"monster." | yoon gwi-nam

𝟷𝟾. 𝙲𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚕

The night they had had ended as cruel as it started. On their way to the mountains, Cheong-san had found out that his mom had turned into a zombie; the nature of the events leading up to it, he didn't know exactly, but considering how far the restaurant was from the school, he somehow figured out that his mom must've gone looking for him when the breakout happened. And to think that a while ago, he had said that his mother had loved the restaurant far more than she loved him? He felt like a piece of shit; the worst son on the face of the earth.

On-jo had to pull him away from her as more and more zombies ran towards them; Cheong-san screaming for his mom didn't help at all, but no one could tell him that. The rain continued pouring down, with lightning and thunder coming every few seconds. The scent of the rain and mud confused the zombies, while the thunder made it difficult for them to find the exact direction the group ran. The group used that opportunity to make their way into the back of the school, but because of the darkness and the amount of zombies that surrounded the campus, they all got separated from each other.

Hyo-reong ended up tripping because of the mud and Ji-min wanted to help her, she really did. But one look at the zombie that made its way towards them had her leaving her friend behind and running off somewhere else. She was afraid; her parents died and became zombies, and now, she had to face one too. Surely, Hyo-reong knew that. It's why she couldn't do anything but stare at the direction Ji-min ran off to, with a pang of betrayal and empathy coursing through her chest. She turned around to see that the zombie had finally sensed her on the ground and ran for her, when Wu-jin came to her rescue by colliding with the zombie, rolling on the ground, and helping her up. When another zombie had appeared, they both thought it was the end for them as they looked away in fear.

An arrow made its way through the zombies' neck and it collapsed without a fight. Another one appeared from the right while Wu-jin helped Hyo-reong up from the ground and supported her stand, and another arrow was shot right through the zombies' head. Waiting for the mysterious archer to come into light, Wu-jin felt like a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders when he saw his sister making her way towards them, aiming her bow and arrow on yet another zombie that was lurking behind them.

The archery group had finally met up with the juniors, making their way into the assembly hallnasium when Nam-ra realized they weren't alone; they weren't even close. In the darkness, no one could see it until it was almost barely too late. When lightning striked outside, the room was temporarily illuminated, and that's when they saw it. Multiple zombies were scattered across the room, and the group ran to find shelter once again.

Ha-ri looked to see if the supply closet was open, and when she saw that it was, she called for everyone to rush inside. Min-jae was separated from the group when he ran to the exit, closing the glass doors behind him to prevent the zombies from coming anywhere near him. It worked, but now he had to find another hiding spot to hopefully wait out the zombies. Su-hyeok defended the supply closet from being entered by zombies as he waited for the others to get in. Mi-jin was trying so hard to pull Joon-seong in, but she couldn't do it alone. She didn't want to leave him either. The 4 of them had been through hell together and she didn't want to lose anyone else. Knowing the others wouldn't survive if this kept going, and already knowing that he's been a burden on his friends ever since he got stabbed, Joon-seong unstrapped himself from the dolly and held back the zombies, much to Mi-jin's dismay and retaliation. Wu-jin and Ha-ri pulled her inside of the supply closet, but not without her putting on a fight. She screamed at them to let her go, tears streaming down her face as she watched her friend get bitten all in the name of saving their lives.

Closing the door behind them, the members of the group panted, and their breaths calmed; for some, it got quicker as it turned into a full on sob. All they wanted was to be saved. All they wanted was to be safe. But as they sat down in that dark room, wet and cold from the rain, they wondered if they were ever truly going to be safe from this hell. They lost friends, loved ones, and had to forcefully give up things for the sake of their own lives; a difficult decision to make, and something you never really thought you would do as a teenager. As the night continued, the group was silent, holding each other and comforting one another, as they couldn't do anything that night but sleep.