insomnia | stray kids ff

lvl 9: turn

HANA's POV
Everyone drifted off to sleep while waiting for daylight to come. I was next to Sana and had my head resting on her shoulder while she was asleep. I observe the room filled with sleeping bodies and come across Hyunjin and Changbin who are sitting across the room from each other.

Something weird is going on with them. Why are they so sensitive about me? I can't break apart their friendship.

I daze off into a blank space until I hear an unusual clatter from the other railcars. I look over at the door and start to worry. Without waking up anyone, I rise slowly from my position and step over everyone to get to the locomotive. I quietly open the door and see Woojin and Chan half awake. They both look at me slowly and tiredly. I frown at the sight of them.

"What's wrong, Hana?" Woojin asks.

"You guys look so tired," I say. "Uh, nevermind."

"No, what happened?" Chan insists, speaking in a low and breathless voice.

"I heard a noise from one of the other cars."

"I'll check it out with you," Woojin says but then Felix enters while rubbing his eyes from eye crust.

"I'll do it," He says and squints at us. I turn to see Felix.

"Did I wake you?" I question with guilt. Felix shakes his head with a small smile.

"I'm a light sleeper. I heard the noise too. You guys look tired and should get rest. Hana and I will check it out." Chan and Woojin both nod at us.

"We're staying awake until you guys get back," Woojin says.

We both leave the locomotive and grabs weapons and flashlights from our bags. We exit the main railcar and quietly enter the next one.

"Did you even sleep?" Felix whispers to me.

"Don't worry about me," I answer as we investigate the car. We hear another clatter and both jump.

"It's the next car," Felix says and then walks over to the door slowly. We both stand to the sides of the door and stare at each other with anticipation in our eyes. "You open it. I'll hit," Felix orders.

I nod slowly and shakily grab the handle of the door. I slide the door open and Felix points his bat out through the doorway while I point the flashlight around the room behind him. When I shine my light to one corner, we see a damaged girl with bruises and messy hair. Felix and I look at each other in shock and fear. I gulp and kneel down as the girl hides her face.

"Hey, are you okay?" I say in a sweet tone. "Are you bit?" I notice the girl shaking constantly and look back at Felix with a puzzled face. "Where did you come from?" The girl continues to shake from behind her hands. I sigh and then stand up.

"I think she is in shock," I whisper to Felix.

"We should tell Chan and Woojin," Felix says. I look back at the girl who is still hiding her face in fear and breathing heavily.

"I'll stay here and wait for you," I say. Felix's eyes grow wide in shock.

"Are you sure?" Felix says and puts his hand on my shoulder. I nod and give him a smile.

"Be careful," I say to him.

"I should say that to you," Felix says in his deep voice and leaves the car.

I sigh and turn back to the girl who is shaking in fear. I kneel down across from her with my knife out in my hand and my flashlight in the other. I start to fidget with both of them in my hands and realize the girl has stopped hyperventilating. I lift my head up cautiously and then the girl attacks me. I fall to the ground and drop my flashlight which now has a crack in its lens due to the fall. I look up at the girl's face and realize that the girl has reanimated into one of the monsters.

I push her off me but have no sense of where she is since it is pitch black inside the car. I feel my face get hot, my heart beat faster, and my palms get more sweaty. I then feel a grab on my arm and struggle to hit the head of the zombie since I couldn't see. I scream when I feel teeth sink into my skin and push off the horrendous monster. The car door then opens, revealing Chan and Felix. Chan points his flashlight at the monster about to attack me again until Felix shoots her hit.

I let out a sigh and sink down to the floor, next to the zombie who has bitten me. I could feel tears well up in my eyes as I look down at the bite on my forearm. Felix and Chan hurry over to me and look at my wound. I let out a sigh of failure and sniffle. I turn to see Chan and Felix with glossy eyes as Chan continuously speaks.

"No, no," Chan repeats. "You're going to be fine. You're going to be fine."

I shake my head at Chan's words as I feel a tear fall onto my cheek. I look up and see the rest of the group in the doorway of the car. Sana runs over to me and starts bawling which makes me cry even more.

"H...How? No. No, you can't leave me," Sana cries. I shush her and try to stop my tears.

"You're strong. Sana, you're smart and.. clever," I choke on my words. The sun begins to rise and illuminates the car. I look up and see Hyunjin's and Changbin's puffy faces as they try not to cry. I look over at Chan and smile softly as I sniffle.

"Take care of her," I say. Chan couldn't speak and only had red eyes, welled with tears. He nods slowly.

"I shouldn't have left you," Felix says with an angry voice. His deep voice has now turned coarse and shaky. I shake my head and hold his hand.

"No, no, it's not your fault at all." I reassure him. "Promise me, you won't blame yourself." I look at him sternly. Felix nods and I sigh as I look back at all the sad faces in the room. I'm their first real loss. Their first death.

[though I reach out my hand,

there is no one there to hold it]