› 2 DAYS LATER:
Yoohyeon grumpily walked to an underground parking lot, putting her bag down while sighing in exhaustion. She hasn't been sleeping comfortably and her whole body was aching, but that didn't stop her from training every single day without a break.
"Alright, it's simply running around the city for today's training.. I'll manage." Yoohyeon started stretching her limbs, caressing her aching neck when she was done.
She glanced at the sun, remembering it's position and then prepared herself on the spot, counting down to three in her mind. "And.. go!"
Yoohyeon dashed to the exit, jumping over stairs and railings to get to the top faster. The moment she was out in the open, she started running towards the top of one of the buildings near her. Once the girl reached the roof, she ran at full speed to jump over the small gap in between two buildings, hardly managing to make the jump since she was a little low on stamina.
"That was close.." Yoohyeon panted, still running to continue her parkour training. She had to get better with her speed and fix her stamina, so this tiring run was a big help for her.
"I'll.. take a break.." Yoohyeon stopped running, putting her hands on her knees while panting hard. Her breathing was surprisingly unsteady and she was already exhausted, but she had no means to give up so soon. "A bit more.. And I'll stop.." Yoohyeon said to herself, stretching her back and wincing when she felt pain all over her body again.
"I feel like a damn grandma with all of this back pain.. How I wish I had Hayoung here to give me a nice massage.." Yoohyeon sighed, looking at the rooftops of every building near her. "I can go there.. But also go towards the forest. Hmm.." Yoohyeon scratched her head, suddenly doing eenie-meenie-miney-moe to decide on her next location.
"The forest it is!" Yoohyeon smiled, running at a little slower pace towards the forest. The area was usually crowded with infected during the day, but something seemed off since she couldn't see a single one roaming. "What's this about..? I need to be careful." The girl cautiously jogged in the forest, stopping the second she heard noise coming from her side.
She squinted her eyes, trying to figure out if she heard an animal or an infected. But the specific white clothing she saw almost made her heart drop from suspense.
It was an Icebreaker, precisely, a scout looking for her.
"Hey, it's the target! Stop there!" The scout shouted, having noticed Yoohyeon's presence.
"Shit- I should've picked the city!" The girl instantly turned around and started running away, making the scout scoff to himself while pulling his radio out. He immediately dialed his supervisor, aka Minji.
"General Jiu, it's Scout 10! I found the target in Zone 3, but she's running away!" He panted, hearing a hum from the other side. It was about time Minji got some news about Yoohyeon.
"I'm coming over to your location. Where is she headed to?" Minji said sternly, making the scout look around. "I'm soon to be out in Zone 4, but.. I might have lost her in the forest."
"Lost her!? Continue looking, she must be close." Minji ordered angrily, making the scout sigh.
"I'm not sure, I think she escaped. It's very silent in he- Wait, I see something. I think it's her." He said, making Minji hum in thought, but then she widened her eyes. Yoohyeon was a smart one, so there was no way her scout managed to find her again so easily. It didn't seem right.
"Hold on, don't get so close yet. It could be a trap." She said, noticing the chuckle coming from the scout.
"It can't be. She can't be quick enough to set up a tr- AH!"
"Shit- Scout 10? Are you there?"
Minji sighed in disappointment, closing her eyes in anger because the scout must've definitely fell for a trap. "For fucks sake.. You stupid scout.."
"Kim Yoohyeon, are you there..?" Minji suddenly said in a low tone, hearing some noise coming from the other side as the girl's panting was soon heard.
"Hey Minji! I didn't hurt him or anything, just hanged him up to chill on top of a tree. He's okay!" Yoohyeon exclaimed, still panting hard while taking in deep breaths. Minji furrowed her eyebrows, clenching on the radio while listening to the girl acting halfhearted. It used to make her happy to hear her voice, but now it annoyed her a lot. She couldn't stand listening to it without fuming with fury every passing second.
"Tell me where you are Kim Yoohyeon." Minji angrily ordered, hearing a little chuckle that made her lose her composure even more. Yoohyeon was being her usual self, and that really annoyed Minji.
"Sorry, but I can't tell you right now. I still have some stuff to do first." Yoohyeon answered simply, making Minji sigh in rage. "Don't make me come and find you myself. You know it won't end well." Minji said in a neutral tone, making Yoohyeon hum rather sadly.
"You hate me a lot now, don't you?" Yoohyeon asked weakly, making Minji freeze on the spot. She didn't expect Yoohyeon to bring that up immediately, but it wasn't something Minji didn't prepare herself for. All she had to do was answer truthfully.
