Gun fire went off startling the teens and the bird creature which took a bullet to its newly healed body.  Sohyun and Ilhoon jumped back, while the creature fidgeted in pain. It didn’t take long to find out who the person in charge of the shot was.

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

Three rough looking men approached the scene, carrying weapons from shotguns to machetes.  Their smug smiles made the adolescents nervous.  The creature had finally stopped screaming in pain and bared its teeth at the thugs.  One of them drew out their shot gun and aimed at the creature.  Ilhoon stepped in between them.

“Move back, boy!” The one with the gun yelled nastily.
“And what do you plan on doing?” Sohyun asked, kept in place by the positions the other two men were posted.  They had somehow surrounded them when they approached; one being off to Sohyun’s side, the second behind the monster and Ilhoon, and then the third one, the one with the gun, directly in front of his line of fire.
“Don’t get smart.” The one beside Sohyun said. He had a foul get up and an even fouler smell coming from him.  He suddenly grabbed both of Sohyun’s arms from behind and pulled her back. His breath was rank and hot in the girl’s ear and Sohyun held her breath while he talked.  “Look, these monsters are coming out left and right now that the world is going to .”

“Take your filthy hands off her!” Ilhoon roared but no one listened.  The one with the gun yelled at him.

“You still standing there?”  The teen did not respond but he took a nasty whack to the back of his head seconds later by the man standing behind him using the blunt end of his machete.  Ilhoon fell to his knees ruggedly while Sohyun whelped but could barely get a scream out with one of the men forcing his arm around .  She could smell the stench through his clothing and felt suffocated.  They all laughed and the one that hit Ilhoon placed a foot on his head.

“What are we to do with the brats, boss?”

The one with the gun shrugged, feigning no interest in the teenagers.  He still had the bird creature in his line of sight, he couldn’t care less what his comrades did with the ones that didn’t matter.  Soon he fired his weapon, hitting the creature square in the chest.  The rib cage was exposed and the monster died wailing.  Sohyun muffled her cries while Ilhoon cursed and the thugs continued to laugh.  The one holding Ilhoon down shifted his foot on the boy’s head and sneered.

“I think I’ll have this one for myself.  Minsoo, you can have the girl.”
“Is that ok with you, boss?”

Their leader looked over his kill, still disinterested in the fate of Sohyun and Ilhoon.  The two subordinates  took the silence as a yes, and planned to take the teenagers with them.

“No one is taking anyone.” Ilhoon rolled to his back and jumped to his feet. His fast movements took the men aback, even more so when the one that had towered over Ilhoon was suddenly lying on the ground, doubled over in pain. They barely saw when the man got kneed twice, one in the gut and a second time in the fast as he toppled over.

“Get him!” The leader instructed the other still with Sohyun in his grasp. He pushed the girl aside and rushed at Ilhoon only to be met with a high kick to his face that immediately knocked him out. He fell back stiffly in an amusing manner, almost as if in a cartoon and the leader would have facepalmed himself had he been dumb enough to let down his guard, but he had his rifle aimed at Ilhoon.

“That’s enough, boy. Now you keep still; don’t you dare move a muscle!”
“Ilhoon!”
The males turned their attention to Sohyun who was holding a shotgun, and then they looked back at each other where the rifle was no longer in the man’s hands. Before he could process the situation Ilhoon spun kicked the man in the head where he fell to the concrete along with the rest of his miserable crew.
“How did you…” The hit eventually made him pass out and the teenagers reviewed what was left of the mess the men caused. Sohyun tossed the weapon aside and began walking away. Ilhoon stared at the creature Sohyun had healed that was now lying dead. He shook his head and walked away from the violent scene.  He caught up to Sohyun who held a grim expression and gradually fastened her pace.  Soon it turned into a run and then a sprint. She ran down the empty streets of a ruined district. A world falling apart. She ran until she reached