Emotional Breakdown

Upon entering the room, I instinctively turned to close the door, the final barrier between the relative safety of the indoors and the relentless undead horrors outside. With the door securely shut, I turned my attention to the enigmatic scientist girl who had welcomed me into her sanctuary.

She stood before me, her striking appearance demanding my attention. Obsidian hair cascaded down her back, framing a delicate face adorned with deep, thoughtful eyes. The dark circles beneath her eyes hinted at countless sleepless nights spent in the pursuit of knowledge, her dedication etched in the lines of exhaustion. Despite the world's chaos, her curvy figure with 5'5" frame gave her an aura of vulnerability that contrasted starkly with her evident intelligence.

Her initial reaction to my entrance was a pronounced scrunching of her nose, as she surveyed me from her shorter vantage point. The contrast in our heights was evident as her gaze traveled up to meet my 6-foot-tall stature, and her expression exuded a certain skepticism.

"How did you come here? There was almost no one alive I left outside," she inquired, her voice carrying a hint of suspicion, her nose wrinkled in distrust.

I hesitated for a moment, taken aback by her intense scrutiny. "I... I jumped from above and... then fought my way here somehow while finding some obvious weaknesses of those zombies outside," I replied, my voice faltering as I met her piercing gaze.

Her demeanor swiftly shifted as my words spilled forth, her initial suspicion giving way to intrigue. "Oh, really! What did you find then? Let me know; I might learn something new," she responded, her eyes now gleaming with curiosity.

The fatigue that had weighed me down after my desperate battle with the undead was becoming increasingly evident. "Well, can we first sit down and have some rest? I'm too tired to stand straight. I just killed many of them right now," I admitted, my weariness making itself known.

Her eyes sparkled even more at the prospect of sharing knowledge. "Really! How did you kill them? They didn't budge even when I threw concentrated sulfuric acid at them. Then how did you manage?" she asked, her enthusiasm overflowing.

"Wait a minute, miss, please let me clean myself up and rest a little before you bombard me with more questions," I implored, my voice a mixture of exhaustion and anticipation.

"Oh, yeah, sure! There's a bathroom in the right corner. You might notice a strong chemical smell, but don't mind it; after all, it's a laboratory. Also, there are some boy's clothes on that shelf that should fit you. And... please, do come out quickly. We have a lot to talk about," she concluded, her words coming in a rapid succession.

Grateful for the respite, I made my way to the bathroom, eager for a moment of solitude and a chance to cool down after the life-and-death struggle I had just endured. Avoiding her incessant questioning, even if temporarily, was another compelling reason to take this opportunity to regroup and recover.

---

Entering the bathroom, I was immediately struck by the musty, lingering scent of chemicals—remnants of experiments that had unfolded here not too long ago. It was a stark reminder of the eerie transformation that had taken place within these walls.

With resolve, I began to strip off my blood-stained and organ mattered clothes. My movements were methodical, each piece of fabric hitting the cold, tiled floor with a soft thud. The steady drip of the faucet above me was my only companion as I stood there, vulnerable and exposed.

Turning the faucet handle, I allowed the water to cascade down upon me. It was a shock to my senses, a biting coldness that seemed to cleanse not just my body but my very soul. The grotesque stench of death and violence that clung to me slowly dissipated, replaced by the soothing sensation of water washing away the horrors I had faced.

As the cold water enveloped me, I couldn't help but find solace in its numbing embrace. It was a brief moment of respite in a world gone mad, a sanctuary where the chaos outside couldn't reach me. Under the showerhead, I closed my eyes, trying to wash away not just the grime but also the haunting memories of what had transpired.

Thoughts swirled in my mind like a whirlpool, pulling me deeper into contemplation. The world had unraveled in ways I couldn't have imagined. Normal people had become ravenous monsters, and the few remaining sane souls clung to survival like driftwood in a storm-tossed sea.

Questions tugged at the corners of my consciousness, each one more unsettling than the last. What had triggered this catastrophe? Was it a sinister pathogen, an experiment gone terribly wrong, or something even more sinister? The answers eluded me, buried beneath layers of chaos and confusion.

One truth remained, though—survival was the only currency that mattered now. I had to endure this ordeal, cling to life until the faintest glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon. But the odds were staggering. For every person who clung to their humanity, it seemed there were a hundred who had succumbed to the abyss.

A chilling realization settled over me like a shroud. If most leaders and authorities had been transformed into the very horrors we now faced, the prospects of a rescue mission grew slimmer by the minute. The responsibility of survival lay solely on our shoulders, the survivors within these walls.

Or perhaps salvation lay beyond these walls, outside the college campus itself. Desperation gnawed at my heart as I thought of my mother, a single parent who had raised me with unwavering love. It was entirely possible that she had fallen victim to this relentless plague, transformed into one of those abominations.

Tears welled up, mingling with the cold showerwater, as the harsh reality bore down on me. I had to see her one last time, even if it meant confronting the unimaginable. Every fiber of my being yearned for that final connection, a fleeting moment of closure in a world where such moments were becoming increasingly scarce.

With trembling shoulders and a heavy heart, I allowed myself to collapse against the bathroom wall. The tears flowed freely now, mingling with the water that had offered solace moments ago. I was just a normal college boy thrust into an abnormal, unforgiving world. In this private sanctuary, I let go, surrendering to the weight of despair and uncertainty that had become our new reality.

For several long minutes, I clung to the wall, my sobs echoing in the sterile bathroom, a stark reminder of the fragility of life in this merciless apocalypse.