Through Seoul

Chapter 6: Survival at All Costs

Five months before the outbreak

Somewhere in northern South Korea.

Biomedical Research Facility, South Korea

Doctor:

"Sir, the vaccine worked at first, but now it's failing! We need to shut everything down immediately. All of our test subjects are infected, and if we don't act now, the whole world will suffer! We have to alert the population! Some people who were injected with the anti-cancer vaccine are already out in the world! And before the infection sets in… they faint. Then… tears of blood stream down their faces..."

Facility Director:

"No alert. A survivor camp is being prepared… in case the worst happens. As for the infected test subjects inside the facility — kill them. No discussion."

Doctor:

"But sir!—"

Director (interrupting):

"I said, no discussion."

Back to the present.

The group of survivors enters the quarantine zone, visibly shaken and scared.

Min-Ji:

"Eli… I'm scared. Are they going to hurt us?"

Eli:

"No, Min-Ji, don’t worry. They’re just going to run some tests on us. That’s all."

Na-Ra:

"Ugh… I already hate this place. Do you guys have a plan to escape?"

Dong-Ha:

"Shhh… Let’s talk about that when we’re somewhere more private."

Jae-Hyun:

"Yeah. I agree."

The group walks toward the testing area.

Meanwhile, another group of survivors is waiting to be examined.

One of them, a girl who looks extremely pale, excuses herself and goes to the bathroom.

She starts vomiting… blood. A lot of it. Then she collapses to the floor.

Dong-Ha (speaking to a soldier):

"We’re done with the tests now, right? You saw we’re not infected — so let us go!"

The soldier glares at him, silent.

Na-Ra:

"Yeah, he’s right! And why don’t you bring all the survivors to Chuncheon, huh?!"

Her words catch the attention of everyone nearby. The soldier tenses up, then speaks in a cold, threatening tone:

Soldier:

"I’ll say this in simple terms…

Stop asking questions. Especially those kinds of questions.

Keep pushing… and we won’t hesitate to shoot. Got it?"

Na-Ra (sarcastic):

"Oof. What a charmer. Alright, alright, we got it. Come on, guys."

The group is escorted to a closed-off area.

Eli:

"This place feels more like a bunker than a quarantine zone..."

Dong-Ha:

"Yeah, it’s nothing like a medical center. Just concrete and silence."

Na-Ra:

"Definitely sketchy."

Dong-Ha:

"Jae-Hyun, you’ve been off all day. You okay?"

Jae-Hyun:

"Yeah… I’m fine."

They enter a small room and begin discussing in low voices.

Dong-Ha:

"Listen, we need to get out of here. No matter what. We need weapons, just in case."

Eli:

"Yeah, but if we get caught, we’re dead."

Na-Ra:

"Agreed… Oh hey — a hatchet! Here, Eli, take it. Better safe than sorry."

Eli:

"Thanks."

Min-Ji:

"I brought this with me too — I kept it hidden."

Dong-Ha:

"Damn, your sister's pretty clever."

Eli smiles at Min-Ji.

Dong-Ha:

"Min-Ji, would you mind lending me your knife?"

Min-Ji:

"Sure… I’m too scared to use it anyway."

Na-Ra:

"Awesome. So Eli has a hatchet, Dong-Ha has the knife, and me and Jae-Hyun... hmm."

She spots metal pipes in a corner, grabs them.

Na-Ra:

"These will do. Here, catch Jae-Hyun!"

Jae-Hyun grabs the pipe and stares at it with wide, fearful eyes.

Flashback — Years earlier.

Jae-Hyun walks out of school with his friends.

Suddenly, they are surrounded by bullies.

Bully 1:

"Hey losers! Hand over your money!"

One of Jae-Hyun’s friends gets punched.

Friend:

"Jae-Hyun, help me!"

But Jae-Hyun is paralyzed.

Terrified.

He runs away.

That evening, he returns home in tears.

His mother:

"What is it this time?

You’re useless. All you ever do is cry and hide.

You’re good for nothing."

The next day, his friends reject him.

They call him a coward.

And they never stop.

Back to the present.

Jae-Hyun continues staring at the pipe, frozen.

