okay," I said, rushing inside the building.

 ***

20 minutes ago, as I was ready to clock out from my shift, my colleague stopped me and told me they needed help; there was a major accident, and they were short of people.

I checked and saw many people being brought into the hospital, and there were also many armed police officers present.

"Hey Fren, what happened?" I ask my colleague.

"There was a traffic accident, and many people got injured because of it," Fren said.

"Okay, but why are there so many police officers here as well?" I asked.

"They found corpses inside the truck that was involved in the traffic accident," Fren whispered.

"What? Corpses? Just what the heck is happening?" I exclaimed.

"Hey, you guys! Stop standing there and help here in the Emergency Room," said our head director.

"Yes, we're coming!" We rushed toward the Emergency Room.

***

"You are doing great, Ryo. Just maintain your health and always do daily exercise," said the doctor.

"Yes, thank you, doc," I replied.

"Then see you again after 2 weeks. Good luck with your games!" the doctor said.

I stood up, bowed, and then left the room. Finally, I could rest. I'm excited; we're going to play later. I think Sheen's shift is almost done, so I should go to where he is.

As I walked inside the hospital, I saw Sheen, and just as I was about to call him out, he rushed inside the emergency room.

I checked my watch and saw that his shift was supposed to be done already.

"Did his shift get extended? It's hard being a doctor," I said.

I saw a vending machine, bought a water, and sat in the rest area.

Many people were brought in on stretchers, and police officers were present.

"Just what happened?" I watched them while drinking.