Immune : Run or Die

Chapter 2 : The Gangnam incident

Supermarket group

"Let's stay calm, especially, we need to—" Jeonghan began, turning towards the rest of the frightened group before being interrupted.

"Oh my God, we're all going to die !" exclaimed a woman in her forties, waving her arms and pacing around the store.

"What happened?" the cashier quickly asked, attempting to bring some semblance of order amid the panicked cries.

All eyes turned to him, then chaos erupted as everyone shouted at once to tell what they had seen.

Seungkwan gripped Vernon's arm, looking anxiously around him. DK and Jun scanned the faces of others for clues about the situation. Words mixed in an indistinct clamor, exacerbating the general panic.

Frustrated, Jeonghan climbed onto the checkout counter and called for order: "Silence!" This time, all eyes turned to him. With a serious voice, he asked "Can we have an explanation without interrupting each other? We don't understand anymore. Could someone please explain what happened?"

The people present looked at each other, then a man supporting his visibly injured or exhausted wife finally spoke up.

"There was an explosion at a restaurant across the street. A few moments later, people on fire came out and attacked passers-by. The police opened fire, but they didn't seem to be able to stop them. It was horrible." the man explained in a trembling voice. "My wife was attacked, but we managed to escape."

Seungkwan gently tapped Jeonghan's shoulder.
"Hyung, this really sounds like an apocalyptic scenario." he whispered, visibly scared.

Jeonghan kept his eyes on the injured woman before turning to the cashier. "Is there a safer place than the store? We'll probably need to wait here a while longer before we can leave." The man nodded and led everyone to the back room, where stairs led to a small lounge upstairs.

People began to sit on the floor, some pulling out their phones to call their families or search for information on what was happening outside.

"Does anyone have a phone?" DK asked, looking at the other members. As expected, the answer was negative because they had all left their phones in the training room.

"Maybe we could borrow a phone from someone?" Seungkwan suggested, heading towards a student identifiable by his uniform. He returned a few moments later with the young man's phone.

"Um, do you know where to find the managers' or other members' numbers?" he asked next, again receiving a negative answer.

"We're in a fine mess." Seungkwan sighed ironically.

Jun, who had seemed thoughtful until now, spoke up: "Maybe Wonwoo's, but I'm not sure."

"Try it." someone replied. The Chinese member took the phone and dialed the number, then held the phone to his ear. Barely five seconds later, he gave up. "No answer."

"The lines must be overloaded with emergency calls and those trying to reach their loved ones." the older one deduced, before sitting down against the wall, dismayed.

"Mee-yon, wake up." pleaded the man who had explained the situation a few minutes earlier. She had just collapsed on the floor. "Help me, my wife just passed out!" he shouted, looking at the others. A small group of people, including DK, Jeonghan, and Jun, approached the unconscious and sweaty woman, who was starting to have difficulty breathing.

Training room

"Ten minutes without news or without them coming back." Chan remarked, glancing at the leader, who was visibly agitated.

"I know, I know." he replied, on edge. Hoshi was about to speak when Jihoon hurried back into the room, accompanied by one of the managers.

"Hyung!" the members exclaimed at the sight of their manager.

"Above all, do not leave here. Something important is happening outside and I..." He stopped, observing them carefully. "Wait, where are the others?"

"They're outside, at the supermarket." Seungcheol simply confessed, scratching his head.

The manager cursed before grabbing his phone. "There's no point in calling them, they left their phones here." Jisoo warned him helplessly. The manager cursed again. "Stay here, I'll be back." he said before quickly leaving the room.

"Wonwoo, get your laptop out, so we can pick up a news channel to find out what's going on." Seungcheol ordered. A few minutes later, they were all sitting on the floor in front of the screen.

"We have breaking news on attacks that occurred a few minutes ago in Gangnam. Our special envoy, Kim Yong, is on site. Can you tell us what's happening where you are right now ?" asked the presenter. The special envoy nodded and then explained.

"Tonight around 7:20 PM, police were called to the Bibimpap restaurant in Gangnam following attacks inside. They were attacked by individuals who had just escaped the explosion of the same restaurant seconds earlier. A crowd quickly moved, injuring people in their run. The police opened fire in self-defense on the attackers. As you can see in these images filmed by a bystander, nothing seemed to stop these people who continued to attack the crowd. We do not yet have the toll of deaths and injuries but it could be high." The special envoy was interrupted by screams and gunfire resumed.

A man running past him shouted, "Run, run!" Growling noises could be heard, approaching quickly. The camera fell to the ground seconds later, then nothing. The image quickly returned to the presenter, who remained speechless. She tried to continue despite everything. "Uh, the connection seems to have been interrupted. We will keep you informed of further developments later."

As soon as the presenter finished her sentence, Seungcheol abruptly closed the laptop lid, while the others still had their eyes on it. They looked at him confused.

"We need to find the others and fast." he said authoritatively, though he hid his fear and worry...