-1-
➶ started- 12:57a.m. 4, may.
➶ended- 6:04p.m. 4, may.
*
⁖ If that's your choice,
Then take responsibility for your results. ⁖
-nct dream, go.
*
Your fingers trembled as you hastily emptied your school bag, dumping all your notebooks and pencil cases as Mark did the same, leaving them messily scattered on the cold marble floors of the dimly lit, recently desolated pharmacy. The flashing red and blue lights of passing ambulances and police cars would sometimes bounce off the walls of the dark pharmacy in a quick warning glow, reminding you of the madness going on outside.
"Hey, don't stuff your bag with useless things, ok?" Mark informed as he, too, quickly skimmed through the shelves full of medicines, trying to keep calm amidst this mayhem but still be brisk about what he has to do.
You nod, trying to calm your ragged breathing as you packed your bag with at least 3 months worth of sanitary products and pills you might need for common illnesses like the flu.
You squeeze your eyes shut, holding the small pendant of your necklace tightly before shakily glancing out of the pharmacy's glass doors. The skies were starting to look depressing at this point. It was nearly nighttime; the sun was setting already but there were no warm sun rays. They got blocked by the toxic fog on the atmosphere.
The streets outside were in absolute chaos.
The infections caused by the noxious bomb were spreading faster than a wildfire, and the general ambiance was incredibly unsettling.
Just the creeping fear of being aware that there's a possibility an Infected could suddenly slam against the glass doors of the pharmacy at any second now, growling and smearing rotten blood against the doors in an attempt to get a grip of you was absolutely terrifying.
You almost crapped your pants just thinking about it.
But you couldn't stay here for long. It's unsafe, after all.
Mark and you thought that instead of just panicking, you should pack some necessities and head out there to look for military helicopters going around to aid survivors. You had to be quick though, otherwise, the numbers of Infected would increase and governmental aids would probably heartlessly give up on searching your area for survivors.
"Hurry, let's go!" You call out for Mark as he put his pack back on.
Cautiously, you open the doors of the pharmacy, looking left and right to check for Infected before hurriedly crouch walking out with Mark on your tail, doing the same.
There were too many citizens running around in total chaos, trying to avoid getting bit while looking for help. You kept squeezing your eyes whenever a different scream of pure horror cut the air as a citizen got bit, and focused on heading straight towards a helicopter you and Mark spotted nearby in hopes of getting there quick enough to get taken out of the City of Infected.
You gasp suddenly, holding a hand up to stop Mark from behind you and ducking down behind a bush behind a garden's fence. Your wide eyes stared watchfully when you heard unsteady footsteps on the sidewalk literally in front of the bush you and Mark hid behind.
Mark got a glimpse of the Infected and quickly looked away in fear but couldn't blink his wide eyes.
That infected had half of his face ripped off; flesh and parts of his teeth showing from his cheek, clothes scruffy and grimy.
You could only hear your breathing as you stared at Mark when he covered his lips with his hand, holding back a gag.
Him doing that made a quiet sound.
You both stared at each other with wide horrified eyes when you heard the Infected slam his hand against the fence.
Then heavy breathing followed and lasted for the longest 10 seconds of your life before you head the Infected limp away with weak-kneed steps.
The two of you let out a hefty breath off your chest, heart pounding loudly in your ears.
"Oh god... Oh god, protect us..." Mark closed his eyes for a second, stressed.
You glance at him in worry, then quickly nod with furrowed eyebrows.
"Hurry, we have to get there faster." You motion at the helicopter's location, which was at least two more blocks away.
Grass crunched underneath your boots as the pair of you hastily duckwalked through backyards of strangers' houses, avoiding the spotlight.
You were determined and really close to reaching the helicopter's location when you remembered something and gasped.
Mark furrowed his eyebrows, alarmed when you whipped around to look at him with wide eyes, silent.
"What is it...?" Mark whispered, voice wavering, afraid to know whether you saw something dangerous ahead or not.
