Apocalypse: Apparently, I Can See Zombies

Chapter 47- Was He Real?

'What am I supposed to do with this?'

Jin-woo thought to himself as he looked at the gun sealed within a metal case. After closing the drawer, he weaved through the desks and returned to the office entrance. He then opened the sliding door just enough to stick his head out and check the hallways.

After seeing no zombies in sight or hearing their snarls, Jin-woo opened the door further and slipped out. He tipped-toed to the corner after closing the door and looked down the hall where he had come from. It was empty, and from here, he could see the small key on the ground reflecting the hallway light above.

Without hesitation, Jin-woo moved, sprinting down the hallway. His steps were like a cat's, completely silent. His P.E. sneakers, which were friction-resistant, made no sound, even as he suddenly stopped for a brief second to bend down and pick up the key before sprinting off again.

Jin-woo tracked back toward the cafeteria, pausing at every corner to check for zombies.

Upon reaching the cafeteria, he sighed in relief to see that the doors were still closed. There were markings on the doors with even one of the glass windows cracked, but as long as it remained closed.

However, an uneasy feeling suddenly rose with Jin-woo's heart.

Why was it so silent?

'No, no, no.'

Jin-woo's steps quickened and he soon reached the doors to look through the intact glass window. But the scene beyond immediately caused his body to tremble uncontrollably.

He didn't understand.

Why did this happen?

In the cafeteria, bloodied bodies were strewn about haphazardly with the desks and chairs scattered all about.

The scene was no different from what he had hallucinated before.

No.

Wait.

It was exactly the same.

Jin-woo's eyes narrowed slightly as carefully recalled the hallucination he previously had and matched them with the scene before him. Shock rose in his heart when he concluded that they were indeed identical, except for few bodies being missing or in different positions.

"The images I say before… were visions of the future?"

Jin-woo couldn't help but mutter in slight disbelief. Was his ability was this absurd? He thought it was just sensing danger before.

Suddenly, a startling thought struck Jin-woo, it was like a bomb had gone off in his mind and it even made him stumble back from the door. His face constantly alternated between shock, confusion, and sadness. However, Jin-woo also felt a bit of catharsis.

He had just realized that all those times when he was young, and had sent his parents into panic, might not have been in vain.

Jin-woo felt sad that he caused his parents to go through all of that as it wasn't easy taking care of a young child who kept having nightmares and waking up thinking they were real, but he also felt a type of happiness that he did because those nightmares might have been real.

However, as Jin-woo glanced back through the window at the carnage in the cafeteria, this bit of happiness was immediately snuffed out. He wasn't able to save these people at all despite supposedly having this so-called future vision. The students were fewer while the back door was wide open, which wasn't in his vision. Meaning some students had likely escaped.

Nevertheless, this didn't relieve the heavy feeling of guilt that began to weigh down on his heart.

"I'm sorry."

Jin-woo muttered as he clenched the key and gun in his hands before he turned and ran off.

Upon reaching the corner that had the stairs leading up to the second floor, he began climbing it three steps at a time. As he did, Jin-woo couldn't help but have his mind wander back to his ability. Did he really have some kind of power to tell the future or was it just a coincidence that his hallucinations resembled the scene in the cafeteria?

But also, if he really had the ability to see the future through hallucinations… what about Seong who he was seeing all this while?

Was he not a hallucination?

Was he… real?

Jin-woo had to stop midway up the steps. This thought caused a mix of emotions to rise in his heart. However, he immediately recovered and shook his head. This really wasn't the time to be so distracted.

Jin-woo was about to continue up the stairs, but he realized he was at a familiar window. He could see the football field from here, which was to the right, as well as the entrance of the gymnasium which was to the left.

Jin-woo's gaze quickly landed on the gymnasium's entrance, but his expression suddenly stiffened.

There at the gymnasium's entrance... below the stairs... was a body.

Jin-woo silently examined the body as best as he could from this distance and soon released the breath he was holding.

From the uniform the body was wearing he could tell it was one of the five zombies that had chased after his classmates. Jin-woo cast one final glance at the tightly shut doors of the gymnasium entrance, and after releasing another breath of relief knowing that everyone was safe, he turned and continued up the stairs.

After reaching the second floor, Jin-woo's speed slowed down considerably while he stuck to the sides of the hallways.

As he had suspected, there was no one on the second floor. However, even though he suspected it, he still found it strange that not even a single person was in the hallway. This was not even mentioning the eerie silence along the hallway and the classrooms he passed.

As Jin-woo got closer to his classroom but still saw no one in sight, something told him to look inside the classrooms.

The next classroom Jin-woo passed he looked inside through the small window on the door… but it was empty.

He did this for the next classrooms along the hallways and they were similarly devoid of people. However, in the last classroom he peeked in before he turned the final corner to reach his class, he saw something.

Two female students were seen at the back of the classroom sitting together at a desk. Their heads were lying on the table motionless. From the food on the table, it could be inferred that they were in the middle of eating their food.

Jin-woo placed his hand on the door handle about to open it to check what had happened, but a figure suddenly appeared in the periphery of his vision at the window that caused him to freeze.

A male student was walking around the classroom aimlessly.

However, upon closer look, Jin-woo discovered that the back of the boy's hands was covered in black markings.

The male student suddenly snapped his head around and looked at the door with dead fish-like eyes. Jin-woo had to duck to hide hurriedly.

After staying motionless momentarily to ensure the zombie hadn't seen him, Jin-woo released a breath of air. But his brows soon came together in confusion as to what was going on.

Some students seemed to have been infected by the virus but rather than turning, they seemed to have just quietly died.

"Could there be more than one kind of virus? One that turns you into a zombie, but another that silently kills? Or is it the same virus but it affects people differently?"

Jin-woo muttered in contemplation, but soon had to put this at the back of his mind for now. He would think about this along with his ability more in-depth after he found Seong's dairy and settled down in a safe place.

Remaining in his crouched position, Jin-woo peeked around the corner, and halfway down the hall on the left, a sign that read Class 1A could be seen.

Seong's journal was in there.

Jin-woo was about to rush forward, but before he could he suddenly caught sight of his P.E. shorts and paused.

'Shit, that's right, my phone isn't inside the classroom. I left it in the bathroom.' Experience more on empire

Jin-woo was at a 'T' crossroad and was on the left-side hallway. His classroom was along the hallway in the middle but the bathroom where he left this phone was in the direction across the hallway in front of him.

After a bit of hesitation, Jin-woo clenched his teeth.

'Damn it.'

While cursing internally, he got up and rushed towards the hallway in front of him.

He had to get his phone.

That was the only communication he had with the outside world… and also his parents.