How Am I Gonna Survive In This Apocalypse

"Keroli, today I got buns. That means we don't have to worry about food for the next few days,"

said Helek. Helek goes out every day to find food, while Keroli searches for other essentials they might need.

It was fortunate that, when they were coming here, they found some clothes that had fallen from someone's balcony.

Now, they both have two pairs of clothes. This school still has a water supply and power too.

It's a relief that they can bathe, but they still save water because who knows when the water supply might stop?

They've experienced very difficult times before, having to survive without food or water for four days.

Before they found this school, they used to sleep in broken shops next to the road, taking turns to guard and rest.

When Keroli slept, Helek would stay awake and keep watch, and vice versa.

Having survived in those conditions, they are now more comfortable in the school, where they have electricity and water.

However, they have turned off all the lights in the school because they fear someone might spot them, and by "someone," they mean the skinwalkers.

They both brought sheets from the gym and spread them in a classroom, where they sleep.

Helek has permanently locked the back gate of the school from the inside, and they've locked the front door, which they never open.

They use the emergency exit when they go out.

"Did you feel something strange today when you went out, Helek?"

Keroli asked, sitting beside Helek.

"What do you mean by strange?" Helek replied, not sensing anything unusual.

But Keroli had been feeling strange for the past few days, as if someone was following him. Whenever he looked back, he never saw anyone, but he could clearly hear footsteps, as if someone was trailing him.

Maybe a skinwalker is following him, Keroli thought.

"Helek, I think we should stay inside the school for a few days," Keroli said.

"Why?" Helek asked.

Keroli explained that he had been feeling followed for days now. Helek understood his point.

They both ate half of a bun each, and Keroli went to store the remaining buns in the cafeteria.

Just as he placed them on the lower floor, the sound of a desk being dragged forcefully from the upper floor reached his ears.

Keroli had just left Helek on the upper floor and came down.

Helek was doing something that could put their lives in danger because the noise might attract the skinwalkers.

Keroli was really getting angry. The sound of the desk being dragged was incredibly annoying.

He quickly left the cafeteria and was about to climb the stairs to the upper floor when he saw Helek there, holding the bedsheets.

"If you're here, then who's on the upper floor?"

Keroli asked, and both their faces turned pale.

They looked toward the stairs leading to the upper floor, just as the sound of the desk being dragged abruptly stopped.

Then they heard footsteps slowly descending the stairs.

Both of them stared at the stairs when suddenly they realized they needed to run.

They dashed into a classroom, closed the door, and braced themselves against it, trying to prevent it from opening if someone tried to force their way in.

In the eerie silence, the sound of footsteps was crystal clear.

They held each other's hands. The footsteps finally stopped right outside the classroom door.

They knew that no place was truly safe, so they had gathered as many weapons as they could and stored them in every classroom, just in case of an emergency.

Keroli quickly retrieved two baseball bats and handed one to Helek, who gripped it tightly.

They had tied knives to the bats. Keroli whispered in Helek's ear,

"Is that skinwalker standing in front of the door?"

Helek crouched down and peered under the door, closing one eye. A few moments later, he said,

"There's no one outside."

"How can this be possible?"

Keroli thought, his gaze shifting to the classroom window, which was just a little distance away from the door.

There, outside, stood the animal-like skinwalker, staring at them with a strange smile on its face and its red eyes glowing.

Keroli screamed, "Aaaa! Look outside the window!"

As soon as Helek heard Keroli's scream, he rushed forward and stabbed the skinwalker through the window.

But the knife had no effect on it. Keroli also ran toward the window, prepared to strike, but just as he was about to stab, the skinwalker turned its gaze toward the door.

Keroli wondered why it was looking at the door, and then he realized that they were standing too close to the window.

The door could be broken down at any moment.

As if on cue, the skinwalker crashed through the door and entered.

Keroli backed away, realizing that this skinwalker was unlike any he had seen before.

As he stumbled backward, his back collided with Helek's chest, and Helek stood protectively in front of him.

Now, in that small room, there was a large skinwalker, two people, and only one weapon—Keroli's, since Helek's had fallen.

The skinwalker began sniffing them, and then Keroli remembered an important detail:

As the news had reported, skinwalkers can smell human fear, meaning they attack only when they sense their prey is terrified—simply put, they hunt the weak.

"Helek, don't be afraid; it can smell our fear,"

Keroli whispered, but then, to his horror, the skinwalker repeated his words:

"Helek, don't be afraid; it can smell our fear."

Keroli's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Helek, what are we going to do now?"

Keroli asked, but Helek didn't respond. He was standing behind Keroli. Hadn't he heard him? Keroli turned around, but Helek wasn't there.

As Keroli looked forward again, the skinwalker was suddenly standing right in front of him, its mouth wide open.

"Aaaa!" Keroli screamed. But then, everything went black.

He opened his eyes and realized he and Helek were sleeping. It had all been a nightmare.

"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

Helek asked, gently caressing Keroli's cheek.

"A skinwalker came into the school,"

Keroli said, telling him about the dream. He was still shivering, so Helek wrapped him in his arms.

"Sleep now, don't worry. I'm here."

Helek's words comforted Keroli, and as Helek's warmth enveloped him, Keroli closed his eyes, feeling safe in his arms.

Keroli didn't want to sleep again, afraid that the nightmare would return, but Helek's embrace made him forget everything.

The steady beat of Helek's heart calmed him, and Helek's hand soothingly caressed his back.

Keroli didn't remember when he fell asleep, but when he woke up, he heard the sound of rain. He quickly realized it was raining.

He nudged Helek awake.

"It's raining, Helek. Wake up."

Yawning, Helek groggily replied, "Umm, good morning, Keroli."

"Helek, it's raining outside,"

Keroli said. But Helek wasn't as excited as Keroli was. He didn't show much interest in the rain.

Still, Keroli dragged him out of bed, and they took separate baths before enjoying half a bun each while listening to the rain.

Keroli thought they should collect rainwater, but then he realized they already had more than enough water in the school.