Having barely reached the first hill away from school ground, you hear the explosion in the distance before you can see it, an overwhelming blast of sound that knocks the group to the ground from the sheer force of it.

Torrents of fire.

A shower of sparks.

Plumes of smoke.

When the light that consumes your vision fades and your overloaded senses dulled, all that's left is an eerie hush, a rare moment of silence in the woods that are never still.

In a half crouch, Su-Hyeok completely covers you with his body, arms caging you in protectively. It's not until he tightens his hold on you however, lowering his head to peer into your bloodshot eyes, that you realize the extent of your trembling. The look of unmistakable utter concern on his face has you dipping your head, avoiding his stare as you try to pull away.

"Come here," Su-Hyeok whispers, nearly inaudible, torn to see you in such a state.

You bite the inside of your cheek, hoping to suspend teardrops on the rims of your eyes, but they sting from the effort, and your vision gradually hazes. When the first tear falls, the subsequent ones follow, and you're unable to stop it. Discouraged, you swipe at your eyes with the back of your hands, wanting to hide your tears as you inhale unevenly. "Why?"

Su-Hyeok sighs before he turns you back toward him, cupping your face in his hands to wipe off the tears still lingering in its descent down your cheeks. "Because I don't want you to be crying into nothing. Cry into me."

That only serves to make you weep harder, but he lets you relieve your feelings of anguish by drawing you close, rubbing soothing circles into your back. You can hear his hammering heartbeat where your head is pressed against his chest. Su-Hyeok tucks your head underneath his chin and sits quietly, consoling you with his presence alone.

On-Jo's own sobs in the distance drown out yours as she regards the place where she left both her dad and Cheong-San behind, never to see them again.

Spotting her abruptly rise, you know she's thinking of going back on a whim, unaccompanied.

Su-Hyeok is on your heels as you make your way toward her.

"On-Jo..." you reach out to place a hesitant hand on her shoulder and she practically jumps, hyper-fixated on the rising embers from her vantage point.

She glances at you, eyes brimming with tears. "I shouldn't act like this. I'm sorry."

You squeeze her shoulder. "Why are you apologizing? I understand."

"Can you...wait a bit?" On-Jo struggles to get out, gazing back and forth at the school and everyone else sitting scattered in the forest. Thinking better of it when she notices Su-Hyeok's eyebrows scrunched together in worry watching you, she backtracks and shakes her head. "Come to think of it...never mind. You and Su-Hyeok can go ahead with the rest. I'll catch up, I promise."

Pivoting on her heels, On-Jo sets a brisk pace toward her destination, sparing no second glimpses back as she cautiously descends the steep slopes, hands in her pockets and head lowered.

Her petite form begins to shrink into obscurity.

"I can't let her go alone."

"And I can't let you go alone, either."

You're about to retort when Su-Hyeok's expression silences you. His eyes alone reveal how extremely worried he still is, brown eyes flitting back and forth between your own.

Nam-Ra walks up beside you then, and voices softly, "I'm going to keep all of you safe. Let's go." She regards On-Jo's retreating back. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return."

"Don't you know three's a crowd, Nam-Ra?" Su-Hyeok teases, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Exactly, so butt out, Bare-Su." Nam-Ra links her arm through yours and pulls you along, following in the path On-Jo took mere moments ago. "Two's company and mine is better," she mocks, and that makes you smile for the first time in a while.

Su-Hyeok gapes after her remark, too stunned to speak, before Dae-Su draws his attention.

"I'm coming with."

"No, your leg is badly hurt." Su-Hyeok points at the gnarly gash in Dae-Su's leg where blood is seeping through, the red stain more visible against his light-colored pants. "We won't be long."

By the time Su-Hyeok meets up with you, On-Jo, and Nam-Ra, the three of you have already made your way up a considerable distance on the now-charred steps and soot-covered remains of the construction zone.

You and Nam-Ra keep your distance as On-Jo ambles to the middle of the foundation, staring off into the distance, looking smaller than ever. Her white jacket now having taken on a beige hue is a stark contrast to the blackened rubble surrounding her.

"Cheong-San!" On-Jo's screams echo of the barren walls. "Yah! Lee Cheong-San!" Her next words die out at the back of her throat, the inflection all warbled and wavering against a new onslaught of tears. "You promised we'd talk about it tomorrow, yesterday. The sun is up now, so stop playing around and come out here! Let's talk." On-Jo cries louder, almost hysterical. "I want to see you..."

