When circumstances force humans to act without using reason, terrible things happen due to greed. The rulers disappeared, and law enforcement could no longer ward off the chaos. They say Jakarta is the safest place; is the green zone the destination, hell or heaven? It's neither because everything above is full of question marks. Some people are still trying to defend their lives or rights among the many question marks. The problem is, will those who survive remain fully human or turn into mindless corpses wandering around chasing around?
Puffs of smoke rose high, making the sky a slightly greyish colour. While ensuring it was under control outside, I tried to look out of the narrow, dusty room in an empty building. There was no one but bodies strewn about the streets like trash. Cars and public facilities were damaged due to demonstrations and massive looting that occurred several years ago. But, I'm not sure, I don't know, maybe I've forgotten too much about the sea of people.
I looked up for a moment and looked at the cloud of smoke. Maybe a fire. Then, with stealthy steps, I approached one of the bodies lying under the electricity pole on the right side. The reaction that arises is always the same every time I encounter a lifeless body; I almost vomit stomach acid when I see the condition of the corpse of a man wearing a security guard shirt with the name Sunaryadi on it. His face was destroyed with gaping bite wounds covered in flies on his left hand and both legs. I don't know what happened to the poor man until his right hand was no longer intact.
Scenes like this have become a constant sight since demonstrations and the pandemic. Even corpses that had become human skeletons were left lying like carcasses. But a scene like this is a nightmare that can't be avoided even if I try to wake up. My brown irises caught the knife and gun at his waist.
While saying a prayer in my heart that I didn't mean to steal, I slowly took the two weapons, trembling, then put them in the two back pockets of my jeans. Then I left the security guard's body and looked for another hiding place. Unfortunately, my stomach suddenly thrashing for filling made me think twice.
I have to find a hiding place that has a supply of food.
Barefoot, I walked warily and occasionally hid behind walls or cars. Not because of fear of being arrested by state officials amid a strange epidemic that has hit the country, but rather because humans who have met their end come back to life as something else. Something scarier than a predator that preys on humans. More greedy than state officials who fight over seats and treasures.
Sometimes, I also wonder about nature; women who are always considered weak by men have managed to survive this far. Walking aimlessly along streets is considered safe from 'them,' taking shelter at night in high places, and moving as fast as possible during the day without a weapon. The hot sun burns every layer of skin, especially the soles of the feet, which come into contact with the asphalt. What a fool! When I find an empty shop, instead of looking for footwear, I prioritise looking for food to maintain my life.
Raising my head while reading the street sign that says Boulevard Raya - a row of abandoned luxury houses and shophouses - is like a silent witness to the disaster that struck this place. My eyes widened when I saw one of the strange creatures walking alone in the middle of the road with a blank stare. With a quick movement, I ducked to protect myself behind a rusty dark green bus. My heartbeat was racing wildly, beads of sweat appeared the size of corn kernels, and I was breathing shallowly, afraid that the brainless creature would hear the slightest sound. Unlucky! Both hands trembled when I imagined whether my life would end in this place.
In my heart, I should have just hidden in that narrow room. However, hiding without knowing the outside situation is the same as slowly committing suicide. Swallowing hard, I crawled under the bus with quick movements without making any noise. I can see from here that both legs are clad in worn and torn brown pipe pants; the creature is walking unsteadily while occasionally stopping to find out what to look for.
He stopped about ten meters from my position-the closest distance for them to attack and take lives easily. As a result, my heartbeat became increasingly erratic; even for a few seconds, I held my breath. I crumpled my t-shirt to my chest so the pounding wouldn't get louder like the song that invited them.
The shuffling footsteps approaching the bus made me want to scream for help. However, there was no time to avoid them, so I took the security guard's knife. I had to survive even though I didn't know how to kill that crazy predator. If vampires are killed in the heart, then where should I stick this knife into their body?
When pacing around like he was looking for something with a growling voice, all my nerve cells were forced to avoid the bus immediately, and I decided to crawl out of there. In front of this old bus was a rusty public transportation painted dark blue not far away.
Unfortunately, bad luck suddenly came when my right shoulder accidentally touched the bus's body. After being caught off guard by the undead, I ran to find a hiding place. He ran, almost keeping pace with me with a scary growling sound and cloudy white eyes.
"Ah, damn!" I exclaimed with my energy starting to run out.
My body fell onto the asphalt when I accidentally tripped over a pair of black flip-flops. Blood seeped from his forehead and knees: pain and soreness. When I stood up, the living corpse would lunge at my body with its slimy mouth ready to tear flesh. Reflexively, I kicked him in the stomach quite hard, causing him to take a few steps back.
As if not giving up, his two blackened hands wanted to grab my body again, but fortunately, I was in a stable position to fight back. My right hand pierced his forehead, which was so soft, causing black and rotten blood to flow profusely. He just collapsed in the middle of the road, and I took the opportunity to run as fast as possible to find shelter without even looking back.
I don't know whether this method was able to kill him or not because all this time, all I did was hide and hide like a coward. Now, I no longer feel the nerves in the soles of my feet that touch the asphalt under the hot sun. Everything was numb except the survival instinct.
God, I don't want to die in that condition.
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The rise of Stella Rogers as the last clan of mixed-blood red foxes makes vampires vying for the blood of the Half Blood. Despite changing her name, changing the color of her irises, and even smelling like a human, Stella Rogers, who is now Federica Dawson, must face various obstacles to protect herself from those who try to resurrect a half-blood vampire named Grim Ripper. In between these obstacles, Federica Dawson is met with a vampire who calls to become an ally of the Half Blood. The journey to find a way to kill the Grim Ripper makes them fall in love with each other. Did Federica succeed or did she kill herself?
Ameena thought working in a lawyer's office was terrific until she realized that her boss, Adam-was a handsome and sadistic lawyer who liked to order his secretary without understanding her feelings. Interacting too much with Adam makes him interested in Ameena, and he has the heart to destroy Ameena's love story with her fiancé, Alvin. Will Adam be able to trap Ameena's heart? Or is he the one who will be left behind?
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, “She’s quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and you’re crossing me.” The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Amy didn't expect that her husband whom she had loved and trusted earnestly for many years would be cheating on her by having sex with his secretary. When she confronted him, he and his secretary mocked and ridiculed her, they called her barren to her face, afterall, she had not conceived for the past three years that she had been married to her husband, Callan. Terribly Heartbroken, she filed for divorce and left to the club, she picked a random gigolo, had a hot one night stand with him, paid him and dissapeared to a small city. She came back to the country six years later with three identical cute boys and three identical cute girls of the same age. She settled and got a job but soon find out that her CEO was the gigolo she had sex with six years back at the club. Will she be able to hide her six little cuties from her CEO, who happens to be the most powerful man in NorthHill and beleived to be infertile? Can Amy and the most powerful man in NorthHill get along considering the social gap between them.
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." She stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You are not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked in a quivering voice. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She looked at me in the mirror. "You can't even look at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of looking at that face?" Heather Bailey had a surprise from her husband that night: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. But she was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman because that person was closest to her. Shortly after she put her signature on their divorce papers, shock waves caught her up. Her flower shop was severely burnt, beyond repair. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers who came from influential families, she started her action against Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted. But that was just the beginning.