"If it's the end of the world, what would you do?"
The three girls sitting on chairs, paused eating their respective lunches to look at their grinning friend.
"That's a bit of an odd question to ask Jisoo." A girl with ebony black hair and feline eyes looked at her friend with furrowed brows.
"How the hell is that an odd question Jennie?" Jisoo's grin drops as she crossed her arms over her chest, she doesn't notice a piece of rice sticking on her cheek and it made Jennie grimace.
"And out of the blue too." A girl with scarlet hair pipes in, she raised her hand to flick the rice off Jisoo's cheek.
"You too Rosé?" Jisoo pouts, "Come on, indulge me. What would you guys do if it were the end of the world?" she continued.
"I don't know," Jennie merely eyes Jisoo in bemusement before shrugging her shoulders, "The world is ending so I probably won't think about anything other than— die in peace I guess?" she bluntly states whilst grabbing a piece of rolled fried egg on her lunch box.
"Here I thought you'd try raiding Chanel or Gucci stores." Jisoo scowls, feeling a bit cheated over Jennie's unenthusiastic response.
"Hmm..." Jennie hums as she chews on her food, "Sounds like a good idea."
"I'll probably raid our vending machine eat all the snacks that my tummy can handle," Rosé pats her stomach, smiling adorably at Jisoo that caused her dimples to come out,
She then adds, "Or probably just sing my heart out until my throat can no longer handle it."
"What would you even sing?" A girl with blonde hair, Lisa, decided to contribute in the conversation.
Rosé looked thoughtful, before she opened her mouth and her soft saccharine voice reverberated on the three girls ears, "But if the world was ending, you'd come over right? You'd come over and you'd stay the night. Would you love me for the hell of it? All our fears would be irrelevant..."
Jisoo looked utterly enamoured, Jennie just smiled— clearly enjoying Rosé's sweet voice, while Lisa was unimpressed since she heard Rosé's voice almost everyday in their own dorm.
Lisa grabbed a piece of dumpling with her chopsticks, "Yeah, we know we know—" she smirks as she shoves the food in Rosé's mouth, "You have a voice blessed by Apollo, now eat."
Rosé happily receives the treat, chewing the dumpling in her mouth with with vigor – after which, she shoves a spoon full of fried Kimchi whilst humming pleasantly from the mouthwatering taste.
"Awe... But that actually sounds touching." Jisoo coos.
Jennie laughs, elbowing her friend and states in a teasing manner, "You swoon at anything Rosie does."
Jisoo just scoffs, trying to hide the oncoming blush on her face as Rosé remains oblivious – for her entire concentration was to enjoy the meal right in front of her.
So Jisoo turns her attention to her tall friend, "How about you Lis? What would you do if the world is ending?" she asks the girl who still hasn't answered her question.
Lisa stopped eating for a second as she stared at Jisoo's expectant face along with Jennie's curious gaze.
"...I..." Lisa cleared her throat, she looks down her desk— as if she was looking at something particularly interesting. It took a second before she finally formulated an answer,
"...I wanna spend my last moments with the one I love..."
Lisa looks up from her eyelashes to see Jisoo with a shit-eating grin, Rosé with puffed cheeks but her eyes held a teasing undertone to it— and Jennie... Jennie just smiled knowingly.
Lisa looked down, silently cursing herself from that cheesy response – she could practically feel Jennie's gaze piercing through her skin, and she wants nothing more than the earth to swallow her up whole.
"...deep..." Jisoo retorts, and Lisa gives the girl a scalding glare.
"Shut up asshole, I'm sure you'll spend your last moments running around naked." Lisa bites back, tempted to poke Jisoo's eye with her chopsticks just so the girl would stop fluttering her eyes in between Jennie and Lisa.
Jisoo laughs giddily, her dimples showed itself as she playfully responds with, "Don't you expose me man..."
Lisa could still vividly remember that conversation from the back of her mind-- completely unaware of the deep tragedy that's about to befall upon them. So who'd have thought that Jisoo's out of the blue question, of the end of the world would actually happen the very next day.
It wasn't alarming at first, a viral outbreak had occurred on China— it wasn't surprising in the least since a couple of disease outbreaks had since begun in southeast for a couple of decades, and, it was easily suppressed and controlled.
No one expected that this new disease had already crossed borders, and it spread at an alarming rate that not even worldwide health experts could have calculated— thus, a pandemic of an unknown viral disease started to affect the entire world.
Government officials from around the world were on a state of panic, especially the United Nations – thus they employed the hand in hand help of the WHO, CDC, and other health organizations. Unknown to the public, military services were already on stand by as per request from the grand assembly of the UN.
All of this was kept in hush, in private, just so the public would not undergo in a state of hysteria or panic. Though, the existence of the disease were made known to the public— just not the effects or the after math if ever one has acquired it.
