When you're on the brink of death, does humanity still exist? Clementia must learn to trust people again after surviving a blocked elevator into a zombie apocalypse or risk losing everything in this horrific world. Every day for Clementia over the last two years has been a haze. She keeps her head down, hangs out with the folks she despises the most, and only leaves the house to work at her required internship. But everything changes the day the workplace elevator breaks down, trapping her as the screaming begins. When the doors eventually open, revealing a dystopian world ravaged by bleeding fangs and sickness, Clementia is thrust into a horrifying race for her life, stuck between strangers she's not sure she can trust and man-eating creatures hungry for her flesh. With that, she realized that the whole city was filled by those monsters. And she is now forced to flee for her life, and she must learn not only how to live in this new and frightening environment, but also how to fight her own inner demons before they lose her something more valuable than her life. But then she met Justine, the one who would help her live in this chaotic life, and together they will fight in a world where a virus has spread, turning the majority of the people into flesh-eating monsters, as they both connote safety and unity.
View MoreLife is a wild journey. It's entirely up to you whether you enjoy the journey or scream.
On a roller coaster, you might be high in the air one moment and then plummet to the ground the next, only to rise again. The ups might be frightening, or you can appreciate the view from there. It is up to you to determine what you will make of it. The roller coaster will not change for you; it will continue to travel up and down until you exit it.
And It's the same for everyone who rides the roller coaster. It will rise and fall, rise, and fall, something like that. Some people will appreciate it, while others will not. Life, in my opinion, is a roller coaster ride. You experience highs and lows. The difference between life and a roller coaster is that you can get off if you don't like it on the roller coaster. You can rejoin if you change your mind later.
But regrettably, life does not enable you to get off, unless you commit yourself, which many people have done. The issue is that you can't get back on once you realize you've made a mistake or when you feel better. And if we decide to enjoy the ride regardless of whether we like it or not, we seem to love it. Time seems to fly by, and life doesn't seem that horrible after all.
However, it’s not applicable to everyone else. As me on the other hand, seems to be the unluckiest person who’s alive in the entire universe.
“You’re fired,” said by my boss which stretched the silence farther inside the room.
Everyone went silent and no one seems to give a fuck about what happened. Others though, were looking at me with sympathy in their eyes, which of course, I fucking hate the most.
I bit my lips as I slowly nodded to Jerica, my boss. “Well, Uh… That’s sad.”
I smiled warily as I slowly went to my table to gather all my things. I stared at my desk for God knows how long is that as I felt a presence of one of my colleagues. It was Monica, and we’ve been together and working under this company for four years. Only that, she’s more tenured than me as she’s been here for like six years already. I know, insane right. For how she was able to keep up with the management, I don’t know anymore. Because if you’re going to ask me, I was happy that I got fired since I am going to resign anyway, so it doesn’t matter anymore.
I can still remember the days where I was still an intern in this company, and I was really happy back then. As I sipped and enjoyed my extra creamy, warm coffee at my desk, it was a gloomy morning. The workday seemed to be taking longer than usual.
And being an intern at TDEX company was, to say the least, monotonous as the days went by, but I held out since it paid more than any of my prior retail jobs. It also takes more than just computer time, because radiation sucks, right? And less human interaction, which I like.
I'd been working for the company for a few months while attempting to achieve my hashtag everyday living, and thankfully, it worked for me. It wasn't that I was an introvert or anything. I'd just learned enough from life to realize that I'd rather fend for myself.
"Morning, Clementia. Could you possibly print seventeen copies for me? This has to be finished by the end of this day or by tomorrow morning. Thank you," Mike, my coworker, remarked as he passed by, adding additional paper to my already crowded workstation.
I smiled, trying not to lose my cool. "Certainly, sure. No problem, asshole," I said to myself.
Despite the fact that we were both at the bottom of the corporate ladder, he seemed to believe I was his assistant. Isn't that presumptuous? He's such a jerk, and I can't wait to toss him out on the mantle.
