The Infected ⬩ (G)I-DLE

Nine

Soojin shushed the two. The sound, quick but willing. Minnie and Soyeon quickly closed their mouths.

"Aren't you both aware of zombies?" Soojin mouthed. Her blade swung from its scabbard, dangling on her waist.

"Did I eat parsley?" Soyeon scrunched her face in disgust. "C'mon, unnie, you know I don't eat those." Minnie frowned.

"No wonder, you're short." Her mouth formed a small laugh, quickly disappearing as Soyeon jabbed Minnie squarely in the ribs. She winced.

"Can you guys stop fooling around? I swear." Soojin growled. She crouched behind the building they were near. Perhaps it was a pet store. It smelled like kibbles anyway. The oily smell of the dog food. Soyeon's mouth swelled into a deeper frown. What the hell? Veggies in dog food? She thought, fanning the smell away. The stomping of feet erupted from the corner of the road. Minnie peered from her weak hiding spot. She saw men, women, and children. All ages. Twisting their bodies in a painfully weird way. Their faces, bloodied. Scarred, their mouth dripping with fresh, warm blood. Minnie grumbled, she had killed many zombies before. This was a joke.

"Let's go!" She gestured, enthusiastically.

"Are you serious?" Soyeon looked at the infected. She had been chased by a small horde. No weapons. Just running until her legs gave out. Soyeon looked back, "Minnie? Minnie-unnie? Nicha Yontararak?"

"Aish, that girl." Soojin grumbled, pulling Soyeon out with her. The scrambering of their feet, soles squeaking as it brushed against the crusty concrete. A single child turned her head, side to side, locking her position on the moving figures. Minnie smirked, kicking the soles of her shoes against the rusty concrete. Bits of dust blew in the breeze. The infected girl craned her head, her pupils dilating as she stared at Minnie with cannibalistic eyes.

"C'mere, girl." Minnie cooed, cockily. She tossed the slender blade from one hand to another. The girl chased toward the blade, her scratched, bloodied hands–struggling to grasp flesh. The hunger in the girl's eyes, the desire. Minnie slashed the blade through the child's head. A straight, yet, dirty death. Blood trickled from the child's neck, her head laid staring straight at Minnie.

"One down!" She cheered, waving at Soojin and Soyeon. They both kept their scowl.

"Seriously?" Soyeon challenged, raising her machete as she sprinted toward the chasing horde. The loud commotion caused many of the infected to turn their heads. The heads, twisting and turning. Directed at the small girl. "C'mere you bastards!" She cheered as the zombies slowly headed over to her.

"These people.." Soojin grumbled. "Soyeon-yah!" She whisper-shouted. Minnie smiled brightly, her toothy smile. Her face smeared with gore. Her dagger also caked with the dark blood. Soyeon squinted back at Minnie, trying to blow the competitiveness away from her eyes. This was life or death, why are you being so competitive now, Soyeon? Get yourself together! You're going to die! Soyeon sprinted around the streets, trying to outrun the horde as she jabbed some in the head. Their heads, a bloody cut. Their lives? No more. Soojin gestured the horde to Minnie, who was finishing the slaughter. Her blade clanked against the concrete. The zombie's gray, bloodshot eyes stopped dilating.

"We have to get Soyeon before more comes!" Soojin pointed toward the small girl. Her legs running around the area, Soyeon was panting. Minnie and Soojin could easily see sweat dripping from Soyeon's forehead. The harsh breathing echoed, reverberating from the walls. They both made eye contact, their eyes looking deep for understanding. Then, Minnie charged forward, angling her blade toward the heads of the zombies. Their eyes, smoky. She could feel her skin gush with warm stickiness.

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Soyeon was engulfed in a deep, long breath. She panted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. They were ducking behind the shelves in the hardware store. The tall metal shelves shadowed them, many were scattered across the dusty tiled floor. Boxes of hardware supplies were deserted, building small piles of cardboard. Minnie winced in disgust, smearing all of the blood that was coating her arm on the tattered cardboard. She tossed the crumbled cardboard off to the side, it sailed down. Giving a light tick as the piece of board touched the floor. The sound caused Soojin to shoot a penetrating glare at Minnie, the latter chuckling lightly before scanning the aisles.

"I don't think there's much left." She observed, the shelves were already raided. Many of the valuable weapons were looted. Minnie frowned, "So what are we going to take? We can't go back empty-handed." Soyeon and Soojin nodded in agreement, they had walked this far for...nothing?

"Check the other side," Soojin suggested, she pulled the machete from the leather scabbard. The blade rusted from the impaling of the horde. She carefully paused, listening deeply through the store. Checking for zombies, scouring for any necessary resources. "I don't hear anything near us, we could grab and go." Soyeon and Minnie nodded in agreement.

"I'll take this aisle," Soyeon nudged her head toward the nearest aisles. Its metal shelves, also clattered, leaning against one another until they touched the rusty tiles.

"I guess I'll take this one." Minnie gestured toward the shadowed aisles. Lots of discarded cardboard piled in the corner, puddles of blood splashed the material as did the floor. She started to bounce on the balls of her feet, swiftly sprinting past the shadowed aisles, contemplating for fences. We need fences, right? She thought, ending the row without success.

"Argh!" Soyeon growled, also finding no success. She picked up a few scattered boxes, their labels reviewing various tools. Too bad they weren't fast enough to get them. Soyeon sighed, the remaining standing shelves towering her small frame. She briskly kicked the plastic straps securing a twisted hammer. The mallet was slanted, its metal chipping away from the handle. Soyeon nudged the dispersed piles of advertisement papers and bubble wrap. "Oh my gosh! Soojin-unnie, Minnie-unnie!" She started to jump tiny hops, frantically waving her arms.

"What is it?" Soojin glared, she looked around to see if anyone caught the commotion.

"I FOUND IT!" Soyeon pointed at the pile of rolled up metal twine. "Yuqi-yah would be so happy!" She smiled, imagining Yuqi's reaction. Soyeon ducked down quickly, grabbing the rolled-up fencing. "Minnie-unnie!" She called, louder this time.

"Coming!" Minnie called in return, appearing behind the darkened aisles. Her arms were full. Minnie hugged an open box. "I found a radio!"

"Seriously?" Soyeon sprinted over quickly, trying to take a peek into the box. "Does it still work?" She tip-toed up closer to Minnie's height and squinted into the box. Lingering from the corners of the box, Soyeon and Minnie both saw a gray radio, its plastic caked with dust and some blood.

"Search for more stuff," Soojin whispered, picking up the metal wiring. The metal scratched against her shoulder. Soojin heaved the fencing up higher on her shoulder. "I'll keep watch." She glanced around the area for zombies.