Flashback

"Unnie....," Yerin called out.

Sowon and Yerin were in their van thats heading back to their dorm. They talked about random things while waiting for the other members to board the van. As they were talking, a topic about their nightmares came up and they talked about their nightmares that they experienced recently.

"I had this nightmare last night.....we were all running away from a group of people. Or at least i thought they were people. I don't know...it wasn't vivid. All i remembered was that there was a lot of blood," said Yerin in a worrying tone. She had always been known as one of the scaredy cats in the group, along with Eunha and Umji.

"It's ok Yerin. Its just a stupid nightmare. Rest or go to sleep. We've done a great job today," The leader tried to comfort Yerin with a tone of assurance.

Although Sowon tried to shrug it off, she couldn't help but to ponder over it. Oddly, her nightmare relates scarily to Yerin's. She remembered her nightmare had started off with a number of helicopters flying. She shuts her eyes and leaned back towards her seat to try and dismiss this uncomfortable feeling. Nothing was going her way for the whole of that day. Her zipper got stuck while she was trying to change in a hurry, her personal mirror cracked when she dropped it, her mic wasn't working for the first 3 songs and she tripped backstage while trying to rush back to the changing room. Since morning, she had this constant bad feeling that something bad is going to happen.  She hoped that her premonition was false.

She relaxed in her seat as the other girls soon boarded the van. If something bad were to happen, at least I'm with my girls. At least they won't leave me alone, she thought.

Once the girls were all settled down, they headed out.

Back to the present

BOOOOOM!!!

A distant sound of explosion could be heard. The girls jumped in their seats, not even the manager was spared from the shock. Sowon and Yerin looked at each other as their fingers were still intertwined. Yerin's heart started racing like crazy. It almost felt like it was going to explode with how fast the the rate of her heartbeat was. Sowon squeezed Yerin's hand tighter, hoping to calm the younger girl. The other girls froze as they held onto each other, trying to get some sense of security from each other. Their eyes wide with a mix of terror and confusion. They wanted to look outside but neither of them had recovered from the shock just yet.

Their manager who was still sat on his seat and clutching his chest to calm his rapidly beating heart from the shock, tried to find out where the explosion had occurred. It was definitely not at the front as he didn't see any commotion or any signs of an explosion before him. He took a few deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tightly before turning his head towards the direction of the side mirror and tried look at its reflection. The moment he saw what had happened, he froze in his seat, eyes like saucers. He rubbed his eyes again to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Much to his dismay, it wasn't a dream. About half a kilometer away from their van, a helicopter where only half of its body can be seen while the other half was burned into ashes and debris. The tail of the helicopter can still be seen, though a small fire can be easily spotted at the other end of the tail.

The girls looked at each other. Eunha was the first one to break the silence.

"W-what was that?" The trembling in her voice could easily be heard as she was close to tears. Her eyes glistened with tears as she felt a lump in . No one dared to answer her question.  

Sinb, who was sitting beside her, quickly hugged her close as she tries to sooth the almost crying girl. Nobody knew what was happening. The manager who saw what just happened, tried to calm the girls down. He looked at Sowon. Sowon is the only one who can help him calm the girls down. Regardless of whenever the other 5 girls were too hyper or when they were crying endlessly.

Noticing that the drivers of the vehicles in front of him had gotten out, he decided that they won't be moving any sooner and so he quickly got out of the driver's seat. He decided to join the girls at the back. The girls could only stare at him in confusion. He sighed in slight relief as it seems like the girls had recovered from the shock and were able to function normally for now. He still hadn't told them about what's happening. And so he started to talk.

"OK girls calm down and listen to m-" As he started to explain the situation that was happening, another boom could be heard followed by a few cars crashing into one another.

This time, the girls felt the tremors from the explosion. It shook their van slightly. It sounded like the explosion happened much nearer to their van. The girls started to panic even more and Eunha was even crying. A stream of tears running down endlessly as her facial expression screams terror. The whole van was filled with silence. Their manager, who sat on the floor or the vehicle could only stare at them, not daring to go outside and check. Due to the silence, he could hear some murmurs of the passengers from the vehicles around them. They probably came out of their own vehicle to check out the commotion.

