A new morning, and unlike usual, it wasn't quiet. The noise of people was everywhere since early dawn, which really bothers me. Anyway, my family isn't in the tent; it seems they're outside. I'll put on my clothes and look for them.
I left the tent. The day was heavily cloudy, and the air was cold too. The men were gathered in one of the large tents over there, seemingly discussing something. The women were outside, apparently preparing food. Also, some children were playing far from the camp.
I went to the place I was at last night to see my beloved city, where my home, my toys, and everything I love are. Now, it's just a place filled with ruins. All that remains are the destroyed houses that were lucky enough to be far from the explosion. It's truly heartbreaking that all this happened on my birthday… the day my family and I were supposed to celebrate turned into a cursed day for us. The only good thing is that my family is still safe despite everything. I'll head back to the camp; I'm curious about what they're talking about.
I returned to the camp, and it seems the situation isn't good. I hear a lot of shouting from their direction. From what I understood, the men are upset about what happened to the city—everything they worked and toiled for was simply destroyed.
A soldier climbed onto a chair, holding a megaphone, looking like he wants to say something.
Alright, he's done speaking. In short, he said the entire city is filled with those monsters, which he called zombies. There were no fewer than 600,000 zombies in the city—literally 50% of all the zombies on our continent. So, the government decided to wipe them out with one strike before things got worse.
After he said that, I noticed worry etched on the parents' faces, while silence spread among them. To be honest, even I was shocked by what he said. 600,000 monsters! That's an enormous number. I'm still stunned at how they managed to hold out against them for an entire night.
I wanted to stay longer, but my brother came and asked me to come play with him and the other kids. I think I'll go. It's been a while since I last played.
When I reached the place where the kids were playing, I approached them to join in… but as soon as they saw me, they looked at me with disgust and walked away toward the camp.
No matter how many times this happens, I still feel the same embarrassment and frustration every time. I looked at my older brother, who was also looking at them in surprise.
I stood in the middle of the empty field, watching the kids start playing somewhere else far away, which made me boil inside.
My brother approached me, noticing my anger from a distance, and put his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me:
"Don't mind them; they're just scared… you know, with this zombie thing or whatever, it's obvious they'd be afraid of anything different, especially since we only just saw what they look like."
I already know this… but I can't ignore this feeling. They treat me like I'm not even human, which is unbearably humiliating just because I'm different.
After hearing me, my brother put his arm around my neck and said in a mocking tone, trying to lighten the mood:
"You don't have to be mad about it. Sure, you're ugly and look like Grandpa, but you're beautiful on the inside."
His words annoyed me more, but he patted my head and continued:
"Anyway, don't let it get to you. It's completely normal—people fear what they don't understand, but eventually, they get used to it."
Then he laughed a little and added jokingly:
"And honestly, if they don't get used to you… well, they can go to hell."
I couldn't help but laugh when I heard him. Even with all the sadness I felt, it vanished when I was with him. He's truly the best.
Suddenly, we heard screams and gunfire coming from the village. My brother and I ran toward the tent without thinking, fearing something had happened to our parents. But before we reached it, we saw our mom, dad, and others running toward us. My dad shouted at us to run quickly.
I didn't understand what was happening, but the terror on their faces was enough to tell me a disaster had struck.
I took one last look at the camp and was shocked to see, from a distance, three massive creatures with yellow eyes like predators and scarred gray skin.
One of them grabbed a soldier, opened its mouth so wide it broke its jaw, and started vomiting something into his mouth before dropping him to the ground. Then the soldier began shooting at all the humans nearby, while the other two monsters killed the remaining soldiers, doing the same thing to the other people.
I turned away from the camp and started running as fast as I could, following my family.
After some time, when we were sure we were far from the camp, we stopped running. Everyone was panting from exhaustion and fear. My mom was hugging my brother, crying silently, while my dad pulled me toward them to ensure my safety.
I looked at the people around us—women sobbing bitterly, screaming the names of their children or husbands who either fled in another direction or weren't lucky enough to escape the attack.
