Themes: Drama, Angst, Apocalyptic, Friendship

Warning: Lots of blood, Violence and Angst

Nayoung didn't know how it started, but everything around her was falling apart. She gripped the pistol in her hands, trembling as she forced herself to focus on the horde in front of her. Every time she pulled the trigger, she felt as if they were multiplying instead of decreasing.

It started with the basic deed of scavenging for food and equipment at the local mall, but Nayoung, for all she was worth, didn’t know that the basic deed would lead her comrades into a near death situation. They had an encounter with lots of zombies along the way, prompting them to run.

Then it all happened in a blur, Siyeon tripping down the unpowered escalator and breaking her leg in the process, and then everything went haywire. The girls panicked over the occurrence and a large number of people had to drag a screaming Siyeon back to the RV.

Nayoung’s ears registered the blur of the voices of each of her comrades as they dragged one of their wounded up the RV.

"Get her in, we have to drive off, now!" Nayoung ushered the girls inside. After that, she slid in the driver's seat and revved up thr engine.

Nayoung gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles became white and prayed to every entity from above to protect them from what she was going to do.

Run the undead over.

~-~-~-~

"Ouch! Ahhh!" One of the girls inside the RV started screaming as she was moved to lie down on the long seat. Nayoung looked to the rearview mirror in worry. It was Siyeon who was injured. Blood was pouring relentlessly from her knee along her leg, and even a blind man could tell that her knee was dislocated and broken. Beside her, Minkyung tried her best to calm her younger friend down, pressing a kiss on her forehead and cradling her.

Yebin and Eunwoo were frantically searching around for something to use to patch Siyeon up.

"There's whiskey on the top cabinet, Yebs." Nayoung called from the driver's seat. To most people, she may come off as unconcerned about Siyeon's condition, but the girls new better.

Nayoung was afraid.

Jieqiong stood up to help her friends search around for the whiskey Nayoung was talking about. Luckily, they found it. Sealed and untouched.

"Here, let me do it." Sungyeon, one of their friends who was a first aid volunteer before the apocalypse, rushed to get the whiskey and some towels. She looked at Siyeon, who had her eyes closed tightly, and Minkyung, who wore a knowing expression. Bae Sungyeon's eyes backed up the words she said.

"This is going to sting... A lot. I'm so sorry, Siyeon." Sungyeon nodded to Minkyung, and the older girl took out her belt for Siyeon to bite on and muffle her screams. She cradled Siyeon against her chest, knowing what Sungyeon was about to do.

Siyeon started to scream as soon as Sungyeon poured the whiskey on her knee, body thrashing around and hands violently pulling against Minkyung's hair. The older girl could care less, however.

The other girls looked away from the scene, afraid they might throw up and cry at any second.

"Is everything okay down there?" Kyungwon yelled from her position at the top part of the RV. She served as the group's lookout and she had a nice view of the streets.

"What kind of stupid question is that?!" Eunwoo yelled with an angry tone that is very rare. Even she, the most cheerful of them, was on the verge of breaking down.

"Sorry. Shouldn't have asked." Kyungwon answered back in a softer and more understanding tone.

Kyla and Yewon were huddled against the back of the RV, overlooking their screaming friend. They were the two most innocent members and it broke Nayoung's heart that they were subjected to this kind of tragedy at an early age.

Sungyeon's job was far from over. Her eyes skimmed on the wound, eyes glassy and hands trembling. She had to calm down.

"You're doing great. Just a little bit more, okay?" Minkyung whispered against Siyeon's hair, to which the younger girl remained unresponsive. The tall girl understood.

"I'm so sorry..." Sungyeon said in a soft and hesitant voice and before Siyeon could respond, the older girl brought her hand down and pressed hard against Siyeon's knee to snap it back in place. Siyeon screamed in pain and thrashed around once more, the belt that she was biting not doing much help.

Nayoung was about to yell for Siyeon to keep quiet, but held her tongue. She knew how much pain Siyeon was in and she didn't want to hold it against her. She gripped the steering wheel harder and tried to alter her focus towards the road.

"Siyeon? SIYEON?! ! WAKE UP!" Nayoung heard Minkyung scream. Her eyes widened in alarm, stepping on the breaks immediately. She immediately stood up to check her second youngest friend. Minkyung cradled an unconscious Siyeon in her arms. The girl's knee was already bundled with towels.

"She just passed out because of the pain. Don't worry. She's still alive..." Sungyeon said remorsefuly and stood up, moving to sit with Yewon and Kyla at the back of the RV. The 98 liners were quiet, looking at Siyeon pitifully.

The oldest girl was about to cry. It hurt to see her friends like this. The friends that she considered her second family.

