Toru... Toru... Toru...
The same haunting voice called out to me as I woke from the nightmare I'd been having for the past few days. I pushed the blanket aside and sat at the edge of the bed, taking a moment to steady myself.
The day had barely begun, yet I felt ready to clock out. Not physically, but mentally. I was worn down.
It didn't help that there was little to do. The city had been on lockdown for four days, the government citing the spread of an unknown disease and the need for quarantine. Streets were closed, people confined to their homes.
But hey, at least classes were canceled.
After a minute of debate, I finally convinced myself to get out of bed and do something, anything productive. I'd read in the newspaper that keeping busy was the best way to distract yourself. Which i think is pretty obvious.
The problem was figuring out what to do.
A quick glance around my small apartment was enough to cross cleaning off the list. I'm not much of a cleaner, but I try to keep things tidy whenever i can. That leaves me with the most exciting option available.
Watering the plants.
"So exciting..."
I said, deadpan, letting out a short dry laugh.
But before that, I went to the bathroom to freshen up. Washed my face and brushed my teeth.
After drying my face with a towel, I paused in front of the mirror. A somewhat short male in his early twenties, dark circles under his eyes. Hair had faded to a dull white, reassembling a dying rose rather than a fresh snow, hanging down just to my chin.
I pinched a small strand and studied it for a second.
"I need a haircut"
I muttered, and left the bathroom.
×××
I ended up spending the day slouched on the sofa, lazily flipping through channels, watching anything interesting enough to drown out my thoughts. It worked at first. But it became dull, and at some point, i drifted off.
I don't know how long I slept, but the commotions outside jolted me awake. Sirens blaring, screams, and gunshots tore through the air. Heart hammering, I scrambled to the window and peeked outside.
It was a nightmare made real.
Civilians were attacking each other, biting, ripping chunks of flesh out like some kind of animals. Police are desperately trying to fight the aggressors, but bullets didn't seem to matter. It barely slowed them down.
What shocked me even more was what happened next.
The ones who were attacked started rising. Despite the wounds, they pushed themselves up, and they too turned on anyone still alive.
"W-what the fuck? A-are th-those things… zombies?"
I stammered.
Panicking, I backed away from the window and reached for the telephone.
That's when I saw four unheard voicemails.
I played the first voicemail.
"Toru, the whole city's going nuts. Where the hell are you?"
The second followed right after.
"Meet me at my bar. We've got people from UBCS helping us reach the subway so we can get out."
The third message.
"Goddammit, Toru, hurry up. The longer we wait, the harder it gets. The police won't hold these maniacs back much longer."
I hesitated before playing the last one.
"I'm sorry. We had to leave. If you hear this, head to the subway, it's safe here. God… I hope you're alright."
×××
After hearing the voicemails, I moved without thinking. I went straight to the closet and slid the back panel aside, revealing the narrow space I'd hidden away years ago.
Inside was the handgun.
I took the Walther P99 and slung the crossbody bag over my shoulder, checking the weight of the spare bullets inside.
I didn't bother changing. Still in my pajamas, I threw on a zip-up hoodie and slipped my feet into my house slippers. It wasn't ideal, but there wasn't much time to waste.
Keeping the gun angled low, I leaned closer to the door and listened.
Nothing.
After a few seconds, I eased it open and stepped into the hallway. As I neared the stairs, a faint growling reached my ears. It grew louder with every step.
I peeked around the corner.
A man was crouched over a woman, tearing into her stomach, his face buried in her insides. Wet sounds echoed in the stairwell. Then Crash. Something exploded in the neighboring building. It caught the man's attention, he froze, lifting his head slowly.
I backed away slowly before he could see me, heart pounding. I returned to the hallway and moved to the window at the far end, where the emergency stairs were. After prying it open, I slipped outside and started down.
Halfway down, I spotted someone else. A woman with a bob cut, wearing a blue V-neck shirt, going down the emergency stairs of the next building. We locked eyes for a second. Then she hurried back inside through another window.
"Have I seen her somewhere before?" I thought.
Before I could dwell on it, another explosion echoed, coming from the direction she'd gone.
I hesitated. Just for a moment. And realized the truth. I wasn't in any position to help. My own safety comes first.
I reached the bottom of the stairs, but the drop was still too high. That's what the extra ladder was for. A built-in extension I could lower.
Pulling the safety lock.
It slid down. Unfortunately it only stretched out two steps before getting stucked, seized by rust.
"Shit!"
I kicked it in frustration, the metal platform vibrating beneath my feet.
With no other choice, I put the gun back into the bag and lowered myself onto the ladder, stretching as far as I could to close the gap and keep the landing from shattering my ankles.
The metal creaked under my weight. It shifted just slightly but enough to make my stomach tighten.
I was about to let go when the ladder suddenly slid down another step before jamming again. The sudden drop threw me off balance. My grip slipped, and the next thing I knew I was falling.
I landed back first, hitting the cold concrete. The impact knocking the air out of me.
I groaned, pain flashing through my body. For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the sky, waiting for it to fade. Luckily, it didn't feel like i broke anything aside for my confidence.