After swallowing the crystal, Ivan braced himself.
He expected pain.
But he wasn't ready for that.
A violent sting exploded in his chest, as if something had stabbed directly into his heart. His breath caught in his throat. For a terrifying second, he thought his heart was going to rupture.
When the sharp pain dulled slightly, something worse followed.
Heat.
His entire body began burning from the inside out. His muscles tightened. His bones felt like they were being crushed and reforged. Every nerve screamed.
Trying not to alert nearby zombies, Ivan bit down on the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood. His fists clenched. His jaw locked. Tears streamed down his face silently as his body trembled.
Not a single scream left his mouth.
While Ivan endured the transformation, Johnathan and Daniel kept watch, scanning rooftops, windows, and corners for movement.
"Just a little longer…" Johnathan muttered under his breath.
Ivan's quiet whimpers barely rose above the wind.
In the middle of a hushed conversation, Johnathan felt movement on his back.
"Wha—"
"What's going on? Where's Mom?"
The boy had woken up.
Johnathan carefully lowered him to the ground. Without speaking, he pointed toward the woman's body lying several meters away.
The boy followed his finger.
The moment he understood, his legs gave out. He collapsed onto his knees, sobbing.
Before his cries could rise into something louder, Johnathan quickly crouched and placed a hand over his shoulder.
"Keep it down," he whispered urgently. "There are still zombies nearby."
The boy covered his mouth, trying to stifle the sound of his grief.
"W-Why did this have to happen to Mom?" he asked, tears streaming down his face.
Johnathan exhaled slowly.
He didn't know.
One hour ago, his biggest problem had been a math test.
Now he was surviving the end of the world.
"I don't know, kid," he admitted quietly. "We've probably all lost someone already. We just don't know it yet. Stay strong. Do your best to survive."
Daniel walked over and knelt beside them.
"Yeah," he added gently. "It's an apocalypse. None of this makes sense. Your mom may have died… but she's still with you."
He tapped the boy's chest.
"Right here. She'll watch over you."
The boy trembled—but didn't scream. Didn't wail.
He held it in.
Johnathan was honestly impressed. For someone so small, he was strong.
"What's your name?" Johnathan asked softly.
"Ash."
Before they could continue, they heard heavy breathing behind them.
"Haah… haah…"
They turned.
Ivan was sitting upright now.
Then he laughed.
Not hysterical—this time it was exhilarated.
He pushed himself to his feet, flexing his hands, rotating his shoulders.
"It feels good, right?" Johnathan asked.
Ivan grinned. "Feels amazing."
He felt lighter. Stronger. Sharper. Like gravity itself had loosened its grip on him.
"Alright," Daniel said, standing. "Power-up complete. Let's move."
They resumed their journey toward Johnathan's brother's school.
Along the way, Daniel gave Ash some water and a cookie from the cafeteria supplies. The boy ate quietly.
After two more minutes of careful walking, they reached the edge of the neighborhood.
A bridge stretched ahead of them—the fastest route forward.
They froze.
Across the bridge—
Zombies.
Dozens.
Some wandered aimlessly. Others crouched over corpses, chewing through flesh with wet, tearing sounds.
There had to be over a hundred.
The boys felt their confidence evaporate.
They couldn't fight that.
Even enhanced, they weren't superheroes.
Johnathan clenched his teeth in frustration before forcing himself to calm down.
"We'll take another way before they notice us."
Daniel frowned. "There isn't another path."
Johnathan scanned the area… then pointed over the ledge.
The others followed his finger.
Train tracks ran below the bridge.
Daniel stared down.
"That's way too high. We can't just jump down there."
Johnathan laughed softly.
He had a feeling his new strength could handle it.
"What are you laughing at?" Daniel whispered sharply—then immediately covered his mouth.
The others stared at him.
"Grrrhh…"
From the corner of their vision, movement.
A small group of zombies had noticed them.
"Ivan."
"On it."
Without hesitation, the two enhanced boys each grabbed someone—Johnathan took Ash, Ivan grabbed Daniel.
Then—
They jumped.
"AHHH—"
Daniel's scream echoed as they dropped.
They hit the ground hard.
But not hard enough.
Johnathan and Ivan absorbed the impact, legs bending but holding steady.
They set the other two down.
"Run," Johnathan ordered.
They sprinted along the tracks.
Within seconds, it became clear—Daniel and Ash were too slow.
Without a word, Johnathan and Ivan doubled back, scooped them up again, and carried them piggyback style.
They ran.
Faster than before.
Five minutes later, they reached the train station.
Breathing heavily, they set the others down.
Ivan turned to Daniel, frustration spilling over.
"Do you realize how dumb that was? You screamed like crazy. Even Ash kept it together. If we weren't enhanced, we would've died."
Daniel lowered his head in shame.
He was embarrassed.
Ash hadn't made a single sound.
"I-It won't happen again," he muttered.
Johnathan stepped in before things escalated.
"It's fine. Just don't do it again. I don't want to die because you raised your voice."
Daniel nodded silently.
They moved into the station carefully.
Johnathan frowned.
It was empty.
No corpses. No zombies. No people.
For a public place, it was eerily silent.
Why isn't anyone here?
He didn't like it.
He waited for the others to catch up before proceeding deeper into the station.
After walking a few more meters down the dim platform, they heard it.
A low growl.
And the unmistakable sound of chewing.
All four froze.
Johnathan slowly pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight.
The tunnel ahead was dim, but the deeper section was swallowed in darkness.
"Wh—"
Daniel started to speak.
The flashlight beam cut through the shadows.
Three zombies crouched over a corpse, tearing into it with animalistic hunger. Blood stained the tiles beneath them.
The creatures lifted their heads in unison.
Their cloudy eyes locked onto the boys.
They rose slowly.
Then began limping toward them at a steady pace.
"Fuck."
All four said it at the same time.
The zombies advanced.
And there was nowhere to run.