New Year Virus

Chapter 38

I realized that something was terribly wrong with this man, something beyond the nightmare I had already faced. With a surge of fear and desperation, I summoned every ounce of my strength and pushed him away from me. He stumbled backward, crashing into the washroom basin.

The basin shattered into a thousand fragments, and the man clutched his head, unleashing an inhuman, blood-curdling scream. Blood mixed with water, turning the scene into a grotesque canvas of horror. It was a horrifying sight, but there was no room for disgust; this was a fight for my life.

Taking advantage of the moment, I sprinted for the door. The man, a hideous, blood-soaked specter, spotted my escape and lunged after me with a ravenous hunger.

My heart raced, adrenaline surged through my veins, and my fingers fumbled with the latch. With desperate determination, I managed to slam the door shut just as he reached it.

But he wasn't giving up. His hands, once human, had morphed into monstrous, clawed appendages, and he began to mercilessly pummel the door. Each strike reverberated through the doorframe, and it was painfully clear that it wouldn't hold for long.

Clutching the broken rod, its sharp, jagged end in trembling hands, I pressed my back against the door.

The relentless assault on the other side made the situation increasingly dire. It was a battle for survival in the most primal sense, a fight teetering on the brink of life and death.

Every blow on the door sent terror coursing through me. The cacophony of splintering wood, agonized screams, and my own frantic breaths filled the air.

I knew that the door's fragile barrier wouldn't withstand the inhuman strength pounding against it forever.

I braced the broken rod against the door with every ounce of strength I had left. The man was still relentless, hammering away at the door and ran for my life.

In my desperate escape, I collided with Gabriel, and the floodgates of fear and panic burst open.

With trembling hands and bloodstained clothes, I clung to Gabriel, tears streaming down my face. His expression twisted into a mix of shock and worry as he wrapped his arms around me, offering me a lifeline of comfort and protection.

"What happened, Athena?" My dad's voice broke through the commotion, his eyes widening as he noticed the blood on my clothes. My dad's concern was palpable as well, his words laced with worry.

I took a shuddering breath, attempting to regain my composure. Gabriel, his embrace a source of strength, urged me to explain. "Calm down, Athena. Tell us everything," he said gently.

In a quivering voice, I began to recount the horrifying encounter with the man in the bathroom, how he had attacked me and how

I had fought back, only to discover that he exhibited the traits of a zombie yet retained the ability to speak.

The words spilled out of me in a torrent of fear and disbelief, laying bare the unimaginable horrors I had faced in that tiny, blood-soaked space.

In the midst of our tense standoff with the man, the door I had barricaded showed signs of buckling under his relentless assault. With a final, bone-chilling crash, the door shattered into pieces, and the man emerged, a grotesque and terrifying figure.

His presence outside sent shivers down our spines. His eyes, still poked out, gave him an otherworldly appearance. It was a scene straight from a nightmare, and we found ourselves trapped with this abomination.

Jack's voice quivered with fear as he spoke, "Just like in games... What if this is a mutated form of the virus?"

Veronica, determined and resolute, stepped forward, gun aimed squarely at the man's head. But when she pulled the trigger, nothing happened. Panic flashed across her face as the man taunted, "Looks like you ran out of bullets."