The girl is tall and pretty, with long, wavy brown hair chocolate brown eyes. She looks innocent and fragile, and Soojung wonders how a girl like her survived all this time, but then she remembers that she has a group.

They’re about to walk out of the alley when they hear a voice. It is distant and hard to hear, but Soojung can definitely make it out. 

“I think they’re looking for her,” she states. Letting go of the taller girl, she cups her hands around and is about to shout, but Jongin smacks her hands away and holds them down firmly.

“Not here. Out there,” he says, eyeing the street where the sun is shining promptly. Soojung remembers what he said about the sunlight and nods. She grabs Sulli’s hand and heads for the street. 

It’s not long before they hear the voices again, but this time closer. She can make out the voices clearer now and they’re certainly calling Sulli’s name. 

“Over here!” she tries as loud as she can, and Sulli joins in too. Not long after, Soojung hears footsteps. A group of people, run in their direction, and as they come to a stop before them, Sulli is already in the arms of a teenage boy with light brown hair. It’s a while before they part, but Soojung is sure that she’s seeing a couple before her.

“Hi, I’m Chanyeol,” a tall, dark haired, handsome faced boy says. Soojung guesses that he’s not much older than her either, by the looks of it. 

“You’ve already met Sulli, that’s Sehun,” he says, nodding to the boy that Sulli was still clinging to, “and this is Naeun,” he introduces another girl that Soojung hadn’t seen before. The girl has fair, pale skin, dark hair, and rosy cheeks, topped with large, brown eyes. She’s pretty, maybe even gorgeous. 

“I’m Jongin, that’s Soojung,” she hears from beside her. He’s shaking hands with the taller boy named Chanyeol.

“It’s been a long time, Jongin,” the shorter, bonier boy says. Soojung doesn’t know what’s going on, but a sudden tension fills the air. The boy named Sehun steps up to Jongin and offers his hand. With a reluctant look, Jongin takes it.

The hideout is huge and it’s the top room at the most famous hotel in what used to be Seoul. Soojung is awed by the large chandelier that hangs from the ceiling and is even more awed by the fact that the shower is still running.

“You probably want to wash up, right?” she hears from somewhere behind her. She turns to see the girl, Naeun, smiling at her, gently. Soojung replies with a smile, “that would be nice.”

The hot water is soothing, and Soojung finally remembers the cut on her palm. It’s still oozing blood and stings under the hot water. When she’s dressed again, she steps out of the bathroom, only to bump into the tall boy named Chanyeol. His smile fades when he sees her hand, but he just smiles again and leads her to the kitchen.

“You should’ve said something. It might get infected,” he says. Soojung is startled by his surprisingly low voice because she doesn’t remember it from before. She cringes as he dabs at the deep-set cut with some disinfectant.

“I forgot,” is all she says. He chuckles and the sound rumbles in her ears. 

She glances up to see Jongin staring out the window and Naeun setting the table for a small lunch. She’s surprised to see six bowls of rice at the large, oak table and a large pot of curry in the center, topped with a plate of kimchi on the side. Soojung had forgotten what it was like to sit at a table and eat real food and suddenly, the convenience store sausage sounds disgusting to her. She doesn’t linger on that thought much though, because when Chanyeol accidentally wraps the bandage too tight, she yelps in pain. 

Both Naeun and Jongin look up, and Chanyeol is grinning sheepishly. He clips the already blood stained end off and slowly moves away from her. Naeun strides over with a smile, “I’ll take over from here.”

Her bandaging skills are much more effective than Chanyeol’s and in a few minutes, all six of them are sitting around the table, digging into their rice and curry. The kimchi tastes amazing to Soojung, and she finds herself scarfing up the food.

Chanyeol, Sehun, Naeun, and Jongin all stare as she and Sulli stuff their faces with food. Their eyes are wide and their jaws are dropped, but Soojung couldn’t care less. Her stomach is asking for it. 

“And I thought Sulli ate a lot,” Naeun’s the first to comment and everyone laughs—everyone except Jongin. 

Soojung sips her coffee as Chanyeol recalls to her and Jongin about how they got to the hotel and what they know about the creatures.