The sound of horns coming from different vehicles could be heard. It was useless anyways as most drivers had already stepped out of their cars. Their manager gathered some courage to step out and joined the other drivers. As he was about to slide open the door, a hand stopped him. It was Sowon's. She let go of her grip on his wrist and shook her head slowly, as if pleading him not to go. She felt that it was too dangerous to go outside for now. The manager could only agree with the Leader and continued sitting on the floor of the vehicle. He stared into space.

Yerin, who had been silent and still ever since the first explosion, finally spoke.

"Are you ok?" Yerin whispered softly so that only Sowon could hear her. Regardless, the other occupants of the van still heard her due to the deafening silence. Sowon could only nod as a reply, accompanied with a reassuring smile. She didn't want to worry her group members but she couldn't help but to shift in her seat uncomfortably at the restless feeling.

Seeing the sweet interaction between them puts a smile on Yuju's face. She chuckled softly at Sowon who was struggling to hide her worry. Sometimes, Yuju just couldn't seem to understand their beloved leader. Sowon would always put up a brave front, almost as if she was unbreakable. She never fails to always have a smile on her face even when everyone was crying, pretending that all this while, she was fine. Yuju wanted Sowon to know that she can cry. She can let it out if she can't take it anymore. She has 5 shoulders to cry on. She rubbed Sowon's should softly as she tried to comfort the leader. She knew Sowon needed it.

Yerin, who noticed Umji who was silently tearing up in her seat, went to console the said girl. Umji was gripping onto the sides of her seat, the leather that the seat was made off almost coming off. Umji tried to control her emotions.

'Don'tcryDon'tcryDon'tcry,' she repeatedly chanted in her head. Failing to control her emotions, she softly burst into tears, trying not to let anyone notice. She leaned her head against the seat in front of her, her hair draped the sides of her face like curtains. Nobody would've noticed her crying as she frantically wiped her tears away. However, the observant Yerin has noticed. Yerin sat in silence as she patted the Maknae's head, trying to soothe the crying girl. Soon, Umji was no longer crying, thanks to Yerin. She kissed the older's cheek to thank her, a blush evident on her fluffy cheeks as she did so. Yerin played along and winked at her, shooting a finger heart simultaneously. They giggled at each other's silly antics.

Their manager, who was having a staring contest with the floor of the van, snapped his head back up. The atmosphere in the van had been so solemn.

Hearing a giggle or laughter from one of the girls made him relief beyond belief. At least they are fine for now, he thought.

Sooner or later they were gonna start joking around again, like they normally do. And he was right. A minute later, the girls were chatting amongst one another, having small talks.

The manager decided that now was the right time to brief the girls about what's happening, seeing that they are more relaxed and less tensed than before. He called for their attention and like meerkats, all of them focused on him with attentive eyes.

"Ok girls. I know this might sound crazy but....
" He trailed off. The girls looked at him in suspense.

"I still do not know what is happening right now," he explained himself jokingly, trying to lighten up the atmosphere even more.

The girls look at him with an are-you-serious face. Sinb gave him a cold glare. If glares could kill, he would've been dead by now. He apologized and readied himself to explain to the girls.

"Ok so here's what had happe-," He was interrupted, again. A few shrieks and screams could be heard as well as rapid footsteps towards their van. The screams and shouts got even louder as a mass number of people approached. The girls covered their ears at the high-pitched screams as the group of people ran pass their car. It almost seemed endless. Some even accidentally bumped into their car. They were greatly alarmed but at the same time they didn't know what to do.

"Uhhh girls...I think we might have to get out and run like the others." The manager said in a hurry as he was prepared to open the door.

"NO!!!" Sowon suddenly shouted, shocking the other occupants of the van.

"I mean no......Lets just stay in the van and see what happens," she said in a much calmer tone.

