"Alan, my man, how are you doing?"

The squeaking of metal and chattering of chains stopped as a young man stopped swinging back and forth, he replied with a smile on his face.

"Jack, good my friend, how about yourself, heard your Dad got into an accident at work?"

"Yeah, things are better they think he’s stable, the physics project he was on had a critical failure and produced an unusual effect in his and other people, so he's been put in a coma.”

It was one of the most unusual rumours he’d heard from the grapevine, secret experiments were going on in the city, but the details were withheld. With, Alan’s father working in the same building as Jack's father, so he’d managed to get slightly more information. He'd found out that it was some sort of physics experiment and that was about it. They couldn’t have hidden it as Alan had also seen the explosion.

Not that anyone did tell anybody about it as everyone had to sign an NDA to move into Daedalus in the middle of west Wales with the three odd million people with its own spaceport, numerous R&D mega-corporations. It was the place of innovations and advancement.

It certainly was taking a toll on his friend; he'd gotten darker bags under his eyes, and they were slightly puffy and sore looking. His hair was long and unkempt; his mother wasn’t taking it overly well either she was always one to keep the family appearance top notch.

After hugging Jack, Alan stepped and asked: “So Jack, What do you want to do?”

Jack rolled his eyes “Ugh, you always asked me that, why don’t you take the lead. I can’t really think of anything.”

Alan suddenly felt a little nervous he didn’t want to pick what to do definitely now with Jack not really feeling up to it. Maybe we could go see Haze I think he's got a new game we can play together, we could just hang around in the park, Walk around, go back to my place so much what to do?

“Umm, I can’t really think of anything, do you want to hang with Haze? I hear he has a new game to play?”

Jack realizes that he was just turning the option back to him, but he laughed, “Yeah, sure.”

The chains jangled and squeaked from movement, Alan left followed Jack to their friends. It was only a few miles away as from Alan house and mile less from the park, moving through the suburban street with clean-cut hedges and regularly mowed and kept short.

The zero waste on the street even in the poorest section of the city was spotless the road was spotless and well maintained. The blot on the land bar the shining skyscrapers were the fusion power planet first one in Wales powering the entire city.

With automatic car driving through the streets, they crossed any roads they came to safely.

One thing the most amazing effect of the automated car was the fact that no one needs a driveway. As their car could be stored in a vast underground car park and then get them called out when required or they were rented.

Leaving more space for gardens and wildlife which had recovered marvellously after the Remote Wars.

Arriving at a house which had two storeys like every other detached house in the area. It had some mods that made it deferent, like a garage that held an old car the ran on petroleum once Haze's Dad got the ignition work. The car rumbled to life, he took us all around the block, feeling the bone-rattling force of moving up to two hundred miles an hour. The feeling of his blood rushing around his body, just listening to the roar of the car engine.

Knocking on the door, Haze's mother answered she simply left the door open and shouted up the stairs, "Haze, your friends are here."

She smiled as she heard the thumping of feet she moved back into the kitchen where the smell of baking float back into the hallway.

Alan closed the door looked out and saw two helicopters fly off of the roof of EGD building and the still smoking floating up into the air. It made him shiver, knowing that his dad could've been caught up in it and died. Thankfully he only has clearance to enter that area once a week.

Moving in towards Haze which he hugged they move upstairs where they entered his room filled with anime figures video games, a pc and VR system and somewhere in room was an awe-inspiring collection was a bed and gaming chair.

Haze turned smiling "Jack, Alan my bets are on that you're here to check out Revarant, it amazing. Let's not joke around Jack get on the headset, and you can have a good first."

"Awesome, thanks, mate." Jack jumped at the opportunity making his way carefully set the equipment on his head and controllers. Haze clicks the executive button, and it started playing with them able to watch on the monitor.

As Jack got engrossed in the game Haze move next to Alan and whispered, "Hey Alan, how's Jack taking it? Because he looked awful."

Understand what Haze was talking about he explained, "He's doing better then I thought he would consider what I've heard. He told me that he's stable, which is right in and of itself. However, it seems as if he isn't the same a before some of his vitals no longer exist. In contrast, others still do, which makes no sense he should be dead with his mind shut down with only lower functions working.

I think Jack been told not to expect the best and that his father will likely die if he doesn't wake up in a few months they'll likely euthanize him. To stop whatever happening to him, not that he's the only one suffering, but he is the worst. So yeah I doubt he's doing very well, we'd better distract him don't you happen to have any weed?"

Haze was quite for a moment that he absorbed the information and shook his head, "No, I don't, and I wouldn't smoke even with my mother in the house. She hates the smell even though it's supposed to be odourless. But we can definitely distract for a few hours might even be able to get some cookie freshly bake using Jack sob story."

I nodded my assent, and he ran off to plead for some cookie, and I ran commentary mocking of Jack's gamer instincts. The rest of the day went happily onwards with jabs and revelry.

