Survival

The girl narrowed her eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her gaze flicked between us, scanning for any signs of a bite or scratch. The other girls stood behind her, clutching various objects—a bat, a broken chair leg, even a fire extinguisher. They looked just as scared as we were, but their leader, the one with the bow, didn't waver.

"Prove it," she said, her voice low but commanding. "Show me your arms and necks. Now."

I swallowed hard, quickly pulling back my sleeves and tilting my head to expose my neck. Eunwoo followed suit, his movements stiff and hesitant. The girl studied us for a tense moment, her sharp eyes darting over every inch of exposed skin.

"They're clean," one of the other girls muttered, clutching the fire extinguisher tightly. "Let them through, Hana."

Hana—the leader—didn't lower the bow immediately. Her gaze lingered on Eunwoo as if sensing the weight of his emotions. Finally, she relaxed her grip, the bowstring loosening as she lowered the arrow.

"Alright," she said, though her tone was still guarded. "But don't think we're going to babysit you. If you can't keep up or pull your weight, you're on your own."

"We don't need babysitting," I shot back, my voice firm despite the lingering fear in my chest. "We just want to get to the courtyard. If we work together, we'll all have a better chance."

Hana raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed, but she didn't argue. Instead, she turned to the other girls. "Let's move. If they're following, they better keep quiet."

As the group started walking out the door, Eunwoo leaned closer to me, his voice barely above a whisper. "Hana? As in the Nationals Champion in Archery?"

I glanced at him, my brows furrowing. "You know her?"

Eunwoo nodded, his grip on the wrench tightening. "Of course. Everyone does. She's a big deal—won the Nationals last year. She was practically a celebrity at school."

I stole a quick look at Hana, who was at the front, her bow raised and an arrow nocked, ready to shoot at the slightest movement. Her focus was razor-sharp, her posture steady, and she moved with a quiet confidence that hinted at her experience.

"Well," I whispered back, "looks like that title might save our lives."

Eunwoo let out a faint, nervous laugh, glancing at her again. "Yeah, but I didn't expect to meet her like this."

"Neither did she," I muttered, more to myself.

Hana suddenly stopped, raising a fist to signal us to halt. The tension in the air was palpable as she scanned the area outside the door. The faint sound of groans and shuffling echoed in the distance.

"Clear for now," she said without turning back. Her voice was calm but carried an edge of urgency. "Stick close. Don't make a sound."

The group shuffled forward, everyone tense, gripping whatever they had as makeshift weapons. Eunwoo stuck close to me, his breath uneven, though he tried to mask his fear.

"Do you think she'll get us out of here?" he asked softly.

I hesitated, my eyes on Hana's back. She carried herself like someone who knew what she was doing, but even the best couldn't predict how things would go in a nightmare like this.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "But right now, she's our best shot."

Eunwoo nodded, swallowing hard. "Then let's not mess this up."

"Agreed," I said, gripping the mop handle tighter as we followed Hana into the unknown.

The courtyard stretched before us like a battlefield, littered with bodies in various states of stillness. Some were curled up as if they'd succumbed to exhaustion; others were sprawled unnaturally, their limbs bent at impossible angles. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood, and the faint groans of the infected carried on the breeze, making it impossible to tell if any of the bodies were truly lifeless or just waiting to rise.

My stomach twisted as I tightened my grip on the mop handle. "We need to move quickly," I said, my voice low but firm. "No telling how many of these... things are still alive."

Hana scanned the area, her bow at the ready. Her sharp eyes darted from body to body, her movements fluid and deliberate. "Stick together and watch your footing," she said. "If one of them so much as twitches, don't hesitate."

Eunwoo nodded beside me, his knuckles white as he clutched the wrench. I could feel his tension radiating off him, but he stayed close, his eyes darting nervously between the bodies.

We stepped cautiously into the courtyard, the group moving in unison. Every crunch of gravel underfoot felt deafening in the oppressive silence. I couldn't stop myself from holding my breath each time we passed a body, half-expecting it to lunge at us.

"Over there," Eunwoo whispered, pointing to the far side of the courtyard. A tall chain-link fence loomed ahead, with a stack of overturned trash bins nearby that could serve as a makeshift ladder. Beyond it was the promise of escape—or at least, a chance at survival.

"We'll climb over," he said. "One at a time. Keep watch while others go."

"But what if—" one of the girls in Hana's group started, her voice trembling.

"Shh," Hana cut her off, her tone sharp but not unkind. "I know. We don't have a choice. Just stay alert."

We pressed on, weaving through the courtyard. A low, guttural groan came from somewhere to our left, freezing us in place. My heart pounded as I turned my head slowly.

