1 The usual unusual day

My alarm is ringing and I need to wake up now to go to work, I open my cellphone to check my inbox and it's nothing, no text or chat from anyone for almost 6 months after the break up with my ex-girlfriend, same day everyday but it brightens up day by day, I guess I'm get used to it now. The most important thing is I need to earn money for my brother he is the only family Left after my parents got a flight accident when they are in the business trip, my dad unpaid bills made us to bankruptcy.

I should cook first before I leave because Zyron will wake up soon to go to school. After I prepared everything, I am ready now to go to work, I need to walk fast to get in to the bus station, the busses interval took an hour, if I come there late, I won't be able to make it on time.

My name is Ivan and this is my everyday life, I'm already 25 years old and I don't have any accomplishment at all, my ex-girlfriend brake up with me because I don't have time for her, I keep explaining to her that I need to do this for the future but she said, what is the future if we don't build a quality time together. Now here is my story of my normal life that change because I fall to the river.

So, here's what happened, when I am walking going to the bus station, there was an old lady trying to cross the road from the other side, and the bus is there now getting some passenger, I don't have choice but to help her first, I guess after I cross her to the other side of the street I can run fast and catch the bus. Then I need to bear with her of course, then finally I manage to cross her on the other side and I run as fast as I could to catch the bus, and it's almost running, luckily, I grab the bar from the door.

What a day, so the same routine as always, I walk from the terminal of the bus station going to the building were my office located since it's not too far, all I need is to cross the bridge, when I'm walking, I saw a man running and a lady is screaming, "Help. Help. Help, somebody help me my bag is stolen", then I didn't think twice, I just run towards the man and grab him, now we are lying on the floor and the bag of the lady has been dropped, so I get the her bag and gave it to her, then suddenly the man who stole the bag pushes me very hard and I'm out of balance so I don't have anything to grab on them head hit on the bar of the bridge before I fell on the river.

I guess I lost consciousness when I hit the bar very hard so I woke up here, in the river side but not in the city, I'm in the forest?

I'm confused what happened, I can't remember anything, so I get up and my head still hurt, I walk around to get near the bridge but it's unusual, there's a lot of fishes in the river with unusual kind, I haven't seen that big and color before, it's like a shark swimming in the river, the leaves of the trees are also different, it's like I'm in the foreign country. So I walk while observing the place, I haven't been here before, it's almost 30 minutes now since I walk in the river side then finally see the bridge, It's weird when I get there the sky seems change its color to purple, no vehicle is moving no one around and it's so quiet all over the place, the place now is familiar but It's unusual because no one is around and it's like 5pm that the sun is almost set, I go to the building were my office is but it seems no one is around, I sat on the stair because I'm tired of walking that long. I'm confused, what happened after I hit the river, is everything alright? I get in the building and shouting Hello is anybody here? Then I heard some footsteps, so I followed it, then I saw a girl hiding and run into the room, she close the door then I run and try to open that door, when I found her she pushes me, but I said, hey wait, wait, what is happening here I need an explanation", then she turn around and calm down a bit, "hey, I'm sorry, this area is restricted and I thought you are one of them, let's get out of here quick before it gets dark and I will explain to you everything in the hideout.

Then we run as fast as we could to go to their hide out and it's a tunnel inside the city, she light up the lamp and we walk down, it seems this is the drainage system of the city but no water at all, I'm started to get creep on the situation, I just immediately think of my brother, and I'm thinking to go to the his school, but I need to know first what happened.

Now when we finally reach the hideout, I just saw 20 people, then I ask her what happen, she said, let's prepare first the dinner because our comrades are hungry for sure, the hunters are already here, I'm the one who cooks, would you help me?" I just yes to it.