Nayoung and her friends were busy shopping in a mall when the outbreak happened. It started with the mall alarm, followed by screams, a stampede and bodies being stepped on as everyone evacuated the area. They have stuck together through thick and thin, even when their parents left the world one by one, even through the countless undead they had to shoot, even with everything they have experienced, they were still together.

And Nayoung wanted to keep it that way.

Her monologue was cut off when she heard Minkyung sob. Jieqiong, Eunwoo and Yebin left to give the three some space. The first two going up to help Kyungwon in the lookout for the undead and Yebin going to the three youngest girls to entertain and/or talk to them. Nayoung remained.

"I can't lose her, unnie... I can't..." Minkyung sniffled, cradling the unconscious Siyeon in her arms. The two of them had been friends ever since they were in diapers. Minkyung and Siyeon's parents were business partners and close friends. They went to the same school together up until before the outbreak ocurred. They saw their parents die right in front of their eyes when the girls opted to visit their homes on the way out of town.

"She's the only memory I have of my family and she's the only family I have left, Nayoung. I can't lose her..." The tallest girl sobbed harder and Nayoung just stood there, staring pitifully at the pair.

"Minky, she won't die. Didn't you hear what Sungyeon said? She's just passed out because of pain..." Nayoung placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's okay, Minky. She will be okay..."

Minkyung crushed the girl in a hug. Whether it may be from giving gratitude or seeking reassurance, Nayoung did not know.

~-~-~-~

It has been a few hours since the incident occurred and the girls were now resting. Nayoung had the RV parked at a blank area in the forest.

Nayoung and Kyungwon had the area cleared out of any zombies, creating minimal noise as possible. So far they had killed three of them, so the eldest girl deemed it safe to set camp for the mean while.

Most of the girls rested inside the RV, and they agreed that they would all take turns in keeping watch all throughout the night. Being the kind person she was, Nayoung offered to do first watch. The other girls didn't seem to object either.

Here she was, sitting on top of the RV and staring up at the dark, cloudless sky. The moon shone bright above Nayoung, and she thanked the heavens for the normalcy the moon provided for her even for just a while. Luckily, the RV had a small makeshift rooftop, and it made it easier for her to spot abnormal activity from around them.

She twirled her pistol in her hand absent mindedly as she continued to dwell into the beauty of the moon. Just then, the girl heard footsteps near the stairs of the RV. Nayoung turned her head to its direction and sighed in relief when she saw Jieqiong struggling to get up.

Nayoung immediately approached the Chinese girl and pulled her up. Jieqiong just sent her a grateful smile and sat together with her.

Silence was prevalent between the two and Jieqiong decided to speak up.

"Unnie, we should go back to Seoul." Jieqiong broke the silence with her voice, but her words rang louder in Nayoung's ears.

"What?" The leader snapped her head towards Jieqiong and gave her an incredulous look, eyes wide and frown deepening.

"Jieqiong, we left Seoul because it was infested with the undead, and now you want to go back there? Are you ing crazy?"

"It's better than being out here in this God forsaken wilderness, scavenging for food at great difficulty, worrying every Goddamn night about what is going to happen to us, or where we're gonna stay. Nayoung, our resources are depleting and to add it up, we have Siyeon to think about! Her condition is bad, Nayoung, she might die, and if there is one place that could have lots of medicine and supplies, it would be in Seoul."

Jieqiong was right. What was left of the wilderness? Nayoung felt that they have already grazed every nook and cranny of the fields, and it was getting harder and harder to avoid the undead now that their numbers were multiplying. Nayoung's head throbbed just thinking of it. Their resources were depleting rapidly, however, the leader's decision remained firm.

"Didn't you hear what the survivors said?" Nayoung plucked out a map from her pants' pocket and spread it on the floor for Jieqiong to see.

"The docks are right here." She pointed her finger to the red mark on the map. "Jieqiong, if the docks are here, there would automatically have boats, too. We can leave Korea completely and get the hell out of here. Then we can find a safe place to live in along with the girls."

"I hate to break it to you, but this plan is a lost cause, unnie. Keeping your hopes up isn't going to help this. Nayoung, you've seen the cities we passed by. What are you expecting when we go there, anyway? Besides it would be crowded."

"This is our best chance, Jieqiong. We can get the hell out of this country and find a new place to stay. I want to give you girls your best chance." Nayoung said with sincerity.

"Best chance?" Jieqiong scoffed. "The best chance that we have right now is getting Siyeon in a hospital. Her condition is not doing so good."

"We have medical supplies."

"But for how LONG will it last, unnie? Siyeon needs SERIOUS MEDICAL attention! She needs an operation."

