UNDEAD ARISING

Chapter 2 - The Perfect Time

"Wow... you chose 20? I thought you'd be choosing just five?" Yoongi asked, brows all furrowed while peeking at every folder containing the profiles of the applicants that Aris has picked. He got the privilege to get the first pick since he never hired anybody for the past 3 years.

"I'll narrow it down to five," Aris replied, sitting on his chair comfortably with arms and legs crossed. 

"And you took the top 20... Jesus, you're not leaving anyone good for the rest of us." Suho says, also peeking at every folder Yoongi is currently checking while standing behind the man.

Aris's gaze then turned to Gong Yoo, "Will you let me test all of them first? I just need the five I can really rely on." 

"Can't you just choose the top five ranked by the academy? That'll save time too." Suho suggested. 

"Welp, the best we chose last year were all... chickens." Yoongi then sighs hesitating to say the last word but said it anyway after looking over the last folder. Chicken is a softer term to describe the privates who acted cowardly the first time they traversed outside the wall. For him, it seems like every year, these new recruits gets wimpier and more cowardly. But who can blame them?

"We all chickened out during our first time." Seulgi interrupted scoffing, wearing that high ponytail up in her head.

Aris then cracked a smirk, chuckling softly while shaking his head, recalling how most of the captains he worked with for a mission were scared out of witts when they faced a horde.

"And what're you chuckling about, Yoda?" Seulgi rolled her eyes at the man who saved her life a couple of years ago. She wasn't in from his team but she found herself in a situation where she couldn't even move her feet despite the coming danger. If it weren't for him who screamed her name as he runs to her, she would've been one of those brainless corpses that continues to walk just outside the walls by now.

Seulgi has always been feisty but is still able to pull off a respectful attitude around Aris ever since that day. She told everyone she didn't need his help. But deep inside, she was truly grateful and she admires how courageous he is every time they'd be assigned to work together. But now that she's promoted captain, she's going all out being bitch around him just so she could mask her true feelings. 

"Are you going to give them a test?" Gong Yoo asked to which Aris nodded in response to, "I don't need the best. I just need those who know what to do when terror strikes." He then looked at Seulgi who returned his gaze with a glare. He's clearly teasing her which made Yoongi who's sitting beside him chuckle softly. He was also there at day and he seriously thought she was an absolute idiot; blabbering and bragging about being the best when she was still in the academy.

"So, we're doing a courage test?" The general asked and Aris nodded accordingly. 

"I'm gonna need the captains' and their teams' help for this. This courage test won't be like what the academy does. All of us have seen those ghouls first hand so we pose as the enemy. We'll make a perimeter and we'll take all of the privates outside the walls. We and the rest of the squads can act as monsters and test each soldier."

"Wait... outside the wall? That'll be dangerous." JB retorted, a little reluctant to agree with the plan. "Even if we execute this in one of the safe zones, we could still attract a horde with all the noise we could make." 

"The safe zones don't even exist. It's just made up term so the citizens would think we're actually making the world safe. Any place outside the walls is dangerous." Yoongi added, agreeing with JB. 

JB's brows then furrowed in confusion, "Citizens? We have citizens?"

Everyone around the table chuckled with his question. Everyone inside the wall were compelled to contribute. No one can chase their dreams anymore, no one can be anybody or somebody anymore because the apocalypse had actually wiped out the way of living even the goals and dreams of the people who weren't from the military.