The rooftop air was thick and cold, each breath tasting of dust and dread. Jay’s whisper was so faint it was almost swallowed by the howling wind. "They're not just mindless anymore... they've evolved. Into absolute monsters."

Charyeong’s heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat. She hugged herself, shivering. "Now what do we do? We're trapped up here."

Before anyone could form an answer, a raw, defiant yell shattered the night, echoing off the building facades.

"OVER HERE, YOU BEASTS! COME AND GET ME!"

It was Jaeyeon. His voice, laced with a crazy bravado, was a magnet. The shuffling and snarling from the crossroads below immediately shifted, moving as one grotesque entity toward the sound of his challenge.

"Now, Ji-hoon! Go!" Sae Joon Hyun hissed.

Ji-hoon didn't need telling twice. He scrambled into the driver's seat of the jeep. "Eunhye Noona, drive! Get us under that roof!" he yelled, pointing to the overhang of the house the four were perched on.

Eunhye slammed her foot on the accelerator. The jeep lurched forward, swerving around the advancing edge of the horde and screeching to a halt directly below them.

"Minji-ssi! The rope!" Eunhye called out.

Minji was already moving. She uncoiled a heavy rope and threw one end upward. "HOLD THIS!" she shouted to Yuri, who caught it and, with a strength born of pure adrenaline, quickly lashed it around the solid brick chimney.

"Yon, now!" Minji ordered.

Yon didn't hesitate. He pulled a glass bottle from his bag—one filled with a clear liquid—and hurled it down onto the pavement in front of the creatures. It shattered, and the resulting hiss and faint acrid smell made the front line recoil, buying them a precious few seconds.

"Go, go, GO!"

They descended the rope, one after another, sliding down into the waiting jeep just as the creatures began to advance again. The door slammed shut.

Their relief lasted all of two seconds.

A frantic, prolonged HONK ripped through the night. Yuri spun in her seat. "What now?!"

Another vehicle, a small truck, came careening around the corner. Minyoung was at the wheel, her face a mask of pure calm. And behind her, a seething, relentless tide of fiends gave chase, closing in fast.

"Minyoung!" Eugene cried out.

The truck swerved, the creatures swarming over it, pounding on the windows and roof. It was like watching piranhas strip flesh from bone. The driver's side window shattered. They saw Minyoung's arm shoot out, a pistol in her hand.

BANG. BANG. BANG!

Sparks flew in the darkness. Thick, dark blood splattered across the windshield. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed, her voice a raw mix of command and fury.

Eugene stared, pale-faced. "...Minyoung is scary..."

Yon caught Eunhye's eye in the rearview mirror and gave a sharp thumbs-up. She nodded, understanding. She revved the engine, ready to provide a distraction.

But Minyoung acted first. She kicked her own door open, tumbling out of the truck. Instead of running toward them, she turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, screaming and waving her arms, leading the horde away like a macabre pied piper.

She vanished into a nearby house, crashing through the front door. A second later, Young, who had followed in another car, skidded to a stop, leaped out, and slammed the heavy front door shut, throwing the bolt and trapping the pursuing creatures inside as they rushed out the back door.

For a moment, there was only the sound of their own ragged breathing in the car that held team four.

"Okay?" Hailey's voice was small, fragile.

Charyeong just nodded, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white, crumpling the fabric of her skirt.

Yuri reached over and pulled Eunhye into a tight, desperate hug. "Thank you," she whispered into her shoulder, her voice thick with emotion.

Nobody spoke as they drove back to the store. The night had taken a piece of all of them.

[Location: Seoul South Korea Unknown convenience store]

The convenience store felt less like a sanctuary and more like a waiting room. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, too bright, highlighting every line of exhaustion and fear on their faces.

Charyeong sank onto an upturned crate, her shoulders slumped. "It's tough," she murmured, not looking at anyone. "This is... really hard."

Jaeyeon moved to sit beside Eunhye. Without a word, he gently took her arm. She flinched.

"Hey, relax," he said softly.

"Creep," she muttered, but there was no real heat behind it.

He carefully rolled up her sleeve, revealing a long, angry gash running down her forearm. She hissed as the air hit it.

"Where'd this come from?" he asked, his voice low as he rummaged in their makeshift med kit for antiseptic. All a luxury found in the convenience store. It really was convenient.

"You tell me, Detective," she shot back, wincing as he dabbed at the cut. "It could be from any of the chaos back there. Luckily, it's not from the grave-ups."

"Doesn't hurt to check," he replied, his touch surprisingly gentle. "Might need stitches."

Eunhye let out a tense, shaky breath. "Just wrap it tight."

Their quiet moment was interrupted by Sae Joon Hyun. "How did you even find us back there?" he asked, his eyes sharp, flicking between Eunhye and Jaeyeon as he sat opposite them.

Eunhye nodded toward Jaeyeon. "Ask him. He's the bloodhound."

Jaeyeon didn't look up from wrapping Eunhye's arm. "A detective's gotta do what he's gotta do," he said simply.

Across the room, In-ha was studying Yon, who was calmly taking a sip of water. "Yon," she began, her scientist's curiosity piqued. "That bottle you used. What was in it?"

Yon held up the now-empty glass bottle. "Oh, this? Just water, mostly. With a bit of a kick."

"A kick?"