One of the bodies, a man in a bloodstained uniform, began to stir. His fingers twitched, and then his head snapped up with an unnatural speed, his clouded eyes locking onto us.

"Move!" Hana hissed, raising her bow and releasing an arrow in one swift motion. The arrow struck true, embedding itself in the infected's skull. It collapsed instantly, but the sound had already stirred the others.

Several bodies began to shift, groans turning into growls as they clawed at the ground, dragging themselves upright.

"Run!" I shouted, gripping Eunwoo's arm and pulling him forward.

The courtyard erupted into chaos as the infected came to life, their movements jerky but terrifyingly fast. Hana fired arrow after arrow, her precision deadly, but there were too many of them.

"To the fence!" she yelled, her voice cutting through the noise. "Go!"

We sprinted toward the fence, dodging bodies as they lunged at us. My legs burned, but adrenaline kept me moving. Behind me, Eunwoo stumbled, and I turned just in time to see him swing the wrench at an infected, the impact sending it sprawling.

"Keep going!" I yelled, grabbing his arm and dragging him forward.

Hana reached the fence first, gesturing for the others to climb. "One at a time! Hurry!"

I pushed Eunwoo ahead of me, helping him hoist himself onto the trash bins. He scrambled up the fence, his movements frantic but determined.

As I waited for my turn, I turned to see Hana, her back to the fence, still firing at the infected. Her arrows were running low, and the creatures were closing in fast.

"Hana!" I shouted. "Come on!"

"Not yet!" she yelled back, loosing another arrow and taking down an infected that had gotten too close.

Panic surged through me as I climbed onto the trash bins, gripping the fence with shaking hands. Behind me, the groans grew louder, the infected closing in.

"Hana, we can't lose you!" I shouted again, desperation in my voice.

Finally, she slung her bow over her shoulder and sprinted toward the fence. She grabbed the bins, hoisting herself up with practiced ease.

As she climbed, one of the infected grabbed at her ankle, its claws raking against her boot. She kicked out, dislodging it just in time to pull herself over the top of the fence.

We landed on the other side, breathless and shaking. The infected clawed at the fence, their snarls echoing in the night.

But we were far from safe. As we crept through the narrow alleyway leading to the street beyond, our hearts pounded, our breaths shallow and uneven. The distant snarls and groans of the infected echoed around us, a haunting melody we couldn't escape.

Peeking around the corner, I froze. Just a few feet away, a small group of infected shuffled aimlessly down the street. Their jerky movements and hollow eyes sent a chill down my spine. They hadn't noticed us yet, but the faint scrape of their feet on the asphalt rooted us in place.

"Don't make a sound," I whispered, my heart racing as I pointed toward the infected who were still stumbling aimlessly down the street.

Hana, ever vigilant, raised her bow in one smooth motion, an arrow already nocked and ready. Her fingers hovered over the string, taut and poised, as if she were preparing for the slightest movement. The calmness in her demeanor was almost eerie, her eyes narrowed and focused on the infected ahead of us.

"The sun is setting, we need to go somewhere safe. Do you guys have any idea where to go?" Eunwoo asked, his voice tense but filled with urgency. He wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to steady his breathing. His eyes darted between me, Hana, and the others, all of us aware that the night would bring even more danger.

I glanced around at the group, feeling the weight of their anxious stares. The infected were already becoming more aggressive as night fell. We couldn't afford to wait too long.

"I was thinking me and Eunwoo will go to my house since it's close, but we need to stop somewhere safe first since it's getting dark. How about the construction site nearby, just around the corner? It's abandoned—hopefully, no one is there."

"Yeah, the fences are high, and we can secure the entrances. We'll have a better chance of defending ourselves there," I added, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

Hana raised an eyebrow, her bow still ready in her hands. "How do you guys know that?"

I glanced at Eunwoo, then back at Hana. "We used to go there when we wanted to be left alone," I said with a shrug, though it didn't feel like the right time to reminisce about those days. "It's a good place to lay low."

Eunwoo nodded. "We'd go there to escape everything. The place was isolated, and we thought we could find some peace... now it might be our best shot at surviving."

Hana didn't respond immediately, but the slight nod of her head told me she was considering it. The others exchanged uncertain glances, but no one voiced a better idea. The fact was, we were running out of options, and we didn't have the luxury of time.

"Alright," Hana finally said. "Let's move quickly, then. We can't afford to stay out here too long."

With a shared sense of urgency, we began making our way toward the construction site. Each step felt heavier than the last, but there was no turning back. As we turned the corner and approached the site, the looming, high fences seemed to promise some semblance of safety. But the night was falling fast, and we knew that even here, we wouldn't be safe for long.