"Up. Now. Move," Jungkook breathed.

"But the basement—" said Taehyung.

"We can't go down there right now," Jungkook cut Taehyung off calmly. "The theater and food court are on the top floors. We'll think. Regroup. Then move again."

Both Taehyung and Soohee nodded, even though fear burned in their throats like fire.

They began climbing upward, step by step. Soohee clutched the railing with trembling fingers. The shadows above them shifted each time the dying emergency light flickered.

Halfway up the flight, she made the mistake of looking down.

Two creatures were crawling into the stairwell from the floor below—thin but horribly twisted, as if their bodies had been broken and reassembled by someone who didn't understand how humans were supposed to look. Their skin was ghost-pale, stretched tightly like every drop of blood had been drained away. Their jaws hung open, lips shredded, teeth far too many. And their eyes...black. Hollow. Empty.

But it wasn't their appearance that froze her blood.

It was the way they moved.

They crawled on all fours—fast, jerky, uncoordinated, like spiders trying to mimic people.

"Jungkook," Soohee whispered, choking on the word.

Jungkook didn't need to look. He already heard it—the clicking had turned frantic, almost manic.

"Run," he hissed.

They bolted up the stairs. The metal railing groaned under their weight as they took the steps two at a time, running for their lives. Soohee's breath was ragged, burning her lungs. Taehyung was drenched in sweat, as if he'd fallen into a pool. Behind them, the creatures slammed against the stairs, scraping over each other as they chased the sounds—bone striking concrete in a rhythm that echoed like a warped drum.

Taehyung could hear them climbing. Too fast.

Jungkook yanked open the door to the 123rd floor and pulled Taehyung and Soohee through. They stumbled into the dark corridor, and he slammed the door shut behind them. Taehyung grabbed the broken lock bar lying nearby and jammed it under the handle.

A second later—THUD.

The door shuddered under a violent hit.

Then another.

And another.

Taehyung stumbled back with his hands raised in shock, almost as if someone had pointed a gun at him.

The creatures snarled on the other side—low, guttural, hungry. Then, slowly, the sound faded as they scuttled away.

"They're hunting us. Probably through sound. But I'm not sure yet," Taehyung whispered.

Jungkook nodded, jaw tight, as if he'd been thinking the same thing.

Soohee sank against the wall, her breath shaking. "What the hell happened to the world, Jungkook?"

He had no answer. He slid down beside her, sweat dripping from his temple, his chest rising and falling unsteadily.

The world outside had gone silent.

Silent—because something else was living here now.

Something that wasn't human.

And it was hunting them.

Taehyung looked around the corridor. They were on the topmost floor—the food court level of the Lotte World Tower. Not a single sound reached them.

Taehyung gripped the back of Jungkook's hoodie, and Soohee clung to Taehyung's sleeve as the three of them stepped into what had once been the happiest part of the mall. He and Jungkook had countless memories here—after-movie meals, the smell of fries, the clatter of trays, staff shouting out numbers, laughter pouring from every corner.

Now the floor was a corpse of its former self.

Rows of tables stood like abandoned skeletons. Some chairs were overturned, others scattered across the tiles as if people had fled mid-meal. The floor was streaked with something dark—maybe spilled soda... or maybe not. Crushed wrappers littered the walkway, and the hanging promotional banners swayed slightly, even though there was no breeze.

The lights flickered weakly. Emergency bulbs buzzed overhead, and some fast-food signs glowed half-dead—the faint red from Burger King, the dim flicker of Subway's green neon sputtering like an insect on its last legs.

Taehyung felt his chest ache.

This was where they laughed.

Where Jungkook always ordered too many fries.

Where Taehyung teased him endlessly for hoarding ketchup packets.

That memory felt like it belonged to a world that no longer existed.

Jungkook scanned the area cautiously. "Looks clear," he murmured.

They moved between counters, stepping around fallen trays and crumpled napkins, careful to make as little sound as possible. Soohee crouched near a vending stall and tested the storage room door behind it. It swung open with ease. A wave of stale oil and old bread washed over her.

"Jackpot," Jungkook whispered.

Boxes of bottled water. Packaged snacks. Canned goods. All stacked neatly on metal shelves as if time hadn't touched them yet. All looked fresh. And seems like no one has seen this place yet, or didn't have any time to check it out.

Soohee grabbed one of the empty delivery bags from the floor and started stuffing what she could: water bottles, granola bars, which she had no idea what they were. She looked at Taehyung with a bunch of bars in her hand, waiting for some kind of approval, saying, It's okay to eat them. Taehyung nodded.

She grabbed some extra bars, chips, and anything that looked sealed and safe. Jungkook checked the fridge units, finding a few soda cans still slightly cold.

"Water first," Soohee said automatically, her voice tight but steady. "They'll last longer."

At one point, Taehyung was impressed by how Soohee was handling this situation, way better than him. She knows what's important and what's not. He was also glad that Soohee was with them.

Jungkook nodded, tossing bottles into the bag. The straps stretched under the weight, but they needed every drop. Taehyung grabbed another bag and kept tossing everything they could use to drink.

Then somewhere outside, the building groaned. A long, low creak, like metal under pressure. Taehyung's head snapped toward the wide windows overlooking Seoul.

His breath hitched.

HELLO LOVELIES, PLEASE READ MY STORY, COMMENT ALL YOUR THOUGHTS, VOTE, FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS AMONG YOUR FRIENDS!

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