Sacrifice

Serene Bloom had mastered the art of being unnoticed.

She sat by the window in the last row, spoke softly when spoken to, and avoided attention as if it were dangerous. Most people passed her without a second glance.

Jonathan Williams did not.

He noticed the way she flinched at sudden noises, the way she hugged her bag to her chest, the way her eyes lingered on others without ever meeting theirs. He never forced conversation. He simply noticed.

The scream came during lunch.

It cut through laughter and chatter so sharply that Jonathan froze.

“That didn’t sound like a joke,” he said.

His friends shrugged it off, but Jonathan followed the sound outside.

What he saw turned his stomach.

A student was attacking another, movements wild and unnatural, blood staining their mouth. When the attacker bit down, Jonathan shouted without thinking.

“Zombie Get away!”

Laughter followed.

Then screaming.

Then panic.

Students ran as the bitten victim collapsed. Jonathan barely made it into a classroom before slamming the door shut and dragging a table in front of it. His chest burned as he turned around. Serene was crouched behind the door, shaking.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “You’re safe with me.”

She nodded, tears sliding down her face.

As the noise outside faded, something heavy settled in Jonathan’s chest. A memory surfaced, vivid and unwelcome.

He was six years old, sitting on a hospital bed that smelled like antiseptic. His mother stood in front of him with a syringe, her expression calm.

“I don’t want another shot,” he had cried.

“You need this,” she said gently

“Why”

She smiled in a way that made his stomach twist.

“There will be an outbreak in a few years,” she whispered as the needle pierced his arm. “You need to be ready.”

The memory shattered.

Jonathan looked down at his arm, understanding finally settling in.

He told Serene everything. His mother. The vaccine. The truth.

They escaped the school together, running through empty streets, hands tightly clasped. When they confronted his mother, she only smiled.

That was enough.

They ran to Xavier Tsunoda’s house.

Xavier’s front door was already open. Inside, papers covered the floor, walls were filled with scribbled formulas, and empty coffee cups crowded every surface. The air smelled of chemicals and exhaustion

Xavier looked up sharply when he saw Jonathan.

“You’re alive,” he said hoarsely. “I thought…”

Jonathan stepped forward. “Xavier, listen to me. This outbreak isn’t random.

They sat amid the mess as Jonathan explained everything. His mother. The vaccine. The childhood warning. Serene stayed close, her hand gripping his sleeve.

Xavier ran a hand through his hair, pacing.

“You’re telling me your body already has a working vaccine inside it”

“Yes.”

“And your mother planned this years ago” Xavier’s voice shook. “That’s insane.”

“She smiled when I confronted her,” Jonathan said quietly. “Like this was always the plan.”

Xavier grabbed his laptop and began typing furiously, pulling out equipment with trembling hands.

“If what you’re saying is true, this could save millions.”

After hours of testing, Xavier finally stopped. His face had gone pale.

“It can be replicated,” he said. “But only if the vaccine is extracted completely.”

Serene stood up instantly. “Extracted how”

Xavier swallowed. “It will kill him.”

Silence filled the room.

Jonathan stepped forward. “Then do it.”

“No,” Serene cried. “There has to be another way.”

Jonathan took her hands gently. “If I don’t do this, people die.”

Tears spilled down her face. “I don’t want a world without you.”

He smiled sadly. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Her voice broke. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispered.

Jonathan went peacefully.

The vaccine worked. The outbreak ended. His mother was arrested. The world healed.

Years later, the wind brushed past white flowers placed on a grave that read Jonathan Williams. Serene stood beside Xavier, their child’s small hand wrapped around her finger. The world was alive again, too alive for a place that held someone who never got to see it heal.

Serene knelt, her fingers trembling as they touched the stone.

“I still look for you in crowds,” she whispered. “In quiet classrooms. In screams that never came.” Her voice cracked. “You saved everyone, just like you said you would.”

She glanced back at their son, who looked so much like Jonathan that it hurt.

“We named him Jonathan,” she said softly. “So the world wouldn’t forget you. So he wouldn’t.”

Xavier placed a hand on her shoulder. Loving each other had never erased the loss. It only taught them how to live with it. Jonathan had given them that chance. He had given everyone that chance.

As they walked away, Serene looked back one last time.

“Thank you,” she said. “For loving me. For choosing us. For your sacrifice.”

The grave stayed silent.

But the world he saved kept breathing.