RUNNING HELL

By Ryan Bett

Chapter 1: The First Step

The sirens didn’t stop.

They screamed through the early morning air like warnings from another world. Ethan Cole opened his eyes slowly, confused at first, thinking it was just another city emergency.

But then came the crash.

Metal against metal. Glass shattering. A scream—raw, desperate, cut short.

Ethan rushed to the window.

A man staggered in the street below, covered in blood. Another man tried to help him… but instead, the injured man lunged forward and sank his teeth into the helper’s neck.

Ethan froze.

“...What the hell?”

People started running. Some fell. Some didn’t get back up.

And then the bitten ones started rising again.

Not human.

Not anymore.

Ethan didn’t pack much. Just a backpack, water, a flashlight, and whatever food he could grab. His heart was racing so fast it felt like it would burst.

The world wasn’t ending.

It had already ended.

And the only thing left to do…

…was run.

Chapter 2: No Rules Anymore

The streets were chaos.

Cars abandoned mid-road. Fires burning unchecked. People screaming, crying, fighting.

Ethan ran past a grocery store being looted. A man punched another over a bag of rice. A woman dragged a child through the madness.

No police.

No control.

No rules.

That’s when he met her.

She stood in an alley, gripping a knife, breathing hard. Her clothes were dirty, but her eyes were sharp—focused.

“You alone?” she asked.

Ethan nodded.

“Then you won’t last long.”

Her name was Lila.

She didn’t waste time with comfort or kindness. She moved fast, spoke little, and trusted no one.

“Stay close,” she told him. “And don’t hesitate.”

That night, for the first time since it began, Ethan didn’t feel completely alone.

Chapter 3: Hunger Games

Three days later, hunger became their biggest enemy.

Food was gone. Water was scarce. Survival wasn’t just about avoiding the infected—it was about outlasting other humans.

They found a small supermarket, half-destroyed.

“Quick,” Lila whispered.

They moved through the broken aisles, grabbing whatever they could—canned food, biscuits, bottled water.

Then came the noise.

Footsteps.

Voices.

“Someone’s here!”

A group of survivors burst in.

Not friendly.

Desperate.

Violent.

One of them charged Ethan. Instinct took over. Ethan swung a metal rod he had picked up earlier.

The man dropped.

Silence followed.

Ethan stared at his hands, shaking.

“I… I didn’t mean to…”

Lila grabbed him. “You did what you had to.”

But deep down, Ethan knew something had changed.

Survival had a cost.

And he had just paid the first price.

Chapter 4: Night Hunters

Night wasn’t safe.

It was worse.

The infected changed when the sun went down.

They moved faster. Reacted quicker. Almost like they were learning.

Ethan and Lila hid inside an abandoned apartment, blocking doors and windows.

“Don’t make noise,” she whispered.

But outside… something was different.

Scratching.

Sniffing.

Then—

BANG.

A body slammed against the door.

Then another.

And another.

“They found us,” Ethan said, panic rising.

Lila didn’t hesitate. “Back window. Now.”

They climbed out just as the door burst open behind them.

The infected poured in like a flood.

Ethan ran.

His lungs burned. His legs screamed. His mind was blank except for one word:

Run.

Chapter 5: The Safe Zone Lie

After days of exhaustion, they heard the rumors.

“There’s a safe zone.”

“Soldiers are protecting it.”

“Food, shelter… safety.”

It sounded too good.

But they needed hope.

When they arrived, it looked real—walls, guards, order.

For the first time, Ethan relaxed.

Until he saw the truth.

Inside, people were divided. Workers and “useless.”

The weak were thrown out.

Left to die.

“This isn’t safety,” Lila said. “It’s control.”

Ethan clenched his fists.

They left that night.

Because survival without humanity…

…was just another kind of death.

Chapter 6: Blood and Trust

Rain poured endlessly.

Cold. Heavy. Relentless.

Lila slipped while crossing a broken road and gashed her leg badly.

She couldn’t walk.

“Leave me,” she said through clenched teeth.

Ethan shook his head. “No.”

“You’ll die if you stay.”

“Then I die.”

It wasn’t bravery.

It wasn’t logic.

It was choice.

Ethan carried her, step by painful step, finding shelter in an old warehouse.

He cleaned her wound. Shared his last food.

For the first time, survival wasn’t just instinct.

It was connection.

Chapter 7: The Betrayal

Marcus appeared like a miracle.

Friendly. Helpful. Strong.

He helped them gather food. Made them laugh. Made things feel… normal.

But trust was dangerous.

One night, Ethan woke to silence.

Too quiet.

Marcus was gone.

So were the supplies.

And outside—

Lila was screaming.

Marcus had left her as bait.

Ethan grabbed his weapon and ran into the dark.

He found Marcus not far away.

“Nothing personal,” Marcus said.

Ethan didn’t respond.

He attacked.

This time, there was no hesitation.

No regret.

Only survival.

Chapter 8: Into Hell

The city center was their only path forward.

But it was a nightmare.

Thousands of infected filled the streets.

Endless.

Moving.

Hunting.

“This is suicide,” Ethan whispered.

“No,” Lila said. “This is survival.”

They moved silently, hiding, sneaking, running when they had to.

But one mistake…

One sound…

And everything erupted.

The swarm came.

And the city turned into hell.

Chapter 9: The Fall

They were so close.

So close to escaping.

Then it happened.

Lila slipped.

Fell hard.

The infected closed in instantly.

Ethan reached for her.

“Come on!” he shouted.

But there were too many.

Her eyes met his.

No fear.

Only acceptance.

“Run,” she whispered.

Ethan hesitated.

For one second.

Then he ran.

And that moment would haunt him forever.

Chapter 10: Still Running

Years passed.

The world never recovered.

But Ethan survived.

Stronger. Harder. Colder.

But not empty.

He carried Lila’s memory with him.

Every step.

Every breath.

He wasn’t running away anymore.

He was running toward something.

A future.

A reason.

A hope.

Because in a world of hell…

Running wasn’t weakness.

It was survival.

Final Message to the Readers

Life will push you into your own version of hell.

You will lose people.

You will break.

But as long as you keep moving—

You are still alive.

And as long as you are alive…

Your story is not finished.

By Ryan k Bett.