WHISPERS OF PACE: TERRORIZED BY THOSE NOT INFECTED

Sae Joon Hyun stood up from his crouched position, adjusting his jacket with a calm, practiced motion. The soft rustle of fabric was barely audible in the quiet room. He offered a hand to In-Ha, helping him rise with ease, his eyes scanning the group briefly before they settled on the others.

Yuri, her eyes lingering on Eunhye, pulled her into a tight, lingering hug. It was a moment of warmth, a quiet farewell amidst the chaos, and Eunhye held her just as tightly, silently wishing for their safety. Yuri pulled away first, a smile spreading across her face as she tried to mask her worry with a warmth that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Take care of yourself,” she said softly. Eunhye nodded, offering a smile in return.

Hailey, energetic as always, jumped into the jeep with an agility that was almost unnatural given the situation. A few moments later, she reappeared, a bag clutched tightly in her hands. She walked up to Yon and handed it over to him with a grin. “Here. Good luck, guys,” she said, giving them both a thumbs-up. They nodded back, appreciation flashing in their eyes, though the unspoken weight of their mission hung heavily in the air.

With everything in place, Sae Joon Hyun made his way to the bus and settled into the driver’s seat, his posture straight and resolute. The bus doors clanged shut as everyone piled inside, the low murmur of voices fading into silence. As the last of them took their seats, Yohan stepped outside and began securing the windows with pieces of metal. He worked quickly and efficiently, nails hammering into place as the heavy sheets were affixed to the glass.

Zera, standing nearby and watching Yohan's actions with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, finally asked, “Why are we doing this?”

Yohan paused, turning his head slightly toward her, his face serious but calm. “Because,” he said, his voice low, “we can’t be too careful. If the creatures break the glass, what will they do? The metal will stand longer. We need every advantage we can get.”

Zera seemed to take a moment to process his words, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Good idea, I guess,” she murmured, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Yohan shrugged casually, his hands still working. “Yunha came up with it,” he added, his tone a bit softer now, as if the mention of Yunha carried a level of respect.

Zera raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “I see. Where did you find these sheets of metal though?”

Yohan chuckled lightly. “I didn’t. Hailey bought them. She said they were in the emergency kits back at the base.”

Zera nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. “Oh. Lucky, I guess.”

“Guess so,” Yohan replied, his voice carrying a sense of finality as he finished securing the last piece of metal.

With the windows reinforced, Yohan stepped back and gave a nod of approval. The bus was now ready, the team gathered inside, the weight of their mission looming large in their minds.

Sae Joon Hyun’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as the bus rumbled to life, the engine roaring against the stillness of the early morning. The air was thick with the tension of the unknown. The base doors creaked open, and the bus slowly rolled forward, exiting the safety of the compound and heading out toward Jeonju.

The landscape outside was eerie in its quiet. The once-bustling roads were now barren, with only the occasional rustle of wind disturbing the heavy silence. The world outside had changed forever, the remnants of what used to be a thriving community barely visible as the bus steadily made its way through the desolate landscape.

Inside, the team sat in a tense stillness. Yohan kept his gaze out the window, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of movement, while Zera sat close by, clutching the bag Hailey had handed to them earlier.

As the bus continued down the road, the team remained alert, each member with their own thoughts, but all bound by the same purpose: survival.

Jaeyeon stared at the metal doors for a moment, the sound of the bus engine fading into the distance. The world outside seemed colder, more unforgiving now that their team had split, leaving them in the stark silence of the base. He took a deep breath, trying to shake the unease that settled into his chest, and turned to look at the others.

Yuri’s voice broke the stillness, a touch of concern in her tone, "What do we do till they come back?"

Jaeyeon didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he let his gaze drift over the familiar surroundings of the base—its cold, impersonal walls, the scattered crates of supplies, and the dim flicker of fluorescent lights above. Everything felt… stagnant.

He let out a long sigh before flopping down on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. Shrugging, he mumbled, "I don't know."

The silence stretched out between them for a few seconds before Zera’s voice cut through it with a spark of energy. "Shall we study the zombies or clear the areas?"

Jaeyeon glanced over at her, seeing the enthusiasm in her eyes, but he wasn’t in the mood for any of it. "We can’t study the zombies," he replied flatly. "We need Miss In-Ha for that."

Zera’s expression faltered slightly, but she pressed on. "Then is it clearing the area?"

"I don’t know," Jaeyeon muttered, rubbing his face with both hands. His voice grew more frustrated as he continued, "I don’t want to do anything… Why are we even doing all this? The military is going to save us now, right?" His gaze drifted towards the door, as if hoping for some kind of confirmation, but the stillness in the base was only met with the echoes of his own voice.