There was something, however, scratching Alan's mind and the imagination from earlier came as he looked out at the EGD building. His curiosity got the best of him as he asked Jack, "Dude, did they manage to put out the ruins of the lab I still saw and a smoke coming from the building?"

Jack looked, "hum I think they managed to get it under control. I wasn't really looking, I was just walking here."

That didn't make Alan feel any better. He got up and carefully opened the curtains here the hisses of protest from behind him, smirking he pushed his face against the cold and wet window and looked towards the skyscrapers. It wasn't tough to see what Alan wanted since the smoke spread throughout Daedalus, Alan's heart fell, and his stomach cramped. His voice broke as he spoke to his friends, "Guys, the cities on fire I can see smoke everywhere. Something's up."

"What you're kidding, right?" Jack asked

"Come see for yourself."

As his friend faces pushed up against the window, Alan moved back and grabbed the remote and flicked to the local news channel that every zone had. It was just static flicking to the GB national news and saw breaking news plastered over the front of it.

The news didn't have much information either with the military on the move they unable to contact the local government or news stations some individual in the suburbs managed to get them with chaotic and frightening information of people walking around until they see someone or something and then rushing them down and tearing into them consume their innards. Alan and his two friends all instantly said zombies but the news the crushed these statement with facts that they could be killed with alike any other human even if they are a bit tougher to do so.

Some theory that came from government experts talked about terror attacks with chemical agents, some speculated that it was EGD accident since it collides well together.

Well to Alan and company it didn't matter so much who done it but that it was already happening that made Haze rush down the stair to check on his mother we all followed finding her pottering around cleaning the house. Haze shouted, "Mom, what are you doing, you need to watch the news!"

"What are you talking about Haze?"

"We've been attacked, and we need to evacuate the city."

Haze said exacerbated

"Dear won't they tell us that if we needed."

"Mom, they are if you were actually listening to them."

Haze flicked the TV to the news and let her watch while he turned to us guys looks like shots going sideway I thought no it would be best if we all went home got are families and headed for the hills they agreed. Haze displayed a map on his Shard T and pick a location several miles out of the suburbs, and we decided to walk as everyone and their mothers would be using the motorways.

Alan thought his family should all be back at home nothing wrong really went down yet he hadn't received a call or text, Jack had one telling him to get to home about an hour ago. They all agreed to contact each other no matter what happened.

Checking the front door, he saw nothing a quiet street which slightly confused Alan until he saw some of the window curtains move and saw worried faces behind them.

Leaving the house, Jack followed a little behind a good but where we cross the road that my house was on I had to leave Jack who had to continue further out of the suburb and into forestry.

Alan much prefers to of had Jack back as almost instantly he left the ominous feeling in the air two folded in intensity always glancing behind never seeing a thing. Still, as the scream grows louder and the air became for stifled, he started thinking about heading back and follow Jack back out of the city and into the countryside. But the indecision that paralyzed him allowed the consuming smoke to grow.

He wasn't far away, he does a quick check of the house and run through the back streets for about a mile and be in the thick forests which should provide adequate cover.

Then he follows the treeline to the dirt path that leads up to the spot on the agreed-upon meeting point.

More confident now that he at least had a plan that could allow him to get away if anything went wrong.

Walking on, he finally saw his house looked complete familiar, unlike the other place that had windows broken in. Doors bashed down blood litter the pathway and the odd body which Alan was ignored out of hope that they were his imagination.

Alan kept low and ran across the street heard a screech from the left he looked and saw a group four people hovering over what remained of a human corpse. But now the was running towards him, and fast, his heart pounded as he ran to the door fiddling with keys as he found the door they were at the end of his front garden.

He found he slammed it into the keyhole. The door swung open and jumped in seeing the four beings furiously jumped, and where he'd been standing slamming the door closed on faces, he put his height into when he felt the thud of the bodies against the door and bent in and cracked the glass.

Alan quickly bolted, chained and put the door side table in the way.

Peeking through the window Alan saw with far to much detail the makeup of these humanoid beings, their teeth had changed even in such a short amount of time as you could cut glass with them. What with the blackening eyes and reddening irises. Their skin seemed hollow as if there wasn't any muscle behind those arms.

A sound bought Alan back a dull thud from above, the sound bought his attention to the hallway. Looking down the corridor where he uses the coats littered the pathway, painting had been throw off there hooks laying trodden and broken.

Alan's heart jumped into his mouth as he saw bloody marks on the walls and railing.

Tears formed around his eyes as he moved further into the house and saw the kitchen, which was a bloody mess knife scattered area the tiled floor. The fridge door hung open and food scattered along the ground, but there's was nobody just blood.

Searching rest of the downstairs revealed nothing the only path left was the one taking him upstairs. Curiously he moves them stepping over those he knew squeaked and prayed that those that did when he stepped on stopped to make sure that they didn't hear him, slowly shifting his weight with each step.

Upon getting to the landing he checks corridor before making into his way onto it, he watched where the blood trail leads too, and it went to his parent's bedroom. Even though he wants to rush to the room as his family could be injured, but something told Alan that it would be better to check the rooms before opening his parent's room.