"Mark, my parents... and your brother..." You say, watching as Mark's lips parted.
"Oh my god, how could we forget about them?!" Mark put his face in his hands, breathing becoming irregular again as he remembered.
You furrow your eyebrows, wiping the beads of sweat glistening on your forehead and trying to avoid the throbbing pain in your head by shaking it lightly.
"Mark, we can't just leave! We have to get them. We have to help them!" You tell him, your firm voice making him groan in anxiety.
"[Name], but our houses are too far away. Like, at least eight blocks. It's dangerous to go back and you know it. It took way too long for us to just get here from the pharmacy, and the pharmacy's only three blocks from here!" Mark hissed, his eyes searching yours hoping he convinced you.
But you shook your head in protest.
"Mark, no. They're our only family, we can't just leave them! It's just not okay..." your voice breaks at the end as you furrow your eyebrows, looking around cautiously before leaning in closer to Mark to hold his hands with both of yours.
Mark furrowed his eyebrows as he looked deep into your eyes, noticing the heavy amount of concern hidden within. Blue and red lights glowed over your faces, casting shadows on your faces and making your troubled eyes gleam. He followed your right hand when it left his to clutch the small necklace around your neck, while the other one continued to hold his hand securely.
He bit his lip in dismay. Knowing that pendant was from your parents, and you had it on since you were a baby shred his heart even worse.
Mark let out a heavy breath he was holding when he noticed your eyes glisten with tears.
"Alright, ok..." he breathed out, and the corners of your lips were about to curl into a grin.
However before you could say anything or move, he quickly brought his hand up to cup your cheek so you look back at him instead of your retreat route.
"But listen to me when I say this. We have to be extra quick, and cautious. The helicopter we want to hop on landed there at least nine minutes ago. Soldiers on aid helicopters stop searching the area after 20 minutes. Meaning we only got eleven more minutes until its departure." He says, voice low and firm. You nod along, placing your hand over his that was on your cheeks, "Yes, got it--"
"[Name], we need to get there safe before it's too late or else we're goners. Do you hear me, [Name]? Don't take too long, okay?" He hurriedly finished, nodding with you before you carefully started on your retreat route.
The two of you managed to cross six entire blocks without any conflicts. Your route was all duckwalking between bushes, from a backyard to another.
However, just as you were about to cross your seventh block to your destination, you heard low snarling from behind you and your blood went cold.
Mark slowly looked back, and you did too, and there you saw, from the backyard door of the house you were at, you saw a middle-aged woman, her skin horrifyingly pale, floral dress tattered and thickly stained with blood. Her head was crooked to a side as she glared at you with creepy pearl white orbs. The window of the brightly lit room beside her was smeared with blood, and a shadow of a probable other Infected roamed.
"[Name]," Mark whispered slowly, eyes never leaving the Infected woman six feet behind.
"Yeah?" you reply, voice trembling.
"Run, and don't look back. Now!" He hissed, and you broke into a sprint.
You accidentally screamed when you heard the monstrous loud growl of the Infected as she hurled after you two.
The next half block was crossed in a blur of ducking over branches and jumping over fences, dodging any possible obstacles on your way.
You almost lost Mark who got ahead of you while running for a good three minutes in which you panicked in, but you screamed his name when you saw him looking back searchingly.
Your houses were becoming clearer, and you lost sight of that aggressive Infected woman.
"Quick, go get your parents and Sunny and I'll see if my brother's in our house!" Mark instructed, patting your back as your house began to come into view and getting ready to run once again since his house was a few more meters ahead.
"Wait, no, Mark!!" You held his wrist. "Are you sure about parting ways? Shouldn't we stick together?" Your voice wavered as you said that and Mark nodded.
"Yeah, otherwise we'll take way longer. We don't have time, [Nickname], hurry. I'll be fine, you just be careful ok?" He said, giving you a hug that didn't last for more than a second before rushing towards his house.
You cross your house's pathway in a few swift leaps, feeling your stomach churn when you saw that the front door was cracked open, and creaking creepily with the wind.
