The two boys looked at Johnathan, waiting for him to explain his plan.
"You see those four rocks?"
He pointed toward an overturned car a few meters away. Beside it sat a small pile of jagged stones, stained with dirt and ash from the burning vehicles nearby. Ivan and Danny followed his finger, then turned back to him expectantly.
"One of us throws two rocks at their faces," Johnathan said quickly. "While the other two rush in and stab them. In the movies, their weakness is always the head."
The two exchanged uneasy glances. It wasn't the most sophisticated plan—but the zombies were getting closer, dragging their feet across the pavement, letting out guttural growls.
"I'll throw," Ivan said. "I was pretty good at shot put."
Johnathan and Danny nodded immediately.
Ivan sprinted toward the rocks, his shoes slapping against the cracked asphalt. The air smelled like smoke and something rotten. He grabbed two heavy stones and rushed back.
Meanwhile, Johnathan and Danny stepped forward, waving their arms and shouting.
"Hey! Over here!" Danny yelled.
They even raised their middle fingers. "Fuck you!"
The zombies limped toward them, heads twitching unnaturally, cloudy eyes locked onto their movement. Johnathan's heart pounded in his chest as he slowly backed up, knife trembling in his grip.
Just as the creatures got within a few feet—
Thud.
Ivan hurled the first rock. It smashed into the forehead of the zombie in front of Johnathan with a sickening crack. The creature collapsed instantly.
Without hesitation, Ivan scooped up the second rock and launched it. It struck the other zombie near its temple, sending it crashing to the pavement.
"Now!" Ivan shouted.
Before the zombies could rise, Johnathan and Danny rushed forward. They plunged their knives down into the creatures' skulls. Once. Twice. Again.
The growling stopped.
But adrenaline kept them moving.
They grabbed the rocks and smashed the zombies' heads repeatedly until there was no movement left—only crushed bone and dark blood pooling beneath them.
Silence followed.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then realization hit.
"We did it," Danny breathed.
A surge of exhilaration rushed through them. They ran toward each other, briefly celebrating, their laughter shaky and half-hysterical.
But the moment was cut short by the sound of scratching—long nails dragging violently against a nearby house door.
They froze.
As they turned to move on, Johnathan's eyes caught something strange.
From the chest of one of the corpses—right where the heart should be—a faint red glow pulsed beneath torn flesh.
"What the hell…" he muttered.
He crouched down.
A red crystal, about the size of a thumb, slowly pushed outward from the zombie's chest cavity. It shimmered faintly, glowing like a dying ember.
Curiosity overpowered him.
He reached out and grabbed it.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the crystal, a strange warmth spread through his hand. Then came something else—
A pull.
A whisper.
Not a voice exactly—but an overwhelming urge.
Eat it.
"What are you doing?" Ivan asked sharply.
Johnathan snapped out of it and held up the crystal, explaining how it had emerged from the zombie's chest—and how it felt when he touched it.
Danny frowned. "What could it even be?"
Ivan shrugged helplessly.
Johnathan stared at it thoughtfully.
"I don't know… but it might have something to do with whatever turned them into zombies. You guys heard that horn, right?"
The two nodded immediately.
"In the Bible, trumpets signal apocalyptic events," Johnathan continued. "If this is some kind of end-times scenario… then maybe this crystal is connected to it. Maybe it's something sent down to help people survive."
He paused.
"Or maybe it turns us into zombies."
Neither of them laughed.
"But honestly?" he continued quietly, eyes hardening. "I don't see the downside. If we turn into zombies, we won't have to live through this hell. But when I grabbed it… it didn't feel evil. It felt like something wanted me to eat it."
The three fell silent.
Could it make them stronger?
Could it kill them?
Was that strange pull something divine—or something demonic?
Hope and fear tangled inside all of them.
Johnathan finally pocketed the crystal.
They were about to continue when his phone vibrated.
His heart skipped.
Antonio.
He answered immediately.
"J-Johnathan…" His little brother's voice came through in broken sobs. "What's happening? I called Mom, but she didn't pick up. Everyone around me is dying—and turning into zombies."
Johnathan's chest tightened painfully.
"Antonio, listen to me," he said, forcing calm into his voice. "Hide. Don't make any noise. Where are you?"
"I'm on the roof of my school. I'm lying flat so they can't see me. But there are so many of them. I—I can't get down. I'm trapped."
"I'm coming," Johnathan said instantly. "No matter what. I'll be there in a few hours. Is anyone with you?"
"Matthew… and some older kid."
"Good. Tell them to stay quiet. Don't stand up."
There was a long pause.
"A-am I going to die, bro?"
Johnathan clenched his jaw.
"No. I promise you. I'll do whatever it takes to save you."
"…Thanks."
The call ended.
Johnathan lowered his phone slowly and explained everything to Ivan and Danny.
He expected them to hesitate. They had families too.
Instead—
Ivan spoke first. "Dude. You and Danny are basically my brothers. If I needed help, you'd come for me. Plus, we have to pass that school to get to my house anyway."
Danny nodded. "And my place is way too far from here. I'd probably die going alone. Three is better than one."
Johnathan felt something tighten in his throat.
They were family.
As they prepared to move again, Johnathan pulled out the crystal and stared at it.
Ivan and Danny stiffened.
They knew.
After a few seconds of silence, Johnathan placed the crystal in his mouth and swallowed it.
"Johnathan—!"
Too late.
Was it reckless?
Yes.
But three teenagers with kitchen knives wouldn't survive an army of zombies. If this crystal increased his strength—even slightly—their chances improved.
And without strength, he would never reach his brother.
Turning into a zombie is better than watching Antonio get eaten alive, he thought.
Suddenly—
He collapsed.
Pain exploded through his chest like molten metal pouring into his veins. His vision blurred.
"Arghhh!" he screamed, clutching at his heart as his body convulsed on the pavement.
Ivan and Danny dropped to their knees beside him in horror.
AN: He ate the crystal because he knew the three of them, without guns or real weapons, would die against a large group of zombies. Saving his brother required strength. He chose to risk himself rather than risk failing him.