"mommy, where's daddy?" the curious young girl found herself in the basement of her house. before her was an empty, darkroom. the only light source that would make the surroundings visible was a single light bulb in the middle of the room. she stands in the middle of the staircase, taking small steps down while holding onto the handles on the side.

she had never been to the basement before, she thought. her mom had always told her to stay out of it since the monster will catch her. as a kid, that would keep you out. she would often hear strange noises every time she passed by the door that leads to the mysterious underground. she could only take a glimpse when her mother enters and exits through the door. 

her mother's back was facing her, she couldn't see much of her mother's face because of the raven locks(she held similar to) shield the side even if she tilts her head right and left. the basement was silent. every step she took left echoes through the whole room. once she was only inches near her mother, she tugs hem of the woman's shirt, “mommy..?” 

the young girl looks up then trails down to her mother's hands—a knife smeared with blood. the same hand that held the knife tight, shakes until the grip loosens and the knife clanks on the floor. she flinched at the sharp sound the knife caused, “joohyun, i told you not to come here.” her mother had finally said.

“b-but i was curious—”

“that doesn't mean you could nose around!” her mother snaps, facing her. her mother crouches down to her level to comfort the now crying child. she wipes her child's tears as her's start to appear, “i-i'm sorry, joohyun..” the girl's mother hugs her tight, running the bloody hands on joohyun's back.

she didn't expect what she had just seen.

behind her mother was a dead body of the man known as her father tied up on a chair. syringes stabbed on his arms, tubes connecting from her father's body to some machines. 

her mother and father often had fights. her father was too busy with work always and eventually, her mother got unhealthily jealous. "is the lab more important to you than family?" was her mom's constant arguments. they thought she doesn't notice but every time they fought she would always be in the corner observing them. it tainted young joohyun's mind, thinking she might end up like them if she ever married someone. she thought her mother was sick. sick of her father's actions. however, why kill her father?

she passed out after the discovery. she still bears the vivid memory of that moment but she continues to lie to her mother as if nothing happened and she forgot all about it. and apparently up until today she couldn't stand this sight. she has seen many dead bodies on the roads, streets and abandoned homes. she would sometimes not realize tears were trickling down to her cheeks when she saw them. she would sometimes feel suffocated but as she saw more and more she got a tad bit used to it. at least she hopes she does.

joohyun saw everything, from seulgi showing up from the bedroom and jumping on the man that was about the touch her, maybe even take her away, worse, kill her. she saw how seulgi changed from the human-ish zombie to the voracious flesh-eating monster. the sight of blood splattering everywhere triggering her frail emotions, tears were about to spill from her eyes but she held it back, shutting her eyes close to prevent her from witnessing the gory scene.

until the zombie came crawling to her, telling her how she did not mean to greedily eat the visitors. joohyun still kept her eyes sealed. she pushed her body away from the approaching zombie. she admits she was scared but she understood why seulgi had to do it. seulgi, a zombie she just met, thinking she was different from the rest, different inside and out but the zombie was the same with the different. seulgi still has her hunger for human flesh deep inside. 

“seulgi..” joohyun whispers to the unconscious body of the zombie slumped on her. she was leaning against the wall, seulgi's head resting on her shoulder, “.. i'm scared..” joohyun's lips tremble to say. tears began to well up, tracing down to her cheeks, her breathing becoming heavy. she engulfs the unconscious body of the zombie in her arms, not bothered by the stains of blood seulgi has on her. it didn't matter. 

joohyun cries silently.

“i only have you..”

the zombie's eyes soon began to flutter open, revealing the eyes joohyun first met. dazed and confused, seulgi felt a comforting warmth around her. her body relaxes and eventually, she realizes she was on joohyun. she separates herself quickly from the woman, thinking that joohyun must have had a difficult time being around a monster.

now they both sit far apart from each other. they both stay silent. seulgi looked into joohyun's eyes—calm. it wasn't the frightened ones during her murderous spree. she could notice some wetness on joohyun's cheeks, indicating that she cried although she still holds a calm face. the zombie was confused. shouldn't joohyun be scared of her still? she had just eaten two humans, joohyun's kind, in front of her. 

seulgi wipes the dry blood from her cheek, turning aw