Multiple Settings The Unfortunate Tale of My Youth

[Pride.]

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  he had never meant for this to happen. She had only wanted to study the Scarlet parasite without the restrictions the labs had put on her. If she had known what she would unleash, she would have never done it. Slowly she reached forward to grasp her phone in her shaking hand, she hadn’t noticed she was trembling before. She knew she had to tell someone about what she had done. She could only hope that they would answer her call. The phone rang a few times before a familiar voice floated through the speaker. “Mrs. Yun?” It was good to hear the young woman’s voice again. ”Hello, Hye-Jin,” Before she quit working in the labs, she had the opportunity to work with a young woman named Yang Hye-Jin. When she left she kept her number, and she was glad she did. ”I am sorry I have to do this to you, but we don’t have much time.” She could hear that Hye-Jin was trying to figure out what was going on. But Mrs. Yun didn’t let her speak. They didn’t have time to chat. ”I need you to listen very carefully, after I left I continued researching the parasite on my own. I wanted to know more about it, but in my ventures, I opened a door that can not be closed now.” Mrs.Yun stood up from her seat, looking out of her classroom window.
  
  She could see the ambulance driving away. “What are you talking about?” Hye-Jin asked with a panicked tone of voice. ”The parasite, we thought it couldn’t transfer between hosts, but we were wrong, it can.” Mrs. Yun stepped away from the window to sit at her desk once more. ”One of the students, they got bit, I thought they would be fine, but I didn’t notice they were becoming a host until it was too late. They are being taken to the hospital, I need you to warn them for me.” As much as she wanted to go to the hospital with the student, Yuhwa had hopped into the ambulance with her. She worried for the young teacher, he was always willing to go to great lengths to protect the students he taught. She could only hope that he wouldn’t get too close, that he would have a chance to survive this. ”I need to clean up some things here, so please I need you to help me.” She had to make sure that the infected student hadn’t hurt anyone. There was only a slim chance, but she had to hope that it would be alright. There was silence from Hye-Jin for a long time, but then she answered. “Which hospital were they taken to?” Mrs. Yun sighed in relief.
  
  When Hye-Jin left her work building that morning, the desperate need to sleep clinging to her bones after she had come into work at an absurd hour in the morning to help clean up one of the tests that had gone wrong. She hadn’t expected to see Mrs. Yun’s name light up on the screen of her phone. Hye-Jin had hoped to hear good news from her former co-worker. She had always respected and looked up to her. When she left she was sad to see her go, but she never thought that this would happen. Hye-Jin was practically running to her car after the call with Mrs. Yun. If she was telling the truth if she really created a way for the parasite to transfer between hosts. Then everything she and her team had worked for would be all for naught. They had worked so hard to contain the knowledge of the infected hosts from the general public. Hye-Jin hadn’t liked the idea, but if people found out that there was a parasite capable of creating undead inside their living room. It would send the public into a panic. Hye-Jin dug through her purse to grab her keys as she called the first person that came to mind. “Come Jung-Hee answer your damn phone.” She knew that he was in school, but she had to warn him.
  
  If another student or a teacher got infected before the student was taken away to the hospital, it wouldn’t be long before the school became a zombie battleground. Hye-Jin could feel the terror building in her gut as the call went to voicemail. “Fuck!” She yelled, trying to call him again she roughly tossed her bag into the car. Again the call went to voicemail as she started her car. “God dammit Jung-Hee!” She leaned her head onto her shoulder to hold her phone as she pulled out of the building’s parking lot. “Jung-Hee this is an emergency, someone at your school has become a carrier of the parasite. Get your shit together and get the fuck out of there. I am going to the hospital to run damage control. If you die I am gonna be so pissed!” Hye-Jin snapped into the phone when prompted to leave a message. She tossed her phone into the passenger seat when she was finished. Not caring where her phone went. She had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. Hye-Jin was calm, but she knew that it was calm before the storm.
  
  They always knew it would be a matter of time before the parasite found a way to transfer between hosts, but they thought they had more time. Time to find a way to combat the parasite before it reached that point. Hye-Jin still had nightmares of when they brought in the first infected human to the labs. Their rotting flesh and white-dead eyes stared into nothing as it tried to attack anything close to it. Hye-Jin had wanted it to be a horrible dream, where her worst nightmares had come to life. Seeing that thing is what pushed her to tell her siblings about what was really going on with the Scarlet Death, so they would be safe. She couldn’t risk losing them, even if her job was at stake for revealing such information to them. And with Jung-Hee being what was now a hot zone, she was terrified. Hye-Jin was sure she looked like a crazy person as she tore into the hospital with nothing but her phone and car keys. Her eyes were wide as she frantically looked around the lobby. Hye-Jin was just about to approach the front desk when she heard two people in the lobby talking. ”Did you see that poor kid?” One voice whispered, and the other’s response made her stomach drop. ”I know, did you see the way they attacked that nurse, gosh you would think they had rabies.” Hye-Jin knew they were speaking of the infected student.
  
