Apocalyptic Adventure

Comfort

Eun-woo sat near the door, holding her spear tightly. She was still on edge from the events that had occurred just today. Just this morning, everything was normal. She was arguing with her sister, heading off to school, admiring a girl from afar...but now she's stuck in the bathroom with a couple of seniors.

At least she knew of Ha-ri. She knew Mi-jin from her reputation, but not much else. She blanked when Jun-seong or Min-jae were mentioned. Ha-ri laid close to Min-jae near the stalls, Mi-jin and Jun-seong a bit farther away. She flinched when she heard some clanking followed by snarls outside.

Eun-woo was still on edge from everything that happened. It's not everyday zombies become a thing after all. She fidgeted a little, trying to keep her eyes open. Mi-jin was supposed to be on watch, but said girl seemed to be asleep. Either Mi-jin or Ha-ri, she can't remember. Either way, they were both sleeping, so Eun-woo stayed awake to watch over everything. The seniors said she should rest, being the youngest out of them. But how can she rest if everyone else is sleeping? She was sure not as hell gonna just sleep casually while nobody was here to keep watch.

She flinched again when she heard shuffling, followed by someone sitting up. Looking over, she saw it was Ha-ri. The archer glanced over at Mi-jin, cursing under her breath. She sighed and stood up, walking towards Eun-woo and sitting beside her. Or...somewhat beside her. Eun-woo knew Ha-ri didn't like physical contact, so she wasn't offended when the girl moved away from her.

"Why are you up?" Ha-ri asked, calm as she could be. She's usually a calm girl. Determined too...and scary.

"Couldn't sleep," Eun-woo mumbled, looking down and pulling her legs to her chest, trying to stop herself from crying.

Ha-ri nodded in understanding and looked at Eun-woo. "You can sleep. I'll keep watch."

"Mi-jin said she would," the young girl gestured towards Mi-jin who was currently sleeping.

"Can't really keep watch if she's sleeping," Ha-ri cursed quietly. Her and Mi-jin seemed to hate each other. However...Eun-woo can't help but feel there's something more between them. Maybe. Who knows? She could be delusional. That's what happens when in a zombie apocalypse, right?

"Go to bed," Ha-ri said calmly, gesturing to the spot beside Min-jae.

Eun-woo shook her head, looking at the ground nervously. Apprehensive. "I'm scared."

Ha-ri sighed and glanced away, hesitating before wrapping her arm around Eun-woo's shoulder. The girl leaned in and rested her head in Ha-ri's chest while the archer simply stroked her hair gently. Something she'd only usually do with Wu-jin...

Maybe she did care for other people.

"I'm scared too," Ha-ri mumbled out.

Eun-woo looked at Ha-ri, shocked. She always looked so calm and collected. So brave and cool.

"I don't know what's happened to my brother."

Makes sense now that she thinks about it. She doesn't know where her own sister is. "I don't know where my sister is..."

"The world's probably the same," Ha-ri sighs, looking towards the window. "Everyone's probably dying out there."

"Jeez," Eun-woo mumbles out. "No need to be a pessimist."

"I'm not," she shook her head slowly, shrugging. "Just being a realist."

Eun-woo let out a small whimper and trembled slightly.

"We'll get out, right?" Eun-woo asked quietly, looking at Ha-ri.

"Depends," Ha-ri sighed, shaking her head. "We could die. I don't exactly trust adults to come rescue us. They'll all probably leave us for dead."

"Don't say that!" Eun-woo whjmpered, burying her face in Ha-ri's chest.

"It could be true," Ha-ri said, but seeing the tears roll down Eun-woo's cheeks, she sighed and looked around. She was never one who comforted others easily. She usually just–she usually just...she's just never had to, and she's always so...she's never had any friends besides Min-jae. Other people on the team would give her a wide berth and sometimes say cruel things to her. Eventually, she pulled Eun-woo closer and stroked her head. "We'll get out of this. I'll find my br–my brother and you'll find your sister and we'll...we'll survive."

"How do you know?" Eun-woo mumbles, looking at Ha-ri with tearful eyes.

I don't, is what she wants to say. But she doesn't. She's older. The mature one. The one who should be protecting the others. So she sighs and looks at Eun-woo. "I have my skills to thank."

Eun-woo smiles softly and looks at Ha-ri's bow and arrows, before her eyes light up. "You should teach me!"

"Why?" She quirks an eyebrow in confusion.

"Because," Eun-woo hums, gesturing to the weapon, "you're so cool–the best–at what you do! It's like–you make it look so easy! Which I know probably isn't. I've always envied your skills."

Ha-ri hummed in thought. "Maybe if...maybe if–if we make it to the archery center, I'll definitely teach you."

"Thank you!" Eun-woo grinned widely and hugged Ha-ri tightly. Ha-ri flinched at the sudden contact but hugged the girl back, though awkwardly.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Ha-ri offered quietly.

Eun-woo looks at Ha-ri warily, but Ha-ri's brave expression calmed her a bit. She realized that she wasn't as scared as she was before. In fact, she felt more brave now that she had Ha-ri keeping watch. Though...if the archer was up all night keeping watch, would she really be okay to survive tomorrow?

Probably. I mean, have you seen her skills? She's the best archer–and the fact that she probably won't stop at anything until she finds her little brother.

Eun-woo slowly crawled to a spot just under the sinks. It wasn't sanitary...but neither were those–those zombies roaming the halls and fields. She probably would get much more dirty by the time she's safe–if she does get safe.

Ha-ri watched her protectively which made her feel more safe. She curled into a ball, shivering slightly just when she felt some fabric cover her. Opening her eyes, she noticed Ha-ri's sweater on top of her. She smiled softly at Ha-ri. The archer didn't return it, but she knew she was probably smiling on the inside.

She closed her eyes and let sleep take her.