𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 : 𝑅𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 [ᴛᴀᴇᴋᴏᴏᴋ]

ㅡ 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊

"Hurry up, we don't have all day!"

"I am doing all I can!"

The sharp rumble of metal trays and utensils was the only thing I could hear before the voices around me spoke again.

"Hold him down, it's coming out."

I shot my eyes open right in the following second, a sharp pain striking through my whole body, something tingling from the top of my head to the very end of my legs until I slipped back into unconsciousness. The pain was dragging me into the abyss of darkness like an imprisoning force.

...

"-nk he... ake up..."

"-bly...all see..."

"Did he just move?"

"Huh- no, I didn't see anything... Oh! He did!"

"Mr. Jeon, can you hear us?"

The blinding light was too much to bear as I slowly opened my eyes, bringing me to groan and turn my head away. I lifted my hand and covered my eyes, starting to whimper and squirm as the hands of the two people above me gripped my body. Holding it in place, they both threw the clipboard and flashlights away, one grasping my legs and the other pinning my hands beside my head. It was hopeless. The weakness in my body was holding me back from moving even the smallest muscle of my limbs.

Energy draining out and eyes dropping back down, they let go again and rushed to urge me to stay awake. Despite their cries, my eyes were still as heavy as ever, not even the harsh shake on my shoulders and taps on my cheeks keeping me from drowning back into darkness.

...

"-oss we lo-...-im again"

Voices familiar but my mind not clear enough to associate them, only after I opened my eyes once again. My vision became clear and this time... there was no other light than the one flickering in the hallway. I fluttered my eyes a bit more before placing my hands on the bed, strength present and lasting enough for me to push myself up.

Nobody around. Where was the voice coming from? Were they still talking about me? What were they saying?

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, at this point only focusing on regaining my balance and senses. The voice spoke again this time seeming to come closer to my room.

"No, I am telling you. We lost him. The guys were found dead... well... undead."

With a quick move, I hopped off the bed and crawled behind the desk, not making any sound as the person stepped inside. Only able to see the floor and half of the door, I could distinguish the black kneecaps and dirty heavy combat boots. As I stared and looked closer, something looked way too familiar. The sigil on the edge of the boots... appeared... to be reminding me of something. My memories started flowing and overwhelm my head, struggling to remember.

"Where and who did I see this sigil on...?"

I sighed and gulped instantly, realizing that I unconsciously might have let out a word out loud. I froze in place as the boots stomped on the floor, the person stepping closer to the desks. My heart was pumping out of my chest, the sound resonating through the small place I was hiding into. At that point, I thought that, in that dead silence, even the thumps of my heart could be heard.

A static sound was heard right as I heard the individual groaning in frustration.

"God... saved by the bell..."

The words from the other side of the walkie-talkie were completely muffled. There was no answer from the stranger, yet only him running off through the hallways, disappearing without a trace. I blinked and felt a shudder through my body, both confused and cold as the air inside suddenly dropped. Carefully crawling out of the tiny hideout, I got up and detached every single IV that was still stuck inside my arms, whimpering from the stinging pain.