  Hye-Jin heard someone talking to her, but the sound was muffled as her brain truly registered the meaning of what those people were talking about. The ringing in her ears was only broken by the screams that consumed all other noise in the hospital lobby. Hye-Jin turned to face the source, and her heart skipped a beat. A nurse was crouched over a patient like a wild animal as her teeth tore into the person’s skin. Hye-Jin could see the red, bloody bit on her neck. A group of doctors rushed forward to pull the woman back. Hye-Jin forced herself to move, running towards the scene as the infected nurse lunged towards the people crowding them. “Watch out!” Hye-Jin grabbed the back of someone’s shirt, roughly pulling them out of the infected’s reach. Hye-Jin could only hope that this could be contained to the hospital.
  
  But sadly, her wish would not come true. Terror was already beginning to spread in the school where it had all begun. Eunyul had only heard of what had happened through whispers and rumors. The most common story he had heard so far was that the kid who got taken away by the ambulance that morning had been acting strange since yesterday. Apparently, they had snuck into the school after hours to grab something they had left there, and they got bit by some sick rat that Mrs. Yun had somehow found roaming around. It all sounded pretty weird to Eunyul. But then again when he thought back on it, they did seem really off today. Mrs. Yun seemed to notice too, he figured that is why she pulled them aside after class to speak to them about how they were doing. Unfortunately, Eunyul wouldn’t get to find out the whole story until later. Because right now he was stuck in the teacher’s office with Nam-Gil. Arguably the most shitty soul in the school. Someone that Eunyul tried so hard to avoid even breathing in the same air as the walking garbage. But, it always felt like the bastard had the inhuman ability to track him down.
  
  Eunyul right now couldn’t even think about how the fight had even started, all the clear in his mind was when Nam-Gil looked at him with that stupid little smirk, he couldn’t stop himself from punching the guy. It felt good in the moment, to finally just let loose on him, but all good things must come to an end. Eunyul now just wanted the floor to swallow him whole as he avoided making eye contact with the teacher who was staring at him in a disappointed manner. ”Do either of you plan on talking?” Eunyul glanced over at the giant menace next to him. He had so many things he thought about saying, but none of the words came out. Eunyul was more upset by the fact that he let Nam-Gil get under his skin in the first place. “I don’t have an excuse.” The words still felt wrong, like he should have said something else. This was his first time being in his position, he didn’t know how he was supposed to act. He had no doubt that Nam-Gil would point that out to him later. The teacher sighed before looking at the door. ”Everything all right?” Eunyul turned his head to see a teacher he was not familiar with coming into the office. They had something wrapped around their wrist.
  
  Eunyul watched as they stumbled over to their desk, the air suddenly felt tense. ”Uhh, yeah, just that one student.” Eunyul watched as the person stumbled again, making the other teacher rise from their seat to help them. ”You two stay here.” Eunyul just nodded his head. As the other staff member went to check on their coworker, Eunyul finally noted the drops of blood on the floor. His gaze followed the dark drops all the way to the person with the wrapped wrist. [b}”What happened?”[/b] The other teacher didn’t answer, their eyes seemed to glaze over. In the next second the second teacher collapsed on the ground. Eunyul’s eyes went wide as the other teacher just dropped, from where he was he couldn’t see what was going on. Eunyul was about to call for someone when the room was suddenly filled with noise. Eunyul could hardly believe his eyes when the injured teacher suddenly latched onto the teacher who had been scolding Nam-Gil and himself only moments prior. “Oh my god!” Of all the things he thought were happening, this was not one of them.
  
  -Stage Two zombies created through bites don’t always require the same twelve-hour incubation period, so they can create more very fast
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
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  The Ex-bully

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  @lion.

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  The Rebel

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Athlete

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Class President

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Sibling

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Exchange Student

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Misunderstood

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  weldherwings

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  The Teacher

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Scientist

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  College Student

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Cop

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Solider

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Pencil Pusher

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  FloatingAroundSpace

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

intro

cast

They're coming

Run, Hide,

Survive

time

10:30 A.M. , Morning

date

July 5th, 2022

location

Daegu, Seoul

status

closed

cs

lore

ooc

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[weldherwings]

hamji.org/studentfiles/kang-namgil

kang namgil

don't let me drown

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  From the moment he had awoken that morning, Nam-Gil had felt like it was going to be a good day.
  
  No.
  Not a good day.
  A great day.
  
  Not only had he managed to pass the certain level he had been slaving away for the last month on his online game last night, but he had somehow managed to get a full seven hours of sleep as well, which was a pretty rare occurrence. The sun shining on his face in the morning often left him with a foul, grimacing complexion but it was a welcoming sight today. His morning stretches were usually a tedious chore, needed if he wanted to be able to walk with ease for the day. But this morning, it seemed as if it wasn’t even a second thought and brought nothing but positivity. Usually being rushed in the morning by his Uncle and Aunt’s maid, frantic that the boy was going to get to school late (because that was an issue, apparently), the older woman was shocked to find the boy was not only dressed but ready for breakfast well before his usual routine. In fact, he had enough time to eat the first meal of the day, place the morning news on the television, and mindlessly scroll through his phone at the same time. He even took his time to get to school, hands in his pockets, daydreaming and dwindling down the alleyways.
  
  Honestly, there was nothing that could make this day turn to shit.
  
  
  Nothing
  
  Upon arriving the school grounds, grinning at the many shocked faces of teachers who looked at him like a mirage (Was he really here before the school bells?), Nam-Gil even had the opportunity to look out for his selected prey. After all, he was in a good mood. He had a great morning. Things would only get better if he took the time to establish himself on the food chain within the school walls, right? What was the saying? Eat or be eaten. And Nam-Gil, despite having a full breakfast this morning, was ready to devour. The Gods must have been smiling on him that morning because destiny had led him straight to him. The little Princess. The one everyone loved and adored. The incredibly popular.
  