You stepped inside, boots making contact with the squeaking wooden floorboards.
"Mom? ...Dad?" you call out, looking around.
The lights inside were all switched off. That's not okay. Your mom always made sure to turn on the lights just before the sun sets, and considering the noxious bomb exploded during noon...
Your heart rate increased, hands getting cold.
"Mom? Dad?! Where are you? Sunny, are you here?" You call out with a wavering voice, eyes starting to tear up.
No way something bad happened to them, right?
"Sunny! Where are you?!" you look around frantically, when you notice a light from the end of the dark hallway.
The lights in the kitchen were on.
You cautiously walk forward, "Mom...? You're here, right?"
You hold your breath before walking into the kitchen.
You saw that the window of the kitchen was left wide open, and the place was a total mess.
The table cloth of the dining table seemed to have gotten pulled at furociously, the newspaper your dad reads and things like plates on it scattered. There were broken plates and cups on the floor, the sauce bottles lined up on the counters were knocked off and broken, leaving large splatters of red sauce everwhere. The door of the fridge was left open, food inside messed and busted, leaving things like milk and juice cartons spilling slowly onto the floor underneath the fridge.
"What... happened... here...?" You said, heart stopping momentarily as you walked in a little further.
Your breath hitched in your throat.
"Mom!" You exclaimed, hopeful she was okay.
She had her back to you, supporting herself with the counter. Her clothes seemed a little too disheveled, and her skin... pale...
As soon as you called her out that loudly, she whipped around, letting out a loud, inhumane, petrifying snarl.
Her eyes were bloodshot, but her orbs weren't that sweet, warm [color] you've always admired. Instead, they were just a scary crystal blue. The viens on her face and around her eyes were way too visible, and there was a black, strange, foamy liquid oozing out from the corner of her lips.
You stared, eyes wide in horror.
"Mom...? No... no!!!" you shook your head aggressively in denial, staring at her taking an unsteady step towards you.
"Mom, you didn't get infected.. You're ok! Stop acting like that..." you whiper, taking a step back as thick tears blurred your vision.
She let out a low snarl, eyes seemingly targeting you.
"Mom..." you croak, cheeks damp with unstoppable tears running down your face.
You sobbed uncontrollably, taking another step back until your back hit the open door of the kitchen.
"No... I was too late. I... I'm..."
She hurled herself at you, growling loudly. You screamed, closing your eyes shut and pushing her off before she could bite you.
Black ooz splattered on your cheek and neck, and you grimaced before wiping it off.
She stumbled before falling on the table. It made a loud creaking noise, and not long after she growled once more and lunged at you once again.
Out of panick, you gripped at the nearest thing on the counter which happened to be a tall glass water bottle.
Without much thinking, as a form of defense since you were getting attacked by an Infected, you slammed the water bottle on her head.
Glass scattered everywhere, and she let out a loud cry of pain which still didn't sound very human.
Your eyes widened, tears falling off your lashes as you stared at your mother, blood heavily trickling down her forehead.
"Oh god... Mom, I.... I'm..." you stutter, biting your lip as your shoulders shook with sobs.
Shakily, you reached out to a cutting knife you've been eyeing for a while.
With trembling hands, you gripped at it and slowly pulled it out of its holder. Light reflected off of it, and you glanced at it while keeping an eye on your mother, noticing she was slowly starting to stand up again.
You blinked to clear your blurry vision, warm thick tears falling off your cheeks as you took one last long, good gaze at your mother.
You stepped towards her from behind, now clutching the knife with both hands. It trembled violently, and you hiccuped, eyes still teary as you stared at her back.
With a deep breath in, you slowly raise up the knife.
"Mom, I... I'm so sorry. Thank you, for everything..."
°.°.°.°.°.°.°.゜.°.°.°.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
cherribomi
cherribomi note: too graphic, sorry, not intended, will be way less graphic next chaps. promise. hope you enjoyed reading!~
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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