The taxi exploded and saved him. He gasped for air and groaned while feeling the pain in his throat. He checked himself and noticed his clothes were burned, but luckily, his skin was not. Before his mother could even get close to her, shots were fired. As the deafening sound of gunshots echoed around the area, he also witnessed his mother getting shot in the chest. The force threw her away again and she screeched in pain. The next thing he noticed was a lad who pulled and lifted him quickly. He was saying something, but he only heard ringing in his ears. He forced himself to stay conscious and looked at what was really happening.

The stranger put his arms around his shoulders and aided him to walk away. Whereas the other man remained not far behind them and kept on pulling the trigger of his gun. Passing through the crashed cars, he noticed the bodies scattered on the ground, they were also lying on the pool of black fluid, staring at the sky, with their pupils dilated.

"We need to keep moving before these motherfuckers wake up," the lad said.

He was too weak to look at his face or even utter a question. He just came along with him and endured the pain wrapping his body. He kept going and never looked back. He doesn't want to see the face of his mother anymore; he doesn't want it to tarnish all those beautiful memories they had before. Before long, he heard another inhuman roar and growl that came from different directions. The frightening noises were overlapping. They moved faster, away from the crash site.

When they reached the area where the cars were just parked and stuck, he noticed that there were unconscious people inside and outside, lying on the ground. Their eyes were dilated, and black fluid was dripping out of their noses, mouths, and ears. They were everywhere and he knew that at any minute, they would turn into something dangerous---just like her mother. The firing stopped and it was replaced by a scream of a lad suffering in excruciating pain. He was swept with horripilation; goosebumps enveloped his body hearing the teenager cry for help. They both looked back and saw three monsters, including his mother, punching and kicking the man who saved him.

It was disturbing, a sight no one would wish to see and experience. Tearing his gaze away, his eyes caught movements from different directions around them. The dead were standing, stretching their bodies that made snapping and cracking noises, and screaming inhuman roars.

"We can't make it. Fuck!" the stranger cussed, and they both stopped beside a black van.

The lad pulled the sliding door open and helped him climb inside, and he sat beside the pile of boxes. The stranger stepped in and shut the sliding door closed. Their eyes met and he placed his finger on his mouth, gesturing for silence. Nigel nodded and started controlling his breathing. He faced the ceiling and endured the burning pain of his wounds. Outside, he couldn't count the violent persons passed by and headed towards the man they left to die. They moved so fast and made these unsettling noises that gave him chills.

Luckily, the window of the van was tinted. They remained silent and didn't make too many movements. The silence trapped him in his thoughts. He was tired, shocked, and broken. He doesn't have anyone left. He was starting to lose hope. He just let his tears fall again while trying his best not to sob or make a sound. Until his body gave up and he fell asleep.

••=••

A LIGHT TAP on his shoulders and he woke up instantly. His senses kicked in, he felt pain all over his body, and it was cold. He looked at the silhouette of the lad that was sitting beside him for a second and then he looked around. He noticed that the windows were slightly open. It was already dark, only the streetlights were illuminating the area and the road seemed like an abandoned place. He didn't see anyone around. It seemed like they were the only alive in that area.

"Good, you're awake. I thought you were dead already," the guy whispered and looked outside the van. "We need to go, now. We can't stay here all night."

"I...I can't. I can't move my body," he said with his hoarse voice. He was enduring the pain as he attempted to move. "Please, go. Leave me. I will only slow you down."

"If I wanted to leave you, I should have done it already hours ago."

"But I have wounds. I won't last that long outside, especially with no idea of what the fuck is going on to the people."

He sighed and just stared outside. "Yeah, you're right. I will probably die before the sun's up."

"Do you know what's going on?"

"I don't have fucking idea what is this. All I know is that this morning, our village was swept by a mysterious disease. But only the adults were affected, us teenagers were fine."

"Y...Yeah, I noticed that too. In our street, only the adults were said to experience it...including my mother." He felt pain in his chest remembering her. His eyes watered again and this time, he blinked many times to dry them quickly.

"They complained about their stomachaches; they were coughing blood. We tried bringing them here to the general hospital but before we could transport them, they died...then they came back to life. It was a miracle until they started attacking us. They killed the others; they killed their sons and daughters. It was horrifying to hear their screams. We escaped and tried to seek help here, only to know that the whole town was also sick. And there I saw you getting attacked."

"That w...was my mom," he said, keeping himself together and trying to prevent his voice from breaking.

"I...I'm sorry."

He wiped off the tears that were about to fall. Despite the suffocating pain, he felt comfortable talking to a stranger. He heaved a sigh. "The guy who stayed behind, was that your friend?"

"No, but he lived in our village."

"He doesn't have to die like that."

"He sacrificed himself so that we'll be safe."

He nodded and silence filled the van for a second. "I wonder how many kids and teenagers were out there, scared and have no idea of what's happening."

"This is fucked up. The biggest questions we have right now are why is this happening, why the adults, and if this is an isolated dilemma that only occurred in our province or the whole country or world suffer this now?"

"We don't know shit."

"No one knows." The lad shook his head. "I'm Aaron, by the way...you? I won't shake your hands because you have wounds, it hurts to imagine moving it."

He smiled. "I'm Nigel. Thank you, Aaron, for saving my life."

••=••