Zera stood there, unsure of how to respond. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jaeyeon waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. I want some sleep. Good day," he said with a tired sigh, rolling himself into his blanket.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the noise in his head, but the uncertainty, the stress, and the pressure of their situation all seemed to weigh down on him. Whatever came next, he knew it wouldn’t be easy. But for now, all he wanted was a few hours of peace, however fleeting they might be.

As the others moved quietly around the room, settling into their own spaces, the base settled into an uneasy stillness once again, broken only by the occasional shuffle of feet or the hum of the distant air ventilation. It was the calm before the storm, and for Jaeyeon, it was a fleeting moment of respite amidst the chaos that seemed to be closing in on them from all sides.

***

[Day Thirteen (from when they were together)]
Scene: the bus to Andong

Minji raised an eyebrow, looking at Charyeong with a mix of amusement and skepticism. "Charyeong. Can you drive?"

Charyeong shook her head lightly, her lips curving into a reluctant smile. "I don’t think you should let me drive."

Minji leaned in, curious. "Why not?"

Charyeong hesitated for a moment before answering, her voice tinged with a hint of embarrassment. "When I tried driving a car with my father, I knocked over a vending machine…"

Minji blinked, her mouth forming a surprised 'O' as she let out a short laugh. "Wait, really?" she asked, her disbelief mixing with amusement. "You knocked over a vending machine?"

"Yeah," Charyeong muttered, clearly not too proud of the memory. "It wasn’t a good experience."

Minji chuckled again, shaking her head. "Well, I need to help Young in the back with the weapons. Can't let you drive if you're this bad at it."

"Then Jay or Ji Hoon can drive," Charyeong suggested with a shrug, trying to pass the responsibility off onto someone else.

Jay, sitting nearby, glanced up with a smirk. "I don’t know how to drive, stupid," he said lightly, giving Charyeong a playful slap on the head.

Charyeong groaned, rolling her eyes. "Great. So we’re all just screwed, huh?"

Minji couldn't help but laugh at the exchange. "Alright, so Ji Hoon then?"

Ji Hoon shook his head, his expression sheepish. "Can’t. Never tried. And come on, Charyeong. It can’t be that hard if you’ve already tried once."

Charyeong crossed her arms over her chest, a little frustrated but mostly amused. "Sure. For you. I burst a vending machine! What do you expect from me?!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in mock exasperation.

Ji-hoon raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a teasing smile. "Well, I expect you to explode some zombies," he teased, his voice light.

Charyeong sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "Sheesh, figures," she muttered, though the hint of a grin tugged at her lips.

The group fell into a brief silence, each lost in their own thoughts for a moment, before Minji’s voice broke the tension. "Alright, guess I’ll just drive. But if I knock over a vending machine, we’re blaming you, Charyeong."

With a laugh, the group continued to move.

***

Day thirteen
Scene: the bus to Jeonju

"Let's rest here," Sae Joon Hyun said as the bus came to a halt. The group quickly got off, stretching their stiff limbs after hours on the road despite it being a mere few. The night air was thick with tension, but they needed a break. Sae Joon Hyun glanced around, scanning their surroundings before giving a nod. "Stay alert. We'll only rest for a short while." The others settled in, weary but grateful for the pause.

***

[Day Fourteen]
Scene: bus to Andong

"Last drive. We are here~" Minji said, her voice a mix of excitement and curiosity. She parked the bus in the middle of the quiet road, her heart pounding as her eyes scanned the empty street. Hollow noises filled the air, heightening the eerie silence around them.

***

"Sae Joon Hyun~~" Eunhye had called out his name playfully.

"What? What is it now?"

"Isn't half an hour per day too less? Let's make it one hour per day, yeah?"

"No"

"Come on~~ please~~"

"Ugh! Fine, fine! Just.. just stop that cute thing whatever! Sheesh."

***

"And that's why we reached so soon..." Minji muttered recollecting the conversation Eunhye had with Sae Joon Hyun. She say up slowly following her teammates out of the bus. They advanced towards wherever felt right one after the other. Minji spotted a small house not too far away. She tapped on Young's shoulders, "It's midnight. We are safe~" He didn't turn, his back still facing her he muttered, "Doesn't hurt to be cautious." Minji shrugged gripping the bag around her shoulder.

