\ **Title: Beyond the Horde**
The first knock was faint. It sounded so out of place in the middle of a history lesson on ancient Rome that no one immediately reacted. The room was filled with an eerie silence, except for the muffled sounds of pencils scratching against paper and the occasional quiet cough. Thirteen-year-old Nate sat by the window, absentmindedly scribbling equations into his notebook while listening to the teacher drone on about Rome. Beside him, Michael 13 - a hulking, broad-shouldered kid who looked more like a linebacker than a nineth grader - doodled a zombie apocalypse comic in the margins of his textbook. Across the aisle, Sebastian 12, the tall and fastest of them, spun a pencil between his fingers. The three boys had been friends for as long as they could remember.
Then came the 2nd knock.
Everyone in the room turned to look, the teacher frowning. 'Who could that be?' she muttered. As the knocking grew louder and more frantic, "Probably someone from the principal's office," Mrs. Carver muttered, she sighed and walked to the door.
'Ms. Campbell, maybe don't - ' Nateniop0 began, but it was too late. The teacher turned the knob.
The door slammed open, and something lunged at her. It was a man - a decayed and grotesque figure with hollow eyes and blood around its mouth. The students screamed as the zombie bit into Ms. Campbell's neck and dragged her to the floor, blood pooling around her. Moments later, she convulsed and stood back up, jerking unnaturally, her eyes glazed over.
Complete chaos erupted as students scrambled for the exits. But there were too many bodies, too much screaming. One by one, their classmates were taken down, consumed by the ravenous undead.
"Nate! Ideas!" Michael shouted, grabbing a chair to defensively swing at an approaching zombie.
Nate's analytical brain kicked into overdrive. 'We can use the window - it leads to the fire escape!'
The three boys shoved desks and chairs out of the way, Sebastian darting ahead. 'I'll go first,' he said, throwing open the window and clambering onto the fire escape in record time. Michael hoisted Nate up before following himself, his immense strength helping to pull Sebastian up when he almost slipped.
The fire escape rattled under their weight as they descended, hearing the moans and growls from the classroom behind them. By the time they hit the pavement, they turned to find their school swarming with zombies.
Nate turned back, his voice flat with suppressed horror. 'Our families. Everyone we know. They're gone.'
Zombies weren't the same mindless monsters they had seen in movies. These creatures were evolving, growing smarter, organizing. Even worse, humans became just as dangerous - desperate survivors willing to do anything to live another day.
---
**6 Years Later**
The world hadn't just changed; it had collapsed. Cities that were once bustling were now infested with undead hordes. The few survivors who managed to endure the years were either hardened like Nate, Seb, and Michael. The trio had grown into hardened survivors. Leaner, faster, and deadlier. Nate, now 19, had become the group's strategic mastermind, devising creative solutions to their impossible situations. Sebastian, as agile as ever, was their scout and quick-footed supply runner. And Michael, a towering brute after years of swinging bats, pipes, and crowbars, was their tank, protecting them with his sheer strength.
But the journey had taken its toll. They had watched every other survivors they'd befriended die in gruesome ways - from the slow decay of infection to brutal zombie attacks. They learned to trust only each other.
But tonight was different. Tonight, Michael was visibly unwell. Always the strongest, he was now pale, sweating, and distant. His arms trembled as he spoke."You know what this is?" he admitted grimly, his voice trembling. "We encountered too many last time. One of those things? got me." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bite mark. "There's a lab," Nate said firmly. "It's two days from here. They were supposedly working on a cure. If we can get there?" His voice trailed off, but it was clear what he meant. We had to amputate his arm so it would spread as fast "We don't leave family behind," Seb added quietly, glancing at Michael, who said nothing.
Their goal was now singular: get to the lab across the city - the rumoured birthplace of the zombie virus - and use their last hope, a vial of an experimental cure, to stop Michael from succumbing to the infection. A scratch from a particularly aggressive the lab's just 2 days from here," Nate said, voice calm but determined. "If the rumours are true, they've got a cure. Michael... we're not losing you too." zombie three days earlier had started to fester. His time was running out.
---
The entrance to the lab was a crumbling ruin overrun by vines. Massive hordes of zombies surrounded it. The boys devised a risky plan: Sebastian would bait the zombies and distract them with his speed while Michael and Nate cleared a path.
They fought like hell, smashing their way toward the lab doors. By some miracle, they made it inside, slamming the reinforced doors shut behind them. Nate worked furiously, analyzing the equipment until he found the medical chamber where the cure could be administered.
"Hold him still!" Nate yelled, assembling the syringe to inject into Michael's arm. Michael, pale and sweating, grunted, trying his best to remain conscious. As Nate plunged the needle in, Michael groaned, his body convulsing as the vaccine coursed through him. It worked, pulling him back from the edge of death.
Just as they were about to leave the lab, they heard the frantic sounds of splashing water. A girl was struggling in the nearby river. Without hesitation, Sebastian dove in, his speed and agility saving her from the rushing current. They pulled her ashore, cold and trembling. "What the hell are you doing, Seb?!" Nate shouted, panting. "We don't have time! More and more zombies are coming
"I'm *not* leaving her!" Seb fired back, pulling the coughing girl onto her feet. "Your plan was to save lives - not just Michael's."
Her name was Luna. She was only a few years younger than them, with piercing green eyes and a haunted expression. They took her back to their camp, where she expressed her gratitude, though she stayed wary of revealing too much about herself. She was wary but grateful, where she revealed she'd been traveling alone after her group was killed. Trust didn't come easily in this world, but something about her struck a chord with Seb.
---
**The Incident**
Four nights later, chaos broke out in their camp. A scream echoed through the darkened warehouse where they slept. Nate, Michael, and Sebastian sprinted
toward the source of the noise, weapons in hand. Michael and Sebastian carried pistols, while Nate hefted an axe he had sharpened obsessively.
Bursting into the room, they found Luna standing over one of the other survivors they had taken in weeks earlier - a middle-aged man named Darren - his head caved in, a bloodied metal pole in her trembling grip.
"What happened!?" Michael demanded.
Luna, tears streaming down her face, looked at Sebastian, the one person she had trusted since her rescue. 'He tried to - he - he came at me,' she stammered. "I had no choice." Michael and Seb exchanged tense looks; gun drawn but Sebastian's wasn't. Sebastian, gripping his gun, approached slowly. "Luna? put down the pole. We believe you. But we need to understand what happened."
The three boys exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Nate's logical side wrestling with morality, Michael's protectiveness kicking in, and Sebastian silently moving to stand by Luna's side, she collapsed into Seb's arms, trembling.
---
**The Shopping Centre**
Resources ran low within days. Forced to venture out, the group stumbled upon an overgrown shopping centre covered in vines. Entering cautiously, they moved through the dark hallways, dispatching zombies with silenced weapons and melee strikes.
On the third floor, they encountered a tiny pocket of survivors: an elderly man and three flight attendants, clinging to life by raiding the vending machines surviving on chips and lemonade, too scared to venture out? "You want to live like cowards forever?" Michael growled. But Nate stopped him. The floor was precariously unstable, with gaping holes revealing the zombie-infested levels below.
As they settled in to figure out their next move, a sound echoed from the floor below - loud, guttural growls and the shuffling of dozens, perhaps hundreds of zombies. They reinforced the shop door The moans from below grew louder. Something was coming. And it was big.
Hours passed. It was late into the night when Nate took a deep breath and, with a cocky grin, muttered, "Alright, folks, let's survive till morning.
As they barricaded the door, the tension was suffocating. Nate, calculating as always, tried to keep morale up. He struck up a conversation with one of the attendants - a woman named Quinn.
Whether it was his natural charisma or just the sheer apocalyptic setting, Nate's dry wit and calm demeanour won her attention. "Yeah, I'm a nerd," he admitted when she asked about his gear. "But six years out here? Nerds survive. Smart's the new sexy."
Quinn laughed nervously, and even in the dire situation, Michael couldn't help but nudge Nate. "You're flirting during the apocalypse. Classic Nate."
The wit brought a moment of levity, but the situation below wasn't so kind. The next few hours would test everything they had.
Their journey was far from over. With dwindling supplies, more desperate survivors, smarter zombies, and a girl who had already proven she could kill when it came to her own survival, the stakes had never been higher.
Chapter 2: The Awakening
The night was restless.
Nate sat near the barricaded door, his axe within reach, watching the moonlight stretch across the abandoned shopping center's dusty floors. The distant groans of the undead echoed from below, a haunting reminder of how little separated them from death.
Michael, still recovering from the cure's effects, leaned against a collapsed display rack. He had grown quieter since the injection. His usual confidence was replaced with something... else. A quiet dread.
Sebastian sat beside Luna, sharpening his knife with slow, methodical strokes. Though she had been with them only a short time, she had settled in with surprising ease. But there was a darkness in her eyes - one Nate had seen before. Survivors like them carried their pasts in the way they moved, spoke, or avoided looking too long at a reflection.
Quinn, the flight attendant they had met hours ago, sat opposite Nate, studying him. She had warmed up to him quickly, entertained by his dry humor and calm demeanor. But now, she looked uncertain. "Do you really think this place will hold?" she finally asked.
