SURVIVE

CHAPTER TWELVE: CONFLICT AND CHAOS

“A leader? That’s good, I guess…?” Minnie said, as Soyeon found her outside the girls’ dormitory, sitting down near the porch, her hair wet from a recent shower, her clothes fresh and new.

“But aren’t you worried that… that we wouldn’t be able to get out of this place whenever we want, if something happens?” Soyeon asked, Minnie pulling her down and making her sit beside her.

“Yes, of course I knew that the second you told it to me, but it is a risk that we could take, so we can get to the bottom of whatever it is that is happening here. Plus, we’d have access over things thanks to you.” Minnie said, as Soyeon leaned unto her, her heart contemplating.

“Are we… Are we really sure about this?” Soyeon said, Minnie ruffling her hair playfully as she nodded, a confident grin on her face.

“Leader or not, we’d get out of here the first thing something comes wrong, alright?” Soyeon said, Minnie nodding at that, as they both smiled.

“Anyways… Can you call onto Song Jin Oppa and talk to him, and I’ll be the one to talk to Soojin?” Soyeon said, Minnie nodding at that.

“Sound like a plan. We’d talk about the results of this over dinner, Miss Lawyer.” Minnie said, winking at her and grinning (he always does that, he tells Soyeon, a ‘part of her charm that always gets the girls.’ “Gross,” Soyeon would always say.), then went inside, Soojin going out some minutes later.

“I was summoned by the princess of the dragon?” Soojin said, with a grin on her face, Soyeon smiling at that.

“First of all, my sister’s an ogre, not a dragon because of her gross winking and grins, but don’t tell her that.” Soyeon said with a chuckle on her lips, as Soojin laughed at that, leaning onto the wall of the dormitory.

“And second… You have to tell me the truth, even if it hurts. Even if it would bring a lot of conflict and chaos to everyone, you have to tell me.” Soyeon said, Soojin raised a brow wondering what the question was.

“Did Song Jin Oppa beat you up last night?” Soyeon said, Soojin flinching over the mention of a name, Soyeon catching that as she stared at her, waiting for an answer.

“Fine. Don’t tell him that I tattled about him, alright? Fine, he beat me up last night, it’s no big deal. I think we would do those for a while, especially over a—” Soojin stopped herself from saying anything more, Soyeon raising her brows at her.

“Over what? A girl, specifically Shuhua?” Soyeon said, Soojin chuckling at her.

“Look at that. Looks like the princess got it all figured out, huh?” Soojin said, sitting down and brushing her fingers over the bruises, wincing with slight pain.

“Fine. He visited last night after Shuhua left, saying that I was a bad person and Shuhua shouldn’t hang out with me, just because—” Soojin stopped herself from speaking, getting conscious over Soyeon, who raised her brows and tilted her head, curious as to what Soojin was about to say.

“Just because what?” Soyeon said, Soojin knowing that there was no getting out of that one.

“Just because I was an ex-convict before this happened, he thinks that I’m not someone Shuhua could like.” Soojin said, Soyeon sighing and nodding at her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“This would be a secret between the two of us or possibly just the whole group, if you like. No other people need to know.” Soyeon said, Soojin nodding at that, giving a smile to Soyeon.

“Thank you, Soyeon. I was scared, you know? Scared that when I tell you that he beat me up last night, the truth about me being an ex-convict would leak out to everyone, and they would judge me for it.” Soojin said, Soyeon shaking her head.

“Regardless of your past, you helped us, didn’t you? If you had motives then you wouldn’t have waited for a month, right? And besides, knowing that piece of information doesn’t change who you are, and you are a good man, Soo. You passed, I guess?” Soyeon said, Soojin raising her eyebrow.

“Passed what?”

“The test whether we like you for Shuhua or not. You passed mine, although I don’t know if you would pass the others… especially Miyeon.” Soyeon said, Soojin chuckling as she nodded, taking mind of that.

“What will you do then? What if Song Jin-ssi denies my claims, I’m sure you would believe a friend over me—”

“Not when the evidence all points to him, Soojin. Don’t worry, we would come up with a fair and clean verdict.” Soyeon said, nodding at her as she left, Soojin having a smile on her face.

