Reian ran through the open front door, but he stopped dead in his tracks.
The words died in his throat.
The living room was covered in blood.
Two dead bodies lay torn apart on the floor.
In the middle of the mess sat Beran.
His clothes were ripped, and his arms and legs were covered in deep zombie bite marks.
He was holding a medical syringe, pressing the needle straight into his own neck.
Beran looked up, his eyes completely bloodshot.
He let out a creepy, evil laugh.
“Reian…
you’re finally here.
I’ve been waiting for you.”
With a painful gasp, Beran slammed the plunger down, injecting the liquid into himself.
“Beran!
What the hell are you doing?!” Reian yelled, taking a step back in shock.
Beran’s lips curled into a twisted smile.
“I made it, Reian.
This virus…
I’m the one who invented it.”
Reian froze completely.
His brain couldn’t process the words.
He started stuttering.
“What?
No…
why?
Why would you do something like this?!”
Beran coughed violently, spitting dark blood onto the floor.
“I don’t have much time.
That injection…
it was my only antidote.
But it failed.
It’s useless.
No one else in the world can make a cure now.
Only me…
and I’m dying.”
He took a rough breath and looked right at Reian.
My people are all over the world.
They all have a small device inside their bodies.
When the timer goes off, the device explodes and releases the virus.
By now, the virus has already spread across the entire world.”
Reian’s hands shook.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because,” Beran whispered, his body starting to shake.
“Back in high school, you were my best friend.
You were always so honest and kind-hearted.
That’s why I’m telling you the truth.”
Beran coughed up more blood and started to fall over.
Reian rushed forward and grabbed him to keep him steady.
“Beran!
Stay with me!”
“Listen to me!” Beran snapped, gripping Reian’s arm with scary strength.
“These zombies…
they are only stage one.
The virus is changing.
It is preparing the human body for an unknown being…
something way more dangerous than these zombies.
You are the only one who can stop this, Reian, because I have told you everything I know.”
Tears came to Reian’s eyes.
He felt a terrible mix of sadness and betrayal.
“Beran…”
“A friend doesn’t say goodbye,” Beran whispered.
Suddenly, his eyes rolled back and a wild, animal growl came from his throat.
He was turning.
Just then, loud noises came from outside.
A crowd of zombies was rushing the house.
“Zombies!” Flame shouted, drawing his sword.
He and Silvia immediately ran to the door, cutting down the monsters trying to get inside.
Reian looked back at Beran, who was now snapping his teeth, his human mind completely gone.
“Goodbye, friend,” Reian said softly.
Before the zombie-Beran could attack Reian, Flame stepped in.
With one quick swing of his sword, Flame cut off Beran’s head.
“Reian, we have to run right now!
More zombies are coming!” Silya screamed, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the back door.
Everyone started running.
Reian felt completely numb.
*Why did Beran do it?* The question kept hurting his mind as they sprinted down the dangerous streets, dodging monsters. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Suddenly, a loud explosion blasted through a nearby apartment building, throwing fire into the air.
“In there!
Hide!” Reian shouted, pointing to a massive house down the road.
They ran inside the gates.
The house was huge and surrounded by a tall four-meter concrete wall that blocked them from the street.
They burst through the front door and looked around.
In the hallway, they saw the owner of the house lying dead on the floor.
He had shot himself with a gun rather than face the zombies outside.
Keeping his weapon ready, Reian slowly opened the bedroom door.
Inside, hiding in the corner, was a little ten-year-old girl.
She was shaking all over, holding a kitchen knife in her hands.
“Don’t come near me!” she cried.
Reian quickly lowered his weapon and spoke in a very calm, gentle voice.
“Hey…
it’s okay.
My name is Reian.
We aren’t going to hurt you.
My friends and I just need a place to stay for a little while.”
The girl looked at his kind face and started to calm down.
She slowly lowered the knife and nodded.
“Okay…”
Behind them, Silya walked over to check the washroom.
The moment she turned the handle and opened the door, a bloody figure jumped out.
It was the little girl’s mom, who had turned into a zombie.
The zombie growled and tried to bite Silya’s face.
Silya screamed and fell backward.
Before the monster could touch her, Silvia moved fast.
She stepped in and stabbed the zombie straight through the head, killing it instantly.
Silya panted from the floor, looking up in shock.
“Silvia…
thank you.” Silvia just nodded and pulled her weapon back.
But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, a loud, terrifying sound echoed from outside, shaking the entire house.
It didn’t sound like a zombie, and it didn’t sound like an explosion.
With their hearts pounding, the whole group rushed to the bedroom balcony and threw the doors open to look outside.
When they looked past the four-meter walls into the street, they froze in absolute horror.
Hope you enjoyed the 14th chapter!