Chapter 69 - 68 : Restless night

[ 5pm. Back in base. Shin Ye-jun’s pov] By late afternoon, they returned. Where Myself and Kim song-woo didn’t found anyone. Hana, Hyun-tae and Young Da-e also had no success. Ye-Rin came first, her axe still clutched in a blood-slicked hand.Seo-Yeon followed close behind, supporting In-Ji with one arm. Her own clothes were shredded at the waist, revealing a deep bruise spreading across her ribs where the creature’s strike had nearly caved her in. None of them spoke at first. The silence weighed heavier than their injuries. Mother noticed this, quickly led both of them to a nearby building’s rooftop where Volt was hidden. But they didn’t came empty handed. Two more survivors stumbled behind them. A pair of office workers still in bloodstained suits. A young woman with a makeshift spear. An older man is missing an arm. They looked half-dead already—but alive. "We have already checked them in daylight. They are clear for now." Ye-Rin reported. For a moment, they allowed themselves to feel... something close to hope. As Night grew young. That hope didn’t last. Because as the numbers grew, so did the fear. "They’re lying," Do-hwan hissed. "That guy’s too pale. He’s infected!" "I told you already, I’m sick!" the older man with one arm snapped back. "Shut up!" Ye-rin barked, slamming her axe into the ground. The noise silenced everyone. "Start pointing fingers without proof, and I’ll cut them off myself. You want paranoia to eat us alive? "That’s exactly what the damn eyeball wants." In-ji muttered under his breath. The Do-hwan wife’s voice wavered. "But the eye spoke truth. Anyone could turn. Even now. Even among us." Her words lingered like poison. Even as they shared food, even as they built fires from broken furniture, everyone’s eyes shifted. Watching. Waiting for someone to twitch the wrong way. Mother, Eun-ha, the twins and Do-hwan’s group didn’t sit ideal behind as they barricade the rooms of the apartment right in front of our make-shift home. This allowed the survivors to sleep separately so that even if someone turns into a vampire midnight, the worse possible solution wouldn’t occurred. After survivors settled down and returned to their rooms. I sat down with my mother, Seo-yeon, In-ji and Ye-Rin. Hyun-tae went to asleep as usual. Eun-ha and the twins Soo-min and Jin-ha are also asleep. Hana went to breastfeed her son Min-Jae and is putting him to sleep as well. The Livingroom was dim, lit only by the dull glow of the system’s timer hovering above their heads. 2 more dawn left. I broke it first. "So..." i leaned back against the wall, my arms crossed. "Turns out today was vampire appreciation day. Who would’ve thought?" my tone was casual. Ye-Rin sat on the floor."Two behemoths," she said bluntly. "That’s what Seo-yeon, In-ji, and I faced. Wings and claws—just like what my mother told us last night." "They didn’t go down easy. Each heart took everything we had." In-ji glanced at Ye-jun. "You mentioned yours could split itself in two?" "Yeah. It was a Blood Vampire.Pretended he was a starving cripple until I stepped into his little funhouse." I paused,"Then the walls came down, and surprise—legs reattached, fangs out, and I’m suddenly fighting a torso crawling across the ceiling like some demonic centipede." "So Blood demons are Cunning and smart vampires where else Vampire behemoths are just muscle heads." Mother’s analysis was on point. "They adapt too easily. That’s the part that bothers me. The one I pinned nearly tore free... even when I was holding it with everything I had." Seo-yeon’s voice was quieter than usual,but Mother could see her trembling hands. "So One is cunning bastards and other is something that can adopt itself to any situation." I said, now fully leaning against the wall. In-ji tilted his head, analyzing. "So it’s confirmed then. Both types, different styles, same weakness—the heart. It doesn’t matter how strong or tricky they are, if we can expose it, they’re finished." "Finished," Seo-yeon repeated softly. "Until the next one’s bigger. Stronger." Her gaze dropped, haunted. "That second Behemoth... I almost lost it. If Ye-rin hadn’t been pushed through, if In-ji hadn’t been there—" "You didn’t lose it," Ye-rin cut in firmly, her voice carrying steel. "You pinned it down. Without you, it would’ve crushed us both. Don’t take away what you did." A small silence stretched. Mother spoke gently, but her words carried weight. "At least... you all came back. We should be grateful for that. But—", she seemed hesitant but then continued, "Is it still worth it to look out for survivors. I mean we are risking ourselves in daytime as well." Everyone went Silent. Yesterday everyone was hopeful and had that drive to help others but after today they seemed hesitant. Seo-yeon was the first to speak, "Auntie. If you guys hadn’t come out and saved me and In-ji that day, we might have not made it. But you guys helped us even when you could have chosen not to. So I believe that we should do the same and save others as well." Mother let out a sigh and agreed with Seo-yeon’s answer. "Next time, there could be more. Stronger. Faster. Smarter."Ye-rin gripped her axe, determination flaring in her gaze. "Next time, we’ll kill them faster." I raised a brow at her, then smirked again, though softer this time. "Hah. Spoken like a true optimist. Guess I’ll have to keep up." For the first time that night, a faint spark of grim camaraderie settled between us. The fear hadn’t left. The blood hadn’t dried. But they were still here—still fighting. And maybe, that was enough for now. Seo-yeon, In-ji and Ye-Rin also left for sleep. Leaving Mother and I still behind in leaving room. "You should get some rest too." Mother said. "No. I’m fine" I shook my head in rejection. She brushed a smear of dried blood off my cheek with her sleeve and sighed. "You’ve done enough for today, Ye-jun," she said gently. "Rest, too. Don’t act like you’re the only one who doesn’t need it. Go take a shower and sleep well." Her voice carried no command. I still remained hesitant. "I don’t know what happened between you and the owl king but let me tell you something. You don’t have to carry the responsibility by yourself." My mother gave me a gentle hug. "Roger is keeping an eye out as well as a literal three-headed dragon. Hmmm.... Come on. Get up." For the first time in the last two weeks, I saw the glimpse of my mother before this whole apocalyptic occurred. Her care and love almost brought tears but I fought against them. I need to be strong. Not just physically but mentally as well. After that, I can truly protect my loved ones.