"Samuel? Can you hear me?" The familiar voice echoed through the low-quality radio speaker.

Startled, Samuel turned his head towards the radio, perplexed at how it had spontaneously powered on without any batteries.

Stepping back over the balcony railing, Samuel cautiously entered the room and reached for the radio resting on the small coffee table.

"Samuel?" The voice persisted.

Recognizing his mother's voice, Samuel timidly responded, "Mum? Is that you?"

"I'm just checking that you are okay." Samuel's mother lovingly said.

Samuel confusingly asked, "How can you hear me?" He completely forgot about the biters in the hallway, who were still desperately bashing on his door.

"I love you, please know that." Samuel's mother responded, ignoring his question.

Samuel's head slowly drooped to the floor, attempting to fight back tears his eyes began to water, blurring his vision.

"I know we don't have the best relationship. But I will always love you Samuel. You know that right?" His mother passionately spoke from her heart.

Samuel collapsed to the ground. Crossing his legs and bowing his head into his lap. With a firm squeeze, he shut his eyes attempting to trap falling tears. Yet, a few tears slipped through, tracing a sluggish path down his cheek.

"If you took your own life. I would take mine. Please, just don't do something stupid." His mother's voice sounded sincere as it crackled over the crappy radio speaker.

Samuel's tightly closed eyes widely opened, allowing tears to rush down his soft red cheeks. Even though Samuel's mother wasn't there, he could still feel her loving presence. Her arm wrapped tightly around his broad shoulders. She rested his sobbing head on her shoulder.

"I know it hurts, but it isn't fair on Brooklyn either. You can't put that kind of burden on her." His mother told him.

"I just can't seem to catch a break. One day it's bad, and the next, it's even worse. It feels like an endless cycle. Everything piles up, and there's never any good." Samuel told his mother.

"You've got to keep fighting. You have so much to experience, so much to see. You're still so young."  His mother whispered in his hear, gently shaking his broad shoulders.

Samuel's face drifted away from his mother's kind shoulder. He gazed around the room, taking in his surroundings. His eyes full of tears, which were flowing down his cheek.

"Was she special?" His mother asked.

Samuel paused for a brief moment. His mind wondered in their lost memories. Mostly full of sorrow and grief from his imprisoned relationship, he managed to find certain happy memories. His lips made a small smirk, then tears began to flow.

Seeking his mother's warm shoulder once more, Samuel bawled his eyes. His shrieks of sadness echoed throughout the small hotel room. Memories of past events flooded his mind, each one contributing to the overwhelming sadness that had consumed him.

Despite the challenges Brooklyn had left him, Samuel had poured his heart and soul into the relationship, hoping it would be his refuge from the other challenges in his life. But instead, it had crumbled, leaving him feeling more isolated and alone than ever.

"It's okay to cry." His mother lovingly whispered.

In that moment of vulnerability, Samuel realized he had been bottling up his emotions for far too long, trying to put on a brave face and portray strength to the world. But now, with the comforting voice of his mother, he allowed himself to be vulnerable, to acknowledge the pain he had been carrying for so long.

His mother's body faded out of sight, and Samuel found himself clinging to the radio, it felt like a lifeline connecting him to the one person who had shown him unconditional love and support in the past. Despite their own strained relationship, he knew his mother cared deeply for him, and her words now were a reminder of that love.

The static of the radio echoed throughout the room once more. This time accompanied by the biters, attempting to break inside. The door was becoming weak, cracking under the pressure of the biters.

Samuel switched the radio off, bringing the room to a silence. Standing to his feet, with a knife tightly wrapped in his hand, he confidently stared down the door, ready for the dead to pile inside.

With one last push, the door came off of its hinges, falling to the ground. Dust from the carpet blew through the air. The biters fell with the door, piling on top of each other, creating a choke point. With determination burning in his eyes, Samuel swiftly lunged forward, driving the knife deep into a biter's skull. Collapsing, lifeless, he pulled the knife out, blood squirting out of the wound, painting the walls red. Ignoring the horrific gore, he readied himself for the next one.

The room was small, and he couldn't afford to let too many in at once. Time seemed to blur as the horde continued to press through the open doorway. Samuel's muscles screamed in protest, and sweat poured down his face as he fought on, fueled by the memories of his mother's words and the love she had shown him.

As the blade grew dull, every thrust of his knife became harder. Three lifeless corpses lay on the ground, Samuel held back attempting to catch his breath. However, he couldn't rest long, as four more biters limbed inside, climbing over the dead corpses.

Samuel's mind flashed back to his mother's words, reminding him that he still had so much to experience and that he had to keep pushing forward. With renewed determination, Samuel pushed through the exhaustion and fear.

Grappling the oncoming biter to the floor, he thrusted the dull knife into it's temple. It's eyes fading into the abyss, Samuel pulled the knife out. Stumbling backwards, his breathing became wheezy. Holding the knife tighter, exhausted he stood ready.

