[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty-Two[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

A growl reached Seri’s ears. She turned and glanced at an alleyway, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Tapping and clumsy footfalls could be heard, aggravating the tension in her body. She breathed as quietly as she could, following Baekhyun as they made their way through Wando’s city center. The sad state of the once beautiful town at the coast didn’t shock Seri, she had grown used to decay and destruction. Cars and debris blocked the roads, forcing them to cross the city on foot. They followed road signs indicating the way to the harbor, which was in the West of town, and occasionally encountered zombies. Not a single survivor had shown up so far, leading Seri to assume the town was dead. The stores they came upon had all been ransacked, no food items were left and even other necessities had been stolen. Surviving in a place like this would be next to impossible.

Seri walked next to Yeji, who looked around wearing a nervous grimace. She clutched her hockey stick as if it was her lifeline. Like the rest of the group, the young woman carried a backpack filled with her most important belongings. The soldiers kept the two women in their midst and scanned their surroundings for possible dangers. Being quiet and inconspicuous was the key—they weren’t here to attract unwanted attention.

“H-How much longer?” Yeji whispered anxiously, eyeing a squeaking front door that was moved by the strong breeze.

“Hard to say, maybe thirty minutes?” Chanyeol whispered to her. He held his gun in his hand and hardly made a sound as he walked—it was plain to see he had been trained for situations such as this, where stealth was vital.

Baekhyun slowed and gestured for the group to stop. Ahead of them, a horde of zombies lingered on the sidewalk. Some of the rotting creatures simply stood still and stared into space, their heads twitching weirdly. Cold dread filled Seri’s chest at the sight, and she looked around for cover, but there was nothing suitable nearby. The doors of the apartment buildings next to them were barred and the broken motorcycle littering the asphalt wouldn’t help them either. They would have to retreat and search for a different way to the harbor.

Baekhyun turned back and the others followed his example, sneaking to the last intersection they had passed and walking down a different street. He frowned at the map he had brought, cursing inwardly since this would make the walk to the harbor more complicated than necessary. The only viable option that remained was to cross the shopping street up ahead and take a detour. He explained the issue to his companions, prompting Sehun to curse under his breath. Yeji was about to be sick, turning white as a sheet, and Jongin attempted to calm her down.

“Don’t lose hope, guys. We’ll reach the harbor until noon,” Seri said in an effort to boost morale. “If we walk a bit faster, we still got a chance to make it!”

“She’s right,” Chanyeol nodded. “Come on, let’s move!”

They passed another intersection and headed left, into a slightly smaller street lined with boutiques and shops. Most of them had sold souvenirs and little trinkets, the kind of tacky gifts you would bring your friends after you return from a vacation. The atmosphere in this area was ominous—the colorful storefronts seemed out of place and looked bizarre, especially when the remains of zombies covered the ground in front of them. Seri swallowed as they passed the decaying flesh, covering her nose because the stench was terrible. Her eyes watered.

“Ewww,” Yeji breathed and inched closer to Jongin, reaching for his hand.

“Don’t look at it,” he advised and pulled her away from the disgusting sight.

The abandoned shell of a shopping mall loomed in front of them, a sad reminder of the life they had once led. Its walls were dirty and the entire glass façade that made up its front had been smashed to pieces. The inside was obscured by darkness, evoking a bad feeling in Seri. It would be better to avoid the building and stay far away, but if they wanted to reach the harbor in time, they couldn’t make any more detours. They were already running late. She bit her lip and gazed at her fiancé’s back, reminding herself to calm down. Baekhyun picked up his pace, intending to pass the shopping mall swiftly.

They had almost left the creepy structure behind when Seri heard a noise that made her blood run cold. Steps. Many steps. They were fast, accompanied by hungry growls and snarls, the snapping of jaws.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened when he saw the horde of zombies that stormed out of the mall. “,” he spat and quick-wittedly used his gun to fire a few shots, taking out two undead. “Run, run, run!”

They were already running as fast as they could. Since there was no point in fighting an army of undead monsters, the soldiers didn’t waste any time. However, without knowing the layout of the streets in this area, it was hard to choose which way to go—Baekhyun had no clue if he was leading them straight into a dead-end. He occasionally glanced over his shoulder, making sure everyone was keeping up with him as he took a sudden turn and disappeared into another street. The zombies lost sight of the group, but not for long.

Seri was scared, her pulse racing and adrenaline pumping through her body. They needed a plan, but what should they do? For how long could they keep on running like this? Her stamina wasn’t endless, and Yeji in particular already struggled to keep up. Jongin grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, desperation clouding his expression.

“We can’t shake them off,” Sehun panted, catching up with Baekhyun. “You got a plan?”

“See the building over there? If we run inside, we might lose them!” Chanyeol yelled from behind them.

“But even more zombies could be inside,” Sehun scowled.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“No, but this will be risky as .”

“They’re catching up!” Yeji screamed.

She gasped for air, forcing her tired legs to run faster, but they were burning in exertion. She wouldn’t make it much longer, and Seri’s worry about her friend grew. Unbeknownst to them, the situation was about to get ten times worse—the loud growls and screams of their pursuers lured in more zombies from adjacent alleys and buildings. They streamed onto the street.

