The car rattled along the deserted streets, the faint hum of the engine punctuating the eerie silence. Arin sat in the passenger seat, her family packed in the back, and Alex at the wheel. The tension was palpable, but Alex, always quick with a joke, decided it was time to break the ice.

"Alright, folks, I think it's high time for some introductions. I'll start – I'm Alex, the guy with a killer sense of humor and an even deadlier right hook," Alex announced with a grin, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror to catch Arin's reaction.

Arin smirked. "Wow, modest much?"

"Modesty is overrated, Arin. Now, who's next?" Alex chuckled.

Arin nodded toward her family. "Well, this is my dad, Dave, my mom, Lisa, and my little brother, Kevin."

"Pleasure to meet you all. Now, let's spice things up. Where do zombies go for beach holidays?" Alex paused for dramatic effect.

"Oh, no. Where?" Arin sighed, sensing a bad punchline.

"The Dead Sea" Alex burst into laughter.

Arin rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

"Okay, tough crowd. Your turn, Arin. What do you want to know?" Alex asked, transitioning into a more serious tone.

Ignoring the failed attempt at humor, Arin leaned in. "By the way, we met a weird zombie in our apartment. It seemed... different. Almost human. It felt emotions. What's up with that?"

Arin's revelation about the zombie's peculiar behavior struck Alex like an unexpected blow. He furrowed his brow, disbelief etched across his features.

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"Emotions? You're telling me that zombie felt something?" Alex questioned, his skepticism evident.

Arin nodded solemnly, her gaze unwavering. "That zombie reacted to familiar sights or sounds and showed signs of recognition. It's haunting."

Alex's mind raced, conflicting thoughts clashing in a storm of disbelief and concern. His eyes moved between Arin and the road ahead as if searching for answers in the desolate landscape.

"That can't be possible. Dr. March researched that virus thoroughly. There were no signs of emotions," he stated, his tone a mix of suspicion and disbelief.

Arin took a deep breath, her eyes distant as she recounted the chilling encounter. "No, Alex, you don't get it. That zombie... looked at us with recognition. It hesitated like it was remembering something. It felt human, not just a mindless monster. It had emotions."

The weight of Arin's words settled in the car like a thick fog. Alex's grip on the steering wheel tightened. He thought grimly, "What if Sam is behind it?"

-----------------------------------

Somewhere far away, in a safe base, a young man with fiery red hair and dark blue eyes sat in a high-tech room. Dressed in a crisp white coat, he immersed himself in a report detailing the havoc wreaked by the virus he had unleashed on the world.

It was Sam.

Sam leaned back in his chair, a sinister smirk on his lips. The report detailed the aftermath of the virus he had unleashed, the mutations, and the chaos spreading through the city.

His gaze shifted to a high-tech monitor displaying live feeds from various locations. The scenes of destruction and mayhem fueled his satisfaction. Sam reveled in the scenes he had orchestrated, his desire for power and control driving every dangerous move.

As he scanned the data, his eyes lingered on a particular city block; it was place where he had left his friend Alex. The chaos pleased him, but there was more to achieve. Sam's mind raced with plans for the next phase of his twisted experiment, a plan that would solidify his dominance over the fractured world.

His next plan was to use 'Human emotions', that he observed from some of the undead. He called himself the 'Puppeteer'