𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋 | 𝑨𝑶𝑼𝑨𝑫

22 | Stay?

I don't want to be like those creatures out there. Like those uncommunicative, inhuman, animalistic ravenous....zombies. I hate it. All of this. I can't accept the fact that my Si-Mi is gone, I feel enraged by how she died and worst is I saw it before my two eyes, too vivid that it is sure to maim my heart. I want revenge for her but how? How am I supposed to be composed when the reason of my best friend's death is in the same room as me?

My heart felt like it was about to explode inside me from all the negative emotions I have right now and that if I continue to see the face I didn't expect to despise this much, the ticking bomb would violently detonate completely. I can't bear seeing Nam-ra cry and feel helpless and alone over again, knowing I am the cause behind those tears she's shedding. This is the first time I saw her in that condition.

".... Confess before it's too late," the breaking voice of my best friend inside my head rang. I wanna laugh by the thought that I would surely upset Si-Mi ones more for the last time. But it wouldn't upset her that much anymore if I chose to be with her, right?

It feels so hot, I can feel the heat my body radiates as if I have a high fever, from head to toe. Every drip of the warm, salty liquid that mixed by my sweat and tears tickles my skin. And my neck is still widely smudged by my own red, thick, sticky blood but it stopped gushing out now and the amount I lost was making me weak that I want to clutch my eyes closed and not plan on waking up ever again. How in the hell I'm still alive from the blood I lost and that it was from my neck?

Why the heck I didn't saw anything last night about Si-Mi?

All I know now is that Nam-ra clashed her body with mine as she engulfed me with a hug I badly want right at this moment but it is still too risky. She grabbed a cloth then very gently clean my face from the wetness then down to my bloody neck, "See? You're still who we knew and not like those zombies," her calming voice was like a serenade to my ears I want to keep listening to until I fall asleep.

I'm not scared for myself. I'm more worried about harming my friends once I'm entirely out of control and I'm willing to get away just to protect them from me. Sounds funny how it's so true that I want to protect them especially with the advantage of my necklace but how can I protect them when I am the threat here?

My head perked up from the voice of someone not from a distance but just a few inches from me, "You should take a rest. You've done so much today," Ms. Park combed my hair away that was sticking to my face.

Ms. Park's figure was blurring from the tears forming in my eyes the moment I saw her face, she had the same expression my mother has when taking care of me.

"No, she isn't normal. You guys saw it," Ji-min confronts firmly

"Ji-min, enough already."

"What? Are you saying I'm wrong?"

On-jo admits, "I don't know. I really don't know what we should do."

"We can't pretend she's fine."

"But she is, still. She was bit but tied up and she hasn't tried harming us," Wu-jin objects while Hyo-ryeong looks concerned, scared...or what. She hasn't spoken anything.

Joon-yeong nodded, "She would've definitely turned by now."

"And you're waiting for the time she'll finally do anything to us?" Ji-min snapped.

I can't with the noise.

"Now what? You want to kill her? But what if she'll be fine and never turn? We weren't sure yet you want us all to do something to her and...hurt her? She stood up for me yesterday and now I'm stepping in to do the same thing. Not because of the reason I owe her my life but because I realized I didn't do anything for her since.

She's been treating me like a friend since we met and now because of everything she did I can confidently say that she's a real one. A real friend which I–– we didn't realized sooner," Gyeong-su emphasized and it touched my heart hearing it from someone else. I mean, I did heard and experienced that from Si-Mi and it was the most special of all. But now that she's gone, I missed the feeling of someone making you feel special.

"To avoid regretful decisions, let's do the same thing Gyeong-su did in the recording room, shall we?" The eldest in the room said, "After 5 minutes, the one who has to apologize will apologize, I am serious here. No cheating. It's making me angry, to be honest," we saw Ms. Park side-eyeing Na-yeon on her last sentence.

"Hell no, what if they do something to her?" Gyeong-su retorted remembering what happened to him.

"Please, stop. Don't fight because of me," I plea and my cousin hugged me tighter from my side. I was shocked to see On-jo doing the same thing from the other side and I gotta admit it felt comforting knowing this whole school year we talk but weren't close.

The hug lasted for a few seconds before the one on my right side, On-jo spoke, "Guys, her body is warm. Hyeon-ju and I-sak....their hands were very cold before they turned," she breathed out before continuing, "But Jae-won isn't."

"No! I'm not going with her," Ji-min monotonously said.

I scoffed bitterly, "And you think I'd want to go with you?"

"You may be fine now but who knows what's gonna happen when you turn?" She snapped back at me.

"Damn right, but don't worry I won't bite you. I'll kill Na-yeon instead," I glared at Na-yeon.

"Why do you keep threatening me just like when we were in the science lab!" Her hands turn into fists as her ears and nose flared. Ahh... I remember now, I made her have a face-to-face with a zombie.

"She isn't a zombie."

That was the last words I heard until I feel my eyelids getting heavier and harder to resist. My head slowly fell to the side, the darkness completely eating me as my consciousness was pulled out from me.