They were all at a party—and Soojung is surprised because Naeun doesn’t seem like the partying type—when they were ambushed by the creatures. The four of them managed to get out of the house, with the help of Chanyeol and an axe that he found in the garage. When they got out though, the creatures were everywhere. 

It seemed like something from a movie, but Naeun, whose father was a mechanic, jump started a car and the four drove into the city where they set out to look for family. But the four ended up stopping short as they came to a large blockade of bodies near the convenience store that Soojung and Jongin had stopped at before. 

They retreated on foot, running from the creatures as Chanyeol swatted them away with his axe, and reached the nearby hotel. Many of the people had fled already, and some were just going crazy. They fled to the top room, in which they were sitting in right now, and looked out. 

The creatures were everywhere, but what shocked them were the bodies.  As the people were being killed, some were left behind, but many were dragged off. They didn’t know where to, and they promised that night that they would never find out.

“We don’t know too much about them though. They’re strong and fast but they can’t climb anything,” Chanyeol states, taking a sip of his coffee. And, as Naeun sits down, she adds, “And they’re sensitive to the sunlight. Almost like vampires.”

It’s Soojung who wants to say something, but Jongin cuts her off,  “Sensitive?” Both Chanyeol and Naeun exchange a look.

“Yea, sensitive; like the one you saved Sulli from. Yes, she was in an alley, but the sun was still shining in there. A regular beast wouldn’t have been able to stand it, but that one that you killed; it’s learned, like a bat. It knows that the sun is blistering to its skin if it stands there for long, but in shade, and even in light shade, it knows that it’s able to move, sense, and kill. We’ve seen a few like it. But only a few—maybe two or three,” Naeun explains, going into detail about the creatures. Soojung turns to look at Jongin and sees him deep in thought. She goes around the table and sees Chanyeol taking another sip of her coffee, Sulli observing the scratches of her arms, and Sehun, smirking madly.

She doesn’t exactly know what it is, but there’s tension between Sehun and Jongin. It’s odd, but she’s sure that they know each other from way back before the creatures attacked and before anything bad happened.

“So, do you two know anything? I guess you’ve been traveling together too?” Chanyeol breaks the silence. 

Soojung looks up to him. He’s smiling toward her and she doesn’t know what it is, but she smiles back; maybe of politeness, but she can’t tell. She turns to Jongin afterwards, and meets his eyes. They’re dark, but something tells her that he’s hiding too much.

“Actually, we met yesterday. He saved me from some of those creatures,” Soojung replies after a while. She realizes then that she hasn’t thanked him properly, so she adds, “And I’m very thankful for that.”

Sehun scoffs and stands up. He pulls Sulli up with him and looks Soojung right in the eyes, “Don’t be thankful for this kid. He’s nothing but a piece of . I warned you.” He turns and drags Sulli a few steps away and then turns around. “We should turn in. Lights might attract them. That and loud noise. I suggest you two noobs just follow what Chanyeol tells you to do, and not get in trouble. Oh, and you, Kim Jongin, stay away from me and Sulli, will ya?” 

The boy and his stunned girlfriend make their way down the hall and to the last room. Soojung feels the tension slowly rising and falling with every breath she takes, but surprisingly, Jongin just gets up and makes his way over to the window. 

She doesn’t know what to do now, so she takes one last sip of her coffee and looks to Naeun, then Chanyeol. An awkward smile plays on Chanyeol’s lips until Naeun gets up. “I’ll go do a perimeter check and secure the floor.” Chanyeol nods.

“As much as Sehun sounded like a , he’s right. We don’t want to attract any type of attention to the hotel and the sun is setting, so we should turn in. We all keep a small candle in each room, so we’re not completely in the dark. I’ll go with Naeun for a perimeter check. Jongin, you can sleep in my room, and Soojung, you’ll be with Naeun. We’ll be back in a few minutes,” and with that, Chanyeol and Naeun leave the suite and a few seconds after the door closes, Soojung hears laughter in the hall.

