WHISPERS OF DESTRUCTION: THE TURNING POINT

"And you are telling me that's normal?" Sae Joon Hyun growled at Ji-hoon.

"Try to understand Hyeong--" Ji-Hoon spoke directing his words towards Sae Joon Hyun's question.

"Hush, hush. Fine. I get it. I'll let this be..for now.."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Day Sixteen - past]

Minsoo’s smile widened, his unblinking eyes never leaving the group before him. His limbs twitched in an odd, almost mechanical way as he watched the female approach them. Her voice, laced with a mischievous edge, cut through the tense silence that had settled around them. “What do you mean? They even checked for injuries.”

Minsoo, already on edge, couldn’t suppress the growing irritation that bubbled inside him. His smile faltered, just a bit, as he eyed her. “You are clearly injured, mister,” the woman said, her tone cool and commanding as she took a step forward, her right palm wrapped tightly around the neck of a fire extinguisher. With a slow, cat-like grace, she closed the distance between them, stopping just a foot away from Minsoo.

His pulse quickened, and his unease grew. "Who are you? You don’t seem normal," he murmured, his voice still thick with that same unsettling smile.

“You,” she replied, her eyes narrowing as she leaned closer, “are the one who is not normal, mister.”

“I am human,” Minsoo shot back, his voice a little more frantic now, almost pleading. “Ji-Hoon said so himself.”

The woman didn’t flinch. Her expression hardened, and she said simply, “I believe there are good reasons for that.”

Minsoo’s smile twisted as he glanced over at Ji-Hoon. “Hey, Ji-Hoon. This female is suspicious. Let’s kill her.” He said it with an unnerving calmness, his eerie grin still plastered on his face.

The girl didn’t flinch at his words. Instead, she took a step closer, her eyes locking onto him with unyielding certainty. “You are infected,” she said, her voice steady and unwavering. “You are one of those things from the movies. A zombie.”

Minsoo’s expression faltered for a moment, his smile wavering. “I... am human,” he repeated, the words tumbling out of his mouth like a mantra.

“Jeez, just look at that wound. Does that seem normal to you?” The girl continued, pointing at Minsoo’s mangled feet. “How are you walking around with that kind of wound?” Her tone was clinical, as though she had seen this too many times to be shocked.

“But... my feet don’t hurt…” Minsoo murmured, his voice strained.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice cutting through his words. “You can’t feel it. You are not human anymore. Accept it.”

Minsoo’s face twisted in confusion and frustration. His hands trembled at his sides, and he felt something inside him begin to snap. The truth of her words clawed at him, but he refused to acknowledge it. “I am human!” he repeated, more forcefully this time, almost as if trying to convince himself.

At this, Jay, who had been quietly observing from a distance, stepped forward, his voice calm but filled with concern. “Uh... excuse me. Whoever you are, I think you should stop now…”

The girl didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she took another step forward, eyeing Minsoo like one might eye a wounded animal. “But will you look at this,” she said, almost to herself, as she observed Minsoo struggling to maintain his balance. “He seems to be struggling.”

Minsoo crouched on the empty road, clutching his clothes as though they were his only tether to reality. His vision blurred, and he could feel his body beginning to tremble. His mind was spinning, thoughts fragmenting as his limbs refused to obey him. He looked up briefly, his cloudy eyes meeting those of the others, and saw their backs instinctively step away. It was that reaction—their fear—that triggered something deep within him. A dark, bitter thought surfaced in his mind.

“It’s all your fault…” Minsoo’s voice trembled as he spoke, his lips quivering with the words. He glared at the group, his smile still hauntingly intact. “Why would you insist on checking for injuries and that nonsense? If you would have quietly let me join you, I would have still been human.”

“Yep. We are fucked,” Ji-Hoon muttered to himself under his breath, his fists clenching tightly at his sides. His frustration and fear welled up, drowning his thoughts in a sea of helplessness.

Before Ji-Hoon could say anything more, the female acted. In one swift motion, she struck Minsoo’s head with the fire extinguisher. The force of the blow knocked him back, and his body crumpled to the ground, struggling to grasp onto her legs as the blood poured from his wound, splashing like a fountain in front of Ji-Hoon’s horrified eyes.

The sound of the fire extinguisher crashing against Minsoo’s skull was deafening. The noise of crushing facial bones and flesh filled the air, drowning out all other sounds. Blood splattered everywhere, like rain, as each brutal strike echoed across the empty road. Ji-Hoon, Jay, and the others struggled to keep their eyes open. The sight was beyond horrifying for mere teenagers who had been thrust into this apocalyptic nightmare. They hadn’t grown accustomed to the gore and terror; they didn’t want to, either.

The female wiped the blood from her chin with the edge of her left palm, her gaze never leaving Minsoo’s now completely destroyed face. His body twitched, barely holding onto any semblance of life. His neck had been crushed, the skin torn away, and his body was barely recognizable. She surveyed the wreckage with an almost clinical detachment, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

“Those zombie freaks are a headache to deal with already,” she said, almost as if speaking to herself. “Do you know what will become of you if one with a grudge shows up?”

“What do you mean?” Charyeong asked, her voice trembling as she looked from the girl to Minsoo’s mutilated body.

The girl’s eyes flickered briefly to Charyeong before answering. “He was going to turn. He had that dude—Ji-Hoon, or whatever—set in his head. After turning, he would have stopped at nothing to devour him. Before he turned completely, I killed him.”

Charyeong nodded slowly, her eyes still wide with disbelief. “I-I see… Thank you…” she whispered, bowing slightly in gratitude. She knew full well that without this girl’s intervention, they would have been completely overpowered, unable to defend themselves from what Minsoo had become.

“Oh? You’re not afraid of me?” the girl asked, her eyes flicking to Charyeong with a hint of curiosity.

