DEAD AMONG US

PROLOGUE

DEAD AMONG US

Apocalyse: The Beginning

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Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang aking mga mata matapos akong bumagsak sa sementadong daan mula sa ikalawang palapag ng isang gusaling pinasok namin ng team ko upang maghagilap ng supplies.

Naramdaman ko ang sakit sa buo kong katawan. Tila ba hinihiwa ang bawat kalamnan ko.

I am still alive—I think?

I can't move my body... parang nastuck na ang yata ang katawan ko sa semento. Pinilit kong kapain ang aking baril sa kabila ng pagguhit ng sakit.

I need it. Where is it? Ah—there...

Nang makampante ako ng makapa ko iyon ay muli akong pumikit at inalala ang nangyari.

There was a girl— a familiar face. I know her—of course I know her. She is a friend— a friend that died not long ago...

She's supposed to be dead, naisip ko.

*
"Come with us." she said earlier in a sweet clear tone.

"Us?" natitilihang tanong ko dahil hindi ako makapaniwalang makita siya matapos ang mga nangyari.

"Yes. There are more like me out there— bitten, turned yet alive." she smiled kindly. The smile we all missed yet... deadly.

"Paanong nangyari ito? You are supposed to—"

"To be like those monsters?" sa pagkakataong iyon may pait sa ngiting sumungaw sa kanyang mapulang labi.

"Hindi iyon ang ibig kong sabihin."

"Talaga? Hindi ba't sa paningin niyo—nating lahat, all those got bitten and turned are monsters!" ang kalmado niyang boses ay nabahiran ng galit, she averted her gaze away from me.

I know. We all think the same. But—
"But you are different."

"Yes, I am." Nanatili siyang nakatingin sa malayo. "Hindi ba ang hirap paniwalaan? I died, turned, yet I'm still like a normal human, breathing... my heart is still beating..."

I saw a smile—no, the right term is a smirk. Then slowly, she turned her gaze back at me. Pain. Angry. Sadness. Those are the emotions I read in her eyes, but there was more, and that was— HUNGER.

"And like normal humans, we too get hungry." Her voice is calm, but that smile on her lips says something. "Kahit ilang beses o gaano karami ang aming kainin, para bang hindi sapat. We tried to live like we didn't turned— being normal. But it's not enough. Hunger hurts us even more. Until we found out what can satisfy that hunger."

This time her smile turned into something... scary!

"We craved human blood and flesh!" she said in a hiss. Her eyes don't lie...

Tila nagsitayuan ang lahat ng balahibo ko sa sinabi niya. No, I am not scared... I am not scared of her because she is my friend, and what I am feeling now is pure... disgust.

"Don't be afraid, I won't eat you.  Magkaibigan tayo hindi ba? Kahit pa inagaw mo ang lalaking pinakamamahal ko. You are more useful than being dead," her scary smile turned sweet again.

Ngunit may hinuna na ako sa nais niyang mangyari.

"You want me turned and be—like you?" I almost said it in a cracked voice, but I managed to steady myself.

"Smart as always. Alright!" she clapped her hands. "Let's finish this ceremony. If you want my forgiveness for what you've done, do me a favor." nanlalaki ang mata niyang nakangisi. "Let me bite you!"
Pagkasabi niyon ay mabilis siyang sumugod sa akin...

And here I am, lying on the cold concrete pavement. My body started to feel cold, and my eyes were getting heavy. Yet my mind is starting to drift somewhere—to someone—remembering his face... his smile... his voice...

If only I could see him—or just hear his voice, that is fine for me— before I die, before she turn-, I stopped thinking when I heard footsteps...

Lumingon ako.

I saw her... smiling like crazy.
She's different—not only because she was turned, but because something within her is different. Changed. The person standing a few feet away from me is not the person I knew. She's... not my friend!

Tumawa ako ng pagak and I used all my remaining strengths to hold my gun and point it toward my temple.

"No, I w-will not—let y-you—turn me!"

I closed my eyes. In the dark, his face came into view—

Zach...

*BANG*

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Paano ka mabubuhay sa isang mundo na ang tanging kasama mo at nakapaligid sa iyo ay mga patay na buhay?

Ano ang pipiliin mo, ang mamatay o ang lumaban?