ECHOES OF HISTORY: THE ENDLESS LABYRINTH OF DANGER

The weight of the remotes they had taken during their escape from the white building felt heavier in Eunhye's hand than ever before. She clutched the bag tightly against her chest as they stepped cautiously into the building. The air was dense with the scent of decay and something metallic, a stifling reminder of what awaited them.

Behind her, the army unit moved in sync, their weapons poised and their eyes scanning every shadow. Boram walked slightly ahead, her hand resting firmly on her sidearm. Despite the assurance of the soldiers’ training, the tension was palpable, winding tighter with every step.

"Where would they be?" Boram’s voice, low and even, broke the silence.

Eunhye exchanged a glance with Jaeyeon before he replied in a hushed tone, "Last time, the doctors were on the fifteenth floor. The CEOs... they were in a hidden room in the basement."

Boram considered this for a moment, her jaw tightening. "I’ll take half of my team to the fifteenth floor. The rest of you," she turned her gaze to Eunhye, Jaeyeon, and their group, "will go to the basement with the remaining team."

Eunhye leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "The basement room has trap doors and possibly more security traps."

Boram’s lips pressed into a thin line as she processed the warning. "Last time, we got lucky because Yuri found the switch by accident," Eunhye continued urgently. "But what if the security’s been tightened since then?"

Boram exhaled sharply, her frustration evident. "If we want the cure to this damn virus, we’ll have to take the risk," she muttered under her breath. Straightening, she issued her orders in a soft but commanding voice. "Go, go, go."

The group split seamlessly, Boram leading her half of the team up the stairs toward the fifteenth floor while Eunhye, Jaeyeon, Yuri, and their group headed cautiously toward the basement. Boram’s team moved with practiced precision, their protective metal shields and camouflage gear blending into the dimly lit building.

They avoided the elevator—Eunhye’s warnings about its noise and vulnerability were taken seriously. Instead, they ascended the stairwell, their boots landing silently against the concrete steps. Every creak and groan of the building seemed amplified in the suffocating quiet, but no one faltered.

By the time they reached the eighth floor, a low, guttural snarl echoed faintly through the air. Boram raised her fist, signaling a halt. The soldiers froze in place, their weapons raised and their breathing controlled.

Boram turned her head slightly, her voice barely audible. "Silent guns ready."

The team obeyed, adjusting their weapons. Boram’s hand lingered on her firearm, her knuckles white as she surveyed the path ahead. Zombies were shuffling slowly through the corridor, their movements erratic and disjointed. Their heads bobbed and turned as if searching for something, but for now, they remained unaware of the group’s presence.

Boram let out a slow breath, her mind racing. According to In-Ha, they’re evolving. The thought unsettled her. These weren’t the mindless creatures they had faced before. If these zombies had truly evolved, they could hear better and move faster. One mistake, one sound, and the entire mission would be compromised.

She glanced at the soldiers behind her. The tension in their stances mirrored her own. If we fire now, the zombies will be taken out, but the doctors will know we’re here. If we don’t, we risk being discovered anyway.

Her grip on the weapon tightened. Time was running out, and the team needed a decision. She inhaled deeply, steadying herself. This wasn’t the first impossible situation she’d faced, but it might be the most critical one yet.

For now, they waited, the silence stretching unbearably as Boram calculated their next move.

***

The dim light of the basement barely illuminated the narrow space, casting eerie shadows against the cold concrete walls. Sae Joon Hyun led the way, his footsteps muffled but deliberate as he guided the group toward the hidden door behind a red, dust-covered car. He motioned for the others to halt before reaching out and gripping a rusted lever. With a grunt, he pulled it down, and the floor beneath the car began to rumble. Slowly, a trapdoor creaked open, revealing a steel staircase leading further down into darkness.

One by one, the group descended, their breaths shallow, the oppressive air thick with the scent of mold and something far more sinister. Sae Joon Hyun landed first, his boots echoing faintly on the metallic floor. He turned to face the group, his voice low but firm.

"Traps are set all over this place," he whispered, his eyes scanning the dimly lit corridor ahead. "So what’s the plan?"

A muffled voice responded from behind a mask. One of the officers, a woman, stepped forward, her authoritative tone calm yet commanding despite the situation. "We’ll carry our shields over our heads and around us in a tight, enclosed circle. You four will stay inside the formation. Got it?"

Eunhye, Jaeyeon, Yuri, and Sae Joon Hyun exchanged nervous glances but nodded in unison. There wasn’t room for hesitation now.

