The bus gave one last, shuddering gasp, a final metallic death rattle that echoed through the sudden, awful silence. Smoke, thin and acrid, curled from under the hood. They were stranded.

Jaeyeon let out a low, bitter curse, chewing on his already raw lower lip. The frustration rolling off him was a physical heat. "What the heck..." he muttered, his voice a gravelly thing worn down by exhaustion and fury. He craned his neck, trying to see past them. "He has three cages. Three. Laid right out in the open behind us." The words weren't just an observation; they were a confession of their complete and utter defeat.

The man—the one with the blazing red eyes that seemed to glow with their own sickly light and hair the color of rotten seaweed—moved with an unnerving, efficient calm. He didn't speak. He just produced coarse, rough ropes from a bag and began tying their hands behind their backs, then their ankles. His touch was impersonal, like a butcher trussing meat.

Yuri winced as the rope bit into her wrists. "Who are you? What do you want from us?" she demanded, her voice shaking but trying for strength.

The man didn't even glance at her. He finished with them, his work swift and practiced, then jumped out of the dead bus. They watched through the grimy windows as he stalked down the road, a predator scanning for new prey.

He didn't have to look long. A large cargo truck, abandoned and dusty, sat a little ways off. It was perfect for his needs. With terrifying strength, he muscled the three groaning, snarling cages—each one a seething mass of confined monstrosities—into the truck's open bed. The sound of the zombies within, scratching and thumping against the metal bars, was a nightmare chorus.

Then it was their turn. He came back for them, grabbing them one by one and unceremoniously shoving them into the truck bed after his horrific cargo. They landed in a heap on the cold, hard metal floor, the impact jarring their bones. Eugene's head hit the floor with a sickening thud, and he went limp, out cold.

The man loomed over them in the opening. "Try anything," he said, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion, "and those zombies will devour you." It wasn't a shout. It was a simple, cold statement of fact. Then he slammed the heavy rear door shut, plunging them into near darkness, the only light coming from the slats in the truck's walls. The sound of the front door slamming and the engine roaring to life sealed their fate.

The truck lurched forward, almost throwing them against the cages. A collective gasp of terror was swallowed by the snarling from just feet away.

Yuri's face was pale. "Jaeyeon... what do we do now?" Her voice was a thin, shaky thread threatening to snap.

Yohan, his breathing ragged, twisted his body, trying to see Hailey. "Hailey. Your hands. Can you... can you try to untie me?" he whispered, the desperation clear in his hushed tone.

Hailey shuffled closer, her back to his, her fingers fumbling blindly with the rough knots at his wrists. "I'm trying," she breathed out, her voice tight with frustration. "I can't... I can't get a grip. I'm sorry."

"Careful," Jaeyeon hissed from where he lay, his eyes fixed on the front of the truck, as if he could see the man through the wall. "Slow. Don't draw attention."

Nearby, Yuri nudged Eugene's limp form with her foot. "Eugene? Eugene, wake up." He groaned, a low, pained sound, but his eyes remained closed.

"Should we try to break the door?" Yuri asked, her voice rising with panic. "When he stops, maybe we can kick it open and run!"

"And do what, Yuri?" Jaeyeon's reply was sharp, laced with a helpless anger. "We're tied up. We'd be hopping ducks. And he's got the remote for those cage locks, I'd bet my life on it. One click and we're overrun."

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" she shot back, her fear morphing into anger aimed at him.

The truck hit a bump, jostling them violently. In the resulting silence, Yuri's voice came again, quieter, more hesitant. "Uhm... Jaeyeon..."

"What?"

"Where exactly is Jeha?"

Jaeyeon blinked, the question a non-sequitur that threw him. "Huh? He's... he's back at the base. With Mina and the girls. Why?"

Yuri was silent for a long moment. The truck's engine droned. "I... don't think so," she finally whispered, the words barely audible over the road noise.

"What do you mean?" Jaeyeon asked, a cold knot of dread beginning to form in his stomach. "He was in the jeep."

"I didn't see him get out," Yuri said, her voice trembling. "When that man came... I looked. I was trying to see everyone. Jeha wasn't with us."

[Meanwhile]

{Jeha's POV}

Protect Kaneisyeon.

The words were a drumbeat in my skull, drowning out everything else—the fear, the noise, the sheer insanity of the man with the cages. The others were focused on him, on the threat that he was. My world had shrunk to the tiny life in my arms.

When the man forced them out of the base, I saw my chance. While his back was turned, I moved. I didn't think, I just acted. I crawled, low and silent, to the driver's side of the jeep, my heart hammering against my ribs. I clutched Kaneisyeon tighter, her little body wrapped in a soft white cloth. The second the coast was clear, I opened the door a crack and slipped out.

