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Seojin remembered going to the cinema to watch Train to Busan,the iconic zombie apocalypse movie that took place on a train, with her parents back in 2016. Throughout the movie, she recalled screaming in her head for the characters to run, and she would get so irritated when they didn't run fast enough and ended up dying.
But while Seojin stood there watching the flesh-eating ghouls snatch away the lives of her schoolmates one by one, it suddenly dawned on her that running wasn't as easy as it seemed. Immense fear crippled her, freezing her limbs and she found herself physically incapable of moving.
Every single muscle within Seojin screamed at her to flee, to run, to hide, but she remained frozen, her body completely paralyzed by the pure terror coursing through her veins.
"Seojin! Run!" Suhyeok's voice echoed beside her, but somehow his voice had sounded so muffled and far away. The only thing she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears, the loud thumps blocking out all other sounds.
Before Seojin could even react, the boy had already grabbed her arm and began dragging her away from the blood-soaked murder scene.
She didn't know where exactly they were going, letting the boy beside her lead her to wherever he deemed safe. The demonic growling and moaning behind them never ceased, trailing closely behind and never letting the two escape.
Seojin's eyes were trained in front of her, the petrified girl didn't dare to look behind, for the fear of seeing the blood-thirsty monster merely inches away. She wanted to scream, but she clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth together to keep her mouth shut, knowing that making sounds would only attract more of those hellish creatures.
Adrenaline surged through her body, propelling her forward despite the burning sensation in her lungs that made it difficult to breathe. Her breaths were short and frantic, yet she didn't allow herself to stop as she thought of the possibility of her life being cut short.
Suhyeok kept a tight grip on Seojin's hand while he skillfully dodged the monsters that came their way, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders to keep her safe beside him.
Their footsteps pounded heavily across the concrete floor while they darted past crowds of people, trying to stay level-headed despite the spine-chilling shrieks heard around them as they fought for survival.
Zombies were everywhere.
Everywhere they went, every corner they turned, every trail they followed, they were there. The entire campus was infested with these flesh-hungry monsters, the deadly virus spreading through the school like wildfire.
"The ladder!" shouted Suhyeok, refusing to let go of Seojin's hand while steering them away from the relentless bodies. They hurriedly picked up the ladder together, positioning it to the ledge of the classroom windows before he began climbing up.
The boy crawled up the ladder at record speed, banging on the window with so much force before Cheongsan and Daesu opened it and pulled him inside. Once he got in, he immediately looked out the window and called out to Seojin, "Climb up!"
She was about to climb up when she caught sight of Namra running nearby in the distance, her eyes darting around frantically as she searched for a safe place to go. "Prez! Over here!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, catching the attention of Namra as she sprinted towards her.
"You first," Seojin whispered urgently while assisting the other girl up the ladder, following closely behind her as they climbed their way up. Seojin could feel her fingers trembling, the shakiness of her hand making it hard to keep a firm grip on the ladder.
The effect of adrenaline was slowly wearing off, her limbs growing weak by each passing second, and Seojin knew her legs were about to give out at any moment.
It felt like time was passing by in slow motion, seconds felt like years and the 8-feet ladder somehow seemed it was 10-storeys high. The growling of zombies became nearer and nearer, signaling their close proximity while the beating of her heart became faster and faster.
3 more steps, please.
Namra reached the top first, extending her arms as the boys hurriedly pulled her up to safety. Then it was Seojin's turn, half of Suhyeok's body was dangling outside the window when he reached out and grasp for her shaky hand.
With all the strength within him, he managed to haul her up merely milliseconds before a zombie sprinted towards the ladder, knocking down their stairway to safety. The boys dragged her in the classroom, where Seojin laid limp and unmoving on the floor.
She was alive. She was safe.
Her chest heaved up and down by the deep breaths she was taking, her legs and arms felt like they were on fire while beads of sweat coated her forehead. With steady breaths, her heartbeat finally stopped drumming so loudly in her ears.
Suhyeok didn't waste a second to rush to her side, helping the terrified girl sit up before he searched her for any injuries. "Are you hurt?" his voice was as soft as velvet, and his touch was gentle as feathers. Seojin simply nodded, her head too foggy to give a vocal response.
Her trembling hand gripped onto the sleeves of his shirt, desperately seeking any sort of comfort while she attempted to ground herself. Suhyeok took in her pained expression with a wince of his own, placing his hand onto her shoulders while he gently patted her back.
"You're okay now." he exhaled a breathy sigh, trying to reassure Seojin while he pushed away the images of the monstrous creatures stuck in his head.
At the corner of the room, Onjo stared at the interaction between the two with an unexplainable expression. Her chest twisted with a familiar, yet unfathomed emotion, jealousy. She swallowed down the uncomfortable feeling and opted to look away, she had to focus on surviving first.
The classroom fell into a state of quietness, the eerie silence ringing in their ears, leaving them in a state of loneliness despite being in a room filled with people.
Perhaps it was the hopelessness that came with seeing all your friends turn into decaying, hideous corpses. But at that moment, when they all exchanged frightened glances, they knew that they were all completely and utterly screwed.
