“Get into the mall!”

Soobin’s voice was awfully loud, his arms moving in large motions, gesturing the people to take cover. He made sure that there was no one lurking in the streets, knowing that the road was an easy target.

He waited for the last person to walk through the broken entrance of the mall, the sliding doors shattered into shards, thanks to the hammer’s impact; the doors wouldn’t slide open without any electricity anyway. He stepped forward, making sure to avoid any sharp pieces from piercing through the worn-out soles of his shoes.

Panting heavily, he looked at the crowd with a small smile on his face; the squad stood in front of the large group of civilians just behind, the entire floor of the mall filled with people. For a short second, he turned around and peeked his head out through the entrance, observing the scene outside.

Dimly lighted under the setting sun, he saw a roundabout several metres away, the road stretching out in four directions. He then saw the distant machine, now moving from the right to the left, its viscous liquid already destroying the last few pillars of the petrol station. He roughly estimated the time it would take for the vehement slimes to reach the mall, but he was startled by a low grunt from a troop of officers that came rushing forward, their arms firmly holding rifles and pistols.

He stepped aside, letting the men and women rush into the mall; he wondered why they looked so exhausted.

“I think we managed to slow them down!”, a female officer yelled as she put her gun back into the holster around her waist.

Soobin only took a mere second to see the exchange of glances between Yeosang and the officers; he immediately understood the situation. “But they’re still alive and they’re coming. What now?”

“We’ll finish them off like we did the previous ones.”

“Taehyun, I appreciate your bravery, but I think we all know that’s not happening, like ever.” He wished he didn’t have to see the hint of sorrow flash through the other’s eyes; he didn’t want to argue with Taehyun, but he also didn’t like the idea of the younger constantly putting forward plans and rushing into action.

He was starting to see all the similarities between Taehyun and Kai – the two youngest always seemed so eager to attack the mysterious creatures.

Taehyun let out a groan; he didn’t want to add another person to the list of people who always dismissed his suggestions. Resisting the urge to curse, he explained: “Hyung, you’ve got to have some hope! I trusted you all, I trusted your strength, and that’s why you all were able to defeat those ugly slimes this morning. We’ve just got to come up with a more effective plan and put an end to these slimes too. We need to work together, that’s a vital point, and we all know that by now.”

There were a few seconds of silence as Soobin continued to glare at Taehyun, while the others watched the duo awkwardly.

“I am sorry for interrupting, but shouldn’t we all just take a break? I mean, look at you all! You need to freshen up, get some food, get some sleep or at least a nap…”, said Felix as he pointed towards a harsh bruise on Yuqi’s knee.

“Felix is right. Let’s all try and sleep through the night. I doubt the slimes will make it here so quickly.” Yeonjun easily backed up the advice, knowing that the outburst of energy in Taehyun was only temporary. He knew that they were all actually fatigued.

Eventually, the mall was engulfed in a soothing silence; the citizens formed small groups among themselves and leaned against the walls and locked-up stores, wrapping their bodies with towels and blankets, trying to fall into the depths of slumber even if that meant they’d have to force their eyes shut.

It was only their misfortune that they couldn’t access the floors above to gather supplies and goods; the escalators were blocked by the impenetrable barrier that stretched right through the centre of the mall. Moreover, the staircases were located beyond the barrier, unfortunately out of reach.

At one side of the accessible parts of the mall, all the corpses were arranged with white sheets covering the gruesome bodies. The revolting stench of blood and rotting flesh was starting to diffuse all across – they would need to be buried soon.

Meanwhile, Taehyun and Yeosang were talking near the entrance, the hazardous pieces of glass being the least of their concerns as they discussed and debated on a handful of plans; their voices were hushed whispers, but Beomgyu managed to eavesdrop a few hints from afar.

“Helicopters?” Beomgyu pondered upon his thought, wondering what the two were talking about, but he was startled by a quick glance sent his way. He didn’t want to appear all flustered in front of Taehyun, so he swiftly turned around and walked back to the rest of the team.

“What’s wrong?”, Yeonjun asked as he gestured the younger to settle down. He tossed a muffin to the other, before chewing on a piece of bread. “Still having trouble with your boyfriend?”

Beomgyu stared at the soggy muffin with a frown, suddenly losing his appetite. He let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know… It’s just… It’s awkward. I’ll talk to him and figure things out, but I kind of don’t want to risk worsening our situation by messing up my words.”

