The digital clock in the gym displayed eleven o’clock at night. All the survivors got together once they were done packing everything. I took a look at the situation outside and wrote down a few words.

- Let’s get going tomorrow morning right when the sun rises. 

Lee Jeong-Uk nodded and looked at Shin Ji-Hye.

“Do you have any weapons? I think we’ll take turns standing guard.”

“We have a couple of knives and some spears we made ourselves.”

“Spears? Do you mind if I take a look?”

“You don’t have to act so formally when speaking to us. You seem like you’re old enough to be the same age as my youngest uncle.”

Lee Jeong-Uk smiled bitterly at me and said in a low voice, “So-Yeon’s dad, being called old… Feels a bit odd, right?”

I nodded without saying a word. I didn’t want to deal with his joke at the moment. I wanted him to move on.

I kept staring into the pitch-black darkness while Shin Ji-Hye and Lee Jeong-Uk headed toward the storage room. There was no moonlight tonight, and with the mountains surrounding us, it felt rather eerie. The dark and cold energy felt stronger than usual. It was that kind of night in which anything could happen.

The survivors decided on their guard-duty shifts and stood next to me. After a moment, Bae Jae-Hwan looked at ...