“Can I have some water?”, asked Kai as he pointed at one of the bags lying on the ground. He caught the bottle that was tossed towards him, unscrewing the cap and taking small sips. He kept the bottle by his side and stretched his legs and arms, frowning at the sight of his bruised fingertips.

The team was sitting on the ground, their bags just beside them. They took a few minutes – that stretched out to more than an hour – to relax and give their powers a break. However, their true purpose was to keep an eye out for more monsters in order to keep the other people safe.

It was already past noon, the bright sunlight passing through the now translucent barrier easily subsiding the fear that would otherwise settle into the team; they needed the light not only to help them see, but also to remind them that they were still alive.

There was no one in the entire world that pitied them more than they pitied themselves, knowing that they were so close to the life outside, yet it felt so distant and out of reach, especially as none of the concerned civilians outside the barrier could see the horrifying scenario beyond the surface.

“Taehyunnie, stop sulking and just speak, will you?”

Yeonjun’s attempt was as futile as the others’ previous tries, but he hated the despair on the younger’s face. As one of the eldest, he wished he could make things better, but he knew that he couldn’t.

“Alright, umm, let’s start heading back now. I don’t think the slimes are going to come, at least for now. Let’s check on the others and save our strength for later.”, Soobin suggested as he rose to his feet, brushing off the dust on his pants. “Besides, I feel like I have a responsibility now. If anyone else is infected, I must save them. For some odd reason, the nurses can’t get the pest out. In fact, the blob kind of swims further away when they try…”

While most of the team ignored Soobin’s hushed rambling, the others began stuffing bottles and towels back into the bags, swinging them over their shoulders.

“Shut up, hyung.”

“Ouch.”

“I still can’t believe we actually tackled a bunch of ugly slimes.”

“Thanks to Taehyun’s trust in us, yeah.”

As the squad began heading back in the opposite direction, they crossed over the uneven and worn-out roads, passing by Soobin’s pile of debris, all the while pinpointing parts of the land on which once stood the gym and the clinic; it was like a little game they somehow played along with.

But the big game was just a while away from being introduced.

“Wait, is it just me or is the machine’s pipe not there anymore? Wasn’t it there the last time?”, Yeonjun asked as he pointed towards the back of the sophisticated structure, trying not to get annoyed at the throttling sounds.

They all halted just a few metres away from the machine, watching the wheels drag the metallic structure towards the relative right-hand side, though it was on the left side from the team’s perspective as they faced away from the river. The machine continued destroying every streetlight and car on its path, while the road grew more vulnerable and softer with the liquid’s damage.

As Yeonjun claimed, the cylindrical tube that was once attached to the back of the machine, was no longer in sight. One could almost believe that it was just their imagination all along.

Yeosang was the first to respond, sneaking a quick glance at Taehyun, but the latter was far too overwhelmed to speak. He cleared his throat, “I guess it was just temporary?”

At the same time, Kai stepped forward with determination masking his face. Being as eager and curious as ever, he stood near the rear of the machine, all the while keeping a safe distance. He whistled a random tune, before he removed the straps of his bag from his shoulders, pulling open the zip. He rummaged through and grabbed an empty bottle.

“Kai, what are you-”

The brown-haired boy aimed and threw the bottle towards the ground, somewhere around the centre of the rear of the machine. He smiled and clapped his hands, seeing the bottle bounce back upon touching what seemed like plain air. However, he knew right there and then, the pipe was still in its rightful place, although hidden from view.

“Thought so!”, he exclaimed as he returned to the others. “Now what?”

“I suppose the thick tube is only clearly visible near the river, its source. It’s just that we couldn’t get too close to the river to see carefully. We had to fight off monsters instead.” Jisu’s suggestion received a fair number of nods and looks, deeming it possible and reasonable.

“Or maybe…” Yuqi paused to take a quick sip of water. She wiped away the trail of liquid near her lips, before continuing: “Maybe it doesn’t matter. As long as we know that the pipe exists, we don’t need to be bothered about it being opaque or transparent, do we?”

“Hmm, fair enough. But let me just…”, Kai trailed off as he let his eyes wander back towards the invisible tube. He pointed his finger firmly, muttering under his breath, only to grin at the sight of a small flame circling the pipe. Despite that, he frowned as the seconds passed by, his intricately created fire having no notable effect.

Just then, he heard a loud screech, followed by a chorus of groans and roars like that of violent beasts trying to break free out of a cage. He looked over his shoulder and gasped softly, hissing as the fire within him died out slowly, which caused the flame around the tube to fade away too. He was scared and startled.

From the dreary river, with a large wave tumbling and rolling over the land, rose three slimes. During its ascent, the limbs and claws were already out and free, clanging together to create a cacophony of distressing sounds.

“, no, no, we just escaped from those ugly creatures and they’re already back?!?”, Beomgyu screamed with a furious tone as he ran with the rest of the team, heading towards the partially enclosed campus, struggling to keep up with the others as the water pushed against his feet. With his hand tightly wrapped around a moping Taehyun, he found it even more difficult to swiftly move along, but he would rather run slow than let go of the other.