"Look, we don't know what's happening outsid-"

"Exactly! None us of us knows what's happening outside." The other members could only watched as they argued.

"I'm staying here and that's FINAL. You guys can go if you want to," she added.

"If Sowon unnie is staying, then I'm not going anywhere without her," Yerin spoke, voice full of determination to prove her stance.

"Me too," Yuju added.

"Me three," Eunha said. She tried to appear fierce and stern but failed miserably when the trembling in her voice is still evident.

"I'm joining Sowon Unnie too. One for all, All for one," Umji mused. Once again, proving her wisdom.

All of them then turned towards the second youngest who seemed to be in deep thought.

"Unnie, don't you think staying in our van instead of evacuating or something may be too risky? I mean I respect your decision but it seemed a little too dangerous to just stay in the van," Sinb carefully said, fearing that a little slip of a word may trigger the leader even more.

The leader looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"You can join him if u want," Sowon said in a stern voice.

"Unnie..it's not like that..it's just that-" Sinb didn't get to finish her sentence as she was choked up by her tears.
 
Unknowingly, she had began to tear up as soon as she tried to justify herself.

Sowon's gaze towards Sinb softened. She turned silent and stared into space. The atmosphere in the van became even more tensed.

"So i guess...we're all staying in the van then," Tired of the silence, the manager finally spoke up.

Sowon nodded her head slowly, indicating that she agrees with him. She sat on her seat, arms folded as she thought about what to do next.

They were so distracted by the argument that they seem to have forgotten about the situation outside.They remembered about it only when Yerin pointed it out, being the observant person she is.

"Guys, did you hear that?" Yerin asked

" Hear what? Unnie did all those shrieks and screams make you hear things?" Sinb savagely replied. Seems like she is back to the normal savage Sinb. No more shy and timid Sinb.

"Exactly," Yerin stated as a matter of factly, using hand gestures to desperately prove her point. " Its silent," she added.

The girls listened carefully and true to Yerin's words, it was almost like a pin drop silence, except the sounds of running engines that came from the surrounding vehicles that could be heard faintly.

They decided to increase the transparency of the shades in the window. The moment they saw whats outside, their mouth hung open in shock. Small fires could be seen, probably due to the recent explosion. Not a human being in sight. Their worries increased. ‘Maybe we should've followed the crowd’. They thought at the same time

No one said anything for awhile.

“Should we go outside? I mean, I don’t see anyone else outside so why not right…” Umji suggested in a timid voice.

Their manager agreed.

“Alright. How ‘bout this? I’ll step outside first and check. If it's safe to go outside, I’ll let you guys out. Ok?” The girls nodded their heads in agreement.

Before opening the door, he decided to bring along an umbrella, just in case, for protection. Afterall, he still doesn’t know what’s going on outside. Neither do the girls. Better safe than sorry, he thought.

He muttered a short prayer before heading out. He immediately slammed the door shut to prevent the girls from exiting the van. He check the surroundings of the van first. Checking from one side to another. After a few minutes of thoroughly checking, he signaled to girls that it was safe to come out. They went out one by one. Each of them had something in their hands. Sowon with a foldable umbrella, Yerin with a hand mirror the size of her face, Eunha with a chocolate bar, Yuju with a portable fan, Sinb with a pocket knife and lastly Umji with a pair of safety scissors.

Earlier in the van while their Manager went out

“Ok girls listen up. We need to protect ourselves with something when we go outside. Make sure to only bring your necessities. And no Yerin. A duck plushie ain’t a necessity,” Sowon instructed firmly. Yerin could only pout in defeat.

They need to carry as less things as possible. Lesser thing means light weight. Lighter weight means that they can easily run when danger comes. Sowon rummaged through her bag and almost shouted in happiness when she found an umbrella. The other girls quickly find their own items to protect themselves. Except for Eunha who prioritises food over anything else. At this point, Sowon wasn’t even suprise. Typical Eunha, she thought as she mentally rolled her eyes.

