The atmosphere hung thick with dread as Kyung Jisoo cradled Bae Suji's unconscious form in his arms. The world outside continued to spiral into chaos, but for a brief moment, everything else faded away. All that mattered was the fragile hope that flickered between them—a hope that, against all odds, Bae Suji might somehow be saved from the horrors that had overtaken her.
Kyung Jisoo's body ached from the fall, and his mind was clouded with exhaustion, but he forced himself to stay alert. He couldn't afford to rest, not here, not now. He knew that the transformation he had just witnessed was unlike anything he'd seen before. The crimson hue of Bae Suji's hair and the strange, otherworldly look in her eyes hinted at something beyond the infection that had turned the others into monsters. Was she changing into something else entirely? Or was there still a chance to save her?
A distant, echoing scream from somewhere within the school reminded him of the ever-present danger. He needed to move—now.
Gritting his teeth, Kyung Jisoo gently lifted Bae Suji into his arms, her body unnaturally light in his grip. Every step he took felt like a battle, the weight of fear pressing down on him as he navigated the eerily silent corridors. The school, once filled with the vibrant sounds of student life, had become a twisted labyrinth, each turn holding the potential for a deadly encounter.
Kyung Jisoo managed to reach the classroom with Bae Suji in his arms. The once-familiar space now seemed eerie and desolate. With trembling hands, he laid her down on the floor, her body still limp and unresponsive.
Was approached by Seung Min. "What happened? " he asked
"I don't know" Kyung Jisoo replied
A wave of relief washed over him as he saw her chest rise and fall, a faint sign of life. But his relief was short-lived. As he leaned in to check on her, she suddenly awakened, her eyes wide with confusion.
Before he could react, Kyung Jisoo felt a surge of energy, and he was sent flying across the room, crashing into a wall. He groaned in pain as he slowly got to his feet. Bae Suji, now sitting up, looked around with a dazed expression.
Just as he was about to approach her again, one of the students, a girl with short, cropped hair, couldn't resist the urge to touch her. Before the girl could even reach out,Bae Suji lunged forward, her movements surprisingly swift and agile.
Hwang Jin, who had been watching the scene unfold, intervened, grabbing Bae Suji by the arms and hoisting her back. Bae Suji struggled against his grip, her eyes filled with a feral intensity.
Suddenly, with a superhuman burst of strength, Bae Suji broke free from Hwang Jin's hold screamed and groaned loud enough to shatter their ear drums and leaped out of the classroom window. The group watched in horror as she disappeared into the night.
Kyung Jisoo, still disoriented from the fall and the attack from Bae Suji, barely had a moment to react before Jimin stormed over. The cool-headed but intimidating bully was seething with rage. "What the fuck did you do, Kyung Jisoo? You've just called all the infected right to us! You've fucked us all over!"
Jimin's fist slammed into Jisoo's face, knocking him hard against the wall. The impact left Jisoo dazed and struggling to regain his footing. Jimin was about to hit him again when Hwang Jin stepped in, grabbing Jimin's arm and holding him back with a firm grip.
"That's enough!" Hwang Jin's silent but commanding presence managed to restrain Jimin. Jimin's anger still simmered, but he was held back by the sheer strength of Hwang Jin's grip.
Seung Min stepped in, trying to keep the situation from escalating further. "Jimin, stop! We need to focus on surviving, not fighting each other. We heard an announcement earlier from the faculty room. We should head there—there might be information or a way out."
Jimin, still fuming, shot a contemptuous glance at Seung Min. "Class President. You're seriously gonna follow this guy? He's the one who led all the infected here! I'm not going anywhere with him around."
Ignoring Seung Min's pleas, Jimin rounded up the remaining students with a mix of force and urgency, dragging them out of the classroom despite their protests. "We're going to the faculty room. If you wanna stay here and die, that's on you!"
Suddenly a laugh broke out in the tension. It was Ah Rim all attention on her know.
"Wow, this is a nice show to watch. Bad is now over".
With the door slamming shut behind them. The three were left in the classroom, the weight of their predicament pressing down on them.
Seung Min, trying to regain composure, took charge. "We don't have time for this. Jimin's right that this place is no longer safe. We need to leave the noise attracted more of them."
Kyung Jisoo slumped against the wall, his chest heaving as the weight of what just happened crushed him. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and he buried his face in them, muffling a choked sob. The memory of Bae Suji's wild eyes and the force that had sent him flying across the room played on an endless loop in his mind.
"She's gone," he whispered, his voice barely audible, as if saying it aloud would make it real.
Hwang Jin stood silently nearby, his eyes scanning the room and the hallway beyond, always alert. Seung Min, however, knelt beside Kyung Jisoo, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Jisoo, you need to listen to me," Seung Min said firmly, but there was a softness in his tone. "Bae Suji is gone. We have to accept that. She's not who she was anymore, and we can't afford to lose ourselves to what happened. Not now."
Kyung Jisoo looked up, his eyes red and filled with despair. "I couldn't save her, Seung Min… I promised her—"
"We're all making promises we can't keep in this hell," Seung Min cut him off, his voice trembling slightly with his own fear. "But right now, we need to focus on surviving. You're no good to anyone if you break down here."
Hwang Jin turned back toward them, his usual stoic demeanor unchanged, but there was a sense of urgency in the way he moved. "The horde will be here any minute," he said quietly, glancing down the darkened hallway. "We need to move."
The distant sounds of groaning and shuffling feet reached them, growing louder by the second. Kyung Jisoo wiped his eyes roughly and forced himself to stand, the pain in his body barely registering now. He knew Seung Min was right, even if the truth of it hurt more than anything else.
"Let's go," Kyung Jisoo said, his voice steadier now. "We need to get to the faculty room."
The three of them moved quickly, Hwang Jin taking the lead as they navigated the treacherous corridors. The once-familiar school now felt like an alien, hostile environment, each corner potentially hiding death.
As they reached the stairwell leading down to the faculty room, the noise of the approaching horde grew louder. The infected were close—too close. Seung Min glanced back at Kyung Jisoo, who was barely keeping it together, and nodded. "Stay close, and don't stop for anything."
They descended the stairs, the air thick with tension and the sound of their own footsteps echoing eerily. The faculty room was just ahead, the door slightly ajar.
They sprinted the last few steps toward the faculty room, only to be met with a few infected already prowling the hallway outside the door. The moment they saw the group, the zombies lunged forward, their grotesque forms moving with terrifying speed.
Hwang Jin didn't hesitate. With a battle cry that echoed through the corridor, he charged at the infected, fists flying as he took them on in a brutal, desperate brawl. His movements were precise and powerful, each strike sending a zombie crashing to the floor. He created just enough space for Kyung Jisoo and Seung Min to dart past, their hearts pounding in their chests.
"Get to the gate!" Hwang Jin shouted, as he threw a final punch, knocking another zombie aside.
Kyung Jisoo and Seung Min bolted toward the faculty gate, tapping frantically on the door. Their hands fumbled with the lock, adrenaline making their fingers shake. Just as the first few zombies started to close in again, the gate swung open, and a pair of hands reached out, yanking them both inside.
Hwang Jin, still fighting off the remaining infected, delivered one last blow before diving through the gate as well. The door slammed shut behind him, the heavy lock clicking into place as they all collapsed inside, breathing hard, but alive.
They had made it—barely.