The room is cozy and small. Nothing personal seems to be in the room, but the bed is messy and Soojung is kind of glad to know that Naeun is a human being too. Suddenly feeling tired, she plops into the bed and closes her eyes. She’s missed sleeping on a bed. For the past week, she’s slept on the couches of abandoned houses—afraid that if she ventured further into the house, something ugly would be waiting for her. 

A few minutes later, the door opens and Soojung shoots up. Naeun’s there, holding a small candle. She sets it on the bedside table and sits down on the bed, turning to Soojung. 

“I don’t think we’ve had a proper introduction. Hi, I’m Naeun,” she says and holds out her hand for Soojung to shake. She shakes it with a smile, “I’m Soojung, nice to meet you.”

“I’m sorry about Sehun. He used to be sweet, honestly. There’s something between him and Jongin, but I don’t know anything. I’m assuming you don’t either?” Naeun asks. Soojung can’t help but think that she’s beautiful. Everything about her seems perfect; every move of her hand and blink of her eye—even if it seems mechanic sometimes. 

“I don’t really know Jongin. He’s a mystery that I can’t seem to figure out,” Soojung replies. The door suddenly cracks open and Chanyeol sticks his head in. His hair is slightly wet and he’s wearing a fresh pair of clothes. 

“You girls okay? You need anything; another candle, or a blanket, or maybe a shoulder to cry on?” He asks. Soojung and Naeun share a look with raised eyebrows and all three of them burst out laughing. 

“We’re fine Chanyeol. Are you taking first watch?” Naeun asks. Soojung is totally oblivious to their routines for night watch.

“No. Jongin said he would do it. He wants to see the creatures or something like that. I’ll be taking second watch. I’ll wake you up if anything happens,” he says back, leaning against the doorframe, half of his body in the room, the other half outside. 

Soojung finds herself admiring the boy’s tall figure. He’s tall, but not lanky, and definitely has some muscle on him. His handsome facial features catch her eyes even more, and she finally realizes that she’s staring at him.

“Well, if you girls need anything, just let me know. Goodnight,” he calls and closes the door. 

“Alright, I’ll see you in the morning. Today’s been kind of hectic. Goodnight,” Naeun announces. Soojung nods her head once and tucks herself into the bed too. 

The flickering candle light fills the walls with a warm light, and Soojung feels her eyes growing heavy. But it’s only for a second because when her eyes close, she sees her sister’s reassuring face.

Beads of sweat line her forehead, but she gives Soojung’s hand one last squeeze and she runs out of the room. It’s not long before she hears that familiar scream that’s haunted every single one of her dreams, and soon she finds herself sitting up in the bed. 

The first sign of light shines through the curtains of the window and there’s a strange murmuring of sounds coming from outside. Naeun doesn’t seem to be interrupted by the sounds and sleeps peacefully. 

It’s hard for Soojung to remove herself from the cozy sheets of the bed, but once she does, the chilly morning air hits her hard. She retrieves her old jacket and tightly wraps herself in it before she heads for the door. 

The sounds are louder than she’d thought because when she opens the door she hears a string of curses from a familiar voice thundering down into her ears. She catches sight of Chanyeol emerging from his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“What’s up with all this commotion?” he grumbles. He looks up and sees Soojung and immediately smiles. With a nod, she makes her way into the living room where the sounds are coming from with Chanyeol a few steps behind.

When she reaches the living room, she sees an infuriated Sehun and a calm Jongin with all his gear packed and getting ready to strap his weapons. Sehun sees Soojung and Chanyeol first and throws his hands into the air.

“Well finally you’re awake! Tell this ing bastard that he’s being a , and that he’s going to get killed out there by himself,” Sehun’s words seem over exaggerated from his frustration, but Soojung can see that Jongin is ready to set out. 

“You’re leaving?” she asks, voice slightly groggy. She watches as he straps two handheld guns to his belt. He glances up at her before continuing to strap on four knives.

“And you’re staying? Don’t wanna come with anymore?” He strikes back, voice sounding calm and arrogant. Soojung doesn’t feel offended by his words, however.