“So… what happened?” Yuqi said, as she arrived in their room, Soyeon sighing as she sat down the bed, taking off her shoes and her socks, taking off her shirt as she pouted, also taking off her denim pants, leaving her in just her underwear as she bundled up with the comforter provided by the refuge, putting her arms wide, Yuqi smiling at that and moving towards her, hugging the girl.

“Oof, this is the first time I’m going to sleep like this since probably a month ago?” Soyeon said, Yuqi chuckling as she ruffled the girl’s hair, turned unruly and unkept after a month of neglect, for the hair’s owner focused on a lot of things.

“You can get your hair cut here again; you know? You said multiple times that you want to have short hair for once.” Yuqi said, Soyeon snuggling up to her as she felt her tears fall, Yuqi widening her eyes as she heard the girl sniffling, plus the tears that dropped on her neck.

“Yah, why are you crying?” Yuqi said, Soyeon sniffling as she hugged the girl tight, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.

“Everything is… is so overwhelming, unnie. I don’t know what to do, what to decide next.” Soyeon said, Yuqi sighing as she cupped the girl’s cheeks, pinching her cheeks and smiling, wiping her tears with her thumbs, putting a kiss on her forehead and smiling at her.

“Then take it one step at a time, love. You don’t need to rush things into one big decision, right? About the offer that leader said to you, you still have a week to decide about that, right? About this… this issue with Soojin, you could have up until tomorrow, I’ll talk to your sister that you’re tired, alright?” Yuqi said, gently pushing Soyeon off her.

Soyeon just pulled her close, not wanting her to let go, as Yuqi smiled at that.

“Don’t blame yourself for the deaths we had so far, alright? Chan and Sungwoo doesn’t want you to think of that.” Yuqi said, Soyeon’s tears falling even more, Yuqi knowing that she hit the main point of why the girl she’s hugging right now is crying.

“Promise me… Promise me that you won’t die because of me. That you won’t sacrifice yourself because of me, unnie.” Soyeon said, Yuqi raising her brow at that.

“What? Why?” Yuqi said, Soyeon wiping her tears. “I don’t want you to die, Yuqi unnie. More so if it’s because of me. Please, love… I don’t want you to sacrifice your life just because of me. Promise me that, unnie, please…” Soyeon said, tears falling again, Yuqi quickly wiping them.

“I… I will, I promise, love. Don’t cry, please.” Yuqi said, as Soyeon nodded and smiled, the doctor laying her down and putting the comforter over her body, keeping her warm.

“Is it alright for you to rest here alone, or should I call Miyeon or Shuhua to accompany you while sleeping? I have to go to the leaders and apply as the doctor here, and tell your sister that you wouldn’t talk to her tonight. I’d also go out to bring food for the two of us when I get back.” Yuqi said, Soyeon shaking her head as Yuqi gave her a kiss onto her forehead, then went out.

She found herself wandering across the whole place with no knowledge of where to go, sighing in relief as she found one of the officers patrolling the place, quickly asking the directions to the infirmary, the officer telling her the directions with a smile on her face, Yuqi bowing with respect as she went to the direction pointed out for her, finding the infirmary in no time—

A gunshot was heard as she froze, widening her eyes as she slowly moved away, knowing that the gunshot came from inside the infirmary, wondering what she should do—

A splatter of blood came from the inside, splattering into the white tent of the infirmary, Yuqi widening her eyes as she moved away, running as fast as she could from the place, gritting her teeth as she felt fear surge into her heart, her feet taking her far away from the place as possible.

She bumped into someone, shielding her face immediately as she tried to get up, getting away as quickly as possible—

“Yah, Yuqi noona?” a familiar voice said, as Yuqi felt herself relieved, standing up as she brushed the dust from her pants, nodding at Jaechan who looked at her worriedly.

“Can… can you accompany me to Minnie and the others? I… I have to tell them something.” Yuqi said, Jaechan nodding as the two of them walked towards the boy’s dormitories, Jaechan letting the girl inside, guiding her towards Minnie’s room, which he shared with Soojin.

