Elias never liked big cities.
At eighteen, he had already decided he preferred quiet places—his small town, where everyone knew each other, where nights were silent, and nothing ever really changed. The city, on the other hand, felt overwhelming. Too many people. Too much noise. Too many things happening all at once.
"Stop frowning," his mother said with a soft laugh as she walked beside him. "You look like you're being punished."
"I am being punished," Elias muttered.
His father, walking a few steps ahead, turned back with a grin. "Oh, come on. It's a vacation. People pay to be here."
"Yeah," Elias replied dryly. "People who like crowds."
His younger sister bumped into him from behind.
"Admit it," she said, smirking. "You're just scared you'll get lost."
Elias scoffed. "I'm not scared."
"Then stop looking like you're about to run home."
He gave her a look, but she just laughed and skipped ahead to walk beside their father.
Elias watched them for a moment.
His father—37, always calm, always confident. The kind of person who could talk to anyone, anywhere.
His mother—34, warm and gentle, the one who always kept the family together.
And his sister—16, full of energy, never afraid of anything.
They looked… happy.
Normal.
Elias exhaled quietly and adjusted the strap of his bag.
Maybe his father was right.
Maybe he should just enjoy it.
The street they walked on was alive with movement. Shops lined both sides, music spilling from open doors, people laughing, talking, living their lives without a care.
A street performer played guitar nearby. Kids ran past with ice cream. Cars honked in the distance.
Everything felt loud.
But alive.
"Let's grab something to eat," his mother suggested. "I saw a café just around the corner."
"Food?" his sister said instantly. "Now that I agree with."
His father chuckled. "See? Finally something we all agree on."
They turned the corner together.
And for a moment—
Everything felt perfect.
Then—
A scream cut through the air.
It was sharp.
Sudden.
Wrong.
Elias stopped instantly.
The sound didn't belong.
Not here.
Not like this.
Across the street, a man stumbled backward, crashing into a parked car. His arm was bleeding badly, blood dripping onto the pavement.
Another man stood in front of him.
But something about him was… off.
His posture.
His movements.
Unnatural.
"Hey!" someone shouted. "Call an ambulance!"
The injured man tried to speak—but before he could—
The other man lunged.
And bit him.
Hard.
Right into his neck.
"What the hell—" Elias's father stepped forward instinctively.
"Dad, wait!" Elias grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
People began to panic.
Some screamed.
Others froze.
The bitten man collapsed, twitching violently on the ground. Blood pooled beneath him as his body convulsed.
Elias felt his chest tighten.
"This isn't normal," he said.
"No," his father replied quietly. "It's not."
The attacker didn't stop.
He kept biting.
Tearing.
Like he didn't even know what he was doing.
"Someone stop him!" a woman cried.
But no one moved.
No one wanted to get close.
Then—
The injured man stopped moving.
Completely still.
Silence spread for just a second.
Just long enough for people to hope—
Then his body jerked.
His fingers twitched.
Slowly—
He pushed himself up.
Elias felt a chill run down his spine.
The man's head tilted unnaturally.
His eyes—
Cloudy.
Empty.
Then he turned.
And sprinted at the nearest person.
Chaos exploded.
"RUN!" someone screamed.
The street erupted into panic.
People shoved past each other, knocking over tables, dropping bags, tripping as more screams filled the air.
Because it wasn't just one anymore.
More people—
Falling.
Getting back up.
Attacking.
"It's spreading!" Elias shouted.
His mother grabbed his arm tightly. "Elias—!"
"I'm here!" he said quickly.
His father pulled his sister close. "Stay together! Don't let go!"
They ran.
The sound of footsteps pounded around them. Glass shattered somewhere nearby. A car alarm started blaring endlessly.
Elias didn't look back.
He couldn't.
A figure stumbled into their path—
Elias reacted instantly, shoving it aside before it could grab them.
"Keep moving!" he yelled.
They turned down a narrower street, trying to escape the chaos of the main road.
But it followed them.
The screaming.
The chasing.
The fear.
"Where do we go?!" his sister cried, her voice breaking now.
Elias's father scanned quickly, then pointed.
"There!" he said.
A small café.
The windows were cracked—but not completely broken.
"Inside!"
They rushed in.
Elias slammed the door shut behind them, dragging a chair and wedging it against the handle.
His breathing was out of control.
Everyone's was.
For a moment—
They just stood there.
Trying to process what had just happened.
"What… was that?" his mother whispered.
Elias looked through the cracked glass.
The street outside was no longer normal.
People were running in every direction.
Some were being dragged down.
Some were already…
changing.
"They're attacking each other," his sister said, her voice shaking.
Elias clenched his jaw.
"No," he said quietly.
"They're turning."
A loud bang hit the door.
Everyone flinched.
Another bang.
Harder.
The wood creaked under the impact.
"They followed us…" his mother said, fear creeping into her voice.
Elias grabbed a metal chair, holding it tightly.
His father stepped beside him.
Ready.
"We stay calm," his father said, though his voice was tense. "We think."
Elias nodded.
But his heart was racing.
His thoughts were spinning.
This wasn't just a fight.
This wasn't something that would stop.
This was—
The end of everything they knew.
Another slam hit the door.
The wood cracked slightly.
His sister grabbed his arm.
"Elias…"
He didn't look at her.
He couldn't.
His eyes stayed locked on the door.
Waiting.
Listening.
The world outside had changed in minutes.
And now—
It was trying to break in.
Elias tightened his grip on the chair.
And for the first time in his life—
He understood something terrifying.
Surviving this…
was going to take everything they had.