  Hwang Eunyul.
  
  Nam-Gil wasn’t sure what it was about the guy, but he felt like every time he looked or thought about him, a piercing, toe-curling, nails on blackboard screech ran through his spine. It was painful, and the only way to relieve himself of such torture was to respond with his own form of pain. There was such satisfaction watching Eunyul flinch at his words as he would taunt and tease the more petite male (then again, who wasn’t shorter than the giant that roamed the school corridors known as Kang Nam-Gil?). Little by little, the boy was breaking down, and Nam-Gil was curious to see just what type of reaction he’d get from it. In his eyes, he liked to see it as some sort of experiment. Eunyul was the mouse - the dummy, as some would call him - and Nam-Gil wanted to see what he would do if you kept applying pressure. Would he explode? Would he crumble? Would he piss his pants, crawl onto his knees and cry like a pathetic little bitch? Only time will tell.
  
  And, oh boy. It was Nam-Gil’s lucky day.
  
  Eunyul had finally reached his tipping point; the experiment was over as the boy’s fist rose high in the air and connected against the bully’s jaw. Of course, Nam-Gil had been slightly caught off guard as he had fully thought Eunyul would have lasted longer. The boy stumbled slightly at the weight of the punch but not without turning back to the boy with a dimple-filled, cocky grin. It was on. Rule number one; never be the one to throw the first punch. A push? Sure. Pulling someone’s hair? Ok. Tripping someone over ‘accidentally’? Totally fine. But to be the one to make the first contact with another person’s skin? Oh, no. You’re just asking to get your ass kicked. You’re inviting someone into a dramatic tango of fists. Sadly, the pair of them had been pulled away from their waltz before Nam-Gil could fully pull back his own arm to extend his own punch. Instead of continuing onto their next phase of experiments - to see who was going to get their ass kicked first - they were both dragged into the teacher’s office.
  
  Despite being slumped in a chair in the office, being glared down by the teacher who had caught them red-handed, and allowing silence to consume the room while none of them spoke, this morning was still probably in Nam-Gil’s top five best days. After all, he wasn’t in class and he was quite excited to hear what the little Princess had to say for himself; what sort of lie was he going to come up with? As the teacher spoke, questioning if either of them planned on speaking, Nam-Gil slowly and automatically swung a glance to the boy sitting next to him. Much to his surprise, Eunyul had done the exact same thing. Classic. So, Nam-Gil raised a brow towards him as if to say the stage is yours. And then the boy spoke; I don’t have an excuse. The taller boy’s face instantly scrunched up, looking at Eunyul with disgust at the answer. Really? Really? That was the answer he was going to give?
  
  Wow.
  
  What a pussy.
  
  Before any more could be said, the entrance of a teacher, stumbling over desks like some poor comedic relief, stole the attention of the room. “Aish,” Nam-Gil tutted under his breath, looking at the older gentleman with displeasure “Teachers coming into work drunk is not a good look” Rolling his eyes, he noticed a loose thread on the hem of his uniform and began to pick at it softly. Anything would be more interesting than having to pretend that he cared for the well-being of some teacher. The sound of a body falling to the ground with a thud had caught him off guard; it snatched his attention away from the fabric, causing him to furrow in slight confusion. “How much makgeolli did he have this morning?” the bully mumbled more so to himself, becoming a commentator for what he was seeing before him. What happened next, however, came so quickly and swiftly that Nam-Gil didn’t have the chance or time to ramble his commentary.
  
  “Ya!” He bellowed out of a combination of adrenalin and - as much as he would never admit it - fright. Nam-Gil was quick to stand to his feet, manoeuvring his way behind the chair he had been sitting on and picking it up by the arms, raising it to his chest level. Wide-eyed, in a state of panic and shock, Nam-Gil’s auto-pilot decided that this would be the best time to negotiate with the older gentleman whose chompers were latched into the skin of the other teacher. “Ya! Stop chomping on him like he’s galbi!” the boy yelled, raising the chair higher with firm hands. “I mean it! I’ll throw the chair if you don’t stop!”
  
  Alas, the older teacher denied the terms of the negotiation and continued to sink their teeth deep into the tissues of the other male.
  
  “Fuccckk!” Nam-Gil hissed, knowing that he was going to have to do something to stop the drunken fool from trying to make a ten-course meal out of another human being. Ensuring his grip on the chair was stable and sturdy, Nam-Gil ran at full force towards the teachers and ploughed right into the drunken teacher in an attempt to push him off the other. Completely oblivious that maybe what they were dealing with at this current moment wasn’t human anymore.
  
  
  
  
  
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  Who will save me now?
  Dive in when I'm down?
  Save me from myself

  
  

  
  mood WTFFFFF
  
  location Teacher's office

  
  
  

  
  

  currently wearing

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  mention Eunyul
  
  tag Pride.
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.

