Amy was watching TV in her bedroom, seemingly the only activity she had engaged in for a long time. She had chosen to lock herself down in recent days due to unsettling events in her city. It all began with a homeless man assaulting a woman in a mall—something not entirely out of the ordinary, but the frequency of such violent outbursts had been on the rise.
The room was dimly lit, shadows dancing on the walls as the glow from the TV painted an eerie scene. The recent surge of violence in the city had left her on edge, prompting a decision to lock herself away from the outside world. She moved cautiously, checking and rechecking the locks on her doors, a palpable tension in the air. The TV flickered with news reports, each headline amplifying the unease that had settled over the city like a suffocating blanket. The assault in the mall, a catalyst for the pervasive fear, echoed in her mind, and she found solace in the glow of the screen, a feeble attempt to distract herself from the disquiet outside.
Amy's eyes were fixed on the TV screen, absorbing the images and information like a sponge. The hum of breaking news filled the room, and her heart quickened as a sense of dread settled in. The once mundane reports were now replaced by a chilling revelation—there was a fungus spreading, a sinister disease turning people into zombies. The recent outbreaks of violence in the city suddenly made terrifying sense.
The news anchor's tone shifted, urgency and panic palpable in every word. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a drill. We are facing an unprecedented threat. The fungus has been quietly infiltrating our communities, and the symptoms take time to manifest. It is highly likely that a significant portion of the population has already been infected."
Amy's breath caught in her throat. The gravity of the situation weighed heavy on her, and a shiver ran down her spine. The TV screen flickered, casting an eerie glow across her face as the anchor's demeanor changed abruptly. His eyes, once professional and composed, now bore a wild desperation. "You need to prepare! Barricade yourselves, avoid contact, and for the love of—"
The transmission abruptly cut off. Amy stared at the now blank screen, the room plunged into an unsettling silence. The reality of the situation sank in, and fear gripped her. The world outside her bedroom, once a familiar place, now seemed like a battleground. With a deep breath, she steeled herself for what lay ahead, ready to face the unknown that had transformed her city into a nightmarish landscape.