Sighing, I set my coffee cup down and groped for the page. To go to the furthest corner of my desk, I had to somewhat rise up from my chair. As I did so, I underestimated where I was putting my coffee and ended up with a half-full mug in my lap. It quickly drenched my dress pants.
"Jesus," I growled as the mug slid across the floor, spilling the remaining coffee on my heels.
It was only adding insult to injury, but at least my coffee was cold. I yanked up my desk drawer, grabbed a fistful of napkins, and began drying up my soaked jeans.
Mike, of course, had to walk back at that very time. “Woah. Have you spilled your coffee? Are you perhaps tired? That sucks," he guffawed as he walked by.
Thank you for your insightful remark, dick.
I sighed and reached down to pick up my drink. I was honestly surprised it hadn't shattered. It was baby blue with a cat on it and the wording "May you have a furpect morning" in bold and capital letters. My elder brother had given it to me after I'd gotten my internship, stating it was a present and a fortunate spell to ward off any ill-luck that could come my way.
And now that I think about it, it kind of dawned on me how it actually sucks. Moving back to the present, my attention went back to Monica, when she asked me.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my mini stuffed and put inside the box.
I shrugged. “Maybe?”
She laughed. “You’re really crazy, aren’t you?”
“I am completely aware of that, Monica.”
Sighing, I washed down the cup and dabbed at the beige mat, thinking the new stain would blend in with the pattern. I placed the wet napkins in the garbage beneath my desk and excused myself to visit the washroom. The office area on my floor was huge, and my walk of shame took me past the entirety of the cubicle-filled room. I moved quickly towards the door, my coffee-soaked jeans clinging to my thighs. I took a left in the hall and virtually sprinted into the women’s' room.
I ran immediately to the sink and soaked some paper napkins in water, hoping to get the coffee out. Fortunately, the pants were black, although smelling like old coffee wasn't my first option of how to get through the remaining time of my day.
I knelt to remove my heels, and my hair slid in front of my face, clinging to my pure creamy lip gloss. Sputtering, I attempted to blow the long golden hair strands out of my face, which only made the situation worse.
Jesus. This isn't going well.
Is today my lucky day? I wiped my hands and took more paper napkins in an annoyed huff, hoping to sponge up the water from my now painfully soaked bottom. After wasting more paper napkins, I exited the toilet and dashed back to my desk to get the paperwork Mike had cursed me with.
"Clementia," Alison said quietly from the stall beside mine. She slid her eyeglasses up her nose and smiled as she peered past the artificial wall that separated our workstations. "This floor's copy machine is broken. You should proceed to the second floor. You know, that one on that floor is never occupied."
I smiled at her with no humor at all. Maybe she has no idea of what happened, but just to give her a heads-up, I slipped back out of view before I spoke. “Uh, I’m afraid I cannot do that.”
Her brows furrowed. “Why not?” she asked.
“I just got fired.”
She stared at me for God know how long that was and I was cannot help but to feel awkward while standing in front of her. She wasn’t saying anything to me, but she was staring at me. Probably digesting what I just said to her? And as I was about to turn my back at her, she called me by my name and said something which made things more awkward between us.
“And so? You just got fired, and so? Ever heard of the word courtesy?” she replied as she went back to her cubicle and gathered all the pile of folders on her desk before she averted her gaze back to me. “Being fired doesn’t validate the fact that you still have to do the task that was being told to you. We’re a woman of a courtesy, aren’t we? Consider this as your final task or maybe rendering for a day.”
I almost burst into laughter when she said that to me. I mean, who the hell on earth does that? Rendering huh? I didn’t even resign. I was fired, maybe she should know that already.
Still, I followed her order like a fucking freaking slave of this goddamn company. I collected all the paperwork in my arms as what has Jerica had told me to do so as I lazily made my way towards the super old elevator on our floor. As I went my way to that, I saw two to three girls while I was waiting for the elevator to open.
They’re like whispering to each other and I have no idea what they were talking about.
