3rd Person's POV
Back in the Hyosan quarantine yards, Chae Rin had begun to take on medical classes besides my mother, the staff being short-handed with the number of people in the place.
She hadn't seen On Jo much since the day the two had seen the fire in the school's roof whilst outside the perimeter of the quarantine, and to be quite frank, the silence scared her.
Had she given up hope on going there and possibly find survivors? Would Nam Ra be okay?
Would Cheong San be alive?
The questions overrun the girl's thoughts as she stared off into the distance, a hand on Dae Su's arm. A needle in the other.
"Hey, Chae Rin" he gulps nervously.
"Huh? Sorry" she apologized with a small tight smile, getting back to business and giving him a basic shot for the flu.
"Have you spoken to the others?" He questions, as she put a bandage on his arm.
"Not really... Really only you, Wu Jin and Ha Ri" mumbled the girl disappointed.
After everything we had gone through the group split after the months in quarantine.
Chae Rin couldn't blame them, they probably didn't want to be reminded of how bad of a time it had been for all of them.
"Aren't you sad that you're not as close to On Jo as you were?" He questioned, she hums, back to him as she cleaned the material she had just used and threw away the needle.
"I understand that she's hurt by everything that happened. Her father died for her, and Cheong San..." sighed Chae Rin, turning to him in a smile.
"It's fine, it's not like we used to be. But we're not strangers either. She's still like my sister" she chuckles to which he nods.
"I miss the group hanging out together" He confessed, she agreed... they hadn't been together often.
"Me too, we should plan something-"
"Chae Rin, room 2 needs you for the shots" A male nurse said, she nods.
"We'll talk later Dae Su" With a smile, he waves his hand, and she walks out to the said room, a few elderly inside.
"How are you all today?" she smiles getting set.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"On Jo!" Chae Rin calls out as she watched the shorter female search around the outsides of the quarantine zone.
Turning around she smiles, stopping for her childhood friend to catch up, waving at Mi Jin who had walked by, a cardboard sign on her for help to the seniors who couldn't take their exams.
"What are you searching for? Can I help?" Chae Rin smiles warmly.
"It's not a what, but a who. Su hyeok, have you seen him?" she asks, eyeing around the place.
"Not really, I don't really see him often" the taller one murmured.
"What do you need Su Hyeok for?" she continued.
"The fire... Do you want to go there?" On Jo whispers to Chae Rin, whose eyes go wide as she leaned back from her, furiously nodding at her.
"I do"
"Ok, then let's find Su Hyeok. He'd want to go too" She smiles to which the other nods, with a smile of her own.
Going around the corner of a tent, On Jo bumps her shoulder into Chae Rin's, neck stretched to look at Su hyeok leaning against it, eyes closed towards the warm sun.
"Su Hyeok" On Jo calls out to the boy, raising a hand as he covers his eyes, the sides of his lips curving upwards at the sight of the two girls.
And now the three walked side by side, On Jo in between the two.
"Where have you two been?" The boy asked curious as he eyes them.
"Well, I know Chae Rin has been training as a nurse. But what about you?" he turns his eyes to On Jo for a second before staring back ahead.
"I couldn't find you. I saw the others a few times" He finished.
"I wanted to see them, but I couldn't bring myself to. In case it would remind me" On Jo replied in a serious tone.
"I see them a little, Wu Jin, Dae Su and Ha Ri more often because they come to me, but... I haven't seen Mi Jin, Joon Yeong nor you in a while" Chae Rin rumbled.
"It's like the 3 of you went missing" she worried making the boy let out a low chuckle.
"I went to the mountain last night and saw a campfire" On Jo announced. The three of them stopping on their steps to look at each other.
"I think there's someone at the school rooftop" Chae Rin added.
Quiet settled between the three of them for a while, the two girls knew his only thought was of Nam Ra and the possibility of her being the one who lit the fire, and so they didn't want to rush him.
"The rooftop? Are you sure?" He asked turning serious, something not often for the boy.
"We may be mistaken, but we both saw it" On Jo assured.
"Nam Ra said that we should like a campfire again, to see each other... I think it might be her. It might be a sign of her" Chae Rin speculated, looking at the boy as she muttered the words she knew would either break his heart or make him the happy guy he had been before.
He looked around, assessing the area, likely thinking of a way to go out to check if it had been true and both girls who had already decided to go, told Su Hyeok the same thing she had just said to Chae Rin.
"I plan to go tonight" On Jo announced.
"I'll go with you" He joined in. The girls nodding before they began to walk away from the stunned boy.
"On Jo, I'm sorry about that day" Su Hyeok suddenly spoke up, Chae Rin looked at her confused which she retributed before she looked back at the boy, guilt still filled in his heart from that day.
"About what?" she asked confused.
"That day when Nam Ra tried to bite you. Sorry I couldn't do anything" he apologized.
"It's okay. Your choice saved us all" she assured him, lifting the guilt off his shoulders.
"Don't tell the others. It could be dangerous so let's go by ourselves" she finished and with a nod of agreement from the boy the two finally walk away.