Relatives were checking on each other, and some people were collapsed on the ground from sheer exhaustion.
We stayed like that for several minutes, lost in a barren land devoid of life.
All the men gathered to decide what to do next, while we sat in our place, waiting for them to finish their discussion.
After a few minutes, the men finished their meeting and slowly walked toward us.
A large man with thinning hair, wearing a black shirt and long blue pants, stepped forward and told us we needed to find a safe place to hide, as staying here wasn't a good idea right now. One man suggested heading to the other camps the army had told us about, where we could seek protection, while another objected, saying the journey might be dangerous, especially after seeing those monsters.
The men exchanged opinions—some wanted to go to another city, while others preferred splitting into small groups to avoid drawing attention. As they continued debating their next move, rain suddenly started pouring. The area was empty, with no shelter from the rain, forcing the men to make a quick decision. Each man began searching for his wife, children, or friends.
My dad came to us and asked us to follow him. The same man stepped forward, leading the group as the rest followed him, walking through the muddy path made slippery by the heavy rain. I started feeling cold, and my clothes were getting wet. The only sounds were the rain and our tired breaths.
I was walking next to my dad, while my mom walked beside my brother, holding his hand tightly.
I looked at my dad with worry and saw seriousness and tension on his face. He noticed my mom shivering from the cold and her clothes getting wet, so he took off his shirt and gave it to her to shield her from the rain. She refused at first, but he insisted. My dad is truly a noble man.
As for my diary, I hid it inside my clothes to keep it from getting wet. After some time walking, I noticed a group of dogs walking in the opposite direction. They were skinny, their fur soaked, led by an old dog covered in bruises and injuries. The group passed by us, staring at us for a moment before continuing their search for shelter from the rain.
As we kept walking, we reached a highway. On its side was an abandoned gas station with dim lights. We headed toward it to take shelter from the rain, but we weren't alone—others had reached the place before us. A group approached us, holding makeshift weapons like a pointed iron rod, knives, and even burning sticks they'd likely lit with fuel. The man leading us tried to calm them, saying we were just seeking shelter from the rain and didn't want trouble. But their leader gave him a sharp look and told him in a harsh tone to leave, saying there was no guarantee we weren't one of those creatures. One of our men replied that it was obvious we were human and asked how they couldn't tell the difference. Their leader pointed his rod to the right, telling us to look over there. I looked and saw a small room in the corner of the station.
Our leader and some men headed toward the room. Curiosity got the better of me, so I followed them.
When they entered the room, they suddenly froze. They started talking among themselves, their faces filled with worry and fear, which only increased my curiosity about what they saw. I pushed through them to get inside.
The stench of rot filled the air, and the walls were covered in black stains, as if a fire had been set there. I turned to my right and was shocked to see piles of corpses stacked on top of each other—some disfigured, others completely burned. I vomited immediately from the horrific sight and smell.
Our leader shouted at the others to stay away from these people and be cautious. He looked at their leader with a face full of tension and anger and said in a trembling voice, "What happened here? Who did this?" Their leader replied, "Your friend asked how we can't tell the difference between humans and monsters. As you can see, those corpses are monsters that can disguise themselves as humans, waiting for the chance to attack. If it weren't for the sacrifice of our brave men who burned themselves with those monsters, many of us would be dead." Shock and horror spread across our group as we realized the danger could be anywhere, even in someone who looks human.
One of the women in our group stepped forward and asked anxiously, "How can we tell the difference between them and real humans?" Their leader replied, "I don't know. They were normal people at first, then suddenly attacked us without reason, trying to eat us." Silence fell for a moment before our leader broke it, saying, "Alright, I know this is foolish, but we need a place to shelter from the rain tonight. We don't ask for much—just until morning, and none of us will come near you." Their leader looked at him for a moment before agreeing, on the condition that we stay in the back section of the station. We reluctantly agreed and headed to an abandoned warehouse in the back.
