-WILL'S POV-
As the sun emerged from the cracks of the night sky, dawn stretched over the world. A new day. A new plague of terrors, roaming the streets, forever hungry for the flesh of the living.
A group from those in the underground salvation returned to the surface once again, searching among the ruins of civilisation to salvage any remaining supplies. The original roster was going to be Sean, Ryan and Shane, but despite their concerns, they allowed Will to tag along. They presumed it would hopefully decrease the risk of him turning into a zombie in their only shelter.
They started off traversing through what was once a city, but danger lurked in every corner. Anything could set them off. It was like there was a hidden bomb, prepared to explode at any minute. Any action could trigger an unknown threat, therefore crafting a tense atmosphere.
Out of nowhere, Sean suddenly gestured the cluster to halt. They all instinctively crouched behind a demolished car, in case something was poised to slaughter them.
"What is it?" Will questioned, bewildered. "There's-"
"Shush!" Sean harshly interrupted, whispering. "Quiet, dumbass. Make sure your weapons are loaded, there's a shit storm coming."
Will rose slightly and peered through the car's window frame, which three shards of glass clung to, desperate not to shatter. In the middle of the befouled, cracked road was an animated cadaver, hastily gnawing away at a mangled corpse, which it had conjecturably slain itself. The creature appeared to be blind, as its eyes were absent, vicious claw marks revealing it was the result of an attack from an unknown animal.
"I'm going to get it," Shane announced to his allies. "Cover me, in case another one comes."
The trio swiftly nodded in response, their eyes examining the menacing area they were in. Meanwhile, Shane edged near the window and positioned himself to shoot the opponent at the correct moment.
But in the corner of Will's eye, he spotted a traumatising sight. A beast with a thick, pitch-black substance spewing like a waterfall from where its lower jaw should be. Its left arm was bloated and swollen, larger than its counterpart. The lower right leg appeared to have been mauled by some sort of canine, as shredded flesh swarmed around a visible bone.
Will gagged at the gruesome glimpse, resisting the urge to vomit. The decaying freak stared at him as he did this, before lunging towards him, screeching wildly.
Panic-stricken, Will scrambled back and shrieked from the terror, accidentally colliding with the car's near-destroyed door. Shane ducked back down almost instantly after.
"Dickhead!" Shane snapped at him. "That asshole has spotted us now!"
Will frantically pointed to the beast he'd spotted, which had now frozen, daring not to move a muscle. It was impossible to miss, surely his comrades would understand the growing perturbation that was affecting him.
"You're either high or fucking with me," Shane growled once again, voice filled with ferociousness. "Stop being a retard!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Sean hissed. "If you shout, you'll make it worse!"
Silence shot through all of them like a bullet. Meanwhile, the zombie bellowed a bunch of gibberish, hazardously close. It was a miracle it hadn't discovered the crowd already. Will felt as though he was paralyzed by fear, unable to move, from both the shock of the non-existent monster and the peril of the nemesis discovering him.
Ryan sharply leant forward and picked up a rock. He threw it full force in the opposite direction, where it thumped to the filthy ground as it landed. The undead creep swerved its head to the noise, screeched and bolted towards it.
"You alright, Will?" Sean murmured, but even so, his friend was so terrified he jolted in fright. "Nothing's over there, so what's going on?"
Will was hesitant to speak. What could he say? He perceived a creature that sent alarm surging through his veins, but it didn't exist. Had his mind made the whole thing up, without knowing it had done so?
"N-no," he whimpered in response. "No, I'm not. I saw something, I swear on it, but how come you guys haven't seen it too?"
Sean and Ryan glared at each other momentarily. Shane remained quiet, but his facial expression showed nothing but fury. It was clear he was still pissed.
"He could be hallucinating," Ryan muttered, narrowly breaking the silence. "Must've been the bite."
Will's eyes widened as he heard his friend. Hallucinating? Would it grow inferior? Was the bite converting him insane? The questions kept invading his mind, impossible to push back, constantly aggravating the distress he felt.
"Shit! Sorry," Shane apologised, now guilty. "I thought you were being an asshole. You know what I'm like when I get angry-"
The noise of a gunshot stunned him into silence. The zombie they had disturbed earlier was now lying deceased on the floor, parts of its head and brain strewn behind it in a bloodied mess. Sean knelt nearby, pistol pointed at its remains, the muzzle smoking.
"What?" Sean questioned as he spotted the remainder of the gang gawking at him. "That guy didn't turn invisible. He came racing over, what else was I supposed to do?"
"Well, seeing as you've done the work for us, drop your weapons and put your hands in the air, motherfucker!"
Shock crashed over the group like a wave. The crunching sound of boots crushing rock and bone beneath its steps began to rise. They were not alone. And this was no common enemy.
"Oh shit," Shane gasped, springing to his feet. "Run, it's a bunch of fucking raiders!"
"Christ!" Will gulped before he was shoved forcefully by Ryan, the action demanding him to move. "What the fuc-"
His head darted upwards, but instead of the ravaged scenery he had entered moments ago, he saw a gun pointed directly between his eyes. A scattergun, to be exact.
"You heard him, hands in the air!" The unknown opponent snarled. "or that shitface your friend killed won't be the only one with their brains blown out!"
