They remained in that position for several minutes until drizzles sprinkled their napes. They lifted their heads and saw a cloudy ensemble on top of them. A forceful wind picked up and carried the stench of death into their nostrils. For Jin didn’t matter, he only felt the wind on his skin. Lily, though, couldn’t handle the smell and vomited.

Dizziness took over her mind. She had difficulty getting up, as she kept losing her balance. By placing both hands on her knees, she forced her way up, and together with Jin, they pushed the dumpster neatly on the wall.

They put the lid down and climbed on top. Jin gave Lily a boost so she could grab and pull herself in. Seconds later, Jin followed. A little jump was required of him to grab onto the window’s ledge. Slowly and steadily, he pulled himself up and onto the hospital’s second floor.

Once in, Jin sat down and closed his eyes. He didn’t fall asleep, but once he closed his eyes, fatigue washed away. A groan escaped his mouth as soon as he got more relaxed. “I like this…”

He remained seated beneath the window and let the wind caress his hair. With his eyes closed, he found himself in a calm state. Lily sat beside him and did the same. The sound of her heartbeat relaxed her.

After a long sigh, Jin stood up and faced the door. With his bat over his shoulder, he walked outside. Lily followed behind him, holding onto his shirt. The dark corridor of the hospital sent chills down his spine. “This is creepy…”

With careful steps forward, they reached the exit sign which led to the staircase, where, unlike the hallway they just passed, windows let ample light shine through and brighten the stairs.

They walked down and reached the first floor door. Jin walked to the front and turned to Lily, whispering. “We don’t know what’s behind there. Let me go in first.”

She nodded and reluctantly let go of his shirt. The moment he opened it; he came across other people. Survivors who were holding up. Some of them held guns, and as soon as they heard him come in, they rushed to the front and pointed their barrels at him.

Jin stared at them for some time before raising his hands. Besides the guns, some turned their flashlights on him. His eyes adjusted quickly because of the membrane’s effect on light. They might look human, and the membrane didn’t hinder his vision, but it was still at work.

He raised his hands so as to not appear threatening and lowered his gaze. A voice came from the crowd. It was hoarse and carried an impact on it. “Who are you?”

Jin squinted his eyes. His voice came out timid but with enough conviction to portray his purpose. “My name is Jin. I came looking for my family…”

“Jin…?”

The flashlights turned to the voice coming from behind them. As soon as they moved them away, Jin looked up. The muscles in his cheeks tensed from his smile. If he could cry, tears would have welled up in his eyes and rendered his vision blurry by now. “M-Mom…!”

Overjoyed, she squeezed through the crowd. She reached the front and, in an instant, lashed out at the men who stood there. “Get those things down. Don’t you dare point them at my son!”

The person with the hoarse voice tried to interfere. “Ma’am… For the good of everyone here, we need to make sure they didn't bite him…”

Without saying another word, he turned towards Jin and looked at him from top to bottom. He snapped his fingers, and someone shed light on him. Spluttered blood all over his clothes made everyone feel anxious and weary of him. They stepped back and raised their weapons once more.

Jin lowered his hands and dropped the bat. In the vast hall of the first floor, the clanging sound of the wood hitting the hard floor echoed throughout the corridors. Nobody let out a single peep until it stopped.

Jin’s mother ran to her son and hugged him with every ounce of strength he could handle. He reciprocated and buried her in his arms, while everyone else stared and pointed their guns at them.

Lily came out after the commotion subsided and stood next to Jin. She coughed and interrupted them. Jin chuckled and patted her head. “Mom, this is…”

“Jin, was it? As I said before…”

The man’s hoarse voice trembled. His mouth gaped and his eyes widened. Tears ran down his cheeks as he dropped to his knees. “Lily…!”

“G-Grandpa Jorge?!”

Jin and his mother looked at each other and chuckled when they saw this burly man, how he got on his knees and changed his stoic expression to a smiling one for his granddaughter. Lily ran to him and hugged him tightly. “Grandpa, I missed you so much…”

Their reunion got interrupted when they heard gunshots coming from outside. A commotion arose in the hospital hall. People panicked and began raising their voices. Jorge’s sudden hoarse voice spooked Jin. “Calm down?!”

Concerned, Jorge tried to calm them down. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jin’s mother hugged her son some more. She patted his head and kissed his cheeks. “You are not hurt anywhere, right…?”

Jin simply remained still and silent while his mother spoiled him. While in her embrace, he looked around, but couldn’t see his father. He sort of figured it out from the blood he saw back in their home. “What happened to dad?”

His mother tightened her grip. Jin immediately understood, but he said nothing. He patiently waited for his mother to tell him. “He got bit trying to protect me from one of our neighbors that turned…”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. She tried to hold them in and squeezed his hands. “I-I didn’t know what would happen. I brought him as soon as I could, but…”

Jin interrupted her just as she was about to sob. “He turned…”

She nodded and buried herself in Jin’s arms. He held her tight in silence.

Meanwhile, in the hospital’s hall, the commotion took another turn. People pushed one another and pointed their guns at each other. Jorge got in the middle and raised his voice. “What’s the matter?!”

The group lowered their weapons once they saw him. One of them stepped at the front. “T-Those gunshots earlier…”

“I heard them too. We should…”

Another person raised his gun and pointed it at Jorge. “No! Don’t even think about it! We are not letting anyone else in. I’m going to put that brat out of his misery right now!”

Lily unconsciously raised her hands, and a gasp escaped her mouth.

Once he decided, he followed through with what he said and walked towards Jin. Jorge and the others went after him and got a hold of him just as he was about to aim at Jin. He struggled to get free. “Let go of me…! That monster is the one you should grab, not me…!”

Jin’s mother let go of her son and approached them. She looked into Jorge’s eyes and then at the man who pointed the gun at her son. She raised her hand and slapped him across his face, leaving a crimson blood handprint on his cheek. “Say that once more… I dare you!”