“I saw it with my eyes! It’s not a person or anything like that. It was kind of distorted,” the blonde girl absentmindedly murmured as she walked in the corridor together with a woman which I assumed was her co-colleague.
“Are you high?”
I remained standing there, but since we’re not that far from each other, I heard their little chit-chats. I tried to ignore them since it wasn’t really important, but the last words of the blonde girl caught my attention.
“It was not a human. I swear, it was not a human, Elise!”
Peter nodded. “I’ll go find him some clean clothes to wear. The shirt might be a little tight since he’s so big compared to me, but it’ll have to do for now. You should help him get into the shower while I do that. Do you want me to go find the others?” “That’s probably a good idea,” I said. “Once he’s cleaned up, it should go smoothly.” Turning to Justine, I motioned to the stairs. “You remember where that bathroom is, right? Why don’t you go start a nice hot shower and I’ll be up there in a minute?” I sighed. “It’s too early to tell. He did turn and attack someone, but I’m not sure how much of it he remembers, or what kind of lasting affect it’ll have on his mind. I’m hoping he’ll be able to put it all behind him with some time and love and understanding.” “Be careful being alone with him,” Peter remarked. “I know you don’t wanna hear this, but he might be dangerous. I shouldn’t even be leaving you alone with him to go find him something to wear. The only reason I am is because it
Two months later. Joseph screamed, spit flying from his lips as he swung wildly at Clyde. He knocked another man to the ground before he could get out of the way, and he stepped on his back, vaulting off him and leaping at Clyde. He slams into Allen’s chest and drags him down to the ground with a startled shout. Before any of us could even react, he sunk his teeth into Clyde’s shoulder, tearing through the flesh. Clyde grunted as blood welled up and spilled down the front of his chest, staining his white shirt red. Michael and Billie were there in a heartbeat, dragging a kicking and screaming Joseph away from Clyde. I knelt down beside him, pressing a wad of clean napkins to the bleeding wound while trying to ignore the terrified whispers around the room. Thankfully the wound didn’t look too bad, but I’m sure it couldn’t feel very pleasant. Clyde hissed in pain as I pressed the napkins harder against his chest, trying to stem the flow of blood. “What set him off?” I asked. “I’m not
Unfortunately, I was one of the ones closest to the front.The rottens advanced on us, and Billie pulled the trigger again and again. One more rotten dropped, but the second just staggered as his shoulder jerked back from the impact. Peter fired, and the wounded rotten dropped to the ground, unmoving. The rest of them were on us, and I brought my weapon up. My heart was racing in my chest and my blood pounded like a drum in between my ears, creating a roar that blocked out everything except the harsh sound of my breathing.I pulled the trigger and my hand jerked from the force of the shot, but a rotten dropped. Three more drops to the ground courtesy of Billie and Peter, and I took out an eighth. Only four left; Billie took out two of them with relative ease, leaving the last two for me and Peter while he reloaded. Mine was too close to take the time to aim, so I just screamed in anger and hatred, swinging my weapon up before bringing it back down like a hammer, slamming into the rotte
Justine was going to die in the next couple of hours. He’s going to be ripped away from me, and then he’s going to come back. He'd probably end up being a rotten for at least a little bit while we get the cure to work. He’s going to suffer a fate worse than death.The tears streamed down my face and I started to choke. Justine pulled me closer as I cried, but for once it didn’t comfort me; it made me feel claustrophobic and smothered. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe or function. All I could do was cry and gasp for air like my lungs had been punctured or flattened like pancakes. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t. Please…Everyone kept their distance while Justine and I cried it out, and I was forever grateful for it. We needed the space and time to ourselves, even if we didn’t have the time to spare right now. I was dangerously close to breaking, and it was wise for them to keep their distance. All I wanted to do was scream and throw things and pull at my hair, cursing Dr. Melendez, the gove