Inside the warehouse, I sat on the cold floor.
With everything that's happened, all I want now is to sleep. My family gathered together to keep warm, covering ourselves with my dad's clothes since they were big enough for all of us. I looked at my brother, who was fast asleep on my mom's shoulder, and she was asleep too. Now, I'm writing down everything that happened today while trying to stay warm… I really miss my home… my warm room, my comfortable bed that I love… all of it gone in the blink of an eye. Well, I think I'll go to sleep since there's nothing else I can do.
New Morning
A new morning and a new day. I woke up after my dad shook me awake. As agreed, we were allowed to stay here for one night, and now we have to leave.
The rain had stopped, and the sun was shining. We packed our things and started walking away from the station, following the highway. It seems we're heading to another city.
Four hours passed as we walked nonstop, and exhaustion was starting to take over me and the others. Luckily, we had some water and food. We reached a crossroads with a sign pointing to a nearby city, saying it's 10 kilometers away.
We stopped for a moment to catch our breath. The men started talking among themselves, and it seems they all agreed to head to the city since it's the best option available. After resting briefly, we continued walking toward the city. I just hope it's safe there.
After about two hours of walking, I started seeing the city's outlines from a distance. We hadn't reached it yet, but I noticed a lot of wrecked cars scattered around, as if a massive accident had occurred. Many cars were burned or smashed from collisions or something else. One of our men checked a car with an open window, managing to open it from the inside. He called us over, having found something. Wait, good news—he found a gun! That'll help us a lot if we're attacked. Hmm, I think I'll search the cars too; maybe I'll find something useful.
I reached a car with a broken door, so I didn't have trouble opening it. After searching, I found nothing but a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches. I took the matches and continued with the group. I checked other cars but found nothing useful except some papers and pencils—maybe I'll need them when my pen runs out of ink. My brother had some luck and found a knife in one of the cars. Others collected broken car parts that could be used as weapons in case of trouble.
Finally, we reached the city. The place was eerily quiet. Some buildings and houses were destroyed, and what worried me was the number of human corpses scattered on the ground, along with soldiers and strange creatures like the ones we saw before. It seems the zombies attacked this place too. We kept moving forward, with fear and disgust on the faces of some women and children, likely due to the gruesome sight of the corpses.
Wait a second… it's like I hear a noise from somewhere, or am I imagining it? No, I'm not imagining it—our leader stopped the group, and it seems they hear it too.
Our leader ordered us to hide quickly. We hid behind one house while part of the group hid behind another. The sounds grew louder until I felt like they were right next to us. I couldn't see anything from my spot since my mom was holding me tightly, afraid I'd do something foolish. But our leader was watching from the corner of the wall. When he turned to us, his face was pale and terrified, as if he'd seen a disaster.
He signaled for us to stay low and make no sound.
I could still hear their footsteps clearly, unsure if they were getting closer or moving away. My mom's grip tightened, as if telling me to stay still no matter what. It's not like I'm stupid enough not to know that.
Damn it, what a disaster—someone from the other group sneezed! Damn them, why couldn't they hold it in a bit longer?
What is this?! What am I seeing?! In less than a second, an entire army of zombies attacked the other group! A horde of human-like creatures piled on top of each other like an army of ants. Their screams grew louder, and even with their weapons, they didn't have a chance to use them. My hands are shaking as I write what I'm seeing. My heart feels like it's about to burst out of my chest… I didn't dare move, nor did anyone else, fearing what would happen if they found us.
Our leader turned to us, clearly terrified by the horrifying scene, and whispered for us to move and escape before it was too late.
We started moving away, trying not to make any noise that might attract them. My heartbeat was so loud in my ears from the tension.
Wait, what am I doing? Seriously, why am I writing in my diary at a time like this?! I need to put it away until we find a safe place to hide.
We finally escaped. We broke into a house thanks to one of the women who could pick locks with a hairpin. Lucky for us, she was with us and didn't die.