 

[blue tea]

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the teacher

yuhwa aeng.

birth name

雨花 yu hua

courtesy name

雨英杰 yu yingjie

nicknames

pretty boy, pinkie, cherry ( cakes ), yunnie, yinnie

pronouns

he / him

age

twenty-five

THE LONG-HAIRED MALE HELD THE GUN TIGHT within his grasp, unable to let go. His body shook with tremors like that of great earthquakes. His lips trembling with anguish. A sob bubbled up within the base of his throat, tearing wails and sobs from his crackled lips. No. No. No. No. This couldn’t. It couldn’t be real. This isn’t real.

His bottom lip trembled at the gut-wrenching agony that tore through his frame, leaving him weak in the knees at the crumbled form of his husband. His knees buckled, hitting the tiled floor with a thud. Great shocks of pain ran up his legs, but he didn’t care. The mental pain far outshined his physical pain.

He dry heaved against the dirtied floor, ignoring the chaos around him as he sobbed. His body quivered with each sob. He didn’t care. He didn’t—Yuhwa whimpered into his palms that were pressed tight against his lips. His nails digging into the tender flesh of his milky white cheeks that bled snow white with the pressure until crescent-shaped indents formed, but he didn’t stop. No. How could he? He deserved it. He deserved the pain.

This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t real! It had to be a nightmare. Yes. That was it. Just a nightmare. It had to be. He couldn’t—Yuhwa let out a pained whimper through trembling fingers.

His gaze remained locked on his husband’s crumbled frame, so unlike the warmth and safety they once held. It was simply … gone. He had nothing, but the emptiness and agony that bubbled in his stomach until it pooled, drowning his frame in a sea of agony.

“Z, Zh, Zhiqiang?” His tone hoarse, causing light coughs to wrack his frame. “Baby?” His tone all but begged.

This was just another night terror, one of many. He refused to believe this was real. He was still in the ambulance, sleeping. Right? Dreaming … no. This wasn’t a dream. It was hell.

Yuhwa would wake up any minute to peer into peach-tinted hues that bled love. He’d be held tight to his husband’s chest with comforting rumbles that’d sooth his tired mind. Zhiqiang was fine. He was safe, wrapped up in his hubby’s arms as his lover whispered sweet nothings into his ears to ease his overly energetic mind and bubbling terror.

After all, how would Yuhwa live without his hubby? His baobei. His everything. Zhiqiang was his soulmate, and without his other half? Yuhwa shivered despite his milky white skin flushed pink to the soft sobs slipping past parted lips as he huddled, ignoring everything around him.

His fingers shook, reaching out to grasp the automated weapon, hugging it tight to his chest to ground himself, even if he so desperately wished this was all one fucked up dream. No. He needed—Yuhwa fought back the whimper that bubbled up from within his throat.

His head shifted to stare at his husband’s crumbled form close to the hospital bed that lay lopsided, tossed to the side as equipment remained scattered from the tussle prior to … Yuhwa shook his head, unable to think about such events that led to … this.

Yuhwa’s mocha-colored hues shifted, peering up into those dull peach-tinted orbs he loved so much. His core hurt. It hurt. He didn’t—He didn’t wish for this. “I’m sorry—” Yuhwa choked. His bottom lip quivered, throat tightening with a whine.

He stumbled, glancing at the door to the chaos, lips curling into a wobbled grimace. His hands reaching to curl around his stomach, taking in deep shuddering breaths, hoping to calm the sobs that tore through. “I’m sorry.” He whimpered. His head low, staring at the crumbled form of his hubby. A soft whine escaping past his lips, ignoring the blood that coated his frame from his frantic attempt to stop the bleeding.

Zhiqiang had turned. It was supposed to have been him … Zhiqiang wasn’t supposed—Yuhwa flinched, shaking his head. He didn’t even want to think about it. Everything had happened so fast. One second the student was relatively alright and then the next it they sprung forward, latching onto one nurse and ultimately … Zhiqiang.

His forelimb extended, fingers curling into the jacket Zhiqiang wore, tugging at it to ground himself. Already the stench of death was overpowering, leaving him missing the familiar scent of cedarwood, pine, and vetiver.

His heart weighed heavy in his chest, dragging him down to his knees to rest his forehead against the other. He pulled away with a choked cough, bringing himself to his feet, hand wrapped tightly around the gun that weighed comfortingly in the palm of his hand.

He flinched at the echoing screams throughout the hospital, biting his bottom lip. His gaze watching the scene unfold before him through the glass. Yuhwa glanced down at the gun held tightly within his grasp, reaching to drag a hand through his dark chestnut locks. He sighed. What do I do now? He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things anymore.

Did he want to continue living? Knowing Zhiqiang was just … gone. Yuhwa wasn’t sure. He just … why?

The male shuffled closer to the door, peeking out to see if he’d be able to escape, the gun held in front of him in a slight diagonal. His body pulled back at the slightest glimpse of a zombie running amuck in light blue scrubs.

He tugged on his bottom lip, worrying the sensitive flesh as he mulled over his situation. His fingers curling into the soft flesh of his palm, keeping the male grounded. He needed something to distract him as he went about what to do next. He wasn’t sure … Should he try to leave? But what if there were more? He might be alright with a gun, but if he had to take down multiple? He doubted he’d survive for long.

His mind whirled in a beautifully chaotic dance. The corner of his lips tugging into a frown, so unlike his usual bright grin. Now? What should he be happy about?

Alright. He needed to see if he could find survivors. Yes. That sounded like a decent plan. Strength in numbers, he supposed, but that would only last so long until things erupt in hungry flames.

