It was the day of my friend’s birthday when all hell broke loose.
“Come on, Lizzie.” Lillia tugged on my arm, an excited grin etched on her face as she forcefully dragged me into the living room where all the decorations and visitors hung around. “It’s my special day, won’t you at least stay a little longer?”
“Uhh…” I fidgeted with the strap of my bag, sweeping a glance over the crowd of people in the room before swallowing down the bile that rose up my throat. My stomach turned in anxiety. “I wish I could but…” Something doesn’t feel right.
Lillia’s expression grew downcast at my reply. I felt guilt gnaw my chest at the sight before turning my head slightly to look away, pressing my lips tightly together in an attempt to think of a proper excuse. I felt her grip onto my sleeves, tears threatening to flow from her pretty green eyes before I let out a sigh, inwardly fighting back the urge to ignore my intuition despite its loud cries in my head, demanding I leave right this instance. I watched as she opened her lips to say something but shut it closed before sighing, her gaze cast down on the ground before her hands fell on her side. In frustration and guilt, I reached over to grab her by the hand and with a forced reassuring smile, I gave her a nod.
“On another note,” A sour taste is present in my tongue as the words flow out between my teeth. “I think I’ll stay just for you.”
Her green eyes gazed up at me, sparkling in excitement as she jumped into my arms and squealed. “You’re the best!”
I rolled my eyes in mock annoyance before chuckling at her reaction, my eyes wandering about the place as she dragged me towards the living room where her other visitors – whom she’d been gushing about for the last two months – hung around with beers and cigarettes at hand. I glanced over at their faces, taking their features in as we came to a stop.
The group paused to turn their attention toward us, curiosity evident in their faces as I stood there rather awkwardly, waiting for Lillia to say something.
“Everyone!” Lillia cried out loudly, her voice echoing in the room that it nearly made me cringe on the spot. “I’d like to formally introduce you to my closest friend, Lizzie!”
How annoying
“Hi.” I forced a smile toward them despite feeling like curling into myself under their scrutinising gazes. I catch sight of a tan skinned man pressing a kiss on the cheek of a pretty lady with wavy hair – waving a friendly hand toward me before walking off towards the washroom where he shuts the door behind him with a ‘click’.
“So,” A guy — Cyrus, if I recall correctly, sat back with a smug smirk on his face, his hazel-coloured eyes disgustingly roaming somewhere around my body. “I finally have the pleasure to meet the famous Lizzie Montgometry, huh? What an honour.”
“Ah! Truly a day to celebrate if I say so myself!” Another voice chirped in excitement before finding myself taking a few steps back when a face shoved itself close to mine, completely invading my circle of comfort. “Pleasure to meet you! I’m Kiana!” The cheerful girl offers a friendly hand out to me and the corner of my lips quirk up in a genuine smile.
I could get used to this.
“A pleasure…?”
“Don’t be too shy! We’re a friendly bunch, I assure you!” Kiana giggled, saluting animatedly before throwing her hands over my shoulder, “Besides, we’ve been dying to meet you. Lillia had been nothing but secretive when it came to your identity, you know? Seeing your face or your silhouette is as rare as a solar eclipse! It’s unfair!”
“I don’t like sharing.” Lillia quipped back from the couch, her hands filled with fruits as she began to peel off oranges.
“Girls and their womanly romance…” Cyrus grumbled under his breath as he lit up his cigarette. He took the cigarette stick between his fingers, inhaling deeply before puffing out a huge chunk of smoke. I scrunch my nose at the scent. “By the way, where the fuck did Ern go? Didn’t he say he was off to use the toilet?”
“Oh? He’s still not back?”
“Why don’t you go check up on him, Millie? Aren’t you two officially dating?”
“Please,” A dark haired woman with blue highlights on her hair pushed back the hair off her face before nudging Cyrus for a lighter. She hummed thoughtfully as she lit her cigarette stick, her face scrunched up at their comments before puffing out a lungful of smoke. “Am I my boyfriend’s keeper? I’m sure he’s fine, besides, doesn’t our birthday girl have some announcements to make?”
“H-Huh?” Lillia nearly dropped the pieces of fruit that she held in her hands, her eyes wide in confusion at the sudden shift of attention that zoned in on her. “What?”
“Oh please, Lily, you’ve been raving about some good news for weeks now. Come on, spill.” Kiana shifted her hold around my shoulder and I felt myself stiffen in discomfort due to the unwanted intimacy. I shot her an awkward smile before gently pushing her hand off and walking toward the nearest chair across from the television set.
“Oh yeah…” I blithely stared at the familiar logo of a serpentine’s head on the screen before tapping my finger against my chin in thought. “You mentioned something about an offer from the Ouroboros Corporation.”
Cyrus made a face at the news. “You- What ?”
“Oh-Oh! Umm…”
“Are you serious? Haven’t you heard of the rumours that have been surrounding that corporation?”
I turned to glimpse at the group with a hint of irritated surprise, my heart racing at the way they seemed to criticise Lillia despite her success. I crossed my arms across my chest, my tongue heavy in my mouth as billions of thoughts raced through my head – vexation pulsing hot through my veins.
