❝If only...❞ || All Of Us Are Dead

Three

7 hours, 40 minutes into the apocalypse

Su-Hyeok

I sit in the corner with Hye-rin, and she rests her head on my shoulder, sniffling quietly. I put my arm around her shoulder, hoping she feels comforted. She hasn't spoke much since before she cried, and now I'm really worried for her. I look over at her, seeing her wiping tears from her face.

Nam-ra and On-jo give her worried glances from across the room. 

"Hye-rin?" I whisper.

"Mm?" she replies.

I hesitate, unsure of what to say next.

She looks up at me, blinking back the tears in her eyes. "Yeah?" she asks.

I remove my hand from her shoulder, putting it on the side of her face instead. "Are you feeling any better?" I ask her, gently.

"Not really," she replies.

My heart aches for her. "Take a nap," I tell her. "It might make you feel better, getting rest."

She shakes her head. "I'm not tired."

"Oh, shit!" comes a cry from across the room. We all look over to Wu-jin, who's holding Hye-rin's backpack upside down, continuing to shake it fiercely, even though nothing's falling out.

"What is it?" Cheong-san asks him.

"We're fucking out of food!" Wu-jin sighs, throwing the backpack to the floor in anger.

"Shit!" Joon-yeong hisses. "I knew we should've rationed the food from earlier."

"Where are we gonna find more food now?" On-jo asks, worry wavering in her voice. 

Hye-rin stands up, and hastily, I follow her. I don't want her to leave my side, knowing how sad she feels. She needs support.

"I can go out and find some," she offers.

My chest tightens. "No," I say. "Hye-rin, no."

"The zombies aren't bothered by me, so, I could go and try find something." She looks around at everyone in the room. "I know you all don't want to go out, so, I can go instead. I'll be back before it turns night, don't worry."

I glance out the window. The sun is still up in the sky, shining brightly. I still don't want her to go, though.

"If you go, I'm going with you," I tell her firmly.

She hesitates as she stares at me. "No, you'll be bitten. Have you seen the crowd of zombies out there? You'll be killed!" she exclaims.

"Not if you protect him," Wu-jin perks up. He earns a glare from Hye-Rin, and he bursts into laughter.

I place my hand on her shoulder. "If there's two of us, it'd be quicker."

"If there's one of us, it'll be safer," she replies, approaching the blocked-off door. "I'm going. I'll be back down before sundown, I promise."

I help her take down the stacks of chairs and tables, shoving them onto the floor. This earns me nothing good, as the zombies come charging to the now-unblocked door, their fierce banging on the small line of glass making it crack.

Hye-rin jumps, grabbing a chair from behind her as she wraps her fingers on the handle. "Grab something," she tells me, "and you'd better be a fast runner."

I grab a desk. "I am."

"Ooh!" Dae-su exclaims. "So, you changed your mind, Hye-rin?"

She ignores him, sliding the door open, shoving the small crowd of zombies against the wall.