"I don't hate you.. I despise you." Minji said harshly, hearing a shaky sigh coming from Yoohyeon. "I'm sorry.. But I promise that I'll let you do whatever you want once I'm done with something.. Bye Minji, I'll miss you."
"Don't you dare hang u-.."
Minji angrily clenched her radio, putting it back in her pocket the second the other line was disconnected.
"Sure then! If you miss me that much, I'll come to you myself!" Minji cracked her knuckles with a sarcastic smile, immediately running towards the forest in the mentioned zone. She was near the area, so she definitely will get there on time.
...
Yoohyeon sighed, looking at the radio in her hand and then back at the scout that was half conscious. He was tied up on a thick branch with just a single scratch on his face, but he had hit his head on a rock which gave him a slight concussion.
"General Jiu.. will find you.. and kill you.." The scout uttered out, making Yoohyeon chuckle.
"I would like to see her try. I'm faster than her, you know?"
The girl then put his radio back in his pocket, suddenly noticing something felt off. Yoohyeon felt like she was getting stared at by many people from every side.
"Gosh.. Am I too paranoid?" She looked around worriedly, clapping her hands when she was about to walk out the forest. "Alright, you can stay here and wait for your general to save you. It's time for me to go bac-"
*HIT*
The scout widened his eyes, trembling in fear the second he noticed a group of people were behind a currently unconscious Yoohyeon.
"S-Shit.."
...
Minji was running at full speed when she finally reached the forest. She tilted her head, seeing the awakened and terrified state of the scout being tied to a tree.
"Scout 10, are you hurt?" Minji untied the man, surprised when he held onto her shoulders in fear. "T-They are coming back again, they will find us too- W-We must retreat!" The scout stuttered, looking around the forest in panic. Minji held him in place, sighing at the paranoid state of the latter.
"Calm down, no one's coming here. Did the target hit your head?" Minji asked, getting an instant head-shake in return. "No, t-they took her away- Please, we must go before they capture us too!" He whispered in fear, shakily turning his head in all ways to double-check if they wouldn't get followed.
"Who are they supposed to be? Sacred? Bulldozers? Bluebirds?" Minji asked, noticing the scout widening his eyes and pointing behind her.
"I-It's them.. T-They found us.." He shakily whispered, making Minji turn around. The woman tilted her head, seeing normal looking survivors staring at them behind some trees from afar. They wore simple clothes and had no weapons whatsoever.
"Them? They seem like normal- Huh?"
Minji turned back around, seeing that the scout wasn't behind her anymore and was running away. "Did this loser really just leave..?" Minji sighed to herself, turning back around and she widened her eyes, feeling a different aura coming from the survivors. "What's this about?" Minji cautiously took a step back, pulling out her dagger.
The survivors then started silently whispering to eachother in secret, leaving Minji slightly scared. She looked to her right, widening her eyes when one survivor was already next to her and holding her hands in place.
"The fuck!?" Minji tried to break free from his hold, surprised when the man holding her was undeniably strong. "What is it that you guys want??" Minji angrily scoffed, noticing one particular person walking closer to her and pointing his finger at a direction.
"Take her there."
Minji tilted her head, looking at the same direction in confusion. She gulped in fear when the man suddenly pulled out a bag from his backpack and walked closer to put it on Minji's head.
"D-Don't you dare hurt me, or you will regret it!" Minji threatened, realizing the man had no plans to stop.
"I swear I'm going to-"
Right then, one of the survivors from behind knocked her out unconscious on the spot. They all glanced at eachother, nodding and taking Minji away.
› AN HOUR LATER:
Minji suddenly opened her eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. She tried to move, but she must have been tied harshly on a chair with her hands over her head.
"This whole blindfold and rope thing definitely brings the best memories ever.." Minji sighed to herself, suddenly shutting up when she heard a muffled scream from a room next to hers. She tilted her head, hearing that same scream for the second time, but it sounded more like a very loud cry of help and pain. Minji then realized who that person could be. The loud pleadings and painful whimpers were too familiar for Minji not to recognize them immediately.
"Yoohyeon..?" Minji whispered out loud, shaking her hands to try and break free from the rope.
"Are you supposed to be Minji?"
A voice was heard, making Minji freeze on the spot. "Who are you and what do you want from me?" The Icebreaker lowly asked, hearing footsteps getting closer to her. Suddenly, the bag that was on her head was removed and Minji got blinded for a second from the light.