“Oh, Yuqi, what’re you doing here?” Minnie said, as Yuqi sat onto her bed, shaking her hands as she tried to get the dread and the fear off her chest, breathing heavily, making the boys worried for her.

“Hey, what happened? Are you alright?” Minnie said, Soojin going out to get her some water.

“Jaechan, could you go to Miyeon and make sure Soyeon’s not alone?” Yuqi said after a long while, the boy nodding as he left, Yuqi clutching Minnie’s shoulder tight, breathing heavily.

“I… I heard a gunshot inside the infirmary, when I was on my way of going there to apply to be one of the doctors here, you see, because it was what you said over the radio to them a month ago. I didn’t know what happened, but the next thing I knew blood splattered over the tarp walls of the infirmary, and I ran away, hoping they didn’t see me.” Yuqi said, getting out all of the information out of her mouth, breathing heavily as Minnie sighed, letting her lean onto the wall of the room, trying to calm her down.

“We’ll take it from here and try to know everything behind this, alright, Yuqi? But you have to promise me one thing.” Minnie said, as Yuqi nodded, her heart finally beating normally as she nodded, waiting for what he has to say.

“My sister loves you so much, so please be careful, alright? Promise me you’ll live safely for her, to accompany her even if I’m already gone, alright?” Minnie said, Yuqi nodding at that, understanding the worries Minnie had as Soyeon’s older sister.

“Do you think we should tell this to Soyeon?” Minnie said, Yuqi shaking her head.

“Not this moment, I guess… Bring it up to her tomorrow, when you talk about the issue with Soojin ’s bruises. She cried to me earlier, because everything is crashing into her life. We should ease the responsibility off her for a bit, Minnie.” Yuqi said, Minnie nodding at that as Soojin came back, bearing a glass of water that he gave to Yuqi, the doctor nodding at that as she drank a sip, setting it onto the table near the bed, hugging her tired knees and legs.

“So, I talked to Song Jin earlier… he said he didn’t beat you up.” Minnie said, Soojin nodding at that, as if she did expect that the other would say that.

“But how would that explain the wounds on his knuckles, and the fact that he was the last one in Soojin’s room last night?” Yuqi said, sharing what she had learned from Soyeon, the two boys also nodding at that, acknowledging the information.

“Most importantly, we’re missing something here. Why did he even do that? If it’s because of Shuhua, that doesn’t sound like something Song Jin would do just because the girl likes you more than him.” Minnie said, Soojin sighing as she leaned onto the wall, her hands crossed over her chest.

“Fine. Soyeon would tell this to you soon, so why not I tell the two of you now?” Soojin said, grabbing the stool from the corner of the room and sitting on it, clasping her hands nervously.

“Before the pandemic… Song Jin told me that he knew me before because he was the one that imprisoned me. I was an ex-convict, before I lost my memories and found myself on the beach, where I saved the two of them.” Soojin said, the two widening their eyes at that information, unable to say something as silence filled the room.

“But… that doesn’t seem to be a reason for Song Jin to beat you up still, just because you were a criminal before all this happened. He’s a police officer, he should know this more than anyone else, that everyone has a second chance.” Minnie said, Soojin scratching her head nervously.

“Don’t worry, it’s just the past, Soojin. What matters is that without you, we wouldn’t have survived up to here.” Yuqi said, putting a hand on her shoulder, Soojin nodding at that, her eyes thankful.

“But I’m sure the people at the infirmary were expecting you to go there, Yuqi. You should go, we’ll come with you. Soojin needs some bandages.” Minnie said, Soojin nodding at that, Yuqi nodding as she got up, going with the two girls out of their dormitory, the two girls following her while they joked, Yuqi laughing at them as she finally reached the infirmary, her eyes widening as the blood marks were still there, and some officers were bringing out a stretcher with a cloth covered corpse.

“Hi, perhaps you are the new doctor that just came here?” a voice said, Yuqi turning to see a man wearing a lab coat the words SONG MEDICAL UNIVERSITY written on it, Yuqi widening her eyes at that.

