Chapter 1

Lyka scrambled out of bed, staring at her phone in horror. It was 8:00 AM. Her exam was at 8:30. She had pulled a brutal all-nighter, and her brain felt like mush.

As she got out of bed, Lyka looked in the mirror around the corner. Seeing her reflection, she noticed her frizzy hair and deep, heavy brown eyes, she looked like a ghost.

She still felt exhausted, but her stomach growled.

“Lyka! You need to wake up, you have an exam don’t you?!” her tío shouted from downstairs preparing breakfast for his children.

“Coming!” she yelled back, yawning as she rushed to get ready. Her hometown was way too far from the university, so she lived in the city with her father's brother. As she brushed her teeth, she hoped her friends had actually studied.

His tio always treated her badly, but she was resilient, always thinking positively with her determined mind, hopeful that someday she will become successful and that no one will look down on her anymore.

She grabbed a piece of bread from the pantry and an egg to make a quick sandwich. The door rattled as she went out.

'I'm going!' she mumbled while her mouth was full, once she was outside she saw her ride going, she sprints after the bus as it pulls away.

"Wait" She yelled for the bus. It screeched to a halt, and she climbed aboard. Panting heavily excited to see her friends on the campus.

As Lyka was riding the bus, she saw the city thriving, the streets lively and filled with everyday commotion.

On the other side of the city, Patricio was having a completely different morning. He hadn't studied a single page at all, but he felt refreshed. Walking down the street with the other students who passed by, while listening to R&B classic music in his earphones, he stopped in his tracks.

“Oh, isn’t that Nicay?” he muttered.

"Nicayy!" he shouted across the road.

Nicay turned, holding a travel mug.

“Hey Patty. Have you heard the news on tv?”

"What?" He shouted, taking the earphone in his left ear.

She glared and yelled "Are you deaf? I said, have you heard about the news on tv?"

“I haven't, why?” Patricio asked, dumbfounded.

Nicay sighed as she crossed the other side of the road, remembering what her roommate Claire had told her over coffee just an hour ago.

“There's a new virus spreading. Many countries are already affected by it. Claire said there are ten cases in our country, and one right here in our region.”

"Why is this happening in the world? Like, bro it's just been two years since govid20 ended" Patricio exclaimed.

“And just what are the chances the infected dude is in our city?” Patricio laughed it off like a total lunatic.

“I dunno, I'm tired already" Nicay said, adjusting her gear bag.

“I still have to practice my fencing today. Maybe Lyka is studying at the exam hall.” Nicay said with a heavy eyed exhaustion in facial expression.

“I bet she is,” Patricio joked with a calm demeanor.

Nicay wasn't surprised by the calmed demeanor, as she always thought that maybe Patricio already studied even though she hasn't seen him study once, just playing games.

"I mean she prioritizes her studies" Nicay pointed out, shrugging.

They didn't know that a mile away, a transport truck had just jackknifed across the highway the very highway Lyka needed to take to school. A man in a biohazard suit approached the smashed cabin. The driver was slumped over.

Click... click... snap.

The driver's head jerked back. His eyes were milky white. His spine snapped and lengthened under his skin, tearing through his clothes.

Humanity was completely gone from his face.

Stuck in traffic down the road, Lyka stared out her bus window at the flashing red lights in the distance. She gripped her phone, watching the clock tick closer to 8:30 AM.

"I'm doomed, what the hell happened over there?" Lyka murmured

Stressing out as she thinks that she will be late for her exam, completely unaware of the monster that had just woken up ahead of her.

"Sir, I would like you to just drop me off here," Lyka said to the bus driver.

As she stepped off onto the side of the road, she headed down a narrow path that served as a shortcut to her school. As Lyka entered the alley, she was taken aback by a shadow that looked like a beast. She stepped back at the sound of a sudden clatter. The beast suddenly jumped over a trash bin, causing her to cry out,

"Ahhh! Oh my gosh!"

Sweating heavily from the fright, she realized with relief that it was just a cat all along.

She thought, am I losing my mind?

"I was scared out of nowhere, this is what I get for drinking coffee at night"

As Lyka arrived at the school gate, the rain began to pour. She saw her friends running through the downpour and hollered,

"Yo, guys, go faster!" Watching them, a bright smile spread across her face. They were her whole world.

"Broski, we thought you were already in the room studying" Patricio said gasping his breath after running.

"I woke up late, and the traffic was a nightmare because of an accident!" Lyka exclaimed.

"What? An accident?" Patricio asked, his laughter instantly fading as he swapped a worried glance with Nicay.

"Yeah, the highway was completely backed up," Lyka replied, still catching her breath under the school awning.

"There were flashing red lights everywhere. I had to ditch the bus and take the alley shortcut just to make it here on time."

Nicay gripped her travel mug a little tighter, the heavy exhaustion leaving her face as her mind raced back to the news report Claire had mentioned. A sick feeling twisted in her stomach. "Did you see what kind of accident it was, Lyka? Was it just a normal car crash?"

"I couldn't really tell from the bus window," Lyka shrugged, wiping the rainwater from her forehead.

"But whatever it was, it looked serious. Come on, we need to get inside before we're late for the exam."

As the three of them hurried through the school doors, the rain slammed harder against the glass behind them.

They were completely safe inside their classroom, entirely unaware that the nightmare from the highway was already beginning to spread into the city.

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