Chapter 8: Through the Darkness
935 Words
A cold breeze swept through the abandoned streets, carrying with it the smell of smoke, rain, and death.
The city that had once been alive with laughter and traffic had become eerily silent. Burned-out cars blocked the roads, shattered glass crunched beneath every step, and the occasional growl in the distance reminded everyone that they were no longer alone.
Seo-yeon adjusted the backpack on her shoulders before looking down at Yuna, who clung tightly to her hand.
"Are you tired?" she asked gently.
The little girl nodded.
"A little..."
Ji-hoon crouched in front of her with a warm smile.
"Then we'll rest after we find something to eat. Deal?"
Yuna managed a tiny smile and nodded.
It was amazing how such a small child could still find the strength to smile in a world that had fallen apart.
Seo-yeon glanced toward the road ahead.
"We're getting closer to Min-jae's school."
Ji-hoon followed her gaze.
"Then we'll get there."
She looked at him gratefully.
"You always say that with so much confidence."
"Because someone has to."
His smile made her heart feel lighter, even if only for a moment.
They continued walking.
Every building they passed told a story.
A café still had steaming cups of coffee sitting on a table near the window.
A bookstore's front door hung open, its shelves untouched.
A child's bicycle lay abandoned in the middle of the road.
The outbreak had happened so quickly that people hadn't even had time to finish living their ordinary lives.
Suddenly—
Growl...
All three froze.
Ji-hoon slowly raised his metal pipe.
"Behind the bus," he whispered.
Seo-yeon carefully pulled Yuna behind her.
A pair of black eyes appeared beneath the abandoned vehicle.
Then another.
Two infected slowly crawled out from underneath, their movements jerky and unnatural.
Blood stained their clothes.
Their noses continued to bleed as they stared at the survivors with empty expressions.
For several seconds...
Nobody moved.
Then one of them let out a horrifying scream.
"They've seen us!" Ji-hoon shouted.
The infected charged.
"Run!"
The three sprinted down the street.
Their footsteps echoed between the buildings as more growls answered from nearby alleys.
"They're calling each other," Seo-yeon gasped.
Ji-hoon nodded.
"The noise is attracting more of them!"
Without warning, an infected office worker burst through the glass doors of a convenience store.
Ji-hoon swung his pipe.
CRACK!
The zombie collapsed to the ground.
"Keep going!" he yelled.
They turned into a narrow alley, weaving around overflowing trash bins before climbing over a chain-link fence into a small playground.
Yuna's breathing became uneven.
"I can't..."
Seo-yeon immediately lifted the little girl into her arms.
"I've got you."
"You'll get tired..."
"So what?"
Seo-yeon smiled despite the fear in her eyes.
"I promised I wouldn't leave you."
Behind them, the infected slammed against the fence.
Fortunately, it held.
For now.
The three hid inside a small maintenance shed beside the playground.
No one spoke.
Only their heavy breathing filled the tiny room.
Ji-hoon leaned against the wall and quietly rolled up his sleeve.
The scratch on his arm had become darker.
Thin black veins stretched away from the wound.
His expression tightened.
It hadn't looked like that yesterday.
Quickly, he covered it again before Seo-yeon noticed.
"I'm going outside to check the area," he said.
"I'll come with you."
He shook his head.
"Stay with Yuna."
After a moment, Seo-yeon agreed.
As Ji-hoon stepped outside, he stared at the scratch once more.
"It can't be..."
He clenched his fist.
"No..."
Far across the city...
Min-jae and the remaining students finally left the library.
Only nine survivors remained.
The hallway was silent.
Too silent.
Every classroom they passed was empty.
Some doors were splattered with dried blood.
Others had deep claw marks carved into the wood.
One of the students whispered,
"Do you think anyone else survived?"
No one answered.
Hope had become dangerous.
Min-jae walked at the front of the group, gripping a broken fire extinguisher as a weapon.
"Stay close."
Everyone obeyed.
As they reached the staircase leading toward the cafeteria, a faint voice echoed through the hallway.
"...Min-jae..."
He froze.
His heart skipped a beat.
That voice...
It sounded exactly like Seo-yeon.
"Noona?"
He looked around.
Nothing.
The others stared at him.
"What?"
"Didn't you hear her?"
"Hear who?"
"My sister."
The students exchanged nervous glances.
"There wasn't anyone."
Again...
"Min-jae..."
This time the voice sounded closer.
Almost as though someone were standing directly behind him.
He spun around.
Empty hallway.
A sharp pain shot through his head.
He grabbed the railing.
Blood dripped from his nose.
His breathing became uneven.
One of the girls rushed toward him.
"You're bleeding!"
"I'm okay."
"But that's one of the symptoms."
His eyes widened.
The symptoms.
Nosebleeds.
Voices.
Hallucinations.
His heartbeat quickened.
"No..."
He wiped away the blood with his sleeve.
"It could just be stress."
He wanted to believe that.
He had to.
Because if he was infected...
He would never see Seo-yeon again.
The group continued downstairs until they reached the cafeteria doors.
Food trays and broken chairs were scattered everywhere.
The room appeared empty.
Too empty.
Min-jae slowly pushed the door open.
Creak...
Silence.
One student stepped inside.
Another followed.
Then...
Crunch.
Everyone froze.
A low growl echoed from beneath one of the overturned tables.
Another answered from the kitchen.
Then another.
Black-eyed figures slowly stood, one after another, emerging from every corner of the cafeteria.
There weren't five.
Or ten.
There were dozens.
Min-jae tightened his grip on the fire extinguisher.
Behind him, one of the students whispered the words none of them wanted to hear.
"...We're surrounded."
- Writer