Eli:

"You sure you're okay?"

Jae-Hyun:

"Yeah… yeah. Sorry."

Meanwhile, in the quarantine zone bathroom…

The girl stands back up.

Blood pours from her eyes like tears.

Then — she storms out of the bathroom.

Screams erupt. Chaos follows. People panic.

Dong-Ha:

"Did you hear that?!"

Eli:

"What the hell was that...? Min-Ji, stay behind me."

Na-Ra:

"Oh god… what if someone’s infected?!"

Gunshots ring out above them.

Jae-Hyun panics but tries to hide it.

Dong-Ha:

"I don’t know what’s going on up there, but we need to get the hell out — now."

They move quietly up the stairs and reach the exit door.

Dong-Ha:

"On three, we run."

Eli:

"Okay."

Na-Ra:

"Got it."

Dong-Ha:

"One...

Two…

Three!"

They all burst out—except Jae-Hyun.

He freezes.

His chest tightens.

Panic takes over.

He falls to the ground in a full-blown anxiety attack.

Gunshots. Screams. Everything blurs.

Outside—

Dong-Ha:

"s**t! Go, go, go!!"

He stabs a zombie in the head.

Eli swings the hatchet, blood flying everywhere.

Eli:

"Min-Ji! Get inside the military pickup truck! NOW!"

She dashes into the vehicle, trembling with fear.

Bullets. Screams. Growls. It’s chaos.

Na-Ra (shouting):

"Wait — where’s Jae-Hyun?!"

Distracted, a zombie lunges at her.

Dong-Ha:

"Na-Ra! I’m coming!"

He leaps forward, grabs the zombie, and gets bitten on the arm.

Eli and Na-Ra are frozen in shock.

Eli finishes off the infected, then drags Dong-Ha and Na-Ra behind a military truck for cover.

Na-Ra:

"Dong-Ha!! Why did you do that?!"

She bursts into tears.

Dong-Ha (breathing heavily):

"It’s not over... yet."

He looks at Eli, then his hatchet.

Dong-Ha:

"Eli…"

Eli:

"No. No way."

Dong-Ha:

"Do it.

Before it spreads."

Na-Ra:

"Eli…!"

Dong-Ha:

"NOW!"

Eli hesitates…

Then raises the hatchet.

Eli:

"I’m sorry..."

Eli cut dong ha's arm.

Dong-Ha screams in agony.

Na-Ra:

"Oh my god, Dong-Ha!!"

Dong-Ha:

"I’ll be fine… ahh! Just go!"

Eli rips off his shirt, tears it, and wraps the wound to slow the bleeding.

Dong-Ha and Na-Ra see Eli’s scars — deep, old ones — but say nothing.

Eli:

"Let’s move. Now. Into the pickup — Min-Ji’s inside."

Na-Ra:

"Wait! What about Jae-Hyun?!"

Eli:

"We don’t have time!"

Na-Ra:

"Take Dong-Ha. I’ll find him!"

Dong-Ha:

"Na-Ra, no—!"

But she runs off.

Inside the building—

Na-Ra:

"Jae-Hyun?! Where are you?!"

She finds him curled up, still panicking.

Na-Ra:

"Jae-Hyun, come on! We have to go, now!"

Jae-Hyun:

"I…"

Suddenly — a loud crash.

They turn.

An infected charges at them.

No time to react.

Jae-Hyun shoves Na-Ra aside and tackles the infected.

Na-Ra:

"Jae-Hyun NO!! STOP!!"

Jae-Hyun:

"Go! Run to the others!

Please… I don’t want to be a coward anymore.

Go… live!"

Na-Ra:

"Please don’t do this!"

Jae-Hyun:

"No... (screams in pain) Get to Chuncheon. Please..."

Flames start to spread.

Jae-Hyun:

"Na-Ra… GO!!"

Tears flood her eyes. She runs.

She reaches the pickup.

Eli starts the engine.

Dong-Ha:

"Na-Ra… where’s Jae-Hyun?"

She collapses into his arms, sobbing.

Min-Ji (shaken):

"Eli… is Jae-Hyun… dead?"

Eli:

"....."

Min-Ji looks down… and sees his scars.

To be continued…