Chapter 1: The End of the World Part 1

After one week, various fires had consumed Little Brook, which became enveloped by a mist of cinder. The grapefruit-tinted houses and lush green grass had taken shades of red and yellow. The future of healthcare was now the potential end of the world.

Jack was one of the citizens of this town. Twenty-two. He had the short blond hair of a young lion cub and a handsome face with two blue buds for eyes. His boyfriend Michael would often say, "they are wide like cherry pies." His frame was shaped by baseball, whereas his mind lacked training.

The young man missed his past life, especially Michael. However, Jack still believed that somehow Michael would return and bring everything back to normal.

Every night, he had those dreams of Michael. They were in a field of roses under a star-sick sky. Jack walked toward Michael, but canker blocked his way. Suddenly, Michael's chest was cracked open by his heart, which swelled. His tar-like hair fell and his dove skin peeled. His whole body regressed and merged with the beating organ, now a flesh chrysalis. Then, two wings sprouted and a beak pierced the center of the heart. A white owl emerged from the pile of meat. And before Jack could do anything, Michael flew away.

Just like with Michael, Jack was confused by those dreams.

Michael and his best friend Ariel had a flat at Les Chateaux, which was an apartment complex. Jack and some of his friends found shelter here. In spite of its name, Les Chateaux was all glitter but no gold. It had chandeliers, pillars, and printed paintings but the running water was sometimes absent and it possessed one of the worst electric currents of Little Brook.

One day, during one of his patrols, he spotted a balloon, outside, between the wood planks. It floated and got stuck under the veranda of the balcony. The claws of the creature could break glasses, but Jack was tired of waiting. He needed hope. He had to get it. Thus, he tore off a plank to take a closer look at the balloon. It had a note stringed to it.

"I'm gonna check this out," said Jack.

"No, we have no idea what's outside," said Ariel.

"I'll be careful, don't worry," replied Jack.

"I-I'm fine with it, as long as Ariel stays close to me," Marian said as she grabbed Ariel by the arm.

"Ugh, alright," Ariel sighed. "But remember to be quiet, those creatures cannot be underestimated," Ariel said.

One thought that Jack kept to himself was that he was certain that Michael was the one who had sent the balloon, as a call-back to the day he disappeared on. Somehow, he found a way to reach them, no matter how stupid it might have appeared.

"We'll cover you," Ariel said, as she gestured at Marian to grab a weapon too.

Jack nodded before he nudged the door to the balcony. He edged his walk as fast as he could to make his way to the white balloon. With caution, he removed the note strung to it.

"Got it," Jack whispered with relief.

He heard Marian gasp and looked behind him. A figure leaped on the balcony. Under her dirty pink hair, her face was stretched by shards of glass, akin to a pinned butterfly. She bayed, then pointed her bloody teeth at him. He could not move.

Before Jack could react, Ariel had already smashed the woman's head with a crowbar, as if she had tried to force the door that was her skull. The blood spurted out of it. What happens when an egg is cracked with a spoon? This is what it reminded Jack of.

"Thanks, Arie-," Jack was cut off by her, as she yanked him inside and closed the door.

Ariel still held the crowbar, hands clenched on it, her breath fast. Jack took a hold of himself and put a hand on Ariel's right shoulder to cool her down too. Whereas, Marian already read the note, after she brushed away her curly black hair. Perhaps Marian loved books because she was as thin and fragile as a sheet of paper.

"Gather in my arms, I shall carry and lead you like a flock," Marian read aloud.

She traced the letters with her wheatish-skinned fingers, half-covered by her white sweater.

Soon, a smile appeared on Marian's worried face.

"We have to go here," she said.

"Where?" asked Jack.

"Eden's hospital. The note, it's informing us that there's a shelter here!" said Marian.

"I don't know, it could be a trap," said Ariel.

"We have to. We'll soon run out of food. At least, we're gonna die trying," Jack said.

When she heard this, Marian gasped and stumbled against the wall.

