"Vinz! Vinz!" A woman's voice can be heard shouting.
"Vinz! Pack your things, we're going now!"
That shout made Vinz wake up. A 17-year-old boy, around 5'9 tall, with messy black hair and a lean body. But because of his laziness, he couldn't even move a single finger. He just stared blankly at the ceiling.
The smell of fried rice still lingers from breakfast. Outside, tricycles rumbled and children shouted in the street. Just another morning—or so he thought.
Then he realized, something's off. Shouting could be heard outside, gunshots echoed from a distance, and smoke was coming from a neighbor's house, visible through his window. The air outside felt thick, smoke, sweat, and something rotten carried by the wind. Yet, Vinz still didn't want to stand up and pack his things, as his laziness still dominated his body.
He grabbed the remote control and turned on the television.
CLICK
<
"PLEASE EVACUATE NOW! GO TO THE NEAREST COVERED COURT, GOVERNMENT BUILDING, OR EVACUATION AREA! PLEASE CHECK YOUR PHONE TO SEE THE NEAREST EVACUATION CENTER IN YOUR AREA! FOR MORE UPDA—"
EEEEEEEEEEE—
The television squealed continuously.
Vinz sat still, confused about what was happening. He had no idea what was going on outside.
TING! TING! TING!
Vinz flinched as his phone rang beside him. He reached for it quickly and opened it.
[EMERGENCY ALERT]
!!NATIONWIDE OUTBREAK WARNING!!
Go to the nearest evacuation center and avoid populated areas. If not possible, stay in your houses, store food and water, and wait for rescue. Stay safe.
Vinz's heart pounded hard, like a boxer taking rapid punches. Blood rushed to his head, shaking off his laziness completely.
He rushed to the window and saw people running, screaming, and fighting drooling slow walking humans. They looked like zombies, but their bodies were still fresh, too human to believe. The only signs that they weren't human anymore were the blackened parts of their skin and their white, veiny eyes.
Vinz was shocked and didn't expect this at all. But he knew he had to move before something worse happened.
He quickly packed his duffel bag, clothes, money, phone, tools, and any weapon or item that might help him.
After packing, he stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.
Then he went outside and saw his father getting their tricycle ready. His mother and younger brother were also busy packing their things.
His little brother, Vinny, about 8 years old, ran up to him.
"Brother, what's happening? Why do people walk like zombies? They don't even look like zombies, but they're drooling like dogs with rabies," Vinny asked, his voice shaking.
Vinz looked at him. He could see the fear in his little brother's trembling eyes.
"I don't know, Vinny," he said. "I'm not sure what's happening right now, but I know that everything will go back to normal, okay?"
Vinny nodded slowly.
"Just go back and help Mom. We'll get out of here soon, okay?"
Vinny nodded again and ran back to help their mother pack food and clothes.
His father, 42 years old man, long haired with a goatee and mustache. Fixing their tricycle.
Vinz sighed and looked at his father.
"Pa, is it done?"
"Yeah," his father replied. "Start the engine."
His father was checking something on the tricycle's engine while Vinz tried to start it. The first attempt failed, but on the second try, the engine roared to life. His father let out a relieved sigh.
Vinz then helped his mother load their things into the tricycle. One by one, they placed everything carefully inside. They were lucky that the tricycle was big and had a roofed sidecar, they could even sleep there if they needed to.
"Vinz, you drive. I'll stay at the back to keep anyone away from us," his father said.
Vinz nodded.
His father pointed toward the hills nearby. "See that place? Just go straight there. We'll be safe, it's far from the city."
Vinz nodded again.
"Hop in, everyone! Be ready!" he shouted.
BRMMMM! BRMMMMM!
The tricycle sped down the road, bumping into zombies that crossed their path. Chaos surrounded them, people were running, screaming, and fighting for their lives while the infected tried to drag them down.
As they turned left toward the last road leading to the hills —
HONK! HONK!
A speeding car swerved right in front of them.
"VINZ! WATCH OUT!" his father yelled.
Vinz panicked and turned the handlebar hard to the right, almost flipping the tricycle as he avoided a deadly collision. But the tricycle crashed into a traffic light post, and the engine instantly died.
The impact threw Vinz forward, slamming his head against the metal post.
"Damn it..." he groaned, holding his head as dizziness kicked in.
He looked toward the sidecar—his mother and Vinny were shaken but safe. The bags and clothes they packed had cushioned them from the impact. Relief washed over him.
Vinz tried to start the tricycle again, turning the key several times.
Click... Click... Click...
"Pa, it won't start!" he shouted.
He turned to see his father already fighting off infected people who had noticed them.
"VINZ! TELL YOUR MOTHER TO ESCAPE!" his father shouted.
Vinz ran to the tricycle and helped his mother and brother out. They ran toward a nearby building for cover.
"Ma, wait for us here, okay? We'll come back. If we don't, find somewhere safe," Vinz said, his voice trembling with fear.
"Please... be safe, Vinz," his mother said, holding his face in her hands.
"I promise," he replied.
Then he turned back toward his father.
He grabbed a metal bat from his bag and ran forward, swinging it at the infected. Each hit cracked skulls and knocked them to the ground. Adrenaline surged through his body, he felt unstoppable, like he was in a rage.
But soon, his vision started to blur. His arms felt heavier. His swings got slower.
His father noticed. "Vinz! Are you okay?"
"I... I don't know..." Vinz muttered weakly.
Maybe it was from the crash. Maybe he hit his head harder than he thought. His breathing grew heavier, and his heart pounded like thunder.
His body became weaker with each swing until everything went black.
The last thing he heard was his father shouting,
"VINZ! VINZ! WAKE UP!"
Then silence.