Thriller Short Story: Surviving

Thriller Short Story: Surviving

By: Nurwahidah Bi

Hello, Wanderer. This time, the thriller short story is about zombies. This is the English version of Bertahan Hidup.

This is just a simple piece of writing that I hope can still keep thriller-lovers on edge.

Enjoy today’s thriller short story from Kak Bi: Surviving.

***

[Thriller Short Story]—That night, Lina, Nisa, and their little brother Alif were sound asleep.

Around midnight, without any clear reason, people suddenly began screaming hysterically. Six-year-old Alif woke up and quietly peeked through the window. From the right side of their house, a massive star seemed to be falling straight toward their humble home.

Alif quickly tried waking Lina, but she was still deep in sleep. He shook Nisa instead, who only whimpered. Her whining, however, made Lina stir awake—just in time to notice the blinding light shining through the window.

A loud explosion followed. Lina instinctively hugged Alif. The blast jolted Nisa to awake, and even the ground shook while their windowpanes cracked. Nisa scrambled out of bed as their belongings tumbled to the floor. She stood before their mother’s room, which was also in disarray.

“Get inside! Don’t go out! There are strange people outside. Call your sister.” Their mother pushed Nisa away from the door, then headed toward the slightly open front entrance.

“Mom, you’re bleeding!” Nisa stared at her mother’s wounded head with worries face.

“Hurry!” Her mother held the door firmly to block anyone from seeing inside.

Lina rushed to her mother. Their front door was badly damaged from the blast. A burning helicopter lay only a few meters away at a neighbor’s house.

Meanwhile, on the streets, many strange people were wandering about, groaning. Lina became oddly excited. She even went to grab a book about monsters that a friend had given her.

“Lina, help me push the cupboard against the door!” their mother ordered, shoving a cabinet forward. Lina, Nisa, and Alif quickly joined in.

Alif try to grabbed anything he thought might help block the door—even if it was only a little toy robot.

Nisa get panic struck when she realized their bedroom window had also shattered. Their mother took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, leaning against the cabinet that now barred the front door.

“Out there—”

“Zombies, right?” Lina interrupted. Their mother nodded.

“This house is small, just two rooms. I once joined a survival training back when your father was still alive. So listen carefully—we must not panic,” she explained.

“Alif, don’t cry. Listen to Mom,” Nisa said, covering her little brother’s mouth as he started sobbing.

“Nisa, you still have those rolls of tape you’ve been collecting, don’t you? Quick, bring them here!”

Nisa nodded and rushed to her room, searching for her stash of cute, colorful tapes.

Read this: Review Berantai Film Zombie Korea: The Odd Family-Zombie On Sale vs Gangnam Zombie

Other short story: Cerpen Misteri Komedi: Trick or Death

[Thriller Short Story]—Their house windows were glass, reinforced with wooden frames and iron bars on the inside. Their mother instructed Nisa and Alif to tape over every cracked or broken piece of glass. No matter what, the windows had to be sealed.

The broken front door and the kitchen door were barricaded with cabinets. With her children’s help, their mother managed to move the heavy wardrobe, its contents already spilled from the helicopter blast nearby. They stuffed it full again to make it heavier.

She ordered Lina to move all food supplies to the living room, while she herself gathered anything that could be used as weapons or barriers. Together, they covered the windows with black cloth. Even the air vents were sealed with broken plastic baskets taped neatly in place.

***

For nearly two hours, they ignored the screams outside. Nisa even spotted Mr. Duna, a neighbor, busy upstairs in his house. It seemed some people chose to stay hidden inside, just like their family.

The clock struck four in the morning. The groaning outside grew louder. Houses were now surrounded by mysterious creatures of unknown origin.

Meanwhile, their mother’s head wound kept bleeding. Lina, who studied at a vocational health school, quickly tended to it. With the electricity cut off since the blast, the house was in darkness. Nisa tried several times to call for help on her phone—but with no success.

Lina plugged in her headset and tuned the radio through her phone. Faintly, a broadcaster’s voice came through, like a looped recording:

“To all citizens, please find the safest shelter. Strengthen your homes, manage your food and water supplies. The city is under siege by flesh-eating creatures. Hold on!”

