"I hope you don't take this badly. I do appreciate what you did back there. If it weren't for you... I don't wanna think about what would've happened to me," said Buchanon, his brows knotted as he stared out the police cruiser.

"Don't worry, I understand. I'm sure everything will get squared out soon; a trip down to the precinct isn't gonna kill me." Levi responded from behind the metal grating separating the front and back seats.

The reassurance made Buchanon smile as he met Levi's eyes through the rearview mirror. "I'm glad to hear that; I hope it doesn't mess up any plans you might've had."

"Nah, I had planned to relax today." the unperturbed Levi said, leaning back looking out at the city blur through the window.

"That's good," Buchanon said.

The car went quiet for a while, besides the occasional radio chatter. Levi brows furrowing as he caught glimpses of multiple plumes of smoke in the air.

The silence broke when a radio transmission mentioned a code one hundred, causing Buchanon to press his lips together, a frown appearing on his face.

"You okay?" Levi questioned, his eyes squinting, watching the mans reflection in the mirror.

"Haha, you don't need to mind the radio; things have just been a little hectic the last few days," Buchanan responded, sweat running down his brow.

"Oh, in what way?" Levi intoned from the back.

"Increased reports of violence city-wide. After what happened earlier, it makes me think whether that's all it was." the officer responded, scratching his nose—meeting Levi's gaze with a wry smile.

"Mmh. It's scary imagining a city filled with those things," Levi muttered, looking at the red fabric bracelet on his wrist, rubbing the words indented on the dog tag attached.

"Your right. I hope what occurred today was an isolated incident," Buchanon added, his fingers restless as they strummed the steering wheel.

Soon the car wheeled towards a building and pulled into a parking lot. "We're here. We'll get you processed before I head back out on patrol," Buchanon said, receiving a nod from Levi, before helping him exit the vehicle.

They moved towards a large grey building that emanated an aura of authority. It had the bold metal lettering 'Boston police department' above the front of the door, where police were bustling back and forth through the main entrance-- everyone moving with a sense of urgency.

---

The processing didn't take long, and soon he was guided by an officer into a holding cell. The officer closing the door behind him, the click of the lock reverberating throughout the cell.

The cell was as drab as he'd expected, with four rough stone walls lit by a singular ceiling light. And a bed attached to the wall, the sheets a cream colour matching the walls, but at least there was a toilet-- albeit in the corner.

Levi lay down in his new abode and stared up at the ceiling of his temporary residence. He ran his hand across the flaking paint of the concrete wall, releasing a sigh, thinking that no good deed went unpunished.

Though it wasn't the worst place Levi had ever stayed, the chilling draft from beneath the steel door didn't make his experience any more pleasant. Neither did the eerie silence that suffocated his holding cell, the only relief being the occasional sounds from the nearby inmates.

Levi found it hard to judge how much time had passed since he'd arrived without any natural light within his cell. But from what he could guess, it was somewhere around ten in the evening. By this time, he reckoned Maggie would start getting worried.

The officers promised him a call, but it appeared he wouldn't be getting it. Though he reasoned they had more pressing matters, after all, only one person had run through in the last few hours.

Stripping the flakes of yellow paint from the wall, Levi was suddenly startled by his cell door opening. Making his eyes widen, as he hadn't heard anybody. And in the open doorway, he saw nobody causing the familiar jolt of his instinct to warn him that something was amiss.

He got up from the bed with caution, his footfalls almost silent as he moved towards the ajar door. He peered from the cell door, looking up and down the hall, seeing nothing in sight besides the confused faces of other inmates. But this did nothing but make the sinking feeling he felt in his gut even worse.

His eyes scanned twice and three times, unsure if he was missing something. But when he realised there was nothing, he stood with a contemplative look, uncertain on how to proceed. No matter how he thought about it, the situation wasn't right.

He wasn't likely to be charged if he stayed. But if he took advantage of this situation and made a run for it, he was sure that wouldn't be the case. But he didn't re-enter his cell. He didn't believe in coincidences. After what happened today, he would be a fool if he re-entered the cell.

"Do you know what's happening?" a teenage girl with auburn hair asked Levi—staring up at him with hopeful eyes. The looks she received from the other inmates making her squirm.

Levi ignored the girl, walking towards the exit with measured steps. Causing the girl to pale as she looked behind at the other inmates before running after him. Making a slim built man with olive-toned skin shout, "Hey, where the fuck you goin!"