Su-Hyeok lingers in the background, staying alert and on guard, afraid the sudden commotion in the desolate area would draw unwanted dangerous attention.

The fresh wound in your heart feels like it's being torn open again, riding on the wave of strong emotions no less than On-Jo's. You take tentative steps forward and wrap her shaking form into a hug, tears automatically spilling over once more as she buries her head into your shoulder and sobs.

Nam-Ra comes over soon after and embraces both of you, her arms stretching to encircle around both you and On-Jo. "We should leave. I don't sense anything and that means no one's here. Why don't we say our goodbyes to Cheong-San first?"

Neither you nor On-Jo can force yourself to speak up, the thought of this as the end so tragic and heartbreaking, though you two are fully aware of being one denial away from acceptance.

Eventually, Nam-Ra is able to coax you and On-Jo away. The longer you linger, the harder it is to leave, even though it was the sole thing you had wished for at the start of this dilemma.

How ironic.

You were dying to live.

And now, you're living as though you're dying.

Upon regrouping, Dae-Su's leg is progressively getting worse, Su-Hyeok and Wu-Jin lending him their shoulders for balance as he can only bear weight on the opposite one, their movement and speed marginally slower.

Rotating your head over your shoulder, you assess the injury before digging around for any extra fabric on hand. Taking notice of your predicament, Nam-Ra reaches behind her head and unties the cloth serving as her eye covering. She holds it out in front of you. "Here."

"What about you, then?"

Nam-Ra supinates your hand gently, placing the fabric into your palm and closing your fingers around it. "Dae-Su needs it more."

Sensing your indecision, she nods with certainity and pushes you to the back of the group.

The trio of boys look up as you approach, presenting the white strip. "Dae-Su, I'm going to need to tie this around your thigh to stop the bleeding."

"Go ahead, I trust you."

Without reluctance, you make to kneel in the dirt, knowing Dae-Su would definitely struggle to sit, but Wu-Jin stops you by grabbing hold of your forearm, making you turn to him. "I don't want you to have to get on the ground."

"I don't mind, and I'm the only one who can. We need to hurry because if I don't apply this makeshift tourniquet, Dae-Su's going to lose blood severely; severe enough to be fatal."

"Then, show me how, and I'll do it," Wu-Jin insists.

Dae-Su suddenly contemplates you for a long while.

"Is something wrong?" you question, confused.

He casts a sidelong look over to Wu-Jin, eyes widening slightly before he answers you, countenance quickly returning to normal. "No, it's nothing," Dae-Su replies, sounding unsure even to his own ears, but he brushes it off easily. "The only 'quet' word I know and prefer is 'banquet,' so can we maybe not let me die?"

"Right, sorry!" Wu-Jin hurries and drops to one knee before you can, looking up at you and extending his hand toward the fabric.

Conceding, you reluctantly pass it over, and he withdraws his hand when your fingers brush, moving away and clearing his throat. "So...what do I do?"

"First, you have to locate the site of injury, but since Dae-Su has long pants on, we're going to need to estimate from the tear instead or-"

"I can take them off," Dae-Su interjects nonchalantly.

"We don't need to see all of that," Joon-Yeong quips from where he's waiting to the side, now on the receiving end of his friend's death glare.

"Anyway," you emphasize, refocusing. "Wrap it mid-thigh starting from the back so that you can tie it to the front, right over the wound."

"Does this look passable?"

"A little lower," you direct, guiding his hand down.

"Yah," Dae-Su chides. "I'm the one losing blood so why are your hands quivering like that?"

"He's probably queasy," Su-Hyeok supplies, oblivious.

Without warning, Wu-Jin pulls on both ends so tightly to cross one another, Dae-Su screeches.

"What the fuck is going on over there?" Mi-Jin hollers from the front. "What animal did you slaughter?" She rolls her eyes at the sight, turning back around once more to lead the way.

"Not that tightly!" Wu-Jin immediately relaxes his grip, but the guy is smiling, proud at the reaction he drew out from Dae-Su as payback. "Compress the area tight enough to limit blood flow but don't entirely cut off his circulation," you warn.

