Chapter 1 – The Day Everything Changed
The city was busy like any other day.
Cars honked, people talked on their phones, and the smell of food from street vendors filled the air. Ethan Cole sat in his small garage, drinking coffee and wiping his hands on an old rag. His blue overalls were stained with oil. A broken car sat on the lift in front of him.
It was a normal day.
Until the sirens started.
At first, Ethan didn't think much of it. The city always had ambulances. But then more joined in. Dozens. The sound grew louder, coming from every direction.
Ethan frowned and stepped outside.
People on the sidewalk had stopped walking. They stared at their phones with wide eyes. A woman near the corner gasped and dropped her coffee.
"What's happening?" Ethan muttered.
Then he saw the man.
He came out of a dark alley, clothes torn and bloody. His skin looked pale, almost gray. His eyes… were empty and white.
The man fell to his knees. People nearby ran to help him. One man bent down and asked, "Sir? Are you okay?"
The pale man lunged.
His teeth sank into the helper's throat. Blood sprayed across the sidewalk. People screamed and ran. Cars crashed as drivers panicked.
Ethan froze. His heart pounded. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
The attacker dropped to his hands and knees like an animal, chewing on the man he had bitten. Blood ran down his chin as he growled, a sound no human should make.
Then more came.
Five or six figures stumbled out of the alley. Clothes torn. Skin pale. Eyes dead.
The smell hit Ethan—a mix of blood and rot. His stomach turned.
A woman slammed into him, shouting, "RUN!"
Ethan didn't think. He ran.
Sirens howled louder. Helicopters roared overhead. Something exploded behind him, shaking the ground. Smoke rose in thick black clouds.
Ethan's phone buzzed in his pocket. Mom.
He snatched it out and answered. "Mom! Where are you?!"
Static. Then a scream. A man's voice shouted orders in the background.
"Mom?! Answer me!" Ethan yelled.
The line went dead.
No. No, no, no…
He shoved the phone away and ran harder. One thought filled his mind:
Get home. Find Mom and Lily. No matter what.
He turned into a side street to escape the chaos. The narrow alley was quiet. Too quiet. Ethan slowed, breathing hard.
Then he heard it.
A low growl. Wet and ugly.
He turned.
A man stood at the end of the alley. His head was twisted strangely, his mouth hanging open with blood dripping down his chin. His eyes were white and lifeless.
Then it charged.
Fast.
Ethan grabbed the nearest thing—a rusted wrench from a trash pile—and swung with all his strength.
CRACK.
The thing dropped, twitching once before lying still. Blood pooled around its head.
Ethan stared, chest heaving. His hands shook.
He had just killed someone.
No. Not someone. Not anymore.
The world had ended. And it happened in a single day.