eonsightzie @eonziedoesdraw - Tumblr Blog

Mar 23

ZOMBIES AIN’T THAT TUFF MAN!—CORTIS OT5

SYNOPSIS: you’re in a zombie apocalypse and somehow meeting five other guys your age is the worst choice you’ve ever made.

GENRE: post-apocalyptic/action/crack/mid-angst/found family and friendships (?)

WC: 15K+ (why do i keep writing a lot LMAO)

WARNINGS: graphic violence, medical trauma, childhood trauma, blood (TW!), body horror (description of wounds and zombies), swearing, strong language in general, physical and mental distress, mild paralysis, gun violence, death threats... (I promise it's not that bad...)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: OMG YAYAYAYAYAAYAY finally!!!!!!! ive finished this!!! i hope u guys enjoy it smsmsms!!

Holy shit.

What an amazing time to run out of ammo! Right in front of this zombie that's trying to eat your face off in the middle of the night, like it was a usual thing to do!

"SHIT!" You shouted, aimlessly throwing your pistol at the dead or alive (?) walking figure that slowly approached you with uncontrolled hunger.

Yet it didn't dare falter. It just seemed offended at your weak attempt to get rid of it.

So, like any reasonable human being with a rational mind, you decided to make a run for it, turning around to flip the monster off, "If you wanna bite me, you can kiss my ass!"

It snarled in a horribly terrifying way, and you panicked; you didn't think those types of creatures understood you!

"I'm sorry! I didn't think you would understand!" Your legs took off as you jumped over fallen trees, sweat falling quickly from your forehead as you scrambled away from it.

Said 'it' was a zombie.

Although the zombie behind you was stupidly fast, you managed to outrun it by entering an abandoned building that had you crapping your pants from the way it screamed danger.

You felt the heat rush to your head at the sudden darkness. You were almost certain that you had finally got away from that human-flesh-biting creature, and that's where you slowed down for a moment to catch your breath.

How did the world turn into...whatever this apocalypse is?

You turned around to catch sight of any weird-looking monsters, but there weren't any, thankfully.

You reached for your pockets, searching for the flash you'd found in a random car earlier as you wandered among the broken glass on the floor—a small breeze passed by, making you shiver with the sudden cold.

Yet you didn't hear anything, which was weird.

Eerily weird, so weird that it made you turn on your flash and search around the abandoned building.

You inhaled slowly, your eyes turning to read every single undamaged label and sign. You tried catching your breath as you found yourself in front of a random store with a broken entrance.

LILIAS SUPERMARKET

"A supermarket?" You thought, raising an eyebrow at the concept of a supermarket being located in a random building.

Nevertheless, you entered, turning off your flash to protect yourself from the zombies.

The glass crunched under your shoes as soon as you entered, and you immediately froze.

"Too loud..." you murmured to yourself, biting your bottom lip to prevent any other sound from bubbling up from your throat.

Your heart stammered against your chest; louder than any glass you had stepped on, and for a moment, you stood extremely still, fearing that the same zombie from earlier would have followed you.

You waited, eyes wide and wary.

An instant later, you carefully stepped again on the shattered glass to make your way through the store.

Silence, then came a hungry snarl.

"Please buy my stomach, please!" You whispered to yourself, quickly shutting your eyes. You felt cold sweat on your forehead, a reaction to the sheer amount of stress and fear in your body.

The supermarket's smell didn't help calm you down, either; it smelled too stale, too sickening, like old cardboard and dust lying there, as if it had been untouched in days.

You wished that you were that same dust; it would've been so much better than surviving this damn apocalypse.

Some faint moonlight leaked through the broken windows, giving you at least a guide to seeing what was in front of you without tripping or falling.

You turned, trying to ignore the obvious grunts in the back, and searched the crooked shelves.

"Cans, bagged, plastic, anything..." You begged, creeping through the aisles, hands slightly raised like that somehow would protect you from any form of danger possible.

But then, everything was obviously looted.

