Infinite Zombie Apocalypse

Elián was immersed in a deep sleep. In front of him, the distant silhouette of his house appeared. Suddenly, the image changed to the blurry face of a woman, and then to the sadness in the eyes of the elderly couple that had raised him, right at the moment of their death. Unexpectedly, everything distorted: dozens of red hands, soaked in blood, emerged from the darkness and attacked him with fury.

The pressure of those claws made him scream, and with a jolt, he suddenly woke up!

Thud!

A sharp pain struck his head like lightning, and for a moment, Elián felt completely confused and disoriented. However, he quickly regained his composure and looked at the place where he had hit: a black glass ceiling.

"...?"

Elián couldn't understand what was happening. Looking around, his confusion only grew as he saw that he was sitting in what appeared to be a car, but an incredibly beautiful one.

The screen in the center and the metallic shine of every detail left him speechless.

As Elián tried to process what was going on, a man with a serious appearance immediately reacted to the loud noise coming from the back seats. His eyes, full of concern, turned to the rearview mirror. The sunlight, weakly filtering through the windshield, partially illuminated his face, highlighting the tension in his expression.

With a calm but cautious voice, he asked, "Is everything alright, Mr. Thomas? Is something happening?"

Elián, stunned, frowned and looked at the person who had suddenly spoken to him. The man's question only added to the confusion that overwhelmed him, and for a moment, he didn't know what to answer. Why was he in a car? Who the hell was Thomas?

He looked to his side and confirmed that there were clearly only two people in the car.

The last thing he remembered clearly was being at his house in the dump, heading to the bathroom. Then... that mass of organs appeared, a grotesque amalgamation of flesh from which dozens of hands, more dead than alive, emerged and dragged him toward the viscous wall.

Everything went dark after that. Now, he had no idea where he was, but it was clear that it was no longer the dump.

The most notable change was undoubtedly the fresh and pleasant smell, something he had never experienced. The car was completely clean, which, in itself, felt like an oddity.

After all, he had only seen rusted cars or garbage trucks.

Elián couldn't understand how he had arrived in this place...

The driver, seeing that Elián hadn't responded, insisted, "Sir, are you alright?" He was seriously considering stopping to make sure nothing had happened. If something happened to this important person he was supposed to be transporting, he'd be 100% fired, and might even face a lawsuit!

Elián's mind was in complete chaos. He was about to ask the man what was happening, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the figure of an unknown man reflected in the window beside him.

"!"

This almost made him jump again from the shock, but when he moved his head, the reflection did the same. That's when he quickly reached a chilling conclusion: the man in the reflection was him. The idea was completely absurd, and for a moment, he thought he was dreaming.

But everything felt too real. Even the earlier hit was something he couldn't have experienced in a dream without waking up from the pain.

He looked at himself again in the reflection. Instead of his emaciated, dirty face, there appeared a clean face, looking about 30 years old. His dark, well-groomed hair fell softly to one side of his face. He wore an immaculate black suit, made of a material he had never touched before. The suits he had seen in the dump were rags, torn, but this... this seemed like high-end tailoring. He looked at his wrists and saw a silver watch on his arm. He didn't recognize the brand, but the small transparent stones adorning it made it clear that it must be extremely expensive.

"Mr. Thomas, if you don't say anything, I'm going to stop the car," said the driver, concerned. He was thinking the worst: maybe the hit he had suffered had left him with some brain damage.

Elián noticed the driver was starting to get impatient.

That's when he realized that 'Mr. Thomas' was the name of the body he was now inhabiting.

He bit his lower lip, finally deciding not to say anything strange. He thought that if he started talking about being someone else suddenly, the man would look at him like he was crazy, or something worse could happen. He preferred to wait and understand more about the situation before risking doing something impulsive.

After all, the easiest way to die in the dump was to act without thinking. It was something his grandfather Jacinto had told him often.

He was sure that advice would be useful anywhere.

"Yes… yes, I'm fine," Elián replied with a slight smile, trying to appear in perfect condition. However, when he touched his head, he noticed that he had a small bump.

