Not so far away, The night air carried the scent of scorched rubber and gasoline, thick with the hum of revving engines of several tuner cars.
Streetlights flickered against the custom body kits of two cars as they tore down the last stretch of Turnbull Canyon Road, headlights slashing through the dark of the last corner.
A Nissan 240SX tuned with all the bells and whistles fought bravely to take the lead. Its opponent A RX-7 Refused to let it overtake him on the last bend .
The race had already been decided.
The RX-7 slid to a stop first, its engine purring like a beast that had claimed its prey. The 240SX rolled in seconds later, its tires kicking up rocks in protest, carrying the weight of defeat upon stopping.
The driver of the RX-7, Isaac, a man with sharp cheekbones and his hair slicked back heavy with gel, reached out and snatched up the pink slip from the outstretched hand of his rival. He twirled it between his fingers, savoring the moment.
Tonight, he owned these streets.
"That was intense, Josh," Isaac said, grinning as he inspected the slip. "But your car -"
Josh scowled, yanking off his gloves. "-is still worth more than your rent."
Laughter erupted from the gathered crowd of twenty racers, engines still cooling off in the background.
The night belonged to them-adrenaline, freedom, the sheer rush of defying gravity and chance. Something that belonged only to them.
They were not expecting their party to be abruptly interrupted. A Plea for Help could be heard echoing in the distance.
"Hey, guys quiet... do you hear that?" Said one of the racers, with his hands raised. Everyone turned listening to Isaacs best friend, Alfonso.
The first of the girls burst onto the road, gasping for air.
Her hoodie was torn at the sleeve, her chest rising and falling too fast, her body shaking. Her eyes were wild, flicking over the stunned faces of the racers.
"Help!" Lexi sobbed, almost tripping over herself. "Please! He's-he's dead!"
Behind her, Emmy, Natalie, and Carlos stumbled onto the pavement, their faces just as stricken. They had all made it this far together, not realizing how quickly their old friend was closing the gap. Or the absolute carnage they would soon bring down on these poor bystanders.
The crowd turned, confused.
"What the hell?" Isaac muttered, stepping forward.
Josh asked cautiously. "You kids lost or something?"
Carlos's breath was ragged. "You don't understand!" he snapped, eyes darting back toward the trees. "Something-killed our friend! Lucas-he just -" His voice broke, as if the words themselves didn't make sense.
Some of the racers exchanged wary glances.
Emmy's glasses had fogged so badly she could barely see.
She fumbled them off with trembling hands, trying to wipe the lenses on her sleeve as adrenaline coarsed through her veins.
"We...we have to get out of here now!" she stammered, her voice cracking.
Josh sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen, you gotta be more specific. Who's dead? What happened?"
Natalie shook her head violently, her luxurious hair whipping to and frow. "No! he's not just dead. There's a monster up th-"
"Look take it easy you guys are upset," Alphonso said cutting her off as he took in her beauty. just like all the other racers alphonso was praying for anythint else but a kid dead in crashed car over the ravine "Take us to your friend did you guys. Did you guys crash."
And then Lucas finally stepped into the light behind carlos.
Isaac called out to the new face. "Hey is that your friend? Looks like he made it."
The teens immediately jumped back to face him stepping back fear plastered across their youthful expressions.
Lucas opened his eyes slowly, his eyes burned red against the blackened backdrop of the night sky.
His mouth stretched with dramatic glee, revealing pearly white teeth that glistened in the moonlight.
Josh took a step back. "What the fu-"
Then Lucas moved.
Isaac barely had time to process before Lucas slammed into the nearest racer, his teeth sinking into the man's throat.
A wet, ripping sound.
A choked gasp.
Then-a scream.
Blood splattered across the pavement.
Someone shouted. Others ran.
Lucas lifted his head, grinning through the blood.
Alfonso convulsed violently on the ground, veins pulsing black. His limbs twitched, body spasming-before stillness.
For a heartbeat, the other racers fell silent flabbergasted by the carnage.