She blinked repeatedly to fix her vision until she noticed a smiling bearded man sitting on another chair while facing her. Just a simply dressed man with a happy looking grin on his face.
"I apologize for the kidnapping, but we wanted to make sure no one would get hurt." The man chuckled, making Minji tilt her head. "Then why are you guys hurting that girl?" Minji asked, noticing the man scratching his nape. "Well, she wasn't exactly in her best behavior when we brought her here.." He said with a smile, making Minji feel a bit disturbed. That didn't sound exactly like something Yoohyeon would do without a reason.
"What do you guys want from me?" She asked, making the latter snap his fingers. "Absolutely nothing! We thought you were with her since you two wore the same uniform, but I guess we were wrong!" He chuckled, untying the woman's hands from the rope. "She's the bounty target you Icebreakers are after, right?"
"Yeah.. She is someone I'm looking for." Minji massaged her hands, hearing yet another cry coming from the other room which made her feel uneasy. It still didn't feel right to hear such loud and hurtful screams from Yoohyeon.
"What are you guys doing to her..?" Minji cautiously leaned back, making the man shake his hands in defense. "She tried to kill our survivors and steal supplies, so we are punishing her for that! We wouldn't do that to you since you seem to be a nicer person than her." He awkwardly smiled, noticing Minji seeming a little less tensed up now that he proved to mean no harm. The man then cleared his throat, pointing behind him.
"Did she really do that?" Minji asked in shock, not believing that this was the Yoohyeon she has always been close with. She couldn't believe that the girl could reach such low points. Was this actually true?
"Yeah.. We wanted to speak, but she switched to violence immediately." He sighed." Would you like to have a meal before you go? It's nothing much, just vegetable soup we prepared earlier." He kindly offered, getting a sigh from Minji. The people didn't seem to mean much harm to her, so she just agreed without questioning it too much. She was hungry after all.
"Just a little would be enough for me." Minji stated.
"Great! Follow me then- And please ignore the girl, she's speaking a lot of nonsense." He smiled, leading the way out the room. Minji followed him, getting startled when the muffled screams got louder as she got closer to the room where Yoohyeon was tortured in. The man then stopped, pointing at the room where the screams were coming from.
"That girl is here, so you can just ignore the screams. We're almost in the kitchen, come on." He smiled again, walking towards the dining area. Minji secretly glanced through the door's little window, widening her eyes when she saw the state Yoohyeon was in.
Blood was absolutely everywhere.
"Holy shit.. The fuck did you do to get yourself in this situation Yoohyeon?" Minji whispered to herself in fear, disturbed by the way how the girl didn't even have the energy to move.
"Don't.. eat.. the food.."
Minji tilted her head, hearing a muffled whisper coming from Yoohyeon.
"Huh?" Minji hummed in confusion, noticing Yoohyeon hardly moving her head to look at the woman. Nothing other than pain was visible in those weakened eyes.
"Run away.. and you will be okay.. Please Minji.. Listen to me."
Yoohyeon whispered once again before getting kicked in her stomach, making her wince and spit more blood out. Minji furrowed her eyebrows, getting startled when the man from earlier walked closer to her with a curious smile.
"Is everything okay? Are you coming?" He asked, getting a nod from Minji in return. "Y-Yeah, I just got distracted." She apologized, taking a last glance at the girl before following the man to the kitchen.
Minji was taken aback when she saw the table was already prepared and ready.
"We hope you're not allergic to potatoes and carrots.. or tomatoes." He chuckled, getting a head-shake in return. "I'm not, thank you for the meal." Minji forcefully smiled, sitting down and glancing at the food. It looked pretty good.
"Of course, it's our way of apologizing for what we did. I hope you could forgive us for that.." He scratched his neck, getting a weak chuckle out of the Icebreaker.
"It's okay, as long as you guys didn't mean any harm, you're forgiven." Minji said, taking the spoon while looking at the food. "Enjoy the meal." The man kindly said while pointing with his hands, watching Minji put the spoon inside the soup.
» Don't eat the food. «
The woman was close to bringing the spoonful in her mouth, but she remembered what Yoohyeon said. It really made her feel uneasy as to why that was the only thing Yoohyeon had to say out of everything.. As if Yoohyeon was asked to do the same thing too..
"I actually don't feel hungry now.. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Minji put the spoon down, noticing the frown in the man's face. "You're not hungry? Why, what happened?" He asked with a tilted head, making Minji hum. "I lost my appetite, so I'm not really feeling it. I should go back to my settlement with my bounty's target." Minji answered with a smile, being taken aback when the man stood up first.