Yuhwa sighed through clenched teeth. Damnit. He slipped out from behind the door and into the bloodied hallway. Blood roaring loud within his ears to the steady thrum of his heart that thudded against his sternum. His gaze flickered to the crumbled form of his husband, teeth grinding. I’m sorry. He chanted while dashing away from the room.

He needed to get to his kids. Oh god. Yuhwa almost stumbled over a fallen IV stand at the thought of his students. His mind whirling at the possibilities. His knuckles turned white, fingernails sinking into the tender flesh of his palm.

How could he forget them? They were his students. His brows furrowed in determination as the petite male hurried along, gun clasped tightly. He still had one thing as long in this god-awful world.

Yuhwa needed to get back to the school, consequences be damned. His students could be in danger if … whatever this was had spread from what he saw flourish earlier on. With that in mind, Yuhwa felt his heart bubble with fondness and protectiveness, filling it to the brim and banishing the hollowness he felt the second that bullet left the barrel of the gun.

His mocha-colored hues glancing briefly at the wedding ring that sat comfortably upon his slender finger, stomach churning with an inaudible whimper. I love you, A-Lan. He thought miserably. If only he had a few more minutes with the taller male. If only he didn’t have to say goodbye, but it seems his luck was drying out for the worse. He was alone. The only thing that was keeping him from falling? His students. His troublesome students that he adored, even if some of their personalities were questionable. They were his kids, regardless.

thoughts speech​

♡coded by uxie♡

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the soldier

li xiongyin.

second name

张蓮龙 zhang lienlong

englsih name

elijah

nicknames

roo, rue, mr. naïve, eli, little lotus

pronouns

he / him

age

thirty-four

THE SECOND ZHIQIANG HAD CONTACTED HIM he was racing to his car, fingers fumbling with the keys in his haste to get to the hospital. He glanced at the fallen items held within its plastic confinements, sighing through parted lips. He shook his head, the short-haired male hurrying to slip into the driver’s seat. Fingers reached to curl around the wheel, tightening his hold until his knuckles bled white.

He cursed softly, speeding through the familiar scenery, gaze set in a determined frown. His brows furrowed while slender fingers tapped the steering wheel in worry. Please be alright. He thought, glancing in the rear-view mirror as he went. A little faster wouldn’t hurt. His foot shifted, pressing the pedal down ( in his defense, it was only a little ) until the vehicle jerked, speeding up.

It didn’t take long ( although it felt like hours ) to arrive. The dark-haired make quick to steer into a vacant parking lot, uncaring that it said staff only. His hand reached to grab his gun, slipping on the silencer while nabbing a pair of elongated daggers, tucking them into his belt for safekeeping. His gaze set in a determined glimmer, stepping out into the crisp air coated with a sheen of medicine and antiseptic. His gaze flickered, wasting no time to slip inside.

The male flinched at the scene before him. His nose scrunching up in disgust, but otherwise schooled his expression into something neutral. His heart palpated against his sternum, drawing quick, shaky breaths. His hand tightened around the gun, slipping past fallen bodies and listening to the horrid screech of something inhuman, drawing the male back to that. His frame shivered, lips tugging into a thin line. Come on. Come on. He slipped in and out, dashing from one area to the next while peeking into each room, only to be met with something horrible. His stomach churned at the thought of Zhiqiang and Yuhwa being trapped in this chaos, but he had faith they’d be fine.

Xiongyin hurried along with silent footsteps, arm raised at a slight diagonal. His thoughts whirled like a tornado. Everything going back to the day he lost everything. His heart tightened at the mere memories, biting back the whine that threatened to spill from his lips. He was a soldier. He should at least have some control over his emotions, but he thought wrong.

He paused at the bang that resonated, causing his muscles to crinkle, tensing beneath milky white flesh. His gaze narrowed with an inaudible click of his tongue. Xiongyin shuffled forward, finger clicking back while the other hovered over the trigger. The brown-haired male hissed between clenched teeth at the zombie lurching forward with a screech, blood dribbling down its busted chin.

He didn’t waste a second, the silencer doing wonders as the bullet slipped between its eyebrows, dropping with a thud. He grimaced at the smell, rushing past the corpse with little resistance.

He peeked into yet another room, lips peeled back into a grimace at the mess. Damnit. He knew. He knew well enough that things would be chaos. He knew he’d have to kill. He knew.

Even so.

He still felt awful. The churning guilt bubbling within his stomach, knowing he could have at least done something. He had had … Elijah knew more would have lived, but then what? A sigh slipped past his parted lips, drawing in a suffering breath. His dark-colored hues scanning the area he found himself in.

There wasn’t much, save for the flipped bed and crumbled form of—Xiongyin paused. His colored hues widening in disbelief. No. This can’t—

He sucked in a shuddering breath, shaking his head. If Zhiqiang was dead then where was Yuhwa? The male worried his bottom lip, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill from his reddening hues. He failed. Why the hell was his a soldier if he couldn’t protect the only family member that hadn’t abandoned him? Xiongyin let out a bitter laugh, shoulders shaking. “Damnit.” He let out a sigh, head cocked back to stare at the ceiling.