Of course, they were; the remaining people here were trying to survive this sudden apocalypse.

It had been going on for days already, long enough that anything useful would already be used and wasted.

"Food...bandages..." you muttered quietly, desperate for any source of nutriments, "please tell me someone dropped a can of beans for God's sake!"

A can rolled by your foot, and your entire soul left your body.

You slowly tilted your head, wide eyes and a mouth agape.

The same zombie stood not even a meter away and stared at you with its dull eyes and blood-slicked teeth.

It was a staring contest at this point, the way you both stood in place breathing heavily as if you were debating whether to run or shout.

You chose the latter.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!"

The zombie sprinted at you. And you didn't even have time to scream before crouching down.

BANG BANG BANG

A deafening bang cracked through the air. You watched as the zombie's head snapped impossibly sideways as the rifle clanked on the floor, its body collapsing with a huge thud on the shattered glass just right in front of you.

For a second, you didn't move. You stared at the blood flooding in horror, your chest heaving in panicked labour.

"Oh?"

Your head slowly tilted up as a tear escaped your eyes, staining your cheek as you gulped, then a beam of light clicked on in front of you, straight to your face.

The flashlight was too bright; it almost blinded you, forcing you to cover your eyes from the sudden exposure.

"Am I in heaven?" You asked someone in particular.

"You're still on earth." A boyish voice lazily said, "Not heaven, unfortunately."

You couldn't believe your ears, a human?

You opened your eyes, slightly squinting to look at the person (or people) addressing you.

Five figures stood next to each other in front of you, their silhouettes cut sharply against the light leaking through the flashlight. The tall blond one—whoa, he was so tall—held the latter with a weapon resting in his other hand like he had shot millions of zombies before.

Your mouth opened and closed.

"Are you angels? Devils? I don't want to go to Hell. I still have to buy that Blur album—"

"You almost died, and that's your last wish?" One of the guys squinted at you, his brows furrowing in confusion.

You shrugged weakly, making him sigh.

"For the second time, you're well and alive, woman!" The boy with the sagging pants (to be fair, all of them had saggy pants...) next to the blond spoke, shaking his head in disbelief, "Martin, you should've just let her die."

"Hell nah man," Martin (aka the name of the tall blond) replied, "gotta live for the thrill, you know?"

What the hell?

"You know, I can't even blame her," the one with the shortest hair added, making Martin roll his eyes.

"James, we saved an idiot." Saggy-pants guy said, "Another mouth to feed, bruh."

"Relax, Seonghyeon bro, she doesn't look like she eats a lot," another guy jumped in. He seemed the calmest of all of them. "She's small."

All of them hummed in agreement.

"Hate to cut off your arguments, but can we not talk about me in third person? I'd really appreciate that." You gestured to yourself as you stood up, "And saggy-pants, Sonhyon or whatever your name is, I'd eat double the amount of food you'd eat if I were given the opportunity!"

"My name is Seonghyeon, not Sonhyon!" The boys snickered at that.

"She clocked your shit." One of the guys laughed, to which Seonghyeon turned around in embarrassment and yelled, "Shut up, Keonho!"

James then jumped in and asked, "Are you bitten?"

Everyone froze, even you did.

All of them backed up, each reaching for their respective weapons as you widened your eyes, "Guys, why are you looking at me like that..."

You heard a gunshot reload, "WAIT!"

"Did it bite you, yes or no?" Martin asked calmly, already pointing his gun at you.

You shook your head at an impossibly fast pace, the flashlight still beaming on your face.

You looked at the five boys in front of you, each holding a weapon crazier than the other.

The one with the short dark hair, James? Held a fire extinguisher with the metal on the top bent at an awkward angle, weird.

Martin obviously had a gun, which is normal.

Sonhyon—you mean, Seonghyeon carried not one, not two, but three pans stuck to each other; he looked ready to swing. Okay, now what?

Juhoon, the calm one, had a pocket knife in his right hand and a screwdriver in his left, which is realistic, but not as handy.