"It's just soup, you can try it before leaving at least." He said with a neutral tone, making Minji feel weird about his change of personality. "I'm not hungry mister, so could you please move aside so I can leave with her?" Minji stood up as well, glaring at the man before him.
He stood silent for a second before he smiled again, sitting back down. "Of course, you may leave if you wish to. We'll bring her to you soon."
Minji then cautiously walked towards the exit, hearing footsteps coming from behind her. She instantly turned around, widening her eyes when the same man dashed at her with a sharp knife.
The Icebreaker dodged to the side, kicking the man down while pointing her dagger at him. He evilly laughed in anger, pointing his knife back at her as well.
"How did you know the soup was poisoned!?" He shouted, making Minji widen her eyes. "P-Poisoned?" Minji whispered to herself, noticing the man standing up and pointing at the room where Yoohyeon was. "Did that bitch tell you about the food? You fucking said you two weren't working together!" He exclaimed in anger, earning a scoff from Minji.
"We are not, but it for sure was weird that you wanted me to eat your food that badly." Minji hissed, suddenly pulling out her gun and pointing it at him. "What did you put inside that soup?" Minji asked with a stern voice, making the man giggle.
"Haven't you noticed that there aren't any infected near the forest area?" He suddenly said, making Minji tilt her head. She then widened her eyes, shakily gulping. It couldn't be..
"T-That's not tomato in the soup, is it?" Minji shakily said, noticing the man snapping with his fingers and a smirk being shown on his face.
"That's right. It's infected's blood. We wanted to turn you and that girl into infected, but something didn't feel right to us, you see.." He said while calling over his crew mate, surprising Minji when another survivor showed up while dragging Yoohyeon with him.
"This girl here didn't get turned when she ate the soup.. That's pretty weird, isn't it?" The man said while pointing at Yoohyeon, walking closer to the girl. He slowly started cutting through her skin with a sharp obsidian rock which made Yoohyeon widen her eyes while audibly screaming and clenching her fists.
Minji frowned at the view, but soon that frown turned into a look of shock and disbelief..
"The main reason why this kid didn't get turned was because.. she was already infected."
The man said, pointing at the mixture of goo and blood that was leaking from Yoohyeon cut. "It's strange how she hasn't turned yet. Maybe there's something more to her.." He hummed, suddenly snapping with his fingers and smiling when a theory popped in his mind.
"Maybe it's something connected to that one SYM laboratory?" He pointed at the woman with a proud and disturbing smile.
Minji widened her eyes, her breath hitching at the thought of Yoohyeon keeping such secret from her. Her blood was boiling, but at the same time she didn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it.
"Impossible.." Minji weakly uttered, letting her hands drop low while looking at Yoohyeon. "How could she have..- No, that's impossible.. Is- Is that true Yoohyeon?" Minji stared into Yoohyeon's weak eyes, seeing the exhaustion and guilt in them. The girl's breath hitched, looking back down.
"No way.." Minji whispered lowly, not liking the fact that Yoohyeon was being silent.
"I'm sorry.. for not telling you.." Yoohyeon silently uttered out, getting strongly punched in the stomach and thrown infront of Minji. Her body flopped on the hard floor, nothing but her slow and harsh breaths being heard from her.
"She must be some kind of an experiment from that psychotic laboratory.. And seeing the look in your eyes, you feel betrayed and enraged, don't you?" The man smiled, throwing the obsidian rock next to Yoohyeon's body. "You just want to kill her and see her in pain, hm?" He pressured again, sitting down on the couch and pointing at Yoohyeon. "You can take the pleasure of killing her and we promise we won't bother you ever again."
Minji looked at the obsidian blade, taking it in her hand and glaring at Yoohyeon. The girl looked so exhausted that killing her would be as easy as stepping on an ant.
"Kim Yoohyeon.." Minji hissed, crouching while pointing her dagger over the younger's head. "You keep on making me dislike you more and more each passing minute.. First, you're that scientist's daughter and now you're his fucking experiment?" Minji held the girl's hair harshly, making her look at the woman.
Yoohyeon only looked at Minji, not knowing what to say other than a simple apology.
"I'm.. sorry, Minji.."
She just closed her eyes, letting her head hang low and land on the wooden floor as she was seconds away from losing her consciousness. Minji clenched her hand on the handle, feeling her hand shaking from rage and hatred. She pinned the sharp tip right over Yoohyeon's temple, suddenly leaning closer to her ear.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, you fucking lab rat."
