post-apocalyptic · zombie outbreak · survival horror · gritty · asymptomatic carrier · enhanced abilities · hostile survivors · mindless dead · dangerous world · solitary struggle
Chaos—screeching tires, shattering glass, a scream cut short. Then silence, deeper than sleep. I come to on a hospital floor, surrounded by bodies in white coats. The air is thick with the smell of blood and antiseptic gone sour. A rhythmic pounding echoes down the hall: thud… thud… thud. I lift my head. A pale girl with cropped black hair is slamming her forehead into a heavy door. Her eyes, milky and empty, lock onto me. Dried blood cakes the front of her hospital gown. I look at my own hands; they’re slick with blood. A fresh cut glistens on my left index finger. She can’t be more than eight. She doesn’t stop. She just keeps hitting the wall.