Nate sighed. "For now. But it won't hold forever."
Michael shifted uncomfortably. "Then we better make it count."
________________________________________
A Morning of Consequences
The sun crept through the shattered windows, casting eerie shadows across the looted store shelves. The survivors stirred, one by one, stretching aching limbs and gathering what little food remained.
Sebastian, ever the early riser, was already scouting from the roof. When he returned, his expression was tense. "We've got movement," he announced. "Not just the dead."
Nate tensed. "How many?"
"Five, maybe six. Armed."
Michael let out a low curse. "Scavengers."
Luna stiffened. "They could be like us," she offered, though the uncertainty in her voice was obvious.
Nate shook his head. "Or they could be worse."
Everyone knew what scavengers had become over the years. Desperation had turned many survivors into predators, willing to kill for the scraps they found. Trust was a currency no one could afford to spend recklessly.
Quinn shifted nervously. "So what's the plan?"
Nate thought quickly. "We can't fight them head-on. We don't have the numbers. We'll avoid them, move out before they realize we're here."
Michael stood, his strength slowly returning. "And if they find us first?"
Sebastian flipped his knife expertly between his fingers. "Then we make sure they regret it."
________________________________________
The Encounter
It didn't take long.
By midday, the scavengers had reached the lower levels of the shopping center. From their hiding spots, the group listened as boots scuffed against the tile floors. Voices, hushed but urgent, echoed through the corridors.
"We know someone's here," a gruff voice called. "Come out, and we won't hurt you."
Nate glanced at Michael and Sebastian, who exchanged wary looks. Lies. That was how these groups worked. They offered safety, then took everything you had.
A scream suddenly rang out from below.
It wasn't one of theirs.
Luna peered over the railing, eyes widening. "They've attracted zombies."
The scavengers had been careless, making too much noise. A horde was descending upon them, crawling from the shadows like a living tide of death.
For a moment, Nate hesitated. Let the dead handle them? It would be the easy way out.
Then he heard a child's cry.
A boy - no older than ten - was clutching a woman's hand, tears streaming down his face. The woman, likely his mother, held a rusted knife, standing between him and both the scavengers and the undead.
Nate clenched his jaw. "Damn it."
Michael groaned. "We're really doing this?"
Sebastian grinned, twirling his knife. "Guess so."
The three of them moved as one.
________________________________________
The Cost of Survival
Chaos erupted. Nate and Michael struck first, Michael smashing one of the scavengers with a metal pipe while Nate drove his axe into another's shoulder. Sebastian weaved through the fight, taking down the undead before they could reach the mother and child.
Luna, from the upper level, picked up a fallen rifle and fired a shot into the ceiling, sending debris raining down. "Get moving!" she yelled.
The mother grabbed her son and bolted toward them. But one of the scavengers wasn't finished. A wiry man lunged for the boy, but before he could reach him -
A gunshot rang out.
The scavenger staggered, a red bloom spreading across his chest. Luna stood above, rifle still smoking.
For a moment, everything was silent. Then the undead swarmed, pulling down the remaining scavengers.
Nate didn't look back. He grabbed the mother's arm and ran.
________________________________________
A New Addition
Back at their hideout, the mother introduced herself as Eva. Her son, Leo, clung to her side, watching the group with wide, wary eyes.
"You didn't have to save us," Eva admitted. "Most people wouldn't."
Michael exhaled. "Yeah, well, we're not most people."
Sebastian handed Leo a granola bar. The boy hesitated before taking it, his small hands trembling.
Luna sat beside them. "It's okay," she said softly. "You're safe now."
For the first time in years, Nate allowed himself to hope. Maybe, just maybe, they weren't just surviving anymore.
Maybe they were building something worth fighting for.
Chapter 3: Beyond the Horde
The sun was low in the sky when they found the underground tunnel - a lifeline that led away from the ruins of the shopping center and deeper into the heart of the city. Nate, Michael, and Sebastian had agreed to leave, but the rest of the group had been uncertain. The scavengers they'd encountered hadn't just taken what they wanted; they had shattered the fragile veneer of trust they'd built over the last few months. It was a harsh reminder that survival in this world was about much more than staying alive.
"Where does this lead?" Eva asked, her voice hoarse from both fear and relief. Her son, Leo, had fallen asleep in her arms, exhausted from the adrenaline and terror of the day.
Nate didn't answer immediately. He was studying the tunnel's walls, noticing the faded markings that had long since lost their meaning. "Somewhere safer than here," he said finally, his tone noncommittal. The truth was, he didn't know. But the idea of staying in the same place much longer felt like tempting fate.
Sebastian, always the optimist, was already at the front, eyes scanning for movement. "I'll scout ahead. Keep up, or we'll end up lost."
Michael, his frame still bulky from the years of survival, gave a small grunt of agreement. He was in no mood for idle conversation. His arm still ached where the infection had taken root. The cure had worked, but his body wasn't bouncing back as quickly as it used to. He had grown quieter in the last few days, and Nate could sense the weight of it in his every movement.
Chapter 4: The Lab of Nightmares
The tunnels grew colder as they pressed forward. The stench of decay clung to the damp air, mixing with something more acrid, more unnatural. The dim glow of Jed's device flickered, casting erratic shadows against the stone walls. Each step forward felt heavier, as if the darkness itself wanted to pull them back.
Jed led the way, his movements slow, deliberate. He had spent years wandering these tunnels - watching, listening. He knew what was ahead, even if he hadn't said it outright.
"We're close," he murmured, his voice barely more than a breath. "But this place? it changes you."
Sebastian's fingers flexed around his knife. "What does that mean?"
Jed hesitated. "You'll see soon enough."
The tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber, the remains of a collapsed subway station. Train cars lay derailed and rusting, some torn apart as though something massive had ripped them open from the inside. Pools of black sludge oozed from cracks in the walls, the liquid pulsating like it was alive.
Then they saw the doors.
A set of steel doors, reinforced with thick, rusted beams, stood at the far end of the station. The emblem on them was barely visible under the layers of grime: Apex Industries - the corporation behind the outbreak.
Michael stepped forward, reaching out to touch the cold metal. "This is it."
A sudden noise cut through the silence - a low, guttural sound, like something breathing from deep within the walls. Nate turned sharply, scanning the shadows. The darkness beyond the train cars shifted. Something moved.
"Open the damn doors," Eva whispered harshly, holding Leo closer. The child whimpered in his sleep, as if sensing the dread in the air.
Jed pulled a keycard from his pocket, its edges worn and cracked. He swiped it against a rusted panel, and with a shuddering groan, the doors slowly slid open, revealing a pitch-black corridor beyond.
Inside, the stench was worse - thick, suffocating. The walls were lined with flickering monitors, old surveillance footage playing on loop. Scientists in hazmat suits. Subjects strapped to gurneys. Screaming faces, blurred by static.
Sebastian swallowed hard. "This place is a fucking tomb."
They ventured deeper, their footsteps echoing through the sterile halls. Rooms branched off on either side, their contents frozen in time - medical equipment caked in dried blood, overturned desks covered in faded reports.
Nate picked up one of the documents. Project Revenant: Phase 3. The pages detailed experiments far worse than they had imagined. The virus had been a cover - a stepping stone to something more horrific.
"'Neural enhancement through viral mutation,'" Nate read aloud, his stomach twisting. "'Subjects exhibit heightened aggression, increased cognitive abilities? loss of humanity.'"
Michael exhaled sharply. "They weren't just making zombies. They were making weapons."
A metallic clang echoed down the hall.
Everyone froze.
The sound came again, closer this time. A slow, deliberate scraping.
Then, from the darkness, a figure emerged.
At first, it looked human. Too human. The skin was stretched tight over elongated limbs, the bones beneath shifting unnaturally with every step. Its eyes were wrong - too wide, too aware. And when it opened its mouth, there were no words. Only a low, unnatural chittering.
"Run," Jed whispered. "Now."
The thing lunged.
Michael shoved Eva and Leo toward the nearest room as Nate and Sebastian raised their weapons. Gunfire erupted in the tight corridor, the muzzle flashes illuminating the nightmare before them. The bullets tore through its flesh, but it barely slowed.
With a horrifying speed, it moved. One moment it was yards away, the next it was inches from Nate's face. He barely had time to react before its clawed fingers raked across his shoulder, sending him crashing into a wall.
Michael roared, swinging his axe with brutal force. The blade buried deep into the creature's neck, but instead of collapsing, it twisted - bending in ways a human body never should. Its head hung at an unnatural angle, and yet it still smiled.
It grabbed Michael's wrist.
The bones cracked audibly.
Sebastian slammed his knife into its side, a desperate attempt to slow it down. Jed fired his last round directly into its skull, and finally, it staggered, collapsing to the floor with a sickening gurgle.
But the sound didn't stop.
More footsteps. More chittering.
"Shit," Nate groaned, gripping his wounded shoulder. "There's more."
Jed pulled him up. "We have to get to the control room. Now."
Eva clutched Leo tightly, her breath coming in panicked gasps. "This place isn't a lab," she whispered. "It's a fucking breeding ground."
