SP!RAL: Blacklight Glitter

("This will sting," Mira warned, tipping the brown bottle to a fresh pad.

The antiseptic hit, and Rumi's body jolted upright from the fiery sting, a sharp hiss cut the space, as Rumi breathed in through gritted teeth.

"Ah...fuck..! ow..." Her head knocked the wall lightly. "Hot."

"I know." Mira braced her wrist gently. "It's the worst part. You're doing well.")

There was an off-campus warehouse party. Glitter in the cups, bass like a heartbeat, everybody swaying in time; then the city woke up wrong.

"Please stand by," said the TV, and then it never stood again.

Outside, something knocks back; three taps, long pause, then a fourth tap that asks a question. There is a listening stillness where breath should be.

This isn't your average Zombie Story.

It's three girls deciding how to keep each other soft without getting killed, how to be brave without being loud, and what to do when the world starts moving like a puppet on a string.