WHO and CDC released the following statements;
The symptoms were as follows; direct transmission of a infected fluid from a carrier host would trigger the infected individual with high temperatures of cold, then they start experiencing extreme chills with heavy nausea or trouble in breathing, afterwhich— they would start coughing or vomiting intense amount of blood which is considered abnormal and deadly by human standards.
By then, it will only take a couple of hours if the person is lucky, and if not— a couple of minutes until the virus attacks the person's weakened immune system and temporarily shut down a few of their internal organs.
Though, she wouldn't say that this was what the health officials really stated word for word— she just expounded and brought in a bit of key infos the government so likely decide to shade out.
But this type of response only ever happens if the person is alive – and if not, then response was much more different.
Never once in Lisa's life would she actually see someone die, but brought back to life right in front of her eyes. It was otherworldly, horrifying even, to see dead eyes staring straight right at you with nothing but a hungry and rage filled expression painted on their face.
It only took a minute for everything to register, with this monster snapping their teeth right towards her and her bestfriends for Lisa to realize the horror that was about to happen.
The person, whomever is infected with the virus transmitted through contaminated bodily fluids that can be acquired from the bites or just ingestion from a splatter of blood will infect you, though their activation time or how the virus fully takes control on the human hosts body depends on the immune system of each individual.
After the the individual is fully infected with the viral disease— the pathogen, mainly the virus, will practically destroy and rot the infected individual's brain, causing it to lose all memories but still retain the body's normal functions – the only difference is that their response and stimulus to pain is dampened, practically making them numb to anything.
So basically, in a more simpler term— these zombies are still human beings that just lost it. They are human beings that is driven into psychosis and programmed to violently assault anything on sight. The virus is making them attack and eat people simply because their body needs the nutrients to survive, if they will not eat on a certain period of time—like how it would happen to normal human beings or any living organism for the matter— the body breaks down, and thus it will cease to function causing the virus to become inactive until it can find another suitable host to infect.
But... That doesn't explain the phenomenon as to why the corpses of those dead people she had clearly seen die, suddenly stand up and be brought back to life.
The only plausible explanation she can think of is the fact that when a person dies, their brain still remains active for brief moment before it finally shuts down. With this, Lisa can hypothesize that the virus attacks the central nervous system, which is then the main culprit that jump-starts the heart or the cardiovascular system that will supply the oxygen to the brain— thus, the corpse is suddenly brought back to life.
Though that doesn't matter now, does it? Trying to find answers or formulating theories— Not when everything is already in shambles. Not when Lisa knows, she's unlikely to survive – hell is empty, and all the devils are here, crawling and eating their fellow flesh— showering in drops of blood from the bodies scattered around the place.
Lisa slammed the door shut, and it caused the door frame to rattle on its wake. She let out a heavy breath as she felt her entire body shake from adrenaline, her hazel brown eyes pierced through her hands that were placed on the door— aiding her weight as she leaned her terrified form to it.
Her hands were smothered with streaks of crimson liquid that went from her fingers to the back of her palm – and it made her want to vomit on her spot.
She could feel the black spots start to appear on her vision, along with her breathing start to become erratic, and her body temperature to rise— Lisa willed herself to calm down, panicking right now would do her no good.
A worried and breathless voice shrilled behind her, "We have to go back!"
This snapped Lisa out of her reverie, she hastily turns around – and she saw terrified dark brown feline eyes look at her with a panicked expression.
Lisa barks out a, "No!"
Jennie's brows furrow, and Lisa could see how her eyes clouded from the tears threatening to fall out, "But Jis—"
Indescribable despair shot through Lisa's heart as she recalls what happened to their two best friends prior to them entering inside the room – she can't help but bite her tongue to stop herself from breaking down as her ears rang out as if she could still hear Jisoo and Rosé's terrified screams.
Lisa can't stop herself from grabbing Jennie's shoulder to make the girl look at her, "You saw how Rosé bit, or practically eat Jisoo like a fucking animal— and you want to go back there?!"
Jennie just stared, silent tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as her eyes still shined with terror – smudges blood were stained on the girl's chubby cheeks and Lisa doesn't want to guess whose blood was it.
"Can't you hear the screams?" Lisa's voice was heavy, and just in time – a loud shriek from a female voice can be heard outside their door along with sobs of plea.
Jennie flinched while Lisa stood grounded on her spot. She could see how Jennie's eyes looked frantically on the door, this her hold on the feline eyed girl's shoulder tightens.
"Can't we at least help them...?" Jennie whimpers out as her shivering hands grab a hold of Lisa's jacket, she looks up to stare at Lisa's unrelenting hazel eyes.