"So what the hell do you expect me to do, huh?! Turn back around and go to Seoul? Gamble the possibility of there being a hospital that can treat her? Jieqiong, the world is falling apart, and the only way we can go is FORWARD. All the resources have been wiped off from every damn city there is! There's no use turning back, even if we wanted to!" Nayoung yelled, her composure breaking. "Goddammit, I don't even know what the hell I'm supposed to do!" She banged her head against the railing of the RV's makeshift rooftop repeatedly, tears streaming down her face. This threw Jieqiong's anger away immediately.

"Unnie, stop." Nayoung didn't listen and still continued to cry in frustration and bang her head against the railing repeatedly.

"UNNIE, STOP!" Jieqiong held Nayoung's head in her hands and led her away from the railing. The girl tried to break free from the girl's grip but Jieqiong pulled her in a tight embrace, burying the older girl's head against her shoulder. Nayoung continued to sob violently against the Chinese girl's shoulder and grip around her shirt tightlt.

"Shhh... shhh... calm down... I'm sorry, unnie. I shouldn't have said those things..." Jieqiong cradled the sobbing girl in her arms in an attempt to calm her down. She her head gently and winced when she felt a small bump beginning to materialize.

"We're going to the docks, unnie."

A few moments later after Nayoung calmed down, the duo went back down the RV. Kyungwon and Eunwoo gave them a sympathetic look, but didn't say anything before going up the RV for their shift.

~-~-~-~

Two days had passed and Nayoung was driving once again. The other girls were playing Penguin Trap at the back of the RV. Even Siyeon, who was getting better (thankfully), joined in the other girls to play.

“Yah! That’s cheating, Jieqiong!” Eunwoo yelled when Jieqiong hit a particularly risqué spot but still managed to keep the penguin from falling. Jieqiong laughed loudly, slapping her thighs. The younger girls laughed as well. Nayoung stared at them from her rear view mirror, smiling softly at the innocent moment her girls shared.

Kyla, Kyungwon and Yewon were at the RV’s rooftop, and the eldest girl was teaching Yewon and Kyla how to aim and use the rifle.

“Okay, so when you look at the scope, you’ll see a crosshair. Similar to the ones you see in video games. It is the aim sight of the gun, okay? So sharpen up your eyes. Always aim for the head.” Kyungwon crawled and placed six empty glass bottles five feet away from Kyla and Yewon. She settled back beside the younger girl and showed her the rifle.

“Before you fire, you should place the magazine first to, well, obviously, have bullets to shoot.” Kyungwon clicked the magazine in place and aimed for the bottle, pulling the trigger and hitting it perfectly. The bottle shattered into pieces, which made Kyla and Yewon stare in awe.

“Great! Now you try!” Kyungwon gave Kyla the rifle.

Back inside the RV, Nayoung started to teach Minkyung how to drive the RV, explaining to her the different controls of each button on the panel along with the breaks and steering wheel.

“This’ll come in handy someday. I won’t always be around to drive you girls. “ Nayoung said jokingly with her eyes still trained to the road in front of her. When she didn’t hear Minkyung respond, she knew the error in her sentence.

“Don’t say that, unnie.” Minkyung whispered, hands gripping her seat. Suddenly, even though Nayoung still heard the giggles and jokes of the girls at the back of the RV, she felt the weight of her words as well.

“Minkyung, we don’t know what might happen in the near future, you and I both know that.” Nayoung gripped the steering wheel. She damn well remembered how the most unexpected End of the World event unfolded right in front of her eyes when she was with her friends.

“I know, unnie. But still…” Minkyung trailed off as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared out the window. They passed by several trees, and Minkyung could see the occasional appearance of two or three zombies along the way. “I refuse to give up just because of the stupid apocalypse. We’ll make it out of Korea, alive. I’ll make sure of that.”

Nayoung smiled sadly at Minkyung’s determination. She know how the younger girl felt, for she was once like that too.

“Unnie, there’s a gasoline station approximately 2 kilometers from our position.” Kyungwon’s voice rang out from the top of the RV. “We should check it out for some supplies.”

“Thanks for the lookout, Kyungwon.” Nayoung hollered from the driver’s seat. “We’re gonna have a little stopover.

~-~-~-~

Remaining true to what she said, Nayoung parked the car at the station and started giving tasks to the girls.

Kyungwon was assigned to fill the RV and some plastic tanks with gasoline. Yewon, Sungyeon, Jieqiong and Kyla were asked to look after Siyeon, and Nayoung gave Kyla her pistol for defense. This left her, Minkyung, Eunwoo and Yebin to scout inside the gasoline station’s convenience store for medical supplies and food.

“I don’t think there’s any zombies around here.” Minkyung said as soon as she jumped out of the RV.  