"Yeah. Back at school, I was in the cafeteria. One of them got in. I panicked and threw a water jug at it. The thing just... recoiled. Hissed at it. So I started carrying water. Figured out adding a little bit of acid from the chem lab makes them really not like it. Burns them, I think."

While Yon explained, a silent conversation passed between Jaeyeon, Eunhye, and Sae Joon Hyun. Their eyes met, a series of rapid-fire glances.

He's insane, Sae Joon Hyun's raised eyebrow seemed to say, glancing at Jaeyeon.

Eunhye rolled her eyes, a tiny smirk playing on her lips. That's what I first thought when I met you, Joon.

Sae Joon Hyun's eyes narrowed. Hey. I saved you from that officer.

You had absolutely no reaction. It was creepy, her look shot back.

Hmpf, he looked away, feigning offense.

Jaeyeon's gaze then drifted to Yon, his expression turning serious. Don't you guys think Yon's been acting weird since the others got here?

Eunhye's eyes widened in confusion. Yeah... but how are we even understanding each other right now?

She's right. That was a very long... sentence, Jaeyeon, Sae Joon Hyun's eyes crinkled with amusement.

So are yours, Hyeong, Jaeyeon's glance was playful.

How are we able to have this conversation at all? Sae Joon Hyun's look was mock-incredulous.

Jaeyeon's eyes twinkled. I don't know, Hyeong. Ask the author.

Sae Joon Hyun's face morphed into a look of mock scolding. Don't break the fourth wall. Focus. Jaeyeon.

Oh. Right. Sorry, readers, Jaeyeon's eyes darted toward the ceiling apologetically.

Dumb, Sae Joon Hyun's eyes said, rolling.

Shut up, psycho Hyeong, Jaeyeon shot back silently, a grin threatening to break through.

"Hey!" Yuri's voice cut through their psychic conference. "What are you three doing? You're staring at each other like zombies."

Eunhye jumped, blinking. "What? Oh, nothing, nothing. Just... zoning out."

Sae Joon Hyun cleared his throat, his face turning serious again. "Guys, all this aside. I hope you all saw what we saw back there."

Yuri, ever the mood-lightener, fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. "What did you see? Was it my stunning bravery? My impeccable hair despite the end of the world?" She did a little shimmy, making her eyes go crossed.

The group erupted in strained, nervous laughter. It was a release valve, a tiny moment of normalcy.

Sae Joon Hyun was not amused. "UGH! WILL YOU ALL BE SERIOUS FOR ONE SECOND?" he yelled, his voice echoing in the small store. The laughter died instantly. "THE CREATURES. THEY WERE HOLDING WEAPONS. PIPES. KNIVES."

The room went cold.

Jaeyeon nodded slowly, his earlier playfulness gone. "He's right. I saw it too. They're not just biting and scratching anymore. They're arming themselves. They can't use them well... not yet. But they're learning."

The gravity of that statement settled over them like a physical weight. In-ha finally spoke, her voice quiet but firm. "We need to stop. Now. We need to rest. If they are evolving this quickly, we need to be sharp. We can't afford mistakes born from exhaustion."

One by one, they found spots on the floor, leaning against shelves and crates, but sleep was a distant fantasy. The question hung in the air, unspoken but deafening: Were they, a bunch of kids and civilians, really the only thing standing between this virus and the entire country?

Yunha finally sat up, rubbing her eyes. Giving up on sleep, she slipped out the back door for a moment of quiet. The cold air was a shock. The streets were empty. Eerily, terrifyingly empty.

"Hey." A soft voice came from the side. Zera was huddled on a bench, knees to her chest. "Why are you out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Yunha replied, leaning against the wall and looking up at the stars. They were impossibly bright without the city's light pollution.

"Just... can't sleep," Zera mumbled. "Every time I close my eyes..."

Yunha nodded. "I know. I thought... maybe if I just slept and woke up, this would all be a bad dream. But it's not. We're living it. Until... whatever decides we're done."

Yohan joined them, his voice thick with emotion. "I haven't even graduated yet. And here I am, 'serving my country' in a way I never imagined."

"Why are we doing this?" Zera's voice was a plaintive whisper. "We're not soldiers."

The back door opened again. Hailey stood there, her face set with a new determination. "Because if we don't, who will?" she said, her voice firm. "I want to see the end of this nightmare. Let's finish it."

That was all it took. A spark.

Yohan looked at her, then nodded, climbing into the nearest jeep. "Noona? Let's go."

Eunhye stepped out next, brushing her hair back. "Me too."

Yuri followed, linking her arm with Eunhye's. "Well then, me three."

Yon skipped over, that familiar, almost manic energy back. "Me number after three~"

Jay walked up calmly. "Four. Just say four."

Sae Joon Hyun was the last, emerging from the store with his hands in his pockets. He looked at the group, a flicker of something like pride in his eyes before he masked it with his usual gruffness. "Ah. You guys are here as well." He nodded once, a silent pact renewed. "Let's go."

They shared a look, a chaotic mix of fear, resolve, and the unbreakable bond of those who have faced hell together. The night wasn't over. Their fight had just begun. Soldiers or not, to end this nightmare, they had to fight it. Were they heroes? They wouldn't know. But what is known is simple. Survival is not an option. It is a fact. A must.