“Where are you gonna go? To find people that you know? Well that’s stupid, bec-“ Sehun starts, but Chanyeol abruptly shuts him up. “Sehun, shut up. Let us hear what his plan is.” The younger boy grumbles before finally retreating with his arms crossed.

Jongin doesn’t stop what he’s doing until he shoulders his bag. With a long sigh, he turns to Chanyeol and then glances at Soojung. She hears a door open behind her, and Naeun appears to her right, blinking confusedly.

“What’s the point of staying here? Yea, you’ve got a bed and clean water, and food that’ll last you a while. But what then? Do you know about your family? What if there are other survivors out there? I don’t want to be caged in a hole and not know what’s happening out there. You can stay, but I’m going,” he states.

Soojung wearily eyes Chanyeol. His eyebrows are knitted together and he’s thinking hard about Jongin’s words. Soojung doesn’t understand either. For the first time in a few days she’s slept peacefully in a warm bed with live, breathing people, and she doesn’t understand why Jongin prefers to leave. But from beside her, she hears Naeun sighing.

“You know, he’s right. We can’t just stay here forever. I don’t know about you all, but I’m coming with you,” Naeun says. She steps away from Soojung and looks to Chanyeol hopefully. He searches her eyes for a moment, and Soojung can’t exactly place what’s going on. 

The tall boy blinks a couple of times and nods too. He looks to Soojung, then to Sehun, and back to Naeun. A smile lines her lips and for a moment, Soojung thinks she sees something in her eyes, but it’s gone just as fast as it comes.

“Me too. There is no point in staying. I’d like to know how to fight these things, and it seems like you know exactly what you’re doing, so I’m going with you too,” it only takes a couple of minutes for Soojung to realize that she and Sehun are the only ones who haven’t said anything. But in the next second, a voice comes from behind them and Sulli makes her way into the room.

“Sehun, I want to go too,” she sounds weary, but there’s a certainty in her eyes that surprises Soojung. Sehun seems flustered for a second, but he just agrees, not saying much more. 

They all turn to Soojung now. She’s staring at the boy named Jongin that she doesn’t really know. His eyes are dark, but something about them pulls her in and she realizes that she wants to know more about him. Then, Chanyeol comes into view. The grin is still spread on his lips and Soojung finds herself feeling warm inside. Although she’s only known him for a day, she doesn’t want to lose him, in any way.

A small tug pulls her lips into a smile as she glances at Naeun. The girl strikes Soojung as beautiful again, and for a second she’s reminded of her sister. The thought pokes at her heart for a minute, but when she nods and turns back to every single one of them, they’re all grinning, with the exception of Sehun. She even sees a light pull at the corner of Jongin’s lips, and she knows she’s made the right choice.

It’s scorching hot outside—much different from the previous days. Each of them has a bag strapped to their backs and they’re trudging through a completely abandoned street. Chanyeol tries to heighten the mood, but goes silent after a few tries. Soojung can feel the perspiration lightly glazing her skin, and when her arm comes in contact with Chanyeol’s, she can literally feel the stickiness. 

“What are we doing?” Sehun asks, not letting go of Sulli’s hand even in the broiling heat. Soojung glances back at him with an unintentional sour look, but turns her head before he can see it.

“Walking,” Naeun replies, pushing her pack onto her shoulder and walking on ahead of the group, catching up to Jongin. 

Soojung watches as the two exchange words. It seems foolish, but she feels offended. She hasn’t exchanged more than a few words with Jongin, and there he was, talking to Naeun as if she were his best friend. 

“Are you envious?” Chanyeol’s low, baritone voice startles Soojung. She looks back up to the two walking in front of them, but doesn’t say anything.

“It’s…” she trails off. She doesn’t get the chance to elaborate because Sulli speaks shortly after, asking, “Where are we going?”

All heads turn to Jongin. His steps come to a stop and he lowers his bag. He takes a seat on the sidewalk curb and pulls out a bottle of water.

"We'll take a break for a few minutes. We've been walking for a while. I think it's time to try and find a better source of transportation."

He speaks fast, but Soojung catches every word. She crouches beside a building that used to be a hair salon and leans against it, trying but failing to cool down.

