Alive but Shattered | All of us are dead

: ̗̀➛ Chapter 52

A bunch of city teens wandering around the forest, just following a trail blindly must be stupid to others but if it means choosing between walking to a familiar trail infested with monsters that could kill you with just a tiny amount of bodily fluids entering your blood stream or walk in an unknown trail with a slim possibility of surviving, would you choose the latter or would you choose the trail where you're familiar with knowing the danger lurking in every nook and cranny?

On-jo wasn't even sure of the way despite of hiking here with her father occasionally. They've been walking since the sun rises in the east and by the glare of the sun, they could tell that it's already passed lunch time.

Parched, starving, and injured. They could all feel the exhaustion quickly reigning their body.

Hee-seul sneezes before sniffling for the nth time today, ignoring the way her head pounds every step she tooks. The sun is glaring with warmth but her whole body feels like she's being submerged in a tank filled with iced cold water.

Wu-jin notices the way she trudge like the weight of the world was placed on her back, the way she clumsily staggers and nearly trip with her own feet. Alas, he cannot do anything because Dae-su's right arm is wrapped around his shoulder as they practically carry him on the steep terrain.

Min-jun, who's walking closely beside Hee-seul obviously notices, being the one to hold her upright whenever she stumbles.

"Do you want me to carry you?" he whispers to the lass.

"No," was her straight answer before she cough three consecutive times.

"You look like you're going to collapse any second from now. Do you want me to carry you?" the lad asks again, his tone suggesting that she should just agree.

"Are you asking or are you commanding me?" Hee-seul turns to him for a second before turning ahead to watch her steps.

"Depends what you understand om my tone," Min-jun shrugs, taking long strides to only stop infront of the lass. He kneels down with his back facing her, his knee on the ground while the other is bended like a knight, "Hop on my back."

Hee-seul rolls her eyes but when another wave of dizziness struck her, she decided to take his offer. It's not that common for Min-jun to offer this kind of gesture. He will only allow to carry her on his back if she either win a bet or he pisses her off. Min-jun is really playful but she cannot deny that the lad is really sweet and caring.

From the rear, both Su-hyeok and Dae-su immediately turned to Wu-jin after witnessing how Hee-seul wraps her arm around Min-jun's neck as the latter heaves her up.

Wu-jin is glaring at the two, fingers unknowingly clencing around poor Dae-su who could only yelp in silence.

He knows that complaining is not allowed on their status, knowing that the girl was the one to clear out that they're only friends but is it bad to want something more?

He wasn't even sure what's between the two of them. Kyung and Min-jun has always been stuck beside her since she came back and it didn't help that there are gossips that one of them is already dating Hee-seul that goes around the whole school before all of this shits happened.

Wu-jin knew that he had lost a gold and for that, he greatly regret his past actions. So, he could only eat vinegar in silence. There's no confirmation of the rumors, thus why it was called a gossip but he couldn't help but to feel a pang in his heart as regret rushes on his system like an uncontrollable tsunami wreaking havoc in a silent village. He shouldn't have laughed at her when she confessed. Who knows that he'll be the one pining for her now?

"Shit, I think we're lost." A curse from the front took their attention away.

"There's no trail?" Hyo-ryeong worries.