Angin sore bertiup lembut, menggoyangkan dedaunan di halaman sekolah kecil di pinggiran kota. Matahari hampir tenggelam, meninggalkan semburat jingga di langit yang luas. Di sanalah, di bawah pohon rindang di sudut taman bermain, seorang anak laki-laki duduk sendirian, kakinya mengayun pelan di atas tanah berdebu. Wajahnya tampak tenang, tetapi matanya yang besar menyimpan kesedihan yang tak terucapkan.
"Kenapa sendirian?"
Suara itu datang dari seorang anak laki-laki lain yang berdiri tak jauh darinya. Rambutnya sedikit berantakan, seragamnya agak lusuh karena seharian bermain. Dia tampak lebih percaya diri, berbeda dengan bocah yang masih duduk termenung di bawah pohon.
Anak laki-laki yang pertama mengangkat kepalanya, menatap si penanya dengan mata penuh rasa ingin tahu.
"Aku suka di sini. Tenang," jawabnya singkat.
Anak yang baru datang itu tersenyum kecil, lalu tanpa ragu duduk di sampingnya. "Kalau begitu, aku juga di sini."
Tak ada kata-kata lain yang terucap di antara mereka, hanya angin yang membawa suara tawa teman-teman sekelas mereka yang masih bermain di kejauhan. Saat itu, keduanya belum tahu bahwa pertemuan sederhana ini adalah awal dari kisah panjang yang akan bertahan puluhan tahun.
Kisah yang akan membawa mereka melewati luka, kehilangan, kebahagiaan, dan akhirnya... cinta yang tak berkesudahan.
38 tahun yang lalu, semuanya dimulai di sini.
In the future, everyone who's bitten by a zombie turns into one... until Diane doesn't. Seven days later, she's facing consequences she never imagined.
* * * * *
As civilization collapses under a relentless wave of zombies, Diane and her friends take shelter in a military base. However, while she's rescuing another survivor, Diane gets bitten by one of the monsters. She hides it and runs away, knowing she only has days left to live.
But she soon discovers she isn't turning into a zombie - she's turning into something else.
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Excerpt:
I looked up and stared. My reflection looked back at me in the mirror of the dark room. My eyes were literally glowing, there was no mistaking it. It was not a reflection of light, or any of the other excuses I had used or others had assumed. They were glowing a light sapphire blue color. It was not a bright glow, but it was definitely a glow.
Glowing eyes were not normal.
Okay, at this point I had to admit it, I was no longer normal.
What was I then? For that, I had no answer
[[Word count: 495,000]]
Copyright August 2016. All Rights Reserved. Readers may not copy, alter, or steal this story. Fanfictions are allowed to use my *world* and *zombie rules* as long as credit is given.
Cover was lovingly made by JimenaVivancoo.