"Come on, come on... just one more run," Adam Sciver muttered, his fingers drumming anxiously against the stained surface of his desk. The dim glow of his second-hand laptop flickered, barely keeping up with the live cricket stream. His breath hitched as the bowler charged forward, the batsman poised—one strike could turn everything around.
Then, disaster.
"No, no, no! Damn it!"
The Batsman misjudged the ball and went for a swing early , missing the ball. The batsman was clean bowled. His team had lost. And with it, Adam too lost his bet.
Adam shot up, his chair scraping against the tiled floor. His gut twisted. His last few hundred bucks were all gone. The balance in his bank account were now not more than $50.12. That was all he had left.
For a long moment, he stood motionless, his chest rising and falling in short, ragged breaths. A hand ran through his messy brown hair, fingers gripping at his scalp. "I should have cashed out early" he spoke. "Why always me?"
But he didn't. He never did. The thrill of the gamble and the high of a win, it kept him coming back. Until now.
Silence settled over the room, broken only by the distant honking of cars outside his cramped one-room flat. The place was a disaster. Packets of packaged foods, empty cans, and half-eaten takeout containers were gathered around the table and his bed. He was living off of his parents , who paid for the flat.
"Alright, time to get serious," Adam mumbled, grabbing his phone. He ignored the unread messages from Josh , probably asking to go clubbing again. Josh was a social butterfly whereas Adam did not like going out that much. He went straight to a gig site. Dog walking, food delivery, warehouse stocking.
Nothing exciting. But excitement wasn't an option anymore.
As he scrolled, a breaking news notification came up.
"URGENT: Unidentified viral outbreak reported at EverGene Research Facility. Authorities urge citizens to stay indoors. Further updates to follow."
Adam frowned, tapping the notification. A grainy live stream loaded.
A breathless reporter stood outside EverGene's massive facility, wind blowing her hair as sirens went on in the background. Behind her, flashing red lights illuminated the sleek glass building, casting eerie reflections on the pavement.
"Authorities have locked down EverGene's virology wing after an unexpected containment breach. Details remain scarce, but unconfirmed reports suggest several staff members have fallen ill following exposure to an unknown pathogen."
Adam switched tabs. Another news site. Then another.
"Outbreak spreads in Drayford and Velmora. Rising cases. Unconfirmed fatalities. Government considers quarantine measures."
He exhaled sharply. "Great. Must be another flu scare."
He'd seen this before. Media frenzy. Panic buying. Supermarkets running out of toilet paper. Give it a few weeks, and everything would go back to normal.
Pushing the thought aside, he scrolled back to his job listings. Whatever this was, it wasn't his problem. At least not yet.
His stomach growled, reminding him that worrying about the news wouldn't fill his fridge. He grabbed his jacket and stepped outside for a stroll. The streets looked the same as ever, normal. If there was anything to be scared of, people sure weren't showing it.
As he walked past a row of small shops, his eyes landed on a board outside a convenience store:
HELP WANTED – PART-TIME SALES CLERK – GOOD PAY
He stopped in his tracks, staring at the sign. His first instinct was to keep walking , he'd never seen himself as the type to work behind a register. A year ago, he had bigger plans, better ambitions. But that version of him felt like someone else now, someone who hadn't made one bad bet after another.
Adam let out a slow breath. "Well, looks like my luck isn't completely rotten."
He stepped inside.
The cool air inside the convenience store smelled of instant noodles and disinfectant. A television mounted on the wall above the counter played the news, the red banner at the bottom flashing urgent updates about the outbreak.
Behind the counter, a middle-aged man, likely in his forties, leaned forward with his elbows on the surface, watching the screen intently. His face was lined with worry, his dark hair showing streaks of gray . As Adam stepped inside, the man's gaze shifted from the news to him.
"How may I help you?" the man asked, his voice steady but lacking the usual enthusiasm of a shopkeeper.
Adam walked up to the counter, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I saw the hiring sign outside. I wanted to ask about the job and the payment."
The man straightened up slightly, his eyes scanning Adam briefly before nodding. "You're looking for work? Well, it's a part-time gig, but the pay is decent for what it is. I give fair wages, fifteen an hour. You up for it?"
Fifteen an hour. Adam did some quick mental math. It wasn't a fortune, but it was enough to keep him afloat. "Sounds fair. When can I start?"
The man extended his hand. "Name's Ron. And if you're ready, you can start immediately."
Adam hesitated for just a second before shaking his hand. "Adam Sciver. Alright, I'm in. What do I need to do?"
Ron walked him around the store, explaining the basics - stocking shelves, handling the register, keeping the place clean. Nothing too complicated, just repetitive. Adam listened attentively, making mental notes. He wasn't thrilled about the work, but at least it paid.
The hours passed faster than he had expected. The store had a slow but steady number of customers, most of whom looked preoccupied, probably because of the growing news about the outbreak. Even Ron kept sneaking glances at the TV every time the updates played.
At some point, a customer spoke, "This thing's getting worse, huh?" while handing Adam a crumpled bill.
Adam nodded absently. "Yeah, guess so."
He didn't think much of it.
Finally, his shift ended. Ron counted the cash from the till and handed Adam his first-day pay. "Good work today, kid. Same time tomorrow if you're still up for it."
Adam pocketed the money and gave Ron a casual salute. "See you then."
