DAY 01: THE MAIN CITY
Katrina sat at her desk on the 57th floor of the towering office building in Makati, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she typed out the latest quarterly report. The hum of fluorescent lights overhead and the distant murmur of her colleagues created a false sense of normalcy, a routine that had become her refuge in the bustling heart of Manila.
But today was different. The atmosphere in the office was tense, a palpable unease hanging in the air. Her boss, Mr. Dela Cruz, had been sick for days, his pallor growing increasingly ashen and his cough more violent with each passing hour. She glanced over at his office, the blinds drawn, the door slightly ajar. The muffled sounds of his labored breathing seeped through the cracks, a haunting reminder of his deteriorating condition.
Katrina tried to focus on her work, but the sense of dread gnawed at her. She had heard whispers of a strange illness spreading through the city, but the details were vague, shrouded in rumors and speculation. She shook her head, trying to dispel the fear that threatened to take hold.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the office, followed by a blood-curdling scream. Katrina's head snapped up, her heart pounding in her chest. The office was plunged into chaos as people scrambled to their feet, their faces etched with terror.
"Help! Someone, help!" a voice shouted from Mr. Dela Cruz's office.
Katrina's blood ran cold. She rose from her desk and moved toward the office, her steps hesitant and shaky. As she approached, the door flew open, and one of her colleagues stumbled out, covered in blood.
"He's dead!" the man screamed, his eyes wide with horror. "Mr. Dela Cruz is dead!"
A chorus of gasps and cries erupted from the office workers. Katrina pushed her way through the crowd, her heart racing. She peered into the office and saw Mr. Dela Cruz slumped over his desk, a pool of blood spreading beneath him. His skin was a ghastly shade of gray, his eyes vacant and lifeless.
Before anyone could react, Mr. Dela Cruz's body convulsed violently. He jerked upright, his eyes snapping open, now clouded with a malevolent hunger. The room fell deathly silent as he let out a guttural growl, his mouth dripping with blood.
Then, with a speed that defied his previous frailty, Mr. Dela Cruz lunged at the nearest person, sinking his teeth into their neck. Blood sprayed across the office, and the victim's screams filled the air. Panic erupted as people tried to flee, but the narrow confines of the office space turned it into a death trap.
Katrina watched in horror as Mr. Dela Cruz tore through his colleagues, his movements frenzied and unstoppable. The air was thick with the scent of blood and the sounds of tearing flesh. Desks were overturned, papers scattered, and the once orderly office was transformed into a scene of pure carnage.
She turned to run, but the chaos was overwhelming. People were trampled in the rush to escape, their screams mingling with the guttural growls of the infected. Katrina's heart pounded in her ears as she pushed her way through the throng, her mind racing with fear and disbelief.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and then went out, plunging the office into darkness. The emergency lights cast an eerie, flickering glow, casting long shadows on the walls. The sounds of the massacre continued, now shrouded in the oppressive darkness.
Katrina stumbled through the dimly lit office, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She could hear the infected moving through the darkness, their growls and snarls growing closer. She had to find a way out, had to escape the nightmare that had consumed her world.
She reached the stairwell and flung the door open, her heart racing with a mix of hope and terror. The narrow stairwell was bathed in the same eerie glow, the shadows dancing on the walls. She could hear the distant sounds of chaos from the floors below, the infection spreading like wildfire through the building.
Katrina began to descend the stairs, her legs trembling with exhaustion and fear. Each step felt like an eternity, the sounds of the infected growing fainter but no less terrifying. She had no idea what awaited her outside the building, but she knew she had to keep moving, had to survive.
As she reached the lower floors, the sounds of the infected became louder, the chaos more intense. She could hear the screams of the dying, the growls of the infected, and the distant wail of sirens. The world outside was no longer safe, no longer familiar.
But Katrina had no choice. She had to keep moving, had to find a way out of the nightmare that had consumed her world. She pushed open the door to the lobby, her heart pounding in her chest, and stepped into the unknown.
The lobby was a scene of utter devastation. The once pristine marble floors were smeared with blood, and shattered glass littered the ground like deadly confetti. Desks and chairs were overturned, the reception area transformed into a battlefield. The air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke and the metallic tang of blood.
Katrina's eyes darted around, taking in the horrifying sight. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, some motionless, others twitching with the last vestiges of life. The infected moved among them, their eyes wild with hunger, their mouths dripping with gore. She had to get out, had to escape this nightmare.