Inside the house, we found plenty of food in the fridge and a stove we could use to cook. Night fell, and we locked the doors and windows to avoid being detected.
We tried turning on the lights, but there was no electricity. So, they used their phones to light the place. The food we had and found in the house was distributed to everyone. They gave me some potatoes and cold vegetables. They didn't taste good and weren't enough to fill me up, but there was nothing I could do. I asked why they hadn't called someone earlier to pick us up or asked for help now. One of them said they'd tried repeatedly to contact relatives or anyone who could help, but there were no signals, no internet, nothing worked. So, we're stuck here until we find a safe place.
In just a few days, our city was destroyed, the only safe place we had was attacked, and now we're trapped in a city full of zombies. We could die at any moment, and we're completely cut off from the outside world. Damn it.
I'm not used to all this pressure. I don't know what to do. Things get worse every day. Any moment, we could die. A single sneeze or loud noise by mistake could mean death for all of us, like what happened to the other group…
I'm exhausted. I'd better sleep to get some rest. Tomorrow will likely be tough.
I don't know what time it is, but it seems everyone's asleep.
I'm tired… exhausted, but sleep won't come.
Every time I close my eyes and try to sleep, images from yesterday come back—the screams, the blood, the survivors screaming in pain as those creatures ate them alive before my eyes. Even the creatures' appearance—they look like normal humans but with pale skin, most with deformities or missing parts, like walking corpses.
Every time I try to stop thinking about it, the images become clearer.
All I can do now is keep writing.
I feel like this diary is the only thing keeping me together, somehow easing this burden…
I'll try to sleep one last time and avoid thinking about those images as much as I can.
I woke up to a hand shaking me roughly. I opened my eyes in panic, only to find it was my older brother. He told me to wake up quietly because we were leaving.
I got up and saw everyone was already ready to go.
We left cautiously, following our leader, who stood for a moment to check the surroundings.
We started walking carefully, trying not to make a sound, with tension threatening to kill us. Any wrong move meant death for us all.
As we moved forward, I noticed something strange. I started seeing things that looked like flesh spread between the buildings, like fleshy bridges. They weren't everywhere, but it was odd.
One of our men approached a mass of flesh and touched it with his knife. Moments later, he cut a piece and brought it to our leader, saying it was real flesh. The leader examined it and told him to throw it away, as it was likely rotten and would only make us sick. No one argued, and we kept moving.
After an hour of walking, we stopped at a small abandoned shop. Our leader signaled for us to enter quickly.
Inside, the place had clearly been looted before. Most shelves were empty, and broken glass littered the floor, but we kept searching for anything edible.
I moved between the shelves, looking for food, but there wasn't much. All I found was a pack of biscuits and a can of food. My brother found two cans. It's not great, but it's not terrible either.
I found a small, slightly old backpack that'll definitely be useful.
We took everything left in the shop and left.
We entered a house, and our leader ordered us to take out everything we'd gathered to share. It was clear the food wouldn't be enough for everyone.
I looked at our group and saw exhaustion and hunger on their faces. Our leader stayed silent for a moment, looking at us with tension and fatigue, trying to find a solution. Then he suddenly said the food wouldn't be enough and that he had no ideas right now.
Everyone fell silent, trying to think of anything that could help. I had no ideas and couldn't think clearly because of hunger, so I just waited for someone to come up with something useful.
Suddenly, a woman said she wouldn't eat and that they could give her share to her child. Despite her clear exhaustion and hunger, she gave up her portion.
After that, some parents started doing the same. Strangely, my mom and dad weren't among them. They were oddly silent, with exhaustion on their faces. I can't blame them; they must be too tired to talk or act. They need to eat.
Everyone fell silent, and those who gave up their food went to rest elsewhere. I and the others who got food stayed, and they distributed it among us. It wasn't much, but it was enough to satisfy me and my family a little.
As for those who gave up their share, they looked terrible. Most were slumped on the ground, unable to move, while others slept to avoid hunger. Their condition was awful.
