❝If only...❞ || All Of Us Are Dead

Two

4 hours, 25 minutes into the apocalypse

Su-Hyeok

The doors are blocked off by all the chairs and desks lying around in the classroom, and we closed all the windows, except the broken one, and boarded up the glass with the pages from textbooks in the desks.

The growling outside has died down, but I know practically the whole horde is still out there, just stumbling around the corridor, waiting for us to come out so they can feed on us. I shiver at the thought of being torn to pieces by those monsters, and I turn myself away from the door.

Cheong-san, On-jo, Nam-ra and Hye-rin sit on the floor by the shattered window, in a small circle. Dae-su, Wu-jin and Joon-yeong are standing by the back of the class, in a corner, talking to each other quietly.

"Hey, Su-Hyeok," Hye-rin calls from the circle. I look over at her, glad to see a smile on her face again. "Come join us."

I walk over to the circle, sitting myself down between Hye-rin and Nam-ra as they move aside for me. Mine and Hye-rin's hands are just a few inches away from touching.

"Jeez," Cheong-san sighs, leaning his head on the wall. "It's been what, a few hours, and already, it seems like half the school are..."

"Zombies," Nam-ra finishes for him. "You can say it, Cheong-san. It's not a forbidden word."

"This shit is like something out of Train to Busan," Joon-yeong says from behind me.

Hye-rin turns to face him. "I'm sure Cheong-san said the same thing earlier." She turns herself around again, and her hand goes over mine. "Didn't you, Cheong-san? Or was it Mi-jin?"

Cheong-san shrugs. "Honestly, I can't remember." I see him look at me, and then down at her hand on top of mine, a smirk forming on his face.

"Hey, Hye-rin," Joon-yeong says, "why've you got that green cloth tied around your arm?"

I knew it wouldn't be long before someone asked. I see the worry flash over Hye-rin's face, her mouth hesitating to speak.

"She hurt herself," I say for her. "She tripped, on the tennis courts, earlier." I hope I sound convincing enough to keep Joon-yeong off her back for a while.

Joon-yeong raises his eyebrows. "Really?"

I nod. "Yes," I say. "Why?"

"B-Because, in all those zombie movies, anyone with a cloth tied over an injury usually means they're trying to hide they're bitten!" Dae-su exclaims.

Hye-rin gasps, sinking her bad arm into her lap.

Everyone in the circle is now staring at her, utterly silent.

Shit, shit, shit!

"This isn't a fucking movie, though, is it?" I say.

"Stop, Su-Hyeok," Hye-rin tells me. "It's ok."

No, it's not, I want to tell her. I want to hug her, comfort her, but I can't. Not with everyone looking at her, trying to hide their fear under confused glances.

"I-I was bitten," Hye-rin says, looking up at Joon-yeong, who takes a step backwards, pulling Dae-su with him.

"It was a while ago, though," she continues. "At least a few hours now, and, yes, it was by the tennis courts. Some zombified student was hidden under a bush, and she managed to bite me while I was reaching for a tennis ball." Hye-rin sighs, and I can tell she's holding back tears. "Joon-yeong, I'm not going to turn. If I was, it would've happened by now. You've seen the chaos out there, haven't you?" She stands up, facing Joon-yeong, and she points behind her, at the window. "On the field, people who were bitten turned in a matter of minutes, didn't they?" her voice is soft, but shaky.