Welcome to the End

Theo stood frozen at the sight before him.

An arm—ripped from someone's body—lay just a foot from where he was standing. A blood trail revealed the direction of the horror playing out. Though he couldn’t see the faces of the crouching figures ahead, he had no doubt what he was seeing: blood had stained the road just steps from the café’s pavement.

Could they be... no, that can’t be.

Theo’s mind had begun spiraling out of control. His thoughts screamed for him to run, but his body refused to respond. His hand trembled as his heartbeat quickened, sweat dripping down his face.

Lily had been calling out to him, but he hadn’t answered. How could he, when it felt like his heart might leap out of his throat at any second? She walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing the café door open slightly to see what had him so entranced.

The moment her eyes met the scene, she too fell into the same trance. Words caught in her throat, stuck there as if her brain was warning her not to make a sound. She didn’t want to attract the attention of whatever those things were.

“Hey, guys, who is it?” Jack called from inside, noticing how still they were.

Theo and Lily were yanked back to reality by Jack’s voice— which, unfortunately, had also caught the attention of one of the crouched creatures. It turned toward them, giving them a clear look at its twisted face.

Its skin was pale grey, the areas around its eyes completely black. Its eyeballs were pure white—no iris, no pupils. Blood ran from the sides of its mouth, trailing down to its distorted torso.

Theo and Lily froze again. This time, their minds did tell them to run—and oh, how they tried— but their bodies wouldn’t budge.

The creature began a slow but deliberate walk toward them, its bloodied arms swaying unnaturally.

It was the first time Theo had seen what would bring about the end of the world— and the beginning of the apocalypse.

“Why aren’t you guys answering? And what are you staring at like that?” Jack’s voice echoed through the café as he walked up behind them.

“I said, why aren’t you saying anything?” he asked again, placing his hands on their shoulders and turning them slightly toward him.

“And what are you guys even looking at?” he added, brushing past them and stepping out the door toward whatever had left them speechless.

Maybe it was the fading evening light, or maybe Jack simply didn’t pay attention to his surroundings— but he kept walking closer to the predator. Too close. Until his face was just inches away from the creature’s.

That’s when he saw it.

But it was already too late.

His eyes met the creature’s dead, white gaze, freezing him in place. The monster swung its arm in a brutal arc at his neck.

“Arghh!” Jack cried out in pain, his body finally reacting as he was hurled back by the force of the blow.

He crashed onto the café pavement, writhing in agony as blood spilled from his neck onto the still-warm ground. The creature crept closer.

The shock snapped Theo and Lily out of their trance. Theo turned at the groaning sound behind him and saw Jack— a bloody mess on the floor, clutching his neck.

“What happened to you?” Theo asked, kneeling beside him.

“That thing... attacked me,” Jack muttered, trying to look up at the creature, but wincing at the pain.

“Lily, come help me over here!” Theo called. He remembered the horror he saw when the café door had opened and didn’t dare look again. Instead, he focused on helping Jack.

“Shut the door!” Theo rasped, as they pulled Jack back inside and laid him on the café floor. He collapsed beside him, breathing hard.

“What are those things?” Lily asked, her voice trembling. Her eyes visibly shook.

“I don’t know... maybe cannibals?” Theo replied.

“You can’t be serious. They’re definitely... argh... zombies.” The voice came from beneath Theo, as if trying to make light of the mood. It was Jack, his face now pale from blood loss.

“I’m trying to be reasonable here,” Theo said.

“But they match the look…” Jack mumbled weakly.

“Lily, we have to get him cleaned up,” Theo said urgently.

“Okay, there’s some—”

A loud thud from the café’s front door cut her off.

The entire room went silent.

Lily and Theo’s faces went pale. If Jack’s face could’ve gotten any paler… trust me, it would have.

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