SURVIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: ATHENA LABORATORIES

“The laboratory holds all of the valuable information they have, at least. If we destroy that, those bastards will be pushed back, and will be forced to show themselves to the light.” Soojin said, the others nodding at that as they gathered all of their things and their weapons, putting the plan into action.

“So let me get this straight… How will we get inside that place?” Soyeon said, expecting an answer from Jiu and Soojin, but another one came forward, bearing a possible answer.

“Those zombies can climb, right? When piling up to each other, they can climb. We can use them to overrun the laboratory at first, and send everyone in panic so they would be distracted from what we would do, which is destroy that place.” Jaechan said, getting out a phone that he found somewhere, pointing to the music app, Minnie widening her eyes at that as she knew what the boy was pertaining to.

“What… how are you exactly going to do that?” Minnie said, the others raising their brows, not knowing what the two were getting at.

“Simple. We use that idea I did a year ago, when we barricaded ourselves with hordes of zombies that would act as a wall against the rebels that we assumed were in the area back then. Only now, we toss this phone that would play very loud music inside the walls, drawing hordes of undead inside without having Jiu or Soojin going inside to do that. When they’re distracted, we can take that chance to get inside the laboratory unnoticed.” Jaechan said, Soyeon nodding at that.

“Give me your phone.” Soyeon said, Jaechan nodding at that as the girl seemed to type onto something, her fingers flying across the skin as she bobbed her head to the imaginary beat, Minnie watching her little sister do something that she loved the most.

“There. I made a mix that would give us an hour and a half at most, before the people there would discover that a phone is doing all that commotion. It would have rests between mixes, which would make finding it more difficult, but the hordes would be attracted just the same because of the vibrations that is also in the rest of the mix.” Soyeon said, Jaechan nodding at that as he pocketed the phone, his hand hovering over it as if it was some kind of weapon.

“I assume that you know every place that is there, and the places that we need to be, Soojin, Jiu?” Soyeon said, her professional tone settling an awkward tension between the people, but the two that were mentioned nodded, smiling with confidence.

“Since it is extremely difficult to go there, we will have to just choose the people that will be coming there, to gather some intel if possible and destroy the laboratory completely. Here are my suggestions for the people that should go inside.” Soyeon said, handing out a paper that had written names on it, scrawled along with black ink.

Jiu, Soojin, Soyeon, Jaechan, Mina

“The rest will be staying here, a building near the laboratory that we can rendezvous in, after everything is done.” Soyeon said, but of course, someone is staring skeptically at everything, someone who is against a certain someone that is joining the trip.

“Why are you joining them, Soyeonie? You know you’re the one that all of them want to capture, and yet you’re going to venture there. Are you trying to kill yourself by doing that?” Minnie voiced out, Soyeon sighing at her.

“That way, I can use myself as a bargaining tool in case they get caught and they can get out of there while they leave me behind—”

“Bullshit. That is bullshit! So, is this what you’re planning? Letting yourself get caught there so you could save us all? Are you even intending on destroying the laboratory in the first place, or are you just using us so you would be caught there?” Jiu said, the others shocked at her cutting into what Soyeon was saying, as it was the first time that she had raised her voice like that.

“If this is the way to end everything, then I am willing to do that.” Soyeon said, her eyes dead serious, Jiu widening her eyes at that.

“No. There are other ways to end this! If I have to tie you up and lock you in here, I’ll do so, Soyeon. The four of us will be the only ones who will go inside, and you won’t join us. Stay here.” Jiu said, taking a chain and tying the girl up into the railing of the window, giving Minnie the key, as Soyeon couldn’t protest because Jiu was too strong against her.

“Keep her here, no matter what, okay? Take care of your sister, we’ll be back.” Jiu said, despite Soyeon’s attempts they went towards the exit, leaving the other five people alone inside the safe house.

“No… You have to let me go with them, I’m what they want—”

“No. You’re staying here, whether you like it or not. We’ll be the one to take charge from now on.” Minnie said, Soyeon gritting her teeth at that and fighting against the chains, Minnie hugging her tight.

“You don’t have to die for this to stop. There are different ways that we can do for all of this to stop, Soyeon… you don’t have to do that.” Minnie said, Soyeon turning quiet and looking down the ground, defeated.

“But… her.” Soyeon mumbled, Minnie knowing what the girl was pertaining to.

“She would want you to live and enjoy your life, Soyeon. That’s what she had given her life to… letting you live.” Minnie said, hugging her sister tight, but Soyeon did not answer.

“She shouldn’t have done that… She should have let me die…” Soyeon said, Minnie shaking her head and hugging the girl even tighter, shaking her head.

