Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition
Chapter 801 - 801: Story 801: The Awakening (Series HS: ZE9)

The stench of rot clung to the air like a deathly fog. Dr. Evelyn Carter stood in the dimly lit lab, her hands trembling over a microscope. The sample under the lens wriggled—alive. It wasn't just a virus. It was something else. Something evolving.

A distant crash echoed through the facility. Evelyn's heart pounded as she grabbed her flashlight and moved toward the sound. The overhead emergency lights flickered, casting eerie shadows along the blood-smeared walls.

"Hello?" she called out. No answer. Only the distant hum of machines and the rhythmic dripping of something wet.

Then—movement.

A figure stumbled from the corridor ahead, its body convulsing, limbs twitching unnaturally. It was Dr. Malcolm Voss, the head of research. His face was twisted in agony, veins blackened beneath his skin. His jaw unhinged, releasing a guttural, inhuman growl.

Evelyn stumbled back. "Dr. Voss?"

His eyes—milky white, devoid of life—snapped toward her. A grotesque crack echoed as his spine twisted, his body stretching. His ribcage expanded, something pulsing beneath his skin. His jaw split wider, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

He wasn't dying. He was transforming.

Evelyn turned to run, but the hallway was no longer empty. More figures staggered from the darkness—scientists, security personnel, all bearing the same horrific mutations. Their bodies twitched as if their flesh rebelled against them.

One of them lunged. Evelyn barely dodged, her back slamming against the wall. Blood sprayed as the infected scientist's body tore itself apart, bones breaking, reshaping.

She sprinted toward the exit, her mind racing. This wasn't a simple outbreak. This was something far worse. The infection wasn't killing them—it was remaking them.

As she reached the security doors, a siren blared. The facility was going into lockdown. A voice crackled over the intercom.

"Containment breach. Level 4 protocol initiated. No one leaves."

Evelyn slammed her hands against the door. "No, no, no!"

A guttural roar boomed behind her. She turned, her breath catching in her throat.

Dr. Voss was no longer human. His body had contorted into something monstrous—elongated limbs, a chest cavity split open, pulsating tendrils writhing inside. His mouth had become a gaping maw, lined with razor-sharp teeth.

He charged.

Evelyn dived aside as his clawed hand slammed into the door, leaving deep gashes. He was stronger. Faster. And he wasn't alone.

The others began to change too, their screams of agony turning into guttural, monstrous howls.

This wasn't just an outbreak. It was an evolution.

And Evelyn Carter was now prey.

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