Yoohyeon opened her eyes, feeling pain and soreness all over her body. She tried to move her hand, but it hurt so much to the point she had to wince. Some of her ribs were broken, her organs were ruptured and deep bleeding cuts were all over her body. If it wasn't for her infection helping her heal many times faster than a normal human, she would have been as good as dead a long hour ago.
"You finally woke up. I almost started celebrating that you were finally dead."
Yoohyeon widened her eyes, turning her head to look at the familiar woman sitting on a chair opposite of her while sharpening the dagger.
"No more movements Yoohyeon. Only talking or I'm going to kill you on the spot." Minji threatened, making Yoohyeon face the ceiling again in obedience.
"What the hell are you exactly?" Minji asked, getting a sigh in return.
"I don't know, but I have these.. powers or whatever. I'm immune to the virus and I can turn into an infected whenever I want to, as well as revert back to a human." Yoohyeon answered simply, making Minji hum. "So you got injected with some kind of a different SYM vaccine?" The Icebreaker questioned, getting a weak nod in return. "I-I think I might have.. My father injected me with it on the day of the outbreak to protect me from the virus and.. yeah, that's it." Yoohyeon simply said, looking at Minji. "Do you believe me?"
"I want to, but something is telling me you're lying to me Yoohyeon. There's more to it, isn't there?" Minji raised an eyebrow, noticing Yoohyeon's frown. "No? Why would I be lying to you?"
"Because that's what you have been doing this whole time, am I right?" Minji fired back, standing up from the chair and walking closer to the girl, pointing the sharpened blade right over her heart. "Tell me the truth right fucking now Yoohyeon. I'm being so serious with you." Minji lightly stabbed through girl's outfit, making her gulp and panic because it was slowly getting stabbed more and more.
"I-I'm telling you the truth Minji, seriously! I don't know what kind of vaccine I was given, I swear!" Yoohyeon slightly crawled back to escape the blade entering her skin, noticing the visible anger in Minji's eyes. She had no faith in her whatsoever.
"Please, I'm not lying to you.. I.. I still care a lot about you Minji.. You know I wouldn't want to hurt you by keeping secrets or lying again.." Yoohyeon weakly said, making Minji tilt her head.
"You wouldn't hurt me? Oh Yoohyeon, you have no idea how much pain you've caused me these past days." Minji said with a sarcastic smile, suddenly spinning the dagger and taking a step back. "It hurts me so much to the point I want to kill you..." Minji glared at the younger, making her widen her eyes. "On the spot."
"W-Wait, don't-"
Right as Yoohyeon was talking, Minji dashed back towards Yoohyeon. The girl instantly sat up and rolled backwards over the couch, holding her ribs from the immaculate pain from her abrupt movements.
"Please, let's just talk this through-"
"We talked enough. Now, you better keep your promise of me killing you." Minji interrupted the girl, swinging out her dagger and moving it towards her neck. Yoohyeon hardly managed to dodge that swing, wincing loudly the second it cut through her shoulder instead. Because of it's obsidian material, the pain was doubled and she widened her eyes from the impact it had on her.
"Do you really want to kill me that fucking much!?" Yoohyeon exclaimed while taking many steps back, making Minji scoff whenever she missed. "Don't you get it!? You and your fucking father killed my damn parents Yoohyeon- You're the cause of their death! If that vaccine never existed, the virus wouldn't have been out in the world!" Minji shouted back, getting angrier the more the girl kept on dodging her hits.
"I didn't kill your parents Minji and you fucking know it too damn well! Neither did my father! He never wanted to make that vaccine, he was forced to because of his boss!" Yoohyeon shouted, making Minji stop for a second as she clenched the blade's handle even harder. "Stop Yoohyeon.. You keep on lying to me just to save yourself.. Stop doing this, just shut up already.. Aren't you sick of lying to me all the time?" Minji weakly uttered, noticing Yoohyeon panting while shaking her head.
"I'm.. not lying.. I watched SYM's video logs and I saw it with my own eyes Minji. My dad only wanted to find a way to stop the virus getting released into the world before it was too late.." Yoohyeon said, hesitantly walking closer to Minji. "He never wanted this to happen, he only wanted to save humanity but was forced into creating an injection type of a weapon for his corrupted boss.."
The Icebreaker shook her head, frowning.
"You're lying again Yoohyeon.. I can't believe you no matter how much I want to.." Minji claimed, dropping the dagger to the ground. She was tired of it all. Everything she has been hearing was making her feel doubtful of her own beliefs, and Yoohyeon wasn't helping her even the slightest bit. She was the cause of it all.
