the promise in the ashes.

The school halls were silent, filled with nothing but the scent of smoke and blood. you gripped Cheong-san’s hand tightly, their fingers laced together despite the grime and pain.

“We have to go,” Cheong-san whispered, glancing over his shoulder at the ruined school. The fire had consumed most of it, leaving only the echoes of their lost friends.

you swallowed hard, your heart pounding. “What if… what if they come back?”

“They won’t,” he said, though his voice wavered. “We’re the last ones.”

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. They had fought, they had run, and they had lost. Too many times. The infection had taken nearly everyone, and those who weren’t turned were buried beneath the rubble.

Cheong-san’s grip on your hand tightened. “I promised I’d get you out of here, didn’t I?”

you nodded, blinking back tears. “Yeah. You did.”

A faint groan echoed from behind them. Their blood ran cold. They turned, eyes darting through the smoke, spotting a figure dragging itself toward them—half-burned, its jaw hanging unnaturally.

A former friend. Now a monster.

Cheong-san pulled you behind him. “Go. Now.”

“But—”

“I’ll catch up,” he said with a small smile, that same reassuring smile he always gave, even when the world was ending.

you hesitated, then turned and ran, your heart aching with every step.

you didn’t look back.

Not until the morning came, when the school was nothing but ashes.