The Start Of The Outbreak

Was just standing outside the school gate, half-asleep, when someone jumped out and yelled “Boo!” right in my face.

My heart literally stopped. “Who the—?!” I spun around, ready to fight.

Then I saw Lia trying not to laugh.

“Oh my god, Lia,” I breathed, hand on my chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

She just grinned. “Worth it.”

We walked into school together, same as always.

But at break, everything went wrong. Lia was walking ahead of me when she just… tripped. Hard. She hit the ground and grabbed her leg.

“Lia!” I dropped my bag and ran to her. There was blood. “Okay, okay, come on. My dad’s lab is close. He’ll know what to do.”

Dad’s lab always smells like chemicals and metal. He’s always doing research on parasites. He had Lia sit in the chair and then went to grab some cotton for her wound.

That’s when I saw it. A small glass box on the counter. Inside was this… thing. Tiny. Kinda cute, actually.

Lia leaned in, eyes wide. “What is that?” she whispered. Before I could say anything, she reached out and touched the glass.

Then it happened fast. The thing moved — and it went straight into Lia’s hand.

“Lia!” I grabbed her wrist. “What is this? What is this creature? It’s… it’s bending into your hand!”

She yanked her hand back, hiding it. Her face went pale. “Nothing. It’s nothing, Sara. Drop it.”

Dad came back with the cotton. He cleaned her up, asked if she was okay. Lia just nodded and smiled like nothing happened. We left for first period after that.

But it didn’t feel like nothing.

---

*After School*

The walk home felt weird. Lia was quiet. Too quiet.

“Hey,” I said, bumping her shoulder. “You sure you’re okay? You’re not having trouble walking, right? Because you fell pretty hard.”

She didn’t look at me. “I’m okay, Sara. Really.”

We split up at the corner and went to our houses.

*Next Morning*

I slid into the desk beside Lia like normal. “Morning.”

Nothing. She didn’t even glance at me.

That was… not like her. Lia always had something to say.

Halfway through first period, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. She was sitting way too still. Staring straight ahead. I waved my hand in front of her face. No reaction.

“Lia?” I whispered. “Hello? Earth to Lia?”

Still nothing. And then I noticed her skin.

It was darker. Not like a tan. Like… shadows under her skin. And it was getting darker and darker while I watched.

My stomach dropped.

Something was really wrong.

After First Period

The bell rang and I turned to Lia immediately. “Okay, seriously, what is wrong with you? You’ve been ignoring me all period.”

No response. She just kept staring at her desk. Her skin looked even darker now, like ink spreading under it.

“Lia?” I reached out and touched her shoulder.

That’s when she moved.

Fast. Too fast.

She lunged at me, mouth open, trying to bite me. Like a zombie.

I screamed and shoved my chair back. It crashed to the floor. “What the hell, Lia?!”

I didn’t wait. I just ran out of the classroom, heart hammering in my chest.

But the hallway was worse.

Kids were everywhere. And their skin — it was becoming dark like Lia’s. Some of them were stumbling. One guy from my math class turned and looked right at me with these empty, black-veined eyes.

Ah, my bad — *Dad screams, THEN he cuts the call.* Fixing that now.

I was literally shocked. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely get my phone out. I called Dad.

He picked up on the first ring. “Sara? You okay?”

“Dad, there’s a big problem here,” I gasped, trying not to cry. “Lia’s acting like a zombie and she tried to bite me and now everyone—”

“Sweetie, listen to me,” Dad cut in. His voice was tight. “The parasites I’m researching… so many of them escaped. They multiply. And they’re at your school only now. Keep yourself safe, Sara. You hear me?”

Then I heard him scream.

“Dad?! DAD?!”

The call cut. Just a black screen.

I stood there in the hallway, my phone still pressed to my ear, surrounded by kids whose skin was getting darker by the second.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***