University of Washington, Biology Building Roof
October 17, 12:58 p.m.
The world was burning.
Christoph stood on the roof, wind cutting cold through the smoke. Helicopters darted through the gray clouds, their rotors slicing the sky as bursts of gunfire echoed across the city. Every few seconds, another explosion painted the horizon orange.
Seattle was falling.
Elara climbed up beside him, her hands trembling on the rusted ladder. "It's worse than we thought," she whispered.
Below them, thousands of infected flooded the streets, moving like a single living tide. The city's order had collapsed within hours.
Christoph scanned the skyline, searching for any sign of safety, any hint of direction. The distant hospital tower was engulfed in flames. The bridge to the mainland had been destroyed. The campus was surrounded.
"We're trapped," Marcus said behind them, his voice flat with disbelief.
"No," Christoph replied. "We just have to think."
Marcus gave a hollow laugh. "Think? Look around. Everything's gone."
Elara turned toward Christoph. "What do we do?"
He hesitated. Then his eyes landed on the faint glint of steel beyond the smoke. Military trucks. A convoy near the water.
"There," he said, pointing. "If we can reach the harbor, there might be an evacuation point."
Marcus stared. "That's at least five miles away."
"Then we start walking."
Before anyone could reply, a loud crash shook the building. The infected had reached the lower floors. The sound of glass breaking, of walls giving way, filled the air.
Christoph grabbed his backpack. "Move."
1:12 p.m.
The stairwell was chaos. The smell of rot clung to the walls. They descended cautiously, flashlights cutting through the smoke. The emergency lights flickered, casting their shadows like ghosts along the walls.
"Keep quiet," Christoph whispered.
Every footstep echoed too loudly. Somewhere below, a wet dragging sound grew louder.
When they reached the second floor, a door burst open. A swarm of infected poured out.
"Go!" Christoph shouted.
They ran. Marcus kicked open another door, leading them into a lab filled with shattered glass and overturned tables. Elara stumbled, camera slipping from her hands.
Christoph caught her arm, pulled her upright, and they kept moving until they reached the hallway on the far side.
The infected slammed into the locked door behind them, claws scraping against the glass.
Marcus pressed his shoulder against it. "They're breaking through!"
Christoph looked up and saw an open ventilation grate above the lockers. "There!"
He boosted Elara first, then climbed up himself, pulling Marcus in last. The moment they sealed the cover behind them, the door gave way. The creatures flooded the lab beneath them, snarling and tearing at everything in sight.
They crawled through the narrow duct, each breath echoing in the dark metal. Sweat dripped down Christoph's face. He could hear Elara trembling ahead of him, whispering prayers under her breath.
When they emerged into the next room, they dropped into what used to be a faculty lounge. The windows were cracked, but the view gave them hope.
Outside, through the smoke, they could see the city's coastline and the faint outline of a ferry moving away from the harbor.
Elara's eyes widened. "There's still a ship."
Christoph stared at it, heart pounding. "Then that's our way out."
1:41 p.m.
They moved across the campus through fire and ruin. Bodies lay scattered on the grass. The once-familiar paths were now rivers of ash.
They stopped near the statue at the center of the quad. Helicopters circled above, dropping what looked like gas canisters. Within moments, white mist spread through the air.
Marcus frowned. "Is that smoke?"
Christoph's stomach dropped. "No. It's containment gas."
The next second, the wind shifted. The mist rolled toward them.
"Run!"
They sprinted toward the science wing as the gas spread behind them. Students caught in it screamed as blisters tore across their skin. Christoph pulled Elara's sleeve over her mouth and dragged her through the broken glass doors.
They stumbled into an empty corridor. The sound of gunfire outside grew distant, muffled by the heavy walls.
Elara coughed, her voice hoarse. "They're killing everyone."
"They're trying to stop it," Christoph replied, his voice low. "Whatever this is, they'd rather burn the city than let it spread."
Marcus sank to the floor, exhausted. "So that's it? We're next?"
Christoph looked at him, calm despite the chaos. "Not if we move."
Elara turned toward him, eyes searching his. "Why are you so sure?"
He didn't answer. But the look in his eyes wasn't confidence. It was something else desperation mixed with guilt.
2:10 p.m.
They reached the engineering complex, the last barrier before the main road. The halls were silent except for the crackle of fire.
As they passed a shattered display case, Elara noticed something. Inside was a row of prototype tools, including a modified nail gun, reinforced with a pressure chamber.
She picked it up. "This could work as a weapon."
Christoph tested its weight, then loaded a few bolts. "Good find. Keep close."
Marcus grabbed a length of pipe from the floor. "If we're going out, we're going loud."
They made their way toward the main exit, where sunlight flickered through the smoke. The sound of engines rumbled outside.
Christoph peeked through the broken window. Military vehicles were parked near the road, soldiers shouting orders, trying to form a perimeter.
He almost smiled. "They're still holding the line."
But then a new sound filled the air a deep, guttural moan that vibrated through the ground.
The soldiers stopped firing. The infected stopped moving. Even the air went still.
Then the building across the street exploded outward as something enormous burst through the wall.
It wasn't human.
Its body was swollen and distorted, veins pulsing under gray skin. Its mouth stretched wide enough to split its jaw. A fusion of multiple infected bodies, fused together by the virus.
Elara gasped. "What is that?"
Christoph's voice was barely a whisper. "A mutation."
The soldiers opened fire, bullets tearing chunks off its flesh, but it didn't fall. It roared and swung its arm, smashing a vehicle into the air like a toy.
Christoph grabbed Elara's hand. "Run!"
They bolted across the courtyard as the creature charged, its steps shaking the ground. Marcus turned and fired the nail gun. The bolt struck the creature's eye, slowing it just long enough for them to reach the street.
They dove behind a burning car as debris rained down.
Christoph looked back at the campus, now nothing more than smoke and flame.
Seattle, the city of glass and steel, was dying.
He turned to Elara. "We keep heading south. The ferry's still our only shot."
She nodded, breathless but resolute. "Then we don't stop."
The creature roared again behind them as the skyline burned.
And through the fire and ruin, the survivors began their escape from what was once home.