Lam Pham slept until nightfall.
He stepped onto the balcony. Outside, it was eerily quiet. Darkness blanketed everything. Occasionally, there was a flicker of fire or the sound of explosions.
All the surrounding buildings were pitch black, dim and lifeless.
His room was the only one lit up.
He didn't like this kind of situation. Hoang City used to be so lively—especially at night, filled with dazzling lights, crowds of people partying. But now, the streets were dead silent. Aside from the occasional growl of a zombie, there was no other sound.
Suddenly, far off in the distance, a building lit up—like someone had turned on a flashlight, opening a door that cast light into the dark.
There were survivors inside that building—men and women.
They looked exhausted, mentally worn down. The zombie outbreak had shocked them to the core. Now night had come, everything around them was pitch black. Just as they were drowning in despair, they spotted the lit-up building far away.
To them, it was like seeing hope.
They were survivors who had grouped up while fleeing. The terrifying zombies had left a deep psychological scar. All they wanted now was to huddle together for warmth and pray for rescue.
"Look! Someone has lights on in that building!"
"Let them know we're here!"
The flashing light stood out—like a beautiful spark in the darkness, giving the dead city a different kind of scenery.
Lam Pham looked at the twinkling lights in the distance, took a deep breath, and raised his voice.
"Hey… what are you all doing?"
His voice echoed loudly through the night.
Rooaaar!
The zombies on the road heard the noise and began to stir.
The growling got louder and louder. Countless zombies charged from all directions, drawn by the sound, swarming the streets and looking for its source.
Other survivors in the area were stunned when they heard the shouting.
"Damn!"
"Shouting that loudly in the dead of night?"
"Is he trying to get himself killed?"
"He actually dared to yell out like that…"
"Can you guys even hear me over there?" Lam Pham noticed the lights were still blinking in the distance. He thought for a moment. "Makes sense. It's pretty far, and my voice is kinda soft. No way they could hear me."
"Whatever, I'll just go back to gaming."
He sat back down in front of his computer and resumed his game.
In another apartment building…
"A-Minh, I'm scared," Lý Hồng said, crouched in the corner with her arms wrapped around herself. Her voice was hoarse. She hadn't eaten anything all day. Her nerves were frayed. She was in bad shape.
"What good does being scared do? I'm scared too!" A-Minh snapped. He felt completely hopeless. They rented the place just as a couple's pad. They never cooked—always ordered takeout.
Suddenly, the sound of zombies roaring outside bombarded their ears, crushing their mental defenses.
"Ah! Ahhh! Stop it! Make it stop!" Lý Hồng clutched her head, screaming and covering her ears.
"Shut the hell up! You're gonna draw them here!" A-Minh yelled.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone—or something—started pounding violently on their security door. Both Lý Hồng and A-Minh trembled, covering their ears, too afraid to even scream now. They feared the zombies would crash in and tear them apart.
Later that night…
Lam Pham dreamt of the old, lively Hoang City.
He loved that.
His alarm rang at 6:30 a.m.
He got up on time—no sleeping in. Even in the apocalypse, he stuck to his old routine: wake up, get dressed, wash up, eat breakfast, and get ready for work.
His life was well-disciplined.
Even though it was Sunday and he didn't need to work anymore, he still woke up early.
He walked to the electric kettle, poured himself a cup of warm water, and downed it in one go. Drinking water in the morning was good—it helped flush out toxins.
After washing up, he squatted on the toilet, resting his chin on his hand, zoning out while doing his business.
Bang! Bang!
There was noise at the door. He peeked through the peephole and saw a zombie in a work uniform lingering outside, pounding on the security door.
He recognized the guy.
He used to work in property management. Usually lazy as hell—except when collecting service fees. Then he was the most diligent one around.
"I'll deal with you later," Lam Pham muttered.
He was busy now—needed to cook, and then do his workout. Sitting all day at an office job was bad for his health. Regular exercise was important.
Half an hour of training for a lifetime of fitness.
He made a simple breakfast:
A bowl of plain congee.
Two eggs.
He drank the congee and ate the eggs. The outside world didn't affect him much. Apocalypse or not, zombies or not—life had to go on.
Boom!
A loud explosion came from the streets.