“Yeah, it’s kind of quiet. Maybe a little too quiet for my liking.” Eunwoo replied. She got down from the RV along with her rusty old wrench she always used to bash zombies with. Her converse shoes squelched as soon as she landed on the ground, and she groaned in disgust when she found out that she stepped on what seemed to be human guts. Yebin just rolled her eyes at Eunwoo, flexing her arms and swinging her baseball bat for good measure

“We should get in and out quick. I don’t like the vibes of this place.” Nayoung gripped her machete tightly. Just as she was about to get into the bad vibes, she felt Minkyung give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. And that gesture alone spoke the four words that she both dreaded and was thankful to hear.

“It will be okay”

~-~-~-~-

“Holy ! This place has tons of supplies!” Yebin whisper yelled as soon as she got into the convenience store, earning a slap on the back of the head from Eunwoo.

“Shut up, Yebin. You’re gonna get us killed.” Yebin groaned but complied anyway.

Nayoung walked up the food isle and opened her bag, sweeping every canned and packed food she can into her backpack. At the corner of her eye, she saw Minkyung do the same. Eunwoo and Yebin picked up medicinal equipment such as gloves, face masks, cotton balls and bandages and stuffed them all into their respective bags. They also retrieved a bunch of ointment from the aisles as well.

“Great. Are we done here?” Yebin asked as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

“No. Not yet. Go check behind the counters first.”

“Okay, Minky.” Yebin and Eunwoo scurried off to the counter as Minkyung still stuffed food into her bag.

Nayoung turned to Yebin and Eunwoo’s direction to see how they were doing, but another thing caught her eye.

“! Eunwoo, move!” Responding to her leader’s call, Eunwoo whirled around just to get face to face with two large, burly zombies. It seemed that they were the ones who ran the convenience store before the apocalypse occurred. The girl screamed in panic and accidentally knocked Yebin’s foot, causing the both of them to fall on the tiled floor.

“!” Nayoung and Minkyung dashed to their friends’ aids.

Nayoung swung her machete, slicing the zombies’ head clean off its body, Minkyung on the other hand, used her metal pole and jabbed it against the back of the other undead’s skull. The two undead bodies dropped down the floor with a sickening thud. 

The two helped their friends up to their feet.

“Thanks.” Yebin and Eunwoo said to their unnies simultaneously. Nayoung just sighed in relief and wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead.

“Let’s get out of here. This time, for the love of God, check around the area first before you charge in.”

Before the two younger girls could respond, they heard a blood curdling scream followed by a gunshot coming from outside. The four of them widened their eyes at the same time.

“The girls!”

~-~-~-~-

“There’s too many!” Kyungwon yelled as she hurriedly loaded her rifles. She was currently firing off the zombies from afar, too scared that the horde might close in if she missed a shot. From the front of the RV, Kyla aimed with her pistol as well. She fired off the zombies with perfect aim, but Kyungwon didn’t have the time to compliment her right now.

Yewon, Sungyeon, Jieqiong and Siyeon were huddled inside, the oldest among the four covering her friends using her body. There wasn’t much she can do since the girls were short in weapons. She only threw magazines to Kyungwon and Kyla from time to time.

Just then, Nayoung, Minkyung, Eunwoo and Yebin ran out of the convenience store with the packs of food and medical supplies.

“What the hell happened?!” Minkyung didn’t have to wait for the answer, and just trained her eyes towards the horde closing in on them. Kyungwon and Kyla had the guns, so there wasn’t anything she can do unless she had a death wish and charged in on the horde head on.

Nayoung’s eyes trailed around the area frantically, looking for a way to drive. However, she cursed loudly when she saw the driveway blocked by the horde. She ruffled her hair in annoyance and started to search some more.

Then her eyes caught sight on one of the plastic tanks that Kyungwon filled up with gas. She ran to the tanks immediately and kicked them down.

“Unnie, what the hell?!” Kyungwon paused firing for a moment to look at their leader incredulously.

“Kyungwon, Kyla! Listen! I will roll these tanks near those things. When I raise my thumbs up, I want you to fire two of these, okay?!”

“What?! You’re gonna have to go near them to roll those tanks! Unnie, don’t be stupid!”

“I know what I’m signing up for, Kyungwon. Just do what I say!”

“Unnie-!”

Before Kyungwon could protest, Nayoung started rolling the tanks forward, her arms burning because of the force she exerts on the tanks. Sweat soaked her shirt and pants, but she could care any less. Her heart started beating fast as she neared the horde. Nayoung knew deep down that this would be a kind of a suicide mission, but it’s the best she’s got.

As soon as Nayoung got the tanks in the position she wanted, she scurried off to give her members the command, but as she got ready to run, an undead with a missing lower half caught hold of her ankle, stopping her in her tracks.

