[Note: some time (approximately fifteen minutes) have elapsed in between the prolouge and the first chapter. technically, you don't need to read the prolouge in order to understand what's going on. chapter 1 is the true start of the story. hope this isn't too confusing]

Seoul, South Korea

21:07, 10/13/2035

“WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!” Baekhyun yelled at the top of his lungs as he kicked a guy off of him. He was shaking so bad, even worse than when he was about to go onstage for his school's yearly talent shows. Looking at the girl in front of him, he gasped as he watched her stick a wooden stick through the head of the man that was on him. “Why did you just kill him?!”

The girl glared and grabbed his collar, “If you shout one more time, I’ll personally guarantee you that you will not survive another minute.”

Baekhyun whimpered, scared and cold, but didn't say anything more about it. 

The girl had walked over to the main entrance of the McDonalds. The entire resturaunt was empty, except for a couple of seemingly unmoving corpses lying scattered around the restuarunt. Most of the dead were little children and Baekhyun covered his mouth quickly when his eyes glanced over one little girl who had half of her stomach cut open. The girl started inspecting the door, peering outside, but the designs painted and flyiers posted on the glass door had made it nearly impossible. She turned around and raised her left eyebrow, "Are you okay? How did you manage to survive? I didn't see you around when he came in." She motions towards the guy on the floor

He gulped, "Uh, no...well. I-I went to the bathroom and then....I just heard screams.”

"Yeah, I guess its a good thing you didn't see what happened. It kind of came out of nowhere. The streets were suddenly cleared, save a couple of people and then this guy comes barging in, and groaning. So of course, some good-natured people seated near the entrance went up to help him. And the next thing you know, he turns all cannabalistic and starts biting this one woman. It was a mess." She replied softly. “That guy,” The girl motioned towards the dead man in front of them. “is dead. He was already dead before I killed him. I don’t know what they are, but they keep walking after they die. They just....don’t stop.”

“Is this some sort of sick joke?” Baekhyun retailiated. 

She snorted in response, “I don’t think watching my family and friends die is supposed to be a joke.”

“Oh, .” Baekhyun replied, putting his face in his hands, “, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“At this point, I don’t need your sympathy.”

An awkward sort of silence lapsed between the two. Baekhyun coughed once, "What's your name? I'm Baekhyun."

"Hyeyeon." She replied quietly and moved slowly, holding the wooden stick in a ready-to-strike position as she peeked outside the window. "We have to get out of here.”

Baekhyun hastily ran to her side and nervously asked, "Shouldn't we wait in here until the police comes? Or until we hear more about this issue?"

"Look outside. Do you think the authorities know what's going on?" 

Baekhyun turned to look out the window. The streets of Seoul were in havoc.

In just a few minutes, the lights of Seoul had exploded in colors. It was definitely not New Years Eve; yet, explosions and screams, not necessary screams of delights, filled the streets.

And the people.

The people were running in all directions, some of them away from others that were shuffling towards them. Some people ran through the cars, driving away while others banged on the cars and begged to get in the car. Baekhyun looked up just in time to see a man yell “The time is here! God has been angry with the world! Redeem yourselves and ask for his forgiveness before you burn in hell!” People were on their knees, praying and crying while clutching on the pastor’s robes.

Baekhyun shook his head, “Atheists until the world ends.”

“Are you religious?” Hyeyeong asked as she clutched her cross necklace.

Baekhyun shook his head, “I’m not. I don’t really care about people converting, but I find it hypocritical when people convert simply because of what's happening. Those people jump on the bandwagon simply because they're afraid. Those people aren't religious, they're just scared.”

“Yeah, we need to get out of here.” Hyeyeong said as she pulled on Baekhyun’s arm. Both of them safely exit the McDonalds. They both stumble for some time before Hyeyeong points up ahead where there was a large crowd of people, pushing and shoving at a huge gate, which had been armed by several military officials with guns and tanks. “Look! Let’s go over there!”

Hyeyeong grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist and the two of them made their way over to the armed officers. “God!” Baekhyun yelled as two figures dropped from the sky a couple of meters in front of them. “What the ?!”

She looked at the man and woman lying in front of her and grimaced before replying, “Suicide. I’m guessing they’re a couple.”

“Why would you do that?!” Baekhyun asked, still looking at Hyeyeong pulled him along. obviously still upset by what he just saw. “Why wouldn’t you fight for your survival?”

“I don’t know,” Hyeyeong replied, and stared right at Baekhyun, and it was then that Baekhyun got to have a good look of her face. She wasn’t necessarily what South Korea would call “beautiful” but she had her own charm. Despite having double eyelids, her eyes were still quite small, but it gave her a certain foxy look that one could no longer find in the streets of Seoul. “What do you think is better? Dying with your loved ones or trying to survive without them?”

Baekhyun thought for a moment; he really didn’t know. Both scenarios were ones that he didn’t want to happen, but given his independent nature (and rather hectic relationship with his mother), he would’ve picked the latter. However, he said nothing and just picked up his pace to a slow jog to keep up with Hyeyeong.

As they reached the crowd, they noticied that the tanks and officers were strategically placed so that no one could get through. “Please, everyone, go back to your homes, everything is under control!” One of the officers yelled into the speakerphone, trying to calm the crowd down with no avail.

“ that !” Someone yelled, “It is not under control! I just saw someone get impaled by a stick and they are still walking around! Can you explain that?!”

“Just get us out of here! My daughter is sick!”

“Please! Open the gates!”

“ you, officers! Get us the hell out of here!”

“You going to kill us all if you leave us here!”

Baekhyun grabbed Hyeyeong’s hand and replied, “Don’t let go.” before he slowly pushed his way through the crowd, up to the front with the officers. Once there, he looked hard at the officers standing in front of them. They were dressed in military uniforms, so they obviously weren’t your typical police officers and were instead the national guard who are only used in serious national emergencies and dangers. As soon as he made it to the front, all of the officers had pointed their guns at his head, hands on the triggers, ready to shoot.  “Why can’t we pass? Do you want us to die here like this? With no hope?” He asked the front officers.

“Orders are to keep those infected contained. We do not want the virus to keep spreading.” The officers replied, not lowering their guns. “Now, sir, I ask you to go back to your home and wait for further instructions!”

“ that!” Baekhyun yelled, one of his hand still gripping on to Hyeyeong’s, “And wait till we’re, what, dead!?! You’re killing innocent people down here! We’re not infected! Get us the hell out of here!”

“Sir! I ask you to retire back to your homes or else I will shoot!”

“Then shoot us!” Someone behind them screamed, “You’re killing us anyways!”

“Don’t tempt me!” The officer-in-charge with the speakerphone yelled, “I have orders to shoot if the situation deems it be!”

“You’re bluffing! You won’t shoot us! You are all cowards! ing cowardly murderers! Selfish bastards!" Baekhyun yelled in frustation, trying to think of any obscene words that popped into his head.

"Uhhh" Someone who was behind them threw up blood at that precise moment. He began to convulse and twist on the ground, with his lover trying to calm him down, but to no avail.

"Everyone get the away from him!!" Hyeyeong screamed at the top of her lungs as she pulled Baekhyun away from the crowd and ran as fast as she could.

And ran.

And ran.

And ran.