5. To Logan

His gloves were smeared with thick, black waste oil as Logan finished repairing a car that hadn’t had an oil change in years.

Cursing the lazy car owner, Logan slid out from under the vehicle. The smell of rotten oil hung heavily in the air.

‘Maybe she left because I stink.’

He lifted his arm to sniff the scent coming off his body.

Then, his thoughts drifted to Kylie, whom he had just seen. She always gave him those sharp glances and acted high and mighty, but her small nose, lips, and the freckles sprinkled like sesame seeds across her red cheeks were too cute to actually make her annoying.

Kylie wasn’t very popular with her friends because of her prickly, annoying personality, but Logan couldn’t understand why.

If people only got to know her a little better, they’d see how shy, clever, and adorable she was.

But it seemed someone had finally noticed her true worth—some guy named Asher. Not that he was likely anything special.

If Logan couldn’t even picture his face after hearing his name, the guy was probably some awkward, creepy-looking loser.

Why was she going to prom with such a nobody? Was she really so desperate for a date? She should’ve just asked him. He would’ve gladly taken her and picked her up right from her house—it’s right next door, after all. No need to go far, and it would’ve been convenient for both of them.

As he wiped the sweat off his forehead, still thinking about Kylie…

Bang, bang—!

“Aaahhh!!”

“Get down!!”

It felt like a mass shooting had broken out. People were scattering everywhere in panic, running wildly.

Seeing the fleeing crowd, Logan hurried back into the garage.

“Dad, something’s happening outside. It sounds like someone’s shooting.”

His father, who had been filling out an order form, looked up and scratched his shoulder, dismissing the worry. He waved Logan to come inside, signaling they should stay put until the police arrived to calm things down. There was no way the shooter would come inside the garage.

But even after a while, the gunshots didn’t stop.

Now, gunfire echoed from all directions, as if a full-blown riot had erupted.

Logan anxiously checked the time, his leg bouncing. Was Kylie safe at home by now? He regretted not following her sooner when the gunfire first started, thinking he could’ve ensured her safety.

It was getting late. He was starting to get hungry.

“Let’s just head home.”

“You’re going out there? The gunshots are still going.”

“It’s probably just the shooter in a standoff with the police.”

His father began taking off his work clothes, getting ready to leave. As he did, a long scar on his waist became visible—evidence of the spinal surgery he had undergone after a car accident earlier that year. At the time, the doctors couldn’t guarantee his survival, and Logan had felt an indescribable sorrow.

It was around then that Logan decided to drop out of college and take over the family garage.

The two finished closing up and got into their car. The streets were still chaotic and noisy.

Once they were on the road, the severity of the situation became clear. A wrecked car lay flipped over, and in the distance, gray smoke rose, indicating a fire.

Logan’s father gaped at the scene in shock, scanning their surroundings. Then, a man suddenly knocked on their car window.

“Please, please let me in!! Crazy people are chasing me! Please, I’m begging you!”

The man had disheveled hair and was covered in cuts, as if he had been running for his life. Without much hesitation, Logan’s father unlocked the door.

The man scrambled into the back seat, gasping for breath.

“Thank you! Oh, thank you!”

“What on earth is going on out there?”

Logan’s father, sitting in the passenger seat, asked the man.

“Watch out! These crazy people are attacking everyone. And if they bite you, you turn into one of them! Whatever you do, don’t get bitten!”

The man’s frantic words were met with a cold silence in the car.

Logan listened and thought they’d picked up a lunatic.

‘Is he saying zombies are attacking the city? That the whole place is being overrun by zombies?’

It was too ridiculous to believe. Logan shook his head and started the car, eager to drop off this madman and get him out as soon as possible.

“So, where can I drop you off?”

Logan asked, and the man hesitated before answering.

“…Please drop me off in front of A-Mart downtown. My mother’s house is nearby.”

It was in the opposite direction. Logan frowned, annoyed, but reluctantly turned the steering wheel.

The man, either oblivious or indifferent to the inconvenience, kept mumbling to himself, rocking back and forth in the back seat.

“I live in the same city as my mother, but I haven’t visited her much. Even when she’d call, saying she missed me, I’d always use work as an excuse. I didn’t even have anything important to do… The truth is, I hated her. She used to hit me a lot when I was a kid. Maybe I wanted to get back at her…”

Logan found the man’s ramblings annoying, but his father, always kind-hearted, responded gently.

“Well, it’s never too late to start treating her better.”

“Please… just go!”

The man in the backseat kept babbling nervously as they finally arrived downtown. A block ahead, the yellow sign of A-Mart came into view.

Logan glanced at the rearview mirror, relieved that they could finally drop off the loud man.

“I’ll drop you off here. Once you get out—”

Logan’s words trailed off. The man in the backseat was convulsing violently, as if electrocuted.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Logan’s alarmed voice caught his father’s attention, and he turned around, reaching out to check on the man.

That’s when it happened.

“Aaahhh!!”

“You crazy bastard!”

The man suddenly bit into Logan’s father’s arm. And it didn’t stop there—he lunged at him, as if trying to devour him whole.

Logan immediately jumped out of the car and flung open the back door, throwing punches at the crazed man to pry him off his father.

But even with repeated blows to the face, the man wouldn’t let go. His teeth sank deeper into Logan’s father’s arm, and blood began to spill as he chewed at the flesh like some kind of cannibalistic beast.

That’s when Logan remembered the words the man had said earlier—about crazed people attacking others and transforming into something monstrous if they were bitten.

“Ugh, aaah!”

The man shook his head like a wild animal, tearing at his father’s arm, and his screams grew louder.

Logan ran to the front seat and opened the glove compartment. He grabbed the gun inside and aimed it at the man.

First, he shot him in the leg. No reaction. Then he shot him in the shoulder. Still nothing. It was as if the man couldn’t feel pain.

Finally, Logan aimed the third shot at the man’s head.

Only when the man’s skull exploded like a watermelon did the attack stop.

It was Logan’s first time killing someone. But was that even a person anymore?

He dragged the corpse out of the backseat, then rushed to help stop his father’s bleeding.

The seat was drenched in blood, and his father’s arm was in shreds—he needed to get to a hospital immediately.

Logan sped toward the hospital, dialing the police, but the line just rang and rang with no answer. He tried calling the hospital as well, but there was no response there either. Panic and fear clawed at his throat.

‘Is this real? Did zombies actually show up?’

A chilling sensation crept down his spine. Then his father’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“Logan, pull over.”

“What? Why? We need to get to the hospital.”

“Just pull over, now!”

Logan slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt. He turned to face his father, who was panting and shaking his head violently.

“Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean, something’s wrong?”

“This… this doesn’t feel right. Something’s wrong.”

“What are you talking about?”

His father kept muttering nonsensically before opening the passenger door. He stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him.

“What are you doing?!”

Logan shouted, frustrated and scared. They needed to get to the hospital, and his father was acting strangely.

“Stay there! Don’t move!”

His father yelled through the window, telling Logan to stay put.

“Something’s wrong, just stay there. Don’t come out, no matter what. Stay in the car.”

“…Dad?”

“Go home. Just go home. I’ll walk there… slowly. You go home first.”

“What are you talking about? It’s too far to walk—”

“Logan, go home. Take care of your mother. Be careful. I’ll see you at home… later.”

Logan watched as his father backed away from the car. He wanted to get out and bring him back, but…

His father began to change. Just like the monster from earlier…

“Raaaahhh!!”