Apocalypse // Stray Kids

28

Ha-rin

We made it back to the woods where everyone else was waiting for us.

"Did you find him?" Felix asked. I completely ignored him when I walked past but Chan and I.N gave him an answer. 

I felt him grab my wrist to turn me around and he engulfed me into a hug. At least I still have Lix.

"I'm so sorry Ha-rin." He sobbed. "I'm so sorry we couldn't save him."

I hugged him back and cried into his chest.

After a few moments of crying, we pulled apart and continued walking up the path and to the next town.

I walked in front of everyone since I knew my way around because dad would take me hiking every spring. But that's not going to happen anymore.

"Hey." Clarity said coming up beside me. I gave her a small smile. "I'm really sorry about Hyunjin."

"It's ok I guess."

"We're all going to be here for you, we're all going to be here for each other."

I gave out a smile at her words. She never seemed like it, but she is another person who can put a smile on your face when you're feeling super down.

"But the soldiers saw us at the school." She said, "they left us there and then bombed the place. Maybe they wanted us to die, and it's probably because of me."

"Hey, no, don't say things like that." I told her.

She turned to me. "Is it really ok with you guys for me and I.N to stay with you?"

"You're still our friend, you're still one of us." I replied with a small smile.

"Still..."

"You're not going to turn, you and I.N never will."

We continued walking next to each other in silence and then she spoke up again. "I want to do that again in the future." She said, "just sitting around a fire with all of my friends, chatting to one another."

"We'll do it again tonight." I said and she nodded. I smiled at her and then noticed a yellow ribbon tied onto a tree. I squinted my eyes at it and ran towards it and everyone followed. "Dad usually uses these types of ribbons to mark where he has been so he doesn't get lost." I told them and searched the trees for another one. I found more just to the side of me, the same way we have been going. "We just gotta follow them."

●・○・●・○・● 

We made it to a deserted town and we stayed together on the look out for anymore zombies.

We ran through street quietly, but I think they're all dead. All of them.

"Where Clarity and I.N?" Chan asked as we all looked around. There were no where to be seen. "I'll go find them." Lee Know said.

"I'm coming with you." I said and ran after him.

We traced back our steps and found Clarity and I.N eating the dead zombies. "I.N, Clarity!" I called to them and the stopped eating and looked up at us.

"Stay back." Clarity warned us, " don't come near us."

"Clarity it's fine." Lee Know said reassuringly.

"No it's Minho, not a good time for us." I.N said, standing up properly.

"Guys, it's ok, we're your friends." Lee Know said.

Clarity started crying as she covered her mouth with her hands and then I noticed all the bite marks on her hands. "Oh Clarity." I sighed.

"Ha-rin, stay away from us. All of you. Please." I.N begged and then him and Clarity ran down the street away from us. I wanted to run after them but Lee Know held me back. "We can't." He said, "we gotta respect them."

We failed on getting back Clarity and I.N. We failed on keeping everyone alive. But we succeeded on making it home. We made it to the barrier where more guards were holding their guns up and we put our hands up in surrender and this time, they took us to the camp dad was talking about.

As soon as we got there, we were interrogated.

"Do you know the teacher who had created this virus?"

"I took morning classes with him." I answered.

"Did you notice anything strange he had done out in the ordinary?"

"All I know is that he had kidnapped a girl in my class and tied her up and kept her hostage for a day." I said and leaned back in the chair. "My question is, why did you leave us?"

"Miss Kim, if you cooperate with our-."

"No, I'm never asking for anything from you guys again." I said and stood up out of the chair, "so please, don't ask for my cooperation."

Once I left the building and had set up my tent, it was already night time. I climbed over the fence where there was no security and walked down the path where the six of us had set up a memorial for our friends we had made.

I tied on a new note on the branch and admired the notes waving through the breeze. I grabbed onto the note I hade made for Hyunjin and smiled softly. "I miss you Hyunjin." I whispered to myself and let go.

I was about to walk back to the camp until I noticed a small orange light on top of the school. It took my a while to realize what it was. A smile fire was lit on the school roof