The morning sun rose over the shattered city, casting long shadows on the road as Songwoo and the survivors left the mall behind. They had all seen enough blood for a lifetime, and even though zombies were weaker at night, staying was no longer safe. The air carried the bitter stench of smoke and rot. They move forward.
"I have to find the ones behind this," he muttered to himself. "If there's a way back… I'll find it. And if not—then I'll make one."
He looked toward the horizon, where the sun was beginning to rise… slowly reminding him how far from home he truly was.
They start their journey. Move towards with hope. Suddenly a young man with them stopes. He was in pain. Then only songwoo notice that he was injured.
That young man is Yohan. He is a martial artist. No one knows because he meet them with is injuries and couldn't move much. He has been supported by his sister who die in early zombie attack.
"No... He has been infected.." Daehyun look at him with in fear.
"No need to be scared, it's just bullet shot."
"No we have to kill him or we all will die."
Everyone look at Juhone, as she is in no place to talk.
But Songwoo stepped in."He's shot, not infected. We'll treat him. Don't let fear turn us into monsters."
They found temporary refuge in a small medical store. As they patched Daehyun up, Songwoo hear some foot steps , a group of survivors arrived—wary but not hostile. One of them, a woman with a branded armband, stepped forward and spoke with urgency.
"There's a shelter a few blocks from here. Real one. We're gathering people to save what's left of humanity. You should come with us."
Songwoo exchanged glances with the others. They didn't ask, they sound like ordering. Hesitation lingered, but they couldn't afford to wander forever.
The shelter was heavily barricaded, guarded, and surprisingly well-organized. Songwoo and his group were led inside and immediately quarantined."We've lost too many to risk it," the guards explained."Zombie virus spreads within five minutes if bitten."
They waited anxiously. Daehyun, bruised and quiet, remained stable. After a tense day, the quarantine ended.
Inside, the atmosphere was surprisingly warm. People smiled. Children played. Fires crackled in drums. For a moment, it felt like the world they'd lost.
Songwoo, ever open-hearted, made friends quickly. He played with the kids, shared food, helped fix beds.
But Minjae, still guarded, sat in a corner, watching him quietly.He didn't trust this place, or the people.He'd seen how quickly things could fall apart.
Yuri, the little girl, stuck close to Daehyun, avoiding the crowd. The shelter was safe—but the trauma lingered.
"Not gona join them." The Dr Hong company minjae.
"It's an apocalypse world we can't trust anyone. Their mind will change anytime."
....
Both silenty watch Songwoo, wondering how can he smile even in a situation like this.....
Later that evening, after everyone had settled in, a volunteer came to escort Songwoo's group to meet the shelter's team leader.
"The leader likes to meet new arrivals personally. It's part of how things work here."
They were led through the corridors of the shelter—a converted underground facility that once served as a parking garage. It smelled of oil, wet concrete, and sweat. They passed groups of survivors sitting by fire pits, eating, whispering, or simply staring into space.
The leader's office was an old storage room, lit dimly by solar lamps.
Behind a cluttered desk sat a woman in her early forties. Her face was tired, but sharp. A scar ran across her jaw, and her eyes had seen too much.
"I'm Chief Kang. I run things here. You're Songwoo's group, right?"
"Yes. Thank you for letting us in."
"We don't turn people away. Not yet, anyway. But space is limited. Food even more so."
Songwoo stood silent for a moment.
"It's good you stuck together. Groups like that don't last long these days. You'll receive limited rations starting tomorrow, and we rotate scavenging shifts."
"Scavenging?"
"Every day, teams go out to gather food and medicine. It's dangerous, but everyone does their part. You'll be assigned shifts once you're settled."
Everyone agrees.
Later on that day, they stood in line at a ration station. A man in a yellow vest handed out measured scoops of rice, dried fish, and stale crackers.
"Why's there so little?" Yuri whisper.
"Because there's not enough for everyone. But this will keep us alive."Songwoo gently smile.
Daehyun, now able to walk slowly, joined them with a limp.
"Guess I missed the gourmet buffet, huh?"
Minjae (smirking for the first time):"Barely missed it."
They all laughed softly.
That night, they sat in a dim corner of the shelter—together, eating in silence. The comfort of company made the cold concrete feel a little warmer.
Then one of the chief's men came to get Songwoo's team to scavenging. Zombies are weak at night....
Songwoo agree without hesitation.
"We'll go."
"Are you serious?" Minjae still hesitate to go out.
"If we want to stay here, we have to contribute. And we've done this before. Also we agree to this before."
The others nodded. Even Daehyun insisted on coming, despite his wound.
Daehyun:"I can still hold a bag. Or run. Kinda."
"We can't afford to loose any more people." Songwoo refuse to take Daehyun with them.
"AH com on, i not weak. I'm not able to anything now. But i'm telling you, i'm super strong. Stronger that you can even imagine."
" But now you are super weak." Youri mock him. He keep silence. "Fine come back safe."
They prepare to leave. First aid, food, water, wepones everything is ready.
Across the shelter, Juhone was already talking with a different group—a mix of shady men, their clothes rough, their stares cold. They looked like they belonged in a gang before the world ended.
"You don't want to stay weak. That boy… he's trouble. Always bringing people in. One day, it'll get us all killed."
One of the thugs nodded.
"You got guts. Maybe we can use that."
As Juhone smirked, watching Songwoo's group from afar, something shifted in her gaze—envy or hatred, it wasn't clear yet.