And as they ran, the shadows behind them came alive.
________________________________________
Luna and Sebastian barely made it past the heavy steel doors before the creatures descended. Their shrill screeches echoed through the lab's walls, a sickening chorus of unnatural hunger. Michael and Eva sprinted ahead, Leo held tightly in Eva's arms, his little face buried against her shoulder.
Nate stayed behind, covering them. "Go! Get to the lab!" he roared, unloading round after round into the horde behind them.
Then, something huge crashed through the corridor.
A hulking figure, far larger than the rest, its flesh a writhing mass of sinew and muscle. Its eyes, glowing a sickly yellow, locked onto Nate.
It moved faster than anything that size should.
Before Nate could react, its clawed hand ripped through his arm.
A scream tore from his throat as blood sprayed across the walls. His body hit the ground, his severed arm twitching beside him. But he didn't stop. Clutching his pistol in his remaining hand, he fired one last desperate shot into the creature's face, buying the others just enough time to disappear through the lab doors.
Michael turned, eyes wide in horror. "NATE!"
But the doors slammed shut behind them, sealing the nightmare outside.
For now.
Chapter 5: The Cost of Survival
The moment the steel doors slammed shut, silence fell over them like a suffocating shroud. The only sounds were their ragged breaths and the distant, muffled screeches from the horrors they had just barely escaped.
Luna pressed her back against the cold wall, her heart hammering against her ribs. Eva clutched Leo tightly, whispering reassurances neither of them believed. Sebastian and Jed braced the door, hands trembling, weapons useless against what lurked beyond.
Michael stood in the middle of the room, frozen.
"Nate?" he whispered. His voice barely carried over the pounding of his heart.
The others said nothing.
Blood pooled beneath the crack of the door. A deep crimson, slick and thick. The last remnants of their friend.
Luna swallowed hard. "We have to keep moving."
"No," Michael said, voice barely above a breath. His fists clenched, knuckles white. "He's still alive."
Sebastian turned sharply. "Mike, you saw what happened! His arm - he - "
"He's still alive," Michael snapped, his voice trembling with a desperate conviction. "I'm not leaving him down there."
Jed shook his head. "We barely made it out. You go back down there, you're as good as dead."
Michael didn't respond. He only turned, reaching for his axe.
Luna stepped in front of him. "Michael, stop." Her eyes were pleading. "We can't lose anyone else."
Michael looked past her, to the door, to the blood, to the nightmare he had just fled from.
Then he turned and ran back into the darkness.
________________________________________
The halls were a graveyard. Blood stained the walls, bodies - both human and inhuman - lay scattered across the floor. The air was thick with the scent of decay and something wrong.
Michael's boots splashed through the pooling crimson as he moved deeper into the ruined lab, the sounds of distant chittering echoing through the halls.
"Nate?" he called out, his voice barely a whisper.
A low groan answered from the far side of the corridor.
Michael ran.
Rounding the corner, he saw him.
Nate sat slumped against the wall, his breathing shallow, his body limp. His severed arm lay beside him, forgotten. Blood soaked his clothes, his skin pale - too pale.
Michael skidded to a stop, eyes wide in horror.
Nate lifted his head. His eyes met Michael's.
They weren't human anymore.
Michael's breath caught in his throat. Nate's irises had turned a sickly shade of gold, his veins black, his skin eerily smooth, like the creatures they had fought.
"Nate?" Michael whispered, taking a hesitant step forward.
Nate smiled. His teeth were too sharp.
"You came back for me," Nate murmured, his voice softer, almost melodic. "That's? kind of you."
Michael tightened his grip on his axe. His instincts screamed at him to run, to kill whatever sat in front of him, but his heart fought back.
This was Nate.
"Are you - " Michael swallowed hard. "Are you still? you?"
Nate tilted his head. "I think so." He lifted his remaining hand, staring at the blackened veins running up his arm. "But something's? different."
Michael took another step forward. "I can get you out. We can fix this."
Nate chuckled. The sound was wrong.
"Michael," he said, shaking his head. "You know that's not true."
Michael's heart clenched.
"I don't know what they did to me," Nate continued, his voice laced with something between sorrow and amusement. "But I can hear them now."
A shiver ran down Michael's spine. "Hear who?"
Nate's golden eyes flickered in the dim light. "The ones in the dark."
A guttural screech tore through the silence.
Michael turned sharply. Down the hall, shadows shifted, bodies moved. The creatures were coming.
He turned back to Nate. "We have to go, now."
Nate just smiled again. This time, his teeth were even sharper.
"You should go, Mike."
Michael's stomach dropped. "I'm not leaving you."
Nate exhaled, then slowly pushed himself up. He was taller now, his movements too smooth, too inhuman.
"You don't get it." Nate flexed his remaining hand. "I don't think I need saving."
Michael's blood ran cold.
Another screech. Closer.
Nate turned toward the darkness, toward the oncoming horrors, then looked back at Michael.
"Go." His voice was no longer a plea. It was an order.
Michael hesitated. For just a second.
Then he ran.
________________________________________
The others were waiting when Michael burst through the doors, his breath ragged, his clothes soaked in blood.
Luna's eyes widened. "Where's - "
"He's gone," Michael said, his voice hollow.
Sebastian looked away. Eva clutched Leo tighter. Jed said nothing.
Michael collapsed against the wall, hands shaking. He could still see Nate's golden eyes, still hear his voice.
And deep in the tunnels below, he knew Nate was still watching.
But he wasn't the same anymore.
Chapter 6: Shadows of the Infected
The air in the bunker was thick with tension. No one spoke. No one moved. The only sounds were the low hum of flickering lights and the distant, echoing screeches that never seemed to fade. Michael sat hunched against the cold metal wall, his hands shaking. His mind replayed the image of Nate - his golden eyes, his sharpened teeth, the way his voice had changed. He wasn't Nate anymore. Not really.
But he was still out there.
"We need to leave," Luna whispered, her voice barely audible. "We have to find another way out before they - before he - "
Michael's head snapped up. "He wouldn't - "
Sebastian cut him off, his voice bitter. "He's not Nate anymore, Michael. He's one of them. And if we stay here, we'll be next."
Eva stood near the door, her grip tight on the rifle slung over her shoulder. "There's a maintenance shaft through the east corridor. If we can reach it, we might be able to climb out."
Jed scoffed. "Yeah? And what if they're waiting for us?"
A loud, unnatural shriek rattled through the metal walls, making them all jump. It was close. Too close.
"We don't have a choice," Luna hissed. "We move now."
With reluctant nods, they pushed forward. Every step was agony, every breath a risk. The halls were coated in shadows, blood, and things better left unseen. They didn't dare look at the bodies, human and otherwise, strewn across the floor. The air smelled of death and infection.
Then they heard it.
A slow, deliberate dragging sound.
And a voice - too familiar, too wrong.
"You shouldn't have come back."
Michael's blood ran cold.
Nate stood at the end of the corridor. But he wasn't just Nate anymore.
His body had fully changed - his skin a sickly gray, his veins blackened like webbing, his golden eyes glowing in the dim light. The infection had spread completely. His fingers had elongated into claws, his posture no longer human. And behind him, in the darkness, the other creatures stirred.
Eva raised her rifle. "Stay back."
Nate tilted his head. "Eva," he murmured, his voice almost gentle. "You know that won't stop me."
Eva didn't hesitate. She fired.
The bullet struck him in the shoulder, but he barely flinched. Instead, he smiled. A twisted, inhuman smile. Then he moved.
Faster than any of them could react, he lunged. His claws slashed through the air, raking across Eva's stomach before she could dodge. She gasped, stumbling back, blood spilling between her fingers.
"Eva!" Luna screamed.
Sebastian grabbed Eva, trying to pull her away, but the creatures surged forward. They swarmed like a tide of living nightmares, screeching, clawing, ravenous.
Michael grabbed his axe, swinging wildly. "Run! Get to the shaft!"
Jed and Luna bolted, dragging Leo with them. Sebastian hesitated for only a moment before following. But Eva -
She fell to her knees. Her breathing came in short, choked gasps, her vision blurring. The pain was unbearable. The warmth of her own blood soaked her trembling fingers, pooling beneath her.
And Nate was still there.
He crouched in front of her, his golden eyes filled with something almost like sadness. Almost.
"I didn't want it to be you," he whispered.
Eva looked up at him, her lips trembling. "Then why??"
Nate reached out, brushing blood-soaked hair from her face with claws that had once been fingers. His grip was unnervingly gentle, a ghost of the man he used to be. Then, slowly, his claws pressed against her throat, teasing the soft skin there.
"Because I'm not me anymore."
Eva's eyes widened as Nate leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear. His tongue flicked out, tasting the sweat and blood on her skin. His claws traced her jaw, then pressed harder - just enough to elicit a whimper. He exhaled a slow, satisfied sigh.
"Such a shame," he murmured.
Then his grip tightened.
A strangled cry left Eva's lips as she clawed at his arm, her body jerking beneath his overwhelming strength. Her vision darkened, the world blurring at the edges. Pain mixed with something deeper, more primal. Her lips parted in a silent plea, but Nate only smiled.