And the best for last, Keonho. He carried fricking nunchucks with a paint bucket attached to the ends, huh?

You squinted at Keonho, "Are those... paint buckets attached to nunchucks?"

He spun the nunchucks once, the buckets slamming into the shelf next to him with a loud CLANG that made you flinch.

He shrugged, smirking at his weapon. "It's effective."

"You know what? Hell yeah, man..." You gave up trying with them.

"Answer the question." Seonghyeon said flatly, "Are you bitten?"

"...No?" You looked at your hands, checking for any bites. "I think I am safe."

James narrowed his eyes at that, "Keonho and Juhoon, search her."

The two of them immediately stepped forward, which made you back up into the shelf behind you, "Guys?" you laughed awkwardly, "HEY HEY HEY! DO BOUNDARIES NOT EXIST ANYMORE?"

"You search her neck, I'll check her arms," Keonho said, as he dropped his weapon. He and Juhoon approached you with careful steps.

"Look," Martin said, pointing the gun at you, "either you show us you're clean, or on my life you're getting shot this second."

You stared at him, no hints on his face seemed like he was joking in any way.

"Fine."

"Probably." Juhoon whispered, "Neck."

You lifted your hair from your shoulder. He leaned forward, flicking his flashlight at your neck.

"Clean, no bite."

"Show me your arms." Keonho then said, to which you lifted your bare arms at him. He inspected them like an eagle.

He nodded to Juhoon. "She's clean, guys."

Seonghyeon rolled his eyes, and James sighed.

“THANK YOU,” you said loudly. “Can we finally move past the ‘let’s execute the stranger’ phase?"

The tension in the room loosened slightly as you lowered your arms. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

"Alright, gentlemen, lower the kitchenware," Martin said, clicking the safety on his handgun and tucking it into his sagging waistband. The blinding flashlight finally dipped toward the floor, allowing your eyes to recover.

You blinked, wiping the stray tear away from your face. You eyed Keonho up and down in a judgmental way, to which he gasped in offence.

"Rude much." He scoffed as you moved, trying to retrieve your flashlight from the shattered glass on the floor.

"Wait," James squinted at you again, dropping the bent fire extinguisher on the floor, "Did you actually yell at the zombie to kiss your...ass? In the middle of a showdown?"

Your cheeks heated at that. You didn't expect anyone to hear what you said? "Spare me, man, it was a heat-of-the-moment decision!" You hissed, "And it somehow worked, I'm not bitten!"

Seonghyeon stepped forward, the three pants stuck together clinking on his shoulder like a wind chime. He g looked you up and down too, then turned to others, who shrugged, then to you again. "Look, Blur girl—"

"Y/N."

"Look, Y/N," He sighed, "I think we need you to stay on our team right now. It's dangerous out there; we can't afford to lose someone to these creatures. You've got spirit, an unhinged one at it. We need that."

"Wow, so I'm considered helpful now?" You spoke in a mocking tone, Juhoon snickered.

"More or less," Seonghyeon replied.

"You know what, I can't even argue with that." You shrugged, "If it means that I get protection from you, I'm honestly down."

"The rules are simple bro, don’t scream, don’t wander off, and if you see a zombie—”

"Don't insult it?" you suggested, throwing around a random answer that made everyone groan.

Especially James, he groaned loudly and rubbed his face, "Oh my God help us all."

"Okay, fine!" You threw up your hands in the air, "I'll gladly join your fun club—"

CLANG

Something had just crashed in the supermarket, and all six of you froze.

James and Keonho slowly reached down and picked up their weapons from the floor.

"Please tell me that was just an innocent rat." You shut your eyes as you gripped your flashlight tightly.

Another sound came crashing down.

"Two rats?" You laughed awkwardly as you stared at the figures of the boys in front of you.

Then low, wet grunts answered your questions.

Martin pulled back his gun, "Lights off," he ordered.

Then the supermarket fell into a silent halt.

