I swiftly got up from my hospital bed. I looked around, trying to find something familiar, but it left much to desire.
I didn't remember anything before waking up here. Just that I had opened my eyes and was alone in a hospital room with nobody around. I looked at a poster on the wall. It told doctors to wash their hands. A useless message now.
I ignored it. I tried to stand, but I was too weak. My legs gave out instantly. I crawled on the cold tile floor until I reached the chair near the bed. Using all my strength, I pulled myself up.
There was a newspaper on the table. I grabbed it with shaky hands and looked at the date.
A whole year had passed.
I sat there frozen. I tried to remember what happened. The only thing that came to mind was getting hit by a car... and then waking up here. That was it.
I dropped the newspaper and stood up again, this time using every bit of power I had. After a few seconds, I managed to take a few steps. I found a pair of slippers in the corner of the room and slipped them on. With only the hospital gown covering me, I stepped out into the hallway.
It was empty.
The lights flickered every now and then. The silence was loud. I looked around, confused and cold, thinking to myself, "Where the hell is everyone? What happened while I was gone? Why did they leave me?"
But it wasn't the time to ask questions.
I opened every door I came across but found nothing. No people. No messages. Just dust and silence. And then I smelled it.
Something foul was coming from the basement. A rotten stench that made me feel sick. I didn't want to know what it was. I just kept walking.
Eventually, I made my way to the cafeteria. It looked like it hadn't been touched in months. I stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge. The smell hit me, but I didn't care. I grabbed a block of cheese and ate it like an animal. I hadn't eaten in a year. I could feel it.
I sat there for a while, thinking. I was nineteen. I told myself, "Maybe they just forgot about me. Maybe there was a mistake." But something deep inside me knew that wasn't true.
After eating, I went back to the hall and found one of the old payphones still hanging off the wall. I dug around and found a single penny lying on the floor. I slid it in and dialed my sister's number. She was the only person I wanted to hear from. The one I cared about most.
Nothing.
The line was dead. All of it was gone.
I stared at the ground in silence. Everything felt like it was falling apart. But I knew I had to find someone. Anyone.
I walked toward the main exit, but right as I reached the door, I heard a loud bang. I froze. Then a flicker of hope lit up in me.
Someone was here.
I ran toward the sound as fast as my body could handle. My legs felt like they were about to give out but I didn't stop. I reached the door where the sound came from and peeked through the small glass window.
It wasn't a person.
It was something else.
There was a woman inside, barely alive. Blood covered her entire body. Half her face was torn and hanging off her jaw. Her fingernails were missing, and she had deep wounds all over her body.
I kicked the door open and rushed to her.
"Are you alright?!" I asked, trying to hold her steady.
She raised a shaky hand, her voice barely there. "R-Run…"
Right after that, I heard a snarl.
It came from the bathroom door behind us. I opened it without thinking.
A creature jumped at me. Its body looked human, but its face… it had no eyes, no nose—just large ears and a stretched, twisted mouth. It moved like it could feel the space around it.
I punched it square in the face. It stumbled, giving me just enough time to run and slam the door behind me.
I didn't stop running. My body screamed at me to quit, but I didn't listen. I had to get out.
I burst through the hospital doors and into the outside world.
And what I saw broke me.
The city was in ruins. Smoke rose from collapsed buildings. Fires still burned in the distance. Nothing looked the same.
Everything was gone.
And I was alone.
All alone.