Luka could not believe his eyes. He had been following a lead on a mysterious virus outbreak in the outskirts of Ljubljana, hoping to get a scoop for his newspaper. But what he saw was beyond his wildest imagination. People were turning into zombies, attacking and biting each other, spreading the infection like wildfire. He had barely escaped with his life, thanks to his quick reflexes and his trusty camera. He snapped some photos of the carnage, hoping to expose the truth to the world. He had to warn Maja, his girlfriend, who worked as a nurse at the hospital. He hoped she was safe.
He got into his car and drove as fast as he could, avoiding the traffic jams and the chaos on the streets. He reached the hospital, only to find it surrounded by a horde of zombies. He saw some soldiers trying to hold them off, but they were outnumbered and overwhelmed. He tried to call Maja, but there was no answer. He feared the worst. He decided to take a risk and sneak into the hospital, hoping to find her alive.
He managed to get past the zombies, using his camera flash to blind them and his car keys to stab them. He entered the hospital, which was a scene of horror. Blood, guts, and corpses were everywhere. He heard screams and gunshots, but he ignored them. He made his way to the emergency ward, where Maja usually worked. He found her there, hiding behind a barricade of beds and chairs. She was covered in blood and sweat, but she was alive. She was overjoyed to see him, but also angry.
"What are you doing here, Luka? You're crazy! You could have been killed!" she scolded him.
"I had to see you, Maja. I had to make sure you were okay. I love you," he said, hugging her.
"I love you too, Luka. But we have to get out of here. This place is doomed. The zombies are everywhere. The army can't stop them. The government is lying. They say it's a flu, but it's not. It's something else. Something worse. Something evil," she said, trembling.
"What do you mean? What is it?" he asked.
"I don't know, Luka. I don't know. But I've seen things. Horrible things. People changing. Mutating. Growing claws, fangs, tentacles. Some of them can even talk. They say they are the chosen ones. The new humanity. They say they have a leader. A master. They call him the Marshes Wheel," she said, sobbing.
"The Marshes Wheel? What does that mean?" he asked.
"I don't know, Luka. I don't know. But I think it has something to do with the Ljubljana Marshes. That's where the virus originated. That's where the first cases were reported. That's where you went, right?" she asked.
"Yes, Maja. That's where I went. That's where I saw them. The zombies. They were coming from the marshes. They were heading to the city. They were following a voice. A voice that said: 'Come to me, my children. Come to the Marshes Wheel.' I heard it, Maja. I heard it in my head. It was like a hypnotic spell. It was tempting me. It was calling me. It was... it was..." he said, shivering.
"Luka, Luka, calm down. You're not infected, are you? You're not one of them, are you?" she asked, worried.
"No, Maja. No. I'm not. I'm not. I resisted. I fought it. I'm still human. I'm still me. But we have to go, Maja. We have to go. We have to get away from here. We have to find a safe place. We have to find others. We have to survive," he said, determined.
"Okay, Luka. Okay. Let's go. Let's go. But where? Where can we go? Where can we be safe?" she asked.
"I don't know, Maja. I don't know. But we have to try. We have to hope. We have to live," he said, holding her hand.
They grabbed some supplies and weapons from the hospital, and ran to his car. They drove away from the hospital, dodging the zombies and the soldiers. They headed to the outskirts of the city, hoping to find a way out. They saw a sign that said: "Ljubljana Marshes - 10 km". They decided to avoid it, and took a different route.
They reached a small town, where they hoped to find some shelter and some allies. They saw a garage, where they saw a sign that said: "Ivan's Auto Repair". They decided to check it out, hoping to find some help.
They entered the garage, where they saw a man working on a car. He was tall, muscular, and bald. He had tattoos on his arms and a scar on his face. He was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of jeans. He looked up and saw them. He grabbed a wrench and pointed it at them.
"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, suspiciously.
"Please, don't hurt us. We're not zombies. We're not infected. We're just looking for some help. We're looking for a way out. We're looking for a safe place. Do you know where we can go?" Luka asked, nervously.
The man looked at them, and lowered his wrench. He recognized them. He had seen them before. He had seen them on TV. They were famous. They were Luka and Maja. The journalist and the nurse. The heroes of the zombie apocalypse. The ones who exposed the truth. The ones who saved lives. The ones who fought back.
"I know who you are. You're Luka and Maja. You're the ones who broke the story. You're the ones who warned us. You're the ones who helped us. You're the ones who inspired us. You're the ones who gave us hope. You're welcome here. I'm Ivan. I'm a mechanic. I can help you. I can fix your car. I can give you some weapons. I can give you some advice. I can give you some company. I can be your friend," he said, smiling.
"Thank you, Ivan. Thank you. You're very kind. You're very generous. You're very brave. You're very smart. You're very skilled. You're very resourceful. You're very pragmatic. You're very cynical. You're very distrustful. You're very... wait, what?" Luka said, confused.
"Sorry, I have a habit of repeating what people say. It's a coping mechanism. It helps me deal with stress. It helps me deal with trauma. It helps me deal with my past. It helps me deal with my present. It helps me deal with my future. It helps me deal with... wait, what?" Ivan said, embarrassed.
"It's okay, Ivan. It's okay. We understand. We all have our quirks. We all have our flaws. We all have our secrets. We all have our stories. We all have our... wait, what?" Maja said, amused.
They laughed. They bonded. They became friends. They decided to stay at the garage for a while, until they found a better
