Jaxon Hawk, an introverted shut in had just finished his morning jog. It was the habit he started three months ago, deciding that he would improve his life.
He was twenty-four now, still living at home with his mother and sisters, while most of his friends were out in the world working, building careers, and chasing their dreams.
He grabbed his phone and started scrolling through social media. One of his friends had just posted wedding photos. Jaxon stared at the screen for a few seconds before typing a short message.
"Congrats on getting married."
He sent it, but inside, he felt a little stab of being left behind. Everywhere he looked, it seemed like everyone his age was moving forward while he was stuck in the same place.
"Why did I waste all my youth playing games, reading novels, and watching anime? I should have at least tried to get a girlfriend."
He sighed, his eyes getting a little watery, and forced a smile. "Still... hanging out with my online buddies wasn't all bad."
He gave his cheeks a little slap with both hands. "Come on, stop feeling sorry for yourself. Just focus on getting in shape and building some muscle."
It was part of his New Year's thing, something he decided on after ending up in the hospital a few months ago. Turns out, sitting around all day and never moving wasn't so great for his health. This time, he promised himself he'd stick with it, no matter what.
After a quick shower, Jaxon fired up his PC and plopped down in his beat-up gaming chair, ready for a few rounds of League. It was his little treat for finishing a ten-kilometer run.
As soon as his PC was up, Discord popped open. Right away, he saw their server was going nuts. Messages were flying by faster than he could read.
"Guys, this is for real! This isn't AI or anything. I got this from a reliable source, and I'm just letting you know. There's gonna be a Zombie Apocalypse!!!"
"Lol. lol. lol. Who's gonna fall for that?"
"I saw the video too. It looks legit. I think the government doesn't want to freak people out, so they're keeping it quiet."
"Meh, nice try Diddy."
"I think I might actually believe you guys this time."
"Yeah, go on and believe them. Just don't cry when you get pranked again."
....
....
....
The chat just kept going and going, and Jaxon scrolled through it with a frown. Their server had like, twelve hundred people, and like always, everyone was split.
Some people were laughing and saying it was a joke, but others were swearing the video was real. Only a few seemed to really believe it, and the rest were just watching the drama.
Curious, Jaxon clicked the link and checked out the video himself. It showed this dude covered in blood, like, totally freaking out while a bunch of people tried to hold him down. But this "infected" guy was fighting back like crazy, biting and clawing at anyone who got near him.
The camera was shaking all over the place as the person filming ran and screamed. Nothing about it looked fake or anything, it felt way too real.
"What the heck is that? Is that for real?" Jaxon mumbled to himself. He wanted to just laugh it off, but he felt a little knot of worry in his stomach.
He opened a DM to his best gaming buddy, HarlemLaver.
"Dude, that zombie video, is it real?"
"It's real, bro. You gotta hurry and stock up on food and get some weapons before the virus gets to your country!"
"How can you be sure? It's so easy to make fake videos with AI these days."
"This one came from the dark web. It's the real deal, so don't waste time, get ready now!"
Jaxon frowned at the message. He and HarlemLaver had been friends for ages, and this guy wasn't the type to mess around like that.
"Ugh, what should I do... screw it," Jaxon muttered.
He typed one last message to his friend. "If this isn't real, I swear I'm gonna find you and kill you."
"This is a real Zombie Apocalypse. Source: Trust me bro."
Jaxon groaned and shut down his PC. His heart was beating a little faster now. He stood up, grabbed his phone, and made a call. A soft voice answered after the second ring.
"Jaxon? What's up? Sorry, I'm still at work, it's a bit busy right now."
"Mom, hold on! It's an emergency. Something happened at home, you need to come back right now."
"What? What's going on? What happened?"
"Just come home first. I'll explain later. It's really important, so please come home now."
He ended the call with a sigh and just stared at his phone.
"Okay, I've done it now. No point in regretting it, I'll just apologize and beg if this turns out to be a big joke," Jaxon said to himself.
He couldn't take the chance. Not with his family.
He called his two older sisters next and told them the same thing he told their mom.
"Alright, I'll be there," his oldest sister said before he hung up.
"Time to get ready."
Since he'd read and watched so many books and shows about zombie apocalypses, a shut-in like him had actually learned a few useful things. He'd always made fun of those main characters who made dumb choices.
"First things first, gotta get food."
He crawled under his bed and pulled out all the cash he had hidden there. Every single coin and bill. He grabbed his wallet, cards, and whatever savings he had lying around.
"All my savings... If this is a joke, I'm gonna find that jerk," Jaxon hissed, then stuffed all the money into his jacket.
