Amidst the ear-splitting roar of the roiling water separated only by a concrete wall, the survivors collapsed onto the ground from sheer exhaustion.
“W…what was going on there?” Ave, who was the first to return to his senses, stammered his words out queasily.
No one gave an answer, but for some reason, everyone’s frightened eyes were directed onto me.
“Hmm?” I tilted my head to the side in confusion.
“Mori, do you know the reason why…?” Nico asked warily. “Are they human…or monsters?”
“It’s too early to say anything definite, but…” I paused, thinking about what I should say next. “...they were humans, at least that’s what I believe. I don’t think they’re really monsters, but rather, they’re being controlled by a leader, which probably is one of the monsters.”
Thinking back, I found it suspicious that the one corpse holding the flashlight had a thread of Life inside him, while the other corpses seemingly had lost theirs. Could it be that there is some sort of hierarchy within them? What is the factor determining their actions? I quietly made a mental note to investigate the matter alone later.
“Controlled?” Gee yelped in fright and hugged poor Lila tightly. “Holy shit, t-they really are z-z-zombies?”
“Honestly, I don’t really quite understand what you mean by ‘zombies’,” I mumbled, confused. “But if you mean ‘undead’, I guess they could be, in a sense, living corpses.”
Ave narrowed his eyes and glanced down at the floor. “D-does such a thing really exist?”
“The laws of nature have already begun to break down without the presence of an entity to sustain them…so yes, it’s possible,” I said bluntly. “As I mentioned earlier, it’s too early to say anything conclusive. Besides—” I pointed at the pool of water gradually seeping in through the gaps between the door and the wall. “—I don’t think we should stay here for too long.”
He nodded his head almost imperceptibly and turned his head to look at the others. “Is anyone seriously hurt or feel pain in any way? Please sound out now to the group!”
Gee raised her hand up. “My mind can’t keep up with this shit, I need to see a goddamn therapist…”
“Good, looks like everyone is alright. Let this also be a reminder to not stay quiet about your injuries so that we can access the situation immediately.” Ave stood up and surveyed the pitch-dark passageway with the torch. “I think this is a service tunnel meant for maintenance crews to use while the subway is operating. We can go to the next station from here.”
“What’s the point of doing that?” Gee spat. “The whole tunnel is probably flooded, and even if it’s not, no way in hell am I going back there.”
“Since it’s a service tunnel, I’m sure there are exits that lead directly to the street level,” Nico said as he pried Lila away from her arms. “Ave, lead the way.”
He nodded and gave Gee a light kick in her leg. “Get up on your feet and start moving if you don’t want to become a zombie.”
“Fuck you.” She stumbled to her feet and shook her disarrayed hair free. “Fuck you.”
“I got the message the first time.”
Ave shone the torch down the tunnel and started walking, with Nico and Lila following close behind.
“Argh! Fuck you all!” Gee pulled at her hair and reluctantly dragged her feet after them.
I glanced back at the door one last time before leaving.
After we had walked down the narrow tunnel for about five minutes, the torch finally gave out, so Ave told Lila to use her phone instead to illuminate the way ahead. The white LED light proved to be much better than the dying torch, and he squinted his eyes at something in the distance.
“Lila, use Google Maps and check our location now,” he quickly instructed her.
“What’s up?” Nico asked curiously.
“I hear the sound of wind blowing up ahead.” Ave checked the map application and a relieved smile crept up his face slick with perspiration. “Since the subway is underground, there is a system of ventilation shafts leading to the outside to supply the workers here with fresh air. That means…”
“...an exit!” Nico and Gee shouted happily in unison.
“And what’s more—” Ave showed us Lila’s phone screen and pointed at a rectangular landmark labelled ‘HS’ in front of the blue dot. “—we’re right below our destination, so-woah!”
Gee immediately pushed past him and ran forward in joy. “Aw hell yeah, freedooooommmm!!!”
“She changes her mood in an instant…” Lila whispered, and the three of us nodded our heads in silent agreement.