The second time around, thankfully, Wu-Jin does it properly and without any more problems to Dae-Su's wellbeing. After you deem it satisfactory, you leave the two to resume their bickering and catch up to walk side by side with Nam-Ra.

Ha-Ri brushes aside wispy broken branches for everyone behind, clearing a path through the overgrown leaves overhead. "Be careful."

"Damn it," Mi-Jin curses next to her. "When will we get out of this hellhole? Aish..."

Their conversation dies out in the background as Nam-Ra talks in a low tone to you alone, out of earshot of the others.

"Even though the soldiers saw us alive and well on the rooftop, they left us without help and went so far as to bomb the school." Nam-Ra stares down at the ground, brittle leaves crunching beneath her dirt-covered shoes. "Maybe they want us dead."

You continue walking with your eyes forward. "I don't know if we can put it that way."

"Why not? I think it's because of me."

"Nam-Ra—"

She cuts you off faintly. "They must think we're neither zombies nor humans, having been trapped with the creatures for so long-that we're stuck somewhere in the middle. Though not dangerous at the moment, deep down, it's a ticking time bomb, just as I am."

You turn your head fully to your left and look her in the eyes. "Don't say that. Don't think it either. I can't allow that."

In an even quieter voice, Nam-Ra gazes over the group before expressing, "Is it okay for me to stay with you guys?"

You reach out and grasp her hand, squeezing it. "We're friends, why wouldn't it be? You know that we couldn't have made it this far without you, Prez."

The corners of her mouth curl upwards slightly, but the look in her eyes remain forlorn, guilty. "Am I still those things to you?"

"Of course," you assure with firmness. "You haven't turned and you never will."

She clutches your hand in return. "Let's all gather again later when we have a chance to." This time, her smile comes easy. "We'll be able to do that again, right?"

Your response is cut short when Mi-Jin's outburst jolts the group from their own respective reveries."

"What the hell?!"

Alarmed, Hyo-Ryung addresses Mi-Jin. "Unnie...what's wrong?"

"Shibal. I think we're lost." Mi-Jin shifts her body in all directions, looking about.

"There's no trail?"

"I haven't seen one for the last mile," Mi-Jin admits, ashamed. "It feels like we're going in circles on end."

"Then why the hell did you come all this way if there was no trail?" Dae-Su grumbles, frustrated. "We might end back up at Hyosan at this rate."

Right as Mi-Jin opens her mouth to retort, Joon-Yeong interjects, pointing upward. "Guys, look."

"What is it?" Wu-Jin probes, squinting from the far back, trying to see.

"There's something tied here." Ha-Ri raises an arm out to touch the ribbons suspended from a branch.

"Who did us such a nice favor?" Mi-Jin nearly coos. "Maybe a ginseng digger?"

Dae-Su perks up immediately, whipping his head toward her. "Food?!"

Hyo-Ryung clucks her tongue at him, ignoring his gluttony in favor of following behind Ha-Ri.

"I see another one," Ha-Ri informs, leading the group in pursuit of the trail of evenly scattered ribbons.

By a stroke of luck, the ties do guide you on the right path when a little while later, you all finally reach the outskirts of town.

Dead crows lay in heaps on the ground, a pool of red beneath them.

As the oldest, Ha-Ri and Mi-Jin once again, volunteer to brave it out lead from the front.

"Didn't Mr. Nam tell us to head to Yangdong?" Dae-Su speaks up from the back and you see On-Jo's shoulders tense where she's walking ahead of you.

"What if zombies are there also?" Hyo-Ryung mumbles. "Do you think any are left here still?"

"No way," Su-Hyeok denies. "They probably already evacuated this city with how close it is to Hyosan."

"Yah," Mi-Jin cuts in. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

"Well, it's a literal ghost town—zombie town I guess," Joon-Yeong deadpans.

If looks could kill, the one Mi-Jin throws at Joon-Yeong would've ended him. "There's not a single person within radius."

Ha-Ri gazes around hurriedly, scoping out the surroundings. "It's okay here."

"Why? What's okay?"

"There are no broken windows, no splattered blood, and no corpses on the streets. It wouldn't be this clean if the zombies had been rampant."

"You're right-" Mi-Jin begins, but trails off when On-Jo whips her head toward Nam-Ra, who's busy glowering at an open road, unblinking.

"What is it?"