“NAYOUNG-UNNIE!!” She heard one of the girls scream.  Nayoung struggled against the undead’s grip.

“Get off of me, bastard!” Nayoung pulled her foot away and crunched her foot against the zombie’s skull. She ran back to the RV and shouted. “NOW!”

Kyungwon and Kyla fired the tanks, and in one swift contact of the bullet with the gasoline filled containers, everything went hot. They just created a big explosion. Nayoung was thrown off by the force and landed right beside the RV. She groaned in pain as she focused her eyes at the sight in front of her. Silence was prevalent as she and the girls watched the zombies burn, the bodies covered in flame and slowly dissolving into ash. The smell of burning flesh and old blood filled the air, and Nayoung had to pull her shirt onto her nose to stop the smell from penetrating.

Eventually, the explosion cleared out, leaving only a few walking dead and fires. Kyla and Kyungwon fired them off and eventually, the area was rid of the undead.

“YES! WE DID IT!” She heard Eunwoo scream in happiness, and for the first time, the girls didn’t even correct her for her loud voice and started to join in the celebration as well.

“NAYOUNG-UNNIE IS A GENIUS!”

Nayoung sighed tiredly as she rested her back against the side of the RV. She let out an exhale of relief. She did it. She saved the girls from the brink of being Zombie Dinner.

Just as she was about to stand to get to the driver’s seat, something grabbed her from under the RV. Knowing exactly what it was, Nayoung brandished her machete and stabbed the undead on the skull.

The girls were celebrating inside the RV, cheerful voices once again She sighed once again and dropped the machete, overwhelmed by tiredness. Nayoung felt her eyelids start to shut off but she heard Minkyung’s voice call her.

“Unnie.” Nayoung looked up and stared at Minkyung, but she noticed that Minkyung wasn’t  looking her in the eyes. Instead, the younger girl’s eyes were trained towards her arm. She gave Minkyung a questioning stare before looking down at her right arm, the arm that was grabbed by the zombie earlier.

The arm… that was grabbed by the zombie earlier.

“No… no… no…” Nayoung took off her jacket and slowly lifted her arm and rested it against her leg to examine it. Her brown long sleeved shirt was soaked in blood. Nayoung’s eyes filled with tears and her trembling left hand started to reach for the sleeves to tug it upward.

“No…” Nayoung started to whimper as she looked into the wound. No matter how hard she stared, no matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, no matter how hard she prayed for it to be the opposite, Nayoung knew better than to not know a bite mark by the looks of it. Tears started to roll down her face as she lowered her arm down. She rested the back of her head against the RV door and began to cry. Luckily, her voice was muffled by the celebration happening inside the vehicle.

“Unnie…” Minkyung who was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that her friend was bitten, sat beside Nayoung. The other girl sobbed violently, more violently than she did when she and Jieqiong argued the other night. At loss of words, Minkyung wrapped Nayoung in a warm embrace, whispering words of reassurance and “it’s going to be okay’s” against the older girl’s hair as she calmed her down.

However deep down, she knew that it wasn’t okay.

It was never going to be okay.

~-~-~-~

The day continued on as if nothing happened. Nayoung was still on edge, but she pretended as if she wasn’t bit and still continued teaching Minkyung the functions of the RV.

“Unnie, the other girls should know.” Minkyung said as soon as Nayoung stopped crying, but she felt the older girl shake her head and look up at her instead.

“No. They shouldn’t, Minkyung. They shouldn’t know about this… I will get you girls to the docks first…”

“Nayoung…”

“Minky, no. Please don’t tell them. I don’t want them to worry…”

“Unnie…”

“Promise me, Minkyung.” Nayoung looked Minkyung with so much determination and sadness that Minkyung wanted to shed some tears of her own. It hurt to see Nayoung like this, so without any more qualms (yet with hestitation), she said, “Okay, unnie, I Promise.”

The sun was beginning to set into the horizon and the skies were starting to dim, and Nayoung took this as a sign to have another stopover.

And so she did.

She parked the RV against the roadway again, doing the usual scouting with Kyungwon before settling down. The ten girls set a camp fire on the road, all of them sitting in a circle, even Siyeon, who was leaning against Minkyung for support, was there with her friends despite her injury. They talked to each other as if the apocalypse never happened, like old friends sharing roasted mallows in a campfire.

For the first time in a while, they had a good number of rations that can feed all ten of them.

For the first time in a while, they had a lighthearted dinner that had them fed enough.

For the first time in a while, they didn’t feel the weight of reality sitting upon the shoulders.

And Nayoung wanted nothing more for the smiles on her members’ faces to remain. She wanted to give her girls the best chance.

As if her thoughts were readable, Nayoung caught Minkyung send her a sad look, one which she chose to turn away from.

