END OF WORLDS

[Unidentified Seoul streets
Two students
Event away from the group]

The wind howled through the deserted school courtyard, carrying with it the scent of smoke and ash. The sky, once a bright blue, was now a foreboding shade of gray, filled with the remnants of a world falling apart. Amidst the chaos, two figures stood in the center of the courtyard, their matching uniforms contrasting starkly against the desolate background.

Hamin, his short ash-brown hair tousled by the wind, stood with a determined expression. He wore the school's uniform: green pants and dull yellow sweatshirt, which his companion, Su-yeong, was also dressed in. Her green paid skirt lay slightly above her knees. Her white socks were pulled up oddly, and her black sneakers were scuffed from the day's events. The sparks of fire around them flickered like fireflies, casting an eerie glow on their faces.

"This is insane. And it is impossible, Hamin." Su-yeong's voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief. She shook her head vehemently, her dark hair whipping around her face.

"It isn't!" Hamin insisted, his voice rising above the crackling flames. "If we turn into them, then no one will be able to hurt us." His eyes burned with a fervent intensity, matching the sparks that danced in the air.

"No! I am not doing this! This is wrong!" Su-yeong's voice cracked as she shouted, her fists clenched at her sides. She took a step back, distancing herself from Hamin and his dangerous ideas.

"WHAT IS SO WRONG?" Hamin exploded, his frustration boiling over. "OUR LIVES WERE MISERABLE AS IT IS! AND NOW THE WORLD IS ENDING! WHY CAN'T WE JUST HAVE AND DO WHAT WE WANT? I WANT TO BE STRONGER! I JUST DO!"

Su-yeong's eyes softened as she looked at him, her heart breaking for the boy she had known for so long. "Hamin..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Su-yeong-ah. Listen to me just this once-" Hamin's voice wavered, desperation seeping into his words.

"I respect you, Hamin. But this is suicidal. I am not a part of this. I won't." Su-yeong's voice was firm, her resolve unshakable. She turned away from him, her heart heavy with the weight of her decision.

"Su-yeong... Su-yeong! Su-yeong? Where are you going?!?" Hamin called after her, his voice filled with panic. He reached out a hand, but she was already moving away, her figure growing smaller in the distance.

Su-yeong didn't look back. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away, her steps resolute. She couldn't follow him down this path, no matter how much it pained her to leave him behind. The world was ending, and everything was falling apart, but she couldn't abandon her principles, even now.

Hamin stood alone in the courtyard, the flames around him flickering in the wind. His shoulders sagged, and a deep sense of loss settled over him. The world might be ending, but in this moment, it felt like his own world had shattered.

***

[Seoul South Korea
The group
Jeep]

The military jeep rumbled over the uneven terrain, its tires kicking up clouds of dust as it sped away from the horde of zombies chasing after it. Inside, the atmosphere was tense, the occupants on edge as they tried to keep their fears at bay.

Eunhye leaned towards Mina, her eyes glinting with a mixture of challenge and amusement. "Hah. Are you scared?" she taunted, her voice cutting through the strained silence.

Mina shot her a quick, disdainful glare before stepping away. "What's your problem?" she demanded, her tone sharp.

Eunhye sighed, exasperation coloring her words.

"Hey! Don't look down on me. I never liked you anyway," Mina scoffed at her declaration, her lips curling in contempt. She moved to seat herself next to Hailey, who was clutching her seat nervously. "Could you, like, move," Mina said, pushing Hailey to the side with more force than necessary. The sudden jolt caused Hailey to lose her balance, and she fell over, her face hitting the jeep's rough mat with a painful thud.

Hailey sat up, groaning and holding her nose with both hands, blood seeping through her fingers. "Ugh. What's wrong with you!" Yohan yelled at Mina, his face flushed with anger as he quickly moved to help Hailey, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Shut up, okay? It's not my fault we came across a bump on the road," Mina retorted, a slight smirk playing on her lips as she watched the chaos she had caused.

The jeep lurched again as Jaeyeon swerved to avoid a fallen tree. The zombies were getting closer, their grotesque forms barely visible in the dimming light, but their numbers were unmistakable. "THEY ARE GETTING FASTER!" Yon announced loudly standing by the open door, his voice vibrating with the wind and the growing panic in his chest.

Bullets flew through the air, each shot fired in a desperate attempt to slow down the advancing horde. The sound of gunfire was almost constant, a reminder of the relentless danger they faced. Inside the jeep, the tension was palpable, every jolt and bump intensifying the fear that gripped them all.

Yohan, his hands now stained with Hailey's blood, glared at Mina. "We don't need this right now," he said through gritted teeth, his frustration barely contained.

Mina rolled her eyes but didn't respond, choosing instead to stare out at the approaching zombies. Despite the chaos and danger, a part of her seemed almost detached, as if the reality of their situation hadn't fully sunk in.

Eunhye, meanwhile, kept her eyes on Mina, her earlier challenge now replaced with a wary caution. The lines between ally and enemy were becoming increasingly blurred, and trust was a luxury they could no longer afford.

The jeep rumbled and jolted over the rough terrain, its engine straining against the weight of its passengers and the urgency of their flight. Jaeyeon pressed harder on the clutch, his knuckles white as he tried to coax more speed out of the beleaguered vehicle. The zombies were gaining on them, their relentless pursuit a constant reminder of their peril.

"Is this the top speed?" Mina shouted over the roar of the engine, her eyes wide with frustration and fear.

