9. Rest

'.....'= Thoughts 

"....."= Conversations 

____________________________________________________________________________________

The barricading was almost finished, so Dae-su, Su-hyeok, Joon-yeong, and Woo-jin quickly redoubled their efforts, shoving desks and chairs into the last remaining gaps. Gyeong-su and Cheong-san stood near the sliding door, which was bolted using curtain bars, ensuring it didn't open under the pressure of the undead outside.

Gyeong-su sighed in annoyance, his face a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "Please, somebody shut her up," he muttered.

Na-yeon, now staring at the zombies through the small window in the door, had already gone silent. Her hands were still trembling, but the sight of the grotesque faces and the relentless pounding seemed to have shocked her into a mute horror.

Jin-soo, still pale, moved away from the window, wiping the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand.

Jin-soo slumped down onto the floor, his back against the wall, and let out a heavy sigh. "I need to rest for a bit," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. The strain of the last few hours was evident on his face. The incessant pounding on the doors by the zombies outside seemed almost rhythmic now, a grim reminder of their precarious situation. Yet, for the moment, the barricades were holding.

Su-hyeok, leaning against a stack of desks they had hastily piled up, nodded in agreement. His own face was drawn with fatigue, and he could see the same exhaustion mirrored in the eyes of his friends. "We all need rest," he said, his voice steady but tired. "But we can't afford to let our guard down completely. We'll rest in shifts. Six of us will stand guard while the others take a break. We'll rotate in half hour."

There were murmurs of agreement as the group collectively exhaled, the tension in the room momentarily easing. Su-hyeok continued, "Cheong-san, On-jo, Woo-jin, Joon-yeong, Ji-min, and I will take the first watch. The rest of you, try to get some sleep or at least close your eyes for a bit. We'll wake you if there's any trouble."

The designated guards moved to their positions, eyes scanning the room and the barricades for any signs of weakness. Cheong-san positioned himself near the sliding door, his ears tuned to the slightest sound of strain in the curtain bars holding it shut. On-jo stood by the windows, peering through the small gaps in the makeshift barricade to monitor any changes outside.

Joon-yeong and Woo-jin, despite their fatigue, moved with a purposeful determination, checking the integrity of the barricades one more time before taking their places. Ji-min, still visibly shaken but resolute, took up a position near the back of the room, her eyes darting between the doors and her friends.

As the others settled down, trying to find some semblance of comfort on the cold, hard floor, the room fell into a tense silence, broken only by the occasional groan or scrape from the undead outside. Na-yeon, who had been staring blankly out the window, finally moved away and sat down, her back against a stack of chairs. Her trembling hands had stilled, but her eyes remained wide, haunted by the horrors she had witnessed.

Jin-soo lay on the cold, hard floor, his mind churning with the events of the day. The scene with Mr. Kang replayed over and over in his head. Even though Mr. Kang had already turned into a zombie by the time Jin-soo had killed him, the memory still gnawed at him. He felt winded, more so than he expected. Maybe it wasn't just physical exhaustion; maybe it was the emotional toll of what he had done.

He himself knew that there was no guilt to be felt. After all, it was a do-or-die situation. He had acted out of necessity, not malice. But the blood and gore—the raw, visceral reality of it all—had a way of seeping into his psyche, making him feel sick. It was one thing to know, intellectually, that he would have to kill zombies to survive; it was another thing entirely to see an ordinary person transform into a monster and then to be the one to end that twisted semblance of life.

Jin-soo concluded that his discomfort stemmed from the grotesque visuals, from the violence he had inflicted. But he knew he would have to steel himself for the future. He couldn't afford to hesitate. Every second counted, and hesitation could be deadly. As he firmed his resolve, he noticed Gyeong-su approaching and sitting beside him.

"How are you feeling?" Gyeong-su asked.

"Better than before," Jin-soo replied, his voice steadying as he spoke.

Gyeong-su looked away, his expression a mix of guilt and exhaustion. "I'm sorry, man. If I had held the door properly, you wouldn't have to go through all this."

Jin-soo lightly smacked Gyeong-su's head, a gesture more playful than punitive. "It's not like you did it on purpose. If I were in your place, I would have opened the door for Mr. Kang too. Don't stress about it."

Gyeong-su looked at Jin-soo for a moment, then lightly punched his shoulder. "Thanks." He then leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes in an attempt to catch some rest.

Just as Jin-soo was about to close his eyes, he saw Nam-ra approaching. She quietly sat down on his other side, not looking at him or saying anything at first. Jin-soo assumed she had nothing to say and was about to drift off when he heard her low voice.

"Are you okay?" Nam-ra asked, a bit of a concern evident on her face.

Jin-soo nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Nam-ra tilted her head, studying his face. "Why are you sweating so much?"

Jin-soo wiped his forehead with his sleeve, realizing she was right. "I don't know."

Without warning, Nam-ra placed her hand on his forehead, her touch cool and soothing. "You have a slight fever," she noted.

Jin-soo had felt a bit weak but hadn't paid much attention to it. "Maybe it'll go away with some rest," he said, trying to downplay it.

Nam-ra nodded slightly and got up, giving him space. After she left, Jin-soo closed his eyes again, feeling the weight of the day's events bearing down on him. He opened his system and contemplated the 0 1 point he had earned from killing Mr. Kang. Deciding he needed to bolster his physical resilience, he allocated the point to his constitution.

His constitution increased by 0.1, reaching 1.1. Almost immediately, a comfortable warmth spread through his body, easing the weakness caused by the fever. He felt the paleness in his face recede and his energy levels rise. However, he didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he covered his face with his arm and lay still, hoping the others wouldn't notice the change.

Jin-soo drifted into a light sleep, his mind gradually calming as his body recovered. The rhythm of the pounding outside became a distant backdrop, no longer the forefront of his thoughts.

______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

For 5+ advance chapters visit my patreon. 

patreon.com/StoryTeller229