World In Chaos: AFTER THE END

Division 3

Eric had no idea where he was going. The fear of death pulsed through his veins, causing him to tremble as he ran. The moans of the dead followed behind him, snapping their jaws like savages. For rotting corpses, they ran quite fast, which worried him even more. Anxiety began to catch up to him as his heart beat faster like loud drums. His cramps were beginning to hurt but if he were to stop for a breath, his entire body would be consumed, turning him into one of them.

Shivering at the thought, Eric continued to dash through the empty halls. He was never a runner, admired basketball out of all the sports. His jumps were far more impressive than his speed. Yet, he refused to give up. After all, it was just the matter of placing one foot in front of the other. The rest of his friends were way ahead of him, the same scared expressions on their faces.

Many of the rooms were locked and for the first time, even Alex cursed at the security measures. The main lounge area was empty, and to their surprise, everything was gone. The stacks of files and papers that dominated the large white desk had somehow diminished. Even the keys to the rooms were missing.

The short pause of their chase was used as an advantage by the Decayers and they had caught up closer than before. Their dying bodies all moving at once towards the lounge, tripping over one another. They moved like a school of fish, but the constant tripping and disgusting appearance made them look far less elegant.

Eric gasped for air, trying to calm himself down. He always hated these things. Even before the Apocalypse, his friends would take him to the Cinema and make him watch Zombie movies. He remembered how scary it was seeing someone being torn apart by the limbs, the blood splattering out of the open guts. The gurgling sounds the dying body would make as the hell-infected zombie devoured it whole.

He never would have thought this would happen to him. The first time he heard on the news about the global infestation, he had gotten a massive panic attack and was not able to recover for an entire day. All his friends laughed at him that day. But, they didn't laugh for too long. And not many laughed after.

Most of his family had died right then, infected with the cursed disease. Only he and his mother had survived. His entire community had evacuated and those who lagged behind were all dead. When the TCZO found them in their home, they had taken both him and his mother with them. However, when he arrived at this Safe Zone, the doctors had separated them both due to specific circumstances which he was not aware of. He had spent weeks looking for her, achieving no success. He would skip his classes and roam the building, searching for any sign that would tell him his mother was alive and close. But it seemed that the more he looked, the more he realized that it was useless. She wasn't there. hough he eventually gave up the search, deep down in his heart, he still believed there was a chance in uniting with his mother again.

"Eric, watch out!!" someone screamed, jolting Eric out of his deep thoughts.

He had slowed down without knowing and was only at arms reach from one of the Decayers.

He screamed in agony as he stumbled forward, the Decayer falling over him, snapping its jaws.

The rest of his friends had already made it to the top of the staircase and yelled for him to run up as well.

He looked up at them, affright. The dead creature pulled at his pants, pulling itself closer to his chest.

"Guys! H-help!!" he cried, lashing at the thing with his hands and feet.

The rest of the Decayers had finally caught up and were meters away from him. Thankfully, the small doorway helped to them hold back. They pushed and shoved each other, trying to enter all at once.