The world hadn’t always been like this.Once, people laughed on the streets. Children played outside. Friends ate lunch without fear. But now, the streets were empty. Doors were locked. People whispered behind thick curtains, too scared to step outside.Something had changed. Something terrible.Jonah didn’t know when it started exactly. Maybe it began when the rain wouldn’t stop. Maybe it began when people started getting sick. But he remembered the moment it all fell apart like it happened just seconds ago.It started as a normal day. The rain had been falling for two days straight. Thick, heavy drops smacked the windows of the tall office building where Jonah worked.Gray clouds pressed down on the city like a giant hand. Nobody wanted to be at work, but there they were, staring at computer screens, typing half-heartedly, wishing they were anywhere else.Jonah sat by the window, tapping a pen on his desk. His eyes were on the storm outside, but his thoughts were far away. His back

Jonah stood alone in the hallway, his chest rising and falling with each anxious breath. The flickering lights above made the silence even more terrifying. Every creak, every faint gust of air made his skin crawl. The monsters could be anywhere. And he didn’t plan on waiting around to find out where.“Why did Clara run off like that?” he muttered under his breath. “I know she’s scared. We all are. But splitting up? That’s a death sentence in a place like this.”The tension in the air was thick, like a storm about to break. Jonah tightened his grip on the rusty axe in his hand. If he made one mistake, just one noise too loud, one step too fast, those creatures would be on him in seconds.He bolted for the second fire escape.The first one had been a nightmare, zombies crawling all over it like ants on sugar. But maybe this one… just maybe…Jonah moved fast, nearly tripping as he rounded the corner. His heart pounded like a drum inside his chest. This was it. If this fire escape was bl

Jonah stood still, listening closely. A faint cry for help echoed from somewhere nearby, bouncing off the cracked walls and blood-smeared tiles of the fifth floor. He didn’t recognize the voice, but he didn’t need to. Someone needed help. That was enough.He tightened his grip on the axe. “Where are they?” he muttered under his breath, stepping carefully over a torn backpack and shattered glass. His eyes scanned every corner, every door, every dark hallway.Oddly, he felt light on his feet, faster, stronger than before. He was covering ground easily, moving almost without effort. It felt strange, like the building itself had shrunk or he had become something... more. Each step came with speed and balance he didn’t remember having before.Jonah looked down at his hands, then back at the hallway. “I’m changing,” he whispered, half to himself. “But I’m not stopping now.”He rounded a corner and halted. Just ahead, a group of zombies stood outside a half-open door. They twitched, their he

They made it down to the fourth floor.Jonah felt it deep in his gut, things were only going to get weirder from here. But this time, he wasn’t alone. Lisa walked beside him, holding young Kevin gently in her arms. For the first time since the nightmare began, Jonah felt something unfamiliar, hope.There were others on this floor, he could feel it. Survivors hiding in fear, clutching silence like a shield to keep the zombies away. But at least now, he wasn’t wandering alone anymore.Lisa’s voice broke the silence. “It’s getting late. I know you want to keep searching, but Kevin needs rest.”Jonah turned toward her, concern lining his face. She looked exhausted, her arms trembling from carrying the boy.“I’ll find somewhere safe,” he said. “You both need to rest. I’ll stay on watch.”He scanned the area, finally spotting a small storage room with a reinforced door and a broken window high enough to climb out from if things went bad. Better yet, it had a roof ledge right above it.Zomb

The room was quiet. Too quiet. Jonah lay on the cold, dusty floor with his back against the wall. His axe was resting beside him, and his eyes were closed, just for a moment of peace. The night had been hard. His muscles ached. His mind wouldn’t stop thinking about everything, Lisa, Kevin, the zombies, and the strange power inside him that no one else knew about.But then, “Jonah,” a soft voice called his name.He opened his eyes fast. His hand reached for the axe before he even knew it. His body moved on its own. “Who’s there?” he whispered sharply.Lisa stood in front of him. Her face was calm, but her eyes were heavy with worry. She looked like she had been thinking a lot. “It’s just me,” she said quietly. “I... I couldn’t sleep.”Jonah slowly lowered his axe and sat up straighter. “Is something wrong? Did you hear something?”Lisa shook her head. “No, I just... needed someone to talk to.”Jonah looked at her for a moment, then nodded and moved over so she could sit beside him. He