Year 2025.
The skies parted and gave birth to a dark void that veiled the heavens for twenty-four hours.
All forms of telecommunications, the internet, and even electricity were cut off.
For a day, the humans of earth lived like animals—confusion and frustration blooming into chaos and soon madness.
One of the few who had remained sane throughout the process was Aiden, a young college student who had the bright idea of skipping school that day. His mischievous antics had transpired before the skies were veiled, hence when it happened he was fast asleep in his bed.
He remained there, suddenly feeling a chill, only to open his eyes to the sight of a pure dark sky. It was strange really—the world's heavens had been corrupted and yet light wasn't obscured. The world was as bright as if the sky hadn't undergone a grand change.
"What the heck is going on?"
The absurd sight killed his sleep as he got off his bed and approached the window warily. Sliding it to the side, the chilling breeze of a mysterious wind seeped into his room while he gazed at the lifeless cityscape ahead.
Awestruck, he rubbed his eyes to check if he was hallucinating, but the city—lifeless and soundless—was his reality. Panicked, he rushed to his phone and tapped it rapidly only to realize it was out. It wasn't working, even though he remembered charging it the previous night before going to sleep.
Tossing his phone aside with trembling hands, he changed his attire to something more formal, then ran to the door of his dorm. Opening it slightly to peek outside, a foul stench assaulted his nostrils, forcing him to stumble back with a disgusted cough.
"Something stinks."
Groaning in nausea, he covered his nose and looked outside the hallway once again. With the lights out, all he saw was the dim corridor illuminated by large pulsing cocoons glowing eerily. They lined the hallway in dozens, humming with creepy sounds.
Aiden, frightened, found himself stepping back into his room, making sure to lock the door throughout the process. His mind raced, searching for answers, but all he got were vague assumptions born from paranoia. The sight of the cocoons was traumatizing to say the least but…
"I can't stay here!"
No matter how much he feared, he wanted to be logical about his situation. Dozens of cocoons littered the floor alone—in a situation where they hatched, Aiden knew he would be surrounded by whatever was being bred within. They might be dormant now, but he wasn't willing to risk it. That wasn't the only problem either. There were matters of food and supplies, if what was going on was really what he suspected.
"I need to be prepared."
Grabbing his now useless phone for precaution, he made his way to the kitchen and grabbed two sets of fruit knives, stuffing them into his pockets. Suppose there was an apocalypse like he was assuming—it served to say he lacked combat experience, and whatever was out there could easily dispatch him. But he was the kind of guy who preferred fighting back instead of awaiting his doom.
"Be cunning… kill if you must, and if it's merely a misunderstanding just return home like nothing ever happened."
The first thing he did before leaving his dorm was create a set of conducts he must abide by. An apocalypse meant anarchy, but he wasn't going to accept such misconducts without structure. So, making sure his knives were within arm's reach, he gently pushed the dorm room's door open.
Having taken a nose mask to shield himself from the foul stench of the cocoons, he looked down where thin and long black flesh-like tubes coiled across the ground like vines in a jungle. Keeping a steady footing, he carefully tiptoed across them using the gaps between.
Trying his best to ignore the creepy sounds coming from within the cocoons, he finally arrived at the stairs, free from the dark vines.
"Phew."
Breathing a sigh of relief, he began a careful descent, keeping wary of his surroundings like a guard dog. The serene silence was unnerving, causing frustration to grip at his heart, but nothing was more important than abandoning his hostel. He needed to leave no matter what—unless he wanted to be a casualty when those things hatched.
After minutes of cautious descent, he reached the ground floor, which was a mess. Papers and bags lay scattered on the ground, chairs and tables flipped over, while the glass door acting as both the entrance and exit had been shattered. Stains of red blood leaked from the edges of the crevices.
"A struggle… no, a panic must have occurred."
Gulping audibly, he felt a chill as his eyes were drawn to the blood trail leading outside. Tugging his jacket closer in fright, he made his way down the few stairs he had left and marched toward the exit.
Ahead of him was the parking lot, filled with abandoned half-opened cars, and much further was the city. But he didn't dare step outside—he hid at the corner for some time, waiting, at the very least, for a frightening result.
Fortunately, and unfortunately, his predicament came to pass as a low growl, bordering the line of beastly, echoed from the parking lot. His breath hitched, his mind racing with all sorts of possibilities. Keeping his eyes glued to the spot where the sound came from, he heard footsteps—slow, uncontrolled, and full of disoriented lagging.
The sheer rhythm of the footsteps was too unorganized, like those of a mad person. Under Aiden's own eyes, common sense was flipped upside down, birthing absurdity as a pale figure—a woman, judging from her form—revealed herself from behind one of the cars.
Her head hung low, a deep gouging cut from her neck to her shoulder leaving it tilted awkwardly. Her arms and legs bent abnormally, twisting rapidly as a beastly growl sounded from her mouth, leaking with saliva.
Quickly covering his mouth to avoid letting out a scream, he stayed glued to the wall, hidden from the undead gaze, praying eagerly for his survival.
But then… the woman's twisted body snapped with a sickening crack, her head lolling upward unnaturally until her empty eyes met the very corner where he hid. Her jaw distended wider than humanly possible, the growl morphing into a broken, gurgling laugh that echoed through the empty lot.
And in that moment, Aiden realized she hadn't simply stumbled by chance. She had known he was there all along.