( CHAPTER EIGHT ;THE INFECTION )
"Then what should we do now? The infected are everywhere, and there may be no more aid from outside." Hyun-Kyung expressed her concern.
"We have to break out!" The old man shouted.
It was currently nighttime and you were in the gym along with a few other residents. "They even installed screen fences on the walls. Even if we do break out, where do we go next?" Yi-Hyun informed and questioned.
"We can just break out and go into the most expensive apartments." The old man suggested. "Then what can they do? Would they lock that place up too? Lots of high-class people must be living there." He claimed.
"Are you sure the patients are really out there?" Lawyer Kook Hae-seong asked. "The building representative and Mr. Oh are not here." He informed and Hyun-Kyung corrected him. "So only the public rental residents are here again?"
"I'm saying that many of those who went outside are not here." He responded to defend himself while his wife was trying to stop him from worsening the situation. "If you want to go out, then go ahead and go out." Sae-bom told everyone in the room. "Though I can't guarantee that you can come back." She finished.
"Now then, I'll take that as you all understood." Yi-Hyun said. "The items and food we brought from the supermarket are in unit #201, so go there if you need anything."
Sae-bom nudged your shoulder and you looked at her. "What? What's wrong?" You whispered. "Are you even here with us? Gosh, I feel like I'm sitting beside a ghost.." Sae-bom asked you while she put her hand on your shoulder. "I have nothing to say, that's all." You told her.
"Come with us." She instructed you and you nodded at her. The meeting ended with Yi-Hyun telling them what they should do and not do and where to get things when they need to. Everyone left the gym and you were walking beside Sae-bom who was walking beside Yi-Hyun.
"Hey, but if the infected became more serious, won't they smash the doors and break in?" Sae-bom asked with concern. "If they ram the glass doors with a car, they'll break."
"It sounds more of a thing only a madman would do, but it's possible.." You told them while scratching the back of your neck. "They'd find an easier way to get inside. That's how all crimes start." Yi-Hyun informed the both of you.
"They say they got in because the door was unlocked, and took the bicycle because there was no lock on it." He explained by using examples. "But it's not easy to decide to break the door and get inside just because they want to drink blood." He finished.
"It just means we shouldn't give them an excuse." Sae-bom stated and Yi-Hyun snapped his fingers to let her know she was right. "Are all the possible entrances blocked?" You asked.
"Yeah, the doors are all locked..." Sae-bom replied and she paused while looking deep in thought. After a few seconds of silence, she slightly gasped with wide eyes. "What?" Yi-Hyun asked, wanting to know what got Sae-bom shocked.
Sae-bom looked at you. "The rooftop." She told you both what she remembered and the three of you quickly went to the rooftop. Sae-bom opened the door while raising her gun and Yi-Hyun followed her while holding his bat. You followed the both of them and looked around for anything or anyone.
"It's just Andrew." You informed the two while still looking around for anything else. "I'm the only one here." Andrew told you all, not even shocked that somebody just barged in on him.
Sae-bom and Yi-Hyun continued to investigate the rooftop and you walked to Andrew and stood in front of him. "Andrew, you really don't get startled that easily." You told him and the couple behind you put a padlock on the door and locked it.
"When you were outside, and over here as well." Yi-Hyun butted in on the two of you and you looked at his direction. "I'm just happy that people don't think I'm weird. Be careful, all of you." Andrew told you three and you walked back to Sae-bom and Yi-Hyun.
"You too, Andrew." You and Sae-bom said at the same time. You and your friend stared at each other with a “wtf” look while Yi-Hyun watched the both of you with a questioning one. Andrew bowed and left the rooftop while Sae-bom put her hand behind Yi-Hyuns back and patted it. "Let's take a breather and go." Sae-bom said and they both walked to the railings.
"Why am I always third-wheeling..?" You groaned and left the two to let them have their moment. You went back to your unit and immediately got greeted by your cat.
"Wei!" You pat the cat on his head and prepared some food for him.
You named the cat “Wei” and you recently found out it was a male cat. "It must be boring for you here.." You said and went to the kitchen to drink some water. You remembered there were some things you could use to play with at the gym so you put on your jacket and went down.
You were walking to the gym, but you heard people talking so you quickly ducked and listened in on their conversation. "You really don't know?" Someone asked and the person they were talking to replied. "I don't."
"Seriously.." They said while sounding annoyed. You took a peek and you saw Dr. Oh talking to Mr. Kim.
"This is pissing me off." Dr. Oh said.
"I'm going to kick you out for being infected, you crazy bastard! Damn it." He threatened him and stood up. "Wait." Mr. Kim told him, but it was too late.
Dr. Oh ran to a basket filled with small items and took it. "You don't know?" He asked him and threw a pink ball on him. "Why are you doing this to me?" Mr. Kim asked while his voice slightly shook. You wanted to go and stop the mad doctor, but you were curious on what was making him do this.
