The night the world ended, Erin woke to the sound of her own screams. Her dorm room was bathed in crimson light, a cruel glow filtering through the heavy curtains. Heart pounding, she pressed a hand to her chest and felt the frantic rhythm beneath her skin. The nightmare had been vivid: blood, screams, and something feral lurking just out of sight. But the pain in her throat was what lingered.
Her roommate, Tasha, was gone. The bed across the room was a chaotic mess of sheets and blankets, a half-packed suitcase spilling onto the floor. The door to their room hung ajar, swaying gently as though someone had left in a hurry.
Erin stumbled out of bed, her head spinning. She glanced at her reflection in the cracked mirror above the dresser. Her skin looked paler than usual, her dark eyes sunken. She touched her throat, wincing at the sharp sting beneath her fingertips. Two tiny puncture wounds stood out against her skin.
Panic bubbled up in her chest. “What the hell?” she whispered, voice hoarse. She didn’t remember how she’d gotten those marks. Her last clear memory was going to a party the night before—the music, the drinks, the stranger with piercing eyes who’d drawn her into conversation.
The faint sound of sirens pierced the night, a distant wail carried on the wind. Erin moved to the window and peeked through the curtains. What she saw made her stomach lurch.
The campus courtyard below was in chaos. Students ran in every direction, some screaming, some clutching bleeding wounds. Others moved slower, shambling with an unnatural gait. Their eyes were blank, their faces smeared with blood. One of them—a boy she recognized from her biology class—lurched toward a girl cowering near a lamppost. He grabbed her, teeth sinking into her shoulder. Erin turned away, bile rising in her throat.
“Zombies,” she muttered incredulously. “This has to be some kind of sick prank.”
But the sounds of carnage outside told a different story.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, but the screen was cracked, and it wouldn’t turn on. Frustrated, she tossed it aside and began rummaging through the room for anything useful. A heavy flashlight, a pocketknife, and a half-empty water bottle made their way into her bag. As she strapped on her sneakers, the hunger hit her.
It was sudden and overwhelming, like a wave crashing over her. Her stomach twisted, a sharp, clawing ache that made her double over. She clutched her abdomen, gasping. The room seemed to tilt, the edges of her vision darkening. She stumbled to the bathroom and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face.
That’s when she noticed it. The faint, coppery scent of blood.
Her gaze dropped to her hands. They were clean, but the smell lingered, tantalizing and nauseating all at once. She looked up at the mirror, and her breath caught. Her reflection was hazy, almost translucent, and her eyes had taken on an eerie, golden hue. Her lips parted, and she saw them—fangs, small but unmistakable, glinting in the dim light.
“No,” she whispered, backing away. “No, no, no.”
Her back hit the wall, and she slid to the floor, shaking. Memories of the party resurfaced. The stranger’s piercing gaze, the way he’d leaned in close, his breath warm against her neck. And then, pain. A sharp, searing pain followed by an intoxicating sense of euphoria. She’d thought it was a dream.
But it wasn’t.
She was a vampire.
The realization should have terrified her, but the hunger drowned out everything else. It gnawed at her insides, an insistent, primal need. The scent of blood in the air grew stronger, and she found herself drawn to the open door. She stepped into the hallway, her senses sharper than ever. Every sound, every movement seemed amplified. She could hear the pounding of hearts, the rush of blood beneath fragile skin.
At the end of the corridor, a figure stumbled toward her. It was Tasha, her shirt torn and soaked with blood. Her eyes were glazed, and her movements were jerky. Erin froze, the hunger warring with the horror in her chest.
“Tasha?” she called hesitantly.
Her roommate’s head snapped up, and for a moment, Erin thought she saw a flicker of recognition. But then Tasha snarled, her mouth opening to reveal jagged, bloodied teeth. She lunged.
Erin moved on instinct, sidestepping the attack with inhuman speed. Tasha hit the wall, but she was up again in seconds, coming at Erin with relentless determination. Desperation fueled Erin’s next move. She swung the flashlight with all her strength, connecting with Tasha’s head. There was a sickening crack, and her roommate crumpled to the floor.
Erin stood over the body, chest heaving. The hunger surged again, stronger this time. The scent of blood was overwhelming, and before she could stop herself, she was on her knees, her fangs sinking into Tasha’s neck. The warm, metallic taste flooded her senses, and for a brief, horrifying moment, nothing else mattered.
When she finally pulled away, disgust and shame crashed over her. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, trembling. Tasha’s lifeless eyes stared up at her, and Erin forced herself to look away.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, though she wasn’t sure if she was apologizing to Tasha or herself.
The sounds of chaos outside grew louder. Erin knew she couldn’t stay here. She needed answers, and she needed to survive. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she made her way down the hallway, her heightened senses guiding her away from danger.
The campus was unrecognizable. Fires burned in the distance, and the once-familiar pathways were littered with bodies. Zombies roamed in packs, their guttural moans filling the air. But Erin noticed something strange. They didn’t seem to notice her. She moved among them, her heart pounding, but they paid her no mind.
A memory surfaced, something she’d read in one of her horror novels. Vampires were technically undead. Did the zombies see her as one of their own?
It didn’t matter. She wasn’t about to question her luck.
As she reached the edge of campus, a voice called out to her. “Hey! You there!”
She turned to see a group of survivors barricaded inside the student union building. A man with a baseball bat waved her over. “Hurry! Before they see you!”
Erin hesitated. The hunger was still there, a constant, gnawing ache. She didn’t trust herself around other people, not after what she’d done to Tasha. But she couldn’t survive on her own, not in this new, terrifying world.
Taking a deep breath, she jogged toward the building. The man opened the door just enough to let her inside before slamming it shut and locking it. The room was dimly lit, filled with a handful of people who looked just as terrified and exhausted as she felt.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice shaky.
The man nodded. “Name’s Jake. We’re trying to figure out what the hell’s going on. You okay?”
Erin forced a smile. “Yeah. Just… hungry.”
Jake chuckled grimly. “Aren’t we all?”
As the group huddled together, sharing what little information they had, Erin kept her distance. The hunger was a constant reminder of what she’d become. She didn’t know how long she could hold out, but one thing was clear.
The world had ended, and she wasn’t sure if she was a monster or a survivor.
As dawn approached, Erin stood by the window, watching the chaos outside. She didn’t know what the future held, but she was determined to find out. She’d face the zombies, the hunger, and whatever else this new world threw at her.
Because if she was going to survive, she needed to understand what she was—and what she was capable of.