“Oh, come on, Gyu. We’re trapped within a capsule with weird creatures trying to kill us. I don’t think things can get any worse. Just talk to him. Maybe you both are just physically exhausted.”

“Hmm, alright. Thanks, hyung.” Beomgyu hesitantly bit into the muffin, letting the soft dessert melt into his mouth, the sweet flavour instantly brightening up his face even though the muffin didn’t seem fresh at all.

Yeonjun flashed a small smile, trying his best not to pity the other more than he already did. He knew just how important Taehyun meant to Beomgyu, and he knew that the duo would be stuck in a slump if they don’t talk to each other soon.

Shaking away the thought, he looked over his shoulder to see Soobin lying down just behind him. He watched as the younger curled up into a ball, adjusting his head on a bag. He reached forward, running his fingers through the other’s purple hair. “Are you okay?”

Soobin responded with a hum, his eyes still shut and his lips pressed into a tight smile. He didn’t have the strength in him to talk much, his limbs completely drained out from all the running and hiding.

After all, everyone dashed all the way from the campus towards the mall, dragging their bodies across the elongated roads – there was no doubt that they were running continuously for at least five minutes or so.

“Are you too tired? Can I talk? I wanna rant about something…”, Yeonjun inquired in a soft voice, not wanting to disturb the younger much.

Soobin gently nodded, “Go ahead.” Despite that, he stifled a yawn.

“I feel like my father’s stalking me, stalking us, all of us. It’s kind of distressing and discomforting. I mean, I’m not a criminal or anything, and with him being all eerily quiet and just watching me from every corner makes everything so strange. I don’t even want to talk to him right now, but I also want to yell at him to stop doing whatever he’s doing.”

Soobin let out a soft chuckle, letting out a yawn and covering his mouth as he did so. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at the other with a smile. “Like I said before, he’s just looking out for you in his own way. He’s your father. Don’t overthink it.”

“Okay, you make a good point, but imagine your parents just staring at you from one corner. Wouldn’t that be creepy?”

“Hyung, it’s been several days since I last talked to them, and I don’t know how they are doing. My mom looked terrified outside the barrier, and I don’t know how my dad’s doing. I don’t know how my siblings are doing. I would do anything to have my parents staring at me for hours and hours. I would do anything to have my parents looking over me like I was a baby.”

Yeonjun nodded, understanding the younger’s words and feeling guilty for a while. He cleared his throat and nodded again, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s get some sleep, yeah?”

Soobin returned a nod; he shifted gently to the side, letting the older tuck into the blanket he had over himself. He leaned closer, hiding his face behind the other’s back. He felt at peace; having his best friend by his side was the best feeling he felt for a while now.

Meanwhile, Taehyun and Yeosang walked away from the entrance of the mall, now standing in front of the squad. They watched as everyone got under blankets and towels, trying to fall asleep.

Taehyun started off, “Guys, before you all sleep, I think we need to do something about the slimes. I know we’re all very much tired with all that has happened, and I don’t think taking turns while monitoring the outside will be a good idea. What do you say?”

“You’re right, but what do we do? I can’t fight, just letting you know. I feel like I’m about to collapse…” Yuqi was the first to respond, her hands rubbing her eyes gently.

“Oh!” Jisung piped in with a strange burst of energy. “What if Jungeun-noona puts up a huge wall stretching out from one end to the other?”

While the others nodded at that suggestion, Jungeun shifted in her position uncomfortably. She cleared and excused herself, “I don’t really think I can make such a huge wall…” Whether she was scared or doubtful, it didn’t matter.

“Umm, what if…”, Wooyoung paused for a moment as he pointed towards Jungeun and Jisu. “What if the two of you work together and build walls of wood and ice from each side? It’ll save up your strength, and it’ll also protect all of us.”

“Oh my God, yes! Yes, that could work!” Jisu jumped up to her feet, tying her wet hair from washing up a while ago. She put out a hand and dragged Jungeun up, before looking at the others with a strong gaze. “We’ll get this done.”

Just as they walked away and headed towards the entrance, Kai chased after them. He called out, “Wait, I’m coming too. Just in case the slimes try and attack, I’ll keep them distracted while the walls form.”

They stormed out of the mall, trying to drown out the hints of fear and doubt. They couldn’t tremble or back out now; they knew the others relied upon their abilities.

“Alright, let’s split up here. I’ll go towards the right and start building up a wooden wall from the far end of those stores.” Jungeun pointed to h