Downtown Austin.
Tall buildings loomed overhead, their glass facades gleaming under the afternoon sun.
The sidewalks were packed with people and the streets choked with traffic, yet every few minutes an ambulance screamed past, its siren cutting through the urban din.
Even above the city’s constant noise, onlookers could hear the agonized wails of patients inside.
“You sure about this place?” Brian eyed the massive shopping mall before them, its entrances swarming with shoppers.
Nothing in there came cheap.
“Of course.” Sarah pulled fifty dollars from her pocket with a triumphant grin.
“I’ve been saving for this forever.
Dad’s been complaining about his broken watch for months.
I’m getting him a new one.” Brian glanced at the crumpled bill, then back at Sarah’s eager face.
Fifty bucks wouldn’t buy much of a watch, but he kept that thought to himself.
No point crushing her enthusiasm.
“Sarah, that’s not really enou—” “AHHH—!” A sudden commotion across the street cut him off.
Both of them turned toward the noise.
A large Black man was collapsing at the curb, dropping to his knees.
His chest heaved violently, each breath a ragged struggle.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably, dark veins bulging beneath his skin like writhing worms.
His eye sockets had gone dark, and thin streaks of blood seeped from the corners of his eyes.
The man looked monstrous, barely human.
The people nearby knew the signs.
This was the new infection spreading through the city.
One by one, they backed away, hands clamped over their mouths and noses.
“Dispatch, I’ve got a symptomatic.
Requesting an ambulance.” A patrol officer spotted the scene and sprinted toward the man, radio in hand.
The moment he reached the victim, he pulled out handcuffs without hesitation and secured the man’s arms behind his back.
The crowd erupted.
Some of the onlookers urged the officer to release the cuffs.
Others shouted curses.
A few men brandished makeshift weapons, stepping forward as if ready to storm in and free their fellow.
The officer’s expression remained cold, unreadable.
Without a word, he drew his sidearm.
The message was clear: Don’t try it.
Minutes later, the wail of sirens grew louder as an ambulance pulled up beside them.
By then, the Black man had lost all reason.
He thrashed wildly, screaming at the top of his lungs.
It took three paramedics to wrestle him onto the gurney and strap him down before finally loading him into the vehicle.
As the ambulance disappeared into the traffic, the crowd dispersed, bored now that the show was over.
The street returned to its normal rhythm as if nothing had happened.
But Brian couldn’t shake what he’d just witnessed.
A cold dread coiled in his chest.
A voice at the back of his mind whispered that something terrible was coming.
“Why do I have this awful feeling?” he muttered under his breath.
Beside him, Sarah had already lost interest.
Outbreaks were a daily occurrence now; everyone was getting used to them.
She grabbed Brian’s hand and tugged him toward the mall entrance, a sly grin spreading across her face.
“Come on, let’s hurry!
Good thing I brought you along.
I’d never dare come shopping here alone.” Brian blinked, his unease momentarily forgotten.
He stared at her in disbelief.
“Wait.
You dragged me here just to pay for your stuff?” “Bingo.” She snapped her fingers, ignoring the odd looks from nearby shoppers.
Wrapping both arms around his right arm, she rested her head against his shoulder and gazed up at him with pleading eyes.
“You won’t let me down, right?” Brian looked down at that innocent, hopeful face and pressed a palm to his forehead with a long, defeated sigh.
“Oh man.
There goes my allowance for the next month.” They slipped back into school around 2:30 PM.
Classes were nearly over, and students were already packing up.
Brian and Sarah crept in unnoticed, weaving through the chaos.
Back at his desk, Brian glanced over at Sarah, who was clutching a watch box and a cartoon dinosaur birthday card like they were made of gold, grinning like an idiot.
He couldn’t help but smirk despite himself.
That purchase had cost him weeks of saved-up allowance.
When Ms.
Judy returned to the classroom, everyone was ready to go.
She led them to the gate where their school bus waited.
By 3:00, they were back in the suburbs.
Brian stopped to play with Jimmy’s dog for a few minutes before Sarah invited him over.
He figured he had nothing better to do, so he agreed.
Inside her house, he was surprised by how tidy everything was.
For a single dad’s place, he’d expected clutter.
Joel kept a clean home.
“Make yourself at home.
I’m going upstairs to change.” Brian watched Sarah disappear up the stairs, then wandered around the living room.
Photos of Sarah and Joel covered the tabletops.
In the corner sat a soccer ball covered in signatures from Sarah’s team.
Then something caught his eye on the kitchen fridge.
A sticky note, written in Joel’s handwriting: Home late tonight.
Order yourself something.
See you in the morning.
Dad Footsteps creaked on the stairs.
Brian turned as Sarah came back down.
He pointed at the note.
“Looks like you won’t get to give him that gift tonight.” “Huh?” Sarah froze mid-step, spotted the note, and hurried over.
Her face fell as she read it.
A few seconds later, she slumped onto the couch like a deflated balloon, all the excitement from earlier completely gone.
“So what now?” Brian asked, trying not to laugh.
“What are you going to do with the gift?” “I’ll give it to him tomorrow,” she mumbled.
“That’s not too late, right?” “Probably fine.” “No.” Sarah shot up from the couch, cheeks puffed in frustration.
“You don’t give birthday gifts a day late.
I’m staying up.
I’ll wait for him.” Brian shrugged.
“Suit yourself.” He wasn’t about to argue.
It wasn’t his problem.
“What about dinner?” he asked.
Sarah pointed at Joel’s note.
“Takeout, obviously.” “You had takeout yesterday too.” Brian walked over to the fridge, opened it, and scanned the contents.
Plenty of ingredients inside.
“Tell you what.
I’ll cook.
Eating out every night can’t be good for you.” “You know how to cook?” “Of course!” Night fell.
Brian paced back and forth in front of his bedroom window, moonlight painting his anxious face.
Josie had already left for the night.
She wouldn’t be back until morning.
He stared out at the dark neighborhood, replaying the scene from earlier.
The Black man collapsing.
The veins.
The blood.
Even though it was nearly midnight, sleep wouldn’t come.
He glanced over at Sarah’s house.
The living room light was still on.
A moment later, he saw Joel walk through the front door.
Sarah must have given him the present by now.
A small smile tugged at Brian’s lips.
He grabbed the TV remote, flipped through a few channels, and settled back into bed.
If he couldn’t sleep, might as well watch something.
BZZZT!
The shrill ring of the phone jolted Brian awake.
He blinked groggily and sat up, disoriented.
The landline on his nightstand was flashing, its display glowing in the dark.
He must have dozed off while watching TV.
He checked the clock.
2:00 AM.
“Who calls this late?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
He reached for the receiver and pressed it to his ear.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice crackled through the line.
She was crying, but the tears were from relief.
“Oh my God.
Finally.
You picked up.” Brian’s drowsiness vanished in an instant.
He knew that voice.
It was the same voice he heard in old photos and family videos left around the house.
His mother.
Before he could figure out what to say, she spoke again, her voice urgent and shaking.
“Brian, listen to me very carefully.
The infection has spiraled out of control.
These people, these things they’re everywhere.
They’re hurting people.
In our bedroom closet, there’s a black box.
There’s a gun inside.
Your father and I are stuck in Washington.
We can’t get to you.
You need to find ” The line went dead.
Brian stared at the receiver.
He hung up and immediately dialed back.
Nothing.
Just a hollow ring, then silence.
Dread flooded his chest, suffocating and cold.
He turned toward the window, staring into the dark streets.
Across the neighborhood, lights were flickering on, one after another.
Houses waking up to the same horror.
He knew, with absolute certainty, that a storm was coming.
And it was already here.