Hana felt the stress from not knowing fade and quickly be replaced by a wealth of emotions boiling within her. Even with the cold air, she could feel her cheeks flush and the heat rise to her face until she could bear it now more.

“How could you be such an idiot?!”

Everyone else froze as Hana’s voice rang out and echoed through the quiet corridors. But Hana didn’t care, the hours spent preparing for this journey and quiet moments on the train afforded her too much time to go over in her mind whether she would be relieved once she saw Seunghyo, or enraged by his foolishness. The rage won out. But before she had a chance to follow up her initial outburst, Seunghyo turned into a blur as he moved towards her. He closed the distance between them quickly and silently. His cupped hands flew around her mouth and he put a finger to his lips.

Hana’s eyes were wide with anger, but then she heard it. They all did. A creak.

Willow immediately cast [frost], sending out an icy chill and immediately putting out the small fire she had lit. Four breaths were held in silence.

Criik.

Hana didn’t even have to give out the order. Each of them had their gear put together within seconds. They could hear it clearly now, shuffling and scraping coming up the stairs from the lower levels.

Hana thought quickly. There were only two options and while they might stand a chance in a narrow corridor, the parking garage they were in wasn’t ideal against a large group. A group of seven or fewer wouldn’t be difficult, but any more than that and they would likely be encircled.

Hana drew a breath and whispered, “We need to move outside. Jinyoung, cover our backs while-”

“No,” Seunghyo quickly cut her off. “There’s a horde outside. Likely bigger than the one in here.”

Willow cast glances at the two experienced players. “So we can’t go outside and we can’t fight them here. What other choice do we have?”

The pathfinder moved to a wall and placed his palms flat against the concrete surface. He slid his hands along the wall until suddenly he stopped.

“Found you,” he whispered.

Suddenly, a seam appeared in the wall’s smooth surface and swung inward. A door.

He turned around and grinned. “Let’s move.”

The corridors of the structure had been smooth and well-designed. There were small portholes to let in natural light, just enough to illuminate the interior without being a security risk. During their journey up the structure, it was obvious that any former inhabitants had taken good care to keep their homes and workspaces clean.

These internal corridors were the opposite. The walls were rough and unpainted while the floors seemed unfinished. Some areas would be tiled until they weren’t, as if the workmen who had started decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Here and there, the flooring would become uneven and unpaved, revealing the rocky surface of the mountain itself. Instead the glow of reflected natural light, there was an artificial hum as emergency lights dimly lit the halls.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The internal scenery whizzed by as the party ran through the halls. Any need for stealth was replaced with an urgency to put as much distance between themselves and their former position as possible.

Jinyoung had brief glimpses of laboratories filled with glassware and machinery. Some rooms were filled with desks and papers while others had holding rooms. It was difficult to tell, but he thought he saw surgical rooms that would be better suited to hospitals. It was a jarring difference from the “front” half of the structure.

“How much further until-”

“We’re nearly there,” Seunghyo answered. “Just a hundred meters ahead and we should be safe for the time being.”

***

The “safe point” was a stairwell leading to an above ground exit. Seunghyo paused and looked up into the daylight. His eyes flicked from side to side as his senses read the atmosphere, looking for signs of danger.

“It’s clear, but I don’t know for how long. We should-”

It was Hana’s turn to cut him off. “Jinyoung, head up top and make sure we’re in the clear. Willow, go with him and watch his back.”

The two nodded, eager to finally take the lead instead of following.

Once she was sure they were up and outside the stairwell, she turned her attention to her ex-husband.

“I knew you were irresponsible, but this might be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.”

Seunghyo shrugged, “What was I supposed to do, Hana? I got the call. If it wasn’t me, it’d be someone else and-”

His response only served to enrage Hana more. “Then let it be someone else, Seunghyo! You’ve been up here for how long? You’re in over your head, just like always.”

She could see she’d struck a nerve. Seunghyo liked to hide behind a smile and kind words, but his expression faltered with her last comment.

After a second, he found his voice. “He called for help, Hana. There are people up here that need help, so I came to help.”

“Exactly. Why’re you up here trying to help people when you should be down there?”

Hana’s voice had risen to the point where she was practically yelling. But Seunghyo’s mask was back in place and his tone was even. “We all have our reasons for doing things.”

“What possible reason could you have, Seunghyo?”

“Our reasons are our own, Hana. You know that better than anyone.”

It was Hana’s turn to pause. His words hurt and she was reminded of one of their last conversations together.

Hana, it’s clear up here, Jinyoung reported. But we can’t know for how long. If we’re going to move, we need to move now.

“They confirmed it right?”

In that moment, Hana’s eyes could have cut Seunghyo to ribbons.

Seunghyo recognized the look in Hana’s eyes and smiled cautiously. “We have to move out before it gets dark. Even in a structure like this, the temperature will drop below freezing, not to mention we aren’t alone in here.”

He’s right, Hana. It’s getting colder up here, too. We need to find safe shelter soon, otherwise we’ll be wandering around in the dark.

“I have a spot not far from here. If we move now, we’ll get there before dark and you can yell at me more then,” he continued.

Hana drew a deep breath and released it slowly.

“Then I guess you’d better take the lead.”

Seunghyo chuckled lightly. “With your permission, madam.”