The heavy diesel engine of the Kia KM-450 tactical truck roared as it plowed through a pile-up of stalled commuter vehicles at the main Daang Hari intersection!
"Vroom!"
The heavy 4x4 troop carrier surged onto the broad avenue leading into the heart of Imus, Cavite.
Thick, suffocating brown fog hung low over the flooded streets as nightfall rapidly approached.
Without road obstacles, fallen power lines, or zombie swarms, the drive from Daang Reyna to Elias's residential subdivision in Imus would have taken only thirty minutes.
However, because of constant bottlenecks, abandoned delivery trucks, and swarming infected along the way, their journey had dragged on for nearly an hour!
Elias leaned forward in the front passenger seat, his knuckles white as he gripped his R4A3 assault rifle.
His eyes scanned the darkening streets with mounting anxiety.
"Drive faster, Mateo! We need to get home right now before total darkness hits!" Elias urged, his voice tight with desperation!
"Step on it!" Sergeant Mateo Cruz ordered the driver! "Get the Supreme Commander to his destination ASAP!"
"Roger that, Supreme Commander!" the driver answered.
He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, sending the tactical truck speeding past abandoned storefronts, crushed tricycles, and dark residential gates!
Within ten minutes, the truck turned sharply into a quiet residential subdivision in Imus.
The neighborhood was dead silent, shrouded in the murky brown haze of dusk.
The streetlamps were dark, killed by the global power grid failure.
"Halt here and establish a 360-degree security perimeter around the house!" Sergeant Mateo commanded as the truck pulled up outside a familiar two-story residential house!
"Screech!"
The 1st Infantry Squad dismounted instantly, taking up defensive shooting positions along the driveway, sidewalk, and front gate!
Elias kicked the passenger door open, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
He pushed open the squeaking iron front gate, stepping onto the familiar concrete walkway of his childhood home.
"Creak..."
The front wooden door was slightly ajar, hanging off one shattered hinge.
Elias raised his R4A3 assault rifle, his 3x Peak Human senses straining in the gloom as he stepped into the dark living room.
The familiar scent of his mother's home cooking was gone, replaced by the bitter tang of copper and rot.
"Groan..."
A dry, hollow moan echoed from the dark hallway near the kitchen!
A shadowy figure stumbled out into the dim twilight filtering through the living room window.
Elias froze, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes widened in utter horror!
It was his mother.
Her hair was disheveled, her skin a sickly pale gray, and dark, congealed blood smeared across her lips and shirt.
Her milky white pupils locked onto Elias, driven only by the mindless, hungry instinct of a turned zombie!
"Ma...?" Elias choked out, a sharp wave of agonizing heartbreak tearing through his chest!
A deluge of tears welled in Elias's eyes, spilling uncontrollably down his blood-caked cheeks.
His world shattered in a single brutal moment.
His father Arthur was dead, put to rest back in the cold concrete halls of Bilibid Prison.
And now, his mother had also been turned into a flesh-eating monster!
"Why... why did this have to happen to our family?!" Elias sobbed, his voice trembling with unyielding grief!
His mother shuffled forward, her hands clawing blindly at the air as she snapped her jaws!
Elias wiped the tears from his eyes, his hands trembling as he raised his rifle.
He could not leave his mother to wander as a mindless, suffering monster in the dark.
Putting her to rest was the final act of love and mercy he could give her.
"Rest in peace, Ma... I'm so sorry..." Elias whispered, his voice cracking with intense emotion.
"Bang!"
A single, merciful 5.56mm round tore through the dim living room.
"Thud!"
His mother's body collapsed gently onto the living room rug, finally at peace.
Elias dropped to both knees beside her, burying his face in his hands as quiet, violent sobs racked his body.
He felt completely devastated, crushed beneath the unbearable weight of losing both his father and mother in less than a day.
Suddenly, fear gripped Elias's mind like a cold vise!
"Where is my sister?!" Elias gasped aloud, his eyes snapping open!
He looked frantically around the living room and kitchen, but his sister was nowhere to be found!
Dread filled his chest as he scrambled to his feet, gripping his rifle tightly.
"Rustle..."
A faint, trembling noise echoed from the back master bedroom!
Elias sprinted down the hallway, stepping over the threshold and kicking the bedroom door wide open!
"Creak!"
Elias raised his rifle, scanning the dark bedroom with sharp, hyper-focused eyeas!
In the far corner of the room, huddled behind a heavy wooden study desk and cowering beneath a thick blanket, was a figure trembling violently!
"Who's there?!" Elias called out, his voice tense and protective!
The blanket pulled back slowly, revealing the terrified face of a nineteen-year-old girl with tear-stained cheeks and wide, frightened eyes!
It was his younger sister!
"Brother... Brother Elias?!" she sobbed, her voice trembling in utter disbelief!
"Brother!"
She scrambled out from behind the desk, throwing her arms around Elias's neck and sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder!
Elias wrapped his arms tightly around his nineteen-year-old younger sister, holding her close against his tactical vest as tears of profound relief poured down his face!
Against all odds, his sister was safe, uninfected, and alive!
"I'm here," Elias whispered, stroking her hair as he held her tight in the dark room. "I'm right here, Maya. You're safe now. I've got you."
Maya pulled back slightly, her hands trembling as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"Brother... Ma turned into one of those monsters right after the meteor impact," Maya sobbed, her voice shaking with terror.
"I was inside my bedroom when the ground shook and the crimson rain started to fall outside," Maya explained, gripping Elias's jacket tightly.
"When I opened my door to check on Ma, she was already standing in the living room... but her eyes were milky white and blood was dripping from her mouth!"
Maya shuddered violently, fresh tears falling down her cheeks as she recalled the nightmare.
"She growled and lunged at me, Brother! She chased me through the living room and into the kitchen!" Maya cried out.
"I ran for my life, dodging around the dining table until I managed to sprint back into my bedroom and slam the door shut!"
"I locked the door and hid behind the desk under this blanket," Maya whimpered softly. "I heard her scratching at the door for hours... I thought I was going to die in here!"
Elias pulled his younger sister back into a firm, protective embrace, resting his chin on her head.
"You were brave, Maya," Elias said softly, his voice full of brotherly warmth and resolve. "Ma is at rest now. I'm never letting anything hurt you again."