Instead of replying, Nam-Ra shakes her head subtly and swivels around to face the dense fog, inhaling sharply.

"Is there something wrong?" You yank at her sleeve. "Do you sense someone there?"

"Zombies," is all she squeaks out.

On-Jo focuses her gaze on Nam-Ra. If she's frightened, she doesn't show it. "Where?"

Nam-Ra sucks in a breath and shakes her head. "Everywhere..."

"How many nearby? Are there are a lot of them?" Hyo-Ryung's voice comes out in chopped warbles, in fear.

"One, two, three, four, five..." Nam-Ra counts off easily, and you hope she'd stop there, but when did things ever work in your favor? "Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven...RUN!" The last double-digit number hardly slips past the tip of her tongue when the warning sends everyone fleeing down the adjacent abandoned road, in no set direction.

The skin around Nam-Ra's eye never did return to normal, red veins splitting off around the orbital cavity. Before you can say anything, she tugs you forward by the arm even as you turn to look back at Su-Hyeok staggering along with Wu-Jin to keep Dae-Su upright.

Not long after, all three topple to the ground in a pile, the dark shadows of zombies looming in on them from behind the thick screen of fog.

"AISH!" Dae-Su yelps out in pain as he attempts to throw weight on his non-compromised leg, Su-Hyeok and Wu-Jin taking a hard dive on either side of him.

In haste, you and the girls route back, knowing now that running is futile. The creatures were gaining, and they were gaining fast.

"Take Dae-Su and go," Su-Hyeok directs, but the boy in question instantly springs to his feet, surprisingly adept for the state of his damage.

"Forget it," Dae-Su counters doggedly, hobbling toward a pail of shovels by the side of the street. "We all live together or we all die together."

"What are you doing?" Su-Hyeok berates, trying to push Dae-Su aside to no avail. "I'm giving you an escape."

"And I'm saying we're already trapped." Dae-Su slams his shovel head into the rocky ground. "I don't want to go down without a fight. After everything we did to get to this point."

Similarly, the group follows in his footsteps, swiftly raiding the uninhibited shop stalls for anything remotely useable as a weapon.

"Fuck," Mi-Jin cusses, narrowing her hold on her shovel's handle. "Why does this seem like it's the end?"

"I don't see it," Joon-Yeong retorts, and you'd be thankful for the optimism if he wasn't so literal about what he means. "I really can't see anything actually. Not without my glasses."

Mi-Jin scowls at him. "Get your shit together! Squint if you have to!"

"That's not how that works-"

"Just focus your eyes, goddammit."

Ignoring them both, Wu-Jin turns to Ha-Ri and stands in front of her protectively. "Noona, stay behind me."

In the same manner, she draws him back behind her. "You stay behind me."

The growling and uneven pounding footsteps grow louder as they near, and once the zombies charge, mangled faces clearly visible, it's every one for themselves.

Su-Hyeok's only able to hold back a few at the front before the ones by the side spring onto Dae-Su, knocking him back.

With his one poor leg, it throws him off balance, but fortunately by brute strength and great reflexes alone, Dae-Su rotates his shovel sideways, shunting at the zombie's throat column, effectively hindering it even as it thrashes atop him.

Though her shovel is nearly as big as her, On-Jo manages to swing in time with all her might, smacking a zombie clear across the side of its head away from Wu-Jin.

A little farther off, Ha-Ri and Mi-Jin are aiding Joon-Yeong who has fallen onto his back, trying to fend off any incoming zombies as best he can from the disadvantageous position.

You hear successive sounds of bones snapping as Nam-Ra cracks heads open untiredly, and couldn't be more relieved to have her superhuman strength on your side.

While trying to hold down your own fort, you observe as On-Jo has a close call out of the corner of your eye. Fortunately, she uses metal barricades in the nick of time to bar one zombie lunging at her, its arms effectively cuffed, stuck between the posts.

You dodge another zombie rushing toward you, and make it over in time to see Dae-Su hurl off the one that was on him all this time. The reprieve is short-lived, however, as another crawls on him. In the next moment, you dash forward and slice its head clear off, swinging your shovel at an angle, unforgivingly.

Blood sprays on Dae-Su's face, but he thanks you briefly for saving his life. With him visibly wearied and no longer in any condition to fight, you help him to his feet with a last spurt of strength, letting him limp to the inside of an