Then Alfonso lifted his head.
His pupils burned red.
Slowly, Alfonso turned toward Lucas. And then-he smiled.
" .... hey brother?"
Panic Spreads Like Fire
Engines roared to life.
Some of the racers scrambled to their cars, throwing open doors, slamming gas pedals, tires screeching as they tore down the road. Each corner taken faster and faster. Fear outweighing control, Safety was a forgotten luxury. Only outrunning the fresh hell behind them mattered.
But few and far between actually got away.
Emmy, lexi, Natalie, and Carlos sprinted toward the rx-7 parked near the edge of the lot.
Isaac was already inside his RX-7, gripping the wheel tight, engine growling. Everything within screaming to just tear off and get away. But as he gripped the clutch his hand refused to move cursing to himself, "god damn continous."
"Get in! Get the hell in!"
The teens were separated Emmy making it to the car first. She jumped in screaming for carlos.
Carlos bolted to catch up to the other girls. His asthma pinching his side and causing him to fall further and further behind. He turned looking for his old friend.
Lucas was closing in fast.
Meanwhile Natalie was oblivious to Carlos's plight. If they could just make it a little further over a few infected bodies they would make it to Emmy. She grabbed Lexi's wrist. "We have to GO!"
Lexi yanked free. "Carlos is still back there!"
Natalie threw her hands up in disbelief. "Lexi, are you serious?!"
"He's our friend!"
Lexi's voice cracked. "I'm not axin, we are not leaving him!"
Natalie rolled her eyes into a new orbit with an exaggerated head tilt, but the fear on her face softened just enough.
"Fine," she hissed. "But if something grabs me, I swear to God I'm going back."
They nodded and sprinted back into the mayhem.
Infected danced between the headlights attacking the other racers. Their curdled screams echoing through the night.
Natalie shouted back, "Carlos! Where..."
Someone lunged from the dark.
An infected racer, Alfonso, eyes blazing red, mouth split open barreled straight toward her.
"Shit!" Natalie spun, barely dodging him. Her hat flew off in the struggle. She snatched it mid-fall and whipped it into his face like a fastball.
It smacked him across the eyes.
He cursed under hisbbreath, stumbling.
Natalie kicked his shin, sending him sprawling.
She didn't wait to see if he got up.
"LEXI MOVE!" she shouted, already bolting toward the RX-7 with everything she had.
Lexi, breathless, heart pounding, spotted Carlos half-collapsed near the guardrail. He looked dazed, terrified, frozen in place.
"Carlos!" she called, skidding to him. "Come on, please!"
He blinked up at her, chest heaving. Tears flooding his eyes.
"Lexi… thank God…"
She reached out her hand.
He reached back.
Their fingers touched...
And yet Carlos didn't move. She looked back Lucas was almost on top of them. They probably wouldn't make it but she had to try.
Lexi tugged. "Carlos! come on! We have to go!"
Natalie turned, eyes widening as she opened the car door. "Guys, what are you-?"
Carlos pulled lexi down to the ground hard. Jumping to his feat and ran with all his might, no one would stop him from returning to Emmy ALIVE.
She stumbled, scraping her knee hard with a sharp cry.
Emmy screamed, preparing to leap out of the car for her, but Carlos was already diving into the racer's car shoving Natalie into the back seat.
"GO!" he yelled.
Isaac didn't hesitate.
The tires shrieked.
Natalie, bleeding from a bite on her arm, barely managed to buckle up before the door slammed shut. She clutched her wound wincing in pain. Tears streaking down her face.
She turned, looking through the back window in horror.
Lexi, sprawled on the ground, looked up at the car leaving in shock.
Lexi's eyes met Carlos's through the tinted window.
Her lips moved, but no sound came.
Just one word.
Why?
She barely had time to react before teeth met her throat.
A strangled gasp-then stillness.
Carlos let out a shaky breath, gripping his seatbelt.
Emmy shoved him, hard. "You asshole! You left her!"
