------   The stacks of dry leaves and twigs crinkled under her black combat boots. It was what she had been doing for the past week, avoiding cities and towns and instead, passing through the woods. By passing through the thick forest, the chances of encountering a horde - or worse - a faction of survivors - would be less likely. A group of undead people she can easily outrun, humans on the other hand may have weapons and are harder to deal with.    Of course, that was what she believed. Until she heard a group of footsteps coming close by.   Not sure where the directions footsteps would be coming from and as running would be a dead giveaway that she was here, Byulyi hastily climbed the tallest and thickest tree she could find nearby, trying to make as little noise as possible. With bated breath, she adjusted herself to crouch on the highest and sturdiest branch of the tree, making sure no one will be able find her there.   And her hunch was right. A group of armed men, who looked about in their late twenties, walked by directly under the tree she was hiding. And silently, she thanked nature for growing a tree right at this spot - the men were armed with sniping weapons and explosives. If she ran earlier, she wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed.   "..were you able to.."   "..there was this chick.."   "..nice.."   Byulyi tried to heard snippets of their conversation and shivered. With the apocalypse right now it wouldn't have been unlikely that these men would use women for their...personal needs. In an alternate scenario, these men could've captured her and the thought of what could have happened made her sick.   She rested her head on the trunk of the tree, breathing the scent of nature, listening to a lone bird chirping in the distance, trying to drown out her thoughts. It was a coping mechanism she'd learned to do whenever she was on the verge of breaking down. She only had herself to rely on after all.   She avoided as much as possible to think of her parents - the ones she left behind in their hometown because she had pursued to go to college at Seoul. She did not what to think of the fact that her parents were old, and would have very little chance of survival against these fast moving zombies. It would only trigger a slew of emotions she'd be keeping in for the past six months of living alone.   It made her wonder why was still struggling to survive in a broken world, where there are more dead than living. Maybe it was the inkling of hope that there would be a cure someday to this madness, and that she'd be able to live normally again like she used to.   +++++   Yongsun sighed, struggling to open a can of beans with a dull knife.    "Why is this particular can of beans so hard to open?!" She grunted as she tried to push the knife on the top of the can.   She gave up, opting to eat rations instead, which she was already starting to hate because really,  they tasted horrible. For the past month it was what she had been only eating. At least it provided her with sufficient nutrients to last for the whole day. She checked the storage room earlier - she had enough rations to last her for months. That didn't assure her, however. Not when she was cooped up in this hellhole for a month already. She wasn't sure if she would be to able to take it any longer.   She'd been trapped in this place for so long - her last communication was with her close friend and fellow scientist in the laboratory named Hyejin was 2 weeks ago, then she lost contact with the girl and the group she was with. She was worried sick, and not even the fact that Hyejin was physically fit and was agile assured her.   "Yongsun-unnie. I'll keep calling you regularly I even prepared spare batteries, see?" The younger girl grinned assuringly. "We're going to get help."    It would have been so easy to just leave the place with Hyejin. However, the research was coming to a close, and abandoning the laboratory would be putting all the work they did for months to waste.   She laughed bitterly. "If only Hyejin knew.."   It worked. She was finally able to formulate a cure. The Cordyceps virus affects the brain turning people into mindless creatures, but if treated early before the stages of decay in the body, they will be able to recover. She had only had herself to test the vaccine to, and the risk was well worth it. The only problem is was she was too afraid of leaving the place alone. Yongsun was not sure how long will she wait for help to arrive.. or if help ever arrive.   ++++   Byulyi climbed down the tree as soon as the group of men were 30 minutes away from where she was standing. "Glad that was over with." She thought to herself as she patted down her pants. It was late afternoon and the sky has started to dim, and Byulyi needed to hunt for food before dark. She scanned the tall grass for any signs of small animals.   A white rabbit was napping behind a pile of rocks. Byulyi took a throwing knife in one of her side pouches. Slowly like a predator catching its prey, she approached the rabbit, unaware of a bear trap covered in a pile of leaves.   "What the f--!" She instinctively jumped as the bear trap snapped loudly.   "." She felt a sharp stab of pain on her calf, but she didn't have time to worry about her wound as she knew that this trap was set up intentionally.   " ." She retrieved a towel from her backpack and tied her wound as tightly as possible to numb the pain and to prevent bleeding as much as she can. The men she saw earlier may be already so far away, but it was too risky as she also had a wound that slowed her down. She sprinted towards the opposite way, limping as far as possible from the bear trap that was triggered.   Byulyi ran for as long as she could despite her left leg feeling like as heavy as lead. Her face was riddled with sweat and she was panting heavily.    "That was close." She looked at her still bleeding leg as blood pooled on the towel she wrapped around it. "I need to disinfect this later." For now, she has to find a place to stay. Climbing up trees would be her last resort, she was hoping to at least find a cave or a steady source of water in the middle of the forest.   A few minutes of walking lead her to an abandoned looking building surrounded by an iron fence guarded with barbed wires. Checking around the area to see if it has been occupied, but it seems the building has been devoid of inhabitants for a long time. Despite that, she knew it was risky, it might be another unsuspecting trap like the one before, but the pain in her left leg was starting to intensify and it was starting to get dark. She had no choice but to check.   She heaved herself up, finding the a spot in the fence where she can climb. She took off her jacket and used it to covered the sharp edges. "I'm lucky it isn't a powered electric fence." She jumped on the ground using her good leg, retrieving her jacket from the fence and putting it back on.   "Now to see if I have this place all to myself."   ++++   Yongsun kept her lamp as close to her as possible. She had to dim the light, afraid that the rechargeable light will run out of power. It was getting cold as well, so she set up her bed and prepared her blankets.   It was getting dark again. She'd have to spend another night alone, and it terrifies her.   A thud.   Yongsun felt her heart hammering in her chest. "Oh no." Someone finally broke in, probably staying only for the night - she hoped. If they set up this place as their base, she'd be dead. She gathered her things, grabbed her lamp and took her things with her to make it look like the place was abandoned. She had a place to hide just in case someone breaks in, a laboratory which was located underground. As she made her way downstairs through a hidden door, she prayed that she won't be discovered down there.