"Can't you just stop lying for once..?"
Yoohyeon stood infront of Minji, shakily cuping her cheeks and making her look into the younger's eyes. She had missed the familiarity of the older's soft skin and piercing gaze. Standing so close to the woman who despised her the most at the moment was risky, but Yoohyeon knew one thing for sure - Minji was a good person. No matter how much she hated someone, the Icebreaker would still listen to their words. Yoohyeon had hope that maybe Minji would listen to her just this once and believe her.
"I will prove it to you Minji.. Give me a chance to prove my father's innocence, as well as my own.. I promise I'm not going to lie to you no matter what the real truth is. Whether it's of my advantage or not, I will share nothing but the truth with you. I swear on my life that I will.." The girl caressed the older's cheeks, noticing how tears had swelled up in her eyes.
"I will find out the truth for you Minji, I promise. I will help you."
"H-How can I believe you after everything you've done Yoohyeon..? W-What if you're wrong and you disappoint me again?" Minji weakly stuttered, seeing Yoohyeon's smile.. her genuine smile.. It pained her even more.
The girl looked down, seeing the sharp obsidian rock standing right next to her foot. She leaned down to grab it, getting a hold of Minji's hand and giving it to her. Yoohyeon then closed Minji's hand with the weapon, moving it right over her own heart and slightly stabbing herself with it.
Yoohyeon pierced through her own skin, the blood and goo instantly painting the white clothing she was wearing.
"I promise that if I'm wrong, I'll kill myself infront of your eyes." Yoohyeon softly looked at Minji, seeing the single tear rolling down her cheek. "I will not run away and I will not hide. My future will depend on you."
The woman sighed shakily, throwing the rock away and pulling Yoohyeon closer.
"You're always making me have mixed feelings towards you, Yoohyeon.. Always.."
Minji cuped the girl's cheeks, surprising her by suddenly kissing her lips.
Yoohyeon widened her eyes, hesitantly holding onto the woman's waist and squeezing it, melting into her touch. The girl missed this feeling the most.. Feeling the woman by her side.
Their lips moved in sync, just like always. They didn't do anything other than indulge themselves in a long lasting, simple kiss. But the familiarity of it was what made it feel like it was more than a normal kiss to Yoohyeon. This was everything she needed so she could feel at ease. An inch of hope being brought back to her. A new opportunity for fixing everything.
Minji pulled out the kiss while glaring at Yoohyeon, noticing the visible shock in the girl's eyes.
"D-Don't get your hopes up, Kim Yoohyeon. I still despise you so fucking much." Minji said, pushing Yoohyeon away by her shoulders, making her slightly smile. "And I still admire you so fucking much Minji.. Thank you for trusting me with this." Yoohyeon gently said, earning a scoff from the woman.
"Go away while I'm being nice to you.. Fucking lab rat." Minji walked away, sitting on the couch while sharpening her dagger again and waving her hand in an unamused way.
Yoohyeon smiled while looking at the woman, feeling a spur of energy and determination the more she looked at her.
"Wait for me Snowflake, I'll run back to you once I'm done." Yoohyeon waved her hand and ran out the house, making Minji scoff to herself. Even if it was invisible, there was an undeniable little curve forming on one side of the woman's lips, clearly showing a smirk. Whether it had a good meaning behind it or not, Minji definitely felt a wave of assurance reach up to her expectations.
"I hate her so damn much.."
› 6 HOURS LATER:
Yoohyeon walked back in her new house with a smile, flopping on the ground and sighing in relief. She made a quick run around the neighborhood where her temporary base was, checking whether there would be any threats for the night. Fortunately to her, she would be safe and sound for yet another lonely night.
She escaped death for the dozenth time today and managed to make a deal with Minji after not having talked to her for what felt like a very long time. Even though it was a few days, it felt like years to Yoohyeon. After many bad occurrences, a good one did make it's awaited appearance after all.
"I'll make you trust me again Minji, I promise you that." The girl sat up, holding her stomach while looking down at her scar. She remembered those survivors words, wondering if she truly was injected with the experimental vaccine her father mentioned once.
"I need to find out more about that vaccine.. If I still have the time." Yoohyeon sadly said to herself, remembering the words from that message she heard. "If everything my dad said is true, that means I might die soon.. It's been almost 13 years, which means I'm close to fully turning.. or even dying." The girl shivered in fear, standing up and looking out the window.