The last thing she saw was his golden eyes - bright, beautiful, monstrous.
Then darkness took her.
-
The others made it to the shaft, breathless, shaking, broken. But as they climbed into the tunnel, Michael turned back one last time.
And in the distance, Nate stood over Eva's lifeless body.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hunting.
Chapter 7: The Hunt
The infection had consumed him completely. Nate - if he could still be called that - was no longer human. His body had stretched grotesquely, standing nearly eight feet tall, his limbs elongated into unnatural proportions. His once-familiar face was now a mask of horror - his mouth filled with serrated fangs, his golden eyes devoid of emotion. Where he once had two arms, he now had four, each ending in jagged claws that dripped with remnants of his latest victims.
He could no longer speak. He could no longer think as he once had.
But he could hunt.
The air outside was thick with the stench of decay. The ruined city lay in silence, its streets littered with corpses - some human, others twisted beyond recognition by the infection. Nate moved through the shadows, his body blending into the darkness, his breathing a low, guttural rasp.
His prey was near.
Sebastian, Luna, Michael, and Leo had barely escaped the bunker. They had fled to the surface, believing themselves safe in the ruins of an abandoned hospital. But Nate could smell them. He could hear their heartbeats, rapid and desperate. He could taste their fear in the air.
A low, inhuman growl rumbled from his throat as he closed in.
________________________________________
Inside the hospital, Sebastian and Luna barricaded the doors while Michael searched frantically through the overturned medical cabinets. Leo stood by, clutching a small vial in his trembling hands. The label was faded, but they all knew what it was - the cure. The last chance to bring Nate back.
"We just need to get him to take it," Michael muttered, his fingers shaking as he loaded a syringe.
Sebastian scoffed. "You really think he'll let us get close enough? He's not Nate anymore, Michael."
Michael's jaw tightened. "Then we make him take it."
A deafening crash echoed through the halls. The metal doors groaned under the force of something massive slamming against them. Leo whimpered, pressing himself against Luna as she raised her rifle.
"He's here," she whispered.
The doors exploded inward.
Nate lunged, his monstrous form filling the doorway. His four arms struck out like whips, claws slicing through the air. Sebastian shoved Luna and Leo back just as one of the massive claws slashed across his chest. Blood sprayed across the floor as he staggered, choking on a scream.
Michael charged, axe in hand, but Nate was too fast. One clawed hand caught him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly. Michael kicked and struggled, but the infected beast only tightened his grip, savoring the moment. His golden eyes flashed with something almost like recognition - then it was gone.
With a sickening crunch, Nate crushed Michael's throat.
Luna screamed, firing wildly as Sebastian crumpled to the ground, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing. Nate turned to her, his claws dripping with fresh blood.
Leo trembled, his small hands gripping the syringe filled with the cure. He watched as the monster that had once been his friend stalked toward Luna, her rifle clicking empty. This was their last chance.
"Luna, run!" Leo shouted.
She hesitated, looking between Nate and the boy. But then she nodded and sprinted toward the stairwell, leading the beast deeper into the hospital. Nate pursued, his heavy steps shaking the ground.
Leo's heart pounded as he sprinted after them, clutching the cure tightly.
________________________________________
Luna burst into the operating room, panting. The cold, sterile environment was a cruel reminder of the world before - all the lives that had once been saved here. Now, it was a battleground.
Nate slammed into the doorway, his massive frame barely fitting through. His golden eyes locked onto her, his claws twitching with hunger. He lunged -
And Leo struck.
The boy leaped forward, driving the syringe deep into Nate's exposed neck. The monster roared, flinching as the serum flooded his system. He thrashed wildly, knocking Leo aside. His body convulsed, muscles tightening as veins blackened and pulsed violently.
Luna grabbed Leo, pulling him back as Nate let out an agonized screech. His form twitched, spasming, the infection writhing inside him as the cure fought against it. His four arms clutched at his chest, his golden eyes flickering, a battle raging within.
Then -
He collapsed.
Silence filled the room. The only sound was Leo's ragged breathing as he clung to Luna, staring at the unmoving form of the creature.
Minutes passed.
Then, a cough.
A weak, shuddering breath.
And a voice - hoarse, trembling, human.
"?Luna?"
She gasped, tears filling her eyes as Nate - no longer a monster, no longer a mindless killer - looked up at her, his golden eyes dimming back to their normal shade.
He was back.
But at what cost?
Chapter 8: Echoes of the Fallen
Nate awoke in darkness. His body ached, his limbs felt foreign, his skin cold with sweat. He was back. He was Nate again. But the memories of what he had done - the blood on his hands, the screams, the faces of those he had torn apart - remained, haunting him.
The hospital was silent now, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood and antiseptic. He forced himself to his feet, his vision swimming as the weight of reality crashed over him. His golden eyes flickered in the dim light, searching, desperate.
Then he saw them.
Sebastian lay sprawled across the shattered floor, his chest carved open, his lifeless eyes frozen in shock. Nearby, Michael's body was slumped against a wall, his throat crushed, his hands still curled into fists, as if he had fought until his last breath.
Nate staggered forward, his breath ragged, his fingers trembling as he reached out. "No?" His voice cracked, barely above a whisper. He dropped to his knees beside Sebastian, pressing a shaking hand against the torn flesh, as if he could somehow put him back together, as if he could undo what he had done. But the body was cold. Empty.
A choked sob escaped his throat.
He turned to Michael next, his vision blurring as he took in the bruised and broken form of his friend. "I didn't? I didn't mean to?" His own words felt hollow, meaningless. His clawed fingers twitched, and he clenched them into fists, nails biting into his palms until he felt his own blood trickle down. It was nothing compared to what he had done to them.
Guilt crushed him, suffocating. The infection had stolen his body, twisted his mind, but deep down, something in him had enjoyed it - the hunt, the kill, the power. And now, the people who had once been his family lay dead at his feet.
A bitter laugh bubbled up, broken and raw. "What am I?"
The question echoed into the empty hospital halls. He had been human once. He had been their friend. But he had slaughtered them like they were nothing. The weight of it all pressed on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Luna and Leo had saved him. They had believed he could be brought back. But what was left of Nate? Could he ever truly be the same? Could he ever look them in the eye without seeing the bloodstains on his hands?
Tears burned down his face as he bowed his head, his forehead pressing against Michael's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so? so sorry."
The silence gave no reply. Only the ghosts of his past remained, watching, waiting, judging.
And for the first time since his rebirth, Nate wished he had died instead.
?
Chapter 9: Eight Years Later
The world had not healed, but it had changed.
The infected still roamed the wasteland, but they were fewer now, scattered remnants of the horrors that had once nearly wiped humanity from existence. Cities had crumbled, forests had overgrown the ruins, and in their shadows, the survivors had learned how to endure.
In a fortified settlement deep in the remnants of an old city, three people stood at the edge of a watchtower, looking over the horizon.
Leo, now fourteen, had grown into a sharp, resilient young man. His dark hair was cropped short, his expression hardened by years of survival. He had learned to fight, to track, to kill when necessary. But despite the harsh world, his heart remained strong - hope still lingered in his eyes.
Luna, now twenty-five, had become a leader among the survivors. She had taken control when no one else could, guiding people to safety, organizing supply runs, and standing at the front lines when danger threatened. She had scars, both visible and not, but she had never let them slow her down.
And then there was Nate.
At twenty-seven, he was something else entirely. A ghost of a man who had once been their friend, their brother. Though the cure had saved him from the infection, it had not erased what he had done. The monstrous memories still clawed at his mind, the faces of Sebastian and Michael haunting his every step. He never spoke of them, never let anyone know how much the guilt devoured him.
His body had changed, too. He was stronger than any human, faster than most creatures that lurked in the dark. The remnants of the infection had altered him permanently. He could see in the dark, sense movement in ways no normal person could. Some in the settlement feared him. Others worshipped him, calling him a revenant - a man who had returned from death itself.
Luna sighed, breaking the silence. "They're getting closer again." She nodded toward the horizon, where a faint, unnatural movement could be seen between the ruined buildings. The infected. They never stopped coming.
"We need to reinforce the east gate," Leo said, gripping the hilt of his knife. He had grown into a capable fighter, no longer the terrified child from before. "If they get through, we lose the food stores."
Nate watched the movement in the distance, his golden eyes narrowing. "They're hunting," he said quietly. His voice was deeper now, rougher, but still held traces of the man he used to be.
Luna turned to him. "Hunting for what?"
Nate hesitated. Then, he looked down at his own hands, flexing his fingers. "Me."
Leo's jaw tightened. "They still see you as one of them, don't they?"
Nate didn't answer. He didn't have to.
For eight years, they had been hunting him. The remnants of the infection, the creatures that had once been his kin, sought to bring him back. The whispers in the night, the nightmares that plagued him - they were never truly gone. The infection might have been driven from his body, but something inside him was still connected to them. And they knew it.
Luna placed a hand on his arm. "We'll handle it."
But Nate knew this wouldn't stop. Not until they were all dead.
A deep, guttural screech echoed across the ruins. The hunt had begun again.
