The night was thick with a haunting chill as the wind whispered under the pale, eerie moonlight above the high school rooftop. Shadows danced across the surface, and silence held the air—tense, expectant.
Onjo threw her arms around Namra and began to cry, her voice trembling with both relief and pain.
"If you were alive all this time, Namra... why didn't you come to us? Why did you stay away for so long? Don't you know how much you helped us survive through this nightmare? And now, when we need you the most, why are you turning away from us? Why did you leave? Tell me!"
Namra gently placed a hand on Onjo's shoulder, her expression unreadable.
"Because I was with those who are like me now. Maybe I no longer belong with humans, Onjo... Maybe I was never meant to. I'm different from all of you."
Onjo shook her head, her eyes wide and pleading. "No, Namra. We never thought of you as different. Why would you think that?"
Su Hyeok stepped forward, a shadow of disbelief on his face. "So no one matters to you anymore? Has that nightmare really changed you that much, Namra?"
Namra looked away, pained. "It's not like that, Su Hyeok."
"Then what is it, Namra?" he demanded. "Why are you so distant? And what are you even saying? Who are these people you talk about? You're not a zombie, Namra!"
Namra raised her voice, anguish clear in her tone. "You don't know what I am. And you won't understand, not yet, Su Hyeok."
Su Hyeok grabbed her hand tightly. "You're right. I never truly understood you. That was my mistake, Namra."
Namra whispered, "Su Hyeok...?"
But he let go of her hand and instead reached for Onjo's. "Let's go, Onjo. We need to leave."
Namra stared, heart sinking. "So... is that it? You hate me now? You think I'm doing this because I want to? Because I enjoy being what I am? I'm not human anymore, Su Hyeok. Please try to understand."
Dae-su suddenly spoke, eyes narrowed. "Wait... are you like Gwi-nam now?"
Namra shot him a glance, then turned her eyes back to Su Hyeok. "Maybe. Or maybe not. I don't even know anymore. I don't think anyone wants to understand."
Su Hyeok looked at her, torn between anger and sadness.
Onjo, still holding Su Hyeok's hand, stepped forward. "Namra, who are these people? Are there more survivors?"
Park Mi-jin nudged Ha-ri with a smirk. "That's good news, right? Right, Ha-ri?"
Ha-ri rolled her eyes. Mi-jin, in her mind, chuckled. Damn, she gives killer death stares. That's my girl.
Ha-ri muttered, "Well, if they really are survivors, then..."
Namra interrupted, her voice tense. "They're not survivors. They are..."
She froze mid-sentence, her senses suddenly alert.
"They're here."
Su Hyeok asked carefully, "So you're really going back to them?"
Namra looked down. "Not forever. I'll return. But maybe... different."
Min Jae asked, "Different how?"
Namra's eyes turned cold. "You'll find out soon enough. And maybe... you won't want that day to come."
Dae-su hesitated. "W-What does that mean, Namra?"
Namra said nothing. She zipped up her hoodie, gave a crooked, sinister smile... and then, without another word, leapt from the rooftop.
The others rushed to the edge, peering down in horror and disbelief.
"Namra!" Su Hyeok shouted.
What they saw was unimaginable.
It was either the beginning of the end... or the start of a new, twisted world that none of them had dared to imagine.
Onjo gasped. "Oh my god... who are these people? Wait... do you think my Choi-san is one of them too?"
She looked to Su Hyeok with desperate hope. He held her close. "Maybe. But only time will tell."
Kim Min-ji muttered, "Oh no... is this nightmare starting again?"
Su Hyeok clenched his fists. "I don't know. But whatever this is... it's bringing destruction with it."
Below them, a massive group surged toward the forest—led by Namra.
Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out behind them.
"Hands up! All of you!"
They turned to see a squad of armed soldiers pointing guns at them.
"You're all under arrest for leaving the secured zone without authorization," the lead officer barked. "And you... Onjo, right?"
Onjo nodded slowly.
"You've been under observation for some time. You're considered suspicious. You'll be placed under special custody. You may be... special."
Su Hyeok stepped forward, furious. "What do you mean? Onjo isn't like that. She's one of us!"
Before he could say more, Onjo gently placed a hand on his arm and shook her head.
Then, without protest, she stepped forward and raised her hands for the handcuffs.
"Onjo, what are you doing? These people—"
One of the officers grabbed Su Hyeok, dragging him toward the helicopter.
Dae-su suddenly shouted, pointing to the rooftop's edge. "Sir! Over there! Look!"
But before he could say more, Ha-ri stepped in front of him.
"It's nothing, sir. He's just traumatized. That's why he's acting out."
She pressed Dae-su's arm tightly, silently warning him to stay quiet.
The officer frowned. "The truth will come out soon enough. Now get in. You'll all explain yourselves to the commissioner."
With that, they were forced into the helicopter. As the blades roared to life, the rooftop—and the world they'd barely survived—began to fade from view.
Whatever awaited them next... would be even worse.