"I want to see Minji before I die.. She definitely is a great view to see before dying." Yoohyeon chuckled, feeling less scared of death than she thought she would be. "Knowing when you might die isn't as scary as I thought it would be." The girl shook her head, walking over to the bag of food and taking an unripe apple she found to feed on for dinner.
"How I wish Bora or Minji would make me a meal right now.. Gosh, why am I still talking to myself? I have lost my mind for sure this time." Yoohyeon mocked herself, sitting down on the ground and humming a random melody.
"I hate staying in the dark, it's too bothersome." The girl then lit a candle up, staring at the fire with a smile. She carefully laid down on her stomach, rocking her head left and right while looking at the candle with pure curiosity.
"You can be my new friend.. Fire and Yoohyeon.. What a splendid combo." The girl leaned her head on her arm, spinning the candle in place with her other hand. "I should give this candle a name.. Maybe.. Candy? Yeah! Candy!" Yoohyeon smiled to herself, pouting while looking at the fire.
"Being a candle must be easy.. All you do is wait to be lit up and do nothing all the time. I'm envious of you Candy.." The girl sulkily said, suddenly facepalming herself when reality hit her.
"The fuck am I doing right now.. Talking to a candle? Gosh, if anyone saw me right now they'd think I have lost it completely.." Yoohyeon shook her head, leaving the candle on the ground.
"I'm off to sleep, this was too much for today." Yoohyeon crawled back to the blanket, pulling it over herself and shivering from the sudden feeling of warmth. "I love this blanket.. I should name it Warmy because it keeps me warm all the time." Yoohyeon smiled to herself, suddenly switching to a neutral face of disbelief.
"I'm actually crazy now." The girl shook her head once again, sighing while glancing at the window. She smiled at the view, suddenly frowning while looking back at the candle.
"Hold on, won't people be able to locate me if this is lit up..?" Yoohyeon questioned herself, instantly widening her eyes when she heard running footsteps coming from outside. Those same footsteps were nowhere near an infected's one, but human steps.
"Fuck! I'm so damn stupid.." Yoohyeon quickly crawled to blow the candle out, eyeing the whole house in silence while listening to the footsteps.
"Shit.. I guess I'll have to move out.." The girl stood up in an instant, dashing to grab her hatchet, then silently walking towards the door. She gulped, listening closely for the footsteps, but was surprised when they weren't audible anymore.
"Are they gone..?" Yoohyeon whispered to herself, carefully leaning closer to the door-
*BLAST OPEN*
Yoohyeon fell to the ground from the startle, noticing four masked people looking at her. She pointed her hatchet at them, sitting up while crawling a few meters back and holding her stomach from the pain.
"Yoohyeon?" A guy spoke from his mask in a muffled way, making Yoohyeon gulp. "A-Are you all here to kill me..?" She stuttered. But then, everyone dropped their weapons and were sighing in relief, panting loudly.
The girl tilted her head, lowering her weapon while staring at the small group in confusion.
"What's this about?" Yoohyeon asked, earning a chuckle from one of the intruders. "You dummy! Can't you recognize us by our voices?" A young girl behind a mask spoke, suddenly untying it from the back and showing her smiley face to Yoohyeon, shocking the older.
"J-Jiwon!?" Yoohyeon widened her eyes, seeing the boy next to her remove his mask as well. "Jiho too!? What are you guys doing here??" Yoohyeon smiled, standing up and running over to them with opened arms and hugging the two tightly.
"We're here to save you from this mess since you look like you're in need of some desperate help." One of the boys from the back spoke, making Yoohyeon widen her eyes. That voice was so familiar to her that she couldn't stop herself from tearing up in an instant.
The two remaining boys removed their masks, instantly flashing their weak smiles at the older girl. Yoohyeon didn't waste a second and ran to hug the two boys, tightly holding onto them.
Jeongyun and Namhyuk were back in Yoohyeon's embrace, just like in the past.
"I-I missed you guys so much.." Yoohyeon sobbed out, making the two boys tighten the hug as well. Though, they were taken aback when Yoohyeon suddenly started wincing.
"Woah, did you get in a fight or something?" Jeongyun looked at Yoohyeon, being taken aback when she was looking at him with widened eyes. "Are you okay Yooh?" The boy asked again, seeing the girl pout.
"Your voice got deeper in the span of two months.." Yoohyeon said poutily, making Jeongyun sigh in disbelief. "Is that why you started wincing!?" He shook his head, making Yoohyeon chuckle and point at her ribs.
"No, I actually got fucked up badly and I have like five broken ribs and dozens of cuts on my body and ruptured organs." Yoohyeon smiled with thumbs up, leaving the group of four shocked the moment she raised her sleeves and shirt up.