CLIFF HANGER
�nate
The first knock was faint. It sounded so out of place in the middle of a history lesson on ancient Rome that no one immediately reacted. The room was filled with an eerie silence, except for the muffled sounds of pencils scratching against paper and the occasional quiet cough. Thirteen-year-old Nate sat by the window, absentmindedly scribbling equations into his notebook while listening to the teacher drone on about Rome. Beside him, Michael 13 - a hulking, broad-shouldered kid who looked more like a linebacker than a nineth grader - doodled a zombie apocalypse comic in the margins of his textbook. Across the aisle, Sebastian 12, the tall and fastest of them, spun a pencil between his fingers. The three boys had been friends for as long as they could remember.
Then came the 2nd knock.
Everyone in the room turned to look, the teacher frowning. 'Who could that be?' she muttered. As the knocking grew louder and more frantic, "Probably someone from the principal's office," Mrs. Carver muttered, she sighed and walked to the door.
'Ms. Campbell, maybe don't - ' Nateniop0 began, but it was too late. The teacher turned the knob.
The door slammed open, and something lunged at her. It was a man - a decayed and grotesque figure with hollow eyes and blood around its mouth. The students screamed as the zombie bit into Ms. Campbell's neck and dragged her to the floor, blood pooling around her. Moments later, she convulsed and stood back up, jerking unnaturally, her eyes glazed over.
Complete chaos erupted as students scrambled for the exits. But there were too many bodies, too much screaming. One by one, their classmates were taken down, consumed by the ravenous undead.
"Nate! Ideas!" Michael shouted, grabbing a chair to defensively swing at an approaching zombie.
Nate's analytical brain kicked into overdrive. 'We can use the window - it leads to the fire escape!'
The three boys shoved desks and chairs out of the way, Sebastian darting ahead. 'I'll go first,' he said, throwing open the window and clambering onto the fire escape in record time. Michael hoisted Nate up before following himself, his immense strength helping to pull Sebastian up when he almost slipped.
The fire escape rattled under their weight as they descended, hearing the moans and growls from the classroom behind them. By the time they hit the pavement, they turned to find their school swarming with zombies.
Nate turned back, his voice flat with suppressed horror. 'Our families. Everyone we know. They're gone.'
Zombies weren't the same mindless monsters they had seen in movies. These creatures were evolving, growing smarter, organizing. Even worse, humans became just as dangerous - desperate survivors willing to do anything to live another day.
---
**6 Years Later**
The world hadn't just changed; it had collapsed. Cities that were once bustling were now infested with undead hordes. The few survivors who managed to endure the years were either hardened like Nate, Seb, and Michael. The trio had grown into hardened survivors. Leaner, faster, and deadlier. Nate, now 19, had become the group's strategic mastermind, devising creative solutions to their impossible situations. Sebastian, as agile as ever, was their scout and quick-footed supply runner. And Michael, a towering brute after years of swinging bats, pipes, and crowbars, was their tank, protecting them with his sheer strength.
But the journey had taken its toll. They had watched every other survivors they'd befriended die in gruesome ways - from the slow decay of infection to brutal zombie attacks. They learned to trust only each other.
But tonight was different. Tonight, Michael was visibly unwell. Always the strongest, he was now pale, sweating, and distant. His arms trembled as he spoke."You know what this is?" he admitted grimly, his voice trembling. "We encountered too many last time. One of those things? got me." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bite mark. "There's a lab," Nate said firmly. "It's two days from here. They were supposedly working on a cure. If we can get there?" His voice trailed off, but it was clear what he meant. We had to amputate his arm so it would spread as fast "We don't leave family behind," Seb added quietly, glancing at Michael, who said nothing.
Their goal was now singular: get to the lab across the city - the rumoured birthplace of the zombie virus - and use their last hope, a vial of an experimental cure, to stop Michael from succumbing to the infection. A scratch from a particularly aggressive the lab's just 2 days from here," Nate said, voice calm but determined. "If the rumours are true, they've got a cure. Michael... we're not losing you too." zombie three days earlier had started to fester. His time was running out.
---
The entrance to the lab was a crumbling ruin overrun by vines. Massive hordes of zombies surrounded it. The boys devised a risky plan: Sebastian would bait the zombies and distract them with his speed while Michael and Nate cleared a path.
They fought like hell, smashing their way toward the lab doors. By some miracle, they made it inside, slamming the reinforced doors shut behind them. Nate worked furiously, analyzing the equipment until he found the medical chamber where the cure could be administered.
"Hold him still!" Nate yelled, assembling the syringe to inject into Michael's arm. Michael, pale and sweating, grunted, trying his best to remain conscious. As Nate plunged the needle in, Michael groaned, his body convulsing as the vaccine coursed through him. It worked, pulling him back from the edge of death.
Just as they were about to leave the lab, they heard the frantic sounds of splashing water. A girl was struggling in the nearby river. Without hesitation, Sebastian dove in, his speed and agility saving her from the rushing current. They pulled her ashore, cold and trembling. "What the hell are you doing, Seb?!" Nate shouted, panting. "We don't have time! More and more zombies are coming
"I'm *not* leaving her!" Seb fired back, pulling the coughing girl onto her feet. "Your plan was to save lives - not just Michael's."
Her name was Luna. She was only a few years younger than them, with piercing green eyes and a haunted expression. They took her back to their camp, where she expressed her gratitude, though she stayed wary of revealing too much about herself. She was wary but grateful, where she revealed she'd been traveling alone after her group was killed. Trust didn't come easily in this world, but something about her struck a chord with Seb.
---
**The Incident**
Four nights later, chaos broke out in their camp. A scream echoed through the darkened warehouse where they slept. Nate, Michael, and Sebastian sprinted
toward the source of the noise, weapons in hand. Michael and Sebastian carried pistols, while Nate hefted an axe he had sharpened obsessively.
Bursting into the room, they found Luna standing over one of the other survivors they had taken in weeks earlier - a middle-aged man named Darren - his head caved in, a bloodied metal pole in her trembling grip.
"What happened!?" Michael demanded.
Luna, tears streaming down her face, looked at Sebastian, the one person she had trusted since her rescue. 'He tried to - he - he came at me,' she stammered. "I had no choice." Michael and Seb exchanged tense looks; gun drawn but Sebastian's wasn't. Sebastian, gripping his gun, approached slowly. "Luna? put down the pole. We believe you. But we need to understand what happened."
The three boys exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Nate's logical side wrestling with morality, Michael's protectiveness kicking in, and Sebastian silently moving to stand by Luna's side, she collapsed into Seb's arms, trembling.
---
**The Shopping Centre**
Resources ran low within days. Forced to venture out, the group stumbled upon an overgrown shopping centre covered in vines. Entering cautiously, they moved through the dark hallways, dispatching zombies with silenced weapons and melee strikes.
On the third floor, they encountered a tiny pocket of survivors: an elderly man and three flight attendants, clinging to life by raiding the vending machines surviving on chips and lemonade, too scared to venture out? "You want to live like cowards forever?" Michael growled. But Nate stopped him. The floor was precariously unstable, with gaping holes revealing the zombie-infested levels below.
As they settled in to figure out their next move, a sound echoed from the floor below - loud, guttural growls and the shuffling of dozens, perhaps hundreds of zombies. They reinforced the shop door The moans from below grew louder. Something was coming. And it was big.
Hours passed. It was late into the night when Nate took a deep breath and, with a cocky grin, muttered, "Alright, folks, let's survive till morning.
As they barricaded the door, the tension was suffocating. Nate, calculating as always, tried to keep morale up. He struck up a conversation with one of the attendants - a woman named Quinn.
Whether it was his natural charisma or just the sheer apocalyptic setting, Nate's dry wit and calm demeanour won her attention. "Yeah, I'm a nerd," he admitted when she asked about his gear. "But six years out here? Nerds survive. Smart's the new sexy."
Quinn laughed nervously, and even in the dire situation, Michael couldn't help but nudge Nate. "You're flirting during the apocalypse. Classic Nate."
The wit brought a moment of levity, but the situation below wasn't so kind. The next few hours would test everything they had.
Their journey was far from over. With dwindling supplies, more desperate survivors, smarter zombies, and a girl who had already proven she could kill when it came to her own survival, the stakes had never been higher.
Chapter 2: The Awakening
The night was restless.
Nate sat near the barricaded door, his axe within reach, watching the moonlight stretch across the abandoned shopping center's dusty floors. The distant groans of the undead echoed from below, a haunting reminder of how little separated them from death.
Michael, still recovering from the cure's effects, leaned against a collapsed display rack. He had grown quieter since the injection. His usual confidence was replaced with something... else. A quiet dread.
Sebastian sat beside Luna, sharpening his knife with slow, methodical strokes. Though she had been with them only a short time, she had settled in with surprising ease. But there was a darkness in her eyes - one Nate had seen before. Survivors like them carried their pasts in the way they moved, spoke, or avoided looking too long at a reflection.
Quinn, the flight attendant they had met hours ago, sat opposite Nate, studying him. She had warmed up to him quickly, entertained by his dry humor and calm demeanor. But now, she looked uncertain. "Do you really think this place will hold?" she finally asked.
