NEUROCRISIS

Chapter 1: Uh-Oh.

"How the hell did this happen?" The man muttered to himself, his tired voice laced with frustration, as he desperately panted to catch his breath. With a damp cloth in hand, he vigorously scrubbed at the stubborn coffee stain that marred his pristine white t-shirt.

In his early-20s, the man's mind raced, replaying the events that led to this unfortunate mishap. Images and memories flooded his thoughts, taking him back to the pivotal moments just a few hours prior.

Let us rewind the clock, delving into the past and unraveling the chain of events that led to this peculiar stain.

Kota Kinabalu International Airport, 8:30 p.m.

"I'll see you soon, sayang. My flight is about to take off. I'll text you around 11 p.m., okay?" The man typed the message to his partner, wanting to reassure her about his upcoming flight.

A moment of playful banter ensued as the girl responded, her words carrying a mix of concern and affection. "You better text me, or else you can consider me dead, Syazwan," she warned, trying to mask her worry with a touch of humor.

The air grew momentarily quiet, a poignant pause hanging between their messages.

"Sorry... I love you, baby," she continued, her words expressing both vulnerability and devotion.

Syazwan's reply was swift, filled with genuine warmth and affection. "I love you too, sayang :)," he typed, his heart echoing through the simple text.

After a long and exhausting day, Syazwan finally decided to turn off his smartphone and seek some much-needed rest. However, his tranquility was disrupted by the presence of another man beside him who seemed to be utterly absorbed in his own device, refusing to put it away.

"You do know that you should close your smartphone, right?" Syazwan calmly inquired, hoping for a response that would shed light on the man's behavior. However, his question was met with an unsettling silence. The man neither acknowledged Syazwan's presence nor spared him a glance. Instead, he remained fixated on his smartphone, his body paralyzed by an overwhelming sense of fear. The only signs of life were the frantic movement of his eyeballs and the trembling in his legs.

Syazwan made several attempts to engage the man in conversation, but to no avail. The puzzling and unsettling aspect was the content the man was so intensely focused on—a video depicting wildlife animals, like Bornean Orangutans and Proboscis Monkeys, engaging in cannibalistic behavior while surrounded by swirling clouds of mosquitos.

As they ascended into the sky, leaving Sabah behind, Syazwan couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. "The internet connection must have disappeared by now. Does that mean the video is saved in his gallery?" he wondered silently. Determined to maintain his peace of mind, Syazwan chose to ignore the disturbing video, turning a blind eye to its content.

As they flew farther from Sabah, Syazwan's gaze caught sight of a chilling sight below. Bombs were being dropped from the skies, descending upon a specific area of Mount Kinabalu. A deep sense of foreboding settled over him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, 11:25 p.m.

Syazwan stirred from his deep slumber, his senses jolted by the bright lights of the bustling airport streaming through the airplane's window. Surprisingly, the man seated beside him remained fixated on the video, his eyes devoid of life, and his body completely motionless. The cabin crew and pilots began their announcements, prompting Syazwan to seize his duffle bag, preparing to disembark out of the airplane. Fumbling for his smartphone, he wished to connect with his fiancé, but his data connection remained stubbornly dormant, and even the airport's Wi-Fi eluded his grasp.

"Might just be my luck running dry. Wonder what that weird guy's up to now though," Syazwan muttered, sliding on his earphones and immersing himself in the pre-downloaded tunes, a contingency plan for moments like these.

Occupying the first row, Syazwan swiftly exited the plane and entered the tunnel, unaware of the impending chaos that has ensued behind him.

Little did he know, concealed by his earphones, the sounds of protests and piercing screams reverberated through the airplane, originating from the very same aircraft he had just left.

"In need of a coffee," Syazwan muttered, beckoning towards a nearby coffee shop, still grappling with his fruitless attempts to contact his fiancé.

Removing his earphones, the bustling sounds of the crowd enveloped him, but quickly hushed as all attention turned to the news playing on a massive screen.

The news anchor's voice filled the air, delivering quite an unsettling information. "A remote jungle region in Mt Kinabalu has reportedly been devastated by a series of bomb explosions, and the government has yet to provide an explanation, leaving the public, especially the people of Sabah, desperate for answers. Sources suggest that a group of raiders have infiltrated a secret research facility where the government had reportedly finished developing the potential cure for the recently viral disease, NC-24, also known as NeuroCrisis, or its preferred name, Neuroisis."

Syazwan's heart sank, his mind overwhelmed with a flood of thoughts and fears. Restlessness consumed his legs as he paced back and forth, his mind spinning with unfounded assumptions. In his state of distress, he grabbed his coffee and rushed towards the airport exit, determined to find his fiancé and seek solace amidst the chaos.

However, fate had a different plan for him. As Syazwan sprinted through the crowded airport, a forceful push propelled him forward. It wasn't just anyone who had collided with him—it was the weird man from earlier, whose presence continued to annoy Syazwan. Helplessly, he watched as his coffee splattered across his shirt, leaving behind a stain that mirrored the chaos and uncertainty surrounding his mind.

"Of course, it just had to be that guy," he muttered, frustration seeping into his voice. He found himself back in the same predicament he was in when he was lost in his thoughts. As the coffee stain slowly faded from his once pristine white t-shirt, a chilling realization washed over Syazwan, sending a shiver down his spine.

A series of missed calls from his family members in Sabah appeared on his phone. Syazwan's mind froze, his thoughts grinding to a halt.

"17 Missed Calls from Mom."
"15 Missed Calls from Dad."

Soon, a flood of messages followed.

"Where are you?!?" - Mom
"Are you safe????" - Mom
"Text me when you've landed" - Mom
"Call me!" - Mom
"Call me!"
"Call me!"
"Call me!"

Auto-generated messages from his mom filled his entire notification box, creating an eerie sensation in his head.

Then, a single message stood out: "1 Attached Video" - Mom. Syazwan hesitated but reluctantly clicked on it.

"Son, if you're there, run out of the airport. Stay away from crowded areas and don't trust anything you see on the news. NEUROISIS HAS NEVER HAD A CURE. IT'S ALL A-" His mother's voice abruptly cut off, replaced by a horrifying sight. Her throat appeared to have been savagely torn apart by a reanimated human corpse—a grotesque figure that resembled his own father.

"Dad?" Syazwan's voice trembled as his mind struggled to comprehend the unimaginable. His eyes widened, scanning his surroundings, finally noticing the bloodstains on his back, right where he had been pushed earlier.

"What the hell is going on?"

A/N, Glossary:
pivotal - of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else.
poignant - evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
foreboding - a feeling that something bad will happen
dormant - temporarily inactive or inoperative.
contingency - a future event or circumstance which is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty.
reverberated - (of a loud noise) be repeated several times as an echo.