When we walk to the kitchen, it just bothered me, everyone is staring at me, then she made the silent gone by telling, "Guys I will introduce him to you later, we just need to cook first okay?" then they continue what they are doing. When we are in the kitchen, I saw a bunch of weird fishes and not just fish, it's gigantic, I never seen one before even in national geographic, so in my curiosity I just ask, "hey, is this a normal fish?" she laugh and said "what do you think this is?, just kidding, this is a mutated fish from the virus spread last 10 years ago, by the way, I never get your name yet", with a confused face, I just answered, yeah, I'm Ivan and I'm only nearby here but above this tunnel, how about you what is your name?" she said her name is Aerith, I've ask what happened why they are here underground, she said, after the pandemic happened 10 years ago, a virus spread all over the world and kills 90% of human, we are the only survivor in this area and we haven't yet know how to stop or kill the virus, all we just do is to run away from those who is infected or kill them by slicing their head or burn them. The virus infected the animal and human then we found out that also plants and trees, it's like when the virus infected the human, it decays the body inside, starting from the lungs going to the stomach, the only cell remains is the fibered muscle, the heart still remain and it still alive, when we saw the news last 10 years ago broadcast, the autopsy of the infected one, we saw that the body is almost empty and the only part remain is the heart inside, intestine, lungs and other parts were gone.

We want to hope for the cure but the virus eats the human flesh, and even if we found a cure, how they will live? So far, the virus can be transmitted through fresh water, we need to boil first our water before we use it. The virus can be killed in heat specially in 25-degree Celsius, if you see the virus can only infect much the human body specially the brains and the internal parts technically all humans are alive but it's like the fiction character zombies but the difference is they don't eat flesh, they just drink water from the river and vomit, the vomit from them are the viruses which if an air droplets touches your skin, in four hours you will see the symptoms, first you will sneeze so many times, then you will have a runny nose, next 2 hours you will feel cold and you will have a dry cough, then it feels like your throat is burning and you will have dry flam until you will hard to breath, you will also have a flu and hard to move due to pain all over your body then the next hour you will feel thirsty then after five hours you will lost consciousness then the next 12 hours your color will be darker and your breath have foul smell like rotten egg and you are afraid to heat and the sunlight, then that's it, you cannot recognize us anymore then you will drink a lot and vomit, Not only humans but animals and plants. Like what I've said, animals change as well in terms of physical changes, they became huge and monstrous, we tested it and they are still edible, we need to do it to live, we just boiled it from 20 to 30 minutes before we cook it. In time we also notice that the plants and trees near the river did change as well, they become huge and spiky, every leaves of the trees and plants become thicker and every trunks of it happen to have thorns, so far we do not eat vegetable, we just hunt animals, oh before I forget, animals also breed fast, they multiply so fast that they can be a thousand in just one month, so we will not be hungry, they are also afraid in the sunlight so it's easy for us to hunt them because the are just hiding under the tree leaves".

Hey Ivan, how did you get there and where are you from? She ask me then I just replied, actually I don't know if you believe me, I don't know if I belong here, I remember, I just save a girl from a snatcher then the snatcher pushes me and I fall to the bridge then the last thing I remember was I'm at the shore of the river then I walk like almost kilometer away to go near to the bridge where I fell, then I was confused what happened here, this is not what I was before I fell on that river, then I think to walk in the office on the same building I saw you.

Then I said, I need to find my brother at the school, I know he is waiting there, I always pick up my brother after my work, maybe he is still waiting there.

Then, I am about to leave the tunnel, she stops me, she said" you idiot, you cannot leave now, it's dark, do you want to kill yourself? If you get infected, you cannot come here anymore, maybe your brother is safe so we can go tomorrow, I will accompany you, I know the short cut from here going to school"

Then I calm down, so we eat the dinner and she introduce me to all of her comrades. When we finish eating dinner, she guides me to the place where I can rest and sleep, the tunnel is like a barracks, it is complete facility, like a military facility. Every person has its own room, and it's not just ordinary room, they have large bed, drawer, and weapon shelf.

Aerith is at the next door, she said if I need something just knock it. I can't sleep that night, thinking how my brother is.