"There are probably lots of abandoned cars with full tanks, and even when we run out of gas, I'm sure the gas stations work fine," Naeun chips in, scanning the perimeter. The street is bare. Only buildings and shops line the road. 

"You haven't answered the question. Where are we going?" Sehun's voice barks. He's sitting in the shade of a building, under the terrace of a cafe. Sulli looks exhausted as she leans against the boy for support. 

Jongin seems reluctant to answer, but he does. 

"To a lab near the oceanfront. My father worked there as a chemical engineer. The scientists were trying to create some type of hybrid animals that have human characteristics—a body of species that could live through anything and thus could protect the country from all types of attacks. It was a top secret government project, but my dad was obviously too stupid to hide it from me. He just thought I was some kid."

Everything is silent. Soojung doesn't know what to do. She'd expected a brief explanation of the place they were heading to, not a life story. 

The others seem just as baffled. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Chanyeol uncomfortably shifting positions. She also sees Naeun biting her lip. Sulli seems calmer than everyone, surprisingly, and Sehun looks pensive.

The tense atmosphere doesn't go away even after a few more minutes, but Sehun suddenly speaks, turning all heads to him.

"Kim Jongin, your dad was a bio-scientist. He worked with my dad in the medical field. I think you've lost your mind," he states, a look of disgust passing over his face.

Jongin sits indifferently, staring out to the building across the street.

"You're an ignorant bastard," Jongin spits, finally looking at Sehun. Chanyeol and Naeun both look alarmed. 

"Did your father ever tell you in detail about any of the stuff he did? Did he ever show you a file or project he was working on? No. But my father did. He told me everything and showed me everything because he thought I was stupid. You can find out for yourself when we get to the lab. That is...if you last that long."

Jongin's words are harsh and Soojung doesn't know where to side. Naeun seems startled, but it's Chanyeol who steps in first.

"Enough, you two. Let's just hurry and find some sort of transportation," he says, ushering both Jongin and Sehun up from their sitting positions. 

Soojung feels somewhat rested. They start down a street but a few meters in, the grounds are littered with bodies. A sense of panic rises in her chest and her breath gets labored. The stench is awful and the sight is even worse. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Sulli being pulled into Sehun's arms. Naeun makes a face and shares a look with Chanyeol. 

Jongin keeps walking, stepping over and around bodies. His face is unchanged by the scene before him. Soojung focuses on the road ahead and is glad that they're coming to the end of the block. The bodies become lesser and soon they're surrounded by masses of cars. All of them are empty with the keys in the ignition. 

"That Hyundai over there. It's the only one that'll hold us all," Chanyeol interjects, pointing to a large, new, black car parked in the center of the street.

"We'll need to move these other cars to get out of this mess, though," Naeun says as she looks around. The street is littered with cars and Soojung doesn't even see an opening large enough for their selected vehicle.

"That car doesn't even have keys," Sehun replies, unhelpfully.

"And that's why we have Naeun. She'll jump start the car while we move the others," Jongin offers, placing a hand of Naeun's shoulder. 

They all get into different cars and build a cramped passageway on the street. Naeun offers to take the first driving shift.

The first hour is refreshing with the air and everyone catching a nap. Soojung sits in the middle section of the car with Jongin. She doesn't feel like sleeping, although she's plenty tired. 

"I'm not sure why I came along, Soojung," Naeun voices. Soojung is startled by her sudden words.

"There just was something promising about the way Jongin said it. Maybe I'm wrong, but he seems to know much more than any of us. He's...trustable," she continues. Soojung doesn't know how to respond.

Naeun's words show a glint of hope. It might have been the same hope that she had in mind when she joined Jongin. It might be the same sliver of hope that Sulli carries in Sehun. The same hope they’re all carrying in each other.



 

Thank you all for taking an interest in this story and I'm so sorry for the long wait! This chapter might be slightly long, but it seemed like the best place to stop. Anyway, my graphics shop will be back up tomorrow with its 3rd batch, so please go check that out, and thanks for reading this story. Like I said, I worked very hard on it and I really want people to like it. 

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