Apocalypse: Apparently, I Can See Zombies

"Seems like I forgot I'm just a disembodied soul. Hey, Jin, can you create my bag with your ability? It feels weird that I don't have it."

Seong said as he looked at Jin-woo.

Jin-woo hesitated for a moment and then tried to conjure the bag. But he soon shook his head and said.

"I can't."

"Really? Is it a limitation of your abilities, or is it because you're tired?"

Seong rubbed his chin in confusion.

"Hm, it could be one of those."

Jin-woo said, then made a move to head for the showers.

However, what he said was a lie.

He was tired from using his abilities while playing games, but it wasn't to the point that he couldn't conjure a small bag. It was because he didn't want to.

That bag... It felt like it symbolized Seong being trapped in the role of his caretaker.

Seo-joon's words from before were all Jin-woo could now think about.

'You're nothing but a fucking parasite Jin, that's all you are. You latch onto anyone who comes near you, and you suck and suck until there's nothing left of them. Then when you're done you throw them away and move on.'

Even now, after Seong had died his soul was trapped next to him.

Jin-woo tried to keep his expression normal in front of Seong so he wouldn't figure out his thoughts, but he wasn't aware that Seong had silently stared at his back for a brief moment before following him.

….

…

..

In between several rows of lockers, Jin-woo sat on one of the many benches while taking off his shoes. Afterward, he took off his glasses and clothes before putting them inside his drawstring bag, which he placed inside his designated locker along with his shoe.

Jin-woo then moved to the basket cart filled with white towels at the back of the changing room. After quickly wrapping one around his waist, he picked up a smaller one for his hair before moving to the showers, which were just on the other side of the changing room.

Seong, who was at the end of the hallway watching out for people so Jin-woo could change, followed behind him. But without his shirt on, Seong could now see several bruises on Jin-woo's back and even a cigarette burn mark on the nape of his neck.

'It still hurts to see them.'

Seong thought with furrowed brows.

As the same as the first time, Jin-woo decided to shower after everyone was mostly done. Seong didn't know why he went out of his way to do this at first, but he immediately understood after Jin-woo removed his shirt. He was furious, but also sad since his absence might have caused this.

Seong reached out and taped the small cigarette burn, which made Jin-woo flinch and grab his neck.

"What are you doing? You almost scared me to death."

Jin-woo said turning around and shooting Seong a confused look.

"Why did you let uncle do this to you?"

Seong's brows were still furrowed.

Seeing that his best friend had become upset again, Jin-woo shook his head.

"I said I'm fine, Seong. You don't need to be so upset."

"How can I not be upset? You purposely let those things happen to you, likely because you were blaming yourself. I should have been there."

After saying those last few words, Seong's expression became downcast.

Jin-woo turned back to glance at him before sighing to himself.

They reached the showers, and as Jin-woo headed for the one at far back he said.

"I'm the one who caused the accident that injured Dad and made it so you couldn't be there."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"A panic attack isn't something that can be predicted, Jin. It's not your fault."

Seong vehemently insisted, but Jin-woo calmly shook his head once again.

"No, if I simply hadn't insisted for Dad to drive me to Gangnam to surprise you, that accident wouldn't have happened. That's the truth, and nothing can change that Seong."

Seeing that his best friend was still upset and wanted to argue, Jin-woo said.

"Turn around."

Seong huffed, then turned and squatted in the middle of the walkway behind Jin-woo.

There were wooden dividers between the showers, so Seong was forced to be a lookout from this area, rather than at the end of the room. But given that it was now in the evening, there shouldn't be anyone coming into the showers at this time.

Well, that's what Seong thought when sometime into his squat he abruptly heard a noise from what sounded like one of the lockers being closed.

Seong listened more carefully, but after not hearing any more sounds or seeing anyone turn the corner, he was about to dismiss it. However, a thought suddenly struck him, and he immediately stood up.

"Jin, hurry, go and check your locker!"

Jin-woo, who was in the middle of washing his hair and hadn't heard the noise, was surprised by Seong's sudden shout.

"What happened?"

Without even fully removing the soap from his hair, Jin-woo grabbed the small towel and quickly wiped the soap from his eyes.

"I heard someone opening a locker, hurry and go check if anything is missing from yours."

Upon hearing this, Jin-woo's expression changed and he hurriedly grabbed the second towel and rushed out of the shower while securing it around his waist.

In only a moment he was turning the corner to the locker room. But after arriving he saw that no one was there, and all the lockers were closed.

Click…

Suddenly, Jin-woo and Seong heard a soft click, and they simultaneously turned to look at the door further down the hall, their expressions quickly turning gloomy.

Jin-woo immediately approached his locker.

The lockers here were old-school and could only be locked with padlocks. However, those padlocks were all removed and discarded so the students could freely use the lockers.

Hooking his finger on the locker's latch, Jin-woo unlocked it before swinging the door open. Immediately his eyes landed on the only item inside. It was his utility belt, which was now missing his gun and the remaining magazines.

Jin-woo had only ever taken off this utility belt when he was showering, at any other point in time it was always around his waist, even when he was sleeping. If this thief was after his gun, then that meant they had been observing his every movement.

Jin-woo's brows furrowed knowing that it wasn't Mr. Kim or any of the teachers who came to take the gun back. As for who would steal his gun, he had some obvious guesses of who it could be, and as for why, well, it was a gun the answer was obvious.

However, the gun was only the second most important item in his locker. His phone was far more important right now as it was the only connection to the Marshal and the rescue team. But it was inside his drawstring bag which was obviously missing from his locker.

Jin-woo furiously slammed the locker shut with a loud bang. His expression was coated with the intent to murder as he quickly turned around and headed for the door. But even as he did, he realized that even his glasses along with his clothes and underwear had been stolen, leaving him barely able to see and completely naked.

Jin-woo reached the door leading outside, but as he turned the handle, he realized it was locked. This made him recall that his bundle of keys that unlocked all the doors in the east wing were stolen as well. The third most important item he had.

"Fuck."

Jin-woo couldn't help but uncharacteristically let out a curse under his breath. Especially when he recalled the fact that it was in the evening now.

Jin-woo glanced down at his G-shock watch, which he thankfully still wore to the shower since it was waterproof— and squinted his eyes to see that the current time was now 3:38 pm.

If the rescue team was truly on their way here, then they could arrive at any moment.