The Path Through Bloodied Halls
The school's layout was simple: from the cafeteria to the main building, then to the special wing, and finally looping back to the gym in a U-shape. Normally students would cut through those passages between classes without a second thought, or cross the field during lunch for a quicker route, but that was impossible now. Every open stretch risked exposure, and every vantage point could draw zombies lured by the scent of blood and sound. The only realistic option was to move entirely through the buildings, even if the corridors themselves were far from safe.
Ha-neul picked up the broken mop handle she had left by the door. It was the same makeshift weapon she had driven under a zombie's jaw in the main building hallway. The tip was already crusted dark red with dried blood, brain matter, and bits of flesh, while the grip still bore the marks of her fingers. Normally there would be no reason to keep using such a crude stick—her hand already held a real sword, and that alone was enough to handle most zombies. But she couldn't leave Chae-won unarmed.
A wooden sword could keep distance, yet its killing power was weak, and in these narrow hallways a single mistake against a zombie meant the end. Ha-neul held the mop handle out to Chae-won.
"Use this. It'll work better than the wooden sword."
Chae-won looked down at it for a moment. The split-ended wooden pole was rough and even more unsightly covered in blood, but at least it could pierce a zombie's skull—something the wooden sword couldn't reliably do. She set the sword aside and took the handle, testing its weight and length before raising the tip at a slight angle and making a few quick thrusting motions.
"A bit light," she said.
Ha-neul rested her hand on her sword hilt. "Still enough to drive under the jaw. Thrust or shove to keep them back."
Chae-won gave a short nod. She never let pointless pride push her into unnecessary risks. She used what worked, avoided what didn't, and moved only when it mattered. That mindset was invaluable in a situation like this.
Her phone stayed off. Calling Yoon Eun-ah had never been an option. Even if she was alive, the ringtone could give her position away to every zombie nearby. Besides, any call that did connect would likely bring nothing but bad news. Just moments earlier, students had been dialing family and friends with shaking hands. Hope would flicker across their faces only to vanish when the line either rang endlessly or, worse, connected to screams and crashes before cutting off mid-sentence.
This disaster wasn't confined to the school grounds. The entire world was collapsing. All that remained was the reality right in front of them—surviving in this building, this hallway, within reach of this sword. Everything else could wait.
Once they were ready, their next destination was the gym. Yoon Eun-ah was likely there during lunch. Unlike the kendo club, the judo club only needed mats on the floor, so she served as their advisor too, freely teaching basic techniques to any interested students. Ha-neul could picture her spreading mats in one corner of the gym, sweating as she sparred with whoever showed up. Not all of them came purely for judo, of course. Plenty were drawn by Yoon Eun-ah's looks and figure—the generous curves that even loose athletic wear couldn't hide, her bright smile, the powerful lines of her body when she threw someone. Those students with less innocent intentions would climb onto the mat hoping for another chance to be grabbed.
A faint but unmistakable sense of superiority crossed Ha-neul's lips at the memory. No matter how much others might salivate from afar, Yoon Eun-ah only ever gave herself to her. She had no intention of flaunting that fact in front of Chae-won, yet the feeling itself was impossible to deny. While others could only swallow their desire from a distance, she already knew every inch of the body hidden beneath that tracksuit—the warmth, the heat, the sound of her breath when it quickened.
Ha-neul pushed the thought aside and composed her expression. This wasn't the time for sentiment. The hallway had been cleared earlier and was momentarily empty, but that didn't make it safe. From around the far corner came the faint sound of something dragging, then silence. The ceiling speakers occasionally crackled with meaningless static—perhaps the broadcast room had been overrun or simply left on.
"Let's go," Chae-won said quietly, and they stepped forward together. From here on it was just the two of them. The other students in the club room would only be dead weight.
Ha-neul took the lead, sword already drawn. Drawing and striking in one motion was slower than striking from a ready position. Her steps were light but steady. Even without looking back, she could sense Chae-won's pace and breathing behind her.