Carlos didn't look at her. He instead rummaged for his inhaler. Unable to find it in any of his pockets. Slamming his hands on his chest before thinking of Lexi's last words
"You would've done the same."
He said it once more to himself. As he turned away. Searching out the windows fogged from his breath.
The teens stayed quiet unable to look at each other for the rest of the ride. Isaac sped home far away from the massacre, his eyes darting from the rode to the slumpped over model sitting in the back. Natalie had gone limp and pale as Emmy struggled to get her bleeding in check.
No one wanted to admit she was infected. In fact how could she be, all the others had turned immediately. They kept telling themselves she would be fine as they pulled into the garage of the multilevel apartment.
Carlos and Emmy lifted Natalie and limped all the way to Isaac's apartment. Refusing to look at each other let alone talk about what happened.
The front door slammed shut behind Isaac as he stepped into the dimly lit living room of his apartment, exhaling sharply. His shiba inu ran up to greet him, iys tail wagging vigorously.
"Hey not right now girl, we have guest," he said while leading her to his bedroom. He shut the door examining the blood and dirt splattered on his clothes. He bit his lip the whole thought of losing his friends left him weak at the knees.
The three remaining teens stood near the entrance, their eyes darting toward the windows, restless, searching for any sign of danger.
"You can crash here till morning," Isaac said, tossing his keys onto the counter as he approached. "By then, hopefully, this whole thing will die down."
Carlos scoffed, arms crossed. "We need to get home. Our families, my mom..!"
"Are in the same place those things are," Isaac cut in, his voice even but firm. "You really think running back there changes anything? This is the safest place you've got."
Silence stretched. The tension was thick in the air, but carlos knew he was right.
Emmy turned then, her voice hestitant, trembling with anger. "Carlos..."
He met her gaze, and for the first time all night, his bravado cracked.
"We're done."
She thought to herself. She could forgive his panic. She could even forgive him freezing up. Whar she cannot forgive was his calculated betrayal.
Those words and her cold tone were like a right hook to his check.
Carlos dropped his shoulders in disbelief, the color draining from his worn out features. "Emmy, come on!"
"No." Her eyes welled ready to burst in tears. "You threw Lexi to them." The tension between them was thicker than pea soup. "She was your friend, our friend, and you left her."
Carlos took a step forward, anger flashing across his face, but Isaac's presence at her side made him stop. His hand brushed his jaw, his jawline clenched so tight he could feel the strain on his teeth.
"Fine," he muttered, turning away.
Carlos leaped back on the love seat, staring at the ceiling. He sat there staring at the popcorn ceiling contemplating.
She was wrong. She had to be.
Lexi was dead, sure. But it wasn't his fault.
Was it?
He forced his eyes shut, but the image of her crumpled on the pavement, eyes wide, mouthing that one word... Why? It played like an old movie in his mind over and over again.
His eyes twitched. His breath came slower, heavier. The scene wouldnt turn off as he sank into slumber
He felt heavier. And heavier until he was in the clutches of the sandman.
"Looks like your boyfriends out cold," Isaac said surprised, how anyone could sleep like that after all this was beyond him. "You should sleep too, you can use my room and Ill kick it out here."
Isaac didn't say another word. he just moved to Natalie, who sat on the couch, silent and pale. Blood crusted around the wound on her arm, her fingers twitching slightly as she stared ahead, unfocused.
"You're burning up," Isaac muttered, kneeling beside her. "This'll sting."
Natalie barely reacted as he cleaned her wound, her breaths shallow. The room was quiet, save for the rhythmic sound of alcohol-dampened gauze dragging over torn skin.
Emmy retreated into Isaac's room, slamming the door behind her.
Natalie turned onto her side, curling into herself. Her body trembled, an unnatural heat settling under her skin. The rain outside began tapping against the windows, soft at first, then growing heavier.
For a moment, the sounds around her felt distant—Isaac's voice, the hum of the refrigerator, even her own breathing. Like she was slipping underwater.
Then, in the dark reflection of the TV screen, her eyes flickered.
Red.