Chapter 1: The Day the World StoppedIt started with a cough.

  Nobody paid attention at first. People got sick all the time—seasonal flu, a bad cold, maybe something worse. But this was different. The hospitals filled too quickly. The news called it an "aggressive viral outbreak," urging people to stay indoors. Panic settled in like a slow-moving fog, creeping into every city, every home.

  By the time the first infected turned violent, it was too te.

  Sam Carter stood at the gas station counter, watching the TV behind the clerk. A breaking news banner scrolled across the screen: "State of Emergency Decred – Stay Indoors."

  The reporter spoke in a rushed tone. “Authorities have confirmed multiple attacks in major cities. The CDC is urging all citizens to—”

  The screen flickered, then cut to static.

  Sam felt a cold pit in his stomach. He turned to the clerk, a nky teenager with tired eyes. “That’s not good.”

  The kid just shrugged. “Probably just riots. People freak out over everything.”

  Sam wasn’t so sure. The air outside felt… wrong. The streets were too quiet. The usual hum of city life—honking horns, distant sirens, the chatter of passing strangers—had faded into an eerie silence.

  His phone buzzed. A message from his sister, Riley.

  Riley: Sam, don’t go home. Something’s happening. Mom and Dad aren’t answering. Stay safe. Call me.

  Sam’s pulse quickened. Riley never panicked. He grabbed his bag, tossing a twenty on the counter. “Keep the change.”

  Then the screaming started.

  Outside, a man sprinted across the parking lot, his arms filing. His face was twisted in terror. Behind him, a woman in tattered clothing lunged forward—her skin gray, her mouth stretched wide in a silent snarl.

  She tackled him.

  Sam froze. He watched as she buried her teeth into the man’s shoulder, tearing through flesh like it was nothing. Blood sprayed across the pavement.

  The man’s screams turned to gurgles.

  Sam staggered back, knocking over a dispy of chips. “What the hell—”

  The gas station clerk gasped. “Dude—”

  The woman’s head snapped up. Her milky, lifeless eyes locked onto Sam.

  And then she ran. Straight at him.

  The world had ended, and nobody even saw it coming.