The day started like any other, loud and alive.
Daniel leaned against the metal railing outside the campus café, half-listening to the noise around him. Cars crawled through traffic, horns snapping in short bursts. Students moved in clusters, laughing, arguing, glued to their phones. The air carried the smell of fried food mixed with exhaust, something he had gotten used to without noticing.
Normal. Predictable. Safe.
"You're doing that thing again," Maya said, dropping into the seat across from him.
Daniel didn't look at her. "What thing?"
"Staring into space like you're solving the world's problems."
He smirked faintly. "Maybe I am."
"You're not," she said flatly, taking a sip of her drink. "You're just bored."
That part was true. Classes had dragged all morning, and the day felt slow, like it was waiting for something.
Daniel glanced at her. "You ever get that feeling something's off?"
Maya paused, then nodded slightly. "Yeah. Today."
He raised an eyebrow. "You serious?"
"I don't know," she said. "Just feels tense. Like something's about to happen."
Daniel leaned back, scanning the street again. Everything looked the same as always. People moving, talking, living.
"You're overthinking," he said.
"Maybe," she replied, though her eyes stayed alert.
A siren wailed somewhere in the distance.
Daniel barely reacted. Sirens were part of the city's background noise.
Then another one followed.
And another.
He frowned slightly. "That's new."
Maya turned her head toward the sound. "Yeah."
The sirens didn't stop. They overlapped, growing louder, closer, more frequent.
A few people on the street started noticing. Conversations slowed. Some turned to look down the road.
Daniel straightened a little. "Something happened."
"Clearly," Maya said.
Across the street, the door of a small convenience store burst open.
A man stumbled out.
At first glance, he looked drunk. His steps were uneven, his body swaying like he couldn't keep balance. A couple of people nearby laughed, shaking their heads.
"Too early for that," someone muttered.
The man took two more steps.
Then collapsed.
His body hit the pavement hard, the sound sharp enough to cut through the noise.
The laughter faded.
A small crowd formed almost immediately. Someone stepped forward, cautious but concerned.
"Hey, you alright?"
The man didn't answer.
His body twitched.
Once.
Then again, more violently.
Daniel's eyes narrowed. "That's not normal."
Maya leaned forward slightly. "Yeah, I see it."
The man's fingers curled tightly against the ground. His shoulders jerked, then his entire body spasmed like something was forcing movement from inside.
"Call an ambulance," someone said.
"They're already everywhere," another replied, pointing toward the distant sirens.
The man suddenly pushed himself up.
Too fast.
His head tilted to one side at an unnatural angle, then snapped upright with a sharp motion that made several people step back.
"Sir?" the first man said again, more hesitant now.
The figure turned toward him.
Daniel felt a cold weight settle in his chest.
There was blood at the corner of the man's mouth. His eyes didn't focus on anything. They looked hollow. Empty.
Wrong.
"Back up," Maya said under her breath.
The man closest to the figure hesitated, then reached out. "You need help—"
The attack came instantly.
The man lunged forward with explosive speed, slamming into him and driving him to the ground. Before anyone could react, he bit down hard on his neck.
The scream that followed tore through the street.
Everything froze.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then panic hit all at once.
"Get him off!" someone shouted.
A few people rushed forward, trying to pull the attacker away. He didn't budge. His grip was inhuman, his movements violent and relentless as he tore into the victim.
Blood spread across the pavement.
Maya grabbed Daniel's arm. "We're leaving."
"Wait—"
Another scream erupted from farther down the street.
Daniel turned.
A woman had fallen. Another person was on top of her, biting, clawing.
Then another figure collapsed nearby.
And another.
"It's not just one," Daniel said, his voice tightening.
"It's spreading," Maya replied. "Move."
The man on the ground beneath the first attacker stopped struggling.
His body went still.
The attacker lifted his head slowly, blood covering his mouth.
For a brief moment, everything seemed to pause.
Then the body twitched.
Daniel stared. "No way…"
The victim's fingers curled. His chest jerked once, then again.
He sat up.
Slow.
Unsteady.
But moving.
"What is this?" Maya whispered.
The newly risen man turned his head sharply, his movements just as unnatural as the first.
Then he lunged at the nearest person.
That broke whatever hesitation Daniel had left.
"Run."
They pushed through the crowd as chaos took over completely. People screamed, shoved, tripped over each other trying to escape. Some didn't get up when they fell.
Daniel glanced back once as they ran.
Big mistake.
The street had transformed in seconds. More bodies on the ground. More attackers. Every person that went down didn't stay down for long.
"It's the bites," he said, breathing hard. "If they bite you—"
"You die," Maya finished. "And then you turn."
They cut toward their apartment building, dodging past people running in every direction. A car sped through the intersection, clipping another vehicle and spinning out.
The crash echoed loud, metal crunching against metal.
No one stopped.
They reached the building entrance and pushed inside, nearly colliding with a man trying to get out.
"Don't go out there!" he shouted, his face pale with fear.
"We're not," Daniel said.
A scream cut off sharply just outside.
Then a heavy impact slammed against the glass doors.
Everyone inside froze.
The handle rattled violently.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
Silence settled over the small lobby.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
A slow dragging sound followed, like something was sliding across the glass.
Daniel took a step back.
Maya raised her knife slightly, her posture steady but tense.
A smear of blood spread across the door.
Then a face pressed against it.
Eyes empty.
Mouth slightly open.
Watching.
The figure slammed into the glass.
Cracks spread instantly.
"Upstairs," Maya said quietly.
No one argued.
They moved toward the stairwell, footsteps quick and uneven.
Behind them—
The glass shattered.
And the screaming started again.