The night passed like a blade pressed against our throats.
Everyone else fell asleep after our last night’s discussion but I couldn’t fall asleep. Every flicker of shadow made me jolt awake.
By the time the horizon bled pale orange, my nerves were stretched thin as bowstrings.
"Morning," Ye-rin muttered, her voice hoarse, her axe still resting across her lap. Then turn by turn everyone woke up but by the looks of it nobody slept well.
"Before anything else," I said, my voice was rough with exhaustion, "we test ourselves.Sunlight’s the only way."
Hana gave a tight nod. Mother’s scythe dissolved back into nothingness, though her eyes never relaxed. Seo-yeon, In-ji, Eun-ha, Hyun-tae—we all stepped toward the cracked road where light spilled between broken towers.
One by one, we walked into the sunlight.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop.
Ye-rin went first, squinting into the glow. Nothing happened. No hissing flesh. No blistering skin. She exhaled in relief, swinging her axe onto her shoulder.
"Next," she said.
Seo-yeon followed. Then Hana. Then me. Then the others.
When it was over, we stood together in the morning light, squinting like half-blind animals. Exhausted. Suspicious. But still human.
At least... for now.
"Good news," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "We’re not vampires."
"Yet," Ye-rin said dryly.
The relief didn’t last long. Because across the cracked boulevard, we saw them again—the group we spotted last night, huddled in the ruins of a collapsed building.
Seven of them.
This time, they didn’t hide when they saw us approach.
A man in his forties stepped forward, Behind him, two younger women shielded an elderly woman with a cane. Beside them, a boy of maybe ten years old clung to his mother’s sleeve. His skin was unnaturally pale, his lips tinged faint blue.
Ye-rin tensed, muttering under her breath, "Kid looks like death warmed over."
"Wait," I said quickly. "Sunlight test."
We stopped a dozen feet away. "Step into the light," Seo-yeon called, her tone sharp, controlled.
The man hesitated, but eventually guided the boy forward. The kid flinched when the rays touched his skin—but he didn’t burn. Didn’t scream. He only squinted, raising an arm to shield his eyes.
"Genetic," his mother said firmly, her voice trembling. "He’s been this way since birth."
We exchanged glances. None of us lowered our weapons, but we didn’t attack either.
"Looks like he’s clear," I said finally.
The tension eased. Slightly.
Introductions came haltingly.
The man was named Do-hwan, a mechanic before the world went to hell. The elderly woman was his mother. The boy, his nephew. The two younger women—his wife and sister-in-law, Young Da-e.The other men were Kim song-woo and Bak-U, Do-hwan’s neighbors.
"We’ve been hiding," Do-hwan admitted. "Didn’t dare move at night. Too many screams out there. Too much blood.Young Da-e and Kim song-woo were the ones who kept us safe all this time."
Ye-rin said. "Wait....Are you really those two who appeared on the list after Mission# 001 ended."
"Yes. And you guys are ....." Young Da-e asked and we all introduced ourselves.
"If not for you... none of us would still be here. We heard the whispers, the system’s words. Every mission you cleared, every trial you survived—it kept this district alive. It gave us a chance to keep breathing." Kim song-woo bowed to us.
The older man with his face drawn but sincere. "We could only hide. We had no power, no weapons. If you hadn’t fought. You’re the reason we even had a night to survive."
Their gratitude felt heavy, almost crushing. For a moment, our group exchanged glances—Ye-rin shifting uncomfortably, Seo-yeon’s expression unreadable.
None of us had ever thought of it that way. We weren’t heroes. We were just trying to live. But in their eyes, our struggle had brought them time.
For the first time since the mission started, it felt like maybe we weren’t alone in this nightmare.
I said, "Let’s move. We’re too exposed standing around."
We all returned to our base or rather our new home.
Silence hung in the room.
Finally, Seo-yeon broke it. Her voice was quiet, but sharp. "You all heard it. Infiltrators. That means... there are survivors. Hidden until now."
"Survivors," In-ji echoed, though there wasn’t much hope in his tone.
Hana looked between us nervously. "If there are survivors, shouldn’t we... look for them?"
"Sure," Hyun-tae snorted, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Let’s just knock on doors until we find out which neighbor wants to bite our throats out. Great idea."
Hana flinched at the sharpness, but she didn’t argue.
I sighed. "He has a point, though. Survivors mean more manpower. Maybe more supplies. But the eyeball wasn’t exactly subtle—some of them are already compromised."
Still. Sitting around doing nothing wasn’t an option either.
"Check the nearby buildings," I said finally. "If the system’s dropped the leash, survivors will be out there. Let’s see what we’re dealing with."
"But what about them?". Ye-Rin asked, "Mr Do-hwan’s group?" I paused for a second and then continued, "We will keep sharing the resources and will help them but we can’t give them shelter. I mean, we can but that is also a risk. But I believe we should give them protection, and for that Roger is keeping an eye on them. If there is a problem, we can respond immediately."
"But moving as one big group will only draw attention," Hyun-tae argued. "Too noisy. Too slow."
"Then we split," I said. "Three or four in a group. Small enough to move fast, strong enough to defend if we’re cornered."
We pitched the same idea to Do-hwan’s group as well.
Do-hwan hesitated. "Splitting up means less protection."
"Staying together means none of us will find survivors before they’re turned," Seo-yeon responded.
After a long silence, the groups formed.
Ye-rin, Seo-yeon, and In-ji took the east. Hana, Young Da-e, and Hyun-tae took the north. I and Kim song-woo went west while mother and the others stayed behind.
Ye-Rin also signaled Volt to look in south and respond back to her.
We moved out.