The sound of laughter filled the air.
Morning sunlight slipped through the window, hitting the wooden table where Vinz sat with his family. His mother was serving food, his father fixing something on the side while humming an old so, and Vinny already halfway through his plate, rice scattered everywhere.
"Vinz, eat up before it gets cold," his mother said with a smile.
"Yeah, brother! Before I eat it all," Vinny laughed.
Vinz chuckled. "You eat too much, Vinny."
His father laughed quietly. "Let him be. It's rare to see him this happy. You too, Vinz… you look alive again."
It was peaceful. Too peaceful. The kind that makes you stop and just listen. The river outside, the birds, the soft wind brushing through the trees. Everything felt perfect.
Vinz smiled, but there was a strange feeling in his chest. Like his body knew something his mind didn't.
Then his mother said softly, "Everything's okay now… we're together again."
Vinz blinked.
The light from the window flickered.
The laughter faded.
A faint ringing filled his ears.
When he looked at his father, the man's smile froze. His skin turned pale, veins darkening under it. His eyes rolled white.
"Pa?"
The ringing got louder.
His mother dropped the spoon. Vinny's laughter twisted into a broken, echoing sound.
BANG!
Vinz jolted up, drenched in sweat and his heart raced. The cabin was dark, the air feels heavy.
Another sound.
BANG!
Something hit the door hard.
He sat there, breathing fast, realizing the dream was over but the sound wasn't.
The walls creaked with every hit. Dust fell from the ceiling. He grabbed the hammer near the window. Old, rusty, but enough.
Each bang made his heart pound faster.
Maybe it was an animal.
Maybe someone looking for help.
He wanted to believe that.
But deep down, he already knew.
Then silence.
Vinz froze. His grip tightened.
The doorknob started to turn.
CREEEAK.
A hand slipped through the gap. Rotten. Skin cracked. Nails black.
The smell hit him, strong, sour, rotten flesh.
Then a face pushed through. A woman, or what used to be. Her jaw hung crooked, one eye white, the other bleeding.
She growled.
Vinz stumbled back. The door burst open. She fell inside, crawling on all fours, reaching for him.
He panicked and swung the hammer.
THUD!
It hit her shoulder. She fell but kept crawling, groaning.
He swung again.
CRACK!
The sound echoed in the small cabin.
Vinz froze, breathing hard.The body stopped moving, blood spread across the floor, soaking into the dirt.
His hands shook. His chest ached.
He stared at what he'd done, the blood, the hammer, her face.
He dropped the hammer, gasping. Then picked it up again, slower this time.
"This… what have I done..." he whispered.
The cabin was small. Table, makeshift bed, a cabinet and a window near the back.
Sunlight tried to push through the cracks, weak but still there.
On the table.
his father's notes, a half-open map, some canned food.
He knew he couldn't stay here anymore.If one found him, more would come.
He wiped the hammer with a torn cloth, went to the window, and looked outside.
The forest was still. But far off, something moved, a slow, staggering shapes between the trees.
He needed to move.
He packed quick, his father's diary, a few cans, a knife, lighter, small bottle of water, and the map. He tied the bag tight and looked once more at the woman on the floor.
Her eyes were blank. Empty.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
Not because he knew her. It's because no one deserved this.
He pushed the door open, just enough to peek. The tricycle was still there near the trees, sunlight reflecting off its metal parts.
For a second, he felt something close to relief. It was the last thing left from before.
He stepped outside, hammer ready. The air was cold and he smell of rot was thicker now.
When he reached the tricycle, he set the bag down and tried to start it.
Click.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Click. Click.
"Not now… please not now…"
He checked the wires like he'd seen his father do. Maybe it just needed a small fix.
His hands were shaking.
Then he heard it, growling, behind him.
He turned.
Three of them were coming out of the trees. One still wearing a dirty uniform, he probably a worker before.Their heads twitched and their jaws snapped.
Vinz's pulse spiked.
He gripped the hammer tighter.
"Come on, come on…"
Click. Click.
The tricycle made a noise but didn't start.
They were getting closer. Fifteen meters. Then ten. The middle one started running.
Vinz stepped back, raising the hammer.
"Stay away…"
The first one lunged.
He swung.
THUD!
The head snapped sideways and the body dropped.
Another came. He kicked it hard knocking it down.
The third almost reached him, he swung again at full force.
CRACK!
It fell. Twitched. Stopped.
Vinz gasped for air. Sweat dripped down his face.He backed up toward the tricycle, hearing more groans from deep in the forest.
He turned the key one more time.
CLICK… CLICK…
Then —
BRMMM!
The engine roared.
He jumped on and drove, dirt flying behind the tires. The wind hit his face. His hands were still shaking. The smell of blood clung to his skin.
He didn't look back. He couldn't.
The sound of the engine echoed through the forest.He passed the river. The spot where his father's blood had dried dark.
He slowed down, staring for a moment. Then kept going.
The forest got thicker. The road twisted.
He didn't know where he was heading, just away.
The sun was setting, turning the trees orange. His stomach growled. He ignored it.
His mind replayed everything, the woman, the hammer, the sound of cracking bones.
He tried to forget, but the images wouldn't leave.
Night fall in. He found a dirt road leading uphill. Maybe it went somewhere safer. Maybe nowhere.
Didn't matter.
He just kept driving.
The engine hummed softly as the forest faded into darkness.