Rehan was lying on the sofa in his room, fast asleep. The room was filled with a light chill, and the curtains hanging by the window were gently swaying with the fan's breeze. The silence was so deep that even the sound of a pin drop could be heard. Lost between dream and reality, Rehan was still half asleep when suddenly the phone on the table rang loudly.
The sound was so sharp that Rehan jumped up in shock and, in panic, slipped off the sofa onto the floor. The cold, hard surface sent a jolt up his spine. His heart started racing, and his breathing became heavy.
"What is this trouble now…" he muttered, picking up the phone with trembling hands. The screen showed 8 o'clock.
"Oh no… I am so late today!" he slapped his forehead after looking at the clock.
He quickly washed his face and went to the kitchen. As soon as he entered, he placed the frying pan on the stove. Thoughts of his university lectures kept running through his mind. He immediately called out to his younger brother, Rayan, so he would not get late for school. He was still beating the eggs when Rayan walked in, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Brother… today is Sunday… why did you wake me up?" Rayan asked in a sleepy voice.
Rehan looked at the calendar on the wall in surprise. It really was Sunday. For a moment he smiled awkwardly, then said softly,
"Sorry little one… go back to sleep, there's no hurry today."
Rayan, still half asleep, slowly walked back to his room. After finishing breakfast, Rehan sent a message to his mother:
"Ammi, I am awake and I have had my breakfast."
A few moments later, his mother called. The moment he picked up, her gentle voice came through:
"Wow, my son is up on time today. Usually mornings are your biggest enemy."
Rehan laughed lightly.
"Ammi… sometimes miracles do happen."
His mother spoke with love,
"My sons are my support. I pray that both of you stay safe."
Rehan stayed quiet for a moment and then said,
"Ammi… you are handling everything alone. After Abbu passed away, all the responsibility fell on your shoulders. The house, the job… I don't know how you do it. I don't even understand what I should do."
He could hear her soft sigh on the phone, carrying both exhaustion and pride. She replied gently,
"Rehan… don't say that. Yes, managing as a manager is not easy, but I can do anything for you both. And you too are standing by my side. After university, you even work two jobs to share the burden. Seeing you handle so much makes me feel I am not alone."
A voice rose from Rehan's heart,
"Ammi… I promise I will never let you down."
Her voice trembled slightly with emotion but was filled with love,
"I will always be proud of my son."
Rehan replied quietly,
"Just keep me in your prayers, Ammi."
The call ended. Rehan placed the phone on the table, and a strange peace settled in his heart. A faint smile appeared on his face, as if a wave of comfort had passed through him. After washing the breakfast dishes, he sat on the sofa and began reading a book. Everything seemed completely normal, like any other day.
But… in the very next moment, everything changed.
The window glass shook violently. A loud explosion echoed outside. It felt as if the ground itself had trembled. The book slipped from his hands. His heart started pounding hard. Rehan rushed to the window. Pulling the curtain aside, his eyes met a scene of pure chaos.
Smoke was filling the street, car horns blared nonstop. Explosions and the sound of breaking glass filled the air. But the most terrifying of all… were the screams. Those screams that cut deep into the heart.
Rayan came running in, clinging to his brother's arm in fear.
"Brother… what is happening? Did you light firecrackers?" he asked in a trembling voice.
Rehan could only manage to say one sentence:
"I don't know… maybe an attack… or something else."
He immediately grabbed a knife from the kitchen. Kneeling down in front of Rayan, he looked into his eyes. His voice was unusually serious.
"Listen, until I come back, do not open the door. Only open it if I knock three times loudly. Do you understand?"
Rayan nodded with teary eyes.
Rehan quietly unlocked the door. He did not have the courage to open it fully. He just peeked through the crack in the broken glass. The corridor was dark. The bulb was flickering, and a strange silence filled the air. In that silence, even the sound of his own heartbeat could be heard.
When he felt it was clear, he opened the door slightly and stepped outside.
As he walked down the stairs, his steps slowed on their own, as if the ground itself was warning him. On the second floor, people suddenly appeared, rushing upward in panic. Their faces were drenched in sweat and fear. They pushed each other, desperate to escape.
Rehan called out,
"What happened? What's going on downstairs?"
But no one stopped. Everyone kept running upward, as if death itself was waiting below.
With a rising fear in his chest, he continued downward. And then… the moment came that changed everything.
Horrifying screams rose from below. When he leaned over the railing to see, his eyes froze in shock.
People were covered in blood. Their faces had turned red, their eyes pitch black. They didn't look human anymore. They were tearing into others, biting and clawing at them. Blood was everywhere.
Rehan's throat went dry. His breathing quickened. Before he could react, one of those creatures looked up at him and let out a scream. The sound was like grinding metal—chilling and unbearable. Then it rushed straight toward him.
Rehan stumbled back and fell on the stairs. His heart was about to burst from his chest. The creature was only a few steps away, its mouth dripping with blood, its eyes burning with madness.
His hands trembled. With shaking fingers, he pulled out the knife and struck wildly at its head. Each blow sank the blade into flesh and clashed against bone. Blood splattered onto his face. At last, the creature collapsed.
Blood streamed across the stairs like a river. Gasping for breath, Rehan dropped the knife from his hand. His eyes stared at his blood-covered hands. With a trembling voice, he cried out,
"W-what have I done… I killed a human…"
But this was not the time to think. Looking ahead, he saw many more of those creatures climbing toward him. Their footsteps echoed up the stairwell.
Rehan's body froze. Fear gripped his very soul.
And then, from behind him, a loud but human voice roared,
"Hey boy! What are you doing? Run upstairs!"