Nate sighed. "For now. But it won't hold forever."
Michael shifted uncomfortably. "Then we better make it count."
________________________________________
A Morning of Consequences
The sun crept through the shattered windows, casting eerie shadows across the looted store shelves. The survivors stirred, one by one, stretching aching limbs and gathering what little food remained.
Sebastian, ever the early riser, was already scouting from the roof. When he returned, his expression was tense. "We've got movement," he announced. "Not just the dead."
Nate tensed. "How many?"
"Five, maybe six. Armed."
Michael let out a low curse. "Scavengers."
Luna stiffened. "They could be like us," she offered, though the uncertainty in her voice was obvious.
Nate shook his head. "Or they could be worse."
Everyone knew what scavengers had become over the years. Desperation had turned many survivors into predators, willing to kill for the scraps they found. Trust was a currency no one could afford to spend recklessly.
Quinn shifted nervously. "So what's the plan?"
Nate thought quickly. "We can't fight them head-on. We don't have the numbers. We'll avoid them, move out before they realize we're here."
Michael stood, his strength slowly returning. "And if they find us first?"
Sebastian flipped his knife expertly between his fingers. "Then we make sure they regret it."
________________________________________
The Encounter
It didn't take long.
By midday, the scavengers had reached the lower levels of the shopping center. From their hiding spots, the group listened as boots scuffed against the tile floors. Voices, hushed but urgent, echoed through the corridors.
"We know someone's here," a gruff voice called. "Come out, and we won't hurt you."
Nate glanced at Michael and Sebastian, who exchanged wary looks. Lies. That was how these groups worked. They offered safety, then took everything you had.
A scream suddenly rang out from below.
It wasn't one of theirs.
Luna peered over the railing, eyes widening. "They've attracted zombies."
The scavengers had been careless, making too much noise. A horde was descending upon them, crawling from the shadows like a living tide of death.
For a moment, Nate hesitated. Let the dead handle them? It would be the easy way out.
Then he heard a child's cry.
A boy - no older than ten - was clutching a woman's hand, tears streaming down his face. The woman, likely his mother, held a rusted knife, standing between him and both the scavengers and the undead.
Nate clenched his jaw. "Damn it."
Michael groaned. "We're really doing this?"
Sebastian grinned, twirling his knife. "Guess so."
The three of them moved as one.
________________________________________
The Cost of Survival
Chaos erupted. Nate and Michael struck first, Michael smashing one of the scavengers with a metal pipe while Nate drove his axe into another's shoulder. Sebastian weaved through the fight, taking down the undead before they could reach the mother and child.
Luna, from the upper level, picked up a fallen rifle and fired a shot into the ceiling, sending debris raining down. "Get moving!" she yelled.
The mother grabbed her son and bolted toward them. But one of the scavengers wasn't finished. A wiry man lunged for the boy, but before he could reach him -
A gunshot rang out.
The scavenger staggered, a red bloom spreading across his chest. Luna stood above, rifle still smoking.
For a moment, everything was silent. Then the undead swarmed, pulling down the remaining scavengers.
Nate didn't look back. He grabbed the mother's arm and ran.
________________________________________
A New Addition
Back at their hideout, the mother introduced herself as Eva. Her son, Leo, clung to her side, watching the group with wide, wary eyes.
"You didn't have to save us," Eva admitted. "Most people wouldn't."
Michael exhaled. "Yeah, well, we're not most people."
Sebastian handed Leo a granola bar. The boy hesitated before taking it, his small hands trembling.
Luna sat beside them. "It's okay," she said softly. "You're safe now."
For the first time in years, Nate allowed himself to hope. Maybe, just maybe, they weren't just surviving anymore.
Maybe they were building something worth fighting for.
Chapter 3: Beyond the Horde
The sun was low in the sky when they found the underground tunnel - a lifeline that led away from the ruins of the shopping center and deeper into the heart of the city. Nate, Michael, and Sebastian had agreed to leave, but the rest of the group had been uncertain. The scavengers they'd encountered hadn't just taken what they wanted; they had shattered the fragile veneer of trust they'd built over the last few months. It was a harsh reminder that survival in this world was about much more than staying alive.
"Where does this lead?" Eva asked, her voice hoarse from both fear and relief. Her son, Leo, had fallen asleep in her arms, exhausted from the adrenaline and terror of the day.
Nate didn't answer immediately. He was studying the tunnel's walls, noticing the faded markings that had long since lost their meaning. "Somewhere safer than here," he said finally, his tone noncommittal. The truth was, he didn't know. But the idea of staying in the same place much longer felt like tempting fate.
Sebastian, always the optimist, was already at the front, eyes scanning for movement. "I'll scout ahead. Keep up, or we'll end up lost."
Michael, his frame still bulky from the years of survival, gave a small grunt of agreement. He was in no mood for idle conversation. His arm still ached where the infection had taken root. The cure had worked, but his body wasn't bouncing back as quickly as it used to. He had grown quieter in the last few days, and Nate could sense the weight of it in his every movement.
Chapter 4: The Lab of Nightmares
The tunnels grew colder as they pressed forward. The stench of decay clung to the damp air, mixing with something more acrid, more unnatural. The dim glow of Jed's device flickered, casting erratic shadows against the stone walls. Each step forward felt heavier, as if the darkness itself wanted to pull them back.
Jed led the way, his movements slow, deliberate. He had spent years wandering these tunnels - watching, listening. He knew what was ahead, even if he hadn't said it outright.
"We're close," he murmured, his voice barely more than a breath. "But this place? it changes you."
Sebastian's fingers flexed around his knife. "What does that mean?"
Jed hesitated. "You'll see soon enough."
The tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber, the remains of a collapsed subway station. Train cars lay derailed and rusting, some torn apart as though something massive had ripped them open from the inside. Pools of black sludge oozed from cracks in the walls, the liquid pulsating like it was alive.
Then they saw the doors.
A set of steel doors, reinforced with thick, rusted beams, stood at the far end of the station. The emblem on them was barely visible under the layers of grime: Apex Industries - the corporation behind the outbreak.
Michael stepped forward, reaching out to touch the cold metal. "This is it."
A sudden noise cut through the silence - a low, guttural sound, like something breathing from deep within the walls. Nate turned sharply, scanning the shadows. The darkness beyond the train cars shifted. Something moved.
"Open the damn doors," Eva whispered harshly, holding Leo closer. The child whimpered in his sleep, as if sensing the dread in the air.
Jed pulled a keycard from his pocket, its edges worn and cracked. He swiped it against a rusted panel, and with a shuddering groan, the doors slowly slid open, revealing a pitch-black corridor beyond.
Inside, the stench was worse - thick, suffocating. The walls were lined with flickering monitors, old surveillance footage playing on loop. Scientists in hazmat suits. Subjects strapped to gurneys. Screaming faces, blurred by static.
Sebastian swallowed hard. "This place is a fucking tomb."
They ventured deeper, their footsteps echoing through the sterile halls. Rooms branched off on either side, their contents frozen in time - medical equipment caked in dried blood, overturned desks covered in faded reports.
Nate picked up one of the documents. Project Revenant: Phase 3. The pages detailed experiments far worse than they had imagined. The virus had been a cover - a stepping stone to something more horrific.
"'Neural enhancement through viral mutation,'" Nate read aloud, his stomach twisting. "'Subjects exhibit heightened aggression, increased cognitive abilities? loss of humanity.'"
Michael exhaled sharply. "They weren't just making zombies. They were making weapons."
A metallic clang echoed down the hall.
Everyone froze.
The sound came again, closer this time. A slow, deliberate scraping.
Then, from the darkness, a figure emerged.
At first, it looked human. Too human. The skin was stretched tight over elongated limbs, the bones beneath shifting unnaturally with every step. Its eyes were wrong - too wide, too aware. And when it opened its mouth, there were no words. Only a low, unnatural chittering.
"Run," Jed whispered. "Now."
The thing lunged.
Michael shoved Eva and Leo toward the nearest room as Nate and Sebastian raised their weapons. Gunfire erupted in the tight corridor, the muzzle flashes illuminating the nightmare before them. The bullets tore through its flesh, but it barely slowed.
With a horrifying speed, it moved. One moment it was yards away, the next it was inches from Nate's face. He barely had time to react before its clawed fingers raked across his shoulder, sending him crashing into a wall.
Michael roared, swinging his axe with brutal force. The blade buried deep into the creature's neck, but instead of collapsing, it twisted - bending in ways a human body never should. Its head hung at an unnatural angle, and yet it still smiled.
It grabbed Michael's wrist.
The bones cracked audibly.
Sebastian slammed his knife into its side, a desperate attempt to slow it down. Jed fired his last round directly into its skull, and finally, it staggered, collapsing to the floor with a sickening gurgle.
But the sound didn't stop.
More footsteps. More chittering.
"Shit," Nate groaned, gripping his wounded shoulder. "There's more."
Jed pulled him up. "We have to get to the control room. Now."
Eva clutched Leo tightly, her breath coming in panicked gasps. "This place isn't a lab," she whispered. "It's a fucking breeding ground."
