Plague 2022

Chapter 36

He lifted his head up, wincing with the pain of his wounded forehead his hands on the steering wheel's edges, "ugh.. I am sorry.. that boy.."

"Look" he mentioned eyeing in front through the large glass of the bus, blood from his wound trickling down his forehead towards his eyes forming a ribbon he hadn't anticipated. They followed his line of sight together and found a boy lying on the empty road.

"Why do we keep meeting people like this?" Yon asked almost sarcastically. Sae Joon Hyun stood up and sat in the seat behind the driver's. Eunhye took his head in her hands glancing at the open cut. "Nah it's good." He told her pushing her away. She then sighed and trudged towards the steering wheel, as she reversed the vehicle a loud bang greeted them from the front. She glanced in front over and over as much as she could but couldn't see anything other than the boy.

Minutes later numerous dark shadows appeared from what seemed like from below the bus. "Th - they are here.." said Eunhye. The boy who was lying on the empty road immediately got up on his feet. His right arm was hanging oddly and his left hand firmly gripped onto a rusty, blood stained shaft whose original colour was quite unclear. The shadows got closer and closer. Certain nerve - wrecking minutes later the predicament figures became visible to the naked eye.

There were not a few of them or a handful of them. It seemed like the entire city had grouped in on them - Women, men, children, toddlers, senior citizens - all of them.

"Shit.. what do we do now.." Yon asked gritting his teeth. The boy who was standing in front of the bus pointed the shaft at the masses. He exhaled as the crowd got closer. With the shifting of his feet, the creatures sensitive to sound rushed towards him like hungry maniacs.

The bronze haired boy with eyes gleaming hazel, in a red hoodie and blue ripped jeans pushed them back. He swiftly moved through the crowd piercing the shaft through them and out, avoiding getting bitten. Like a professional martial artist, he swooshed the shaft through the creatures. In - Ha and the others only stared agape.

"What the... Who is he.. not to be rude but.. I actually thought he was dead."

"Oh you too, Yon? That's what I thought as well.."

"Really, Miss. In - Ha? He did look that way though.. seems he is alive.."

"Seems so. Heyyy! You!! Who are you?!?" In-Ha replied to Yon following with questioning the boy loudly from within the bus which he seemed to have heard. The boy turned to the loud voice of In-Ha. He glanced at the bus and then sighed helplessly.

"Hamin. I am Hamin." He muttered.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU" In - Ha yelled towards him seeing as if lips were moving but his voice didn't reach her ears.

"HAMIN" The boy replied loudly.

"Hamin... What are you doing here?" 

"What do you think I'm doing ma'am? I'm trying to survive here!"

Hamin continued defending himself against the creatures. The bus was completely surrounded. Many of the creatures had climbed on the roof of the very bus to which the vehicle responded by vigorous rocking. Eunhye held onto her seat tightly. The creatures tore open the roof of the bus with brute force alone. They jumped in resulting to cracking of some bones pushing out of the flesh of their limbs regardless of which they were still standing fine on their legs.

"Sh - shit! Now what..?" Yon asked nervously. His shaking feet and teeth - he glanced around for a weapon. In-Ha grabbed the bags from on her seat. The loud noise alarmed the creatures. They quickly moved towards them.

"Argh" Screamed Eunhye. Sae Joon Hyun kicked the door open and pulled Eunhye with him, blood still flowing through his open cut on the forehead. Yon and In - Ha followed them impulsively and so did the creatures.

They ran towards Hamin. Hamin who was keeping the creatures away. The tired boy glanced around for shelter but found none. There were no other vehicles or helpful weapons around either other than the bus off course which too was in not much of a great state.

"We need to get back in the bus!" Said Yon.

"I know we need the bus to leave here but those things have made it their habitat right now." Whispered Sae Joon Hyun.

"I know. But there is no other safe option."

"We can just run away from them. Our move was completely impulsive just now so there is nothing we can do about it now." Eunhye mentioned.

"That Hamin boy is tired, Noona. And even you know these things are evolving. You saw how they broke the ceiling with their bare hands."

"But-"

"If those things get a hold of us we will get crushed. Hamin is fending them off right now so this is the only chance to take his help and get away from here."

"I think-"

"Only a vehicle can outrun them."

"Hah... Fine. Jeez, so much for a decision. So how do we get back there?"

"Hamin" Yon tugged on the boy's shirt. Hamin turned to face him breathing heavily. "Let's run towards the bus." Yon said. Hamin nodded vexed by the thought that this was the only safe option they had. The creatures crawling in front of the bus hissed at them. Hamin threw his shaft towards one of the predicaments. It went through the creature pinning him on the road.

The others hissed and crawled towards him on their fours their heads bent between their legs. Hamin kicked across their faces running towards his rusty yet hopeful shaft. The four followed him. Hamin pulled his shaft out of the creature's, it's blood a disturbing green, flesh hanging apart from the rest of him because of the wound carved in him via the shaft. The creature groaned, struggling to stand up.

He climbed the bus after this and hustled with the forceful zombies tossing them out of the windows. Su h a fearless experienced fighter and yet a silly slip over his feet and he fell on his back. Yon climbed in immediately and sprayed water in front of the remaining few creatures buying Hamin some time to stand up as they hissed away from the sound of the water alone. Some even crawled on top of the bus running outside from the hole in the ceiling one of their kind had carved themselves.

The remaining were thrown out by Hamin alone as In - Ha climbed in following the remaining two closing the door behind her, Sae Joon Hyun started the bus. Driving away in what was the top speed, when they couldn't see the creatures following them anymore was when they plopped on the seats unorganised much almost too relaxed.

"Why didn't we do this before? Why did we run out of the bus"? Eunhye asked slowly. Hamin lay flat on his seat gasping for breath still clutching onto his shaft for dear life it seemed. In - Ha glanced over at him head to toe. Her gaze stuck to him as uncomfortable as he spoke, "ugh. What is it ma'am?"

"Who the heck are you? How come you fight them so well?"

"What do you mean? I've been fighting them for over six months now. Off course I'm good at it considering the experience and everything."

"S - six months?"

"What? What is with that reaction?"

"Where are you from, boy?"

"Gangnam"

"Th - then what are you doing here?"

Hamin sat up because he knew he had a long story to explain as a response to In-Ha's question, "fighting them off me and my friends reached the train station." He continued, "we climbed the train and reached the outer city. We have been running around in a jeep since then untill an unfortunate horde of those things caught us off guard and we were seperated.

And as if all that wasn't enough a month ago me and my other friend, the only one who was with them after our gang was split up got lost too. I have been looking for her since then to which I reached here and you found me."