Jay leaned in closer to the couple, "me, Ji-Hoon and Charyeong will check here, you guys go ahead." Young nodded to the suggestion, "but let me stay with you. Atleast one adult-"

"We'll be fine. Come on." Jay interrupted in a whispering. Defeated, Young let them be as he advanced elsewhere followed by a fumbling Minji.

As the students crouched closer to the house, the light that was seen through window dropped as the curtains veiled the blurry view inside. They looked at each other in confusion before Charyeong stood back up straight and knocked on the door. The knock was loud enough to be responded to yet there was no reply. Ji-Hoon guarded her back while Jay stood almost next to her ready to throw an attack if zombies crawled out of the house.

"Maybe no one is inside." Jay mentioned.

Charyeong shook her head dismissively, "they drew the blinds come on." As she completed her sentence a loud bang almost as if someone fell filled their ears.

"H-hey. We are just here to ask a question." Charyeong called. She was sure there were humans inside after all.

"What do you want?" A harsh, crooked voice asked from within.

"Uhm.. did the rescue operation begin in Andong?" Charyeong asked twirling her hair nervously in front of the closed door. As she waited a reply the door burst open. She stumbled backward a bit her eyes fixed on the middle aged man in front of her. A man wearing stained brown clothes with a displeased expression on his face. He glared at her from top to toe.

"What rescue operation?" The stranger asked her.

"Ah. Hello sir. I am Charyeong. The military started a rescue mission to save the people-"

"How do you know of this? You don't look like you are from here."

"Oh. Yeah. Uhm.. we are from Seoul. We heard of the news on the television."

"Seoul, huh. The news, you say?"

"Yes. They said they'll start by Gyeryong. We think they must have finished by now and headed to the next least populated city-"

"I see, I see. Are you a student?"

"Uh, yeah. So uhm.. did the mission start here?"

"What do you think?"

"...Guess not?"

"Right. I wouldn't be here hiding in this house otherwise."

"Are there other people in there with you?"

"Hm. Yeah. Three other dudes."

"I see. Stay safe then sir."

"Sure, thanks. Uhm... By the way..."

"Yes?"

"I apologise for being rude earlier. My friends wants to make some tea for you? Do you mind coming in for a bit?" The man asked her smiling warmly. His short brown hair seemed to be waving at her as his light blue eyes fixed at Charyeong awaiting a response. Ji-Hoon held onto Charyeong's shoulder from behind, "Thank you but we will be on our way, sir." The stranger's warmth came off as a sharp prickle within him.

"Ji Hoon. He is just trying to be polite." Charyeong defended.

"Sure. I said 'thank you'. Let's go now."

"But-"

"Hey wait." The man held onto Charyeong's wrist. He pulled her next to himself quickly glaring at Ji-Hoon.

"What's your problem. She has no issues." Ji Hoon glanced at his hand around her wrist and then back at him, "Dude. Let her go."

"What the heck. We are only being polite." Another man protested from behind the first.

"Oh? You didn't even tell us your name." Ji-Hoon visibly scoffed.

"Hah.. fine then. I am Juyoung and this guy behind me is Haejun." The stranger gripping onto Charyeong's wrist replied.

"Right. Mister. Juyoung. Let her go."

He didn't reply but his grip only got tighter. Charyeong winched slightly attempting to free his hold.

"You are hurting her." Ji Hoon said his cold glare fixed at Juyoung. The man smirked, "So? She said she has no problem with me. What was your name again? Charyeong? You have a pretty name, pretty face and...a pretty body. Talk about killing three birds with one stone, am I right?" He snickered scanning the female, "you like older guys? I can give you all you want in just one night, miss."

"E-excuse me? Please let go of me". She yelled at the man with a shrill shriek struggling to get away.

"Oh stop being so hard to get. The face is not always so important you know. I know what pretty bitches like you look for and I can give it to you. Better than that piece of shit there. Come on. Just one night. You must have done this before, right?" He said pulling her closer. Juyoung seemed to have such a strong hold Charyeong found it hard to be evaded even after going through a horde of zombies.

Juyoung's other hand reached her shoulder. She flailed her limbs like a struggling bird. Charyeong slapped the man in the face with her free arm. He felt a sharp shooting pain on his cheek as he pulled her even closer. Ji-Hoon and Jay stepped forward and pulled her away from him.

Haejun stepped outside in front of Juyoung and slapped the boys back. He snatched Charyeong away and tossed her back to Juyoung. Juyoung gripped onto her waist tightly with one arm, his other hand creeping towards her chest with a shameless grin on his face.

"HEY! STOP IT"!" Ji-Hoon screamed rushing towards him.