And as they ran, the shadows behind them came alive.
________________________________________
Luna and Sebastian barely made it past the heavy steel doors before the creatures descended. Their shrill screeches echoed through the lab's walls, a sickening chorus of unnatural hunger. Michael and Eva sprinted ahead, Leo held tightly in Eva's arms, his little face buried against her shoulder.
Nate stayed behind, covering them. "Go! Get to the lab!" he roared, unloading round after round into the horde behind them.
Then, something huge crashed through the corridor.
A hulking figure, far larger than the rest, its flesh a writhing mass of sinew and muscle. Its eyes, glowing a sickly yellow, locked onto Nate.
It moved faster than anything that size should.
Before Nate could react, its clawed hand ripped through his arm.
A scream tore from his throat as blood sprayed across the walls. His body hit the ground, his severed arm twitching beside him. But he didn't stop. Clutching his pistol in his remaining hand, he fired one last desperate shot into the creature's face, buying the others just enough time to disappear through the lab doors.
Michael turned, eyes wide in horror. "NATE!"
But the doors slammed shut behind them, sealing the nightmare outside.
For now.
Chapter 5: The Cost of Survival
The moment the steel doors slammed shut, silence fell over them like a suffocating shroud. The only sounds were their ragged breaths and the distant, muffled screeches from the horrors they had just barely escaped.
Luna pressed her back against the cold wall, her heart hammering against her ribs. Eva clutched Leo tightly, whispering reassurances neither of them believed. Sebastian and Jed braced the door, hands trembling, weapons useless against what lurked beyond.
Michael stood in the middle of the room, frozen.
"Nate?" he whispered. His voice barely carried over the pounding of his heart.
The others said nothing.
Blood pooled beneath the crack of the door. A deep crimson, slick and thick. The last remnants of their friend.
Luna swallowed hard. "We have to keep moving."
"No," Michael said, voice barely above a breath. His fists clenched, knuckles white. "He's still alive."
Sebastian turned sharply. "Mike, you saw what happened! His arm - he - "
"He's still alive," Michael snapped, his voice trembling with a desperate conviction. "I'm not leaving him down there."
Jed shook his head. "We barely made it out. You go back down there, you're as good as dead."
Michael didn't respond. He only turned, reaching for his axe.
Luna stepped in front of him. "Michael, stop." Her eyes were pleading. "We can't lose anyone else."
Michael looked past her, to the door, to the blood, to the nightmare he had just fled from.
Then he turned and ran back into the darkness.
________________________________________
The halls were a graveyard. Blood stained the walls, bodies - both human and inhuman - lay scattered across the floor. The air was thick with the scent of decay and something wrong.
Michael's boots splashed through the pooling crimson as he moved deeper into the ruined lab, the sounds of distant chittering echoing through the halls.
"Nate?" he called out, his voice barely a whisper.
A low groan answered from the far side of the corridor.
Michael ran.
Rounding the corner, he saw him.
Nate sat slumped against the wall, his breathing shallow, his body limp. His severed arm lay beside him, forgotten. Blood soaked his clothes, his skin pale - too pale.
Michael skidded to a stop, eyes wide in horror.
Nate lifted his head. His eyes met Michael's.
They weren't human anymore.
Michael's breath caught in his throat. Nate's irises had turned a sickly shade of gold, his veins black, his skin eerily smooth, like the creatures they had fought.
"Nate?" Michael whispered, taking a hesitant step forward.
Nate smiled. His teeth were too sharp.
"You came back for me," Nate murmured, his voice softer, almost melodic. "That's? kind of you."
Michael tightened his grip on his axe. His instincts screamed at him to run, to kill whatever sat in front of him, but his heart fought back.
This was Nate.
"Are you - " Michael swallowed hard. "Are you still? you?"
Nate tilted his head. "I think so." He lifted his remaining hand, staring at the blackened veins running up his arm. "But something's? different."
Michael took another step forward. "I can get you out. We can fix this."
Nate chuckled. The sound was wrong.
"Michael," he said, shaking his head. "You know that's not true."
Michael's heart clenched.
"I don't know what they did to me," Nate continued, his voice laced with something between sorrow and amusement. "But I can hear them now."
A shiver ran down Michael's spine. "Hear who?"
Nate's golden eyes flickered in the dim light. "The ones in the dark."
A guttural screech tore through the silence.
Michael turned sharply. Down the hall, shadows shifted, bodies moved. The creatures were coming.
He turned back to Nate. "We have to go, now."
Nate just smiled again. This time, his teeth were even sharper.
"You should go, Mike."
Michael's stomach dropped. "I'm not leaving you."
Nate exhaled, then slowly pushed himself up. He was taller now, his movements too smooth, too inhuman.
"You don't get it." Nate flexed his remaining hand. "I don't think I need saving."
Michael's blood ran cold.
Another screech. Closer.
Nate turned toward the darkness, toward the oncoming horrors, then looked back at Michael.
"Go." His voice was no longer a plea. It was an order.
Michael hesitated. For just a second.
Then he ran.
________________________________________
The others were waiting when Michael burst through the doors, his breath ragged, his clothes soaked in blood.
Luna's eyes widened. "Where's - "
"He's gone," Michael said, his voice hollow.
Sebastian looked away. Eva clutched Leo tighter. Jed said nothing.
Michael collapsed against the wall, hands shaking. He could still see Nate's golden eyes, still hear his voice.
And deep in the tunnels below, he knew Nate was still watching.
But he wasn't the same anymore.
Chapter 6: Shadows of the Infected
The air in the bunker was thick with tension. No one spoke. No one moved. The only sounds were the low hum of flickering lights and the distant, echoing screeches that never seemed to fade. Michael sat hunched against the cold metal wall, his hands shaking. His mind replayed the image of Nate - his golden eyes, his sharpened teeth, the way his voice had changed. He wasn't Nate anymore. Not really.
But he was still out there.
"We need to leave," Luna whispered, her voice barely audible. "We have to find another way out before they - before he - "
Michael's head snapped up. "He wouldn't - "
Sebastian cut him off, his voice bitter. "He's not Nate anymore, Michael. He's one of them. And if we stay here, we'll be next."
Eva stood near the door, her grip tight on the rifle slung over her shoulder. "There's a maintenance shaft through the east corridor. If we can reach it, we might be able to climb out."
Jed scoffed. "Yeah? And what if they're waiting for us?"
A loud, unnatural shriek rattled through the metal walls, making them all jump. It was close. Too close.
"We don't have a choice," Luna hissed. "We move now."
With reluctant nods, they pushed forward. Every step was agony, every breath a risk. The halls were coated in shadows, blood, and things better left unseen. They didn't dare look at the bodies, human and otherwise, strewn across the floor. The air smelled of death and infection.
Then they heard it.
A slow, deliberate dragging sound.
And a voice - too familiar, too wrong.
"You shouldn't have come back."
Michael's blood ran cold.
Nate stood at the end of the corridor. But he wasn't just Nate anymore.
His body had fully changed - his skin a sickly gray, his veins blackened like webbing, his golden eyes glowing in the dim light. The infection had spread completely. His fingers had elongated into claws, his posture no longer human. And behind him, in the darkness, the other creatures stirred.
Eva raised her rifle. "Stay back."
Nate tilted his head. "Eva," he murmured, his voice almost gentle. "You know that won't stop me."
Eva didn't hesitate. She fired.
The bullet struck him in the shoulder, but he barely flinched. Instead, he smiled. A twisted, inhuman smile. Then he moved.
Faster than any of them could react, he lunged. His claws slashed through the air, raking across Eva's stomach before she could dodge. She gasped, stumbling back, blood spilling between her fingers.
"Eva!" Luna screamed.
Sebastian grabbed Eva, trying to pull her away, but the creatures surged forward. They swarmed like a tide of living nightmares, screeching, clawing, ravenous.
Michael grabbed his axe, swinging wildly. "Run! Get to the shaft!"
Jed and Luna bolted, dragging Leo with them. Sebastian hesitated for only a moment before following. But Eva -
She fell to her knees. Her breathing came in short, choked gasps, her vision blurring. The pain was unbearable. The warmth of her own blood soaked her trembling fingers, pooling beneath her.
And Nate was still there.
He crouched in front of her, his golden eyes filled with something almost like sadness. Almost.
"I didn't want it to be you," he whispered.
Eva looked up at him, her lips trembling. "Then why??"
Nate reached out, brushing blood-soaked hair from her face with claws that had once been fingers. His grip was unnervingly gentle, a ghost of the man he used to be. Then, slowly, his claws pressed against her throat, teasing the soft skin there.
"Because I'm not me anymore."
Eva's eyes widened as Nate leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear. His tongue flicked out, tasting the sweat and blood on her skin. His claws traced her jaw, then pressed harder - just enough to elicit a whimper. He exhaled a slow, satisfied sigh.
"Such a shame," he murmured.
Then his grip tightened.
A strangled cry left Eva's lips as she clawed at his arm, her body jerking beneath his overwhelming strength. Her vision darkened, the world blurring at the edges. Pain mixed with something deeper, more primal. Her lips parted in a silent plea, but Nate only smiled.
