For a moment, there was nothing but darkness. A cold, suffocating void that swallowed Soo-Young whole.
Then—pain. A crushing, suffocating weight pressing against her ribs. The distant hum of metal groaning, the sharp sting of blood dripping into her eyes.
She gasped, coughing out dust, and smoke as her body struggled to move.
The train had crashed.
Soo-Young's mind fought to piece together the last few moments. She had reached for the controls—then the conductor, that thing, that zombie had lunged swiftly at her. A struggle, a gunshot, and then the entire world tilted.
A deep, gnarled groan echoed through the wreckage, followed by the faintest sound of shuffling feet.
Zombies.
The train hadn't just crashed. It had spilled its infection into the world beyond.
Soo-Young's instincts kicked in, forcing her body to move despite the pain. Her fingers dug into twisted metal as she pulled herself free from the wreckage. Ji-Hyun. Park.
She had to find them.
She stumbled forward, her legs weak, and her vision blurring. Around her, fires burned in scattered wreckage, and through the broken windows of the damage train cars, she could see movement.
Passengers—some still alive, some not.
A wet, guttural moan sent a shiver down her spine.
Something was crawling toward her.
A former businessman, his suit torn, half his face missing. His arms twitched unnaturally as he dragged himself forward, his jaw snapping open and shut as though already tasting her flesh.
Soo-Young's hands flew to her belt—her gun was gone.
The zombie lunged fast.
Her body moved before her mind could, her fingers wrapping around a jagged piece of metal from the wreckage. With one brutal swing, she drove it through the side of the infected's head.
A sickening crack. The body convulsed, then slumped.
No time to breathe.
More figures emerged from the wreckage, stumbling, crawling, clawing. The survivors who had been thrown free from the train were now waking up—as something else.
And she was in the middle of it all.
---
The Survivors
Soo-Young fought her way through the wreckage, searching desperately for Ji-Hyun.
"Ji-Hyun!" she called, her voice hoarse.
Then—movement.
From beneath a collapsed train door, a small hand reached out.
Soo-Young didn't hesitate. She grabbed onto it, pulling with all the strength she had left.
Ji-Hyun coughed as she was freed, her body covered in bruises and dirt, but she was alive.
"Mom..." she gasped, her eyes wide with fear and relief.
Soo-Young pulled her into a tight embrace, but there was no time to celebrate. The sounds of death were closing in.
"Can you move?"
Ji-Hyun nodded. "Where's Sergeant Park?"
They turned, scanning the wreckage. There. A few meters away, Park was on his knees, his back against the wreckage. Blood dripped from a gash on his forehead, but he was alive.
Soo-Young and Ji-Hyun ran to him, helping him stand. His face twisted in pain, but he managed a weak grin.
"That," he groaned, "was the worst landing of my life."
Soo-Young almost laughed. Almost.
They weren't alone.
A few other survivors had made it out—civilians, some injured, some in shock. But beyond them, through the flames and broken metal, a horrifying realization set in.
The train had stopped near a city.
And the infection was spreading.
The undead were already moving, staggering into the streets.
"We have to go," Soo-Young said, gripping her daughter's hand tighter.
Park nodded, reaching for his sidearm. "Where?"
Soo-Young exhaled, her mind racing.
"Somewhere safe."
She wasn't sure if that place existed anymore.
The city loomed ahead, its once-bustling streets now filled with shadows that moved unnaturally. Fires flickered in broken buildings, cars sat abandoned in the roads, and somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed a lonely, eerie song.
Soo-Young gripped Ji-Hyun's hand tighter as they stepped over the debris, guiding the remaining survivors away from the train wreckage.
"Stay close. Don't make noise," she whispered.
The undead had already started spilling from the train. Some had wandered deeper into the city, while others still lurked near the wreckage, searching for anything warm, anything alive.
Park limped beside her, wiping blood from his forehead. "We need supplies. Weapons. A place to regroup."
Soo-Young scanned the skyline, eyes narrowing.
"There." She pointed to a nearby department store. It was a few blocks away, but its steel shutters were partially down, offering a potential shelter.
"Move fast. Keep quiet."
The survivors nodded, fear clear in their eyes.
The group moved swiftly, dodging overturned cars and shattered glass. Soo-Young kept a sharp eye on their surroundings, scanning windows, rooftops, shadows.
A low growl made her stop.
From an alley to their left, a zombie crawled on all fours. Its head twitched unnaturally, its mouth dripping saliva.
Ji-Hyun gasped, but Soo-Young covered her mouth.
The creature's head snapped toward them.
A moment of silence.
Then it screeched—a high-pitched, unnatural sound that pierced the night.
More growls answered.
From the buildings. The alleyways. The darkness.
The dead had heard them.
"RUN!" Soo-Young barked.
Shelter and Secrets
They sprinted toward the department store, feet pounding against the pavement as shadows lurched from the darkness.
One of the survivors—a man in a business suit—tripped.
"No! Help me!"
Soo-Young turned just in time to see hands grabbing him. Teeth sinking into flesh.
His screams cut through the night.
Park yanked the store's steel shutter open just enough for them to crawl inside. One by one, the survivors slipped through.
Soo-Young was last.
She turned—just for a second—to see the horde consuming what was left of the businessman.
Then she pulled the shutter shut.
Darkness. Silence. Heavy breathing.
The survivors collapsed onto the cold tile floor.
Ji-Hyun was trembling, eyes wide. "They're faster than before."
She was right.
Some of the zombies had moved like hunters, slinking in the shadows before attacking. This wasn't a mindless horde—they were evolving.
Park reloaded his sidearm, his hands shaking. "We need to find another way out of this city."
Soo-Young exhaled, pressing her forehead against the steel door.
Outside, the dead were waiting.
Inside, the truth was waiting.
Because Dr. Lee—the man who claimed to know about the virus—was dead.