"You don't know?" He asked while putting up his fist. "I really don't know, Mister! Wait!" Mr. Kim said and pleaded for him to leave him alone. You put your hands over your mouth to try and stop yourself from making any noise.
Suddenly, you felt someone grab your arm and you saw Yi-Hyun. You were just about to explain yourself, but he opened the door and dragged you in with him. You gasped when you saw an infected Mr. Kim, who was holding onto the foot of Dr. Oh, while the only thing stopping him from fully attacking was his handcuffed hand.
"I hoped that he wasn't infected.." Yi-Hyun said and the doctor in front of you tried to free himself. "Do something about this you crazy jerks!" He demanded and Yi-Hyun crouched in front of him. "Why should we?" He asked.
"This world will be better off without you." Yi-Hyun told him while the doctor was trying to reach for him. He kept screaming and got ahold of Yi-Hyuns hands, but Yi-Hyun quickly snatched his hand back. He looked at the time on his phone and continued to watch the doctor squirm around.
"Should you be doing this?" You asked Yi-Hyun and he turned to you. "What were you doing?" He changed the topic and asked you. "Why didn't you go in and help Mr. Kim?"
You looked at him nervously and replied. "I wanted to know.." You said and he motioned for you to continue talking. "I wanted to know what he desperately wanted from him, so I stayed and listened." You explained yourself and he turned back to the screaming doctor and grabbed his hand to drag him away from the infected.
"Consider yourself lucky. If it wasn't for Sae-bom, you would've been dead." He told the doctor who was on the floor while glaring at him. "You see that camera?" He asked while pointing to the CCTV Camera inside the gym. "If you tell anyone about him, I will leak the video of him attacking you." He threatened.
"Then you'll be a Mad Human Disease patient too. Get it?" He asked Dr. Oh who was cowering on the floor. "So just stay home and do nothing but breathe." He ordered.
"Why do you hide that he's infected.." Dr. Oh asked him while trying to breathe properly. "Why did you hide that?" He shouted at Yi-Hyun wanting to know an answer. "Because he's a human being." Yi-Hyun answered and told Mr. Kim to calm down while walking to him.
"You can go back to your normal state." He said and threw a gray blanket over him. You looked behind you and saw Dr. Oh sneaking to Yi-Hyun while holding a dumbbell. You ran up to him and stepped on his foot hardly and he dropped the weapon in his hand while clutching his foot. Yi-Hyun turned to the both of you and he grabbed the doctor and threw him to the pillar and punched him.
"You try to backstab others whenever there's a chance. I might just throw you to him and get you infected." Yi-Hyun told him impatiently. "You know what?" Dr. Oh said and Yi-Hyun asked him. "What?"
"I am.." Dr. Oh said while trying to stand up straight and pointed to himself. "Super.. super lucky, you know." He finished and wiped the blood on his mouth. "Eat this, you bastard." He said and wiped his bloodied hands on Yi-Hyun. "Gross! What're you doing?" You said and grimaced.
Yi-Hyun took his hands back and the doctor went up near his face. "There is.. someone outside, you bastard." He swore and bumped Yi-Hyun on his shoulder and ran away.
You and Yi-Hyun went outside and saw Sae-bom in front of Dr. Oh. "Your husband hit my face with my glasses on! It was attempted murder.. No, he tried to kill me!" He tried to explain and the lawyer and his wife came. He tried to explain his situation and showed the lawyer the blanketed person inside the gym.
The lawyer and his wife came in to check on what the fuss was and who the person was inside. "You shouldn't go there!" You shouted and went after them. "Hey!" Yi-Hyun shouted and both him and Sae-bom ran inside too. "It's dangerous, so don't go near him." Yi-Hyun said and put his arm in front of the two to try and stop them from going further.
All of a sudden, Mr. Kim stood up and the blanket over him fell. The lawyer's wife gasped and they both looked at the infected trainer with wide eyes.
He explained the situation to the couple and told them not to tell anyone for now, and that he'll handle this. Yi-Hyun told you to go back to your unit and he said that he'll ask you what you heard later.
You were inside your apartment, sitting on your couch while you were trying to eat sweets to distract yourself. Your doorbell rang and Wei meowed. "Coming!"
You opened the door and Lawyer Kook Hae-seong was standing outside of your door. "What is it?" You asked while closing the gap on your door a bit more. "You were there and saw the condition of Mr. Kim, so please go downstairs at the gym tomorrow and discuss something with the other residents whether to evict him or not. Please vote wisely." He said and bowed, you both bid each other goodbye and you told him that you'll be there.
Should you have done something and stopped the annoying doctor from pestering him? You couldn't help but feel bad because he was provoked so you made sure that you'll definitely vote for him to stay.