Back to Present

The manager looked at Eunha weirdly.

“Why did you bring a cho- you know what nevermind….” The manager sighed.

“I’m hungry ok!,” responded Eunha, a pout a evident on her face.

The rest could only facepalm themselves.

“Does anybody have a torchlight or something? It's like only three-thirty in the morning. The sun is not going to rise until 3 or 4 hours later,” The manager asked, hoping that they at least have another source of light besides the moon.

“Ummm I don’t think we have any torchlights but we do have our phones with us right,” Yuju answered.” We can use the torch device in our phones instead,” she added.

“Where should we go now?” Yerin asked.

“Let's head towards the city. That's where we were headed to anyways before we got stuck in this sticky situation,” Their manager concluded.

“Alright. But we must find a vehicle that can drive us back to the city cause’ I don't think we can use our van anymore. There's no way we can drive pass the vehicles in front of it,” Eunha said. Being the laziest in the group, the last thing she wanted was to walk 50 kilometers all the way to Seoul.

Their manager nodded in agreement to with their plan.

“Ok that sounds safe enough. Sowon can lead and I’ll be the last man. We will walk in a single file at all times ok. DO NOT let go of each others hands no matter what. We only have each other for now,” Their manager added.

It was true. They really only had each other for now. Their phones weren’t able to make any calls. From now on, they will have to rely on each other. And so, they started walking. As they walk past each vehicle, they couldn’t help but notice that most of them were left ajar.

“Maybe we should look through the vehicles and try to find things that can help protect us,” Sowon suggested as she stopped them.

All of them agreed but not before promising each other to stay close and not wander off carelessly. They were worried about Yuju the most as they knew the said girl was directionally challenged. Yuju reassured them that she was going to be fine by sticking next to Sowon. They quickly dispersed to find more items and maybe weapons.

Searching for items proved to be a difficult task as they had to only rely on their phones. Looking through things using only one hand wasn't helping them either. Soon, all of them gathered at Sowon’s and Yuju’s place. Each of them carrying an item each. This time, the items seemed more durable and they can actually protect them. Sinb and Umji each had a baseball bat in hand while Eunha had a golf club. Yerin had a couple of torchlights while their manager found a taser. While the duo didn’t manage to find any items or weapons, they did found some food and drinks. They quickly stuffed them in a small duffel bag that they found in the trunk of a car.

Sowon handed Yerin the bag as she was the strongest. The said girl quickly threw it over her shoulder effortlessly. She then gave Sowon and the Manager each a torchlight. She decided to give the last torchlight to Yuju as she was in the middle and she didn't have anything else to carry besides her phone.

They started to walk again, this time even faster. Eunha checked the time in her phone. It says A quarter to four. God, why does time seem to pass so slowly today, she thought.

Soon, they reached the utmost front of the congestion. It was where the congestion had apparently started. The sight in front of them gave them shivers. A car toppled over another car. Pieces of glass can be seen, completely shattered on the road.

They immediately went inside the nearest vehicle that they could find thats unlocked. It was an old Nissan. Luckily, the keys were still in the ignition. Their manager volunteered to drive. The car was meant only for four people. Two at the front and two at the back. Their manager will be driving and Sowon will be at the front with him. That left the other 5 girls to share a seat meant for two people. It was a challenge at first but they managed to fit eventually by sitting on each others laps. Yerin sat behind the manager and Sinb sat on her lap while Yuju sat behind Sowon and Umji sat on her lap. Eunha sat in the middle. It was a tight fit and not the most comfortable position but it's better than being out in the open.

Their manager soon started driving towards the city. They were thankful that they didn’t have ti walk anymore. They were 100% sure that their legs will give up entirely if they had to take another step. They rolled down the windows to enjoy the breeze. Umji was enjoying the breeze when a thought crossed her mind that sent chills down her spine.

What happened to the people who were involved in the accident?

A/N: Pardon my spelling and grammatical errors. Though, I'm quite fluent in English, it is still not my best language. Thanks for reading and subscribing :)