The last of Yon’s words seemed to hang in the cold air, a dark mist of memory that refused to dissipate. The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the breathing of the sleeping team and the distant, ever-present skittering of something in the dark beyond their safe zone.

Yunha simply stared at him, her mind trying to process the image he’d painted: a boy, his father, their dream, a fork, his mother’s bleeding hand. The clinical way he’d described it was more chilling than any shouted confession could ever be.

"You what?" The words left her lips in a breathless rush, more a statement of disbelief than a question. Her brow was furrowed, trying to reconcile the boy in the story with the enigmatic, impossibly strong figure standing beside her.

Yon didn’t look at her. His gaze was fixed on a crack in the concrete floor, as if the answer were written there. "Scary, right." It wasn’t a question. It was a flat, tired acknowledgment. "But I just couldn't bear the fact that she thought that way about dad. He was trying his best... so how could she..."

His voice, usually so controlled, held a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. It was the smallest crack in his armor, and Yunha saw it. Her own anger, her own frustrations, felt mirrored in his story, warped and amplified into something terrifying.

"I understand," she said, the words soft but clear in the quiet space.

His head snapped up, his dark eyes searching her face for mockery. He found none. "Excuse me?" The surprise in his tone was genuine, laced with a healthy dose of skepticism.

"I understand why you did that," she repeated, her voice steady. She wasn’t condoning it. She was just… mapping the coordinates of his pain.

A wry, humorless smile touched his lips. "You are really twisted, Song--no. Yunha," he remarked, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it of her unexpected reaction.

"I just understand the feeling of being pushed to the edge," she clarified, her gaze not wavering. "That's all."

"That is—" he began, but she cut him off. She didn’t need his analysis of her psyche. She needed to know what came next.

"So, what happened then?" The curiosity was a lifeline, pulling them both back from the precipice of his dark memory.

Yon’s shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. The brief vulnerability vanished, sealed behind a wall of practiced detachment. "We should have a little rest now." He finally looked away from her, his eyes scanning the sleeping forms of their companions. "Plus, the events after that day weren't that pleasant..." He let the sentence trail off, a deliberate and heavy full stop.

Yunha heard the finality in his tone. The door to that part of his past was closed, for now. She nodded, accepting the truce. "Hm. Okay. Good night," she said softly.

She stretched, a long, weary motion, before walking over to her designated spot. She plopped down onto her thin blanket, pulling it up to her chin. Sleep, the great escape, claimed her with shocking speed.

Yon didn’t move. He watched the steady rise and fall of her breathing, her face peaceful in the dim light. A strange, unidentifiable emotion flickered in his eyes before he banked it, his expression settling into its usual neutral mask. He remained a silent sentinel, a vigil kept over their fragile haven, his own truth a noisy ghost in the quiet. All he wanted was Eugene to not hear about his dark past. That would be enough for now.

The deep, dreamless black of exhaustion was shattered by a sharp, insistent elbow to the ribs.

Sae Joon Hyun grunted, swimming up through layers of sleep. "Mmph... what? What do you want?" he mumbled, his voice thick and groggy. He dragged his hands over his face, trying to scrub the sleep away.

Eunhye’s face was pale and serious in the gloom, her eyes wide. She didn’t speak. Instead, she pointed a trembling finger across the room to where In-Ha slept, her form a small mound under a pile of blankets.

Sae Joon Hyun squinted, his brain struggling to catch up. "What?" he whispered, irritation warring with confusion.

Eunhye leaned in so close her lips almost brushed his ear. "In-Ha ma'am," she breathed, her voice barely audible. "It will be exactly nine months... today."

That jolted him awake like a shot of adrenaline. "WHAT," he exclaimed, the word too loud in the sleeping silence.

"Shh!" Eunhye hissed, clapping a hand over his mouth. Her eyes darted around frantically, but thankfully, only a few of the lighter sleepers stirred. Sae Joon Hyun nodded rapidly, his own eyes wide with panic now. As soon as she removed her hand, he grabbed her arm. "What now?" he whispered, the question laden with a terror that had nothing to do with zombies.

"I don't know," Eunhye admitted, her voice cracking slightly. "That's why I woke you up."

The shuffling of blankets and their frantic whispering had drawn another curious soul. Yuri moved like a shadow, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders as she crept up behind them. Sae Joon Hyun jumped, a yelp catching in his throat as a cold hand closed around his wrist like a manacle.

He looked up, ready to fight, only to see Jaeyeon standing there with a knowing, grim smile, shaking his head. "It's Yuri Seonsangnim," he murmured.

