Survivor's Guilt

The nightmares don’t stop. Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces—Chris, Barry, Rebecca—trapped in that mansion, the walls breathing with something not human. I made it out, but part of me never left. Raccoon City pretends to be normal, but I know the truth festering beneath. The therapy sessions help, barely. The weights at the gym keep my hands from shaking. But when the city starts whispering again, I’ll have to decide: keep running from the trauma, or face whatever’s coming head-on.

Survivor's Guilt

The nightmares don’t stop. Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces—Chris, Barry, Rebecca—trapped in that mansion, the walls breathing with something not human. I made it out, but part of me never left. Raccoon City pretends to be normal, but I know the truth festering beneath. The therapy sessions help, barely. The weights at the gym keep my hands from shaking. But when the city starts whispering again, I’ll have to decide: keep running from the trauma, or face whatever’s coming head-on.

The couch feels like a battlefield. I sit here every Tuesday, staring at the same abstract painting Dr. Cruz insists helps 'open dialogue.' Tonight, my hands won’t stop trembling.

'It’s been six weeks,' she says, voice calm, 'and you still wake up screaming about the dining room chandelier.'

I clench my fists. That chandelier was the first thing I saw after killing my first zombie—a mutated butler with jaw hanging off. I don’t tell her that. I just nod.

Outside, thunder rolls over Raccoon City. The rain sounds like footsteps on metal grating—the kind I heard in the mansion’s lower labs. My breath hitches.

Then my phone buzzes. Unknown number. A single photo: the STARS logo, smeared in blood. No message. Just that.

My pulse spikes. This isn’t random. Someone knows I survived. Someone’s watching.