This wasn’t right.
“Not only that,” Millie puffed out a lungful of smoke before shooting a piercing stare at the screen, a frown marring her face as if she’d been deep in thought. “My brother’s been acting weird since he started working on some vaccine. He claims it’s for cancer cure but I learned not to trust that fucker after our messed up history.”
And? I rolled my eyes at her comment, silently fuming at her insolence. To hint that your friend is no longer worth trusting simply because she had decided to work for Ouroboros for a worthy cause– I grit my teeth and gripped my biceps in anger. These weren’t friends. Who has Lillia been hanging out with that she dared to consider these fuckers friends?
“Okay, Okay.” Lillia shot up from her spot, the excitement she had shown prior to my entrance long gone after seeing her friend’s reactions. Her eyes glistened in tears as her shoulders caved in as if trying to make herself disappear. “I get it. You all hate Ouroboros and I get it! I don’t blame you! But it doesn’t dismiss the fact that they’ve helped many people with a lot of things. I just— I‘ve always wanted to help in the medical field.”
“And that’s what makes it worse, I’m not gonna lie.” Kiana bemoaned at Lillia’s apparent naivety. “With your brains and everything… who knows what they’re gonna make you do.”
“Who knows,” Cyrus choked back a laugh, hiding the shit eating grin behind his hand, “Maybe you’ll end up creating a vaccine that creates the undead.”
I turned to look at the television and my blood ran cold at his comment. Before me was a scene straight out of a movie: a human—one with a rotting face—walked towards the newscaster. The newscaster held a mic in one hand, while their other hand made gestures that clearly conveyed their distress. The fear in their eyes flashed briefly before the former human — now a monster — lunged over to them, grabbed them by their neck and leaned down to sink their filthy teeth into their bare flesh. I blanched and felt my hand grow cold, sweat trickling down my neck at the thought that this joke hit way too close to home.
I pushed my tongue back, as if attempting to swallow it, before turning my attention towards the group of friends. They kept their eyes on Lillia, whose cheeks were tainted rosy red—a clear sign of embarrassment and shame as she shifted on her spot before looking at me, as if seeking assistance.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
I stared back at her blankly, the sickening fluid rising up my throat, threatening to force its way out at the thought that she, a long-time friend of mine whose decisions I've supported for so long, could've been one of those people who created the monstrosity that could end the world.
I shift my gaze back to the screen and press my lips tightly together, training my gaze towards the atrocity playing out in front of me through the screen.
This feels so unreal.
“Don’t tell me you actually think that that scene is real?” Cyrus mocked me from his seat causing me to turn my head towards him with a raised brow. The air around him screamed a sense of cockiness that felt like he looked down on everything and everyone. He tilts his head slightly, his beautiful hazel eyes glinting in a way that could make anyone swoon — me included.
I blink my eyes slowly before glancing at the screen then back to him, my stomach churning at the thoughts that ran through my head as I watched one rotting being running around sinking their teeth and clawing their nails into other living human being — growling and screaming before fire begins to spread all around the city.
“I think it looks realistic enough. I don’t think any news station would go that far to create a buzz in the city.”
“Oh? You may not know this but that specific news station has become bankrupt recently.” Millie drawled before letting out a large puff of smoke once again. She pushed herself up from her spot and made her way towards my direction, stopping right beside me with her eyes glued to the screen — eyes blank as she watched it with an uncaring gaze. “It wouldn’t be far — or well, wouldn’t it be not unusual for a bankrupt news station to start this preposterous skit just to gain some attention? Might as well go all out if you’re losing money.”
I begged to differ.
I mentally rolled my eyes at her comment before crossing my arms, feeling a familiar heat bubbling in my chest as I pondered her indifferent reaction to the atrocity on the screen.
I flinched at the sudden hand that landed on my shoulder, turning slightly toward the perpetrator before forcefully suppressing the annoyance that tempted me to retaliate, regardless of what Lillia wanted. But I like to think I’m a good friend.
Millie shot me a cordial smile as she patted my shoulder, her lips moving to mutter words that mocked me. However, it all passed through my head like everything else does when I'm hit with a sense of lightheadedness, making me feel disconnected from this world.
“You ought to be less naive.”
“Right.” I swallowed down the bitter emotions that rose up my throat, threatening to break down my walls in front of these strangers I barely trusted.
How laughable to think I dared to consider them as potential friends.
A loud crash cut through the awkward silence catching all of us off guard and that cocky grin she once had gets immediately wiped off of her pretty face. I watched as she looked back to her friends with mild concern before walking towards the washroom where her boyfriend had been keeping quiet ever since my arrival. I felt my stomach turn when she called his name out,
“Ern?” She’d say and the tremble in her voice was evident despite her stern expression.
I turned my gaze back to the television and watched as crowds of people got mauled by the undead while they panicked, probably most of them hadn’t had a clue as to what was happening. It was a pity.
Scratch Scratch Growl
Growl Scratch Growl
Growl Scratch Growl
A disturbing sound — one that sounded almost like a mix of an animal growl and a human’s scream echoed behind the washroom door and I’d never felt dread creep in so fast. I whipped my head towards the direction and stepped back slightly, readying myself up to flee if my terrifying prediction were to come true right this instant.