"Do you really think, that he won't tell?" Chae Rin asked with a snicker.
"He shouldn't" she argued.
"I bet you they will all be there" The taller girl laughed, making the other sigh.
"Let's wait and see" she huffed.
~~~~~~
As the dark takes over the sky and nighttime settles the two girl's meet up by the door of the medical room, heading together to the place they had previously gone to when they left the premises.
And just like Chae Rin had predicted, everyone was there. Shocking the two of them.
"I told you not to tell them" She pouted.
"I so told you, he would tell everyone" Chae Rin laughed, covering her mouth to not make noise.
"Ya. I told you not to tell anyone else" Su hyeok scolded Dae Su, who avoided eye contact with the group.
"Ha Ri. i said it was between us" The boy ushered to the senior who turned her head to face Mi Jin.
"She said she'd tell the cops if we didn't take her"
"Fuck it. They won't give me special admission" The girl cussed, throwing her cigarette on the ground.
"How is that related to this? They'll lock us up if we get caught" Dae Su grumbled, a hint of fear in his voice.
"I'd rather go to jail if I can't get into college. Let's go. Just climb over that wall, right?" Mi Jin hurriedly said.
"Wait. What about Wu Jin and Joon Yeong?" On Jo questions confused.
Chae Rin looks to the side, avoiding her friend's eye contact.
"True. I didn't tell them" Su hyeok defended himself, putting his arms up.
"I did. Well I told Wu Jin" the boy laughed nervously.
"I told Joon Yeong, and he told Hyo Ryeong" He explained, the three letting out nervous laughs.
"Let's just go" Chae Rin took a step ahead.
"You're all really going? All of you? " On Jo asked in shock.
"You're not the only one who feels indebted. We're all hurting just like you. Being alone doesn't make it hurt less" Ha Ri told the girl before ushering Dae Su to go on.
"Didn't you say there was a rope? How do we get up there?" He wondered confused.
"Move" Su Hyeok said pushing a little to the side.
"Come on" Wu Jin smiled softly grabbing onto Chae Rin's hand.
"I'm not fragile, did these 4 months of not fighting zombies make you forget that I'm one of them too?" she questioned him jokingly.
"You're not one of them" he said, mood switching.
"Don't get so sour. Come on human boy" She smiled, he whined, pushing her.
Getting to the tree the two girls had been to a few nights before they all left pieces of candy, or food that they wanted to offer their friends and family that hadn't made it.
"What's that?" Hyo Ryeong questions Dae Su as he placed a few keyboard letters down on the ground.
"It's a few of the letters of the keyboard I hit Dae Su with... I couldn't throw them away. Dae Su. I'll give you a full computer next" he sniffed softly.
"I see a light" Ha Ri stated, looking in the distance.
"Do you see it?"
"Where?"
"There"
"I think that really is our school" The conversation between Ha Ri and Hyo Ryeong went.
The group deciding to head to the school to see with their own eyes.
The group passed by the empty streets where Chae Rin had saved Wu Jin's life, the girl punching him as they stood in the same street it had happened, scolding him once more about his idiotic actions, and then they reached a place almost no one was excited to see.
"It looks a wreck" Hyo Ryeong commented.
Shinning the light around, On Jo grabs onto Chae Rin's hand who was trying her best to get any scent nearby but failed every time. Feeling more and more depressed at the more she tried.
"Do you sense anything?" On Jo softly asked sensing the girl's sinking mood.
She shakes her head.
"Nothing" she sighed.
"Let's go" Su Hyeok said as he approached the girl, a hand on On Jo's shoulder rubbing it comfortingly.
And then, they finally reached the school.
The dreaded place where it had all happened, bodies scattered all over the place as they tried their best to avoid stepping on them.
Carbonized and unrecognizable bodies lying everywhere in the ground.
"Do you really think it's Nam Ra?" Su Hyeok asked approaching Chae Rin who was walking silently besides Joon Yeong.
"I don't know, so far... I can't sense her smell, but... I don't find it likely that someone would randomly make a fire in the rooftop besides her" she told the hopeful boy.
But, she couldn't help but stop at the fourth floor, staring out the same window she had fallen from.
"I fell from here" she said amused.
"Are you smiling right now?" Joon Yeong asked the girl, staring at her as if she was a psycopath.
"Don't judge me idiot. If I hadn't fallen down, you would have been bitten" she said sticking her tongue out.
"Who says? I could survive just fine without you" he joked back.
"Oh yea? Come here, let me bite you then" She said, fake snarling as she jumped for him but Ha Ri pulled her back.
"Come on, zombie lady" she chuckles.
"Come on..." Chae Rin smiled at Su Hyeok as she opened the rest of the rooftop door that was already slightly ajar.
As they had all seen, there was a fire lit, in the exact same spot they had sat months back talking about their lifes, concerns, problems.
When Nam Ra confessed to happiness over making new friends.
"Who do you think it is?" Hyo Ryeong asks, eyes stuck on the fire.