Stepping out into the night, he exhaled, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment. It had been a while since he earned money that didn't rely on luck, or his parents. His stomach rumbled, reminding him of his next destination. He needed food.
His mind immediately went to a small food stall a few blocks away. The place was nothing fancy, but it had decent food at dirt-cheap prices.
When he got there, the vendor, an old man with a thick moustache, was packing up for the night. "One last order?" Adam asked, pulling out a few bills.
The man smiled, but it felt thinner than usual. "You're in luck. Got just enough left for one more plate."
Adam took his food- a steaming plate of stir-fried noodles with beans and vegetables and started his walk home.
The streets were quieter than usual.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but the air felt heavier. A few stores had closed earlier than expected, their shutters down, lights off. Usually, even late at night, the city had life, cars honking, people loitering outside bars, music drifting from open windows. Tonight, everything felt silent.
Halfway home, he passed a bus stop where two men stood waiting. Their voices were hushed, but as Adam walked by, he caught snippets of their conversation.
"...something about the military being called in..."
"...could be another government cover-up..."
Adam frowned but kept walking.
Back at his apartment, he sat on his couch, eating while checking his phone. Out of curiosity, he pulled up the news again. What he saw made his stomach twist.
More than half the population of Drayford has died. Velmora reports increasing fatalities. Government orders emergency lockdowns.
Adam's chewing slowed. He scrolled further. Videos of empty streets, abandoned cars, and medical personnel in full hazmat suits carrying bodies into vans filled his screen.
Something was wrong , very wrong.
Before he could process it, sirens blared outside his apartment.
A robotic voice echoed through the streets.
"Attention citizens! Stay inside your homes! Do not go outside until further notice!"
Adam set down his food, his hands suddenly cold. He got up and peeked through the blinds. Police cars and military vehicles patrolled the streets. Officers with megaphones repeated the warning. There were no further details. No explanation of symptoms. No statement on how the victims had died.
He leaned against the window, swallowing hard. "Damn… this is big. Will I live?"
He didn't have an answer.
Adam sat in his dimly lit apartment, the remains of his meal still on the table. The sirens outside had died down. He grabbed his phone and scrolled through news updates about the outbreak. Most official sources were still vague, repeating the same warnings: Stay indoors. Avoid contact with the infected. Further details to come.
Frustrated, he switched to social media. That's when he saw it- a trending post by a well known Metuber, "ZedRiot," who had allegedly streamed the initial breakout at EverGene. His post was filled with a mix of panic and fear. The caption read:
"They don't want you to see this. Watch this before they take it down!"
Curious, Adam clicked on the link. The stream recording opened to a shaky handheld view of EverGene's front gates. Alarms blared in the background as scientists in hazmat suits ran in all directions. Then the camera panned to a horrifying sight, a man in a lab coat clutching his stomach, suddenly convulsing and collapsing to the ground.
People screamed, backing away. But then, the body twitched. Slowly, unnaturally, it rose. His head jerked up, his eyes milky white. And then he lunged at the nearest person.
The stream chat was a warzone.
User_0932: "FAKE. CGI is getting better these days."
GamerKing42: "Nah, this looks too real. The way he moves… bro, that's not normal."
Sara_LuvsCats: "Zombies aren't real. Chill."
MetubeModerator: "This video is under review for violating community guidelines."
Adam's stomach twisted. Zombies? No way. But the clip didn't look staged. The panic in the scientist's eyes, the sheer chaos - it felt real.
He checked the comments. Some people were claiming they had seen similar reports in Velmora, the other outbreak city. Others swore this was just government fear-mongering.
But the fact remained that half of Drayford's population was already gone. And no one was explaining why.
A cold shiver ran down his spine. If this is real… what the hell am I supposed to do?
Then, outside his window, the sirens started again.
Adam's hands trembled as he scrolled through the never-ending flood of posts and comments. The internet was in chaos. Official news channels were still withholding details, repeating the same warnings about an "unidentified pathogen," but social media was telling a different story.
The virus wasn't just contained in Drayford or Velmora anymore. Reports were coming in from all over the country—hordes of infected moving from city to city, entire districts falling silent overnight.
Then, the worst update yet.
BREAKING: First cases of infection confirmed in Kessport. Citizens are advised to stay indoors. Curfew enforced until further notice.
Adam panicked. They're here? Already?!
He clicked on a local news report. A grainy phone video showed a street just a few blocks away. People were running - no, sprinting for their lives as a group of figures staggered behind them. At first, Adam thought they were just injured or drunk. But then he saw how they moved. Jerky, unnatural, relentless.
A scream rang out in the video as one of the figures tackled a man to the ground, sinking its teeth into his shoulder. Blood splattered onto the pavement. The person filming screamed and ran, the footage shaking wildly before cutting off.
Adam slammed his phone down, his heart pounding. "Dammit… this can't be happening."
He turned to his window, looking out at the streets below. For now, everything seemed normal. But for how long?
The sirens outside wailed again, and this time, a voice blared over a loudspeaker:
"This is an emergency broadcast. Citizens of Kessport, return to your homes immediately. The city is now under lockdown. Do not come out at any cost. Authorities will provide further instructions."
Adam sat on the edge of his bed, his laptop screen flickering in the dim light. The emergency broadcast had ended, leaving an unsettling silence in the air. Outside, the distant sound of sirens echoed through the empty streets, accompanied by the occasional muffled voice on a loudspeaker.