The second biter lunged at him, its rotting arms outstretched. Time seemed to slow as Samuel's instincts kicked in. He sidestepped the attack with a swift movement, narrowly avoiding the gnashing teeth. In one fluid motion, he swung the knife upward, driving it into the biter's skull. The blade cut through the decaying flesh, and the creature collapsed to the floor with a sickening thud.

The last two biters limped over the dead corpses, snarling and growling, their hollow eyes fixed on Samuel. Grabbing onto the ripped shirt of the nearest biter, he held it at bay. It's teeth gnawed attempting to rip his flesh from his bone. It's arms grabbed onto him, trying to pull him in.

Thrusting the knife upwards into the biter's chin, the blade became stuck. Using all his strength he attempted to pull the lodged knife out, however with no success. The lifeless body fell to the floor, bringing the knife with it.

With determination the last biter lunged towards Samuel. Losing his balance the biter brought him to the ground. The biter's decaying breath filled the air as it snarled and snapped its rotten teeth, hungry for a taste of his flesh. With the weight of the biter pinning him down, Samuel struggled to catch his breath and gather his strength. Panic surged through his veins.

Summoning all the courage he could muster, Samuel used both hands to grip the biter's shoulders, trying to keep its gnashing mouth away from his vulnerable neck. The creature's putrid smell was overwhelming, and he fought to ignore it. In a desperate move, Samuel used his legs to push against the ground, attempting to dislodge the biter's hold on him. He knew that he couldn't overpower the biter physically, but he had to find a way to gain some leverage.

As he struggled, his hand instinctively reached for anything nearby that could aid him. His fingers grazed against the radio which had fallen off of the coffee table. With a quick, adrenaline-fueled motion, Samuel managed to grab the radio.

Summoning his last reserves of strength, Samuel raised the radio using it to bash the biters head. A guttural groan escaped the creature as its grip loosened just enough for Samuel to wriggle out from under it. Blood oozed from the wound, but the biter's determination to feast on Samuel's flesh remained undeterred.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his body, Samuel jumped on top of the dazed biter. Holding the radio tightly in both his hands, he bashed the biter's head repeatedly. It's movements became weaker after every impact. It's skull slowly caved inwards, the biter's eyes fell out of its socket dangling over the side of its open head.

With one last scream of desperation, he bashed it's skull one last time. The biter laid lifeless, sprawled out on the blood stained carpet. Exhausted Samuel stood to his feet, wiping blood from his face, he checked his surroundings. The room became a gruesome battlefield, blood covered the walls, multiple bodies laid lifeless on the ground.

Samuel caught his breath, wheezing from each inhale. The adrenaline rush began to fade, and the reality of what he had just endured sank in. The room around him was a grim reminder of the violence and death he had faced. The weight of his emotions crashed over him like a tidal wave, and he sank to his knees, feeling utterly drained both physically and emotionally.

Samuel clung tightly to the destroyed radio. He knew the voices he had heard were just his imagination. But he wanted to believe they were truly from his mothers own words. The radio had become a symbol of her presence and love in that moment of vulnerability.

Closing his eyes Samuel thought of Brooklyn, remembering the note she had left. He felt betrayed and angry. He wished she had said goodbye with words rather then written letters. He felt depressed that after two years of trying to trust her again, she left him because she couldn't face her own personal issues. She was too arrogant and egotistical to accept she was bringing the relationship down.

Samuel missed home, he missed work, he missed footy. Samuel wondered if Adelaide was safe, devoid from the dead. He wondered if his family and friends were still alive.

Samuel carefully placed the broken radio on top of the coffee table. He tried to push the disturbing memories to the back of his mind. Taking a deep breath, he began to carefully drag the lifeless bodies, one by one, towards the balcony. Each movement felt like an eternity as he tried to maintain his composure, ignoring the haunting silence that now surrounded him.

As he pushed the grotesque figures over the railing, he couldn't help but think of the individual lives they had led before the outbreak. Some might have been parents, teachers, artists, or doctors—now all reduced to hollow shells of their former selves, driven solely by their primal instincts. Each thud as they hit the ground below echoed the finality of their existence.

The sun began to set, casting an orange glow over the desolate cityscape, once again marking the ending of another day. Samuel closed his eyes for a moment, finding strength in the fading light. He had lost so much, but he couldn't let himself become one of them—emotionless, ruthless, and devoid of humanity.

He retreated back into the apartment, closing the balcony door behind him. The sight of blood scattered across the room haunted his eyes. He knew he had to move from the room.

The hotel room across from his was vacant, and thankfully unlocked. Samuel moved all of his belongings, including the broken radio, over to his new room. Feeling unsafe in the hotel, he closed and locked his front door.

Sitting on the edge of his new bed, he took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart and clear his mind. His new hotel room was much fancier. The apartment still followed the same floor plan, however the rooms were much larger. The balconies view wasn't covered by any other skyscrapers, allowing a clearer view of the dead city.

"What have I become?" Samuel asked himself, his head resting in his hands.