“We have to end this, Soyeon-ah. Alright? No more running away. When they come back after the laboratory is destroyed, we need to end everything once and for all.” Minnie said, Soyeon nodding at that as she calmed down silently, letting her tears fall.

“It’s alright. It’s alright to cry, but we have to move on and finish this, so everything will end.” Minnie said, Shuhua moving closer to them with the child that was sleeping in her arms.

“Do you think this could even end…? I’m tired… I don’t want anyone to die.” Soyeon said, Minnie nodding at that.

“No one has to die, Soyeon. We can do this; we can end everything.” Minnie said, Soyeon only staring at her.

“Now I want you to be strong, alright? You are our leader from the first day, and you are going to be that until the end of this. We’re counting on you, and you can count on us, so please… don’t go anywhere.” Minnie asked, Soyeon only nodding at that.

Minnie took one last sigh before sitting at the only exit of the room, staring at her sister who was sitting down and chained up against one of the railings, hugging her knees and not even looking back to her older sister, who let out a breath of worry, but nonetheless waited patiently for the four people to get back.

“They… They’re going to die, aren’t they?” Soyeon said after a long silence, Minnie averting her stare from the quiet environment to her sister, who was staring at her with emotionless eyes, and Minnie immediately knew.

Yuqi’s death broke her, and it would take a long time putting her back all again, even if she was her younger sister; the void was too wide for her to cover.

But what choice do you have? You promised to protect her, didn’t you?  Her mind chided her, and that is what she’ll be doing.

“They’ll come back alive, Soyeon. They’re all strong people, and they can go back alive for us.” Minnie said, and Soyeon stared at the blue sky, her eyes still emotionless, and all Minnie could do is sigh.

“You all ready?” Jiu asked, the three other people with her nodding at that as Jaechan picked up the phone from his pocket, picking the music mix that Soyeon formulated for the mission at hand. Jiu nodded at him as he played the mix and tossed it somewhere near the main entrance, a loud rock song playing that soon attracted some of the zombies, forming a horde that threatened to break the compound.

“Let’s go, while they’re distracted.” Jaechan said, Jiu nodding at that as they cautiously went towards the other gate, Soojin killing off some of the zombies that dared to come close. They made it off inside the command, not worrying that some of the zombies were already trapping them inside the compound, offering them to find another way out.

“Do you guys know where to go? I’m a little scared here.” Mina said, Soojin nodding at that as they went through a hallway that Soojin and Jiu knew the most, for this was where their other forms where born.

“Should we burn this place?” Jaechan asked, Mina shaking her head and bringing out a lot of explosives from a bag she brought since they sprung out of Paradise, one that she had been questioned with a lot of times for what it was.

“Wah… you had those all this time?” Soojin asked, Mina nodding at that as she put some explosives all over the place, configuring it to be set on timer for thirty minutes or so, as per Soojin’s estimation that they would be out of the place in the time aforementioned.

“This is…” Jiu trailed off, stopping for one sec, Soojin raising her brow and looking back at her sister, wondering what she was pertaining to.

“What are you talking about?” Mina asked, stopping the scattering of the bombs with Jaechan, who looked back at them.

“Odd, I must say. Why haven’t we encountered enemies along the way, and why aren’t they even defending this compound in the first place—”

Mina and Jaechan didn’t know what happened next as they were suddenly down on the ground, Soojin and Jiu protecting them from a thousand fragments of something sharp that were thrown towards their direction, threatening to kill them as Jaechan had some fragments hit his leg, making him shout in pain.

“Gahyeon-ah.” Jiu said, sensing her presence, the girl standing straight before her, her hand growing again from the fragments that she threw from her hand.

“You shouldn’t have come here. Trying to stop Zeus Corporations would do nothing but bring you death, just like that girl we killed before—”

With incredible speed, Soojin had gone up to Gahyeon, grasping her neck tight and putting her upwards, lifting her up from the ground with anger in her eyes, Gahyeon chuckling despite that.

“Have you gone soft for these people, unnie? Our master holds a grudge against them, they are the ones who should die, not us—”

Soojin tossed her away from them, towards the end of the dark hallway, Jiu and Mina hoisting the wounded Jaechan up and running away, Soojin gritting her teeth as she followed the two.

“I knew it. I somehow had a feeling they’d send her here, since we are the top ones to be sent to this mission after what happened with Yuqi and with Soyeon being kept at bay. She’d have to die with this place, then.” Jiu said, Soojin widening her eyes at that, staring at Jiu.

“Unnie… how can you say that so easily?” Soojin said, Jiu staring at her.

