Virus Z

"Zeli, want to go together?" I glanced up from my desk to see my classmate standing beside me, her bag slung over one shoulder. She had a hopeful smile, waiting for my response. "You go ahead," I replied, waving a hand dismissively. She gave me a nod before leaving with the others, chatting excitedly about their weekend plans. Once they were gone, I let out a sigh and stretched my arms, my back arching slightly as I tried to shake off the boredom settling in. I turned my gaze to the window, watching the afternoon sunlight filter through the trees. The wind outside rustled the leaves gently, creating a calming rhythm. sigh "Can school be any more boring than this?" I mumbled to myself. Bzzzzzzt A vibration in my pocket caught my attention. I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. It was from my brother. Brother 1: "Hey sis, I found you a tutor for math! Since you suck at it, lol. He's in the lab room right now. Go see him. His name’s Jon Gray. Sending his profile so you can message him." I scoffed at the message. "Wow, thanks for the confidence boost, bro." I typed back. Right after sending the reply, my phone screen flickered and then... went black. I stared at it. No. I clicked the power button. Nothing. I tried again. Still nothing. "You've got to be kidding me," I groaned. My phone was completely dead. I had forgotten to charge it last night. Great. Just great. Not only was I already behind in math, but now I couldn’t even contact my supposed tutor. What was I supposed to do now? My exam was on Wednesday, and I needed to start reviewing as soon as possible. There was no other choice. I had to go find him myself. I sighed again, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. The problem was, I had no idea where the science lab was. I hadn’t bothered exploring much since school started. I wandered through the halls, glancing at the signs for directions. After what felt like forever, I finally found it—Science Lab Building. Wait. The science lab has its own building? I frowned and pushed open the main door, stepping inside. The moment I entered, I was hit with the scent of sterilized metal and chemicals. The room was spacious and brightly lit, filled with long counters equipped with microscopes, flasks, and other science equipment. It was modern, clean, and a little too quiet. My gaze landed on a guy standing near one of the tables. He had short, slightly messy brown hair and striking green eyes. A pair of thick glasses rested on his nose, and he was wearing a lab coat, his head slightly tilted down as he examined something on his clipboard. "Excuse me," I said. He looked up immediately, adjusting his glasses as his sharp green eyes met mine. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Uh… can I help you?" "I'm looking for Jon Gray," I said. He blinked. Then, with a hesitant tone, he replied, "T-that's me. Are you…?" I nodded. "Yeah." As I took a step forward, he suddenly held up his hands. "W-wait! It's dangerous in here. We should talk outside." I glanced around the lab, seeing all sorts of equipment and substances that probably weren’t safe to be near without supervision. "Fine," I said with a small sigh, stepping back through the door. --- I found a nearby tree and sat down, leaning against it as I pulled out my slightly squished burger from my bag. It was still warm, at least. Good enough. I unwrapped it and took a bite. Barely two minutes had passed when Jon finally walked out. He was now without his lab coat, revealing a neat white shirt underneath. His uniform was well-ironed, and his glasses slightly slipped down his nose as he hesitated before walking toward me. He looked nervous, his green eyes darting around. He shifted awkwardly as if debating whether to approach me or not. Then, as he took another step forward— "Woah—!" I blinked in surprise as he tripped over his own feet. His body tilted forward, and in the next moment, he was falling—right toward me. I instinctively braced myself as he crashed into me, sending us both toppling onto the grass. My back hit the soft earth, and Jon landed right on top of me, his face barely inches from mine. His glasses miraculously stayed on, but his cheeks turned bright red. I blinked at him, still holding my burger. "You're kind of heavy." His face turned an even deeper shade of red. He pushed himself up in a rush, practically stumbling over his own feet as he stood. "I-I'm sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was—! Oh god—are you okay?" I sat up, checking my burger first before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine." He watched as I took another bite like I didn’t just get tackled into the grass. I saw his lips press together, and I swore he looked even more flustered. After a moment, he slowly sat down beside me—but a full ruler’s distance away. "You—you should’ve just messaged me," he stammered. I pulled out my phone and showed him the black screen. "I would have, but it's dead." He carefully took it from my hands, flipping it over before pressing the power button. Nothing. He frowned, then took off his backpack and started rummaging through it. I watched as he pulled out a portable charger and a cable, connecting it to my phone. His fingers moved quickly and skillfully, as if he had done this a thousand times before. His brows furrowed in concentration as he kept checking the screen, his lips pursed in thought. It took a couple of minutes, but then the screen flickered back to life. "Oh—here," he said, handing it back to me. "It should be okay now. Just leave it plugged in for a while." I took the phone, my fingers brushing against his for a second. I glanced up and saw that he was smiling. For some reason, his smile was contagious. I found myself smiling back before I quickly shook my head. What the hell was that? "Let's just text about it tomorrow," Jon said quickly, his face suddenly turning red. He stood up so fast it startled me. Then, before I could even respond, he mumbled something under his breath and rushed off. I blinked after him. What a weird guy. I finished the last bite of my burger and checked my phone. It was still charging. Sighing, I rested my head against the tree, watching the sun start to set. Looks like I have a study session to prepare for tomorrow. I attended my last class of the day, half-listening as the professor droned on. My head rested on my palm, fingers idly tapping against the desk. "Announcement, everyone," the PA system suddenly echoed through the room. The chatter immediately died down, though a few students still whispered, probably trying to guess what was happening. I sighed and straightened up a little, mildly curious. "We just received an update on an ongoing situation. I’m sure most of you have already heard about it—people randomly attacking others." A wave of murmurs spread through the room, but our professor quickly hushed them. "There have been new reports, so the school administration has decided to dismiss classes earlier today. Please make sure to go straight home. Stay safe, everyone." Oh. That again. The entire class buzzed with hushed conversations, some students scrambling to pack their things, others already making plans. I, on the other hand, yawned and stretched my arms before lazily gathering my stuff. By the time I slung my bag over my shoulder and stepped outside, most of the students had already cleared out. I hummed to myself, checking my phone out of habit, only to be met with the black screen. Right. Still dead. Well, whatever. It’s not like I had any reason to go home early. I might as well head straight to work instead. With that thought, I strolled to the bike parking lot. The sun was still up, casting a golden glow over the campus. I unlocked my bike, swung my leg over, and was just about to push off when— A scream. I paused, one foot hovering over the pedal. My brows furrowed as I glanced around. It was distant but sharp enough to send a jolt of unease through me. More shouting followed. I sat still, tilting my head as I listened. The shouts were getting closer, and before I could decide if I even cared enough to be concerned, three girls came sprinting around the corner, their footsteps pounding against the pavement. One of them was unconscious, practically being dragged by the other two. Even from where I was, I could see the blood trickling down her leg. My eyes flicked lower. Bite marks. Deep ones. Okay. That was… weird. I watched as they passed by, my fingers still gripping the handle of my bike. A dog bite? Looked too big for that. A person? …That’s weird. But, whatever. It wasn’t my problem. With a shrug, I put my foot on the pedal. I pushed forward and rode off.