We find it in the blood-AUGUST'S STORY

OPEN NOVELLA 2025
I was so indecisive about how to go about this prompt, so here is a diversion from the path! Please note that this is a standalone work, and plot wise it ends up very differently from the first iteration. That being said...

August knows how to be a man. These days, a year after a deadly virus has swept across the planet, leveling the population and turning people into monsters, to be a man means to face hard truths, trust very few, and not be afraid to kill your neighbor. Because hesitating only gives your neighbor the chance to kill you first. Becoming a zombie hunter was any easy choice, especially since he's one of the few that seem immune to the effects of the virus.

But all those rules go out the window when August goes from one of the few to one of the many-a carrier, infected with the virus that will in a few days time turn him into a zombie. Now he must align himself with the very people he was trained to kill, racing against time to find a cure before it's all too late.