A bunch of city teens wandering around the forest, just following a trail blindly must be stupid to others but if it means choosing between walking to a familiar trail infested with monsters that could kill you with just a tiny amount of bodily fluids entering your blood stream or walk in an unknown trail with a slim possibility of surviving, would you choose the latter or would you choose the trail where you're familiar with knowing the danger lurking in every nook and cranny?
On-jo wasn't even sure of the way despite of hiking here with her father occasionally. They've been walking since the sun rises in the east and by the glare of the sun, they could tell that it's already passed lunch time.
Parched, starving, and injured. They could all feel the exhaustion quickly reigning their body.
Hee-seul sneezes before sniffling for the nth time today, ignoring the way her head pounds every step she tooks. The sun is glaring with warmth but her whole body feels like she's being submerged in a tank filled with iced cold water.
Wu-jin notices the way she trudge like the weight of the world was placed on her back, the way she clumsily staggers and nearly trip with her own feet. Alas, he cannot do anything because Dae-su's right arm is wrapped around his shoulder as they practically carry him on the steep terrain.
Min-jun, who's walking closely beside Hee-seul obviously notices, being the one to hold her upright whenever she stumbles.
"Do you want me to carry you?" he whispers to the lass.
"No," was her straight answer before she cough three consecutive times.
"You look like you're going to collapse any second from now. Do you want me to carry you?" the lad asks again, his tone suggesting that she should just agree.
"Are you asking or are you commanding me?" Hee-seul turns to him for a second before turning ahead to watch her steps.
"Depends what you understand om my tone," Min-jun shrugs, taking long strides to only stop infront of the lass. He kneels down with his back facing her, his knee on the ground while the other is bended like a knight, "Hop on my back."
Hee-seul rolls her eyes but when another wave of dizziness struck her, she decided to take his offer. It's not that common for Min-jun to offer this kind of gesture. He will only allow to carry her on his back if she either win a bet or he pisses her off. Min-jun is really playful but she cannot deny that the lad is really sweet and caring.
From the rear, both Su-hyeok and Dae-su immediately turned to Wu-jin after witnessing how Hee-seul wraps her arm around Min-jun's neck as the latter heaves her up.
Wu-jin is glaring at the two, fingers unknowingly clencing around poor Dae-su who could only yelp in silence.
He knows that complaining is not allowed on their status, knowing that the girl was the one to clear out that they're only friends but is it bad to want something more?
He wasn't even sure what's between the two of them. Kyung and Min-jun has always been stuck beside her since she came back and it didn't help that there are gossips that one of them is already dating Hee-seul that goes around the whole school before all of this shits happened.
Wu-jin knew that he had lost a gold and for that, he greatly regret his past actions. So, he could only eat vinegar in silence. There's no confirmation of the rumors, thus why it was called a gossip but he couldn't help but to feel a pang in his heart as regret rushes on his system like an uncontrollable tsunami wreaking havoc in a silent village. He shouldn't have laughed at her when she confessed. Who knows that he'll be the one pining for her now?
"Shit, I think we're lost." A curse from the front took their attention away.
"There's no trail?" Hyo-ryeong worries.
"There hasn't been a trail for a while," Mi-jin told the group in exasperation,! I think we've been going in fucking circle."
"Why did you come this way if there's no trail?" Dae-su whines, "If we go down, we'll be back to Hyosan." probably it was the lack sustenance and hydration or his injury but he feels like he's going to shut down any minute from now.
Just then, Wu-jin's eyes caught something. Staggering, he let go of Dae-su's arm in favor of stepping closer to the steep drop as he pointed out a hanging ribbon tied in a three, sticking like a sore thumb, "Noona, look!"
"There's something."
Walking to inspect the ribbon, Mi-jin couldn't help but to smile, "Someone must've left it there. Who did something so nice, huh?"
"A ginseng digger?" the senior chimes but an unimpressed look coming from the senior archer shut her up, her expression falling down as she pouted silently.
"Who is that?" Hyo-ryeong asks behind them innocently.
Ha-ri's eyes begin to roam around, finding something she wasn't really sure what until her eyes landed on another one, "There's another one."