“Um… Yes. My name is Song Yuqi, reporting for duty…” Yuqi said, hoping that the man did not notice her name—

“Ah, welcome. We’re a little bit short of hands here, can you help us?” the man said frantically, as he went to the inside of the infirmary, the two boys following her.

The interior of the infirmary was what made Yuqi’s eyes widen even more, as she unconsciously put her hands on her mouth, surprised at the marks of blood and struggle inside the room (she worked at a crime scene one time before getting regular at the Song Hospital), with some corpses covered by cloth, the blood staining the white fabric with some of the officers coming in and hoisting up the bodies, taking it outside.

“What… What happened here…?” Yuqi asked, the doctor in charge sighing as he took off his lab coat, wiping his sweat furiously.

“One of the officers who recently went to an expedition outside the walls to gather supplies came back today, and didn’t tell us he was bitten or infected. He went on to infect other officers, which all came here to report, but we had to eliminate them all because they were nearing their undead state. The officers were able to kill off that officer, but everyone who saw him died because he killed them all off before dying.” The doctor said, sighing as he sat down, Yuqi seeing into his eyes that he was devastated by the events that just happened.

“What? Didn’t… didn’t you at least inspect them thoroughly before letting them inside the premises?” Yuqi said, wearing some gloves and beginning to disinfect the wound the doctor unknowingly had, Yuqi thoroughly checking that it wasn’t a bite or a scratch from the infected.

“That man, Jules… He’s been here since the start of the founding of the place, and he knows every nook and cranny of the place. He must have gotten in here without us noticing.” The doctor said, Yuqi sighing as she finished and bandaged up the wound, the doctor thanking her as he sat down, asking the officers to clean the place up.

“I would have to place a report to sir Wallace for this incident, and it sure would take me a whole day of explaining to do.” The doctor said, sighing as he took off his glasses and massaged his forehead, thinking of what they had to do.

“The officers would have to look everywhere, checking for anything or anyone we missed, we can’t waste any second. Can you stay here for now, Yuqi-ssi, and take charge, the nurses are just in the next room if you need anything.” The doctor said, Yuqi nodding at that as the doctor soon left, Minnie and Soojin helping the officers tidy up the place.

“Soojin, come here.” Yuqi said after they finished the task, the woman sitting down onto a stool as Yuqi dabbed onto her bruises, the woman wincing as Yuqi patiently smiled and continued her task.

“What happened to her?” one of the officers said, Minnie sighing at that.

“Some wretched rebels started appearing in the city, and while we were in an excursion to get some supplies on our way here, he was attacked and beat up. Luckily, we found her just in time before they even took her and managed to kill off the ones who did that to her, but… we lost a comrade in doing so.” Minnie said, the officer sighing at what Minnie had said.

“Sorry for your loss, man. But those rebels need to be dealt with, or they would make it more difficult for us.” The officer said, as he finished his task and left, Minnie sighing as she removed the gloves Yuqi gave her for cleaning, dumping it in the garbage bag in the corner.

“Looks like I’d be here all night, because of all the chaos that’s secretly happened. I’m sure the people living here wouldn’t even know that, because the leaders would surely keep these under wraps. Soojin, can you go to Soyeon and get her food? Minnie, is it okay if you can accompany me here?” Yuqi said, Minnie nodding as Soojin went off to do the task, Yuqi sighing as she took off the glove from her hand, throwing it away as she sighed, tying her hair up.

“I don’t think it’s an accident that Jules or whoever it is got inside the premises without anyone knowing, like come one. It’s a walled place. People are guarding the wall everywhere.” Yuqi said after a long silence, Minnie sighing as she chuckled, the doctor also getting what she was thinking of.

“But it’s only our first day here, we don’t have any evidence or solid proof yet to get out of here, yet even a plan b. We don’t have anything to do, so we have to risk ourselves and stay here until we have a concrete plan of what to do.” Minnie said, fiddling with the empty vials, Yuqi noticing those as she took it from her, noticing a single drop inside.

She dropped it into a slide and put it under a microscope, widening her eyes as she pulled Minnie, asking her to look at the slide.

