Exactly forty-three years ago, a devastating apocalypse occurred, a sickness running around that transformed anything into a mindless, living corpse — animals, humans…

Only 1% of the population managed to escape and re-build a new, utopian society. Those 1% were, of course, the richest. Politicians, businessmen, celebrities. All were part of this perfect city called Nexis.

Propaganda was spread to the new generations, telling them that the apocalypse wasn’t real. The misinformation was passed from their parents, to their children, to their children, etc.

Matthew was privileged to be born in Nexis. He was sheltered his whole life. For him, his life was absolutely perfect. He was a golden boy, and never went past the border. No one dared.

When he was younger, one of his classmates tried to climb the fence. He was caught by the enforcers, and no one ever saw him again.

One day, Matthew couldn’t help but notice all of the adults’ weird behaviors. One day, he caught a glimpse of enforcers coming back from behind the fence. He never knew anyone was allowed to cross it.

He couldn’t resist his curiosity and decided, late at night, to sneak out. He grabbed a bag, with a flashlight and some food inside just in case. He managed to climb the fence, jumping on the ground.

As he walked, Matthew noticed how poorly lighten, or not at all, were the streets. Most buildings were empty, destroyed. This looked nothing like Nexis. He entered an empty mall, his hand holding the flashlight tightening its grip.

Suddenly, he caught something moving. Before he knew it, he was pinned to the ground, a man on top of him. Matthew couldn’t help but notice how empty his eyes looked. He barely looked human. His teeth snapped in the air, a few centimeters away from Matthew’s face.

Matthew could smell his nauseating breath. Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed in the otherwise empty mall, the man slumped on top of Matthew with a loud thump, unalived.