| Z+1 — THE EMPTY CLASSROOM |
Choi Namra paused in her seat, looking around the room to observe the others before turning to Lee Soojin.
"Do you hear that?" She asked the younger. "It's faint, but it's also loud."
Soojin frowned, understanding what their class president was talking about.
She had been hearing things for the past five minutes, but kept drowning them out, thinking it was some sort of hallucination.
Junghwan and Suhyeok followed behind the girls, not really having a choice since they were tied together at the wrists.
"Yeah, I hear it." Namra turned to Soojin, getting a nod from her as well.
Onjo looked confused. "What do you guys hear?" She asked.
"Someone's puking."
"Hyoryung's heart is going crazy."
The two different statements from the females got everyone's attention, not really understanding what they meant exactly.
Gyeongsu noted the way Soojin looked distant, her brows furrowed as if she were focused on something else.
"Soojin-ah," he called softly. "Jinnie?"
Junghwan turned towards the brunette, raising his brows when she didn't respond to any of his touches.
"Jinnie!" Cheongsan announced, a worried look in his eyes. "You alright?"
Soojin snapped out of her daze, letting out a quiet gasp of surprise. "Y-Yeah?" She nodded, still seeming out of it. "Can we leave? Please?" She asked.
"Yeah." Namra nodded in agreement. "This place feels weird."
Cheongsan looked out the little window on the door, shaking his head. "We can't just leave. There are too many zombies," he announced.
"We should've gone to the rooftop when the music was playing earlier," Daesu grumbled. "Damn it."
As if she had an epiphany, Onjo's eyes lit up, looking at the others. "Music! We have music!" She replied, pointing at the camcorder by the tables.
"What will we do with the music?" Junghwan asked.
"We'll build a tall barricade here and lure them in with music," Onjo stated. "If we leave the door open, they'll hear the music and come in."
Soojin nodded, understanding what the younger was trying to do. "And when the hallway clears, we could use the back door and get to the rooftop, hopefully," she explained.
Everyone listened as Nam Onjo explained more about her plan, clearing up any doubts anyone had.
It seemed like the best plan given the circumstances, and the students were ready to give everything to ensure its success.
"She sucks at school, but she's pretty smart," Daesu joked. "It's a compliment!" He defensively added upon seeing the glare the brunette shot at him.
The students went to work, following Onjo's instructions as they started moving around the tables and chairs in the classroom.
Soojin turned towards her boyfriend, looking down at their hands that were tied up once again by his tie.
Even though she wouldn't admit it, the sight of her hand tied to Junghwan hurt her, knowing very well that it was because her own classmates didn't trust her.
"Do you want to take it off?" Junghwan asked. "Let me just–" He tried to undo the knot, pausing when Soojin shook her head in reply.
"I don't want to make the others uncomfortable, Hwanie."
Onjo approached them with a solemn look on her face. "You can take them off, Jinnie," she stated. "You too, Namra." She went to undo the knot, sighing when Suhyeok pulled their hands away.
"It's okay."
"Suhyeok, do you want Namra to continue being ignored by the others?"
Junghwan shrugged. "They don't trust us, so what other choice do we have?" He asked. "If we untie this, can we guarantee everything will go back to normal?" He added.
"Hatred is contagious, but so is trust." Onjo smiled. "So, taking that step now is how we can try to make things go back to normal."
The boys watched as the youngest untied the knots, pulling their girls away from them. As if asking why they were still waiting, Onjo raised her brows, gesturing to the boys to get to work.
"You should've been the classroom president," Namra muttered, somewhat in awe of the youngest.
Onjo shook her head. "And be hated by everyone in class?" She asked. "I'll leave that job to you," she joked, immediately moving around to help their classmates.
The students worked together; some of them stacking the furniture to make a high wall, while the others worked on connecting the camcorder to the television.
"What about that spot?" Soojin suggested, trying to move a table along with her brother. "Wait, stop. I'm not — fuck." She paused in her step, spots taking over her vision.
Thankfully, Cheongsan and Junghwan were right with her, quickly putting the table down and catching the brunette as her knees gave away, fainting right in her boyfriend's arms.
"What just happened?"
"What the fuck was that?"
"Is she turning into a zombie?"
Upon hearing her words, everyone turned towards Jimin, unintentionally looking at her with a glare.
Though there was no time to argue about it, the looks they gave her sent a clear message.
"Sprinkle some water on her face and try waking her up," Onjo suggested, handing over the water bottle Namra gave her.
Junghwan followed the youngest's orders, flicking some water on his girlfriend's face before patting her gently to wake her.
"Jinnie, wake up. Please."
And as if someone had just CPR-ed her back to life, the brunette heaved a deep breath before opening her eyes.
"What the fuck just happened?" She asked, confused, as she looked around.
"You fainted," Junghwan softly replied. "Did you feel it coming?"
Soojin shook her head. "I just ... I kept hearing things, and I was drowning them out, but suddenly it got too loud. I-I didn't know I would faint," she explained.
"What kind of noises?" Wujin asked, curious about what the younger heard.
"Just everything." Soojin looked confused. "The zombies roaming outside, the rustling of the curtains in the wind, Daesu's breathing, Hyoryung's heart racing — everything."
Cheongsan patted his sister's head softly. "Don't stress much about it. Maybe your senses are just heightened because of everything," he explained. "Just rest for a bit while we get everything ready." He looked warily at the younger, wondering if it was his fault she was like this.
I shouldn't have let her go, right? I should've run behind her. Maybe then I would've been able to protect her.
Despite everyone telling her to relax, Lee Soojin wasn't about to sit around while her friends worked, so she resumed helping like she did earlier.
"Are you sure you are alright?" Onjo asked, moving along with her friend as she worked her way around. "You're good, right?"
The elder cracked a small smile and nodded, hoping she wouldn't note her anxiousness behind them. Soojin knew something was off with her, but she just didn't know what it was.
While Cheongsan kept checking on his sister frequently in case she fainted again, Junghwan worked like a machine, quickly doing all the heavy lifting work just so Soojin wouldn't have much to do.
Seeing the younger do all the work just so Soojin wouldn't have to lift a finger, Cheongsan felt super grateful to know it was someone like Junghwan who was dating his sister.
"It's looking great."
"I think this is good enough."
"Come over. We left a gap."
Junghwan and Cheongsan stood on the other side, looking at each other before looking at the others. "Someone has to open the door," Cheongsan stated.
"It's okay. I'll open it and come over. You go," Junghwan suggested, seeing the way Soojin worriedly glanced at her brother.
While Suhyeok and Junghwan opted to open the door, Cheongsan stood by the barricade just in case they needed a helping hand. The boys turned to look at their classmates, taking deep breaths as they had their hands on the door.
"Okay, guys. Let's hope this thing works."