Sae Joon Hyun’s heart hammered against his ribs. Yuri’s eerie, calm gaze shifted from him to Eunhye, then over to In-Ha. The pieces clicked together in her sharp mind.

"Oh right," Yuri murmured, her voice a low monotone. "She is pregnant, isn't she..." It wasn't a question. It was a statement of a problem that needed a solution, another variable in their desperate equation.

Jaeyeon ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, his mind clearly racing through the same logistical nightmare.

One by one, the group roused, drawn by the tense, silent conference happening in the corner. Soon, a semi-circle of anxious faces surrounded In-Ha's sleeping form, all staring down at her as if she were a bomb about to go off.

In-Ha chose that moment to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, then blinked in utter confusion at the ring of people looming over her. She let out a tiny, startled gasp, pulling her blanket up to her nose so only her wide, alarmed eyes were visible. Her hands curled into tiny fists on her chest.

"What the heck," her voice was muffled by the fabric. "Why are you all staring at me like that?!"

The group took an awkward, collective step back, suddenly looking everywhere but at her. They exchanged nervous glances, a silent game of chicken over who would speak first.

Jay, ever the one to charge into awkward situations, finally cleared his throat. "Well... You see... It's just that... It will be time for your... delivery soon..." he stammered, his face flushing. "And we... well, we don't know what to do..."

In-Ha’s eyes widened, first in shock, then in dawning, exasperated understanding. She lowered the blanket, revealing a face etched with a mix of amusement and sheer annoyance. "I am going to have a baby," she stated, her tone dry and cutting through the palpable tension. "Not an alien. I think I can manage to tell you when it's happening."

The group shifted uncomfortably. Eugene spoke then. "Let's check for hospitals—" he began, but his words were abruptly severed.

Kssshhh-BZZZZZT!

The sound erupted from the forgotten wall television at a corner, a violent burst of static that made everyone jump. This place was probably a hidden bunker considering it held a television and a small fridge. The fridge held nothing as of the moment but it was there. The screen, which had been a lifeless gray void, flickered wildly with jagged lines of color before resolving into a startlingly clear image: a wood-paneled conference room.

The audio crackled, boomed, then settled into a disturbing clarity. Figures on the screen sharpened into focus. Military uniforms. A severe-looking man in a black suit seated behind a polished wooden plate that read ‘PRESIDENT’. Faces they had seen a lifetime ago on news broadcasts.

Eunhye felt her stomach lurch, a sour, bitter taste flooding her mouth. She couldn't look away, her organs seeming to twist inside her as she stared, wide-eyed.

"The television... it's working," Yohan breathed, his voice hushed with disbelief. "It's working all of a sudden..."

Sae Joon Hyun heard the murmurs ripple through the group, but they were just white noise. His entire focus was on the clear-as-glass voice coming from the screen, even as the image occasionally stuttered and glitched.

The president leaned forward slightly, his hands folded on the table. He looked exhausted, but his voice was steady, resolute.

"Good morning, citizens." The greeting felt grotesquely formal given the circumstances. "I am here with the military captain to address the pandemic that has struck South Korea." He paused, a heavy, deliberate silence. "We greatly apologize for the delay in making this announcement. The office was... surrounded."

A cold dread seeped into the room. Eunhye’s hand found Sae Joon Hyun’s and squeezed it tightly.

"We request everyone to stay indoors and do not leave your place of shelter until a military team comes to rescue each and every one of you," the president continued, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Half of our military forces have been turned... unfortunately. But we will be responsible for your safety, no matter what. Martial law has hence been extended. And we expect your full cooperation."

The room was utterly silent, the weight of the words pressing down on them.

"Six units have already been sent to the least populated cities in our country," the military captain next to the president added, his voice gravelly baritone. "We plan on rescuing the least populated areas first. We will need a significant force for the most populated cities. We have begun with Gyeryong. Please be patient. Wait for us."

The screen dissolved back into a mess of chaotic static and color before snapping to black. The silence it left behind was heavier and more profound than before.

For a full minute, no one spoke. The hope was a physical, painful thing in the room.

"They will rescue us," Hailey finally whispered, the words sounding like a prayer.

"Yes," Charyeong affirmed slowly, though her tone was laced with a deep, unshakable uncertainty.

Minji clutched Young's hand so tightly her knuckles were white. Young squeezed back, a silent promise passing between them.

It was Ji-Hoon who broke first. The frustration, the fear, the agonizing wait—it all boiled over. With a strangled cry, he launched himself at the television, grabbing the sides of the useless black screen and shaking it violently. "Work! WORK, YOU PIECE OF TRASH!" he screamed, his voice cracking with raw desperation.

