Wrong Universe | All of us are dead

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷Chapter 41

Everything is in shambles, the scent of death and burning permeates the air as the smoke wafts through the air, creating a thin film that makes their vision blurry as they trudge through the debris of once Construction Site, stepping over some big stones.

Bom, On-jo, Su-hyeok and Nam-ra cramble their way to the uppermost level of the contruction site, the sun shine illuminating the whole place as they look around.

"Byeol-ah? Lee Cheong-san?" On-jo calls her childhood bestfriends, eyes watering and lips trembling when they were met by nothing but the echo of their voices.

On the other side of the building, Bom is by her own, walking around for any signs of life until her eyes caught something shiny under the rubble of big rocks. She crouches down, grabbing the silver wrist watch. The glass were cracked but it was still working. Bom flips the watch, her fingertips gently tracing the number engraved on the watch, the date of when Byeol was born.

"Hyun-ah," she whispers, fingers closing around the watch as if it's her lifeline.

"Han Byeol! Lee Cheong-san! You guys are so mean! You left me alone!" On-jo cries, her voice being carried by the wind as it bounce around the construction site.

Nam-ra walks towards the broken girl and with the softest voice she have, she said, "Let's go."

This took the attention of Bom and On-jo, the former walking closer to them. Nam-ra's eyes were shining with unshed tears, her voice wavering a little bit as she says, "I don't smell anything. There's no one here. Let's say bye to Cheong-san and Byeol...." she swallows the sob threatening to spill from her mouth before she continues, "and let's go."

Nam-ra moves to wrap her arms around On-jo, a tear falling down her cheeks as both of them mourn.

Nam-ra's hurting because even if she's not close with Cheong-san, she had hope that this will be the start of their friendship. And Byeol... Byeol's the only kid who didn't gave up from befriending her. She was annoying, sure but that kind of annoyance was comforting. Annoyance that makes her smile and feels like she belongs.

On-jo on the other hand is devastated at the lost of the two significant people on her life---her childhood bestfriends, the people who had been with her since she can remember. She had just lost I-sak and two of her bestfriends followed soon after.

Bom hid her husband's wrist watch on her pocket, walking to the kids as she says, "Let's go. We should go back with the others."

Bom feels like she shouldn't plaster any sign of weakness because the kids are looking up to her, trusting her to save them. She couldn't even cry now that her husband and daughter were gone.

That's how they found themselves walking lifelessly to the streets of Yangdong, eyes glossing with so much mix emotions as they look around the empty city.

The fog were thick, rendering them with less visibility as they cross the streets with their heavy heart. The loss of their friends and the school exploding seems to take a toll on them.

Somehow, the streets mirrored what they are feeling. Empty, Abandoned, Somber. The fog could symbolize their hope, slowly dissipitating to the air as time passes by that they couldn't find any sign of life form.

They felt like their being surrounded  by dementors, empty and in despair. Like they wouldn't ever feel happiness in their entire life after what they have gone through. It's alarming how three days could change someone so fast, how the chaos drained all of the happiness inside of them. The once cheerful students becomes a shell of their past selves, too broken and traumatized.

"Mr. Nam, I thought Yangdong would be safe?" Dae-su cannot help but to ask the fire fighter, limping with the help of Wujin and Joon-yeong.

"You don't think there are zombies here too, do you?" Hyo-ryeong second the motion.

"Yangdong wasn't like this when I left," So-ju answers the kids, "but they must've been evacuated because of the bombing situation."

"Yeah, maybe because it was near Hyosan too." Su-hyeok added.

"Yah, I'm getting a bad feeling about this. Where is everyone?" Mi-jin voices out.

"We're okay here." said Ha-ri, eyes roaming around in alert.

"Why? How do you know that?"

"There are no broken windows, or blood on the streets. It wouldn't be this clean if there had been a zombie rampage." Ha-ri pointed out as they continue walking along the streets.

But then, Nam-ra halted, breath picking up speed while the others look at her in alarm.

"Why?"

And then she heard it. Those raging footsteps, thundering on the ground as snarls accompanies their heavy footfalls.

She sniffed the air, nose catching the faint scent of death drifting on the wind as her eyes widen in horror. She turn around on her heels, head whipping too fast as her eyes focuses on the fog cloaking the end of the street.

1...... 2.... 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10... 11

"Nam-ra yah, what's wrong?" On-jo asks, her voice still raspy and weak due to crying so hard earlier.

Su-hyeok spring up, rushing to Nam-ra, "Why? You heard something?"

"Zombies.." Nam-ra answered which causes collective gasps from the others.

"Where?" On-jo asks her, trembling.

"Everywhere," Nam-ra answered, "There's too many of them. We have to run."

And run they did.

For the nth time today, they run for their lives, sprinting faster than they have run before.

They entered a narrowed alleyway, running in lines as they turn a corner and another corner and then another corner. They were clueless on where they're going but one thing is lingering in their mind, they have to run.

Nam-ra pulls the fabric covering her eye as they run before throwing it away, coming out to a wide street as they run for their life.

And then Dae-su's injured legs gave up, pulling both Wujin and Joon-yeong down with him and alerting Gyeong-su and Su-hyeok who were running in front of them.

The two immediately helps to pull their friends up, the others in front halting to wait for them.

Su-hyeok grab a shovel from the display, bravely stepping forward, "Take Dae-su and go."

But instead of leaving, the four boys followed his lead, grabbing their own chosen weapon that they could see on the store, standing beside Su-hyeok.

"What are you doing?" asks the taller guy in frustration.

"I said forget it." Dae-su hisses.

The other followed, grabbing their own weapons of their own as the two olders steps a couple steps forward from the kids.

"Fuck. I feel like this is the end." Mi-jin curses, holding her makeshift spear as they wait for the zombies.

"Wait.." Nam-ra said to them, stepping forward and to the front as she sniffs the air, the furrows on her brows disappearing as her lips slightly lifts up, stance relaxing.

She didn't say anything but three figures starts to appear from the thick fog, walking too normal and coordinated to be zombies.

The others stops, not sure whether to attack or what but was left dumbfounded when the figures become clearer as they walk out from the heavy fog.

The one on the middle smirk, face caked with blood and sweat, "We've been informed that our help is needed here."