It seemed everything was going to hell all thanks to that damn thing. He reached to pinch the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut to get rid of any excess tears that pooled down his hallowed cheeks and down his chin, darkening the black t-shirt he bore with navy hued cargo pants that hugged his waist.

He noticed the wedding ring wrapped around his finger, kneeling down to slip the priceless jewelry off and pocketing it. He sure as hell hoped Yuhwa was still alive. Zhiqiang would give him hell whenever he died. A breathless chuckle escaped his cracked and bloodied lips, the corners quirking into a wobbly smile. I’m gonna miss you..

It hurt, but there wasn’t much he could do, not when he needed to find Yuhwa and knowing how sensitive the long-haired male was to emotions was an utter mess. His heart squeezed at what the younger could be experiencing. Nothing good. He schooled his expression, boring a neutral facade despite the turmoil raging within his mind. I need to find Yuhwa and see if anyone else survived this hellhole. He thought with an inaudible grunt.

His hand reaching to curl around the handle of one dagger, crisscrossing his wrists where his right hand tightly onto the black-hued gun whereas his left was held horizontally, fingers clasped around the handle of the curved blade.

Now he just needed to hunt down Yuhwa. His shoulders sagged at finding someone who could very well be dead. He shook his head, squaring his shoulders with a determined grunt, heading deeper into the fray.

thoughts speech​

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

scroll

pencil pusher

gu zheng.

mood

panicked

outfit

outfit

location

Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center

interactions

Xiongying

tags

blue tea

Doctor Cohen was smiling serenely at Zheng, or as much as he could while maintaining his veneer of professionalism. The reception to this expression was a blank stare and a slight frown, a face that conveyed neutrality in the fact that it appeared to be a face in its default expression, one that was only a touch unhappy. The hepatologist spoke to Zheng in English, as he had specifically sought out individuals who could speak the language he had heard for the majority of his adult life to ensure that he fully understood any results that were being presented to him, and that any questions he posed could be answered without issue.

“Your liver appears to be recovering,” the words marching one after the other, in step. No sense of urgency, of potential catastrophe was revealed by the doctor’s tone, and Zheng found himself, to his shock and horror, relaxing slightly at this. “The biopsy revealed no signs of cirrhosis or liver cancer, so I think we can safely say that you have not progressed to that stage. That said, your fibrosis still covers a little less than a third of your tissue and while your blood work indicates that it is functioning properly, I must once more emphasize to you the importance of maintaining your sobriety and being careful with the dosage of even OTC drugs, as your liver could be severely damaged by even a slight poisoning.”

It was a speech that had been pressed upon him over and over again— by the rehab specialists overseeing his detox, by his physician in the States when he had finally gone in for a checkup, and by the parade of doctors and specialists that had seen him here, telling him in ways that ran the gamut of stern to sweet. Either way, Zheng barely managed to suppress an irritated sigh at the almost-lecture that he had heard over and over again, drilled into his head; if you want to live, you must be cautious.

Live for what? was the snappish response at the tip of his tongue. He had no family to return to, either in South Korea or across the ocean in the States. Despite living in South Korea for nearly a year now, it was only his coworkers at the embassy that had become regular appearances in his life enough for him to call them “acquaintances.” The only evidence that he had any genuine connections was the portion of his paycheck that was reserved for the alimony he owed his ex-wife— there wasn’t even child support to indicate he had ever had a child. He didn’t know if his mother or father was alive— or his older brother, meaning that there was even less waiting for him if he returned to the States, given that he had squandered his entire career.

As such, he simply managed to give a firm nod, though the corners of his mouth twitched downward even further for a moment. The eagle-eyed hepatologist saw this, though he came to the wrong conclusion, as he frowned and stated, “Mr. Gu, it is imperative that you maintain the healthy lifestyle you have embarked on here—”

Before Zheng could rub his temples and snap at his doctor that he knew, there was the sound of yelling out in the hallway. Both men sat straight up, staring at one another for a moment before hurrying to the door, swinging it open to spot—

“Good god!” Doctor Cohen cried out, hands flying to his mouth as they watched several security officers race forward, armed with batons and tasers to try and restrain a patient, given the gown they wore and the plastic band around their wrist. Except this patient—

His Korean was still rather stilted and clumsy, the only moments he utilized the language being at his place of employment and at the grocery store. Smalltalk wasn’t something that he really had the vocabulary for, but commands he did.

<<Get away, get away!>> he yelled, emerging from the room entirely as he watched the patient, viscera and blood dripping from teeth that were not made to rip and tear through flesh, resulting in a smeared, disgusting appearance. “Motherfucker,” he cursed in English, before switching languages again, <<You’ve no idea what he has, how it—>> Shit, how was he to say transfer, travels, infects?

His second of pause was a second too long— several more forms were appearing behind this initial first one, all mirroring each other's shambling, slow movements, fingertips and faces red and sticky. Turning slightly, away from the scene, intent on booking it out of there in the desperate hopes that someone had answers, he spotted the doctor’s face— eyes wide, mouth agape, face pale.

“Stairs, stairs!” Zheng commanded the other man, who seemed to realize what was happening and was quickly shaken out of his stupor, nearly tripping and falling on his face as he turned and started to run down the hallway, Zheng not far behind him. “Out, out,” it took him a moment to switch to Korean, the adrenaline and confusion racing through his veins scrambling his mind and demanding he run, run, run!