Holding his bowl of congee and eggs, Lam Pham ran out to the balcony at high speed.
He didn't have many bad habits—but he loved to watch drama.
Down on the street, a large truck was driving down the road.
On the back was a cage made of blue steel bars, spaced just wide enough for fists to fit through.
Inside the cage were six survivors wielding different weapons, stabbing at the zombies surrounding the truck.
"Hey! Watch your backs! Don't let them tip the truck!" a bald man shouted from the driver's seat.
"Roger!"
Among the six survivors—four men and two women—the women were already terrified, trembling and barely able to stand.
Of the men, one wore glasses and held a metal pipe, standing off to the side, clearly nervous.
The other three were tough, battle-hardened guys, stabbing zombies in the head with skill and force.
Blood sprayed as they punctured skulls. Black, sticky fluid oozed from the wounds.
"Nice coordination," Lam Pham watched intently. This was the first time he'd seen a team that looked reliable since the outbreak began.
The truck had power, was raised high, and had solid armor in the front.
With good coordination, they really had a chance to escape.
"Aahhh!" one of the girls screamed.
She was dressed stylishly, but now she dropped her metal pipe in terror and screamed while clutching her head.
"Don't come near me! Don't come near me!"
Zombies reached their arms through the cage, clawing toward her. She panicked.
A man beside her shouted, "Don't scream! Grab your weapon and stab their heads!"
He was furious, stabbing frantically. If the zombies gathered too many, they could flip the truck.
Women who only screamed were useless. Their shrieks might attract even more zombies.
The truck hit something and jolted violently. Zombies were crushed under the wheels. Blood and gore splattered everywhere—it was a brutal scene.
Bang!
The truck rammed through an abandoned vehicle blocking the road.
But the crash noise drew even more zombies. These creatures didn't know pain or death. They just kept coming.
One man was knocked off balance by the impact. As he staggered toward the cage wall, zombies grabbed his arms and tried to pull him through the bars.
Dozens of hands squeezed through, trying to drag him out and rip him apart.
The man screamed, "You stupid bitches! Stop screaming and help! Stab them in the head!"
The girl looked up and saw the bloody, rotting arms. She screamed even louder, peed herself, and curled up, crying out for help.
"Dammit!" the man cursed. He never expected the girls to be so useless. All they could do was scream and cry. Totally dead weight.
"Glasses, hurry up!" The rest of the team was too busy—they pinned their hopes on the guy with glasses.
He trembled, gripping his metal pipe, edging forward nervously.
"Hurry up! What are you hesitating for?" the man yelled.
"O-okay…" The glasses guy moved closer, terrified.
"Don't be afraid. Just stab them in the head," the man said, trying to guide him.
The guy with glasses moved in slowly, gathering courage—just as the truck hit another obstacle.
It tilted and slammed into the side rail.
"Sh*t!"
The man screamed in despair.
The glasses guy was grabbed by zombies. Pressed against the rail, he was overwhelmed by hands clawing at his arms, chest, and neck.
A zombie shoved its head through the bars—even as its face was skinned by the steel—and bit into his neck.
Crunch!
A chunk of flesh was torn away.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
"Save me…" the glasses guy cried, reaching out—his face full of despair.
"It's over," the other man muttered hopelessly.
Raaaaargh!
The glasses guy convulsed violently. His eyes rolled back, veins bulged on his face, and he let out a guttural growl as he turned.
He lunged at the man beside him.
"Goddammit!" the man screamed as the bite sank into his shoulder. "I regret everything! After all the zombie movies I've watched—I should've known. Never bring cowardly men or screaming women. Regret!"
Clink!
Lam Pham calmly took another sip of his congee.
"Damn… with this kind of team composition, they still got wiped out. The women were too scared to act, and the coward with glasses got bitten. Those two were the key factors in their demise."
"Yeah… can't underestimate cowardly men and panicked women. They really can doom a team."
Crash!
The truck was finally tipped over by the horde.
Screams filled the air. It was a tragic scene.
"Sigh… how tragic. Hoang City's huge population means there are way too many zombies."
Lam Pham walked back inside with his bowl.
Nothing left worth watching.
Later, he planned to go downstairs and buy some supplies.