After eating, we left the house and started moving toward somewhere. I asked my dad in a low voice where we were going, but he didn't answer, likely afraid we'd be heard.
I started noticing something strange. The further we went, the more those fleshy things we saw earlier appeared, sticking to buildings like spider webs, but made of flesh instead of threads.
Whenever we heard zombie noises, we hid and moved when we were sure they were gone. We continued like this for hours, found some food, gave it to those who hadn't eaten, and kept moving.
Night fell, so we quickly entered a house before anything disastrous happened.
There was some food in the house, so we gave it to those who hadn't eaten, as usual. Now everyone's going to sleep, and there's no light for me to see what I'm writing, so goodnight, my diary.
I woke up suddenly with the group to a strange noise, like a drill or something. I need to stay quiet to avoid trouble.
The sound finally stopped. I think we're safe now.
No one got up or spoke to avoid any mistakes.
…I opened my eyes in terror to find a horrifying monster in front of me… I don't know how to describe its ugliness. It burst from the ground, a creature fused to the floor like a plant but made of flesh. Its tentacles covered its body, its muscles and veins bulging as if it had been skinned. At the end of its body was a giant mouth full of sharp teeth dripping with blood as it began eating members of our group. Everyone started screaming in panic and terror.
Some tried to escape while others fought the thing with whatever tools they had.
But it was no use—the creature wasn't affected by any of their weapons.
It moved its tentacles, and in an instant, they pierced the chests of those trying to fight, slowly lifting them toward its mouth and eating them savagely as blood splattered from their bodies.
I got up quickly and looked around for my family, only to find they weren't beside me—they'd already fled.
I tried to escape toward the door, but it was crowded with people, so much so that I couldn't even get close.
The monster took advantage and started picking them off one by one as their screams filled the air.
Suddenly, it attacked me. I was about to die, but my older brother pulled me away just in time, though I got a large wound on my shoulder, and blood started pouring out uncontrollably. He quickly carried me on his shoulder, tore his shirt, and wrapped it tightly around my wound to stop the bleeding.
My heart was racing, and the terror and panic reached their peak. I felt hot, sweat pouring from my body, but I was frozen in place, unable to move from fear.
My brother slapped me hard and shouted at me to move. I got up with difficulty, my legs trembling, as he led me somewhere.
We reached a small hole in one of the walls. My brother ordered me to get in quickly.
I crawled in, and he followed. I found my parents and four others from our group, including the leader, in what seemed to be a room next to the one we were in.
I felt nauseous from the nonstop bleeding and could barely walk. My brother carried me on his shoulder and started walking out of the room. Everyone tried to leave the building, but my brother stopped them, saying more zombies would likely come our way, so it was better to head to the roof.
Everyone agreed immediately, and we headed to the roof, locking the door behind us. My brother set me down, removed his shirt from my wound, and rewrapped it tighter. The bleeding stopped, but my strength was gone from the blood loss, and my body couldn't produce new blood. I was doomed to die.
But my brother tried to save me, shouting at my parents and the others to share their blood to keep me alive.
Everyone stayed silent, looking at him with worry.
He shouted again for them to hurry, but my dad interrupted, saying, "Michael, forget him. He's already dead. There's no point in hurting ourselves for him."
My brother, shocked, replied, "What are you saying? We can save him if we give him our blood! You know that!"
My dad responded angrily, "That's not what I mean. We're in a life-or-death situation. Even if we share our blood, it'll only weaken us. Just let him go; it's not worth it."
My brother tried to speak, "But—"
My dad cut him off, "It's not your or our duty to save him. How long must we protect this thing when all he's brought us is trouble his whole life? Half my money went to his damn blood needs. If it weren't for him, we could've gotten back on our feet sooner. The other half went to debts, and even after all that, nothing changed! He's always been a burden, useless! If it were you, I'd save you because you're at least a normal man who can help, but him? Forget it."