While the team continued to dash away from the river and the crawling machine, with heavy breaths and grunts leaving their exhausted bodies, Jungeun slowed down to a halt.

She tried to keep her breathing steady as she put out an arm, her hand free and relaxed. She slowly raised her fingers, watching a wooden wall – one much thicker than any of the previous walls she created – rise from the ground and keep the monsters at bay.

Relieved at her good attempt, she was ready to gesture the team to stop panicking and slow down, knowing that the slimes were far from reach. However, just as she turned around, she felt an uncomfortable feeling within her heart; she shut her eyes and briefly saw the plant in the dark room wilting and curving down. She realised that something must’ve gone wrong.

Hesitantly, she looked over her shoulders, only to let out a shaky breath, her eyes widening as she processed the petrifying sight. Feeling her heartbeat pick up its pace, she took a step back, her fingers beginning to tremble.

The slimes were creeping forward at a steady rate; some of them managed to break down half of the wooden wall in just a few seconds, while a few purposefully changed their route and avoided the barricade, taking an indirect route.

It was almost like these slimes were more enhanced and dangerous than the ones from earlier. It was almost like these slimes were smarter, and that was the team’s worst fear – a nightmare rushing into reality.

“Damn it, we need to keep moving! We’re in no condition to fight!”, Yeonjun screamed out as he raced forward, looking over his shoulder once in a while, ensuring that the others were following along.

He was thankful that the slimes were not already attacking the team on their race back to safety.

As they rushed back to the campus, they fled into the building that they were initially resting in. Pushing open the door, they saw the distressed expressions of the ones already waiting inside. Only then did they realise that everyone must have already taken cover, the dreadful creatures clearly visible under the sunlight.

“Everyone must get inside, and those slimes won’t attack anyone unless they’re infected! Is anyone infected?!?” Yeosang tried to investigate the situation, letting his eyes quickly scan the faces of the people sitting on the ground. He let out a sigh of relief upon noticing no signs of pain.

“Alright, I’ll go and check with the ones in the other houses!” Soobin took on the task, crouching down to tie his loose shoelaces. He hastily reached into his pocket and pulled out the temporary phone he received from a woman back in the elevator a few days ago. He frowned at the lack of response from the small device, before shoving the phone back into his torn pocket, only to groan at the realisation of being trapped for several days now.

These few days felt like months, and he was beginning to lose count – but he couldn’t lose hope, rather he didn’t want to lose the last sparks of hope that kept the squad sane.

“I’m coming with-”

Soobin pleaded immediately, “Yeonjun-hyung, no, you’re not. Please stay here. I have a duty now! If anyone’s infected or hurt, I’ll help them along with the nurses. You have to stay here. Look after the young ones, yeah?”

There was an oddly assuring and comforting gaze in his eyes, and Yeonjun only nodded in response.

Soobin in a deep breath and pursed his lips to blow it out; he pushed the door open and stepped out, sneaking a quick glance to his side, furrowing his brows with distress, wondering how disastrous the scenario would turn out to be as the slimes continue to come closer. Dismissing the thought, he ran across the street, praying that he wouldn’t be seen by the approaching creatures.

He wondered if the limbs could stretch out so far, but he prayed they wouldn’t.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a few bodies being taken into a house; it was dawning upon him just how critical their situation was, and he wondered how many lifeless bodies were found within the campus and the residences in total.

As he arrived near one of the houses and entered the crowded hall, he swiftly dragged his gaze all over the concerned and scared faces of the people. He prayed that everyone was safe. However, at that moment, he began to replay all the perplexing events that occurred within the past few hours and days, and he realised that there was no way he could save the others if he himself was feeling so tormented and overwhelmed.

He needed to calm down, but all he could do was lean against the blemished wall of the living room and let his body slide down to the tiled floor. Burying his face into his hands, he let out a muffled sob, trying not to feel pressured by the people staring at him with pity.

Meanwhile, the condition within the dormitory building wasn’t so pleasant either.

“So, are you still going to go along with your theory of the slimes selectively keeping us alive, or have you finally come to your senses?”, Yeonjun started off with a scowl, glaring at the person just across from him.

Yeosang shook his head eagerly. “No, that theory is far off the table. The creatures are clearly wanting to attack everyone, regardless of whether we have powers or whether we’re infected or not. I’m sorry for assuming without knowing all the details.”

“Alright, enough with the talking. Can we all just stay low and avoid getting killed by the slimes? They’re coming closer as we speak!” San was tired of seeing the two of them argue constantly; he gestured them to keep quiet, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on the staircase just a few metres away from him.

“And can Wooyoung please come down quicker?!?” He raised his voice as he uttered out the question, a groan leaving his lips as he kept staring at the stairway. He began to bite his fingernails out of worry.

“What’s Wooyoung doing upstairs?”

“Ta