THE UNSEEN BATTLE

Minwoo jumped overjoyed, exclaiming, "Thank you so much!" He quickly hopped onto the lift, followed by the others who then climbed into the jeep. Inside, they found a man with burnt marks waiting for them. His presence was both unsettling and intriguing.

In-Ha, cradling a baby in her arms, looked at the man with concern. "Are you okay now?" she asked gently.

The man nodded, his eyes drifting to the baby. "Are you okay?" he asked In-Ha, his voice deep and coarse, a voice they had never heard before.

In-Ha smiled warmly, her worry replaced by relief. "Yes, we are," she replied, her happiness evident.

Yuri, gathering her courage, asked the question that had been on everyone's mind. "Can you tell us how you managed to get through those zombies?"

As the man's gaze shifted to Yuri, she instinctively tightened her grip on Jaeyeon's arm. The stranger sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to carry the weight of his experiences. "I am Jeha. And I am not a man. Can't you see?" he said, pointing at himself.

"But-" Yuri started, only to be interrupted.

"The way you look at me makes it clear. I am not that old, alright. And about whatever you just said, I beat them up."

"You beat them up?" Yuri echoed, disbelief in her voice.

Jeha's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Yuri. A teacher," she replied, her voice steadying.

"Right. Yes. I beat them up, Seonsangnim," Jeha said, using the Korean term for teacher.

"How?" Yuri pressed, curiosity overcoming her fear.

Jeha raised the staff he was holding. "With this."

"You... killed them?" Yuri asked, her voice a mix of shock and intrigue.

"No," Jeha replied, shaking his head. "I don't think they die like that."

"Are you a student, Jeha?" In-Ha asked, her voice gentle.

"Yeah. From Incheon," he said, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Incheon?" In-Ha repeated, her brows furrowing.

"Yeah."

"I see. Jeha, what were you doing out here all alone in Seoul?" she asked, her tone softening.

Jeha shrugged. "I don't know. Someone started acting weird in our school. The students ran out. I did as well. Then we saw a train and boarded it. Somehow I ended up here. In Seoul."

"Hah? I - I see. Anyway, we are sorry for what we thought about you... the marks on your face..." In-Ha said, her voice trailing off.

"Yeah. Whatever," Jeha replied dismissively.

Mina, who had been listening quietly, suddenly erupted in anger. "YOU ARE A FREAKING STUDENT?" she screamed, her eyes blazing with fury.

Jeha nodded, his expression bored. "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME, YOU LOWLY IDIOT."

Jeha clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Can you not start that again?" His aura seemed to envelop her, silencing her instantly. Her frustration was palpable, her fists clenched in helpless rage.

Minwoo sat silently in the corner of the seat, observing the tense exchange. Jaeyeon, sensing the need to leave, started the engine, and the jeep took off, the group heading towards an uncertain future.

Halfway through their journey, the jeep hit a particularly rough patch of road, causing a big jerk that rattled everyone inside. Minwoo, caught off guard, grabbed onto the walls for support, only to begin coughing violently.

"Are you okay?" Yohan asked, concern etched on his face.

Minwoo nodded weakly. "Must have choked on my saliva," he muttered. Despite his attempt to downplay the situation, the jerks continued relentlessly. He clung to the walls, his delicate limbs trembling as he fought to stay upright. A wave of dizziness hit him hard.

"Ugh, I feel sick," he groaned.

"You have motion sickness?" Yohan's concern deepened.

"I guess... This is not a good feeling," Minwoo admitted, his face pale.

Without warning, Minwoo's coughing intensified, and he began coughing up blood along with saliva. Yohan's eyes widened in alarm. He quickly moved closer, rubbing Minwoo's back with tense, slightly shaky arms. "In-Ha ma'am, do you have any medicine?" he called out urgently.

In-Ha, her own worry growing, nodded. "I guess I might have something, one second." She began rummaging through her bag in search of medication. Just then, another violent bounce sent everything scattering across the jeep.

"Jaeyeon, do you mind?!" In-Ha snapped, her frustration boiling over.

Jaeyeon, gripping the steering wheel tightly, shot back, "How is this my fault, Miss In-Ha? The road's bad!"

In-Ha ignored the retort, focusing instead on gathering the spilled contents of her bag. She worked quickly, her hands trembling slightly with urgency. Minwoo's condition was worsening, and every second counted.

The jeep continued to jolt and bounce along the rough road, but now with a renewed sense of urgency. Every eye was on Minwoo, silently willing him to hold on until they could find a safer place to stop and help him properly.

Yohan continued rubbing Minwoo's back, his concern deepening with each passing moment. Minwoo clung to his seat, gasping for breath, his face etched with pain.

"He seems really unwell," Yohan said, glancing over at the others.

"Yeah... I'm looking," In-Ha replied, now on her hands and knees, frantically searching through the dark mats for the fallen medicine. As she did, Minwoo's hands began to turn a ghastly pale, shifting to an ashen gray.