The first zombie appeared at the corner just before they entered the connecting corridor. Half its face was tangled with blood and hair, and its neck hung open in ragged strips where another zombie had torn into it while it was still alive. It had been shambling with its head down until it heard their footsteps, then slowly lifted its gaze. Its eyes were unfocused, its mouth hanging slack as thick saliva and dark blood dripped from its stretched jaw.
Ha-neul didn't slow down. The moment she measured the distance, her blade rose in a clean arc. The zombie's head tilted forward a heartbeat later, then separated cleanly from its shoulders. The severed head bounced off the wall before rolling across the floor. The body staggered two or three steps before its knees buckled and it collapsed.
Chae-won glanced at the scene as she passed. Most people would have hesitated at first, but she had already moved beyond that. Disgust was there, yet it didn't slow her steps.
"Watch the noise," she said quietly from behind.
Ha-neul flicked blood from her blade. "I know."
The sound of the cut itself wasn't loud, but the dull thud of a body hitting the floor and the way sound echoed in the hallway couldn't be ignored. Next time she would have to catch the headless corpse before it fell and lower it quietly.
One side of the corridor had windows overlooking the field; the other was lined with classroom and storage room doors. Normally it was just an ordinary passage filled with sunlight and breeze, but now the view outside was enough to silence anyone. The wet sounds of tearing flesh and snapping bone carried faintly through the glass. Someone's intestines had been dragged across the ground, leaving a red trail that another zombie mindlessly stepped through. The space that had once echoed with lunchtime laughter had become a feeding ground for ravenous corpses.
One look was enough. Chae-won's earlier claim that most of the school had already fallen was no exaggeration.
They were entering a more dangerous section now. The special wing was narrower and more complex than the main building, so every corner had to be approached with caution. Some doors were locked from inside, dark handprints smeared around the handles. Survivors might be hiding within—or zombies already turned and trapped. There was no time to check.
The second group appeared near the stairwell entrance. Three of them. All turned at the sound of footsteps, but one suddenly accelerated while the others shambled. A runner—rare among the slow wanderers.
Ha-neul's eyes narrowed. "Back," she said shortly, stepping forward as Chae-won retreated. When the runner lunged with its mouth open, Ha-neul sidestepped and brought her sword up at an angle. Everything above the jaw was sheared away, yet momentum carried the body forward. She shoved it aside with her left arm and tripped it. The following zombie stumbled over the fallen corpse, and Chae-won drove the mop handle straight into the back of its skull. The split wood punched through and the zombie went still.
The last one had closed faster than expected. Chae-won shifted sideways and used the pole to shove its jaw upward. The moment its posture broke, Ha-neul's blade took its head.
When the brief fight ended, the smell of blood in the corridor grew thicker. Ha-neul glanced at Chae-won. Though her breathing remained steady, her grip on the mop handle was tighter than before, tension still lingering in her fingers.
"You all right?" Ha-neul asked.
Chae-won nodded. "Fine. Easier than I thought."
It didn't sound like bravado. Ha-neul liked that. Moving with someone who panicked was exhausting, but traveling with someone who adapted this quickly made even the most dangerous path feel manageable.
As they drew closer to the gym, the atmosphere of the school changed subtly. While the main building had been the center of screams and chaos, this area felt quiet and dark, like the aftermath of a passing storm. The silence itself seemed to hide something waiting. A distant, rhythmic thudding sound was probably something slamming against the gym doors. Given how close the field was, zombies from outside had likely gathered around the building as well.
If Yoon Eun-ah was still alive, she would have chosen the storage room inside the gym. She wasn't just strong—she thought fast. When the outbreak began, she had probably herded students into the gym and locked the doors from within. Ha-neul quickened her pace at the thought. If Eun-ah was alive, they needed to reach her quickly. The gym could serve as a temporary base once they secured the space and numbers. More than anything, they needed her strength right now.
They rounded the end of the special wing and the gym doors came into view. Ha-neul adjusted her grip on the sword. Chae-won raised the tip of the mop handle slightly. From this point on, even a single mistake was unacceptable.
Ha-neul stared at the gym doors and drew a slow breath. If Yoon Eun-ah was inside, they would meet soon. If not, they would find another hell waiting beyond those doors. Either way, the doors had to be opened.