"At mukhang natrans-migrate tayo sa isang zombie apocalypse, ZM." Sabi nya sabay titig sa akin ng seryosong-seryoso. Nagulat si ZM. Di nya pa nakikitang ganito ka seryoso makatitig si Andrei, kahit galit sya o masaya. Happy-go-lucky si Andrei, laging nakangiti at gustong-gusto nya na lagi syang may nakakusap. Bihirang-bihira sya maging ganito ka seryoso, maging exam man sa school nila o sa pagdedesisyon sa mga seryosong bagay. Kaya naman laking gulat ni ZM ng hindi nya mahanapan ng kahit katiting na saya sa mga mata nito.
"D-di mo ko niloloko-"
"Kung sa tingin mong niloloko kita edi aalis nalang ako." Mas lalo syang nagulat ng marinig nya ang malamig na boses na nanggaling sa kaibigan nya. Bigla syang napatayo at pinigilan syang umalis.
"W-wait, wag mokong iwan. D-di ko pa alam ang mga gagawin ko, at lalong-lalo na hindi ko alam kung nasaan tayo." Sabi ni ZM habang hawak-hawak nya ang kamay ni Andrei na halatang aalis na.
"sigh... ZM, look around you and see kung nasaan tayo." Sabi nito habang tinanggal nya ang kamay ni ZM sa kanyang kamay. Di naman nag-aalinlangan si ZM na tumingin sa paligid nila at bigla syang nagulat. Nandoroon sila sa harap ng isang convinience store malapit sa kanilang eskwelahan na isang minutong lakad lang ang layo mula sa kinatatayuan nila. Halos napakalinis ng mga kalsada; walang mga tao at kahit ano man na sasakyan ang dumadaan sa kalsada na yon. Ang park na nasa tapat lang ng eskwelahan nila na dating punong-puno ng mga naglalaro ay abandonadong-abandonado na. Pareho ang sitwasyon sa mga building na nakapalibot sa kanila.
"ZM, as I said, we're in an apocalypse, a zombie one. I have been awake one week earlier than you, and I have been surviving since then. I am the same as you, though, not as lucky as you na may nakakita sayo, which is ako. The apocalypse started ten years ago, may 31, 2021. Exactly na pagkatapos na pagkatapos ng klase natin. A virus has been identified and was once called "killer virus". It's because once you get infected with that viruse, you'll be immidiately dead after an hour. First, your lungs get restricted, causing a heavy feeling in your chest. Next, your heart will increase its beats until it reaches 500 beats per minute. Tapos, your organs will start failing. Your immune system would be immidiately assasinated by this virus. Your nervous system would also start failing with your brain. And all of this happens within an hour. And then in a week after you died, the virus would slowly eat all your organs, blood vessels, everything inside of you. You will not enter the decaying process but instead into a rebirth. Once the virus have eaten everything inside your skin, it will start magically produce stem cells that would become muscles and a big stomach, without big intestine and anus. The small intestine is a loop of intestine. Then, there'll be process of making vessels towards your dead brain, supplying it with whatever that dead person manages to eat. But you'll never be conscious once na masuplayan yang dead brain mo. Basically, your soul and consciousness, pero hindi yung hungriness mo sa pagkain ng flesh and blood. That's where the problem starts. Since nadiscover to ng mga doctors, they thought that the patient would be conscious and all, but they were mistaken. Di kinakain ng patient yung mga pagkaing inihahanda ng ospital. Nagtataka ang mga doctor bat ganito ang behavior ng patient. But once pinakain sya ng isang hilaw na flesh, halos lamutakin nya na rin yung nurse na nagdadala ng pagkain. Andaming holes na nagdudugo dun sa nurse that were caused by the harsh bites-no, kinain nya talaga yung flesh dun sa mga parts kung saan sya kumagat. Soon, namatay yung nurse dahil sa blood loss. And then after the investigation on both the incident and the dead body pf the nurse, it was both caused by the virus. And then the same happened to the nurse, and then it spread through out the Phillippines. And soon went over the whole world." Ang sobrang haba nyang sabi kay ZM habang naglalakad sila sa loob ng convinience store.
"But that doesn't explain pano nagkaroon ng survivors, right? Kasi, how the hell is this convinience store so sweeped out kung ikaw lang naman ang survivor?" Sabi ni ZM, na sya namang nagpatango kay Andrei.
"I expected you to ask that. Around november, the same year, a new virus was discovered, but doctors were too afraid to acknowledge it, dahil nga naman sa mga nangyari months ago that year. But then a doctor named Cardel Whitelock dedicated his remaining life to study the new virus, and he did not regret it after he did. The virus was called Whitelock, (since si Whitelock lang ang nagreasearch tungkol sa virus) and it's properties were pretty much interesting. It has a crystal-like body form. And only one could enter the body. Once you're infected with this, your immune system would be crazy at first, but then after a day of being infected your immune system, other systems (Nervous, Digestive, Etc) is now on a whole new level, including muscles and bones. You'll be much alert, have fast-thinking, memorizes paths and difficult names and all of that easily, have reflexes, and heck, you will also learn self defence! After this research, someone tried to be Whitelock and claim his works, but is sooner killed and was found guilty for killing Whitelock. This virus also spread easily at first, but then it became not quite common that it can only affect 1 out of 10 people. That's where the survivors come in. With their fast thinking and improved minds, they survived the apocalypse. Pero of course, we're still humans after all, so betrayals and such also happened to them. So cliché, right?" Tumawa lang sya ng mahina. Tapos tumingin sya ulit kay ZM na halatang nag iisip.
"So, anong plano mo? Hihiwalay ba tayo, o sasama ka sa akin?" Ang sabi ni Andrei kay ZM. Nagulat si ZM, pero agad nya tong binalewala at sinabing,
"Anong plano mo?" Ang sabi ni ZM.
"Balak kong maghanap ng ibang survivors, tapos titignan ko kung may mga squad mg survivors at sandaling sasali, tas lilipat hanggang sa mahanap ko ang iba nating kaibigan. I actually plan na bumuo ng sarili nating squad, kaso nga lang, nagkahiwa-hiwalay tayo." Sabi nya kay ZM.
"Sige, sasama ako sayo."