Shock and anger appeared on my brother's face as he replied furiously, "How can you call yourself a father? Your son is dying in front of you, and you just let him die like he's nothing! Fine, if no one will save him, I will."
He grabbed the knife he'd found earlier and raised it, ready to cut his arm. My dad stopped him at the last moment, grabbing him tightly and saying, "Stop this madness now, Michael!"
But my brother looked at him with contempt and anger, kicked him away, and said, "This is none of your business. If you won't save him, I will."
My mom suddenly stepped between them. She'd been silent the whole time, and I thought she'd take our side, defend me with my brother… but I was wrong. All she did was try to stop my brother, saying my dad was right.
My brother didn't respond. He opened my mouth and cut his arm, letting blood pour out.
He placed his hand over my mouth so I could drink his blood.
Time passed, and my brother was still bleeding heavily. I noticed he was losing strength but trying to stay strong. Everyone around us looked at him in shock and amazement. He suddenly grabbed my shirt, tore a piece, and quickly wrapped his wound.
His face was pale, and he looked exhausted, but he stood up, looked at my dad with defiance and contempt, and said in a tired but angry tone, "Now what? Can't you do something like this? Just share some of your blood for your son, or are you too cowardly to save a part of your family?"
Though my dad had been shouting at him, he stayed silent this time, as if trying to process what happened or maybe not caring at all.
My brother pulled something from his neck—a necklace, I think—and held it toward my dad, saying angrily, "Remember this?"
My dad's expression changed, showing worry, but he said nothing.
My brother continued, "You gave it to me on my 10th birthday, remember? You said it was a symbol of family, that no matter what, we'd protect each other. Look at yourself now!" He threw the necklace at him forcefully.
My dad glanced at the necklace, then back at him, trying to speak, "Son—"
But my brother cut him off angrily, "Don't call me that again. From now on, you're not my father, and you're not my mother. You're just strangers to our family. Protecting family no matter the circumstances was my core principle above all, and I won't abandon it because the one who taught me that was a lying hypocrite. I'll stick to my principle and protect the only true member of my family, no matter the cost."
Suddenly, our leader stepped toward us and signaled for us to be quiet.
The screams of our group below grew louder, mixed with strange noises. I got up with my brother's help, and we went near the edge of the roof to see what was happening.
We saw those who escaped the monster being torn apart and eaten savagely by hordes of zombies—men, women, children… all met the same horrific fate.
Everyone with me was shocked by the sight, frozen in place, unable to do anything, hoping the zombies couldn't reach us.
Suddenly, we heard running footsteps mixed with strange muttering, making us realize they were coming for us too.
My brother said to the leader, "Isn't there a way to escape?"
The leader stayed silent for a moment, looking around quickly, then said, "There's a way, but I can't guarantee it'll work. We can jump to the next roof. It's not too far or too close, but it's our only option."
My brother agreed without hesitation and went to measure the distance between the roofs. It wasn't impossible but was difficult. He returned and said quietly, "Get ready."
I didn't have time to respond before he started running as fast as he could. I didn't fully grasp what was happening but ran with him, matching his steps. When we reached the edge, we jumped, using the last of our energy.
For a few seconds, I felt like we were flying. I saw the dark street below, the zombies gathered around where we'd been.
Then we crashed hard onto the opposite roof, rolling on the ground. Within seconds, my brother picked me up on his shoulder and headed toward the roof's door, going downstairs. I tried asking about the others, but he said we'd be better off alone.
I don't know what happened to my parents or the others, but we miraculously escaped and got far enough from danger.
Now we're sitting in a small house. We found some raw vegetables and ate them anyway…
I don't know what to say… My wounds don't hurt as much as my dad's words did. Despite people despising me and seeing me as less than human, my family was the only thing that made me feel safe, that there were people who cared about me and loved me… and now I find out none of that was real.
I don't want to write anymore. Writing doesn't make me feel better anymore. Every letter I write now only brings sadness. Every time I hold this diary, I remember all the bad things that happened…
Right now, I just want to sleep and stay as quiet as possible.