The Next Move

The school doors creaked as they swung open.

The sky stretched out above them, a muted blue tinged with streaks of pink. The sun had barely begun to rise, its light spilling lazily over the broken streets and shattered windows.

Jin stepped out first, fingers flexing unconsciously, feeling the absence of a weapon in his hand.

Behind him, the others followed.

Joon stretched, arms lifting over his head until his spine cracked like firecrackers. "Alright. Let's go get some points."

Echo bounced on his toes, shadowboxing the air. "I feel weirdly excited for this. It's like we're going on a field trip, but with more violence."

Seul pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, her gaze steady as she scanned the street. "We should map a route. The last thing we need is to walk into a monster nest on the way."

Jin nodded, his body still stiff from sleeping against the wall. But for the first time in a while, he felt... ready.