As the celebration drew to a close, Justine and I headed back to our house. We took our time, enjoying the peacefulness of the night, not really minding the cold anymore as we enjoyed each other’s company. The others wandered along behind us, watching us with obvious concern. I knew they saw us together during the song, and I knew they saw how it affected us so deeply, but none of them know why or what to say. So they remained quiet and just watched, looking for any sign that something was wrong.When we reached the house, everyone gathered in the living room, taking up every available seat on the couch, chairs, and the floor. Clyde, Billie, and Michael joined us, and together we made a rough plan of attack. “Unfortunately, we don’t know the layout of this area where the lab is,” Clyde began. “And we don’t know the extent of the disease. So we’re going in blind and to an extent, we’ll just have to hope that things work out for the best. What we can plan for, however, is what to do in
“You did look a little green up there,” Xander said with a smirk.“You did great. It was a speech to go down in history,” Clyde replied. “I told Millie it would be, so she had someone write down the entire thing word for word, so we can put it in our records. People will remember that speech for a very long time.”Billie clapped his hands loudly. “Well, now that the official business is over with, who wants some booze?”“Yeah, what the hell,” Michael said, getting to his feet. “This might be our last chance ever to get drunk.”The two of them headed up to the front and grabbed red plastic cups, searching through the already open bottles of liquor for something to drink. Billie chose what looked like Captain Morgan spiced rum and he mixed it with coke, making his drink very strong. Michael went with seven and seven, using less liquor and more pop to take it down a notch.“What did they mean by ‘this might be our last chance ever to get drunk’?” Justine asked.“The three of us are headi
A quick glance out the window showed that it was no longer snowing, which was good for us. It'd make the drive tomorrow much easier if the roads don’t get any worse, and it'd be easier on us when we had to ditch the vehicles and continue on foot. I’m not sure of the layout of New York, but I assumed we’re not going to be driving straight up to the front door of a top-secret government facility. At the very least I’m sure there would be a fence, and maybe even more obstacles.I tore myself away from the window, sitting on the edge of the bed with Justine while I pulled on my boots. They zipped up easily, and I waited for him to ready himself mentally. He finally sighed and gets to his feet, following me to the door. The others were already waiting for us downstairs, and I saw Clyde, Billie, and Michael were all with them. This couldn’t be good…“What’s going on?”“Just a precaution,” Clyde assured. “Word got out about Justine being here, and there are a lot of unhappy campers. We just w
“If you’re right and you guys do succeed, everything is gonna change. Hope will be alive once again. We can actually begin rebuilding instead of just surviving. People won’t have to be afraid to search for their lost loved ones, or to fall in love again for fear of losing who they’ve given their heart to. So many possibilities, all because of one crazy scientist, and a group of kids crazy enough to go after him," Clyde looked back at us, his eyes shining with unshed tears and the smile on his face growing. “You’ll all have prominent spots in the community if you decide to return. Everyone will know who you are.”Peter’s cheeks turn red. “I don’t know about that,” he said, looking away. “I’ll be happy knowing we made a difference. I don’t need any kind of praise or validation from others. We had a duty to seek out this cure, and we did it. It’s nothing most people wouldn’t have done if given the chance.”“You really believe that?” Clyde asked, lifting one bushy eyebrow. “Huh. I can’t sa
Millie wasn’t the only person in the tent. There were two men in white coats with clipboards, and they ushered us farther into the tent. One closed the flap behind Justine, and he looked us over closely, probably trying to decide where to start with us. While Millie looked after Isabel, he motioned to several nearby chairs. “Take a seat. We’ll take you behind the curtain one at a time and have you undress for a quick examination.”“You’re shitting us, right?” Peter asked, eyes narrowing a fraction. “There is mother fucking snow on the ground. Do you honestly think any of us are stripping?”The doctor didn’t look up from his clipboard. “It’ll only take a moment. We can’t let you any farther into the community until you’ve been cleared. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to deal. The sooner you strip, the sooner you can get dressed again. You’ll be given some hot chocolate for your troubles while you wait for your friends to finish," he motioned to the screen behind him, tucked away into the c
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments