I breathed in, calmed myself down, and decided, “Jiwan, take the Class Rep and head south, as far as you can. It’s the safest choice.”
If I had to change my plans, then there was no point in dwelling on it. I didn’t have many options from the start.
“You… you’re going with her?”
“I have to. I owe it to her sister.”
“Then we are going with you,” Jiwan answered right away.
My expression turned serious. “I don’t know if I can protect you. You two will probably slow me down.”
Jiwan clenched his fists. He would have argued against that on any other occasion, but the way I handled those things before caused him to waver. He was not the type of person used to being on the sidelines. Could he have done the same?
He did dive in to save the Class Rep, but that was only an impulse. After seeing those monsters tear people apart, would he still be able to dive in front of them, and even throw them away?
No way. It wasn’t only a matter of skill, but also bravery. It was scary. Have you ever had to face knives in your life?
One wrong move could mean a serious injury. Yet, in this New World, whether he would back down and cower or go ahead could be the difference between Heaven or Hell.
“I can do it if you can!” His eyes shone with determination, not wavering in the slightest.
“Do you feel stronger?”
“The same?” He had no clue what I was talking about.
It was still too early. Only geniuses, like Soojin, or those with tremendous luck, opened the system during the Timeless First Day. However, adrenaline and danger would give him experience faster, and the best way to survive was to awaken the system as soon as possible.
There was no reward without risks.
“Listen, don’t punch or kick them. Their bodies are too strong. Focus on pushing them out of the way, especially into places that might divert their attention and buy time. Those things are dangerous, but their attention is limited.”
“What about weapons? Shouldn’t we get something?”
“It’s useless. Weapons won’t work. Our bodies are the best weapon right now.” They didn’t seem too convinced by my explanation. I grabbed a nearby rock and shattered it with my bare hands and no effort at all, “See? how can I explain… imagine that the things from our world have a durability stat, and it’s low, so they’re easy to break.”
That explanation seemed better, so they got a few rocks and broke them as well, albeit using more strength than me.
“It’s true…”
“How do you even know all this?” The Class Rep couldn’t contain herself and asked.
I shrugged, “We don’t have time for more explanations. The moon will shatter soon.”
“The moon what? Do you even hear yourself? Are you high?” Ben side-eyed me again with disdain.
I ignored him.
“Things are weird. Monsters running around, night became day, and, look at us, we fell from the third floor into the pool, but our clothes dried almost instantly. Can you explain that?” The Class Rep said.
“Sooyeon, do you believe those guys?!” Ben raised his arms, making a fuss.
“I…”
There was no time for her answer to echo. The world broke above, sounding as if the moon was made of crystal glass, and it shattered, almost knocking us out. We covered our ears, closed our eyes, and cowered in fright.
The pale moon shattered into pieces, and darkness spread upon the once clear blue skies. Yet it was not as dark as it should be. This unfamiliar world didn’t follow our rules. It cared not for physics or laws.
A dark sky ruled without clouds, yet it was as clear as any summer day. Our bodies became heavier, the air much harder to breathe. Everywhere people would collapse and die, unaware that everything had changed.
“Whaaaa-” Ben’s terrified face answered his doubts.
“Let’s go. There’s no time. Sooyeon, where is it?”
The young woman was still frightened, “I live up by Saint’s Street. My mother and sister should be there…”
I nodded, looking at Jiwan and the Class Rep before taking point, “Don’t die on me, fools!”
They smiled and nodded, following right behind me with Sooyeon.
Ben’s eyes dashed around, gazed at the darkness in the sky and his entire body shivered, “W-wait, wait for me!”
I moved first, finding a path and signaling for the others to follow. My experience helped in finding shortcuts and avoiding the Longclaws. They panted heavily as I expected, and breaks were needed more often. None of them were in danger, which meant the New World accepted them, becoming survivors. Now we could only hope their bodies and minds withstood the New Qi.
The path wasn’t without challenges. We heard death and despair. Most of the corpses disappeared into nothing, but some still lingered, their faces twisted in pain because of a gruesome, airless death. The scenes were so shocking the others became silent. They didn’t even have the energy to scream anymore.
Just before we reached Saint’s Street, and about thirty meters to the north, the police blocked the road with cars, positioning troops as a shock point against the Longclaws.
Ben’s eyes lit up, “The police! We’re safe! Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Wait, don’t!”
He ran to them, but I held Sooyeon and the others back.
“Come back, fool!” I shouted.
“What are you waiting for, let’s go!” Ben had a condescending smile.
He reached about halfway to the roadblock when gunshots sounded everywhere, like a movie. There were so many Longclaws that even I shivered. Organized Longclaws meant there was a leader, and a leader was dangerous. My first thought was wrong. They weren’t organized, merely banded together, and searched for prey, as their movements were still erratic and mindless as ever.
The cops shot them, yet the bullets did nothing, as if they shot toy pellets, barely causing any discomfort to the monsters. Even the heavy calibers merely pushed them back.
The Longclaws jumped forward, ripping cars apart as if we made them of paper. Blood, bone, and muscles flew about, each slash powerful and deadly. It didn’t take long before their will crumbled and the survivors ran away for their lives, their hunters in endless pursuit.
Ben halted halfway, falling on his back, shocked by the scene of carnage in front of his wide-open eyes. The Longclaws noticed, and one jumped from afar, landing somewhere behind him.
“B-Ben!!” Sooyeon was worried and about to shout. I pulled her back by the hand, shaking my head.
“It’s too late,” I said.
“H-help, help!”
Ben shouted and squirmed on the floor. He was too far from us, and the group of Longclaws was almost done with the cops. It was too risky. I was no saint, and I didn’t even like him, anyway. I wasn’t about to risk our lives for someone I barely knew.
“Let’s go!” I pulled Sooyeon, but she resisted this time around.
“No, we can’t leave him!” Her pleading eyes almost made me waver.
“We will die! Don’t you want to see your mother and sister?! This is not some hero movie! WE HAVE TO GO. RIGHT NOW!”
I grabbed her by the waist and carried her on my shoulders, aware she might hate me for it later on.
“Let me go, let me go!” The quiet Sooyeon screamed and struggled, but I couldn’t care any less.
We ran for it. I’m not proud of it.
Ben’s eyes just about popped out, and he screamed so loudly it even stunned the Longclaws for a second, “YOU BASTAAAARDSSSS!”
I had never seen anyone get up and run that fast before. Not even the monsters had time to attack him. It was as if the God of Cowards suddenly possessed him.
Did he escape?
I couldn’t know for sure. It was none of my business either way. I waited for my companions to complain, but they said nothing, even though I know they disapproved. Jiwan and the Class Rep knew we had no other choice. Deep down, they wondered if I would have done the same if it was one of them.
I wasn’t sure whether I would have risked it all. I could only hope they decided better than Ben. What else could I do? Die in order to save him?
Dream on. I will survive again. There’s too much I needed to do, too many lives I wanted to save from this hell.
We made it to Saint’s Street, and I dropped Sooyeon off my shoulders. She looked angry as hell. I was afraid now, because she looked like Angry Soojin, and that was a sight capable of freezing hell in fear.
“Which one is your house?”
She avoided me and ran to a small house near the corner, knocking on the door in a hurry.
“Mom. Mom. It’s me, open up!” Sooyeon searched for the keys, but seemed to have dropped them somewhere during the escape. I kicked the door open, much to the surprise of my peers. No time to waste on doors.
“You!” Sooyeon glared at me before giving up and going in. Did she think a door made any difference during the Apocalypse?
“They’re not here!” She shouted after a while, “My cell phone isn’t working. I can’t call them!”
“Maybe they went to the police?” The Class Rep said.
I said nothing, but my first thought was a lot more pessimistic. If this world did not accept them, they could have turned into nothing. If that was the case, how long would we have to go on with this search before she was satisfied?
“That… maybe! The station is up ahead,” Sooyeon said with hope.
I wasn’t paying any attention to them, as something else bothered me. I crouched, touching something on the ground. My countenance darkened.
Jiwan, the Class Rep, and Sooyeon also frowned when they realized what I was looking at.
A fresh trail of blood.