“,” Baekhyun cursed and instinctively moved to the left, seeing a chance to evade. However, the rest of the group wasn’t fast enough, cut off from him by two zombies. Sehun shot one of them, but another appeared to fill its spot. Sehun and Chanyeol were forced to run in a different direction, getting further away from Baekhyun. Jongin pulled Yeji by the wrist and pursued them. The situation had become too chaotic, and by the time Baekhyun realized they had been separated, it was too late—their group had fallen apart and there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t see his fiancée anymore, panic taking hold of him as he fired more bullets at the undead.

Meanwhile, Seri struggled to dodge the snapping jaws that appeared left and right of her. She, too, had lost sight of her friends and was all alone amidst the undead. The doctor had no choice but to flee into an empty alleyway to avoid being surrounded.

“Meet me at the harbor!” she screamed over her shoulder, hoping her friends had heard. She couldn’t stop or turn back—the undead pursued her, smelling easy prey. Whether she liked it or not, she was now on her own, and even while being immune to the virus, this was a scary predicament. Her immunity wouldn’t help her once these monsters tore her apart.

She needed a plan and a large amount of luck to shake them off. This predicament proved how important it was to stay in shape and never neglect her workouts. It was fortunate she had always taken care of her health and worked on her stamina—but this ultimately wouldn’t save her if she didn’t find shelter soon. Seri turned left and passed the backsides of several shops, dodging trash cans and items that had been left behind. The growls behind her prevailed. They haunted her. It was her fear that allowed her to keep running. The idea of being eaten by these monsters was harrowing, so she sprinted as fast as she could.

A residential area appeared in front of her. She passed an abandoned playground and tall apartment buildings, still seeing no option to shake her pursuers off. Desperation gnawed at her. In an attempt to confuse the zombies, she dashed to the left and disappeared into a driveway, jumping over a fence. She didn’t dare to look over her shoulder, but the noises told her that she still wasn’t safe from their boundless hunger.

As she rounded the building, her eyes got caught on something—a fire escape leading up to the flat roof of the house. It was a rusty ladder encased in metal bars to prevent accidents. This could be her chance! She doubted the zombies would be able to climb up, and even if her assumption was wrong, from up there, it would be easy to hit them with her baseball bat and make them fall.

Seri grabbed the ladder and climbed as fast as a squirrel scaling a tree. She nimbly ascended the ladder, going higher and higher. A glance over her shoulder showed that the zombies indeed couldn’t climb up. Their motor abilities weren’t good enough, so they clumsily grabbed the ladder and pushed and pulled, making the structure shake. Seri was lucky none of these zombies belonged to the dangerous, mutated kind—then she would have faced a whole lot of problems.

Reaching the edge of the roof, she pulled herself up and landed on the dirty ground. She caught her breath and looked around—only to freeze in shock. A lone zombie stalked the roof of the building, and her arrival had gained its attention. It had once been a young woman, barely an adult, wearing a pretty blue coat that had been soiled with blood. Her hair was uneven and short as if a child had cut it for her.

Heaving a sigh, Seri reached for the baseball bat sticking out of her backpack. She braced herself, inching closer to the zombie. Its stench tainted the salty sea air.

“I’m sorry about this, but I have no choice if I want to live, ” Seri whispered when the zombie growled at her, setting its rotting legs into motion. It was fast, but the surgeon wasn’t afraid and swung her bat when its head was within reach. She landed a solid hit, but it wasn’t enough to stop the zombie. It snarled and bared its teeth at her, reaching out with its claws. One of them caught her jacket, ripping the fabric.

Cursing, Seri used a kick she had learned during her hapkido lessons, forcing the monster back. Its legs hit the railing that encompassed the roof—and Seri saw her chance. She ran at it with her baseball bat, raising the weapon. When it struck the zombie, the impact caused it to lose its balance. It tipped backward and disappeared over the railing. Seri grimaced at the dull thud she heard and glanced down, just long enough to confirm the zombie was dead for good. The group of undead that had chased her descended on the fallen zombie like vultures.

She leaned the bat against her shoulder and inspected the rest of the sunbathed roof. Weeds grew from cracks in the concrete, and the weather and salty air had damaged the façade. Moss covered the lower half of the door on the other side of the roof. Presumably, it was connected to a staircase inside the apartment building. This would be the only way to leave the roof without running into the horde from before.

She was hesitant to open the door, many thoughts rushing through her mind. The escape from the zombies had cost her valuable time and now she was in a different part of town, had no map and no clue how to reach the harbor. The rooftop was surrounded by taller buildings that obscured the view, so she had not a single hint as to how far the harbor was. All she knew was that it should be somewhere in the west of Wando. However, there was no way she would reach the harbor in time to meet up with the ship to Jeju.

“It’s already past noon,” she mumbled as she glanced at the sun, estimating the time. “Great, what do I do?” Was her group scattered through town? Or had they met up at the harbor already? Seri was unsure how to proceed. Even if she reached the harbor today, it would be too late to board the ship. She would have to spend another week in Wando until the next ship arrived. If she didn’t show up though, her friends would be worried sick. She doubted they would leave without her.

She frowned