<<Run, run, out, out!>> he shouted at everyone they passed as their feet slammed against the vinyl tile. His shoes were certainty not made for such high impact activity, and even in the bewilderment of potentially seeing another human looking far more akin to a shambling zombie, a horror movie extra rather than a real person, he winced as he knew that this would probably give him problems later down the line. And right now, he knew he could not afford any further problems.

Despite the fact that they were desperately trying to get out, Zheng glanced about the hallway as they ran, trying to locate a fire alarm. They needed to get everyone out, they needed to get everyone away, and two men in their forties running down a hallway as chaos distantly sounded behind them was only creating cursory glances from passerbyers rather than any sense of urgency. Zheng had to bite down on a growl of frustration here— there was nothing to be done here, on this hospital floor. They needed to find somewhere else, someone else that had the capacity to send out a mass message.

“Where’s the alarm center?!” he yelled at the doctor as they finally burst through a pair of stairwell doors, alarming the nurses behind them.

“Floor— floor— floor,” Doctor Cohen stammered. He was clearly crumpling under the pressure, his voice and hands shaking.

Fucking really, Zheng thought exasperatedly. “Go, go, go,” he declared, “I’ll take this floor, you take the next!”

The doctor hesitated at the stairwell, eyes glancing towards Zheng, and he had the distant feeling that he would simply be fleeing the scene. Whatever, maybe he had something to live for— the wedding band on his finger, perhaps. He would want to leave in one piece, on this stroke of luck of the two of them escaping before things got dire.

It would seem that their paths would divert here, then.

“People need to know,” he said firmly, rushing down the stairs past the other man now, pausing at the next floor and turning back to look at him. “Get the word out. Wherever you can,” before pushing his way through.

There seemed to be more chaos here, given the throngs of people pushing every which way, shouts piling on top of one another, hysteria thick in the air. Zheng glanced about wildly, but the sensory overload made it difficult for him to really process anything he was seeing or hearing, causing him to shut his eyes in frustration when he managed to hear several familiar pop, pop sounds— shots!

Quickly, he raced towards the direction they had originated from and spotted a man there, one that was holding—

A dagger? It was a weapon, but not the one that Zheng thought he had heard, and certainly not one that would be very helpful in his view.

<<Ah,>> Zheng said, halting quickly. He cleared his throat and called out, utilizing the voice he spoke with whenever he was speaking with the various members of the public that came through the Embassy’s doors, <<Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to know if anyone around here has a weapon? There appears to be a crisis and I am attempting to locate a distribution center.>>

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[irregular-neptune]

kyoung-sook

the rebel

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stressed out, confused

a 2nd floor classroom

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you don't know my style

Kyoung-Sook watched as one of her fellow students was loaded up into an ambulance and took a long drag on her cigarette. She was across the yard of the school from its flashing lights, crouched behind a big concrete planter, peeking over it as she watched the tail end of the gurney enter the ambulance and the first responder hop inside before it sped away. She couldn’t see anyone’s face, but wondered if her father had been amongst the paramedics, a feeling of worry crossing her mind as she hoped he hadn’t seen her, not needing another reason to be on her parents’ shit list. Skipping class again, Sookie? Why do you insist on throwing away your life? They may have been divorced, but they could agree on one thing: their daughter was wasting her time on this art stuff, and her friends were certainly no help.



She scowled as she remembered the fight they had gotten into last night and relaxed, leaning her back against the concrete planter and looking up at the west wing of the school as it towered over her. Her parents were always mad at her about something or the other. This time, it was her missing her curfew too many nights, but they weren’t even home half of the time to know when she was there. They only knew because they’d put a tracking app on her phone and kept watch even while working late shifts at the hospital. It irritated her, the tight grip they’d held on her these past two years after her uncle had given her a tattoo for her birthday, and it only made her lash out more. Especially after he died. She was constantly skipping class and staying out late, despite how many restrictions her parents tried to give her. They were never there to follow up on any punishments anyway, and since she’d started splitting her time between their homes, it became even easier to get away with doing whatever she wanted.



Kyoung-Sook stubbed out her cigarette on the concrete underneath her and flicked it out in front of her before getting up and sighing. She should probably return to class, maybe if she made it to the end of her third period, her teacher would think she’d been there the whole time (it wasn’t like she talked in class anyways). She entered the school building and started walking towards her classroom, stopping only when she saw a teacher walking towards her and tucking herself against the wall of the adjacent hallway as they passed. They were clutching their hand, wrapped in some kind of bandage and mumbling to themselves. She frowned, about to say something before realizing she might get herself in trouble, and they seemed to know where they were going (maybe they were headed for the nurse?). She snuck out of the hall behind them as they passed, entering the stairwell to get to her class on the second floor. She began the ascent to her classroom, walking slowly and hitting each step on the way up, prolonging the time before she had to go to class.



“Ugh, I don’t feel too good,” came a voice from the stairs above her. Kyoung-Sook looked up as she rounded the corner and saw two girls that she vaguely recognized as being in the year below her, one of them shambling down the stairway, gripping for dear life onto the handrail, while her friend tried to support her and help her walk.



“We’re almost to the nurse’s office… it’s going to be okay,” replied her friend as Kyoung-Sook approached them. Before she could pass, the first girl, skin pale and eyes sunken, collapsed next to her friend and Kyoung-Sook stopped to see if they needed help.