I didn't look back. I just ran, my feet pounding on the cold concrete, heading for the one place I knew had another way out: the storage room. Where the man came from. The blue flicker of the emergency light felt evil now, casting long, weird shadows from the endless rows of tables. It felt like running through a monster's ribcage. It was absolutely terrifying.

At the far end, the door. I shoved it open, bursting out into the night. The outside world. I didn't stop. I ran across empty lanes, until I spotted it: a small, shuttered meat shop. The windows were fogged from within. It wasn't something grand, but it was better than risking the man coming back. Maybe I was selfish, but I must protect this little child. No matter what.

I barricaded us in with a desperate attempt, shoving a small shelf, chairs, a wobbly table—anything I could move—against the door with a single hand. Because I had to hold the little baby securely with the other. It was flimsy. Useless, really. But it was something.

The silence was broken by a tiny cry. Kaneisyeon was stirring in my arms. We didn't have the luxury to let the hospital keep her for a week. We took a day and that's it. So she was still a baby or hardly a few days old.

"Shhh, little one. Shhh," I whispered, rocking her gently. "Hey, Kaneisyeon. Are you hungry maybe?" I fumbled in my bag for the bottle of milk. Fortunately, I had grabbed the supplies the hospital had packed for the baby. Bottles milk, very close to breast feeding.

She wanted none of it. She turned her head, her cries turning into full-blown, wails that echoed off the walls.

"Shush, shush. Please stop. You'll get us in trouble," I begged, my voice a desperate whisper. "Come on, what do you expect from Hyeong, huh? I'm doing my best here."

The cries continued. I felt a surge of panic. What did she need? And then it hit me. "Oh. You want a change of clothes, huh?" The diaper. Of course.

I laid her down on my jacket on the floor, working with frantic fingers to get her changed. As I tossed the soiled diaper aside, the wailing stopped. Just like that. She let out a soft, gurgling sound, and then a giggle. A real, actual giggle. She looked up at me, her eyes bright and clear, and in them, I could see my own terrified reflection staring back.

The tension in my shoulders eased just a fraction. "Okay. Shush now. Good baby. Let's survive, alright?" I whispered, patting her belly softly before gathering her up again, holding her secure against my chest.

But the relief was short-lived. The reality of our situation crashed down on me. "We can't stay in this meat shop forever. The base isn't safe anymore either." I thought of the loud, rending crash I'd heard just as I'd fled through the storage door. "And from that sound... I'm pretty sure something broke in there."

I was trapped. I couldn't fight, not while holding her. I couldn't leave her alone to find help. I tried to send a message to one of the members of the group, and the worst had come to pass. Martial law had taken hold. The message app stopped working too. I thought we had more time, but it would seem I was wrong. Now, no one would know where I was. And I wouldn't know where they were. I sighed, leaning my head back against the cold wall, staring at my pathetic barricade. "Are there empty houses nearby? I can't keep her safe here." The question hung in the air, unanswered. "What do I do...?"

[The Same Day
China
A Small Restaurant]

The air in the restaurant was warm and smelled of garlic, chili oil, and slow-braised pork. It was a comfortable, familiar haze. Chen Wu sat at a simple table, his posture perfectly erect. His black eyes, sharp and focused, watched as the waiter approached, hands slightly unsteady as he placed a steaming bowl of soup before him.

"Master Chen Wu, here is your soup."

"Thank you," Chen Wu replied, his voice a calm, measured tone. He lifted the faded white bowl, decorated with delicate pink flowers, brought it to his lips, and offered a silent, almost imperceptible prayer before taking a slow, appreciative sip. The warmth spread through him. Peace.

It was shattered in an instant.

The restaurant's door didn't just open; it exploded inward, splintering off its hinges. A woman's body flew through the air as if thrown by a giant, crashing into the far wall with a sickening crunch of bone before slumping to the floor in a broken heap.

For a second, there was dead silence. Then, chaos.

"Is she okay?" a man shouted, half-rising from his seat.

"She's hurt badly!"

"Call an ambulance!"

"Someone help her!"

Patrons rushed toward the crumpled form. One man, younger than the others, reached her first. "Miss? Can you hear—"

The woman moved. Her body twisted, contorting in a way that was utterly wrong, pushing itself up from the floor with a series of audible pops and cracks. Her head lolled to the side, revealing cloudy, lifeless eyes. Her dress was torn and saturated with dark, fresh blood.

"What's wrong with her?" the young man whispered, stumbling backward.

"She doesn't look right!" a woman shrieked.

"Don't go close to her!"

But it was too late. The woman—the thing—lunged forward on all fours, moving with a spider-like gait. She grabbed the young man by the ankle, yanking him off his feet. Before he could even scream, she was on top of him, and the sound that followed was not a scream, but a wet, crunching tear as her teeth sank into his skull.

The restaurant erupted.

"Argh! It's those zombie freaks from the movies!"

"Run! Save yourselves!"