With caution, Ariel opened the door and checked around. The hallway was empty. Bloodstains and scratches blemished the beige fret pattern of the hallways. With her left hand, Ariel made sure her brown hair stood still in a bun. Jack followed her with a baseball bat. Marian was last, her eyes darted everywhere while her teeth chattered. All of them stopped in front of the golden elevator. Ariel took a deep breath and pushed the call button. The cables screeched as the lift arrived. A bell rang.

When the door opened, Jack let go of his bat while Marian shrieked. Ariel took a grasp of her crowbar as she forced herself to look. Inside the lift laid supine a pair of legs. They had jeans on and ruby stilettos. No upper body was attached to it. Only bowels slithered from her cut out waist.

"She's dead, nothing to be scared of," Ariel said with no emotion.

"How do you remain so calm? She got cut in half!" Jack said as he retrieved his weapon.

Ariel sighed. "It was your idea to go to the hospital? Then let's stop wasting time with useless questions."

Jack gulped and glared at Ariel. Her words were similar to a vaccine shot, straight to the point, and sharp.

Ariel and Jack stepped over the corpse. Marian threaded against the right door and recoiled in a corner of the lift. Once inside the lift, Jack pushed the ground level button.

"Marian, turn away." Ariel pointed toward the corner Marian stood in.

After Marian did so, Ariel knelt and handled the bisected body. Then, she lined it horizontally in front of the double doors.

"The hell are you doing?" asked Jack.

"Whatever's waiting for us on the ground floor, it's gonna trip on it," she replied.

Once she was done, Ariel wiped her hands on her purple shirt. The three young adults waited as the light descended from one floor to another. Lower and lower. With adrenaline, the stench of dead flesh peaked.

The bell rang again and the doors slid open. An obese man had his back turned to them. His hair trailed around a bald patch on his head. Sweat soaked his navy shirt.

"That's the landlord," Jack whispered.

Black veins zigzagged on his left hand. Blood dripped from what was left of his index and middle finger.

"Not anymore," said Ariel.

The landlord sniffed and turn around. His ebony eyes fixated on them. He growled and stretched his maw wide. A porcine yowl came out of his mouth. The man stomped in their direction. Marian panted and trembled. Jack's leg muscles tightened as he lifted his bat. As soon as the landlord lurched in, the corpse got in his way and he sprawled down.

At warp speed, Ariel pushed Marian out of the way and put her left foot on the landlord's back.

"Jack, help me!" shouted Ariel.

Jack gulped and jerked forward. The young man seized the landlord by the wrists. Then, Ariel rose her crowbar and welted it down on the landlord's skull. Crimson liquid spurt as the claw got stuck in the man's head. With a pop, Ariel pulled her bar out and hit it down again. A crunch echoed in the elevator as a third hit came. At the fourth one, the man stopped to mewl.

Marian shuffled against the front desk, her arms curled around herself.

"We're gonna die, we're gonna die", she said with a weak voice.

Ariel pored over the young woman and walked toward her. In one second, Ariel used her right hand to slap Marian.

"We're gonna be okay, calm down, please." Ariel caressed Marian's left arm as she said this.

Ariel went out first to lead the way, while Jack closed it. The alley was empty of any life. It was as if the other citizens had got raptured. Only the sun remained. It watched over the town like an eye. They walked in a steady manner, apart from Marian who had her fingers wrapped around each other.

After they turned at the corner of Tituba Avenue, a carousel basked in front of them. Michael and Jack used to ride here on the white rabbit all night. Jack's daydreams were cut by Ariel, who had dragged them behind a car.

"Ring around the rosies. A pocket full of posies," sang a spectral voice.

Ariel put a finger against her lips before she pointed at their left. A feminine figure with a chimp mask and a lace white dress danced around. She moved with grace, akin to an invisible play of hopscotch. The angelic fabric was torn off and covered by blotches of blood.

"Ashes, ashes, we all fall down," she hummed.

Jack tried to stand up, but Ariel pulled him back. "We have to help her," he said.