He gently tapped the door to the bathroom open and poked his head through to see an empty room.

Moving back out to the corridor the next room was his little sister's room and slowly twisted the doorknob open the click and pushed the door open, Alan froze as the swung open. A small smudges of blood leading up to the bed which had its duvet covers Tron and thrown around the room. The side of the bed had cracked, the mattress had been ripped out and dug through.

By the window however was he littles sister crouched over a pool of blood, staining knees with fresh blood. Her faces were crouched of something fluffy and orange, stepping forward, unable to register what he was staring at, he flinched as the floorboards creaked. My sister ravelled her twisted moor bloody, stuffed with flesh and orange hair the remains of her small fluffy victim falling from her hand as she stared at him hungrily.

A deep throaty rumble brought Alan back to the reality of his situations and stepped back to shutting the door close and holding it closed. The wooden door cave out and splinters, sending horrible sounds throughout the house.

It was soon joined by another splintering of wood just down the corridor. Unlike my little sister, they weren't so small and weak they broke through their bedroom doors wide open splinter shattering along the corridor. His father in his hole filled blue work overalls, and his mother who's was a messy holding bloody dress, both were snarling.

The world seemed to pause as they looked at each other, and then he ran for it to realize that they were really gone and now he needs to avoid those hungry eyes.

Jumping down the stairs, he heard two loud crashes as they launched themselves after he hit the walls causing it to cave in, it gave Alan enough time to land. It ran for kitchens which lead to the back garden after fiddling with the key that was always in the back door. Looking back for a split second he saw his parents rush around the bottom of the stairs and ran straight at him.

The click of the lock and he was opening it and jump out closing the door behind him he heard the bang and cracking of glass by their fumbling had cost them the ability to breakthrough.

Alan ran towards the back gate when he heard another crack this time it came from above showering him in a small shard of glass.

Looking up, he saw his sister had leapt out of her window, arms stretched out clawing at him. Alan dropped to the floor as Alice landed on him, covering him in glass and scratching at his back. Alan threw off his sister who landed only metres away, but she was up as fast as he was and pounced. Alan was running for it except it didn't matter as Alice dug her claws in Alan dragged her along. Right up until used those razor-sharp teeth, sank into his calves at which point he kicked her in the face which caused her to let go and started crying as blood poured from her nose.

That completely terrified Alan, who ran as fast as possible his heart pounding he rammed the gates and pelting it down the alleyways between other houses who weren't looking as inviting as he was broken glass, bodies everywhere

He caught their attention from the unoccupied beings that all started after him as he blasted passed broken gates. Thankfully they seemed as dumpling as his parents, seemingly unable to stop themselves from running into things.

Breaking out of the suburban area he saw the meadows before him and treeline just behind. He ran straight for it, not looking back Alan thought he felt them all breathing on his neck, he made it to the treeline puffing hard as his lungs begged for air, but those people behind him seemed not to care. Alan dodged between the trees to Alan gratefully legs the dozen or so attracted groups behind him struggling with getting tangled in roots, vines, and branches.

He’d soon enough left their sight as he foliage hid him, jogging on his wobbly feet he made so more distance between them before resting against an old tree as the hid him well enough.

With Alan's body relaxing flaring of heat for his calve made him wincing, deciding that there wasn’t any better timing than now. Peeling back the shredded jeans reveal his muscular calves, looking at the inflamed her claw had left deep scratches along his legs. Still, worst of it all was the bite mark that looked black and red.

Not knowing what to do, he left it. He had nothing on him that would help his sweaty, muddy t-shirt wasn’t an option neither was his jacket nor jeans. Resting back into the tree, he knew there was still a couple of miles left before he reached the meeting point he was so tired. Every time he overthought, he’d had to hold back his crying that threatened to attract attention.

Knowing that sitting here was a bad idea as it gave time for those people to catch up, Alan did his best to stand without disrupting the area. As soon as he did, head span and edges of his vision darkened, using his arm against the to propped himself up and waited, thankfully it faded. Still, as Alan stepped away, it came back like a wave, forcing himself on but now Alan stumbled his way through the forest it was hard every time Alan fell or stopped his mind ached, and body cracked. He forced himself onwards as his vision darkened. Still, the knowledge that his cannibalistic parents were somewhere behind him, and the further he got away from them, the more like someone was going to find him, or he would recover from his wounds to getaway.

His mind could only struggle through so much that his body now refused to move. The ground came up to meet his face, and Alan's consciousness faded, and his body was laid out in a small meadow in the middle of a forest.

Around him gathered dozens of mad people that had been chasing him. Something stopped them as their instincts flared warning them that was something dangerous was happening.

They faded into the tree, moving with far more ease.

The area in the meadows warped and deformed, trees cracked and fell before being consumed by the warping, the earth itself churned and were thrown into the air. Life was squeezed and snuffed out those that escaped were scarred for life to never to return to the meadow and would teach the children to avoid it.