People scrambled for the broken door, but another creature was already there, blocking the exit, dragging a screaming woman to the ground.

Through it all, Chen Wu took another slow, deliberate sip of his soup. He placed the bowl down neatly on the table. His peace had been disturbed. Annoying.

With a sigh that conveyed more irritation than fear, he stood up. He walked—not ran—toward the first creature, now rising from her meal. With a movement too fast to follow, he pivoted and delivered a devastating kick to her stomach, sending her flying back out through the broken doorway. He then grabbed the bitten young man by his collar, dragging him effortlessly and tossing him out after her onto the street along with the zombie blocking the door.

He turned to the panicked customers cowering behind overturned tables. "Help me secure the door."

His calm command cut through their hysteria. They moved as one, grabbing chairs, tables, heavy shelves, and shoving them against the ruined entrance, creating a chaotic but sturdy barricade. The sounds of snarls and pounding fists came from the other side.

Once secure, everyone retreated to the kitchen, scrambling into corners, hiding behind industrial stoves and walk-in freezers. Their breaths came in ragged, terrified gasps.

Chen Wu did not hide. He simply found a stool in the corner of the kitchen, sat down, and pulled out his phone. The glow of the screen illuminated his placid face as he continued scrolling, utterly unfazed, as if the world had not just ended on the other side of the door.

One of the customers, a man with a trembling hands, muttered into his knees, "What is going on? This isn't right... How are they here? I don't want to die yet..."

[South Korea
The Base
Same Day]

The silence in the base was heavier than the darkness. The broken doors let in a cold, biting wind.

Eunhye hugged herself, her fingers digging into her arms. She looked at Sae Joon Hyun, her eyes pleading. "Joon," she began, her voice trembling, breaking the quiet. "Are we... are we not going to save them?" She meant Jaeyeon, Yuri, Eugene, Hailey, Yohan. All of them.

Sae Joon Hyun didn't look at her. His gaze was fixed on the broken entrance, his face a stony mask. "We can't," he said flatly.

"But there must be a way—" she insisted, her voice rising.

"Their phones are turned off, Eunhye-ssi!" he snapped, finally turning to her. The frustration was raw in his eyes. "Dead. Or destroyed. Or Martial law has finally taken complete control. There's no signal. No way to track them. Nothing."

"But is there really no way?" she asked again, desperation making her voice thin and sharp.

"I'm telling you, Eunhye-ssi. We can't do anything right now. Jaeyeon is with them. He's smart. They should be fine." He was trying to convince himself as much as her.

It was the wrong thing to say.

"FINE?!" The shriek came from In-Ha, who had been standing rigidly apart. She spun around, her eyes wild, blazing with a mother's raw, untamed fear. "What are you saying?! My baby is in danger! My child is with them! We must go save them! We have to find them NOW!" Her words were daggers, aimed straight at him.

That was it. The last thread of his composure snapped.

"THEN YOU DO IT YOURSELF!"

The shout was so sudden, so explosive, that it seemed to suck all the air out of the room. Everyone flinched glancing at the broken doors involuntarily. It was night, so they should be fine, but that shout was very sudden. And from someone they hardly expected. Sae Joon Hyun took a step toward her, his own pain and helplessness twisting his features.

"I AM SO SICK OF YOU, IN-HA MA'AM! KANEISYEON THIS, KANEISYEON THAT! I UNDERSTAND SHE IS YOUR CHILD, BUT CAN'T YOU HAVE A LITTLE TRUST IN THAT BOY FOR FIVE MINUTES?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUT YOUR FAITH IN HIM! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DECIDED THIS! SO HAVE SOME PATIENCE, SERIOUSLY!"

He was shouting, his voice cracking with the strain. He ran a hand over his face, the gesture one of utter exhaustion. "I might sound rude, but there is nothing—NOTHING—I can do right now! I don't have a magic solution! So... PLEASE... don't make this any harder for me. Please."

The word 'please' at the end was broken, a whisper of the anger that had just consumed him.

In-Ha stood utterly still, as if he'd physically struck her. All the fire, the panic, the anger, drained from her face, leaving behind a pale, shocked numbness. His words, so harsh and public, didn't just land; they embedded themselves deep, each one a searing point of truth she couldn't avoid. She'd promised to trust Jeha. She'd vowed to be strong. And now, faced with the unbearable unknown, she was falling apart, and taking everyone down with her. Her gaze dropped to the floor, her hands trembling uncontrollably at her sides. She couldn't even form a response. The hurt was too immediate, too profound.

In the devastating silence that followed, Eunhye stepped forward. She didn't look at Sae Joon Hyun with anger or at In-Ha with pity. Her voice was soft, but it carried a steely authority that demanded to be heard.

"Joon. In-Ha ma'am." She looked at each of them. "That's enough. We need to calm down. Right now, being positive isn't about feeling good. It's a strategy. It's all we have left. So please..."