APOCALYPSE ━ Min Yong-guk

𝟬𝟯. game of survival

CHAPTER THREE
no surrender and no escape

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     𝐓he bullet train didn't slow down until they arrived at their designated station. Along the ride, they passed a few stations where multiple people tried to get them to stop the train. But it was far too risky, and there were more of those people outside that they didn't stop at all. A good choice for the situation no matter how cruel it seems, but still, their shouts of anguish were tattooed on their heads.

    Dabin sat in the corner with Jin-hee next to her, listening to the faint sound of the TV on the other side where she could hear the announcement about the situation. The more she heard, the more scared she felt. All she could think about was her father who she left alone at their house back in Seoul.

    Oh, God. Dabin choked back a sob. I left him.

     Her uneasy fingers played with the wooden bat in her hands. They ran over a caved part on the cudgel, like someone had carved their initials on them. Her throat tightened, remembering how it was before this happened. This bat belonged to one of the players on the baseball team who probably smiled at her, too. But now he was dead, just like the rest of them.

     The silence was deafening. The thought of the military waiting for them at the station to secure the train didn't sound too appealing either. What if it goes the other way around? Dabin kept thinking about the worst things that could happen. She couldn't help it. She'd rather be prepared for the worse than not at all.

     Yong-guk was the first to approach the door but he didn't open it yet. He looked back at them, his shaky gaze lingering on Dabin like he was asking for permission because nobody else seemed too eager to exit the train. Dabin gulped ever so slightly. She carefully stood up, making Jin-hee rush to her feet, not wanting to be away from her cousin.

     She walked toward the door, Yong-guk beside her. They looked at each other and Dabin nodded. As quietly as they could, he opened the door with one hand gripping his bat and peered outside. Brightness filled the space, which made the blood on their clothes and skin more noticeable. Dabin had to take a deep breath as she surveyed their surroundings.

     It was almost eerie because of how empty the station was. There was not a single person anywhere. That fact alone made them more alert and nervous. At Car 12, the rest of them spilled out of the train when Dabin stepped out into the ground. Jin-hee and the other two from the baseball team kept a close distance from Yong-guk and Dabin who led them from the front.

     A guy in a business suit seemed to be in a hurry as he pushed them out of the way, seemingly coming from the front of the train. Dabin barely ignored him as she went ahead with careful steps. They had no idea what else to do but they didn't say anything either. Too afraid to talk and too nervous to think about anything.

     They regrouped with the other passengers but the students from one school remained a tight-knit group. Even on their way to swap to another train, they didn't split up At some point, Dabin almost didn't want to use the escalators around the station. Too paranoid to put herself between other people after what happened inside the train.

     Dabin didn't feel the least relieved to see other survivors. It almost felt like it was wrong to be in a big group in places like these. Jin-hee kept holding onto her arm as they walked. She even saw a pregnant lady being escorted by her husband and a kid who looked too young to encounter something like this.

     "I'm scared," Jin-hee whispered.

     "I'm not going anywhere," Dabin assured her.

     There was a barricaded section inside the station, which made her frown because it looked like it was a shortcut to some other place. They kept walking in complete silence, the sight of empty seats and abandoned things scattered on the floor was too nerve-wracking to think about.