The last thing she saw was his golden eyes - bright, beautiful, monstrous.
Then darkness took her.
-
The others made it to the shaft, breathless, shaking, broken. But as they climbed into the tunnel, Michael turned back one last time.
And in the distance, Nate stood over Eva's lifeless body.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hunting.
Chapter 7: The Hunt
The infection had consumed him completely. Nate - if he could still be called that - was no longer human. His body had stretched grotesquely, standing nearly eight feet tall, his limbs elongated into unnatural proportions. His once-familiar face was now a mask of horror - his mouth filled with serrated fangs, his golden eyes devoid of emotion. Where he once had two arms, he now had four, each ending in jagged claws that dripped with remnants of his latest victims.
He could no longer speak. He could no longer think as he once had.
But he could hunt.
The air outside was thick with the stench of decay. The ruined city lay in silence, its streets littered with corpses - some human, others twisted beyond recognition by the infection. Nate moved through the shadows, his body blending into the darkness, his breathing a low, guttural rasp.
His prey was near.
Sebastian, Luna, Michael, and Leo had barely escaped the bunker. They had fled to the surface, believing themselves safe in the ruins of an abandoned hospital. But Nate could smell them. He could hear their heartbeats, rapid and desperate. He could taste their fear in the air.
A low, inhuman growl rumbled from his throat as he closed in.
________________________________________
Inside the hospital, Sebastian and Luna barricaded the doors while Michael searched frantically through the overturned medical cabinets. Leo stood by, clutching a small vial in his trembling hands. The label was faded, but they all knew what it was - the cure. The last chance to bring Nate back.
"We just need to get him to take it," Michael muttered, his fingers shaking as he loaded a syringe.
Sebastian scoffed. "You really think he'll let us get close enough? He's not Nate anymore, Michael."
Michael's jaw tightened. "Then we make him take it."
A deafening crash echoed through the halls. The metal doors groaned under the force of something massive slamming against them. Leo whimpered, pressing himself against Luna as she raised her rifle.
"He's here," she whispered.
The doors exploded inward.
Nate lunged, his monstrous form filling the doorway. His four arms struck out like whips, claws slicing through the air. Sebastian shoved Luna and Leo back just as one of the massive claws slashed across his chest. Blood sprayed across the floor as he staggered, choking on a scream.
Michael charged, axe in hand, but Nate was too fast. One clawed hand caught him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly. Michael kicked and struggled, but the infected beast only tightened his grip, savoring the moment. His golden eyes flashed with something almost like recognition - then it was gone.
With a sickening crunch, Nate crushed Michael's throat.
Luna screamed, firing wildly as Sebastian crumpled to the ground, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing. Nate turned to her, his claws dripping with fresh blood.
Leo trembled, his small hands gripping the syringe filled with the cure. He watched as the monster that had once been his friend stalked toward Luna, her rifle clicking empty. This was their last chance.
"Luna, run!" Leo shouted.
She hesitated, looking between Nate and the boy. But then she nodded and sprinted toward the stairwell, leading the beast deeper into the hospital. Nate pursued, his heavy steps shaking the ground.
Leo's heart pounded as he sprinted after them, clutching the cure tightly.
________________________________________
Luna burst into the operating room, panting. The cold, sterile environment was a cruel reminder of the world before - all the lives that had once been saved here. Now, it was a battleground.
Nate slammed into the doorway, his massive frame barely fitting through. His golden eyes locked onto her, his claws twitching with hunger. He lunged -
And Leo struck.
The boy leaped forward, driving the syringe deep into Nate's exposed neck. The monster roared, flinching as the serum flooded his system. He thrashed wildly, knocking Leo aside. His body convulsed, muscles tightening as veins blackened and pulsed violently.
Luna grabbed Leo, pulling him back as Nate let out an agonized screech. His form twitched, spasming, the infection writhing inside him as the cure fought against it. His four arms clutched at his chest, his golden eyes flickering, a battle raging within.
Then -
He collapsed.
Silence filled the room. The only sound was Leo's ragged breathing as he clung to Luna, staring at the unmoving form of the creature.
Minutes passed.
Then, a cough.
A weak, shuddering breath.
And a voice - hoarse, trembling, human.
"?Luna?"
She gasped, tears filling her eyes as Nate - no longer a monster, no longer a mindless killer - looked up at her, his golden eyes dimming back to their normal shade.
He was back.
But at what cost?
Chapter 8: Echoes of the Fallen
Nate awoke in darkness. His body ached, his limbs felt foreign, his skin cold with sweat. He was back. He was Nate again. But the memories of what he had done - the blood on his hands, the screams, the faces of those he had torn apart - remained, haunting him.
The hospital was silent now, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood and antiseptic. He forced himself to his feet, his vision swimming as the weight of reality crashed over him. His golden eyes flickered in the dim light, searching, desperate.
Then he saw them.
Sebastian lay sprawled across the shattered floor, his chest carved open, his lifeless eyes frozen in shock. Nearby, Michael's body was slumped against a wall, his throat crushed, his hands still curled into fists, as if he had fought until his last breath.
Nate staggered forward, his breath ragged, his fingers trembling as he reached out. "No?" His voice cracked, barely above a whisper. He dropped to his knees beside Sebastian, pressing a shaking hand against the torn flesh, as if he could somehow put him back together, as if he could undo what he had done. But the body was cold. Empty.
A choked sob escaped his throat.
He turned to Michael next, his vision blurring as he took in the bruised and broken form of his friend. "I didn't? I didn't mean to?" His own words felt hollow, meaningless. His clawed fingers twitched, and he clenched them into fists, nails biting into his palms until he felt his own blood trickle down. It was nothing compared to what he had done to them.
Guilt crushed him, suffocating. The infection had stolen his body, twisted his mind, but deep down, something in him had enjoyed it - the hunt, the kill, the power. And now, the people who had once been his family lay dead at his feet.
A bitter laugh bubbled up, broken and raw. "What am I?"
The question echoed into the empty hospital halls. He had been human once. He had been their friend. But he had slaughtered them like they were nothing. The weight of it all pressed on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Luna and Leo had saved him. They had believed he could be brought back. But what was left of Nate? Could he ever truly be the same? Could he ever look them in the eye without seeing the bloodstains on his hands?
Tears burned down his face as he bowed his head, his forehead pressing against Michael's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so? so sorry."
The silence gave no reply. Only the ghosts of his past remained, watching, waiting, judging.
And for the first time since his rebirth, Nate wished he had died instead.
?
Chapter 9: Eight Years Later
The world had not healed, but it had changed.
The infected still roamed the wasteland, but they were fewer now, scattered remnants of the horrors that had once nearly wiped humanity from existence. Cities had crumbled, forests had overgrown the ruins, and in their shadows, the survivors had learned how to endure.
In a fortified settlement deep in the remnants of an old city, three people stood at the edge of a watchtower, looking over the horizon.
Leo, now fourteen, had grown into a sharp, resilient young man. His dark hair was cropped short, his expression hardened by years of survival. He had learned to fight, to track, to kill when necessary. But despite the harsh world, his heart remained strong - hope still lingered in his eyes.
Luna, now twenty-five, had become a leader among the survivors. She had taken control when no one else could, guiding people to safety, organizing supply runs, and standing at the front lines when danger threatened. She had scars, both visible and not, but she had never let them slow her down.
And then there was Nate.
At twenty-seven, he was something else entirely. A ghost of a man who had once been their friend, their brother. Though the cure had saved him from the infection, it had not erased what he had done. The monstrous memories still clawed at his mind, the faces of Sebastian and Michael haunting his every step. He never spoke of them, never let anyone know how much the guilt devoured him.
His body had changed, too. He was stronger than any human, faster than most creatures that lurked in the dark. The remnants of the infection had altered him permanently. He could see in the dark, sense movement in ways no normal person could. Some in the settlement feared him. Others worshipped him, calling him a revenant - a man who had returned from death itself.
Luna sighed, breaking the silence. "They're getting closer again." She nodded toward the horizon, where a faint, unnatural movement could be seen between the ruined buildings. The infected. They never stopped coming.
"We need to reinforce the east gate," Leo said, gripping the hilt of his knife. He had grown into a capable fighter, no longer the terrified child from before. "If they get through, we lose the food stores."
Nate watched the movement in the distance, his golden eyes narrowing. "They're hunting," he said quietly. His voice was deeper now, rougher, but still held traces of the man he used to be.
Luna turned to him. "Hunting for what?"
Nate hesitated. Then, he looked down at his own hands, flexing his fingers. "Me."
Leo's jaw tightened. "They still see you as one of them, don't they?"
Nate didn't answer. He didn't have to.
For eight years, they had been hunting him. The remnants of the infection, the creatures that had once been his kin, sought to bring him back. The whispers in the night, the nightmares that plagued him - they were never truly gone. The infection might have been driven from his body, but something inside him was still connected to them. And they knew it.
Luna placed a hand on his arm. "We'll handle it."
But Nate knew this wouldn't stop. Not until they were all dead.
A deep, guttural screech echoed across the ruins. The hunt had begun again.
CLIFF HANGER
�nate
Support nate ball
