Astronomy // Duty After School

Chapter Fifty-Six.

Based on Deok-jung's watch, it was around four P.M. by the time Platoon 2 reached a dock of some sort. They all resembled zombies by that point, having empty stomachs, an immense lack of sleep, and aching feet to the point they were practically dragging them.

"I don't think I can walk anymore," Ha-na whimpered. Na-ra glanced at her before moving slightly behind the girl and raising her backpack, relieving some weight from her back. So-yeon glanced at Sun-yi, who had her water jug tilted all the way back and still got nothing from it. She opened her own water jug and exchanged it for Sun-yi's empty one. Ae-seol gazed a Bo-ra, spotting that she would occasionally touch her injured ear. She wound up slightly picking up her pace to walk with Bo-ra. Yeong-shin spotted a map of the area that he quickly jogged for. The others followed his lead as he took out a map of South Korea, comparing the area they were in with the map, trying to determine a rough estimate of how far they were from Seoul.

"We've been walking for over two days straight, but we still have 100 kilometers to go?" Jun-hi asked, dismayed. "Hey, are we even going the right way?"

"Yes, it's the way," Yeong-shin said.

"I can't feel my feet," Ha-na frowned. "I don't think I can walk anymore." She sat down, crying.

"I'm so hungry," Deok-jung murmured. "We don't have much to eat anymore, either." Several people closed their eyes in distress.

"Oh, there's a bus over there," So-yun said suddenly.

"Oh!" Hui-rak exclaimed, quickly grabbing So-yun's arm before she could run over.

"What?" So-yun asked as Hui-rak raised his gun, looking for signs of movement. It was then that they all noticed the dead bodies on the ground. They quickly raised their guns, searching for any lingering Cells. Hui-rak led the way forward as they went to inspect the group of dead people, kids their age. "Geez, the Cells got them..." Jun-hi jogged over to a girl with dyed red hair.

"Oh, my gosh," Deok-jung muttered as Ha-na gasped.

"These guys..." Jun-hi murmured.

"What's wrong?" Sun-yi asked cluelessly.

"It's them, right?" Jun-hi asked. Wu-taek and Deok-jung nodded.

"These are the kids who came to our base," Wu-taek informed. "The Science and Tech High School kids."

"They were on their way to Seoul... but what the heck...?" Ha-na whispered. "They all died here."

"Oh, geez," Deok-jung mumbled. There was a moment of silence for the kids the majority didn't know. So-yun turned and went inside the bus, checking to see if it would turn on. She grimaced and rested her head on the wheel. The others crouched down and checked the deceased kids' guns for ammunition, only turning up slightly successful in their search.

"Take a break in the bus," Chun-ho said. "Rest your feet and try to warm up."

"...Fine. But I'm not doing it because you said so," Ha-na mumbled. "I'm doing it because my feet hurt."

"Of course," Chun-ho nodded, hiding his momentary amusement. The kids headed onto the bus, filing toward the back so that the other six could have the front of the bus if they so wanted.

"Do we take their dog tags?" Yu-jeong mumbled, looking gloomily down at the other kids' bodies.

"No. They'll need to be identified later," Chun-ho answered. Yu-jeong nodded in understanding. She then glanced around to find (Y/n), but the girl had merely taken off her backpack and strode right over to the railing to overlook the river. She wound up sitting down sideways on a close bench as she still wanted to overlook the river. So-chul wound up joining (Y/n) by the railing while Yu-jeong skipped up onto the bus and sat beside Jang-su in one of the two front rows. Chun-ho, in the driver's seat, looked questioning out toward (Y/n) and So-chul, wondering if it would just be okay to close the doors so as to trap what little heat they had. He did in the end, choosing to keep a close watch of the area in case a Cell were to show itself again.