It was a miracle he hadn't passed out from such a strong blow.

The driver relaxed a little after hearing Elián's words. Still, he paused before speaking: "Would you like me to deactivate the electrochromic glass beside you?" He thought this might make Elián feel more comfortable.

Elián frowned, completely lost. He didn't understand anything the driver had just said. Electrochromic glass? What did that mean?

"Yes, please," he replied. It was a term he had never heard before, but instead of asking questions, he simply nodded.

The driver touched a small screen next to the steering wheel, and with a soft whisper, the window beside Elián became completely transparent. Elián's eyes widened in surprise; he couldn't understand how something like that was possible.

But what he saw next took his breath away even more. In front of him stretched an enormous city, filled with towering buildings that seemed to touch the sky. Glass, steel, and concrete structures rose with a majesty he had never imagined. Among them, a curved glass tower with a cylindrical shape stood out, reflecting the sunlight like a giant glass cucumber. Cars of all shapes and colors filled the streets. On the sidewalks, people walked leisurely, some with dogs, others engrossed in animated conversations.

Everything looked clean, spotless, without a trace of trash or dirt anywhere.

Elián, wide-eyed, looked around, unable to believe what he was seeing...

He had spent his whole life in the dump, his only daily landscape being old cars and mountains of trash. And now, here he was, in a place that couldn't be more different. The city, with its modernity and shine, felt like a whole other world.

A deep sadness filled him. Everything looked so… perfect, so distant, so out of his reach.

The driver noticed Elián's strange expression but decided not to comment on it. He continued driving in silence; after all, it wasn't his place to question how a genius's mind worked, especially not someone who had achieved so much in finance.

...

Minutes later, Elián managed to calm himself. He took a deep breath as his gaze drifted to the landscape in front of him.

Suddenly, a huge billboard in the distance caught his attention. It was a bright yellow, with the words 'ZukaCola' written in huge blue letters that almost jumped out at him. Near the billboard, several trucks were parked, and people dressed in yellow shirts were handing out bottles of a yellow, bubbly liquid to those who approached. Intrigued and unable to contain his curiosity, Elián turned to the driver and asked, "What is ZukaCola?"

The driver glanced at him, somewhat confused by the question, but finally answered kindly: "It's a new soda. Apparently, as part of a marketing strategy, they're handing out free bottles to anyone who comes close. It's not just in London; it's an international campaign. Looks like they're desperate to get their brand known."

The man's eyes turned to the rearview mirror with doubt, and, somewhat nervously, he asked, "Would you like to try one?"

Elián had always thought that rejecting something free was a waste, but at that moment, he didn't feel like drinking anything. So he replied, "No... no thank you, I was just curious."

The driver nodded in silence and kept his focus on the road.

The recent words of the man behind the wheel left Elián lost in thought. He had mentioned London, which suggested that the place he was in was called that, but still, he didn't recognize the name. The only places he knew were the different colonies of the dump.

...

The car continued driving for a few more minutes until it finally turned into a huge parking lot in front of a rectangular building, whose structure appeared to be entirely made of glass.

To get there, Elián noticed that they had to pass by several dangerous-looking individuals, some with visible weapons at their belts. They were tough-looking men, dressed in dark suits, their gazes seeming like they weren't afraid to use violence. Elián had never seen firearms in his life. He had only seen them in old magazines from the dump, in blurry photos, but now… they were right in front of him, and their presence was far more intimidating than he had imagined.

He knew that a single shot from those small metal bullets could end his life in an instant.

"We've arrived, Mr. Thomas. I hope your trip was comfortable. We'll see each other again once your meeting is over," said the driver.

The car stopped at the entrance to the parking lot, and the driver immediately got out, opening Elián's door. Not knowing what to do, Elián decided to step out calmly.

After opening the door, the driver slightly nodded and gestured for him to follow the two men approaching in the distance. Both were dressed in suits, with imposing and severe postures. Elián didn't hesitate, simply nodding and following them in silence, not fully understanding what was going on.