"How the hell are you still alive.." Jiwon said from the side, making Yoohyeon smile. "Did you forget? I'm also infected and I heal very quickly apparently and can stay alive." The older girl said, making the group shiver from remembering the past. They all had their own wild experiences with Yoohyeon being in her infected state..
Right then, more footsteps were heard and that alerted Yoohyeon and the others. They stepped away from the door while holding their weapons out and staying near eachother.
"If they have guns, we'll step down without any fights." Yoohyeon whispered, earning a nod from the group. They all clenched on their weapons, hearing the footsteps getting closer, and then..
A group of Icebreakers walked inside the room with their masks on and guns out, making the outcast group freeze.
Yoohyeon looked to her sides, nodding at the younger ones to drop their weapons and they all did, except for Yoohyeon. She glared at the Icebreakers, noticing a specific aura coming from them that she has felt before-
"Namhyuk and Jeongyun!?"
A high pitched voice of shock was heard from one of the Icebreakers, making her instantly remove her mask with widened eyes and an opened mouth of incredulity.
"B-Bora!?" Namhyuk tilted his head, suddenly smiling when he heard the older woman gasp. "When did you guys get here!? Why didn't you come find me??" Bora ran to hug the two boys, making them scoff. "We were looking throughout the whole city for you, but I had no damn idea that you became a fucking Icebreaker too!?" Namhyuk gasped, hugging Bora tightly and smiling.
"Bora.." A silent whisper came from Yoohyeon, making the woman turn to face the girl with a pout. Bora glanced at Yoohyeon's uniform, being shocked when she had just noticed how many stains of blood she had all over herself.
"Yooh.. Oh my god, I'm so sorry for not finding you sooner.." Bora ran to hug the girl, cuping her cheeks while looking at her emotional expression. "We're all here now and we'll help you, okay?" Bora nodded to assure the girl she wasn't alone anymore, making Yoohyeon weakly smile.
"I'm not alone anymore.." The girl uttered silently, making Bora pout painfully at those words as she embraced Yoohyeon. "You never were, Yooh.. We were all so worried about you.. We won't leave you alone from now on." Bora whispered to the girl, hearing a little 'ahem' sound coming from the unfamiliar to her girl and boy beside the outcasts.
"E-Excuse me, but can you please tell those three to lower their guns..? We're not here to hurt Yoohyeon, we promise.." Jiwoo shakily pointed at the three Icebreakers, earning an apologetic smile from Bora. The small woman instantly turned around, glaring at the Icebreakers as they awkwardly looked away while putting their guns away.
"Who are they supposed to be though?" Namhyuk asked, noticing the tallest Icebreaker chuckling to himself. "You really couldn't guess that it's your fellow partner in DJ-ing?" The Icebreaker took his mask off, revealing himself to be Minjoon and surprising the outcasts. "Minjoon!? Holy shit!" Namhyuk dashed to hug the man, getting his hair ruffled by him.
"Isn't that Minji's brother..? Doesn't he hate Yoohyeon as well?" Jiho uttered out, making Yoohyeon look at the man with worry. Minjoon sighed, shaking his head with a smile. "I don't hate Yoohyeon, don't worry. I want to help her show my sister that she's not someone who would hurt us." Minjoon walked closer to Yoohyeon, putting his arm over her shoulders.
"After all, Yooh is my soulmate-friend. How could I hate her for something that she didn't do?" Minjoon smiled at Yoohyeon, making the girl's lips tremble into a smile as she didn't waste time hugging him. "I thought you'd say that you despise me just like Minji did.." Yoohyeon muffled out, making everyone tilt their heads in confusion.
"Wait, you've spoken to her..?" Namhyuk asked, shocked when Yoohyeon nodded. "Hold on a minute.. How are you still alive after talking to her?" Jiho let his head hang low in disbelief, remembering the time he faked his fortune telling. Though, it really shocked him when he noticed a slight curve forming on Yoohyeon's mouth.
"We came across eachother today and.. I basically saved her and she saved me, but.." Yoohyeon answered, looking down at her stomach and pulling up her shirt, shocking everyone.
Yoohyeon's scars were slightly opened and covered in dried blood and pulsating green and black goo.
"She found out about this and almost killed me.." Yoohyeon sighed, touching her scar and getting a bit of the goo on her fingers.
"A-And.. I don't think I have long left to live.."
› END OF CHAPTER 26 ‹
reunion timee~~
› ‹