Still smiling to himself on his pillow, Yuto set his phone down on the bedside table, the screen light dimming until the room was left in the red and blue glow of the TV.
His eyelids grew heavy with each passing second. He shifted onto his side, the faint noises of the TV lulling him to sleep. Before he even realized it, his breathing slowed down, and sleep quietly pulled him under its grip.
"Hmm…"
After a couple of hours of deep and sweet sleep, Yuto was jolted awake.
Boom. Boom.
His eyes snapped open, his heart racing. For a moment, he sat up frozen, disoriented in the dim lights of the TV screen still running in the corner.
Then, another sound.
Boom. Boom.
This time it wasn't distant. It was right at his door.
Yuto sat up quickly, sweat pricking the back of his neck. He held his breath, listening. The knock came again, louder, urgent, almost frantic.
Slowly, he slid off his bed and walked toward the door, every creak of the wooden floor sounding far too loud in the moment. When he reached the door, he leaned down to peer through the small peephole.
"…Oh." Relief washed over him. It was just his roommate.
He exhaled and began unlocking the door. But the moment he cracked it open, the two of them shoved it hard, rushing inside and nearly knocking him off balance.
"Wha...hey!" Yuto stumbled back, almost falling against his desk. "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you guys?!"
They slammed the door shut behind them, their faces pale, breathing heavily.
"Yuto...close the door! Quick!" one of them shouted, his voice was raw with panic.
Yuto blinked, still groggy. "It is closed! What the hell is going on?!"
The two of them exchanged nervous glances, their eyes darting back to the door as if something might burst through it at any second.
"…Zombie," one of them murmured, his voice trembling.
Yuto frowned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Huh? Speak up, I can't hear you."
His roommate suddenly snapped, his voice breaking as he grabbed Yuto by the collar, shaking him. "I said there are fucking zombies outside!" His eyes were wide and red, tears streaming down his face. His whole body trembled as if he could barely stand.
Yuto stared at him, his brows knitting tighter. "…Zombies?" He blinked, then let out a small laugh. "Wait...seriously? Zombies? What do you mean, zombies?"
The other roommate's breathing was uneven, his chest heaving. "I saw it, Yuto. I saw it with my own two eyes! They were… biting people, tearing at them in the courtyard! And they wouldn't die, no matter what..."
"Stop," Yuto cut in, his laugh a little louder this time. "You guys are drunk, right? Come on. Zombies? What is this, a prank? You almost gave me a heart attack."
But neither of his roommates laughed. Their faces were completely pale, their eyes filled with a raw fear Yuto hadn't seen before.
Then, from somewhere outside the hostel, came the sound.
SCREEEEECH... followed by panicked screams echoing in the hallways.
The three of them froze, the blood draining from Yuto's face.
Yuto bit down hard on his lower lip, his mind refusing to accept what his roommate had said. "It… it can't be. There's no way it's possible."
Before they could stop him, Yuto rushed forward and yanked the door open wide.
"Yuto, wait!" one of his friends shouted, lunging for his shirt, but his hand barely caught him, brushing against the fabric before Yuto slipped into the hallway.
The instant he stepped out, his breath caught in his throat.
Blood. It was everywhere. It was smeared across the walls, flowing across the hallway floors. The metallic and rusty stench filled his nostrils, thick and suffocating.
And then, there was movement.
From the far end of the hallway, a figure emerged from the shadows.
A woman. Her clothes were torn and soaked red, her steps dragging as if her legs barely remembered how to move, like a child.
The moonlight hit her face as she walked into the hallway, and Yuto's eyes widened in horror. Her skin was pale and covered in blood and bite marks, her mouth stretched wide to the point of being inhuman, her teeth sharp and glistening, dripping crimson red saliva.
"…No fucking way…" Yuto whispered.
Her head jerked up. Both their eyes met.
Then she screeched.
In an instant, she launched forward, her body unnaturally fast, her claws of broken nails scraping against the hallway floor as she sprinted straight at him like a dog off its owner's leash.
"Shit!" Yuto gasped, throwing himself sideways just as she lunged at him, her bloody mouth snapping shut where his throat had been a second ago.
He stumbled backward, his heart hammering like a nail on wood, his legs moving before his brain could even catch up.
"Yuto, run!" his friends screamed from inside the room.
And he did. He bolted back down the hall, blood splashing under his shoes, the echo of the zombie's shriek chasing after him as he sprinted toward the hostel room door.
"Yuto, hurry!"
The voices of his roommates echoed in his ears. The shrieks of the zombie clawed at his back, closing in.
He could feel the air shift behind him, the rush of her inhuman speed closing the gap between them. His survival instincts screamed at him. She's right there...!
"MOVE!" one of his friends shouted.
Yuto dove forward like a goalkeeper just as the door yanked open. His roommates grabbed him by the arms, dragging him inside. The zombie's clawed hand swiped through the air, barely missing his leg as they slammed the door shut.
BAM!
The impact broke the door frame. The three of them pressed their weight against it as the creature began slamming into the other side, shrieking and snarling, the wood was breaking under the assault.
"Hold it, hold it, hold it!" his friend yelled, his voice cracking.
"I am holding it!" Yuto shouted back, his own voice trembling with fear.
The zombie outside screamed, a sound so raw and guttural it felt like a lion's roar. The door shuddered again, dust falling from the frame.
"She's… she's gonna break it down!" the other roommate whimpered, their eyes wide with tears.
"Shut up!" Yuto snapped, his whole body trembling as he leaned into the door. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The wood splintered, a crack forming near the door handle.
Yuto's breath came in Heavy gasps. His mind was racing really fast. This is real. This is really happening. Zombies… monsters… they're real.
And then… silence.
The banging at the door stopped.
The three of them froze, listening, not daring to breathe out loud.
Yuto's grip on the door tightened. Sweat rolled down his temple.
"…Did she leave?" one whispered.