The soldiers moved with precision, years of training evident in the fluid way they formed the protective structure. Their metal shields locked together, creating a sphere-like formation that encased the group within a cocoon of steel. It was an ingenious defense—one designed to protect them from sudden attacks, though it wasn’t foolproof.

"Now move in sync," the officer instructed, her voice barely audible but resolute.

The group nodded again, their steps measured and coordinated as they advanced deeper into the labyrinthine basement. The sound of their movement was faint, but every creak of the floor and scrape of metal against metal felt deafening in the silence.

Yuri took the lead, her memories guiding her to the switch she had accidentally discovered during their last harrowing visit to this place. Her heart pounded as she reached out, her hand trembling slightly. The steel shields around her provided some sense of safety, but the weight of responsibility pressed heavily on her shoulders.

"Almost there," she murmured to herself, her fingers brushing against the cool surface of the wall. Her muscle memory kicked in, and she pressed the button without hesitation.

A sharp hiss cut through the air as the door slid open, the sound reverberating like a warning siren. Time seemed to freeze for a brief moment, the group holding their collective breath. Then, chaos erupted.

A deafening roar echoed through the confined space as a horde of zombies surged out from the darkness beyond the door. Their decayed faces twisted with unnatural hunger, their eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. They moved with terrifying speed, crashing into the shield formation with a force that rattled the entire structure.

"Hold tight!" the female officer barked, her voice sharp and unyielding. The soldiers braced themselves, the metal shields groaning under the weight of the relentless assault.

Inside the formation, the group pressed closer together, their fear palpable but their resolve unshaken. Sae Joon Hyun clenched his fists, his mind racing for solutions. "This won’t hold forever," he muttered.

"We need a distraction!" Jaeyeon hissed, his eyes darting around for anything they could use.

But for now, all they could do was endure, their breaths shallow as the horde clawed and snarled, the sound of their fury echoing through the unyielding darkness of the basement.

Back at the Incheon base, Chen stood amidst the chaos, his shoulders slumped in a rare moment of weariness. The air was thick with the stench of decay and the muffled groans of the undead. Around him, the remaining fighters, battered and bloodied, held their weapons with trembling hands. They were all exhausted, their breaths coming in ragged gasps, their movements sluggish. The dim fluorescent lights flickered above, casting eerie shadows that danced across the walls, mirroring the grim situation unfolding within the building.

Zombies surrounded them from every side, their grotesque forms pressing in closer with each passing second. The situation felt hauntingly familiar, a cruel twist of fate repeating itself. Chen let out a bitter sigh, his mind flashing back to similar moments of desperation and hopelessness in the past.

“How come we always somehow get cornered by them…” Su-yeong muttered, her voice tinged with frustration and fear. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, the knuckles turning white. She stood behind the officers, watching them fight valiantly against the encroaching horde. But there was little solace to be found in their efforts.

The officers, though disciplined and skilled, were visibly flagging. Sweat dripped down their faces as they swung their weapons, their movements slower, less precise. Two of them had already succumbed to the nightmare—bitten and turned into the very monsters they fought against. Their absence weighed heavily on the team, a stark reminder of how fragile the line between survival and death had become.

And then, there was something even more unnerving. The zombies were smiling. Not the mindless, slack-jawed expressions one would expect, but twisted, malicious grins that sent chills down the spines of everyone who dared to look.

Su-yeong’s eyes darted to the nearest creature, its lips curling in an unnatural way that seemed almost mocking. A cold sweat broke out on her skin as she took an involuntary step back.

“What… What is wrong with them?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the struggle.

Before anyone could respond, the room was filled with a guttural, unified sound that made the blood freeze in their veins. The zombies, as if choreographed by some unseen force, opened their decayed mouths and spoke in unison.

“Kill.”

The word was rough, broken, and garbled, but unmistakable. The fighters froze momentarily, their minds struggling to process what they had just heard. Zombies didn’t talk. They groaned, snarled, screamed even, but words? That was new.

Chen’s fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening as he stared at the grinning, speaking monsters. His thoughts raced, trying to make sense of what was happening. This wasn’t just evolution—this was something else entirely. Something worse.

“They’re learning,” he muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with disbelief and dread.

The eerie silence that followed was broken only by the sound of shuffling feet and the faint, wet smack of decayed flesh. The zombies were moving closer, their smiles widening, their eyes glinting with something almost human—something terrifyingly cunning.

“We need a plan,” Chen barked, his voice snapping the group out of their stupor. “Now!”