"You're asking for a death wish..." A humorless laugh escapes Lisa's lips as she dreadfully adds, "We shouldn't act heroic now..."
Lisa closed her eyes as she tries to drown out the screams reverberating across the halls.
Lisa bit her lips as she quietly continues, "You're just asking to be taken by... Whatever the hell they are..."
"This is just a nightmare right...?" Lisa could hear the plea on Jennie's stuttering voice, she looks at the still shivering girl as Jennie continues to babble,
"We'll wake up, and everything returns to normal... Right?" Jennie stares at Lisa, her eyes practically pleading for comfort— the feline eyed girl looked like a kitten poured with ice cold water by how much she was shivering in fright.
Lisa just stared at Jennie's blood shot eyes – opting instead to pull the girl in her arms. Jennie buries herself on Lisa's warm and comforting embrace as she quietly weeps.
From their proximity, Lisa could smell Jennie's vanilla scent mixed with the iron tang of blood— and this made her hug the petite girl tighter, afraid that Jennie would let go and disappear.
The two girls were caught in a tight embrace as the world were brought into chaos around them.
Lisa woke up the next morning due to the sun ray that filtered in through the window curtains. She rose up from the sofa and felt a flash of pain course through her neck probably from the wrong angle that she slept on through the night.
Jennie and Lisa were camped out in the Student Council Room – the place was surprisingly empty and unlocked when they bulldozed their way, and locking themselves inside. Who'd have thought that this office would be where they'd stay the entire night, paranoid of the shuffling feet from the other side of the door.
The memories from yesterday then crashed through Lisa's mind— and by the looks of the place where she had just rested along with the dried blood on her finger nails, the nightmare she hoped for was actually their current reality.
The screams, Rosé's blood shot eyes, Jisoo's panicked eyes, and Jennie's tearful ones— Lisa remembers it all.
Lisa noted that it was oddly quiet, a far fetch from the horrors that had occurred yesterday. Worry starts to seep through her bones when she notices that the other couch where Jennie laid to last night was empty. She then hastily stood up from her bedding, causing her blood to rush to her head and making her world to spin from the sudden action.
Her hazel eyes travelled through the room until it stopped at the corner, where a balled up human form was hiding in the shadows. Lisa cautiously walked towards Jennie's balled up form, the girl neither flinched or showed any acknowledgement.
Once Lisa was in front of Jennie, she slowly sat down beside the girl – thus, making Jennie look up from her knees to gaze at Lisa. Her puffy blood shot eyes can be seen, no doubt a result from her practically crying every chance she gets.
"So it wasn't a dream after all..." Jennie broke the silence as she quietly sniffles, Lisa looks down and her eyes caught Jennie's phone on the floor.
Another ache passed through Lisa's heart as she recalls how both her parents never answered her calls last night, and the same can probably be said with Jennie's. Lisa wanted nothing more than to cry her heart out and rot in a corner... But... Her gaze drifts towards Jennie's frail form and she had no choice but to act unperturbed, for the sake of the both of them.
"Were gonna die here..." Jennie exclaims.
Lisa's forehead creased as she glares at the plastic plant across the room, "No, we're not." she stressed.
"We are, and you know it." Jennie's voice steadily rises up from anger, "No one's gonna come for us, we're as good as dead— eaten as snacks for these monsters."
"No, we'll survive." Lisa turns her head to look at Jennie seriously.
But Jennie doesn't see this, and she curls her hands into fists as she fought back, "Can't you see?!"
Tears gathered from Jennie's eyes as she continues, "Everyone is dead! Everyone! We don't even know if those, things are truly alive!"
A chocked sob escapes Jennie's lips as she burried her face on her hands, "Everyone is dead... My... My mommy..." she whimpers,
"Dad... Kuma... Kai... Jisoo... Rosé... They're all dead..."
Lisa bit her tongue as to stop herself from crying along with Jennie – instead, she gathers the girl in her arms again and Jennie burried her face on Lisa's shoulder, staining the uniform's fabric with her tears.
The situation was fucked up, this entire thing was fucked up— and Lisa was lost as to how she'd deal with this, it wasn't everyday thatthe normality of your life gets flipped in a matter of twenty-four hours. So Lisa decided that the first thing she had to do was comfort the grieving girl in her arms.
"Well I'm not dead yet..." Lisa rubbed comforting circles on Jennie's back, the girl was previously shivering but her form now relaxed from Lisa's gentle ministrations.
"And as long as I'm alive," Lisa gently broke off from the hug as she held Jennie's face on her hands, she tenderly rubbed the tears running down Jennie's cheeks.
"I'll always stay with you..." Lisa's tone held promise as she looked at Jennie's feline eyes.
