Similar scenes happened everywhere. Friends, family members, or co-workers suddenly turned crazy and bit people. Those who didn't react fast enough were filled with panic and regret before they died.
Most of the people who had gotten bitten would turn into zombies, mindless creatures who preyed on other living beings. Meanwhile, some of them were truly considered dead, their flesh gnawed until only bones left.
Of course, not all people became rotting corpses. At the moment they believed to be the last few seconds of their lives, some people awakened strange powers. Some could make fire, summon water, command the earth, or manipulate the wind.
Because it was merely the first day of the apocalypse, the zombies were still relatively weak. They were relatively slow, and people could still run to avoid them. However, the thick gray fog still served as obstruction, lowering people's range of sight.
The worst part of the fog, they wouldn't be able to see any zombies nearby. The moment they realized the danger, those zombies would already lunge toward them.
The rest of the population who stayed at home tightly closed their windows and doors. The news they received on their phones and television made their faces pale. It was the end of the world, and some terrifying creatures who might used to be the people they once knew were lurking outside!
Thankfully, the thickening fog had made most people not willing to go out for the past few days, except for some stubborn people. Hence, they were safe.
The sky turned darker, signaling the start of the night. Some people started to feel their bodies burn, like some kind of power inside was trying to suck out their souls. It made them run a high fever and became unconscious.
"Second Grandpa," Austin gritted his teeth as he called out to Mr. Brown. "Quickly, tie me up. What if I become one of those cursed things?"
At the tightly closed antique shop, Austin felt an infinite despair. His words were alternately replaced by guttural, beast-like snarls and growls. It had taken everything in him not to lunge at Mr. Brown.
Finally, the old man had no choice but to tie him. Mr. Brown's face was pale, not comprehending what was happening.
After they closed the shop, Austin felt his body burn. An incredibly itching sensation spread from his hand to his entire body, eroding his sanity. Then they received a lot of news from Jaxon, reporting that the world had become a perilous place with many dangerous creatures outside.
"What is happening?" He murmured as he stared at the bound Austin, whose complexion no longer resembled a human.
Half his face had turned rotten, emitting some kind of rancid smell. The other half was also slowly morphing in the same direction. When the night passed, Austin might turn into a zombie.
Mr. Brown wiped his haggard face. Considering the situation outside, he deliberately didn't tell Jaxon about Austin's condition. Even his phone… now it was him who was answering Jaxon's messages, pretending to be Austin.
He clutched the phone tightly. Things no longer functioned like before and people were busy hiding. Since the internet was still somewhat normal, people have been reporting what has been happening around their place with desperation in their words.
Disasters, animals suddenly turning feral and killing their owners, and then the zombies. Each news struck more fear in everyone's heart, scared that it would be their turn next.
"What to do… what to do?" Mr. Brown mumbled. He turned to Austin. "Kid, can you still understand me?"
He tried a few times to converse with Austin to no avail. Austin would only respond with his usual snarls. Mr. Brown sat down on the floor, his heart filled with hopelessness. Even if they couldn't go out, they still have supplies Austin had gathered in this shop.
But… what's the point of those if they wouldn't be able to make use of them? Still, he had decided to accompany Austin here. Even if Austin broke the ropes and bit him, turning him into a zombie, he would lock their shop first. That way, they wouldn't harm people outside.
Jaxon had written that they should kill those zombies, but he wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill someone he had regarded as his own grandson.
Mr. Brown gazed ahead with empty eyes, visualizing that Austin completely became a zombie and bit him.
***
In another place, Thalira's room was still empty because the owner was still inside her inner world, focusing on upgrading her ability.
Besides her room, loud snarls echoed and occasionally a sob, followed by the banging sounds at the door. Inside the room, there was Sera, who was undergoing extreme pain.
One moment, she was conscious, and another, only instinct guided her. Unlike Austin, she had completely turned into a zombie. Desperately, she tried to cling to her last thread of sanity, like it was the only hope in her life.
Thalira had moved their dorm rooms together, in the most luxurious place, and locked the access to get there. So, with the notice from the university that students shouldn't go out of their room for the time being, none would come to find them.
However, not all students were in the dorm at this moment. Evelyn and Scarlett were outside the moment the thick fog spread out. Currently, they were huddling together in a supermarket.
Their bags were filled with food they had bought as they hid in the bathroom.
"What is happening to those people?" Evelyn looked terrified as she asked. "Zombies, they are turning into zombies like it's the end of the world."
"Scar, you have been quiet." Evelyn muttered again after a while, becoming more frightened. She was worried that Scarlett would turn into one of those people. "Talk to me, please. Don't scare me."
"Are you still angry? I am really sorry. I didn't mean to push you toward them. But I tripped and…" Evelyn bit her lips.
"It's alright." Scarlett's face was pale. "But be quiet. Those things might come to find us."
Hearing that, Evelyn covered her mouth with both hands in fright, her eyes wide. She no longer talked, not minding the slightly wet bathroom floor at all as she hugged her knees.
They didn't expect that the moment they went out to restock their supplies, as Thalira suggested, ended in such a situation. Of course, it couldn't be blamed on Thalira. She had told them to stock supplies a few days ago, but it was both of them who were delaying things.
Wasn't it their own fault that they didn't take Thalira's words seriously? However, at this moment, as they were trapped in this supermarket with a lot of zombies outside, who knew what an unpredictable human's heart would think in the moment of despair?
Would they blame others for their demise?
As the clock struck midnight, people were overcome with more despair when they found out that their phones were no longer usable. They couldn't send messages to their loved ones anymore.
"Do you think that we can go out, Scar?" Evelyn couldn't resist whispering as she held her phone. Its battery was nearly zero.
Scarlett didn't answer. A complete silence ensued. Until loud knocking from outside the door startled their frightened hearts. Then, there was another sound, like someone dragging their feet in their direction, followed by some roaring sounds that weren't exactly human.
An hour past midnight, Thalira woke up.