Only for his words to fall on deaf ears as Levi's relaxed figure strode forward, walking through a door--girl in tow-- leaving the inmates behind. The man was about to shout again, only to stop when he saw a well-built man of darker complexion start following in the same direction. Making him click his tongue as he began to follow, spewing a few curses under his breath.

---

Noise rocked Levi as he exited from the holding cells-- screams reverberating off the walls as gunshots resounded in the distance. Causing Levi's eyes to shoot open as he jumped behind a large oaken desk.

The scream of the girl who had followed, ignored as Levi's eyes darted around the room--his heart thumping against his chest--as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

Soon from behind the door, the other inmates appeared, their faces turning pale--as they darted towards whatever cover they could find.

A broad dark-skinned man flinched at the continuous sound of shots as he looked towards Levi and shouted. "What the fuck is going on?" his body pressed against a wall, sweat perspiring down his brows.

He received a glance from Levi, who was peeking from behind the desk, trying to glean what was happening. "How would I know?" Levi responded, never facing the man, staring down the hall where the sounds originated.

Levi's mind kept wandering to the images of the crash earlier. His intuition screaming that whatever was happening was linked, and his instincts were rarely wrong.

But he didn't have much time to dwell on these distracting thoughts as an officer entered his sight-- scrambling around the corner. The reason soon became apparent as three more people in police uniforms ran, in pursuit, without pause into the corner wall.

However, the collision, strong enough to knock someone unconscious, didn't deter them. As they scrambled once more to their feet, setting their gaze towards the officer.

When Levi saw the men, he instantly recognised what they were. After all, they were the reason he was in jail. But also because they were unforgettable, with their corpse-like complexion, sunken glazed eyes and bodies strewn in wounds.

The one with the most striking injuries had a flesh wound reminiscent of an animal mauling. It was amazing that he could still breathe, let alone run around. But these creatures couldn't be explained by mere logic and reason. After all, no human being could've survived so many gunshots and continued forward undaunted.

The officer didn't overlook their momentary weakness, turning and firing shots towards the creatures— killing one, A bullet tearing through its skull, making it trip slumping to the floor.

But the officer seemed to underestimate the creatures speed as he only managed to take out one more. The last knocking him to the floor before he could react--the two breaking out in a struggle on the floor.

The creature overpowered the officer sinking its teeth into his shoulder. Causing the man to scream out as he thrashed against the uniformed officer, his eyes meeting Levi placid blue eyes, causing him to scream, "Help!"

Levi didn't need to be told and, seeing an opportunity, sprung into action, propelling himself forward, vaulting the desk--ignoring the wide-eyed looks from the other inmates. Landing before the creature's gaze, snapping his leg forward in a roundhouse kick, impacting its head before it could react. Causing its head to fly towards the floor—a crack on impact.

The kick sprawled the creature onto the floor, where it flailed to return to its feet. However, Levi gave it no time as his foot came down once more upon its head. Its head gradually became pulpified, the dark blood splashing across the room.

Landing on his face, his visage looking psychotic as his unblinking eyes looked down indifferent at the limp corpse. The inmate's blood running cold, a shiver zipping up their back, at the barbaric savagery.

Eventually, his relentless barrage stopped as he stood to appriciate his work. His eyes taking in its crumpled head that oozed a pinkish-white discharge that mixed with its blackish blood. Its still body laying atop of the officer, who groaned in pain, his eyes looking up at Levi with a mix of gratitude and horror.

Levi kicked the corpse from the grimacing officer and leant over, unclipping the utility belt from the officer, who went rigid, not moving a muscle, letting Levi take what he wanted. Before attaching the belt to himself and pulling a pistol from its holster, reloading the empty gun.

Hearing the click of the magazine loading, Levi looked around the room at the figures that flinched from his gaze, "You have two choices. You can crawl back to whatever cell you came from--hoping whatever's happening resolves itself. Or you can stand up--here and now--and follow out this godforsaken building, taking fate into your own hands." Levi said, looking evenly at the figures dotted throughout the room.

"You have until I've finished checking the bodies before I leave you here. Mind made up. Or not." he said with finality, his words coursing with a powerful force.

The building sounded like a warzone as Levi, unphased, started stripping the corpses. He stared thoughtfully at their wounds, noting that all three had bite marks at various locations that'd turned black--that was especially eye-catching due to their pale complexions.

While Levi contemplated his discovery, a powerfully-built man of dark complexion stepped forward. He seemed the calmest of the inmates, although if one looked close enough, they could see beads of sweat running down his bald head.

