5 Minutes Later

June 1, 2065

2020 CDT

Port Arthur, Texas

Near the Gulf of Mexico

Vắn Duy’s Point of View

I’m coughing and my neck fucking hurts, oh no! Gunfire, screams, smoke, and…

blood.

A voice is shouting from outside in a foreign language.

No! Not them! How did they get past the soldiers without setting off the alarms?

“The Njord Sharks are back, bitches! Just in time for supper!” The enemy shouts among the sounds of automatic gunfire.

Pirates! Fucking bastards! M-my head! Ow. How long was I out?! Everything is ruined, and Father and Quan are nowhere to be seen! Sinh is here at least, but he’s not looking good! He’s bleeding out!

“Mom?!” I call out.

“She’s gone, Duy,” Sinh struggles to say.

Fuck! A fucking sharp piece of wood penetrated deep into his lungs.

“Stop talking, you idiot! We gotta get you to a doctor!” I say.

It looks so painful, but you’re not even crying! Only six-years-old, but already a tougher man than I’ll ever be.

“No, not yet,” Sinh says as he denies my help. “Quan and Father went to fight and look for a doctor, but realistically, we all know I’m… as good as dead. Just like Mom.”

“What the fuck? How the fuck could you say that?”

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“I’m young, not stupid. I know how the world works. Be thankful you didn’t have to see Dad shoot his friend in the face after Mom was obliterated.”

“Shut up!”

“Watch out,” Sinh says as he points at a zombie.

Shit! Where is it?! Where’s my fishing spear?

There it is!

“Duy!” Sinh cries out.

“I got it!” I say as I prepare to stab the zombie.

Easy kill.

“Fuck! This is fucking crazy! Where’s the army?!” I yell.

“Duy, you’re not stupid either. You know they’re dead. Father is dead. Quan is dead. And I’ll be dead… soon.”

“Don’t talk like that, Sinh!”

“We all die, but you have the best chance of surviving. We both know that the Njord Sharks will only leave after the reinforcements arrive. That’ll be when they’ve lost the element of surprise,” he continues as he struggles to breathe.

“I said, shut up! We’re both leaving!”

“Where are we gonna go? There’s nothing out there except more of this, and we both know that any surviving doctors are… taking care of themselves first. It’s the… smart thing to do. It’s what I would do.”

The panic room, under the cabin! I’ll take you there.

“Come on, Sinh!”

“STOP! IT HURTS!” Sinh screams as I pick him up.

Shit! They definitely heard that.

“We have to hide, Sinh!”

“Maybe you are stupid,” he says as tears fall from his eyes.

*

The Panic Room

*

Damn, it’s dark in here, and cramped. About the size of a small latrine.

“You don’t have to do it, Duy,” Sinh whispers.

“Do what?”

“You can let me turn. I won’t mind. You’ll just have to cut off my arms and smash my teeth in, so I won’t be an immediate threat to anyone.”

“Shh!”

“You know, even though we’re fishermen, we’ve never set sail into the open ocean.”

“You know how dangerous that is. The Njord Sharks control everything from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic.”

“Duy, if you let me turn, then there’s a chance that I’ll be able to… explore the vast ocean one day!”

“You don’t listen.”

“Please! Please, big brother! Just let me turn!”

“Sinh, they’re gonna hear us! I can’t protect you unless you stay quiet!”

“Duy you’ve done all you can to protect me. You and Quan are the best big brothers I could have ever asked for. Mom and Dad were awesome too. Unfortunately, The New World is based on survival of the fittest. And… as you can see, I’m dying and unfit. I feel so cold, but… comfortable knowing that the nightmare is about to end,” Sinh says with a smile.

Damn it, Sinh!

“At first I was so scared when I realized that I was going to die. I thought to myself “Mom is so lucky. Her death was quick and painless. Didn’t even… see it coming.”

“Please, Sinh…”

“Now, I’m happy that I get to die a slow death. I get to think about the… happy memories in my short, short life, but most importantly… I get to dream about the ocean and hope… my corpse can make its way to sea!”

“ZOMBIES!” Voices scream from above as the automatic gunfire quickly resumes.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Shit. Shit. Shit! What do I do?!

“Duy, I’ve been enough of a burden on everyone. Please… let me turn,” Sinh begs.