Yeon-ah's body felt heavy, her muscles aching from the relentless running and the constant state of fear she had been living in. Her breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps as she pressed herself against the crumbling wall of a half-destroyed building. The creatures—the Deborer—were still out there, lurking in the shadows. She could hear them moving, their guttural growls echoing through the desolate streets.
Her mind raced, but her body was on the verge of giving up. The last few hours felt like a blur—escaping the collapsing city, dodging the Deborer, and trying to find shelter in the ruins. Every time she thought she had found a safe place, another tremor would shake the ground, or one of the creatures would appear, forcing her to run again.
"Where do I go from here?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible.
She knew she couldn't keep this up. Her body was at its limit, and her mind wasn't far behind. But she couldn't stop. Not with those things still out there.
The memories of the past few hours haunted her—Ji-hoon pulling her through the collapsing streets, the screams of people as the Deborer tore through the city, and then... nothing. He was gone. Disappeared in the chaos. Her brother, the only family she had left, vanished without a trace. The thought gnawed at her, filling her with a hollow sense of dread.
But she couldn't dwell on it. She had to survive.
She pushed herself off the wall, her legs trembling as she forced them to move. The street ahead was littered with debris—broken glass, twisted metal, and chunks of concrete. Fires burned in the distance, casting an eerie orange glow over the ruins of the city. The sky, once a bright blue, was now choked with smoke and ash.
Yeon-ah moved cautiously, her senses on high alert. She couldn't afford to be reckless. Not now.
As she crept through the rubble, her ears caught the faint sound of footsteps behind her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she froze, every muscle tensing. She slowly turned her head, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the silhouette of a figure emerging from the shadows.
It wasn't one of the creatures.
It was a woman, tall and lean, her movements smooth and controlled. She wore a long coat that billowed slightly with each step, and her eyes gleamed in the dim light—sharp, calculating. There was an air of authority about her, something that made Yeon-ah hesitate.
The woman stepped closer, her gaze locking onto Yeon-ah. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the silence between them thick with tension. Then, the woman spoke, her voice calm but laced with a cold edge.
"You shouldn't be here."
Yeon-ah blinked, her mind struggling to process the situation. "I... I didn't have a choice," she stammered. "The city... it's gone. Everything's gone."
The woman's expression remained unreadable as she looked Yeon-ah up and down, as if assessing her. "You're not equipped for this," she said bluntly. "You won't last long out here."
"I know," Yeon-ah muttered, her voice tinged with frustration. "But I can't just give up."
The woman raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Stubborn. That's good. But stubbornness won't keep you alive."
Yeon-ah's fists clenched at her sides. "Then what will?"
For a moment, the woman didn't answer. She seemed to be weighing her options, considering something. Then she turned slightly, her gaze shifting to the street behind her. "Follow me."
Yeon-ah hesitated. She didn't know this woman—didn't know if she could be trusted. But what other choice did she have? The Deborer were still out there, and she couldn't survive on her own. Not for much longer.
Reluctantly, she nodded and followed the woman through the ruined streets. They moved quickly, the woman leading the way with a confidence that Yeon-ah found both reassuring and unsettling. She didn't ask questions. Not yet.
After what felt like hours of navigating the maze of debris and collapsed buildings, they arrived at what appeared to be a makeshift shelter—a small, hidden space beneath the remains of a collapsed overpass. It was well-concealed, with enough supplies to last for a while.
The woman motioned for Yeon-ah to sit, and she complied, her legs barely able to hold her up any longer. The woman knelt in front of her, studying her closely.
"What's your name?" the woman asked.
Yeon-ah hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yeon-ah."
The woman nodded. "I'm not here to save you, Yeon-ah. You're on your own, just like the rest of us. But if you want to survive, you'll need to learn how to fight. And you'll need to get stronger."
Yeon-ah's eyes narrowed. "Why would you help me?"
The woman stood up, her expression unreadable once more. "I'm not helping you. I'm giving you a choice. Stay here and die, or learn to fend for yourself."
Yeon-ah swallowed, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. She knew the woman was right. She wouldn't last long out here without help. But she didn't want to be someone's charity case, either.
"Teach me," she said, her voice firm. "I don't want to just survive. I want to fight."
The woman looked at her for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. "We'll see if you have what it takes."