A flickering street lamp buzzed overhead casting uneven shadows across the broken asphalt. Smoke rose from burned trees, cars, and damaged buildings, depicting relics of a world that had once been thriving but had crumbled in the blink of an eye. The air carried the stench of decay, growing stronger with each passing second.
In the eerie silence, a low guttural moan echoed, breaking the quiet stillness of the empty street. It sounded distant but it only took a few seconds when a mangled figure appeared outside an abandoned, barely recognizable convenience store. The tattered clothes hanging on its frail frame were the only evidence left of its humanity. Its pallid skin stretched thin over the bone, barely covering its rotten flesh. With foggy eyes that could hardly see, it sniffed the air, searching.
Slowly moving, stumbling through the broken glass, it stepped inside the building seemingly following a certain scent. A shadow moved at the corner, causing the monster's head to twitch, focusing on its prey. With a terrifying snarl, the creature opened its mouth, showing its decomposing teeth as it lunged forward.
The moment it reached the counter, the abomination locked its gaze on a target. "Run!" a voice screamed, followed by two silhouettes jumping out. One of them managed to throw a kick, knocking the undead along with a metal shelf that crashed on the floor, holding it in place. This bought them some time to get away from its grasp, but now they had to act fast.
"Run, Gabby!" the boy urged his companion as they heard a loud screech from the distance, its hollow voice splitting the air like a siren.
Zigzagging between overturned cars and piles of debris, the two survivors ran for their lives. Up ahead, they spotted an alleyway between two crumbling buildings. Without thinking twice, they slid into the narrow path listening to the fury shrieks behind them. Their lungs burned but they kept running, desperate to find an escape.
Trash bins and an assortment of broken bricks, wood, and glass cluttered the narrow path. A dead end loomed just a hundred feet away, the back of the alley lined with barbed wire and a rusted fence. They were trapped.
Halting their plight, the boy caught his breath. He looked at his friend, his brows furrowed and his jaw tight.
"No," she uttered, shaking her head vehemently as she read the message in his expression loud and clear. "Bryn, no, you can't do this."
"Remember what I always tell you, Gabriella?"
Gabriella started crying. "Please," she begged. But Bryn only pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But if anyone gets to live after this mess, it's you."
—
24 hours before the world fell…
"What got you this time Gab?" Doctor Sanchez, the local doctor in charge of the anti-rabies shot, clicked his tongue as Gabriella sat on the cold metal chair in his clinic.
She rolled her eyes and lazily smiled at him. "Cat's neighbor scratched me accidentally. Mrs. Meyers advised me to get the shot. Siegel never stays home. So, to be safe…" she shrugged.
Doctor Sanchez shook his head and got on with poking the needle through her skin. The shot was quick but it made her skin itch in an instant. She was tempted to scratch it, however, experience told her it was a bad idea.
"You are good to go," Doctor Sanchez gave her shoulder a light pat. "But please, Gabriella, be mindful of animals. I know you find them cute nevertheless taking extra measures won't hurt."
Gabriella hopped off from the metal chair, slipping back on her faded denim jacket, and smiled warmly at Doctor Sanchez. "You'll probably see me again next month, Doc. I'm off!"
The doctor grimaced, clicking his tongue. "I'm serious, Thorne!"
She merely laughed at his warning. "I am too!" She answered, waving goodbye without looking back. Once out, the busy street had her catching sight of the black jeep that had parked right beside the curb of Doctor Sanchez's clinic.
"Hey Meyers." She grinned at the guy leaning against the hood of the car who immediately smirked, throwing a bottle of water in her direction. She caught it midflight, watching him run a hand through his blonde hair. It glinted against the morning light, smoothly falling back after his fingers passed through them.
"My mother wanted to be sure you actually had the shot." Bryn Meyers' voice cut through her reverie, bringing her back to the present.
She blinked and nodded. "I had to. Other than annoying Doctor Sanchez, I pretty much don't have a death wish."
Bryn chuckled, shaking his head before gesturing for Gabriella to hop inside his car. He watched her happily obeying, a lightness on her feet. When she got inside, she raised a brow, fumbling with the wheel before hitting the car horn.
He rolled his eyes, unable to suppress the smile stretching on his lips. "You're crazy," he mouthed before joining her. A lot of people assumed they were going out. But for Gabriella's sake, Bryn thought they were better off as friends.
—
Gabriella shut her locker close, rolling her eyes at her friend's suggestion.
"Em, how many times do I have to repeat it? Bryn and I, it's not going to happen. Plus," she paused, taking a deep breath. "You know he always had a crush on Alysa. And he never stopped talking about her."
Emily Clark folded her arms as she leaned on the lockers, eyeing Gabriella as she gave out a snort. "Ugh, with that kind of attitude, then it's really not going to happen." Emily blew out a sigh, throwing her hands in the air. "I can see the way he looks at you, Gabby. Believe me, it's not how you would look at your sibling. This is coming from me who has like three little devils to scream at every freaking day."
Gabriella rolled her eyes again, her heart hammering inside her chest. She shook her head, finding it ridiculous that Emily had been pushing her to confront Bryn, wanting him to confess his feelings toward her. But she could never bring herself to talk with him about such trivial matters, scared that his response might not coincide with what she wanted to hear.
"If the world comes to an end, Em." Gabriella answered, getting tired of thwarting her friend's claim. She hugged her books close to her chest, afraid of her reply but needing to dismiss Emily's adamant teasing. "Maybe. Maybe I'll ask him how he really feels about me."
Emily flipped her hair and smirked at her friend. "Then, for your sake, I hope the world does fall tomorrow."