She kicked off her heels, the sharp pain of the glass shards slicing into her feet as she ran. She didn't care. The adrenaline pumping through her veins numbed the pain, her only focus on survival. She sprinted toward the shattered glass doors, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Outside, the city was in chaos. Explosions rocked the streets, sending plumes of smoke and debris into the air. The wail of sirens was a constant, mournful chorus, punctuated by the distant sounds of gunfire. The infected roamed the streets, their numbers growing with each passing moment.
Katrina's heart pounded in her chest as she weaved through the wreckage, her feet slipping on the blood-slicked pavement. She could hear the infected behind her, their guttural growls growing louder, closer. She pushed herself harder, her legs burning with the effort.
She turned a corner and nearly collided with a burning car, the heat searing her skin. She stumbled, her foot catching on a piece of debris, and went sprawling to the ground. The infected were almost upon her, their snarls filling her ears.
With a surge of determination, she scrambled to her feet and kept running. The glass shards embedded in her feet sent jolts of pain with each step, but she forced herself to ignore it. She had to keep moving, had to survive.
She spotted a narrow alleyway and darted into it, her breath coming in short, desperate gasps. The alley was dark and cramped, the walls closing in around her. She could hear the infected behind her, their footsteps echoing off the walls.
Katrina's vision blurred with tears, the pain and fear threatening to overwhelm her. She pushed herself harder, her body screaming in protest. She had to find a way out, had to escape the horrors that pursued her.
She burst out of the alley and into a deserted street, the sounds of chaos still ringing in her ears. She spotted a small convenience store, its windows shattered, the interior dark and empty. She ran toward it, her feet leaving a trail of blood on the pavement.
She stumbled inside and collapsed behind the counter, her body trembling with exhaustion and fear. The infected were still out there, still hunting her, but for now, she had a moment of respite. She closed her eyes, her breath coming in ragged gasps, and tried to gather her strength.
The world outside had become a nightmare, a twisted, horrifying version of the life she once knew. But Katrina was determined to survive, to find a way out of the darkness. She opened her eyes, her resolve hardening, and prepared to face whatever horrors awaited her.
Katrina's breath came in shallow, ragged gasps as she huddled behind the counter, the cold tile pressing against her back. She tried to steady her trembling hands, her eyes darting around the dimly lit store. The faint glow of the emergency exit sign cast eerie shadows on the walls, and the distant sounds of chaos outside seemed momentarily muffled.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a figure lying just a few feet away. At first, she thought it was another lifeless body, one of the countless victims of the outbreak. But then she saw it—a faint, almost imperceptible twitch. Her heart skipped a beat, and she held her breath, hoping against hope that it was just her imagination.
But it wasn't. The corpse's fingers twitched again, more pronounced this time. Then its head jerked, and its eyes snapped open, glowing with an unnatural, malevolent light. Katrina's blood ran cold as she watched the figure slowly rise, its movements jerky and unnatural, like a marionette controlled by some unseen force.
The corpse turned its head toward her, its eyes locking onto hers. A grotesque smile spread across its blood-streaked face, revealing rows of jagged, yellowed teeth. It took a shuffling step toward her, its gaze never wavering, and Katrina felt a scream rising in her throat.
Before she could react, the infected corpse lunged at her with terrifying speed, its hands clawing at her. She tried to scramble away, but it was too fast, too strong. It pinned her to the ground, its weight crushing her chest, and she felt its hot, rancid breath on her face.
"No! Get off me!" she screamed, struggling with all her might. But the infected was relentless, its grip like iron. It lowered its head, and she felt the sharp, searing pain as its teeth sank into her neck.
The pain was excruciating, a white-hot agony that blotted out everything else. Blood sprayed from the wound, coating her skin and the floor in a slick, crimson sheen. She could feel the infected's teeth tearing through flesh and muscle, the sickening crunch of bone.
Katrina's vision blurred with tears, her screams echoing through the empty store. She thrashed and kicked, her hands clawing at the creature's face, but it was no use. The infected was relentless, its hunger insatiable.
As her strength began to ebb, a cold numbness spread through her body. She could feel her life slipping away, the darkness closing in around her. The last thing she saw was the infected's grotesque smile, its eyes gleaming with a twisted satisfaction.
Then, mercifully, everything went black.
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