Ara, Nam-Ra, and Su-hyeok bumped into the group as they ran away from the herd of infected. "Go in! Go inside! They're coming." Su-hyeok shouted, and soon enough, the infected were running towards them. They sprinted to the music room with Su-hyeok slamming the door, and they began closing the curtains on the window. Nam-Ra was about to move the curtain on the front area, but Cheong-san stopped her. "There's a zombie there. It's caught under a piano, so it can't go anywhere." Their stiffness relaxed, and the air lingers with nervousness from what they just encountered.Ara sat down, clutching her stomach, where Gwi-Nam kicked her. The thumping of the infected outside is still present; their breathing is loud from their running. Seo Hyo-Ryung was the first one to break the silence. "We can't... go to the roof? We're trapped again, aren't we?"
Su-Hyeok looks at her. "There are zombies out there, so... Let's just think a little." Hyo-Ryung assesses her surroundings until her gaze falls on Nam-Ra. "Hey, Nam-ra. What happened to your arm? That's a bite mark, isn't it?"
Ara becomes stiff, it's a bite mark from Gwi-Nam, but he looks normal to her, except for the blood on his clothes and a missing left eye. Cheong-san was about to approach Nam-Ra, but Su-hyeok appeared, putting himself between the group and Nam-Ra. "No. That's not it."
"Move. Step back, Su-hyeok."
"That's not it, asshole. Tell him. You weren't bitten by a zombie." Su-hyeok defended, looking at Nam-Ra. She didn't answer and she continued staring at the floor. "Say something." When Su-hyeok notices that Nam-Ra won't answer, he looks back at Cheong-san. "Gwi-nam. He bit her. It wasn't zombies. Ara was also there." Su-hyeok pointed to Ara, and Cheong-san stared at her. "Who?"
"Gwi-Nam," Ara whispered, feeling her energy draining by the sparking argument. Cheong-san saw her tired eyes and went back to answer Su-hyeok instead. "Yoon Gwi-nam?"
"Yeah."
Cheong-san felt his pulse quicken. "Nam-ra. Did Gwi-nam really bite you? Say it clearly."
"It's true."
"Gwi-Nam was bitten by zombies."
*Ara's P.O.V.
Can't there have any day that they don't fight? All of their words are becoming a slur, or maybe it's my hearing. If Gwi-Nam is what Cheong-San really said, then Nam-Ra will turn into one of the infected. But how come Gwi-Nam act normal. He is still the Gwi-Nam who bullies people, not the one who eats them. He can talk clearly. Does that mean... a person can be immune to the virus, but how?
I glance back at the group. Nam-Ra sits on the windowsill, and Su-hyeok is still defending her from Cheong-San. I stood up from my seat, ignoring the throbbing pain on my abdomen and the itching on my left leg. I walk towards Cheong-san, facing him. "Cheong-San, Nam-Ra is b-bitten by Gwi-Nam that you s-stated is already one of those...what you call them again?" I frown, thinking what the term are they using to the infected. I am unfamiliar with their wordings, for I am not active in the world of technologies. "Zombies?" I nodded at On-Jo and stared back at Cheong-san. "Yes, zombies. H-he was talking to us and... if my estimation is correct. Nam-Ra will be like Gwi-Nam, infected but in her right mind. Y-you see, the medulla oblongata and the pons make up the hindbrain. The medulla sends signals between the spinal cord and the higher parts of the brain and controls autonomic functions like heartbeat and respiration. The pons is composed of tracts that connect the spinal cord to higher brain levels, as well as cell groups that transfer information from the cerebrum to the cerebellum." Cheong-san blinks at me and seems to be in deep thought. "What do you mean?"
"D*mn, I thought classes were postponed because of the zombies." Dae-su jest, trying to light up the atmosphere.
"I-I'm sorry. What I mean is that the virus will not fully develop part of her brain; instead, there's this emotion that triggers the control back to a person. I am not just certain what it is." I finished, looking at Su-hyeok, who nodded at me in gratitude. "If you are still right on edge, then you can wait. You'll see."
I bow at Cheong-san before walking back to my seat, pausing when I felt the waves of dizziness wash over me. Luck was on my side at the moment; I quickly grabbed the desk on the side. "Oi, you okay there, Ara?" I noticed that they were all looking at me, and I felt my cheeks heat up.
"I just, I just tripped."
They nodded before proceeding with their conversation. I just hope I knocked some sense on Cheong-san. I know his desperation to save everyone and Gyeong-su's death still pains him and to all of us, but that's the mistake that hunts me, becoming desperate. They all end up on Su-hyeok's decision to tie his hand to Nam-Ra. If that's the only way to prove to them that she will not turn into those mindless... zombies, then so be it.
*Skip
I am glad that they all settled down to rest. They all made a small circle on the chair, facing each other while Su-hyeok and Nam-Ra were sitting in the front room. Me being Ara, who is still mastering the word socializing, I was sitting on Cheong-san and On-Jo's back, near the sturdy cabinet, facing the window outside. I am still thinking about what Cheong-San said earlier; Gwi-Nam is bitten, but he's just his usual self when we encounter him. For the wrong person, having access on that level is terrifying. I hope I can find more answers to it.
I heard sobbing behind me, and I turned around. There's a camcorder on On-Jo's hand, and it looks like they're telling their messages. I sigh and continue my staring on the outside. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that On-Jo was handing me the camcorder.
What will I say? For all I know, the person I'm sending the message to is already dead. I weakly smiled at her and shook my head. On-jo stood up and was about to hand it over to Su-hyeok and Nam-Ra, but Cheong-san grabbed her wrist. "Wait."
On-jo hands him the camcorder and sits back down. "Give it back to me when you're done."
I shrug at the two, not wanting to poke my nose on their business. I close my eyes, exhausted from everything. I could just jump from here, but I promised Gyeong-su that I'd fix this. A heavy sigh was all I could manage to do. I am not to break a promise.
I felt a shadow block the sunlight from the outside; opening my left eye; I saw Cheong-san standing in front of me with the camcorder. Is he filming me or what?
I quickly put my right hand on my face, hiding away. "Ara, since you transfer back and forth on Hyosan, you don't have any pictures or anything that states you existed. At least in this, they will know that you did. You don't want to say anything from your parents?"
Cheong-san quietly said, leaning on the wall and still filming. I slowly put my hand down and faced him. I don't want to invite him to my pity party; it will only weigh him down. I don't want to say that, "Hi! I'm Ara Kangjeon, an orphan that no one wanted, so I ran away and met Mr. Lee and his family. Stay strong out there." That would be awkward, and they don't need to know my past, so I just smiled at the lenses of the camcorder. "Cheong-san, Class 2-5," I can feel their eyes on me at the mention of Class 2-5. "Someday, you'll get the life that you always wanted. But right now, stay alive for me and for everyone that is waiting on you."

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The Outcast | 지금 우리 학교는 All Of Us Are Dead
FanfictionAra Kangjeon, a student from Hyosan High School, a walking shell amidst the living. It only took one event to change everything. No one knows, no one saw, they are all busy surviving while she's busy, looking for that hope. ...