The next few moments were a blur as the girl’s friend leaned down to see if she was okay and it seemed at first like they were embracing before Kyoung-Sook heard the girl’s cry and realized that the sickly looking girl was latched onto her neck… biting her??



Kyoung-Sook stumbled backwards in shock for a few moments, stuck in place, before the original girl turned her face towards Kyoung-Sook and she took her face in, her skin paler than before, almost translucent, and blood and viscera dripping down her chin. Kyoung-Sook suddenly woke from her stupor and began to run up the stairs, taking them two at a time, far more quickly than she had before. The zombie girl ran after her, shambling, but quicker than Kyoung-Sook thought that she was. Her fingers grasped at Kyoung-Sook’s ankle as she reached the door, causing her to trip for a moment. The zombie girl closed the distance between herself and Kyoung-Sook and for a brief moment, Kyoung-Sook thought that was it for her. She grabbed her backpack and moved it between herself and the zombie girl, struggling for a moment as the creature and her competed for dominance of the situation. Finally, she gave one good hard shove and the creature seemed to lose it’s balance and then toppled backwards, falling down the steps to the landing between the floors, giving Kyoung-Sook enough time to open the door to the next floor and she began running down the hallway, looking for somewhere to hide, or someone to tell. What would she tell anyone? She could barely even process what she’d seen. Maybe she’d take a minute and then tell a teacher… maybe if she hid for a minute the girl wouldn’t be able to find her. Maybe it was all some kind of huge prank?



She ran into what seemed like an empty classroom to catch her breath, leaning up against the door and panting heavily. “Ugh, I could use a cigarette.”

/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.

ye-jun

the college student

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shaken

somewhere in the hospital

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my thoughts are bursting at the seams

Ye-Jun hated going to the store, but his parents were working later in the day, doing inventory for their bookstore, and it was either go to the store or eat a microwave dinner for the 3rd night in a row this week alone, and he was kind of sick of it. His mom had handed him money and asked him to please go to the store for her, so he went. He took a very leisurely stroll to the shop, taking pictures of interesting things he found along the way. Urban photography was so interesting, and he loved capturing the life going on around him where he could. A bike tied up outside a shop, a cat rummaging for food in the garbage, people taking a stroll outside. It was all happening around him and he couldn’t help but capture it, a snapshot of time that he would be able to look back on forever. It was art, it was history, it was all so beautiful.



What wasn’t beautiful was the bright, fluorescent lighting of the grocery store. He always tried to take photos inside, but they never turned out just right. There was something always kind of off about them. He grumbled as he loaded up the shopping cart, then as he carefully balanced the bags in his hands to carry them on the walk home. His grumbling was for nobody but himself; he would never tell his mother no to doing anything for her, even if he would complain to himself. He knew he was supposed to do things like this to be the good child. Do their shopping, clean their house… take over the family business. It was his burden to bear, but sometimes he wished they’d ask.



He didn’t have plans tonight or anything of course, but it was almost impossible to make plans while he had to keep his schedule wide open for his parents, like he was a child again. It was a wonder he ever even got his work done for his pretty strenuous programming classes. His mind wondered as he walked, soon interrupted by a thud in the alley next to him. He glanced over, having to strain over the very full bags of groceries he carried in his arms, seeing the slumped form of a person on the ground, limbs all sprawled, and he approached them cautiously.



“C-can I help you?” he asked as he approached. The form didn’t move for a moment, but when they turned over to face him, their glazed over eyes looked around, not seeming to really register him as he stood there, perplexed. Before he knew it, they were standing and running towards him, teeth bared and fingers reaching out to scratch him. “What the fuck!” he screamed, taking a few steps back to avoid them. Frantic, he looked around wildly for somewhere to go, seeing an entry door to his right, closer to the crazed person than to him, and he threw the groceries that were in his arms down opposite him and raced towards the door, managing to buy himself some time to enter the door before they could grab him. However, they banged their body against the door before he could close it, their body weight a force against the door’s closing. He braced his entire body against the door, not known for his upper body strength, he hoped he could cut it this one time. The person’s rage seemed unrelenting as they fought against the door and he thought he’d lose this battle, pictured them bursting through the door before… what? Attacking him? What did they even want with him anyway?



He gave one last hard shove and gave it enough to slam it shut he looked for a lock as they continued banging on the door. When he didn’t find one, he retreated deeper into the building, finally able to get a bearing on his surroundings. The fluorescent lights and clean smell made him realize that he was in the hospital… maybe that person had been a patient? Maybe they were on drugs or something…



He looked down at his camera to ensure that it hadn’t been destroyed in the struggle, turning behind him and holding up the camera with trembling hands, snapping a picture of the door behind him at the end of the long hallway. As he got closer to the end of the hall, he realized that there were distant sounds of screaming, and it sent a cold chill down his spine. What exactly was going on here? He needed to find someone with answers, and anyways, he couldn’t go back into the alley, where that person awaited him with gnashing teeth. He climbed the stairs, peeking into windows at each floor he crossed, seeing scenes of horror and gore as he made his way, and realized he wasn’t as safe in the hospital as he originally felt, and now he needed to find another way out, and fast. He prayed that he’d find someone with some kind of answers soon, before he ran into another creature. He didn’t have anything to throw at them this time.

/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */