Just close your eyes, the sun is going down

You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now

—

It’s amazing how situations can change in a mere second. All it takes is the blink of an eye, and your world can be flipped upside down, just like a roller coaster. One moment, you can be casually strolling down a school hallway, and the next moment, you can witness a couple students tackle a teacher to the ground as his bloodcurdling screams ring in your ears.

Blinking rapidly, you couldn’t believe your eyes as you backed away from the scene. The students let out inhumane snarls as they began to eat— eat— his flesh. The grilled salmon you had for lunch threatened to swim back upstream as you tried to tear your eyes away from the grotesque sight. Your heartbeat pounded in your ears, as your mind raced. This was the type of stuff you see in horror movies, not on a seemingly boring Tuesday at school.

A pit welled in your stomach as you recalled all the zombie movies you had watched over the course of your life. You refused to accept the fact that it was happening, and it was happening to you. Bolting down the stairs, you couldn’t help but let out a horrified shriek as the school seemingly plunged into chaos. Papers were scattered along the length of the hallway, discarded by bloodthirsty students. The wails of the dying arose with each passing second, its disturbing choir striking more fear into your heart.

One of the lunatic students spied your mortified figure trembling at the top of the stairs. Ravenous bloodlust appeared in her eyes as she charged up the stairs, letting out an earsplitting shriek. The gears in your brain began to turn as you swung your backpack off your shoulders. It hurtled through the air and a sickening thwap resounded as the books inside collided with her head. Not wasting time looking back, you raced up the stairs in hopes of looking for a means of escape.

Sprinting down the hallway, you rushed past the feeding crazies, trying to reach another stairwell. Unfortunately, a light fixture crashed down from the ceiling, causing you to stop in your tracks. Shattered glass covered the floor as electric sparks emitted from the light. Ignoring the minor lacerations on your legs, you were able to leap over the obstacle and make it to the stairs.

Once you made it up the stairs, your eyes scanned your surroundings as you looked for yet another way out. Not more than fifty feet from you was a boy, swinging a chair over his head in order to bash the head in of the psycho that was after him. Its body crumpled and lay at his feet, twitching violently. Your panicked gaze met his, and a small flicker of relief registered in his eyes as he noticed that you weren’t like them.

You recognized the boy as Park Jimin, the boy whom you’ve had a crush on for the past year. His jet black hair was parted to the side, and you saw beads of sweat clinging onto his forehead. Jimin’s normally-cheerful grin was replaced with a grimace as he stepped away from the body. Still clutching the chair, he called your name out. “We need to find a way to get out of here!”

“There’s too many of them downstairs,” you replied, shaking your head. “It’s too high to jump from here. I don’t know what to do!”

“They’re going to start coming up the stairs soon,” Jimin speculated, staring at the classroom right behind you. “We need to get out of the hallway before they find us. Come on, follow me.” Stepping over his fresh kill, he shot you a reassuring look. “Look, we’ve gotta stick together, okay? You’re the only sane one I’ve met so far.”

Nodding, you followed behind him. In this situation, you felt , as he was the only one armed. You decided you needed something to defend yourself with as well. Eyeing the corridor, you conveniently spot a baseball bat lying some feet away from a former varsity baseball player. He was clearly dead, lying in a crimson pool of his own blood.

Jimin opened the door to your classroom and let out an involuntary yell. Your homeroom teacher, as well as two other students, were in the classroom. They had already turned, and after seeing the momentary distraction, they abandoned the carcass they were feeding on. The allure of fresh meat was tempting to them, and they immediately rushed towards the two of you.  

Using all of his strength, Jimin brought the chair down over one of the students’ heads. The crushing blow was enough to kill her, and she fell to the floor, limp. The other student, however, took that opportunity to grab at him. She succeeded, holding a fistful of his soiled, white shirt as her gaping jaws moved closer to him. Jimin gave you a terrified look, and adrenaline began to course through your veins.

Clutching the baseball bat, you swung down on the girl’s head with all your might. She let go of Jimin as she toppled to the floor, letting out choked gurgles. Another swift headshot with the wooden weapon, and the student was no more. Jimin grabbed his chair again, part of his shirt torn open as a result of the previous attack. His muscles flexed as he ran straight for the teacher, pummeling her with its legs. You followed up afterwards, baseball bat crushing her skull, ensuring that she would never move again.

After making sure that the room contained no more enemies or corpses, Jimin pilfered keys from the teacher’s dead body and locked the doors. He slumped against the wall and slowly sank to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Wordlessly, you joined him, trying to take in what had just happened. The future looked bleak, as you pulled out your smartphone to see that neither the Internet nor the phone lines were working.

As much as you tried to stop them from falling, tears started streaming down your face. You didn’t know if you were making out of this nightmare. There was no way of knowing if any of your friends or family had made it through this ordeal, and that sheer fact sent a crippling wave of pain throughout your body. A comforting hand touched your shoulder lightly, and you looked up to see Jimin’s blood-streaked face trying to reassure you.

“Don’t leave me here alone.” The words escaped your lips before you even had time to register that you had said them. Each word carried a want, a desperation with it. You wouldn’t know what to do if Jimin was to be ripped away from you too. It would be nearly impossible to survive this alone.

Stable arms wrapped around your figure, and you felt Jimin’s chin on your shoulder. Although the timing was inappropriate, it sent a tingling jolt through your entire body. You stayed like that for a couple moments, listening to the turmoil happening right outside the classroom walls. His sweet voice was like a soft poem in your ear. “I’ll never let you go.”

Just then, a crackle sounded over the school intercom. “Attention. This is the South Korean military. If there are any survivors, help is on the way. I repeat, if there are any survivors, help is on the way. Helicopters will be sent to evacuate the school tomorrow at dawn. Please, hang in there.”

Jimin’s body laxed in relief, and yours followed suit. Your eyes wandered towards the window as you saw a smoke cloud billow into the air. The dusk sky was painted a dull amethyst as the sun started its descent below the horizon. In the distance, you saw great flames the air, extending their infernal limbs skyward. Adjusting your position, you carefully lay your head on Jimin’s uninjured shoulder and closed your eyes. His rhythmic breathing began to soothe you like a lullaby. Although this world had descended into chaos, you willed yourself to stay strong. Both of you would make it out in the morning, alive.

—

Come morning light

You and I’ll be safe and sound