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"𝐒/𝐍, 𝐈 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘 with me, okay?" Seok Yu-jun shouted over the chaos around them, one of his hands holding onto his wooden baseball bat whilst the other was fastened around his classmate's forearm to not lose her in the crowd. "S/n," he repeated the h/c-haired girl's name when she didn't answer him. He glanced over his shoulder to see her meeting his gaze. "Did you hear what I said?"
"Yes..." she quietly mumbled, though it was hard to hear her over the screaming of the other passengers and growls from the nearing living dead.
"Good." Seok let out a sigh of relief. Because of the chaos around them, he didn't even realize that he was doubling back on his word from earlier. He said that in any survival situation, it's every man for himself, but here he was, worrying about someone who wasn't him. But, fuck, what are these things? And can they be killed? "We need to keep moving!" He concluded.
Y/n, in a panic, looked over her shoulder only to see a handful of the reincarnated corpses pouring out from the past few carts that they overrun. They did not break a sweat, they were all as energized as ever. "We'll never be able to outrun these things..." she concluded as she glanced to the back of Seok's head, just wondering how they were going to survive these things.
"Eh?" Seok raised a brow once he overheard her pessimistic comment. "What did you just say?" He didn't want to believe what he was hearing. Surely, they can drive these things back... right? It just had to be the case. If they couldn't, then how else was he going to be able to call his mom? His little sister? He didn't want to die like this—meaningless and without being identified. He simply won't allow it.
"I said we'll never outrun these things!" The h/c-haired girl repeated herself, this time screaming as they passed countless people who were being tackled by the infected and succumbing to the vile and revolting sickness. "They're not getting winded, but we sure as hell are..." it was then that Y/n finally dared to look up at Seok whose gaze softened when seeing that her eyes were welled up with tears. "Every single one of us is going to be devoured!" She cried.
She's right. These things—they're already dead. Their brain doesn't function, which means they don't exhaust or have a need to sleep. So, naturally, their bodies don't produce melatonin or adrenaline. Chances are they'll exhaust themselves before the monsters behind them lose interest in them, but even that's a small possibility in itself since their only goal is to attack, eat, and multiply.
Seok shot her a glance, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "What do you suggest, then?" He asked. She didn't like any of his ideas so far, so he figured why not allow her to take a crack at it if she's feeling so demanding?
"Hide."
"Where?"
After a moment of bickering about the limited options, Y/n's eyes widened with a sudden realization. "The bathrooms! We can hide in one of the restrooms between the carts. It's our best shot." She replied between heavy breaths, she didn't know how long she could keep running and pushing past people. Y/n was starting to feel lightheaded and she just wanted to sit down somewhere. Anywhere.
Seok hesitated but nodded, realizing the urgency of the situation. "Okay."
Together, they ducked into a cramped restroom, their breaths heavy and adrenaline pumping. Seok offered Y/n the seat as he remained stationed at the door, hugging his baseball bat to his torso as the girl in front of him set her bloodied one down on the ground. The dim light flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows in the confined space.
The distant sounds of chaos persisted outside as Seok locked the restroom door, their eyes meeting in a silent acknowledgment of the dire circumstances. Y/n leaned against the cold wall, catching her breath, while Seok scanned the small space for anything that could be of use to them. Soon though, his dark eyes shifted over to focus on Y/n whose head was bowed. "왜 그래?" He questioned. "What's the matter?" He knew how inappropriate it was to ask this at a time like this, but he just wanted to make sure that she was alright. Or rather, prepared since anything could happen. They don't know how intelligent these things are. "I, um... 어떻게 지내요?" He continued to inquire with furrowed brows, unsure of what to say. "How are you?"
"괜찮아요. 어떻게 지내?" Y/n raised her head, speaking slowly, but kept her eyes averted. Out of all the things that could've happened today, this wasn't on the list. Who would've thought she would be fighting for her life one moment and be locked in a water closet with her crush the next? She sighed. "I'm fine. How are you?"
"I'll be alright."
In the distance, muffled cries and the guttural growls of the infected reached their ears, prompting the two high schoolers to flinch violently. "We can't stay here forever. What's the plan?" Seok spoke in a hushed tone.