After the girls had gone to sleep, Nayoung volunteered to take first watch again, opting to get on the RV rooftop. She lay under the stars, dwelling upon the beautiful sight that she may one day abandon at the time of her death. She took out the map from her pocket and examined it.

At approximation, they still have at least ten hours travel before they reach the docks.

Just as she was about to place the map back into her pocket, Nayoung let out a cough, then another, and another, and eventually, she got into a raging coughing fit that lasted for a few seconds. She breathed deeply when she finished. Nayoung lowered the hand she used to cup and saw droplets of blood on her palm. At closer inspection, she saw the discoloration of the blood. It was a greyish red rather than the vibrant red a normal person had.  Her blood was about the same color as that of the undead they had killed so far.

Nayoung didn’t have much time.

The next morning, the girls started to set off the road again. With the occasional aim and shoot of Kyla and Kyungwon from their position above the RV, everything else was normal. Siyeon was getting better as of the present. She could already laugh and smile at other girl’s jokes.

Minkyung and Nayoung sat at the front. This time, it was Minkyung on the wheel, and as of the moment, she hadn’t crashed on anything yet, so It was a good sign for Nayoung. The eldest girl knew that her girls were in good hands.

“How’s your arm?” Minkyung asked Nayoung as quietly as possible, wary that the other might hear her conversation with Nayoung.

The older girl took Minkyung’s question as a sign to take a look. She rolled up her jacket and long sleeves to examine her wound once again. This time, the wound was festering, and a mucus-like substance that looked like amber was coating the flesh around Nayoung’s arm. It wasn’t doing too good. Nayoung also saw that the veins at the back of her hand was also becoming more prominent and greying, meaning that the infection was already spreading.

“Approximately an hour more before we reach the docks.” Nayoung stated instead of answering Minkyung’s question, rolling back her sleeves and looking out the window. The younger girl was about to question her, but when she turned to Nayoung, she saw the girl looking down. Minkyung returned her focus on the road and opted to drive instead.

~-~-~-~

“Well, .” Eunwoo stated when she peered out the RV window. They were currently at the middle of a highway with lots of cars and infected littered around. There wasn’t much space for the RV to push through as there were a lot of cars blocking the highway.

“We’re walking.” Nayoung said from the front.

“Unnie? Are you serious?” Jieqiong voiced out.

“Look, we are only thirty minutes away from the docks, girls. We are so close. We can walk this.”

“What about Siyeon?”

“I’ll carry her. The rest of you bring our food and supplies and weapons.” Minkyung said, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the RV.

Yebin sighed, “I guess we have no say in this huh?” She laughed humorlessly and got up to help Siyeon out of the car.

The girls started to disperse the RV, muttering their goodbye’s to the vehicle that served as their home for a month. Yewon, Jieqiong and Sungyeon carried their food and medical supplies, Kyungwon and Kyla carried the rifle and pistol respectively, Eunwoo went on with her favorite wrench, and Yebin had her baseball bat in hand.

Nayoung and Minkyung walked in front, the former having her own pistol and also a machete while Minkyung carried Siyeon from her back.

As they drew closer to the end of the highway, they saw even more zombies come into sight, as if provoking them to kill.

Nayoung had never rushed into a fight without a plan nor had she felt stupid in her entire life. Her friends were so close to the docks, so close to freedom, and Nayoung wasn’t going to let this kind of obstacle be the end of everything.  She WAS going to get the girls to the ship and out of Seoul. She WAS going to give them their best chance. Nayoung touched the bite on her forearm and soon, her fingers were coated with amber colored residue from the infection. She grit her teeth. It wouldn’t take too long for her to turn.

“Okay, girls, at my count, we’re charging in, guns blazing. No holding back. It’s hack and slash time.” Nayoung gripped the handle of her machete tightly.

“Unnie, are you sure about this?” Jieqiong asked, gripping the strap of her backpack that contained their food and water.

“Yeah.” Nayoung answered. “After all, I have nothing more to lose.” Nayoung sent a small, sad smile to her members from over her shoulder, which led her members to get puzzled, but before they could even ponder the meaning behind their leader’s words, Nayoung, yelled “LET’S GO!”

The girls lunged forth, their battle cry piercing the air. They hacked and slashed using their weapons with no regard for restraint. Yebin swung her bat relentlessly against the heads of the undead, blood splattering all over her clothes and the concrete floor. Eunwoo did the same, letting go of her martial arts tricks and tactics as she hacked and slashed through the enemies. This time, she didn’t cringe at the sight of guts and flying brains that graced her eyes. All she knew was to make her enemies bleed.

Kyungwon and Kyla stood from behind, aiming at the zombies and taking them out side by side. Also, Kyla learned a new trick regarding angles and aims that made her kill three zombies huddled into a straight line.

