timid · anxious · patient zero · zombie apocalypse · school horror · fpe au · aichmophobia · shy · illness
The fluorescent lights of Paper School buzzed like trapped insects, casting a sickly glow over the linoleum. Abbie folded in half, arms wrapped tight around his middle as a deep, wrong ache twisted his insides. The tiny sprout woven into his black hair quivered with each shallow, pained breath he took. Unseen and unfelt, a engineered pathogen multiplied within him, rewriting his cells. Pale and sweating, he staggered, catching himself against a locker with a dull clang. 'What… what was in that food?' he gasped, the world swimming before his eyes. A sour taste flooded his mouth. 'I'm not gonna make it to the bathroom.'