“She died when she pushed me out of the compound that day, saving me. That person is no longer our sister, Soojin. You have to accept that, or she will be the one to kill you and end your life when you hesitate.” Jiu said, Soojin staring at her still.

“You have to be strong. You have a family now, right? And that girl you love. Won’t you do anything to protect your Yeh Shuhua?” Jiu said, Soojin widening her eyes at that, a silence following them as they made their way in the maze-like hallways of the laboratory.

“Then I’ll stay here.” Soojin said, the others widening her eyes, temporarily stopping their escape.

“Are you insane? After what I said, that’s what you come up with?” Jiu said, for she wanted her sister to live, not to sacrifice their life for them to escape.

“This is the best solution for this, unnie. You know Gahyeon’s going to escape this place and eventually kill us all off, right? If I stop her, then you guys would be all safe—”

“I’ll go.” Jaechan said, Soojin widening her eyes at that.

“What…?” Soojin asked, Jaechan gently pushing himself off of Mina and Jiu, sitting down on the hallway’s wall as his leg kept bleeding from the fragment buried within his flesh, causing him pain as he’s moving.

“I’m just a liability. And whether you two agree or not, she’s still Gahyeon, the girl I loved in Paradise.” Jaechan said, blood suddenly pooling out of his mouth, coughing it out as Mina temporarily bound his feet with the cloth of her jacket, but Jaechan only pushed her off.

“You have only twenty minutes left, you know. Now go… protect Soyeon and everyone for me, alright?” Jaechan said, Mina hugging the boy tight.

“Thank you… Jaechan-ah.” Soojin said, kissing his forehead, Jiu then conjuring a small knife from her body, giving it to him.

“We are our own weaknesses, and I think when you stab her with this, she’ll recollect. At least, I think that’s worth a shot. Goodbye, Jaechan-ssi.” Jiu said, Jaechan nodding at that as she soon left, Jaechan only staring at the white walls of the hallways, the ticking of the bomb beside him making his nervousness grow higher.

“Goodbye… I hope I did something good in my life, at least.” Jaechan said, clutching the knife, the last thing he’s hearing is the familiar clacking of heels, one that his love wore, as he stared at her, the girl staring at him and kneeling down.

“They left you here? Sad, sad fools.” Gahyeon said, her fingers pushing the fragment deeper into his flesh, making him cry out loud of pain, doing the thing he had on his instinct as he stabbed her shoulder with the knife Jiu gave her, Gahyeon widening her eyes as she collapsed, the dark aura of death disappearing from her eyes.

“J… Jaechan…. No…” Gahyeon said, Jaechan only smiling at her as he held her hand, putting it on his lips that already stained with blood, smiling sweetly.

“it’s okay… You know that it’s the end for the two of us, right?” Jaechan said, the ticking of the bombs placed beside the two of them breaking the silence, Gahyeon smiling and nodding at him.

“At least I’ll be able to see the end with you.” Gahyeon said, as he held her hand, the timer slowly ticking to zero.

Soojin and the others only took some steps outside of the compound when a huge explosion caused by the bombs were set off, making them collapse as Soojin and Jiu quickly supported Mina and darted away before the zombies were attracted to the large explosion.

They made it to the building where the others were staying in, unscathed, their friends searching for Jaechan but they couldn’t answer, as Soojin went into the arms of her beloved Shuhua, the Taiwanese knowing that something went wrong as she consoled her cries.

Mina went to the children, trying to entertain herself from the events earlier, leaving Jiu no choice as she went to Minnie and Soyeon’s room, Minnie knowing that something was up based on her face that told a tale of many words.

“Report.” Soyeon said, Jiu nodding at that as she sat in front of the chained-up leader, Minnie undoing her chains as they listened to what Jiu had to say.

“We were able to destroy the compound with the plan that we formulated, but Gahyeon was there. Jaechan… he stayed behind to buy us time to escape, and he… he and Gahyeon died in the laboratory, with the explosion.” Jiu said, leaving a long amount of silence.

Minnie widened her eyes as her sister fell into the floor, collapsing as her hair slowly turned white, Jiu able to catch her as the girl fell unconscious, her black, short hair already white as snow, her face emotionless than before, like an empty mask.

“Marie Antoinette Syndrome, caused by stress. We cannot let her be in danger anymore, Minnie.” Jiu said, Minnie widening her eyes at that, nodding.

“Soyeon’s already broken, even more broken at this point; we have to put her back, and save her.” Jiu said, staring at their leader’s unconscious face, one that painted a thousand sorrows, her white hair like a veil of death, as if waiting to snatch her from the world.

“Just a little longer, Soyeon-ah… this would end soon.” Minnie said, a surge of determination going through her.