The water in the bathroom began to rise above the height of the bathtub.
As her body moved away from the floor, she floated on the water's surface. She closed her eyes to calm herself, but her eyelids trembled anxiously. At times like this, she shouldn't do anything. She had to resist the urge to cry out, "Help me!" or "Someone save me!" as those desperate words seemed ready to burst from her lips at any moment. If she did anything, she would lose her focus and put herself in greater danger.
The water quickly rose to halfway up the bathroom's walls. Her body was getting closer to the rectangular light fixture embedded in the ceiling. It was only a matter of time before the bathroom would be completely filled with water. Soon, she would be fully submerged in the murky water, and any desperate attempts at survival swimming would be futile.
Hallucinations become clearer as you become more aware. The more you try to escape, the faster they engulf you. The more desperate your desire to live, the closer you get to death. Knowing that everything was happening in her mind, yet unable to control it, left her constantly feeling powerless. She was helpless against herself and the difficult situation she found herself in.
As expected, the water filled the entire bathroom. Her horizontal body sank completely into the water. Her ears quickly became clogged. The sound of rushing water echoed through the room, while bubbles of water bubbled frantically from her nose and mouth.
Through all that noise, a distant rumbling sound could be heard. It was sudden, sharp, and grand, like a gunshot. What was it? Before she could think deeply, she felt suffocated. She couldn't hold her breath any longer on her own. Eventually, she opened her mouth, and instead of air, she filled her body with water.
Then, there it was again, a loud bang! A second explosion, terrifyingly amplified from the earlier noise, echoed through the air. She felt her muscles tense sharply in response to the unexpected loud noise. A sharp scream, one she had never let out before, burst from her lips.
Like waking from a nightmare, everything returned to its place. For a moment, she did nothing. She just calmly observed her body, floating peacefully in the gentle water of the bathtub. It wasn't long before the bathroom light went out. Could it be a power outage? It seemed likely, especially after the loud noise she had just heard. She groped around with her hand, then left the bathroom. She grabbed the flashlight she had left outside and illuminated her surroundings.
Walking through the living room, stepping on water droplets that had fallen from her hair and body, she opened the window wide. The low mountain range behind the house was ablaze, flames shooting up from the western end. That was where the power transmission tower was located. So, there was a power outage. Considering the loud explosion followed by a larger one, it seemed that the situation was not any different for the transmission tower further away. Who would intentionally do such a thing? Or was it an accident with no one involved? Regardless of the cause, the transmission tower and the house were a bit far apart. What was important was that, according to ominous but logical expectations, the transmission tower might not be repaired. Police station. Fire station. Hospital. Convenience store. University. Swimming pool. Power company... There weren't many people keeping their positions.
She turned on the emergency generator in the backyard and turned on the power to the equipment in the laboratory. She decided to temporarily suspend the use of electronic devices and lights unrelated to the experiments. She dressed warmly by the light and wiped away the moisture on the floor.
As she walked around the house, she suddenly felt like she was in a horror movie. Dust sparkled in every space illuminated by the light as if forming some kind of shape. Facing blatant emptiness covering even the darkness in an empty space was something she had to confront head-on with sharp emptiness. It was scary. She wished someone would hold her, stroke her head, and tell her it was okay, not to be afraid.
Was her wish coming true? Someone knocked on the door. She took slow steps to the front door to avoid falling.
"Who is it?"
"Hyosin Steel."
She had forgotten about it since B left. About selling the car and getting the gun.
When she opened the door, the junk shop owner stood there holding only a small shoebox-sized case. It took a few seconds to recognize him, even after he had trimmed his long white beard short.
"I brought what you ordered. I told the man before, but you can't find genuine ones. This one was made by a technician, so it's a bit crude. Can't help it."
He opened the box and showed her the item inside after she shone a light on it and examined it carefully. Then, she cautiously picked up the gun with one hand. It was black, cold, and heavy, just like the ones she had seen in old movies. However, she doubted whether it would function properly because of the parts wrapped in aluminum tape. But it didn't matter. She didn't need to aim and shoot someone. If she ever faced someone following her or encountered a dangerous situation, she just needed it to protect herself enough.
"How do you use it?"
She needed to know the method.
"You just slide the top part here to load it, aim at where you want to shoot, and pull the trigger. There are two bullets in it. It's also specially made, so you can't find it easily. You should use it sparingly."
It was disappointing to have exchanged her car for a gun for occasional use.
"Thank you."
She said as she hugged the box with the gun inside.
"A gun is a gun, but you should also prepare some food. There's a riot going on right now. People are hoarding, looting stores, breaking things... Ugh... The power transmission tower seems to have exploded over there in Youngindong. There might be a chance of recovery according to the radio I listened to, but you still need some food to survive! I'm saying this because you look like you might faint from hunger and fall down!"
His words sounded like a father worrying about his daughter.
"Yes, I will."
She said.
After he left, she pushed the box containing the gun into the corner of the living room.
After a few minutes of passing sirens, she opened the window again to check outside, and the fire near the power transmission tower had almost disappeared from view. Instead, acrid smoke came down the mountain and spread thickly to our house. She quickly closed the window because the breath she took through her nose was so pungent.
A text message came on her phone. It was from Do-hyeon. They had agreed to contact each other when they needed help, but now he needed her help.
"Hee-jae. Are you at home?"
"Yes. I'm home now."
She wanted to ask if he was okay, if the power outage was okay. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. But the message window showed "Typing," so she decided to wait for his next message.
"Can I come to your place now, Hee-jae?"
She couldn't know the reason.
"Yes."
She replied briefly.
Do-hyeon knocked on our door less than 10 minutes later. Even though it was dark, he had neatly arranged his disheveled hair before opening the door.
"Hee-jae, did you change your car?"
Do-hyeon asked as he put a large bag on the floor.
"No. Why?"
She asked, surprised. Do-hyeon hurriedly ran outside. She followed him.
"It's weird? There was a black car here when I came in. So, I thought you changed your car. Did someone come?"
There was only Do-hyeon's SUV in the front yard.
"Someone did come."
But the junk shop owner had left a long time ago. She was too cold, so she grabbed Do-hyeon's coat and entered the house.
"What's all this, Do-hyeon?"
She pointed to the bag he had brought. Do-hyeon opened the bag and took out emergency food such as water, chocolate, cereal, canned food, sterilized milk, and a palm-sized radio.
"The power went out suddenly, so I was worried about you, Hee-jae. You're already someone who doesn't eat much, so I thought you might just hide in your house... So, I brought some. I have a lot at home."
It was nice to hear that he was worried about her. It seemed like knowing someone's first concern meant something vaguely familiar to her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Do-hyeon replied with a smile, and his phone beeped with a low battery alert.
"Could you please give me your phone, Do-hyeon? I'll charge it for you. We have an emergency generator at home. You can also charge your car while you're here."
She connected his phone to the charging pad in the lab. With a short beep, the charging was completed, and she handed Do-hyeon his phone back.
"Really appreciate it, but that's all, Hee-jae. We don't know when the power will be restored. We need to save electricity. You should only use your car when you really need it."
"No. We agreed to help each other, didn't we? Right?"
Do-hyeon answered silently. It was quiet, as if everything had stopped. There was nothing to disturb the silence, not even the rustling of clothes, the movement of muscles, or the sound of breathing. Standing facing him in the darkness, she had nothing more to say. It felt like they would eventually reach this moment together.
Do-hyeon broke the long silence and spoke.
"Hee-jae."
"Yes?"