Zane
The person standing in front of me wasn't Viktor—it was Dante.
"What the fuck are you doing here? And how did you even get in?"
"I'll kill you," he said coldly. Before I could react, he pulled a sharp knife from behind his back and pointed it at me. Without a second's hesitation, he stabbed it straight into my stomach.
A sharp pain tore through me. I couldn't even move my body to defend myself. My breath hitched—and suddenly, my eyes snapped open.
I was in bed, panting heavily. It was just a dream. But it had felt too real.
When I turned to my side, Nilo and Nico weren't there. They had been sleeping beside me last night.
Where did my kids go?
Panic shot through me. I hurriedly climbed out of bed and rushed out of the room. As soon as I stepped into the living room, I saw both of them sitting beside Viktor, their small hands resting on his lap.
Vien was sitting next to them, and Viktor's assistant, Black, stood close by.
They were all watching the news with full attention. Curious, I followed their gaze toward the television.
[News:A deadly epidemic has broken out since last night all over our country. The government is still unaware of the exact cause, but people are dying like flies. Now, look at this footage. ]
The footage, filmed by a drone, showed a street full of wrecked cars. Several accidents had occurred because one vehicle was stopped in the middle of the road. Strange growling sounds echoed through the scene. When the drone moved closer, the camera caught a horrifying sight—
A human figure, its entire skin pitch black, was crouched over something... eating. When the drone made a small noise, the creature looked up. Its mouth was dripping with blood. Inside the car, a man's body lay motionless, his stomach torn open.
That black-skinned figure had eaten him.
The creature snarled at the drone and tried to grab it, but the drone quickly flew higher. As it did, a chunk of human flesh fell from the monster's mouth. Moments later, the drone's camera showed the man who had been eaten—standing up again.
His skin had turned black, too. Despite the gaping hole in his stomach, he was walking... growling just like the other one.
[News :This footage was taken accidentally by a vlogger who was trying to film the accident scene last night. At first, no one believed his report until things went out of control.
Just two hours ago, the government declared a one-week lockdown. They're asking all citizens to cooperate for their own safety—and for everyone else's.
If you're bitten or even scratched by one of the infected, you'll become infected too.
That's all for now. Stay home. Stay safe.]
The broadcast ended. Viktor turned off the TV. My hands were trembling slightly against the sofa.
Was that real? Could something like that actually happen overnight?
"Zane, you're awake?" Viktor's deep voice made me look up.
He was watching me, his calm eyes meeting mine. Nilo and Nico were holding onto his lap tightly, clearly frightened.
"What was that on the news?" I asked, my voice unsteady. "Tell me it's not true. There's no way a whole epidemic started overnight!"
Then it hit me—what the professor had told me last night. He had warned me to be careful, saying that a disaster was coming.
Did he mean this? But how could he have known before it even started?
"Dad!" Nico and Nilo's voices pulled me back to the moment. They ran toward me and wrapped their little arms around my legs.
"Dad, were those zombies? Like the ones we saw in the movies?" Nilo asked in a shaky voice.
"I... I don't know what they were," I said softly. "But don't worry, okay? Your dad's here. I won't let anything happen to you."
I knelt down and hugged them both tightly. As I did, my gaze lifted to Viktor, who was silently watching us.
"Zane," he said finally, "we can't leave the house for a whole week. Do you have enough supplies? Groceries and all that?"
"I have enough for today," I admitted, frowning. "I don't know about tomorrow. And we don't even know if that news is real."
"It's real," Viktor replied as he stood up. Vien rose too. "I just got a call from Adam. He's coming here."
My eyes widened. "More people are coming here? But... I don't have enough supplies for everyone."
Still, a part of me felt relieved. Maybe being surrounded by others would be safer than being alone—if what the news showed was truly happening.
"Viktor," I said slowly, suspicion creeping into my tone, "why do you look so calm about this? Don't tell me you already knew something about this epidemic?"
Even though the professor had warned me and Vien about a disaster, both of us were terrified. But Viktor—he looked completely composed, almost like he was expecting this.
"What are you saying, Zane?" he said with a faint smile. "Of course I didn't know anything about it. This is the first I've heard of it too."
"I don't believe you. Vien, let's go out and buy something for us—we don't have enough groceries," I said.
Truthfully, my main reason wasn't the groceries. I just wanted to see it with my own eyes. I knew it was risky, but still… I had to.
"Zane, do you even realize what you're saying?" Viktor's voice was calm but firm.
"No, you can't leave the house. Don't worry about groceries or anything else. As long as I'm here, you'll have everything you need."
As he said that, he knelt down beside me, gently pulled Nilo into his arms, and patted my shoulder as if to reassure me.
"Hey, I know you don't believe me, but I'm just trying to stay safe—and keep you safe too. And you know what? I think after one week, everything will go back to how it was before."
I stood up after hearing him, lifting Nico into my arms. Vien came over to stand beside me.
"Zane, I'm telling you, I don't believe this! Viktor, throw him out of the house!" Vien snapped.
Of course, Viktor was about to respond—but before he could, we suddenly heard it.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
A piercing scream echoed from outside.