"Ji-Hoon, stop!" Jay was on him in an instant, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him back. "It's over! It's done!"

"Why?" Ji-Hoon sobbed, going limp in Jay's arms, tears streaming down his face. He wasn't talking to Jay. He was screaming at the world, at the silent TV, at the president who had taken so long. "Why did it take them so long? Why?!"

His breakdown was the key that unlocked everyone else. A dam burst. Tears they'd been holding back for weeks poured out. They didn't cry quietly. They screamed. They sobbed into their hands, into each other's shoulders, their bodies shaking with the force of their grief and fear and shattered hope. The dim space echoed with the sound of their collective anguish.

Zera moved to Hailey, not with words, but with actions. She gently pounded her fists on Hailey's shoulders, a wordless gesture of solidarity, of shared pain. Hailey, tears streaming down her own face, patted Zera's back.

In-Ha had sunk into a chair, her hands resting on her swollen stomach. Her words, when they came, were quiet but cleaved through the wailing. "There are people who are still alive out there somewhere. The military is alive. The president too..."

It was the cruelest twist. The confirmation of life outside these walls, of a functioning government, only magnified their own isolation and helplessness. They were alive, but they were utterly, terrifyingly on their own. Help was too late. It seemed like it would never come.

Outside, as if sensing the tsunami of despair within, the creatures renewed their assault on the metal door. Their pounding and scraping became a frenzied rhythm, a horrific drumbeat to the survivors' cries.

They cried until they were hollow, until their eyes were swollen and raw, and their throats were scratchy and sore. There was nothing left. And in that emptiness, a grim resolve took root.

Wordlessly, they began to suit up. They pulled on the "advanced" safety armor Yuri had engineered from desperation and duct tape. It was absurd and brilliant all at once.

They fastened helmets made of hard mats and cushions, wrapped their hands in layers of tape, and shrugged into thick, padded jackets covered by even thicker blankets. They secured face masks, pulled on shoes swaddled in high cushioning, and strapped thick pads to their legs and arms. A long, padded garment was wound around their necks. The rule was simple, absolute: Do not get bitten. At any cost.

Mina moved stiffly in her bulky get-up, her nose still sniffling from her tears. "But... This is a little hard to move in..." she complained, her voice small.

Minyoung didn't even look at her. She just reached out and delivered a swift, sharp slap to the back of Mina's helmet. Thwack. Mina shot her a venomous glare, but the complaint died on her lips.

"Let's go." Sae Joon Hyun’s voice was like ice. His cold gaze swept over the group before fixing on Mina. She shivered under its intensity and took an involuntary step back.

"They called them zombies, you know..." Yohan said, the word feeling foreign and strange in his mouth.

Hailey reached out and laced her fingers with his. "I guess that's probably what they are," she conceded softly.

"It's best to drop the name 'grave-up' now," Yuri stated, all practicality. She checked the straps on her own padded armor. Jaeyeon nodded, hefting a metal pipe. "We made that up anyway."

With a series of grim, final nods, they were ready. A unit of terrified, grief-stricken, but determined survivors, clad in the armor of the desperate.

They moved quietly, filing into the jeep. Jaeyeon took the driver's seat, his hands gripping the wheel like a lifeline. Hailey and Yohan flanked In-Ha in the back, their bodies forming a protective barrier. Young and Minji moved to the heavy metal door, their weapons held tight.

Young looked at Minji, who gave a sharp nod. Together, they heaved it open.

The horde outside, stirred into a frenzy, surged forward.

Yuri didn't hesitate. She moved like lightning, sidestepping a lunging creature and using its own momentum to slam it down onto the cemented pathway. The sickening, wet crack of its skull meeting concrete was the signal. The couple sprinted for the jeep.

Eunhye was there, leaning out, her hand extended. She hauled them in one after the other with a grunt of effort.

Yon, already standing on the jeep's running board, shook two glass bottles filled with a clear liquid. He tossed one to Jay and one to Ji-Hoon. Then, a pair of knives seemed to materialize in his own hands, his gaze cold and focused on the tide of death closing in.

Jaeyeon didn't wait for an order. He spun the wheel, the jeep's tires screeching in protest. He slammed the clutch and then the accelerator, and the vehicle plowed into the heart of the horde. The impact was sickening, a thudding, jarring sensation that shook them all.

Zombies that avoided the grille were met with precise shots from Minji and Sae Joon Hyun, the reports of their guns sharp and final amidst the groans.

And in the chaotic, violent scramble, as the jeep began to push through the crowd, Mina, her eyes wide with a selfish, primal fear, grabbed Eunhye and shoved her forward, using her as a human shield against the grasping, rotting hands that could possibly reach for them.