When he moved towards Levi, he didn't speak, only giving Levi a single understanding meeting of eyes. As he joined Levi, taking a pistol from the items Levi had stripped from the officer's corpses

The next that followed was the injured officer, who held his shoulder, blood pouring from the bite mark. He caught a shirt that flew in his direction, thrown by Levi, allowing him to stem the blood somewhat. As Levi walked towards him, striking up a conversation with the man.

Others started following after that. The auburn-haired girl who followed Levi earlier, moving towards a table and attempting to break the metal legs, only to fail and blush in embarrassment. Until a short, monstrously muscular man tapped her shoulder, moving her aside as he grunted, snapping a leg from the table and passing it to her.

By the time Levi had finished speaking to the officer, only four people from the original eleven hadn't moved forward. And he paid them no mind as he looked at the people who'd resolved to follow, only saying, "Let's go." before walking through the halls towards the sounds that promised nightmares.

—

How had things gone bad so fast? It was only this morning that I was laughing and joking with Johnson on the beat. But why. Why was he now crying, coughing through his feverish delirium, in my arms?

Is this gods punishment for humanities sins? Cause if not god, what in the world could create such abominations.

A few unusual cases throughout the week, some unexplained homicides that looked more like animal maulings. However, all it took was a day. One day for everything to turn to hell.

Screams began pouring in through the radio: attacks in the hospitals, attacks in the schools and attacks in the parks, with each officer having an account more spine-tingling than the next.

Some made it back. Some didn't. But those that returned all said the same thing. Anything other than a headshot was useless. From the bandaged wounds of bitemarks, it was clear this information didn't come free.

Soon the sheer scope of what was occurring was beyond everyone's belief. And when illness began to plague those bitten, we were wrenched even further into despair.

Those afflicted suffered a slow death. One that dragged out over many hours. And soon, our ranks had thinned, our dead comrades stored in a storage room until we figured out what to do. Unable to send them to a hospital or a mortician, especially not since they were the places most affected.

That probably should have sent warning signals--after all, the link was evident. Perhaps it was the fact that police reports swamped our lines. But probably it was because they were our friends. Our comrades. Our wedding guests. Our family.

It was already too late by the time we linked the bite to infection. We already had a room full of bodies back at the station. There was no guide on how to handle a horde of revived comrades. And even more, there was no guide on how to stop a grieving friend from opening the door and opening the gates of hell.

And hell it was. Only a scream that soon disappeared alarmed us that something was amiss before the station was flooded with a tide of our dead comrades-- sending us into pandemonium. It was hard enough to concentrate and hit the target of the head when it was a stranger running towards you. But when it was your comrade-- somebody you knew. It suddenly became much harder.

A hesitation creeps into every decision, dulling reactions and making an already perilous situation more dangerous. It would be difficult even to call what happened a struggle. It was a massacre. A simple one-sided massacre.

Caught unprepared, forced to fight several dozen creatures at proximity, where firearms were disadvantaged. We lasted only a few minutes, with Johnson getting bitten in the chaos. Leaving us stuck inside a room barricaded by whatever we could find, the sounds of our other comrades dying beyond the walls.

If we couldn't escape, this would be our tomb. There was no food and no water within the conference room, and if the infected didn't kill us, the slow grasp of dehydration and starvation would. At least, opening the holding cells gave us a distraction that might give us a slim chance to escape.

Sure it was cold, but they were criminals anyway. I didn't care for them much when things were normal, much less when things had gone to hell. Besides, if we didn't escape, I doubted our chances of getting rescued, not with the other precincts dealing with the same situation all over the city. But for now, all we could do was wait with bated breath for any opportunity to escape.

My hand grasped Johnson's as his incoherent ramblings of feverish delirium continued. I knew what I had to do, but at least he could have his last moments. As soon as he drew his last breath, I'd no longer have a reason to put it off. It might make me selfish, but I was man enough to admit that I couldn't. Not while he was alive. Not while he was staring at me, those eyes filled with hope.

After all, who knew maybe he could make it through. Maybe he was different. But I think deep down I knew--he wasn't different. But I couldn't take that hope away from him. I didn't have the strength. But at the very least, I would let him continue to hope until he passed, that much I'd let happen. It didn't matter how much Mccluskey glowered at me from across the room.

"You hear that," Mccluskey said, moving forward, pressing his ear against the wall. I gave him a look of confusion; it'd been quiet for a while now. But I heard a faint sound—a muffled shouting through the wall.

"Let… Closer… Closer… Fire…" was all I could make out through the wall. Before, I heard an almighty succession of gunshots—making my eyes go wide, as I met Mccluskey's and looked towards the door in uncertainty.