He hopped on his motorcycle and sped off to the closest convenience store.
"Rice, canned food, water, gas... is all this even gonna fit on my bike?" Jaxon mumbled as he quickly threw everything he could into his basket and bag.
Everything around him still seemed normal. People were just walking around, chatting, laughing, and doing their thing like nothing was happening. The world looked the same, but Jaxon couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
His heart was pounding faster and faster. The more he thought about that video, the bloody guy freaking out, biting, and screaming, the more real it seemed.
He got in the checkout line but started getting impatient as the minutes ticked by. "Um, excuse me," he said to the guy in front of him. "Can I cut in line? I have an emergency right now."
The guy scoffed, crossing his arms, looking at the pile of food in Jaxon's arms.
"Seriously? Some of us have places to be, buddy. Get in line."
Jaxon then pulled some cash out of his pocket. "I'll pay you. Just let me go ahead."
The guy stared at the money, thought about it for a second, then grabbed the cash from Jaxon's hand. "Alright, fine. No take-backs."
Jaxon immediately rushed to the counter.
'Faster, faster, faster.' That's all he could think as he watched the cashier scan his stuff one by one. He glanced at his watch. 11:00 a.m.
As soon as he paid, he grabbed the bags and rushed outside. It was hard to balance everything: one sack of rice, two boxes of canned goods, a box of bottled water, and a small gas tank. He tied everything onto his motorcycle as best he could. The bike could barely handle it, but he went for it anyway.
By the time he got home, he was sweating like crazy. He unloaded the stuff and looked at what he had.
"This isn't gonna be enough to feed us for long. I need more," he mumbled to himself.
He went back to his motorcycle, getting ready to go out again, when a car pulled up to their gate. He was about to hop back on his bike when two young women got out of the car. They both looked worried as they hurried toward the house.
"Natasha, you're here," he said, looking at the tall, beautiful woman with blue hair and blue eyes. She was twenty-five this year, his oldest sister.
"And Cindy... you're here too," he said, turning to the younger woman beside her. She was only a few months older than him, with black hair and matching blue eyes.
Both of them were his sisters.
"What's going on? Why did you suddenly call us home?" Natasha asked, both she and Cindy looking at him with worried eyes.
"Sis, you need to stay calm and listen to what I'm about to say," Jaxon said, trying to look serious.
Seeing him like that, both women nodded, looking a little anxious.
Jaxon stepped closer and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Sis... it's a zombie apocalypse!"
Twack!
…..
"Ouch... that hurt," Jaxon mumbled, rubbing his cheek. You could still see the red handprint where Natasha had slapped him.
"You deserved that, idiot. You called us home for an emergency just to say something stupid like a zombie apocalypse? Seriously, what's wrong with you?" Natasha scolded as she drove the car toward a convenience store.
"What's really going on, brother? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Cindy asked softly. She was startled at first, but now she looked relieved that nothing serious had happened.
"I'm telling the truth," Jaxon said, looking both of them in the eyes. "I know I haven't done much with my life, and I've caused you guys and Mom a lot of trouble, but please... just believe me this time. I want to protect you both."
His words made them both quiet for a second.
"Natasha..." Cindy finally said, her voice a little unsure, like she wanted to believe her brother.
"Alright, alright, you two are making me look like the bad guy again," Natasha sighed, gripping the steering wheel.
"Thanks, Sis," Jaxon said with a small smile.
"Hmph." Natasha turned her head away, pretending to be annoyed.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the convenience store.
The three of them jumped out of the car and went inside to buy the stuff Jaxon had asked for earlier. They grabbed five sacks of rice, ten boxes of canned food, five boxes of bottled water, and three gas canisters. They also got some medicine and first aid kits. After that, they loaded everything into the car.
"Are you really spending all your money on this?" Natasha asked, frowning.
"Don't worry, Sis. Even if the apocalypse doesn't happen, we can still use this stuff. At least we won't have to worry about running out of food at home," Jaxon said, trying to sound like it was no big deal.
"You want us to keep eating canned food? You know what... never mind," Natasha grumbled, shaking her head.
"Alright, let's grab the last two boxes and the gas tank before we head home," Jaxon said.
….
Inside the store, Natasha and Cindy each carried a box, while Jaxon picked up the gas tank.
Suddenly, they heard loud thuds and slams coming from the glass window of the store.
"Brother... what's that?" Cindy asked, her voice shaking as she pointed toward the glass.
Outside, a guy was slamming his head against the window over and over, leaving little streaks of blood.