“No,” Charyeong replied, her voice calm despite the situation. “But more importantly… who are you?”

The girl’s lips curled into a slight smile as she answered. “Su-Yeong. I am Nam Su-Yeong.”

Charyeong’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh. I’m Charyeong. That one is Jay.” She motioned to the others.

“So what are you doing here?” Su-Yeong asked, her gaze narrowing as she took in their ragged appearance. “Are you on a trip? Your clothes are awfully clean.”

Charyeong hesitated for a moment before responding. “Oh, we came to check something. But what we thought wasn’t right, so we were making a detour.”

Su-Yeong’s interest piqued. “What wasn’t right?”

Charyeong bit her lip, her words coming hesitantly. “Andong was probably the next target of the rescue mission—”

“Wait, wait. A rescue mission?” Su-Yeong interrupted, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“Oh. You didn’t see the television?” Charyeong asked, almost forgetting that not every place had a working television. It was pure luck that they had one back in Seoul.

“That privilege I don’t have,” Su-Yeong replied with a shrug, her tone nonchalant.

“Sorry... Actually, we’re coming from Seoul. We saw the news on the television…” Charyeong explained, her voice trailing off.

Su-Yeong nodded thoughtfully. “So we are going to be saved?”

“The operation hasn’t started in Andong yet,” Charyeong clarified. “We’re heading to Gyeryong. That’s where they said the rescue will begin.”

Su-Yeong raised an eyebrow, her gaze hardening slightly. “I see. Off you go then. If you ever drive past Andong again, let me know of the situation.”

Charyeong hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. “About that… how do you feel about tagging along?”

Su-Yeong looked at her sharply, as if surprised by the offer. “Excuse me? How come you trust people so easily?”

Charyeong smiled wryly. “Heh… would a zombie kill their own kind?”

Su-Yeong considered this for a moment before smirking. “You’re right. How come zombies are more unified than humans? That’s the shittiest truth right now.”

“Hah… ironic, isn’t it?” Charyeong replied, the words bitter on her tongue. “Come on. I have spare clothes with me. I don’t think you want to go around looking like that.”

Jay and Ji-Hoon nodded in unison when Su-Yeong glanced at them for approval. They hadn’t really expected this, but given the circumstances, they knew they had little choice.

Young unlocked the bus door, and they stepped inside, the tension slowly lifting as they tried to adjust to the strange new reality they found themselves in.

Meanwhile, Minji and Young, still cowering inside the bus, had seen Minsoo’s mangled feet through the window. They knew all too well what they had narrowly escaped, and their thanks toward Su-Yeong didn’t stop throughout the entire ride. They had no idea what awaited them, but for now, they had one ally—one unlikely savior—in a world gone mad.

***

[Meanwhile]

Sae Joon Hyun’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as his phone buzzed from the passenger seat. He glanced down at the screen before answering, his voice tinged with curiosity. “Oh. I just got a message from Mina.”

“Mina?” Eunhye groaned, her voice filled with frustration. “Ugh. What does she want now?”

“Oh, come on, Eunhye. She’s not all that bad,” Sae Joon Hyun said with a chuckle, trying to ease the tension.

“Sure,” Eunhye muttered, rolling her eyes. “What does it say?”

Sae Joon Hyun grabbed his phone, still steering with one hand. “'Oppa. There has been some trouble,'… and that’s it?”

“What? What is that supposed to mean?” Eunhye shot up from her seat, peering at the screen over his shoulder.

“I... Let's go back to Seoul.”

“Back to Seoul?” Eunhye’s voice shifted to one of concern. She turned towards the back of the bus, where Yon and In-Ha sat, and spoke up. “Yes. Yon. Miss. In-Ha. We are going back.”

“Huh? Why? What’s up?” Yon called from the back, his voice full of confusion.

Sae Joon Hyun didn’t answer immediately, instead pulling the brake handle, making the bus lurch forward as he reversed their path. His eyes remained focused on the road, his expression unreadable.

“What the heck! Do you want to kill us?” Yon yelled, gripping tightly onto his seat.

Eunhye turned back to look at In-Ha, who was gripping her own seat in fear. “What’s going on?” In-Ha asked, her voice shaking.

Eunhye shook her head, refusing to answer. The tension in the bus was palpable as In-Ha’s frantic questioning grew louder. “Is... something wrong in Seoul?”

Eunhye said nothing, her silence making In-Ha more desperate. “Eunhye!! Tell me. Are they okay? Is Kaneisyeon okay?”

“M-miss. In-Ha, c-calm down…”

“What is going on? Tell me!” In-Ha screamed, her voice a mixture of frustration and fear.

“M-miss. In-Ha, please. Just calm down. We ourselves aren’t sure what happened. Sae Joon Hyun only received a message from Mina saying they were in trouble—”

“Trouble? Did you try calling them?”

“I... I did. None of them are picking up. At least those whose numbers I have.”

“Who did you call?” In-Ha’s voice trembled as her desperation peaked.

“Yuri. Jaeyeon.”

“Ugh... now what... are they okay? What’s going on?!”

Before Eunhye could answer, Sae Joon Hyun slammed on the brakes, causing the bus to lurch to a halt. Yon fell forward, crashing into In-Ha’s back. She held tightly onto her seat as Eunhye grabbed hers, both of them trying to stabilize themselves.

“What the heck, Sae Joon Hyun! Why did you—” Eunhye’s words trailed off as she looked up at Sae Joon Hyun. His head was against the steering wheel, his eyes shut, his body slumped forward, barely conscious.

In-Ha, now panicked, turned to him. “Why did you hit the brakes?” Her voice was furious, her concern for him and for the situation growing.

Sae Joon Hyun didn’t answer. His silence only added to the growing unease in the bus.