"Maybe... it was kids who came to the school like us?" Dae Su opinionates.
"Maybe it was a Youtuber or something. Kids who like haunted houses" Mi Jin pondered.
Chae Rin couldn't help but sniff the air, slightly smiling as she began to stare behind On Jo.
Not a word spoken to the group.
"No. It was Nam Ra. She probably lit it because she misses us" On Jo confidently said, Chae Rin softly smiled.
"How do you know that?" Hyo Ryeong asked.
"I don't. But I think I do" she finished.
And that's when Chae Rin heard it, felt it, smelled it.
The prez's footsteps, her happiness, her scent.
"You made it" The prez smiled from the back.
"Took you long enough to show up" Chae Rin smiled back.
"Oh?! Prez" Dae Su says shocked.
"Nam Ra" Su Hyeok called out, just as shock.
The prez places her hands on the pockets of her jacket, a smile on her face as she walked to the group who stood around the fire.
"Prez" Su hyeok called out again, softer.
"Am I still the classroom president?" She asked, looking down with a smile before she raised her eyes to stare back at the boy.
"I like that"
"Are you okay? How have you been?" Su Hyeok asked, voice breaking slightly as he held strong.
She didn't respond, instead her eyes landed on everyone who had gathered in the rooftop.
"We came, for you" Chae Rin said, smiling gently and lovingly at one of her best friends.
"I've missed you. All of you" Nam Ra confessed, looking at the group.
"I wanted to see you, but I didn't think I should" the prez confessed, taking her hands out of her pocket.
"No, it's okay" On Jo assured the girl walking closer to her.
"Let's go. Come with us" On Jo tried to convince the girl, whose smile never faded.
"I still have things to do here" she smiled
"What things?" On jo questioned confused.
"There are a few more like me. Some fled outside the school, but there are still a few left" she replied, that had made Chae Rin think...
A few more like them.
"You're not a zombie. Don't say that" On Jo told her.
"You know how students are not children but not yet adults either? I'm like that. I'm neither human... nor a monster" She said with a small nod at the end.
Chae Rin's ears perked at the statement, she too had felt a little out of place, and truthfully had began to feel the need to let her insticts wild, although fighting against it for the safety of everyone.
"That's not true. Stay with us" On Jo objected grabbing onto the prez's hand.
"It's okay if it's just us" she finished.
"We're friends even if we're not together. Right?" she softly mumbled to On Jo.
"No?" she questioned the others looking behind On Jo.
"Yes, you're right" Su Hyeok responded to her.
"Whenever we may be, we're friends" He assured her with his well missed killer smile.
"That's good enough" she smiled back at him before it fell, Chae Rin stepping forward.
"Foot steps" She muttered.
"They're back" the girl said , confirming Chae Rin's suspicion.
"Chae Rin..." Nam Ra called out, the girl humming as she looked at her friend with adoring eyes.
"Do you want to join us?" The prez smiled, Chae Rin's mouth opened and closed as she looked around the group, some looking like they encouraged it, other's... not so much.
"Don't go" Wu Jin asked of the girl grabbing her hand from behind.
"I-" she turned to look back at Nam Ra, nodding at her softly before she looked back at Wu Jin.
"You'll live without me, Jang" she tried to convince him of it.
"No, just... we barely got you back last time" he muttered.
"I will be back. I promise. But, I can't deny that everyday I'm further away from being safe to everyone. I'll learn control and then come back" she smiled softly looking around at the group, finally grabbing On Jo's cold hands.
"You're cold, you should've worn more clothes" the girl complained.
"You're leaving too?" She questioned looking down.
"Only for a while. You know I can't leave your side for long or you'll put yourself in danger" the taller one joked.
"I promise that I'll come back. Tell my mom not to worry" she smiled, squeezing On Jo's hand.
"Ready?" Nam Ra questioned her, a grin on her face, happy to finally be able to be comfortable outside.
"Let's go" Chae Rin smirked.
"I'll be back" Nam Ra assured the group, zipping her jacket back up and racing towards the edge of the rooftop, jumping over the protection wall and down onto the floor.
"Holy shit, that's cool. Bye darlings" Chae Rin smirked waving a hand as she too followed Nam Ra's steps and jumped down.
Landing softly on her feet, she huffed as she looked up, their friends watching from above.
"Oof, next time I'm taking the stairs. That's tall!" She huffed shocked with her own abilities making Nam Ra laugh.
"You'll get used to it, come on. Let's catch up to them"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
word count - 2750
This is it...
The end of the road.
The last chapter...
I still don't know how to feel about the ending, it's as open as the ending scene of the show so I guess I can't really complain.
Even so, I liked it :)
And I hope so did you :)
Hopefully the season 2 comes quick so I can write the continuation.
I also let the ending a little on the open about her heart, since the beginning of the book I made it known that I wanted a Wu Jin ship or Cheong San and since I kept Wu Jin alive, and it was a known fact that he liked her, I made him Chae Rin's biggest support during quarantine.
I'll see you when season 2 drops ;P