"Are you out of your mind? She's clearly infected," Ariel said with furrowed brows.

"Hum... Huhh..." Marian stuttered as she patted Ariel on the shoulder. "H-here."

Marian gestured at where they came from and their right. Packs of deeply wounded people wandered toward them. Infected.

Ariel grabbed her crowbar. "We can't fight all of them."

All of a sudden, a rusty metallic sound resonated from their left. The pale woman had just pulled a lever of the carousel. Hence, the chimeras of the merry-go-round were brought to life as faeries music played. The woman giggled and took hold of a white horse.

"Ring around the stories. A pocket full of posies," she sang higher as she spun with the artificial fireflies of the attraction.

As soon as they noticed her, the zombies headed toward her. Ariel extended her arms and pushed both Jack and Marian against the car. Slowly, the infected walked past them.

"Wh-what is she doin'?" asked Marian.

Nobody answered.

The woman stayed on the carousel and gathered the zombies with her siren song. The scene was similar to Andromeda and the beast of the seas. Except that there was more than one monster this time.

"Let's go," Ariel ordered as she stood up.

Jack threw his right hand toward the merry-go-round. "We can't leave her, she's sacrificing herself for us!"

Ariel looked down on Jack. "A sacrifice means that someone has to die, and it won't be any of you."

The young man starred one last time at the strange woman. More and more zombies circled her, but not a hint of fear transpired in her voice. Jack punched the ground with his left hand. Then, he ran away with Ariel and Marian. Progressively, the woman's song got lower. Perhaps because of the distance. Perhaps because her mouth got muffled by the infected.

"Ashes, ashes, we all fall down," the woman sang one last time before silence and oblivion replaced her.

When they got far enough, they stopped in front of a florist. As Jack knelt and exhaled, a rather familiar shadow wandered in an alley.

"Michael?" Jack asked.

The area was narrow and dusky. A miasma of rot pervaded from the trash cans.

The dark-haired figure turned around. His face was pallid, the skin white as asphalt. His stomach was open with the liver apparent. His teeth were sharp as the ones of a piranha. He snarled and charged at them. His claws raked against the walls.

Jack flung down his baseball bat on it.

Almost on his knees, he turned his gaze away, unable to hit it one more time. Ariel sighed and pushed Jack to the side. She struck it until its head was a puddle of flesh.

"I thought that it was Michael," Jack said with a weak voice.

"Just... Michael would hate to see you like this," Ariel said. "Let's go."

With its white monumental walls, Eden's Hospital towered like a beacon among the wretched buildings. A town mildewed and in decay. A fence of scraps surrounded the shelter, with a small gate guarded by armed men. Jack smiled as he admired the safe-haven, but he was interrupted by the men, who pointed their weapons toward them.

"Wait, we-" Jack said.

"Quick, enter!" one of the men shouted.

The gate opened and the three ran back in. As Ariel looked behind, she watched with horror as a pale woman approached. Pink tumors and appendages burst out of her face and arms. She growled with an inhuman voice.

The soldiers shot at her. She used her appendages as an armor to protect herself. One of them managed to shoot a red cloud out of her. Right in the forehead. She collapsed.

"Wh-what was it?" asked Ariel, shaken up.

"A special infected," one of the soldiers said. "These evolved motherfuckers are a pain from the ass to the guts."

The man led them to the entrance hall. "The name's Peter," he said as he opened the door for them.

The inside of the hospital blinded them with its brightness. They almost tripped down the stairs. It seemed to be another world, uncanny for its glee, like a Paradise island in a blood sea. It was huge to them, perhaps taller than it was in reality. The white pillars carried the cloud-like ceiling and its lights gave to the tiles a translucent aspect as if you walked on nothing.

"Welcome to Eden's Hospital!" said a familiar voice. "We have five stars on- Jack?"

Jack knew this voice, it was silvery and honeyed.

"Michael?" said Jack. "It's you?".

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Raise your hand if you feel bad for Jack :/

Which character do you feel the saddest for?

Mine is Carrie White from Carrie.