The other girls who carried the supplies were being ushered by Nayoung and Minkyung whenever there was an opening. Nayoung fired the zombies’ heads at pointblank range, swinging her machete with the other hand. Just like the others, blood splattered all over her body, but she could care less now.

She was going to give her girls the best chance.

As the adrenaline and hordes died down, the girls’ simultaneous pants could be heard through the quiet atmosphere.

Nayoung shot one last zombie on the brain before calling out to her friends, “Come on, the docks are just over there!” With that, she took off in a sprint, with her girls trailing from behind.

Just a little bit more and she give them the chance they deserve.

Nayoung was sprinting along the remaining steps in the highway when she was suddenly struck by an immense headache. Unable to handle it, she knelt down and held her head in her hands. She let out a gasp as her headache got worse.

“Nayoung-unnie!” Jieqiong rushed to Nayoung’s side to help her up. She was about to touch her infected arm when Nayoung swatted her hand away.

“I’m fine, Jieqiong.” Nayoung groaned in pain.

“What do you mean you’re-“ Before the Chinese girl could finish her sentence, Nayoung gurgled and spat blood all over the pavement. Jieqiong didn’t know what to do, so she held the older girl by the shoulders as Nayoung continued to vomit. The rest of the girls stood and looked on their leader. This made Jieqiong mad.

“What the hell are you standing here for?! Help me get unnie back to her feet.” Jieqiong snarled at her members as she as she struggled to hold the older girl up, however, the other girls were still glued onto their positions, staring at the puddle of blood Nayoung had created when she vomited.

“Jieqiong… I think…” Yebin trailed off as she gazed at the blood. Jieqiong followed her gaze and saw the greying puddle of blood that Nayoung had let out of her system. Her eyes widened at the sight. She saw the color that only the dead emitted through their blood. Grey. Nayoung’s blood was grey.

“No… It’s not… Nayoung-unnie’s not… This..” Jieqiong stuttered. “This is not her blood!” Jieqiong yelled as she held Nayoung up by her shoulders.

“Jieqiong-“

“NO! IT’S NOT HER BLOOD!” Tears escaped Jieqiong’s eyes as she tried to convince herself that it wasn’t Nayoung’s blood. “It’s not…” Nayoung held one of Jieqiong’s hands and it. This made the younger girl look at Nayoung with tear streaked eyes.

“It’s mine…” Nayoung groaned weakly, sending a sad smile to the Chinese girl.

“How… you’re not…” Nayoung cut Jieqiong’s sentence by lifting her sleeve and showing her the bite mark that was festering. More amber-like mucus substance started to coat Nayoung’s flesh and Jieqiong bit back the vomit that was forming from .

“I’m bitten, Jieqiong.” Nayoung’s weak voice broke Jieqiong’s heart in a million pieces, and without further ado, she crashed into her best friend’s arms, sobbing violently against Nayoung’s shoulder. Nayoung cried with her as well. And so did her friends.

“No... No... Nayoungie... you can’t leave me... you’re the only family I have left...” Jieqiong kept on crying as she held Nayoung tighter, refusing to let her go. If this were a normal meet up between friends, Nayoung would have jokingly said that she was suffocating from Jieqiong’s hold.

But right now, everyone felt that it was a funeral. Nayoung was dying and there was nothing anyone can do to stop it.

“Jieqiong... look at me...” Nayoung parted from Jieqiong, who did the same with reluctance. The older girl sent Jieqiong a small smile. “You have these amazing people around you. You’re gonna take care of each other and stand by each other’s sides through thick and thin, and that’s gonna happen if you take a leap towards that ship.” Nayoung pointed towards the ship near the docks.

“I don’t know if I could do this without you...” Jieqiong cried harder, squeezing Nayoung’s hand. Nayoung had been with her through thick and thin. When she had gone to Korea by herself, Nayoung was there and taught her how to speak Hangul despite the language barrier the two of them had. Nayoung had been the big sister Jieqiong never had, the family in Korea that she came to cherish the most after her biological family.

“You can, Jieqiong.” Nayoung smiled and cupped Jieqiong’s cheek. The latter saw Nayoung’s eyes turning blood shot and her skin turning grey. “All of you can” The leader addressed all of them. All her friends were crying and hugging each other.

“Nayoung…” Jieqiong embraced Nayoung tighter. She wanted to remember the warmth of the older girl enveloping her. She wanted to remember how soft Nayoung was despite how skinny she was. She wanted to remember Nayoung’s husky yet soothing voice that would calm her and her friends down during bad times. Jieqiong cried once more, her tears mingling with the dried blood that adorned Nayoung’s long sleeved shirt.

