Chapter 26: Trapped

As chaos erupted in the camp, panic spread like wildfire among the survivors. Mr. Park, So Mi, Min-ji, and Miss Kim exchanged alarmed glances, their hearts racing with fear. They had emerged from the examination room just in time to witness the chaos unfolding.

The ground trembled beneath their feet as the monstrous creature drew closer, its growls echoing menacingly. Before they could even consider fleeing, a deafening crash shattered the air as the creature hurled a car towards the entrance, blocking their only exit.

Their hopes of escape dashed, the group exchanged worried glances, realizing they were trapped inside the makeshift hospital. Miss Kim's voice trembled as she spoke up, her fear palpable. "What do we do now? We're trapped!"

Mr. Park's expression was grim as he scanned their surroundings, his mind racing with thoughts of survival. "We need to find a way to defend ourselves," he said urgently. "Look for anything we can use as weapons or barricades."

So Mi nodded, her heart pounding with fear as she searched the room for anything they could use to defend themselves. "We'll have to work together and stay calm," she said, her voice steadying despite the chaos around them.

Min-ji's eyes darted around the room, her mind racing with ideas. "It seems like the monster is mindlessly attacking everything, we might be safe if we just stay quiet" she said, her voice determined. "We can't give up hope."

Everyone else also realized that as she said so, it didn't seem like the monster had been targeting anyone since it starting attacking and was just causing mindless destruction.

All lost of people had been caught in its cross hairs though and a some unresponsive bodies could be seen around the camp from the windows where they were looking from.

They all stared discreetly trying to avoid drawing the monsters attention as it destroyed everything in sight indiscriminately.

…...

Ji-hoon and Soo Won had finally gotten to the rendezvous point before night came. Going into the building, they checked through for any signs of infected. They did find a solitary infected in one of the rooms on the third floor and after deciding to just block the door and stay away from it, they settled in on the lowest floor.

They weren't surprised that the others weren't there yet, as they had asked at the camp if they had passed through, receiving a negative response. They decided to wait for them, settling in for the night. Ji-hoon had volunteered for the first watch, but Soo Won found herself unable to sleep, joining him instead.

"Do you think they're all okay?" Soo Won's voice broke the silence as she took a seat beside Ji-hoon.

"I'm sure they're fine," Ji-hoon replied, though his tone betrayed a hint of sadness.

Soo Won studied his face, concern evident in her gaze. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, searching his eyes for any sign of distress. They hadn't been by themselves since they left the sewers, so she hadn't been able to ask him before.

Ji-hoon hesitated, his gaze flickering away for a moment before returning to meet Soo Won's. "I'm... I'm not," he admitted quietly, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "I'm worried about everyone... about what lies ahead of us. Where do we go from here? What will become of the world? Will we all succumb, one by one, until we're all infected? Or is there another fate awaiting us?" He sighed, a heavy weight settling in his chest. "But I'm sure we'll be okay as long as we keep surviving each day at a time," he added, his voice more resolute, as if trying to convince himself as much as Soo Won.

Soo Won squeezed his hand gently, offering silent support in the face of his doubts. "We'll figure it out together," she said softly, her voice filled with determination. "We've made it this far, and we'll keep going. We'll find a way to make it through whatever comes our way." Ji-hoon nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, grateful for Soo Won's unwavering optimism. Together, they sat in companionable silence, finding solace in each other's presence amidst the uncertainty of their circumstances.

Soo Won eventually fell asleep, resting her head on his shoulder, and Ji-hoon followed suit hours later, after trying to stay awake for as long as he could. Fortunately, they remained safe throughout the night, undisturbed by any incidents. However, their peaceful slumber was abruptly interrupted by the cacophony of loud sounds emanating from the direction of the camp.

Startled awake by the commotion, Ji-hoon and Soo Won exchanged alarmed glances, their hearts racing with anxiety. Without a word, they both rose to their feet, their senses on high alert as they listened to the chaos unfolding outside the makeshift hospital. It was clear that something catastrophic was happening at the camp, and they knew they had to act quickly to assess the situation and ensure their safety.

"We should find out what's happening at least right?" So Mi asked as they tried to plan their next course of action.

"Yes, besides the others might be there, they shouldn't have been to far from us. We can quickly assess the situation and decide what to do next after we see what's causing so much commotion" Ji-hoon said as they quickly packed their things.

With a sense of urgency driving them forward, Ji-hoon and Soo Won swiftly packed their belongings and hastened to return to the camp. As they approached, Ji-hoon couldn't shake the eerie feeling that something was amiss. Despite the amount of noise emanating from the camp, there was an unsettling absence of infected creatures converging towards the source of the noise. It struck Ji-hoon as odd, considering the usual response of infected to such disturbances.

Recalling their journey to the rendezvous point the previous night, Ji-hoon remembered the lack of infected as the camp had cleared out any infected in the vicinity. Yet now, with the amount of noise emanating from the camp, there was still a conspicuous absence of the undead. While this realization unnerved him, it also fueled Ji-hoon's determination to gather crucial information about the camp's predicament. He understood the vital importance of assessing their current situation and strategizing accordingly.

It didn't take long for them to meet members of the camp that were running away. They tried to get Information from them but the escapees just ignored them and continued their mad dash away from the camp.

After a while of the same circumstance with other people they eventually got close enough to the camp to see the cause of the commotion. They both stared at the monstrosity in front of them in shock not even noticing the group of people that were coming their way dressed in lab coats and led by a familiar looking face.

"Soo Won, what are you guys doing here?" Eunji asked as they got close finally breaking Ji-hoon and Soo Won out of their trance like state.

"Eunji, are you okay?" Soo Won asked as she rushed forward to check on the staggering Eunji.

As Soo Won reached out to support Eunji, the latter leaned on her for stability, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. "It's... it's terrible," Eunji managed to say between breaths, her voice strained with exhaustion and fear. "The camp... it's under attack... by that thing."

Ji-hoon's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the chaotic scene unfolding before them. "What is that thing?" he asked, his voice tinged with urgency and apprehension.

Eunji shook her head weakly. "I don't know... it just suddenly appeared out of nowhere... it's tearing everything apart."

As they spoke, the ground trembled beneath their feet as the monstrous creature continued its rampage, its roars echoing through the air like thunder.

"What about the group I told you about, did they come??" Soo Won asked with urgency in her tone.

Eunji looked away from her not daring to face her, she couldn't tell her that they had abandoned them in their panic and they were now trapped in the camp. Her silence spoke volumes though, conveying more than words ever could.

Soo Won's heart sank as she processed the implication of Eunji's avoidance. "What happened??" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Eunji hesitated before finally meeting Soo Won's gaze, her eyes filled with remorse. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "We... we were overwhelmed... we couldn't wait any longer... we had to leave them behind..."

Soo Won's breath caught in her throat as the weight of Eunji's words settled over her like a suffocating blanket. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice trembling with apprehension. "Are they okay?"

Eunji hesitated, her gaze filled with anguish. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "We... we had to leave them behind... they were trapped..."

A surge of panic washed over Soo Won, her mind racing with worry for her friends. "We have to go back and help them," she insisted, her voice urgent. "We can't just leave them there..."

Ji-hoon nodded in agreement, his expression grim but determined. "We'll find a way to help them," he vowed, his voice filled with resolve.