And sure, there are ribbons covered in ashes tied on different trees creating a path down the steep hill. If Dae-su with injured leg is having trouble going down even with two helps in both of his side, Min-jun carefully trudges the steep hill as he held the back of Hee-seul's knees tightly.
"Just hold tight," Min-jun said to the girl behind him.
Hee-seul oblige, tightening her hold on his neck causing Min-jun to cough, "Not that tight!"
"I'm sorry," the girl whispers, slightly pouting because she feels wronged. She just followed his instruction, why would he yell at her?
Hearing cries, their attention turn to On-jo who's facing her back to them as she crouch down in front of a tree, seemingly holding something.
It didn't even confused them, already knowing what could be the source of her sudden breakdown. Alas, all of them now shares the same trauma, their mental and emotional health being broken worse than the physical jab they got from the whole catastrophe.
As if they had a silent agreement, all of them freezes on their spot, giving On-jo the much needed time to release the pent up pain and get up again.
The sun is already setting when they finally step in the road. It was quiet-- dead silent that even a pin drop could be heard. Walking passed the different houses lined up on the side of the road, each of them were empty and seemingly abandoned.
With the fog scattered low and the clouds hiding the glare of the sun, the city of Yangdong become a ghost town.
Hee-seul, who insisted to walk on her own now walks beside Min-jun, lips pursed in deep concentration as her eye brows furrows. Her eyes are darting to everywhere, assessing the situation, "I don't feel good."
"Do you want me to carry you again?" the ever sweet Min-jun asks.
"No, that's not what I meant," Hee-seul shakes her head, "The silence is too loud and silence means danger."
"Didn't he say to go to Yangdong?" Dae-su asks, silently agreeing to Hee-seul as dread starts to fill his system. His legs are aching and he particularly didn't want to burden the two lads supporting him on both of his side.
"You don't think there are zombies here too, do you?" Hyo-ryeong voices out.
"No way," said Su-hyeok, "Maybe they evacuated, because it's next to Hyosan."
"More reason to overthink." Hee-seul butted in.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this too," Mi-jin stated, holding her spear tightly in front of her as her steps becomes heavy with trepidation, "Where is everyone?"
"We're okay here." Ha-ri said it between her breath but it was heard from the back due to how quiet the surrounding is.
"Why? How do you know that?" Mi-jin asks.
"There are no broken windows, or blood on the streets. It wouldn't be this clean if there had been a zombie rampage." explained Ha-ri.
"Yangdong is just next to Hyosan. It could be the people living here are already evacuated thud the absence of broken windows and blood but it doesn't mean that it is free from zombies. It is still accessible from every side of the city so we can't be too sure." Min-jun speaks up his thought, words flowing out of his mouth smoothly. Normally, he's one to keep silent whenever the atmosphere is serious but he knows he feels the dread creeping up his brain. Hee-seul is right, silence means danger.
"What?"
"I said--" before Min-jun could repeat his words, he was shut by Hee-seul who jab him on his waist.
All of they're turn to Nam-ra who's looking ahead of them, seemingly out in a trance, "Hold on."
They waited with bated breath, already expecting what made the class president to halt with fear crossing her face.
Nam-ra whips her head back on the direction where they came from, heels turning as her whole body facing the foggy street ahead.
"Nam-ra, what is it?" On-jo cannot help herself but to ask, seeing the panic on the girl's face.
Her silence causing for their fear to increase, growing perturb by the danger lurking around them.
Su-hyeok cannot help but to step in, removing Dae-su's arm around him in order to walk closer to his girl. Dae-su groan at the sudden movement but it went unheard.
"What's up? You hear something?"
"Zombies." Nam-ra finally blurted out the one word that haunts both of their day and night, enclosing them in a nightmare that they couldn't wake up from.
"Where?" They weren't even surprised, just scared and panicky.
"Everywhere." Nam-ra answered as if she already submitted to their fate.
"A... a lot of them?" Hyo-ryeong stuttered out, growing unrest.
"One.. two.. three... "
The more Nam-ra's counting increases, the more trepidation fills their system.
"Four... five... six, seven, eight, nine, ten.. eleven.."
"We should run." Min-jun exasperated, grabbing Hee-seul's hand using his empty hand as he pulls the girl forward.
"Run!" Nam-ra yelled at them.