As Ji Hoon and Min Jae finish their meal, they pack up and clear their plates enjoying the comforting atmosphere of their unit unaware of the changes that were about to occur that would change the world as they know it.

In a nearby unit, a resident could be seen shuffling around erratically. A closer look at him would reveal a grotesque wound that adorned his upper arm. It seemed to be some kind of bite mark, a horrifying justification for the changes that were about to occur.

Frantically, he attempted to clean the wound but unbeknownst to him, the infection had already taken root in his body and was already transforming him into a mindless zombie driven by nothing but an insatiable thirst and hunger for human blood and flesh.

All of a sudden, the man ceased all forms of movement and stopped. He seemed to be staring into space with eyes that were devoid of any of his previous emotions and signs of intelligence.

From an outsider’s point of view, it might just seem like a man lost in thought, staring into space but anyone observant enough could sense the underlying tension, ready to burst at any moment.

The rhythmic jingling of keys suddenly echoes in the room, a disruptive melody that pierces the lingering tension. Someone fumbles with the lock, each metallic click and turn escalating the atmosphere.

The previously still man, as if ignited by a newfound purpose, sprints immediately toward the door, with an indiscernible expression.

Just as the door opens, the man now transformed into something else entirely immediately pounces on the person on the other side. Driven by a primal hunger, the man attacks with his teeth as he tries to bite off any part of his victim now revealed as a woman.

The woman desperately screams as she tries to escape from the relentless assault of the man but she is unable to escape his grasp as she finds herself quickly losing.

Her desperate screams reverberate through the entire apartment complex, creating an unsettling symphony of terror. Other tenants in the building, drawn by the haunting sounds, begin to emerge from their units. The once quiet and serene atmosphere transforms into a chaotic scene of confusion and fear.

The unit closest to the scene is the first to open up as a man rushes out driven by concern and a sense of duty to check the source of the screams. His steps though are abruptly halted as he witnesses the event taking place before him.

His eyes widen in shock and horror as he takes in the ghastly sight before him, the man-turned-zombie ferociously attacking his victim. The gut-wrenching screams continue to pierce through the air attracting more tenants to the scene and leaving them frozen at the scene before them.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Eventually, it seemed like someone with enough courage appeared at the scene as a resounding thud of a bat connecting with the zombie's skull echoed through the corridor, momentarily silencing the screams and chaos. The courageous individual, driven by instinct and perhaps a desperate attempt at restoring order, manages to pry the zombie away from its lifeless victim.

As the gruesome scene unfolds, the woman lies motionless on the floor, her fate sealed by the merciless attack. A collective shudder passes through the onlookers, their faces reflecting a mixture of horror and disbelief at the sudden descent into brutality within the supposedly safe confines of their apartment complex.

Some residents, stirred from their initial shock, cautiously step forward, forming an uneasy barrier between the fallen woman and the relentless zombie. A palpable tension hangs in the air as people, fueled by both fear and a nascent sense of duty, try to grapple with the horrifying reality unfolding before them.

They all watch the zombie as it stands up again unaware of the change taking place in the corpse they had decided to turn their backs on.

The courageous residents that stepped up watched the zombie closely as it planned to charge at them but before it did, a scream suddenly resounded from behind containing a sense of urgency and plea for attention as the residents turned to look behind them. They are shocked by what they witness.

The previous corpse of the woman seemed to have suddenly come back to life and before they can even take in the shock of what this could mean for all of them, the zombie that their attention is now diverted from pounces on the closest target it could reach.

The new victim a man caught off guard is unable to defend himself on time but the people around him quickly react and help him as a series of random items find themselves being bashed continuously into the zombie.

Bats, pipes, and even household objects serve as impromptu weapons, wielded by the frenzied group determined to subdue the reanimated menace. The sound of impact reverberates through the corridor, a discordant rhythm in the struggle against the supernatural adversary.

The zombie finds itself quickly incapacitated by the joint effort of the residents and a sense of relief spreads through the group but it's only temporary as they all seem to remember something and turn behind them towards a new threat that seems to have finally finished its reanimation.

With a newfound understanding of the perilous situation they find themselves in, the residents rally together once more, swiftly uniting against the emerging threat.

The aftermath of the harrowing encounter leaves the residents grappling with a profound sense of unease and disbelief. The very fabric of their reality has been torn, leaving them filled with all kinds of doubts.

The incident fills them with all kinds of questions: What was that? Why was that man attacking his wife? Why did a dead body just start moving again? But perhaps the question with the highest precedence was: Would the bodies really stay dead?

Ji-hoon, too, is left with that final question on his mind. He had asked Min-jae to stay inside while he came out to check what was going on after he heard the screams, but he never, in his wildest imagination, could have expected what just happened.

Eventually, everyone seemed to agree that they should burn the corpse for now first. At that point Ji- hoon decided to go back inside sensing that Min-jae would already be worried about him.

But he could sense that the world was about to experience a change, he could feel the currents and waved of disaster that were about to unfold and he could almost taste the chaos that it would bring to this serene world.