The Van: A Tale of Survival [Gritty, Realistic Zombie Horror]
When a fast‑moving viral outbreak turns ordinary people into raging flesh-eating creatures in a store parking lot, eleven-year-old Isabella and her seven-year-old brother Mateo end up trapped in their family minivan after watching their mother die horribly in front of them.
With the infected outside, no keys, and almost no supplies, they’re left with an impossible choice: slowly starve in the van, or risk everything to reach the keys lying near their mother’s corpse.
The Van is a grounded, slow-burning survival horror story about:
- Claustrophobic survival: The van is their shelter, their prison, and their whole world. Every decision, when to move, when to stay, when to open a door, can kill them.
- Child POV, adult stakes: The main characters are kids with no superpowers and no special training. Their fears are real, and they have to push through them, learn from their mistakes, and grow up fast if they want to live.
- Monsters and humans: The infected aren’t the only danger. Other survivors can be just as bad, or worse, and the echo of their mother’s lessons is the only guide they have for what survival really means.
- Psychology over power fantasy: Hypothermia, hunger, guilt, and fear hit harder than jump scares. Every “solution” they find comes with a price, and every action has a cost.
If you like stories where survival is earned inch by inch, where kids are smart but still painfully human, and where there’s no leveling up or no upgrade screen coming to save anyone, The Van is for you.