“I don’t understand what I’m looking at exactly…” Minnie said, Yuqi sighing as she took a piece of paper, looking around and writing something on it as she flashed it to Minnie, who widened her eyes at that, then proceeded to look at the slide again.

‘I THINK IT’S THE VIRUS, MINNIE.’

“Go home, Minnie. Tell Soyeon I’m not sure if I would be able to eat with her, alright?” Yuqi said, Minnie nodding at that as the two of them parted ways, Yuqi throwing away the empty vial and the contaminated slide on the fire outside, along with the gloves she used to handle it, as she went back inside.

“Ah, looks like your help here is no longer needed, Miss Yuqi-ssi. You may go now, and just come back tomorrow to formally start your work here.” The doctor said, as Yuqi nodded, smiling at her.

“Thank you, sir…”

“Ah, my name is Scott Yale, but you can call me just Scott, or doctor Scott, whatever you prefer. Thank you for helping out tonight, Yuqi-ssi.” The doctor said, Yuqi nodding as she left, letting her tied hair go down as she walked towards the dormitories, seeing Soyeon going out with Soojin and the others, probably going to the dinner hall.

“Hi.” Yuqi said, Soyeon’s eyes lighting up as she went close to Yuqi, immediately holding her hand as they proceeded to the dinner hall together.

“I thought you’d spend all night there?” Soyeon asked, Yuqi chuckling as she shook her head, smiling at the girl.

“I wouldn’t want you to eat without me, hon. Let’s eat to our heart’s content, alright?” Yuqi said, Soyeon chuckling and nodding as they went to the dinner hall, picking up the foods they liked and putting it on a plate, the proceeding to an empty table where some of them sat, with the child tagging along with Minnie.

“She became your daughter or something.” Soyeon commented, the others laughing as they ate, spending their first night at Paradise with each other as they finished their dinner.

“Hey, do you wanna talk about the issue between Soojin and Song Jin?” Minnie whispered near Soyeon, as it was just Song Jin and Soojin who did not show up for dinner.

“Fine. Soojin already confessed and you know it, alright? What I don’t know is what the policeman told you earlier, so tell me now.” Soyeon said, Minnie sighing as she started to narrate the things she heard.

“Song Jin denied it, as I already told Soojin. He said he didn’t show up in Soojin ’s room last night, and his knuckles were just an accident from last night, which he didn’t even tell me the reason.” Minnie said, Soyeon sighing as she shook her head.

“I think he really is the one who did that, unnie. All the evidences point to him, and he is the only one who didn’t have an alibi of where he was last night, or even a concrete reason of why his knuckles are like that. But since he denied it and it looks like Soojin doesn’t want to blame him or anything, we can’t really do something.” Soyeon said, Minnie nodding at that as they continued to eat in silence.

“But what if he does it again, you know…?” Soyeon said, the thought bothering her, Minnie sighing as she massaged her forehead, thinking of something.

“Soojin shares a room with me, so I think I’d be able to stop any late-night visits. We should talk to Song Jin hyung and ask him what really is happening as a group, because I think it would make him realize that this is an alarming matter.” Minnie said, Soyeon nodding at that as she finished her meal.

“We have to get work here as soon as possible I think, if we want to stay here to be useful and all, or if we need to investigate something about this place. That way, we wouldn’t be suspicious whenever we come prodding around and all.” Soyeon said, as they all nodded, thinking of something to do while being here.

“The girls can come and help me in the infirmary, since there aren’t a lot of hands there. The boys could do officer work, so you guys could wander around the premises without having suspicions about you guys prodding around.” Yuqi said, the others nodding as they all agreed, what Yuqi pitched in sounding like a concrete plan for the time being.

“Sounds like a great plan. Unnie, can I help you at the infirmary for the time being, before I have to make that damned decision of being a leader or not when this week ends?” Soyeon said, Yuqi nodding at that as the two of them went out, disposing of their dishes as the others smiled at the sight.

“Miyeon, can I talk to you?” Minnie said, Miyeon nodding as the two of them left.