After a few good moments of goodbye’s and painful promises of keeping in touch even in heaven, they finally broke apart, and Jieqiong pressed a small kiss on the cheek of the person who has served as her family for the past few years.

It was time to say goodbye.

“Now, let’s go… It’s only a few more steps.” Nayoung, despite the pain shooting up her body, pushed herself up to her feet. They started to walk, but not before all of them huddled to Nayoung and crush her into a tight hug, crying their heart out for their dying friend.

~-~-~-~

Finally, the girls had reached the docks. The ships are formed into a straight line, a sight to behold if only they weren’t in the middle of an apocalypse.

Minkyung bounced Siyeon up from her back to adjust the way she carried her.

Nayoung was staggering to reach the ship and guide her girls to it. Her steps were weak, slow and brittle. She felt like she was going to fall, but she can’t. Not now. Not when she was so close.

The leader could barely register her members’ voices yelling for her to stop nor could she care any less.

“ONE MORE STEP AND I WILL FIRE” The captain of the ship’s voice boomed amidst the silence, startling Nayoung and her friends. This made Nayoung snap up and look at the burly man by the ships railing in the eye.

“Please… let my girls in…” Nayoung breathed.

“We are at almost maximum capacity here, miss! The ship might sink if we let more people in. Besides, you are bitten! How do we know that the others aren’t?” The captain replied to Nayoung, who just shuddered.

“It’s only me, I swear… So… P-please… Just reconsider.. Please…” The other girls teared up at the exchange of their leader and the captain.  

‘Come on… Please, God… Please grant my wish… Please make them reconsider their decision’ Nayoung prayed.

“Miss, didn’t you hear what I said? Adding a few more people might serve as a complication for the condition of the ship.

“Please…” Nayoung dropped to her knees and stared the man in the eyes. Her eyes were turning red and was running with greyish blood. “Please… just them… they deserve a second chance… please…” Nayoung had never once imagined that she would beg, but here she was, on her knees, dying and begging for the girls to be taken in. Every part of her body heart like hell, but Nayoung didn’t care anymore.

A woman who stood beside the captain elbowed him in the ribs, making the captain glare.

It took a good few moments of staring until the captain sighed in exasperation.

“Fine. All the girls can come in.”

“Thank you…” Nayoung smiled gratefully. She coughed up blood before turning to her friends.

“This is it, guys… This is the end for me. In a few minutes’ time, I am going to turn… so go… Chase your best chance. Remember, Unnie loves you. I always will.”

The girls started to cry at the sight of their dying friend. Nayoung still had the strength to stand up and guide them towards the boat, but within a far proximity. A group of sailors helped in ushering the girls inside the ship, keeping a good distance away from Nayoung.

Jieqiong and Minkyung were about to rush to her one more time, but were held back by their friends who started to drag them towards the ramp that led to the ship. The separation of the group from their leader was very emotional and heartbreaking. No amount of pain they felt from screaming to Nayoung could ever amount to the pain they felt in their hearts. Everyone was screaming and crying, and there was nothing the captain could do to stop them from doing so, so he let them belt out their farewells to the girl who saved their lives.

With great sympathy, the captain rang the horns of their ship, signaling its departure, far far away from

“THANK YOU!” The girls yelled from their position behind the railing of the ship, crying out all their words of gratitude as the boat sailed north, away from the horrors of South Korea.

Those two words struck Nayoung’s heart and made her looked at them weakly, a small smile playing on her blood coated lips.

The virus was spreading, creeping up her brain at an alarming rate. Her veins were greying alongside her skin and more amber-like substance started to drip from her bite. It was disgusting to say at the least.

She was turning and she knew it.

Then it all came back to her like a flashback. Everything that involved her and her nine friends. Everything they did, all the places they went to, all the memories they kept, all the sorrows and joys they shared to each other. All the obstacles they faced just to survive, all the trials they had to face, the sacrifices… everything. It came back to her in a blur.

She had nothing to lose now nor did she have any regrets.

She made the most of what’s left of their time together by protecting them.

Nayoung wanted nothing more than to give her girls the best chance in the cruel, gradually ending world they once called their home, and so she did.

Nayoung closed her eyes as a human for the final time, all the memories she shared with the ten girls who became part of her life engraved deeply into her human heart.

She turned.

Im Nayoung was no more

A/N:

I’m tearing up right now. This is the first time I have ever written an angst fanfic. After watching Cargo last night, I thought I might give it a shot to write a fanfic based on it. For those of you who haven’t watched it yet, it’s a good film. Played with my heart pretty well, and I hope I didn’t sabotage the movie using this fanfic. Lmaooo.

Also, this is my first attempt at a Zombie Apocalypse AU and I am still practicing writing action, violent and angsty scenes.