Other thriller stories: Cerpen Thriller 18+: Red Room

Other articles: Review Serial Televisi Korea Selatan: A Korean Odyssey (2017)

[Thriller Short Story]—Days passed, and the chaos outside seemed to quiet down a little.

Curious, Lina decided to peek behind the house. Almost every night, zombies wandered around there. But this time was different, they seemed to be gone.

Determined, Lina secretly snuck out to search for water. Her mother’s wound was worsening, looking infected. Lina knew she needed help.

Days earlier, she had dug a small tunnel just big enough for her body, leading out to the side of their house.

She slipped through unnoticed. The sight outside was terrifying, a corpses and dismembered human parts scattered across the ground. Several houses were destroyed, though some still stood intact, like theirs.

“Lina! What are you doing out here?” A voice called.

“We’ve run out of water. My mom is injured.”

“Here!” A teenage boy threw her a large bottle of mineral water. “What else do you need?”

“We’re out of food and need medicine!” Lina pleaded.

“Shh, keep your voice down!” he whispered sharply.

“Come closer.”

“Thank you,” Lina said as she cautiously approached his window, still scanning her surroundings.

“Take these.” He handed her a few packs of snacks and instant noodles.

“And this too!” He added another water bottle and a box of medicine.

“Where did you get all this?” Lina asked, astonished at his supplies.

“Last night, I joined some men from the mosque at the end of the alley. We raided a nearby minimarket,” he replied casually.

“And your family?” Lina asked with concern.

“They’re gone. My parents fought to keep zombies out. My brother … his stomach was pierced by wood during the blast.”

“Stay strong. I caught a radio signal since day one. The government has started evacuating survivors. We’ll make it, as long as we don’t run into zombies,” Lina tried to reassure him.

“Really? I hope they come soon. I can’t live like this forever.”

“Thank you. I need to get back.” Lina hurried through her tunnel again.

When she climbed back inside, her mother sat waiting by the tunnel. She almost scolded Lina—but seeing the water, she held back. Lina quickly treated her mother’s wound.

***

The night before help arrived.

Alif woke to the sound of something pounding at their back door. He tried waking his mother, but she wouldn’t move. Terrified, he cried as the banging shifted to the bedroom window where they hid.

Lina and Nisa woke too. Holding their breath, the three of them glanced at their mother, who still hadn’t stirred.

A rotting hand wriggled through the window, tearing the cloth cover. Its arm couldn’t push farther, blocked by the iron bars. Groaning echoed again.

Lina realized the problem; their radio was playing aloud without headphones. That must have drawn the zombies. Nisa had forgotten to switch it off before falling asleep.

Quickly, Lina shut off the phone—its battery only 8% left. It was their last working phone, carefully rationed under their mother’s plan.

Suddenly, the zombies stopped moving, then left. Lina tried waking her mother again, but she remained unresponsive. Gunshots rang outside. Even that deafening noise didn’t wake her. Alif cried harder, frustrating Nisa, who started scolding him.

Ignoring her siblings, Lina peeked out. Soldiers in full gear were battling the zombies outside. Finally, hope was at hand. The three siblings had survived the explosion and the undead. Yet, they couldn’t escape the grief of losing their mother forever.

***

Reports confirmed zombies had attacked the city. They originated from an aircraft that had crashed into the river near the settlement. Over 300 people were killed or infected.

Fortunately, the military rescued survivors who had managed to hide well in their homes. Many survivors showed symptoms such as hypothermia, diarrhea, and eating disorders.

That concludes the evening news.

THE END

Gorontalo, October 29, 2022

***

Yes, that’s today’s thriller short story. I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for reading this simple thriller piece.

For those who find it familiar, this story was once published on Wattpad and Kak Bi’s Opinia. But now, you can simply read works like this on my blog with Indonesian Version or English Version. Thank you.

[Noted: This short story was assisted by Google Translate and ChatGPT to improve my imperfect self translation.]