Apocalypse 0: The Beginning

PROLOGUE

"If you are reading this on any platform other than Wattpad, it has been stolen. Please read it on my official profile [TyreshaForeman2008] on Wattpad to support the original creator and protect your device from potential malware."

Four Years Ago

The world didn't end with a bang, not really. There was no single moment where everything shattered, no great mushroom cloud or alien invasion that brought humanity to its knees. It happened quietly, insidiously, like a cancer spreading through the bloodstream of civilization. By the time anyone realized what was happening, it was already too late.

It started in the slums of Mumbai, or so the official reports claimed. A new strain of influenza, highly contagious, with an unusually high mortality rate. The World Health Organization issued statements. Governments promised action. People went about their daily lives, oblivious to the storm gathering on the horizon.

Katie Miller remembered the day everything changed. She was fourteen, sitting in her high school's biology class, trying to stay awake through Mr. Henderson's monotone lecture on cellular division. The morning had started like any other-her mother had burned the toast, her father had complained about the traffic, and her little brother Tommy had spilled orange juice all over his favorite dinosaur shirt. Normal. Comfortable. Boring.

"If you are reading this on any platform other than Wattpad, it has been stolen. Please read it on my official profile [TyreshaForeman2008] on Wattpad to support the original creator and protect your device from potential malware."

"Miller, are you paying attention?" Mr. Henderson's voice cut through her reverie.

"Yes, sir," she muttered, straightening in her seat.

"What are the three stages of cellular division?"

Katie opened her mouth to answer, but the words died in her throat as she watched Mr. Henderson's face contort. The veins in his neck bulged, dark and angry against his pale skin. His eyes, usually a calm blue, had gone bloodshot and wild. A thin line of spittle dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"Sir, are you okay?" one of the students asked, concern evident in their voice.

Mr. Henderson didn't respond. Instead, he let out a guttural moan that seemed to come from somewhere deep within his chest. His body convulsed, and then he collapsed, sending papers flying across the classroom floor.

Chaos erupted. Students screamed, some rushing to help while others scrambled away in terror. Katie remained frozen in her seat, watching as Mr. Henderson's body twitched and writhed on the floor. His skin began to take on a grayish pallor, and his fingers curled into claws.

"Get back!" someone shouted. "Don't touch him!"

But it was too late. One of the students, a football player named Derrick, had already knelt beside their teacher, trying to check his pulse. Mr. Henderson's eyes snapped open-or rather, what remained of them. The irises had faded to a milky white, and there was something predatory in the way they fixed on Derrick's throat.

"Mr. H-"

The rest of Derrick's words dissolved into a wet, gurgling scream as Mr. Henderson lunged forward, his teeth sinking into the soft flesh of the boy's neck. Blood sprayed across the classroom floor, painting the linoleum in crimson patterns that seemed almost artistic in their brutality.

And just like that, the world as Katie knew it ceased to exist.

The outbreak spread with terrifying speed. By the end of that first week, the military had been deployed to major cities across the globe. Quarantine zones were established. Martial law was declared. All air travel was grounded. The internet became a chaotic mess of rumors, conspiracy theories, and desperate pleas for help.