Y/n bit her lip, contemplating their next move. "We need to wait until it's safe. Once the noise dies down, we'll have a chance to slip away unnoticed. Or..." she trailed off. "Until Jin-hee and Yong-guk come and get us." She added. She hoped that they were holding themselves off. They had to be just fine because, in all honesty, Y/n can't picture a world without them, but she should start working on her apology now for not helping them when they needed her most.
"That works for me." Seok leaned back slightly and rested his head on the back of the wall, trying his best to relax.
"... What's going on?"
"Oh my God!"
"What the hell?!" People continued to scream outside as they hurried past the restrooms whilst Seok and Y/n maintained eye contact, looking at each other expressionless.
"I'm sorry," the dark-haired boy suddenly said, surprising Y/n. She looked at him quizzically.
"Sorry? For what?" she asked, unsure of what Seok was referring to.
Seok sighed, his eyes avoiding direct contact. "For the way I treated you out there. I shouldn't have used that tone. I was scared, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you." He explained himself, it wasn't the way he was taught. Growing up, he was taught to always respect women and he broke that rule out there. He was being selfish and careless with Y/n's feelings and for that, he is deeply regretful.
Y/n blinked, processing his words. It took a moment for the sincerity of his apology to sink in. "Oh," she said, her surprise giving way to a small smile. "I-It's alright, Seok. I understand. You were just trying to protect us..."
Seok met her gaze, relieved by her forgiveness. "I was just worried, you know? It's not an excuse, but I just wanted to let you know," he straightened himself out. "Plus, I don't know how long we're going to be in here. Might be a long ride." He added with an awkward laugh.
Before they could delve further into the conversation, a sudden, loud ringing echoed through the train. Both Y/n and Seok exchanged alarmed glances as the conductor's voice boomed over the intercom. "Attention, please," the older man cleared his throat. "Due to the current situation, we will no longer be stopping in Cheonan. For your safety, please remain calm and stay in your designated areas. We apologize for any inconvenience." The conductor is clueless about the danger encircling the people he swore to get safely to Busan. He only knows bits and pieces of what's going on, but not the full story.
People are going rabid!
"That's just great..." Seok muttered sarcastically to himself as he pushed back two fistfuls of hair, maneuvering his bat carefully to not accidentally hit Y/n or make any unwanted commotion when he did this. The train rattled on its tracks, carrying them deeper into the heart of the unknown. He chewed on his lower lip before shaking his head. Frustrated, Seok looked down. "S/n, if I asked you something... you would be honest with me, right?"
"Yes." She swiftly replied.
"Do you think it's just as bad in Cheonan?" Seok wasted no time asking this. He didn't want to believe that... whatever was happening to the feral individuals on the train was happening nationally, or worse: globally. He just wished this was a contained happening and that their not stopping in Cheonan was nothing more than a coincidence.
Y/n took a moment to think about it. As much as she wanted to consider things to be better there, she wasn't about to bet her life on it. "Yeah..." she whispered. "Or worse. I mean, think about it," she started. "If the same thing is happening there, then those things have more people to infect, but regardless, it's just not worth the risk of stopping there." She finished.
"I guess you're right..." Seok frowned once Y/n gave her opinion on things. She was being realistic and he appreciated her honesty, even if it majorly came with a bad outlook on things. After a few moments, the dark-haired boy's attention was diverted away from their chat and to the uproar outside the door. Or rather the fact that there wasn't any. "Things have quietened outside. Do you think we should step out and check things out?"
"No, I don't think we're in much shape
to do anything right now." Y/n said, solemnly. They're both tired. They should try and relax if they're able—they can swap places periodically if they need to. She would feel bad for sitting the entire period that they're stuck in here and have Seok stand up, his legs will be all sore.
They regard each other for a moment. Seok painfully slumps down across from his classmate. "Well... what do we do?" He was at a loss and even though he should probably shut his trap, he didn't know what else to do other than talk. It was just something that he did when he was nervous.
"Why don't we just..." Y/n pursed her lips together. "Wait here for a little while, see what happens?"
"Yeah. I can do that."
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Just in case no one has realized yet, there will be times when I will put dialogue in Korean and then translate it for you all to understand what's being said. I just do this to make it a bit more realistic and besides, it's fun to do!
And I also hope that everything that I am translating/the Korean I'm using is correct! 😅 it would be awkward if it wasn't, but that's okay! It's all a part of the learning experience.