Jaeyeon nodded, gritting his teeth. "Yeah, it is!" he barked back, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Furiously, Mina stood up and shoved him off the driver's seat. "What the hell are you doing?" he yelled, struggling to keep his balance as the jeep lurched violently.

"I can drive faster," she declared, her hands trembling as she gripped the steering wheel. She stomped on the clutch with both feet, but the jeep didn't respond the way she expected.

"Mina! Get off! Do you even know how to drive?" Jaeyeon snapped, trying to regain his footing amidst the turbulence.

Mina shot him a defiant glance and kicked him back down. "I can drive faster!" she insisted, glaring at the clutch as if sheer willpower could make the jeep accelerate. But no matter how hard she pressed, the vehicle refused to pick up speed.

"Ugh, stupid jeep! Can you work properly already?" she muttered, her frustration mounting as she stomped on the clutch repeatedly.

Eunhye rushed over to Jaeyeon, helping him sit up. She glared at Mina, her voice a low growl. "Hey! Are you insane?! We are not running in a straight line thanks to you! Let go and come back down."

"Shut up! I hate you! I hate you all!" Mina screamed, her voice cracking with desperation.

The jeep meandered wildly, avoiding major collisions by sheer luck, but the erratic movement made it impossible for Minji and Sae Joon Hyun to aim and fire effectively. Their shots went wide, bullets flying uselessly in the air.

"We'll die because of you!" Minyoung screamed, clinging to the edge of her seat for balance as the jeep swerved dangerously.

Mina continued to stomp on the clutch, her eyes darting around in a mixture of panic and determination. In the distance, she noticed a silhouette looming in the mist and fog, its dark shape growing larger as they sped towards it.

Eunhye tightened her grip on Jaeyeon's shoulders, her eyes never leaving Mina. "You need to stop this, Mina! You're going to get us all killed!"

But Mina's grip on the steering wheel only tightened, her knuckles white with strain.

Inside the jeep, the tension reached a breaking point. Their survival depended on their ability to work together, but with Mina at the wheel, unity seemed like a distant hope.

Mina slammed on the brakes, and the jeep screeched to a halt, throwing everyone inside into a chaotic tumble. Yon immediately shut the back door of the jeep, but the zombies began pounding on the closed doors, their decaying hands smearing blood and grime on the windows.

"What! What is wrong with you?!" Charyeong stormed to the driver's seat and grabbed Mina's hair violently from the back. Mina struggled, glaring into Charyeong's eyes. "Shut up! Let go! There is someone in front!"

Charyeong shoved her away and peered through the front glass. A dark silhouette of a male figure loomed in the mist. "Who's that? A human?" she muttered, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Everyone crowded the windows, their eyes fixed on the approaching figure. The silhouette emerged from the smoke, slowly taking shape. A man in a red-stained white shirt, torn at the edges and sleeves, limped towards the jeep. His long arms clutched a wooden stick, and his long hair obscured most of his face, leaving only his chapped lips visible.

"He is heading our way..." Eunhye whispered, her voice trembling. The man drew closer, his disheveled appearance becoming clearer. He looked human enough, but his eerie presence sent a chill through the group.

The man crossed to the side of the jeep, then approached the rear end. Yon cautiously unbolted the doors and swung them open. Despite their fear, they had agreed with Eunhye to take in any survivors they encountered. The man climbed in, slumping onto the seat next to Yohan.

Yohan immediately stood up, rushing to the front of the jeep. "What is wrong with you all? Why are you listening to that BITCH?" Mina screamed, her voice filled with rage and desperation as she referred to Eunhye.

Eugene pulled Yon closer and whispered urgently in his ear, "Weren't we surrounded by zombies? How did he come in? You didn't see any outside?"

"I didn't," Yon whispered back, his eyes darting nervously.

"That's weird-"

"Forget it," Yon interrupted.

"Huh?"

"I guess because we were quiet for a while, they wandered off somewhere else."

"Oh yeah. That makes sense, I guess."

"Yeah." They nodded at each other, casting wary glances at their new companion.

The man fixed his gaze on Yuri. She shuddered as he brushed his hair from his eyes, revealing a condescending, unreadable gaze and burnt scars that marred his face, giving him a sinister appearance. She quietly shifted closer to Jaeyeon, seeking protection.

Mina, her fury boiling over, approached the man. "Get out of here," she demanded.

The man ignored her, his eyes locked onto Yuri. Mina's anger erupted. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME! GET OUT OF HERE!!" She lunged at him, attempting to pull him up, but his solid build made him immovable. His eyes remained fixed on Yuri, utterly unfazed by Mina's hands gripping his collar.

Frustrated and humiliated by her inability to move him, Mina bit her lower lip until it bled. The man reacted instantly, gripping her face with his left hand and shaking her lightly. His right hand rummaged through his bag that came into view out of nowhere, producing a large cotton piece. He pressed it gently against her bleeding lips, his touch oddly tender in the tense atmosphere.

Everyone watched, stunned, as the man continued to treat Mina's wound with unexpected care. He reached for another cotton piece and a pair of band-aids, handing them to Mina.

She took them, dazed and wide-eyed. "Who are you?" she demanded, snapping out of her stupor. "And how dare you touch me with your filthy hands!"

The man shut his eyes, exhaling slowly. The atmosphere in the jeep was thick with tension, the air almost crackling with the unspoken threats and fears that hung between them.