𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 || 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱

𝟮𝟭. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝘀

The Morning After the Explosion

10:55 AM

"Joker, are you getting this? Over."

"This is Green Arrow transmitting. Joker, are you getting this? Over."

"Hello?"

"Who is this?"

"I am... Kang Hara."

"Kang Hara? As in Kang Haru's little sister?"

"I am."

"Is Joker— I mean Haru— there with you? Can you give him the walkie-talkie?"

My body is half-buried under rocks and debris, yet I feel no pain. I cough heavily, blood staining my hands as I try to lift myself from the rubble. The world around me is a bleak wasteland of destruction—stones, ash, and lifeless bodies litter the ground. Nothing hurts, but everything feels numb.

"Hara? Are you still there?" The voice on the walkie-talkie crackles in my ear.

"Yeah, just..."

I try to take in the destruction, scanning the chaos for any sign of life, but there's nothing. The air is thick with the stench of death.

"Haru? Cheongsan?" I whisper. No answer.

"Haru," I call louder this time, my heart pounding. "Cheongsan?"

I begin to crawl over the wreckage, lifting stones and debris with trembling hands, searching desperately. But there's nothing—no sign of them, no sign of anyone.

"I'm so sorry..."

A wave of grief crashes over me. I slowly step out of the graveyard of the undead and gaze back at the place I had lain, confusion and sorrow clouding my thoughts. Then something catches my eye. Something familiar. I squint and approach it, my breath catching in my throat.

A piece of green fabric, unmistakably military uniform. But it's not whole—just a part of a body, half-covered in rubble.

"Hara, can you tell us what's going on there?"

"He's... he's dead."

The voice on the walkie-talkie sounds distant now, a low hum of static.

"Who? Hara, who's dead?"

"My brother," I choke, my voice trembling. "He's... he's..."

"Hara, can you check? Is it really him? It could be—"

"He was the only fucking one with a military uniform on!"

I slam the walkie-talkie off, my anger and grief rising like a storm inside me. He's gone, and it's my fault. My head drops into my hands, as I try to steady my breath, forcing myself to focus. But the silence that surrounds me is suffocating.

Am I the only one left? Are there any survivors? Where are they?

Just as I'm about to give in to despair, a sound breaks the silence—a heartbeat. It's not mine, I know that for sure. But it's not human either.

"Hello?"

I stand frozen, my mind racing. No one could have survived this, could they? I scan my surroundings. But there's something, someone, standing in the distance.

The figure turns, and my breath catches.

"You're finally awake," Gwinam says, his voice casual, almost amused. His clothes are covered in ash, and his once white vest is now the color of the grey clouds hanging overhead. I take a step back, shock coursing through me as I recognize him.