"So please..." Lisa closed her eyes as she softly pleads, "Let's try and make it out off here, alive— the both of us."
Lisa leaned her forehead with Jennie's, and she doesn't get a verbal reply from the other girl – but the comforting squeeze that she received on her hand from Jennie was an enough confirmation for her.
The two girls bathed on the serenity of the moment— It would have been romantic if their situation wasn't dire or full of uncertainty. But of course their serene silence was broken off by a loud sound,
A sound of a helicopter flying through the distance, and from the sounds of it – the helicopter will probably pass through their school.
The two girls sprang away from each other, their eyes wide from realization.
"A helicopter..." Jennie gasps out in excitement.
Without any warning, Lisa jumped to her feet and grabbed the white curtains off their hinges— she opens the windows wide as she furiously flaps the white cloth outside.
Jennie was practically bouncing beside Lisa and she was just about ready to shout when the blonde clamped her mouth shut.
"We can't shout because we might alert those things..." Lisa hissed at the girl.
Jennie looked at her with wide eyes, it reflected a bit of fear in it, "Then how are we gonna get their attention?" she anxiously asks, her eyes never strayed away from the hovering helicopter that's closing in on their school.
Lisa raised the white curtains on her hand as if it was the most obvious answer in the world – this brought about the very first gummy smile Lisa has not seen since yesterday, and this made her heart flutter in happiness.
Jennie helped Lisa with waving the white curtain outside the window— praying under her breath that they'd be noticed by the helicopter.
And it was like God answered their prayers, for the helicopter stopped mid-air before a white cloth of some sort was waving back towards them from the side of the helicopter.
From her peripheral vision, Lisa could see how Jennie burst into tears – and she herself cannot deny the overwhelming relief she felt – especially now that she can see the helicopter nearing close towards them.
"We're saved..." Jennie practically threw her entire body towards Lisa just to give the girl a tight hug.
"...Yeah." Lisa closed her eyes as a joyful smile was painted on her lips, now fully enjoying the warm touch of the sun kiss on her skin along with Jennie's comforting vanilla scent.
But once she opened her eyes, the warmth she once felt now turned freezing cold— and the light morphed into desolate dimness.
"... At least, that's what I dreamt last night..." Lisa's smile turned bitter as she looked down on her hands, it was painted with blood – from her palm up to the mid point of her arms.
"Sounds beautiful, right?" Lisa's voice sounded hoarse, she leaned her back on the chair she was seating at whilst looking up on the ceilin— dried tears marred her porcelain skin along with specks of dried on her cheeks.
"A helicopter comes in to save us and we have a happy ending," Lisa can't help the dry laugh that escapes her lips from those words, "We're saved— like how it works in the books and movies... right?"
Lisa's eyes snap open and she leans her hands on the table in front of her, looking down on her bloody hands again – it felt rather sticky especially now that the liquid was starting to dry.
Lisa was still on the Student Council room, but it wasn't day time – far from what she had dreamt. She had just woken up from her slumber and had nothing to do but share her thoughts with the other occupant in the room.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard gruff moan across from where she sat.
"But reality is such a fucking bitch." Lisa laughed humorlessly.
Jennie sat in front of her— with her bloodshot eyes, though Lisa would point out that it was crimson red – staring hungrily right at her. Jennie's mouth was like a faucet, blood leaked out of it as if it was a never ending supply. Her once porcelain skin was now turned clammy and gray, Lisa could guess that it was due to her constantly bleeding – Jennie hasn't stopped puking blood for hours now.
Jennie started struggling on the binds she has tied around her body, angry snarls and growls poured out from her throat. Her constant writhing made her appearance look dishevelled – moreover, the blood she was constantly puking were stained on her once pristine white uniform like paint.
But even though Jennie looked utterly mad, almost borderline demonic right now— not a single scratch or bite can be seen from her skin, only the stain of blood bathing on almost every part of her body.
"What do you think, Jennie?" Lisa started drawing small hearts on the table using the blood coated on her hands, the metallic scent of the liquid would have set anyone off the edge – not for her though, she had gotten used to it after a couple of hours.
"Reality sucks right?" Lisa looked up to stare at Jennie, and the girl's crimson red eyes glared visciously at her.
Another snarl escapes Jennie's mouth and she snaps her crimson teeth mouth towards Lisa— droplets of blood originating from her, flicked to Lisa's direction – but the hazel eyes girl never flinched from the aggressive display nor did she fear the turned girl in front of her.
Lisa took this as a response, and she shrug her own shoulder, "...Yeah, I think so too..."
Lisa looked down on the table as she wrote L + J on its wooden surface as Jennie vomited another round of blood. Lisa then looks up and gives the growling Jennie a sweet smile,
"At least I got to spend my last moments in the end of the fucking world with you."