Chapter One : Cassie

I don’t remember when I fell asleep last night. All I know is, I must’ve been out cold for hours -- it’s already 10 AM. Panic rushes to my head for a second, thinking I’ve missed something important, until it hits me: it’s the weekend.

Relief washes over me. Meh. I can totally sleep more, right? Yesterday was awful; I deserve to recharge, just a little longer.

I roll over, half-listening to the faint beeping of my phone buzzing with notifications. Probably someone asking for project help again or the college blasting tuition reminders. Whatever. I can deal with it later. Sleep first.

When I wake up again, it’s nearly 2 PM. That’s when I notice it -- the corridor is… eerily silent.
Weird.
The dorms are never this quiet. Usually, girls are squealing over weekend plans, dragging each other to cafés, or huddling together for binge-watching marathons. You know, normal weekend noise. But today? Nothing.
I yawn loudly, stretching my arms overhead as my eyes adjust to the pale sunlight slipping through the window. I suppose I could get used to peaceful days like this.
But something deep down feels off.

I finally drag myself up, groaning, and snatch my phone off the nightstand to see what all the nonstop buzzing is about. I swipe through the notifications, expecting… I don’t know, another classmate begging for help on a project or some dumb campus announcement.

What I don’t expect is this:
An apocalypse.
A f*****g apocalypse.
Surely this has to be some kind of elaborate senior prank, right? It sounds so absurd, so over-the-top. But no -- it’s real. I flip through news updates, official alerts, social media -- it’s everywhere. Apparently, we’re dealing with a new virus. Some mutated variant of rabies that slipped out during a virology experiment gone wrong. Haven’t scientists learned anything after COVID? Now people are turning violent -- zombie-level violent -- attacking anyone and anything near them.

And me?
I’m stuck.
In college.
In the middle of a goddamn zombie apocalypse.
What the f**k am I supposed to do?

And yet…
Some twisted part of me feels a flicker of satisfaction. Survival has always come easy to me -- staying invisible, avoiding chaos. Maybe deep down, I’ve always been waiting for something like this. Something to push me, something to give me a reason to stop pretending.

But here’s the thing: I’m no hero.
I’ve never acted on the violent urges I bury inside.
This isn’t a game.
This is real -- one reckless move, and I’m dead.
I have to think. I have to plan. I can’t afford to be stupid.

So. I put together a noob-level survival plan.
First things first, check the eatables I've got in my room. Spoiler alert -- nothing. Because let’s be real, anything edible that enters my room gets inhaled within minutes. So either stay locked in here and starve or leave the dorm, go scavenge for food, and probably get my clumsy a*s eaten by zombies. Terrific.

I ransack the room anyway and manage to find two… let’s call them “weapons.” A dull kitchen knife and -- drumroll, please-- a frying pan. That's right. A f*****g pan. Well, beggars can’t be choosers, right? This is all I’ve got, and I’ll just have to make it work.

The plan (if you can even call it that) is simple:
Step one -- get to the ground floor without getting spotted by the zombies.
Can zombies see? Man, I don’t f*****g know. Let’s assume yes and play it safe.
Step two -- hit the dorm storage room where they keep maintenance tools. There’s got to be something better in there than a f*****g pan.
Step three -- make my way to the cafeteria to grab whatever food I can before the whole place turns into a zombie buffet.

I toss my phone and charger into a bag, along with a little packet of sugar (don’t judge me -- it’s calories, okay?). Then I pause, take a deep breath, and mentally prep myself.

Get ready to die.
No -- I mean. Fight.
Excuse the pessimism. But hey if I die, at least it won’t be from boredom. Which, honestly, is more than I can say about life before the zombie apocalypse.

God, I still can’t believe this is happening.
But I guess it is whether I like it or not.
And something tells me… a part of me might like it just a little :)