“Ern, this isn’t funny.” Millie walked toward the door and began to pound on it, her knuckles turning red at the force she used. Her voice cracked as she called his name out once again before grabbing the knob and beginning to yank at it. “Open the goddamn door Ern!”
Her pleas are met with a loud crash on the other side, followed by a scratching sound and a loud growl that sounded alarmingly inhumane.
Crash! Bang! Growl
Scratch. Growl Bang! Scratch.
Scratch. Crash! Scratch.
I felt my blood freeze in that instant and despite the ruckus that the scene had caused, I grabbed the baseball bat near me and hastily walked forward just as Cyrus forced the door open.
To my horror, behind the door was not a human, rather it was one of those things in the news that I’ve just been watching. Cyrus cursed, scampering to get back on his feet but not fast enough as Ern — or what used to be him, lunged forward to presumably attack the poor guy.
“YOU DUMB FUCK— GET OFF ME!” Cyrus screeches, his hands holding the undead by its forehead — pushing it as far as he possibly could despite the compromised position he was in. I take a deep breath and lift my arm, not minding Millie’s desperate pleas before swinging it down to hit the monster right on the back of its head as hard as I could.
I watch it fly a few metres away due to the impact, my heart racing from the adrenaline as I stare at the scarlet painting that splattered on the once seamless marble floor. I huff out a maniacal laugh, feeling oddly liberated—to finally let go of these unknown feelings, even if it meant that. It was satisfying.
Millie let out a piercing scream that could put any opera singer to shame.
“Ern!” She ran toward her boyfriend — if you could even call it that — and began patting his face and pressing kisses on the rotten face’s lips.
It was an odd sight to watch a human kissing a rotting body. It was an emotional sight to behold but not something I would dare to witness ever again as long as I dared to live. She pulls away with tears in her eyes and shoots me a glare that sends unexplainable shivers down my spine.
It was fascinating.
“You’re a monster!”
I swallow down the giddiness I feel at the sight of her pathetic state. To see her tightly holding onto something she cared about, knowing full well she's about to lose it right in her arms—ahh… karma is a bitch.
I rest the bat on my shoulder before tilting my head slightly to the side, “Perhaps instead of telling me how naive I am for believing the news we were just talking about,” I conceal my emotions with the blankest expression I could muster. “You should check on that thing in your arms for further clarifications.”
I keep my eyes on the thing in her arms and immediately throw the bat towards her, my heart feeling oddly light as I watch her face crumble with my words. “Maybe you’d want to come and bash my head with that bat and I won’t stop you. But let me tell you,” I reached over the cabinet where I knew Lillia kept some sort of self defence weapons in. “You’ll die with your sanity because of that monstrosity in your arms.”
“Millie…” Lillia starts, her eyes serious as she watches the monster’s finger twitch before taking a step forward but Millie snarls at her before leaning forward as if to protect the thing in her arms with her own body.
“Don’t you guys dare do ANYTHING to him.” She tightens her hold around it, her tears continuously falling on her face before turning to look at the undead body of her boyfriend with such affection I couldn’t fathom. “Just leave us be.”
“Millie don’t be like this please.”
What do you guys expect me to do without Ern?" She sobbed, her fingers running through his messy locks. For a moment, I feel a sense of guilt gnawing at my stomach, but it quickly disappears when she shoots an accusing glare towards me—her tears streaking down her delicate cheeks, as if tempting me to hurt her even more. I swallow back the excitement that rises up my chest, opting to let the others take the reins before I do anything that I know I would regret. I watch in utter glee as she takes in a breath and screams at the others for their incompetence, her hands pointing accusatory fingers at those who weren’t at fault—her eyes clearly blinded by grief despite the monster that had opened its eyes once again.
A rush of adrenaline rushed into my veins and up my head as I watched multiple emotions run through her face — going from anger to grief and then an expression that looked something akin to relief and fear all in one. I felt my breath hitch at the sight.
“Ern—“ She cries out hysterically, her hands gripping onto the undead’s shoulder as she tries to keep its face back to prevent it from biting her. The others leap into action and Cyrus tackles the undead down to the ground despite the dangers it posed for him. Millie screeches in agitation over the love of her life.
“CYRUS! GET OFF OF HIM!” She shoots up from her spot and rushes towards the two in panic. She falls on her knees and hits Cyrus by his shoulder, her piercing wails loud enough to be heard by the neighbours as she begs — demands Cyrus to let Ern go with such anger and distress in her voice that I could hear it crack after every word.
It was amusing.
I grabbed the pistol from Lillia’s cabinet and aimed it directly at the undead’s head while the others were distracted by Millie’s constant yammering.
For a moment I wondered if I could shoot her on the head first before killing off the undead, but the way it lurched over towards Cyrus’ neck finalised my decision.
Lillia and Kiana moved to pull her away from the two males (if you could still consider the undead a male that is) and Millie wails, pushing both of them off of her to run towards her former lover, but before Millie could move it away from my aim, I pulled the trigger without a care.
BANG!