"Uh...are you sure it's motion sickness?" Yohan asked, a note of panic in his voice as he distanced himself slightly, standing up in the moving vehicle. Minwoo nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah... and it hurts."

One by one, the others rose, watching in horror as Minwoo's skin grew paler. Strands of his hair began to fall onto the seat, his eyes turned a terrifying shade of red, and he started scratching his ears and nose violently. Green, gooey blood oozed from the scratches.

Minwoo suddenly stood up, unlatched the window, and leaned out, vomiting until nothing but blood came up. When he turned back, the sight of his condition left everyone in the jeep staring at him in shock, their eyes wide with fear.

"Uh, sorry about that," Minwoo managed to say weakly.

"Get out," Eunhye gulped, her voice trembling.

"No, no, no. It's not what you think. I get really sick in cars," Minwoo protested, his voice growing desperate.

"Leave us," Eunhye pleaded, her fear evident.

Before he could argue further, Minwoo's legs gave out, and he collapsed, crouching and clutching his clothes. Shaking his head in denial, he begged, "Just give me some medicine."

In-Ha crawled back, almost hitting the back of Jaeyeon's seat in her haste. "Minwoo, you have to understand. You are infected..."

Minwoo stood up slowly, his red eyes glaring at the group. He snarled heavily, a sound that sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Ah!" Eunhye screamed, her eyes darting around the jeep, searching desperately for a weapon.

Yon pulled Minwoo by the shoulder and shoved him onto the jeep mat. Minwoo fell forward, sprawled on the floor. Ji-Hoon quickly grabbed the lock and flung the door open, stepping back instantly. Without hesitation, Yon attempted to kick Minwoo out of the jeep. Minwoo, in a desperate move, grabbed Yohan's leg and dragged him out. Yohan tumbled out of the moving vehicle, hitting his head on the empty road. Blood gushed from his crushed skull as Minwoo pounced on him, tearing into his flesh with terrifying ferocity.

"He... is dead...?" Hailey's voice quivered with horror, her emotions choking her as fear stabbed at her like needles. "AAAAHHHH!" She screamed, reaching out her hands, wailing at the sight of Yohan being devoured. Her legs twitched, ready to jump out and save him, but Minyoung and Charyeong grabbed her tightly, holding her back as tears streamed down her face.

"YOHAN! YOHAN! PLEASE! NO! COME BACK!" Her cries pierced the night.

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...

"We have chocolate bars in the bag," Sae Joon Hyun said, breaking the tense silence. Yuri and Jaeyeon turned towards him.

"What is going on here?" Yuri asked, bewildered. Eunhye unzipped the bag and handed out a chocolate bar to everyone. "They are hungry," she said simply.

The group ate in silence as the sky grew darker, the only sounds were their munching and the soft breaths mixing in the cramped space of the jeep.

"How long..." Jay began, his voice heavy with exhaustion, "how long do we have to stay like this?" They stared at their feet, waiting for an answer.

Charyeong hugged her knees to her chest. "They are coming to rescue us. Don't worry..." Her eyes avoided Jay's.

Suddenly, In-Ha dropped her chocolate bar and began screaming. She clawed at the seat, her cries loud and desperate. Hailey, breaking into tears, held onto her nervously.

"Oh no! We are not ready for this yet..." Yuri said, her voice trembling with fear.

Eunhye tried to calm In-Ha, while Jaeyeon immediately took the driver's seat and started the engine. "Where are we going?" Minji asked, her voice shaking.

"A hospital. Any hospital," he replied, speeding down the road.

Hailey looked around, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. 'What is going on?' she thought, glancing at everyone around her. Her eyes searched for Yohan. "Ah! You are alive," she exclaimed, throwing herself at him, tears in her eyes.

"H-Hailey Noona. What's wrong?" Yohan asked, his face flushing red as he gently hugged her back.

"Haha. Look at them. Get all bubbly elsewhere," Charyeong scoffed jokingly.

"Sheesh," Jay said, locking his arms as he scanned the two, "Couple of the day."

"Shut up," Yohan said immediately, gently pushing Hailey away. "What has gotten into you, Noona?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"Huh? Oh. N-nothing."

"Are you okay?" Yohan held her shoulders, looking straight at her. She felt her face heat up under his gaze.

He continued, "Why did you say that, Noona?"

"Huh? S-say what?"

"'Ah! You are alive'!.."

"I did... haha... I did, didn't I..."

"So? What is this about?"

"One second. Miss In-Ha." Hailey turned to In-Ha, who was panting heavily. "Yes?" In-Ha responded.

Hailey gulped and looked outside the window. 'This is the same hospital.'

All the events were unfolding just as they had before. Hailey felt a wave of confusion wash over her. 'Was I asleep? That was a bad dream. Or did I just have a vision?'

She sighed and sat quietly next to Yohan. He looked at her, worried.