Keonho turned to you and whispered as he leaned close to you, "Hey, Y/N?"

"Yeah?" You whispered back.

"How fast can you run?"

You groaned, "Define fast."

THUD

Empty cans rolled across the scattered glass, and Juhoon narrowed his eyes.

"Y/N, don't move." His voice came out sharp as he glanced at the rest of the boys.

Martin smirked; the shades on his head suddenly dropped to his face. And out of pure excitement, he announced. "It's killing-spree time."

And on cue, five zombies stumbled in front of you. Their heads were angled at an impossible rate, their clothes were torn, their bones stood out, their brains were visible, and their mouths were widely open.

"Definitely not rats!" You immediately panicked, running to stand behind Martin, who was the safest option you considered, and grabbed his back.

"Y/N! Get back!" He shouted, before aiming at one of the zombies, and handed you his flashlight.

"Bring it on." Seonghyeon scoffed as the creatures let out a guttural groan and suddenly sprinted toward your group.

"That's right, get here," Martin whispered before firing.

The gunshot echoed through the entire supermarket, making the first zombie collapse to the floor.

James whistled at the clean shot.

"Neat!" He shouted from the side, and Martin rotated his gun before blowing the smoke coming out.

"You know it, James, watch out—!" Martin pointed at the zombie behind him, and James turned around and blasted the second zombie in the face with the fire extinguisher. A huge cloud of foam exploded, making him groan.

"Not the hair man!" He angrily yelled.

The zombie staggered blindly, its neck almost broken off its body, and James took the opportunity to punch it off.

"Are you psychos? How can you just kill them with no hesitation!" you cried, and Martin looked down at you and patted your head.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Y/N."

CLANG

Suddenly, a third zombie fell on the scattered glass. Seonghyeon was beside him, resting his three-wielded pans on his shoulders as he let out a small phew!

"Now, why does that genuinely work?" You asked, and James shrugged.

You were surprised, but before you could say anything else, you noticed out of the corner of your eye a fourth monster trying to take Juhoon down.

"Juhoon, next to you!"

Juhoon calmly stabbed the zombie with his pocketknife through the face, sliding it down to its neck until it was half split open, bleeding.

It fell to the floor, too, and that creeped you out. "Yeah, I don't want to mess with him..."

Meanwhile, the last zombie came running to Keonho, and the latter grinned like it was the best day of his life.

"Finally!" He spun the nunchucks like they weighed nothing, and WHAM, the paint buckets burst open, painting everything it splattered on in a dark shade of blue.

On his shirt, on the aisles, including the boys, you and even on the zombie itself.

It staggered in confusion before getting hit by Keonho's nunchucks.

Silence filled the supermarket again, and everyone stood there breathing heavily, as if the killing spree had taken them hours.

It was only five minutes.

"Keonho. I'm Blue."

"So am I!”

"Me too."

"Same here."

"Why did you even pick a full paint bucket?" James groaned for the nth time today.

Keonho didn't say anything, but he did pout.

But then all of a sudden, the boys turned to look at you.

"...What?" You backed away from Martin as he put a hand on his hip.

"It's your turn to kill a zombie next time."

Seonghyeon pointed his pans at you.

Your jaw dropped, your eyes widened, and your hands went to your head, "My turn?! You're crazy if you think I'm gonna attempt anything remotely similar to what you guys did!"

“Well, too late you decided to join our…funclub,” Seonghyeon said, and you were already mentally exhausted.

“Do you guys even have a name?” You asked, but all they did was look at each other and shake their heads.

“Well, we were actually trying to figure out one to sound more…” Martin scratched his head, “Rad.”

You blinked. “I can tell that you guys definitely do colour outside the lines…”

Then an idea popped into James's mind, “Y/N! You’re a genius! Colour outside the lines!”

You raised an eyebrow, looking at Keonho, who was trying to brush the paint off his shirt, “Isn’t that too long though?”

“True.” Then Juhoon entered the conversation, tilting his head. “What if we shorten it by using the prime alphabet?” He suggested, to which you hummed in excitement.

“What if we take the C from ‘colour’, the O from ‘outside’, the T from ‘the’ and the L from ‘lines’? How does that sound?” Seonghyeon recommended.

Keonho rolled the words on his tongue. “COTL? It sounds too weird.”

“You guys give me high cortisol levels, God.” You said, massaging your temples to get the headache they created to go away.

“Cortis—huh?” Seonghyeon turned around, and Martin widened his eyes at the same time as James.

“CORTIS!” They both yelled, and that startled you. But you couldn’t even lie, the name sounded tough as hell.

“Why are you screaming? That would attract more zombies…”

Seonghyeon immediately slammed his pans on a random shelf, “Because that sounds too tough. We have a meaning too, which is crazy.”

Keonho pointed at you and suddenly grinned. “Cortis! Zombie slayers and monster hunters!”

James groaned again. “Please never say that again.”

“Yes, chef.”

Martin then clapped his hands to bring attention to himself. You rolled your eyes as you saw his wide smile and spread arms, ready to shout.

You closed your ears in advance, along with Juhoon.

“Ladies—Well, Lady and gentlemen, welcome to CORTIS!”

The shout echoed throughout the supermarket.

Keonho stared at him with wide, wide eyes before slapping his own forehead.

You stared at everyone like they were a joke, but again, you couldn’t help but smile.

They looked young after all, and you wouldn’t be surprised if they were your age.

The walk back to their hideout was the longest route you have ever taken in your life.

"Well then, Y/N! You get to have a limited exclusive offer from now until...you die?" Martin clapped his hands, and so did the others, which was really stupid. Were they just teenagers going with the flow?

"And that is?" You asked, not sure if you wanted the answer.

"You get to have a rusty iron pipe!" The blond cheerfully announced, adding a small whoo! at the end for more reaction, and you couldn't help but smile, letting out a small yay just to go with the vibe of it.

An instant after the celebration faded into something else, James took the opportunity to ask. "How old are you anyway?"

"Guess!"

"Twenty-six!" Keonho jumped immediately, making you gasp in horror.

"Excuse you? Do I look like I work?" To which he nodded, you made sure to smack his arm with the iron pipe.

"Let me guess...twenty?" Juhoon asked, and you shook your head, not even Juhoon, man!

"Guys, let's use our heads!" You started to get frustrated at that moment; no wonder they're teenagers (maybe...)

"Are you older than nineteen?" Seonghyeon questioned, and you pretended to be in deep thought, scratching your chin while you're at it.

"No..." You started, smirking at them, "Yes..." Now you were giggling, "Maybe...?"

"I bet she's sixty-eight and doesn't want to tell us." Martin scoffed, pushing your shoulder as you gasped in offence.

"Martin, I'm gonna rock your shit, and I don't care how tall you are!" You clutched your chest, returning the push with extra force. "If I were sixty-eight, I wouldn't be standing here with five idiots who have useless weapons!"

James snorted, "That's exactly what a sixty-eight-year-old granny would say!"

You flipped him off.

But Seonghyeon stopped you on your tracks, leaning forward to scan and inspect your face with careful attention. He squinted at you like a cat.

"If I guess correctly, what do I get?"

"A slap perchance." You replied, and everybody laughed.

"Okay...you're seventeen."

You froze, eyes widening as you groaned loudly.

"Ugh, out of everybody, bro! It had to be you guessing correctly..."

Seonghyeon straightened the same moment you groaned, a smug grin spreading across his face as if he’d just won the lottery. "I'm too goated."

Keonho leaned over your shoulder, grinning, "So you're Hyeon's and my age."

"Unfortunately, also, why do you sound surprised?"

"Because you look older, duh," Seonghyeon said, and you hit him with your iron pipe.

"Ouch! Are you sick?" He turned to look at you, to which you poked out your tongue to irritate him even further. "Y/N I'll feed you to zombies."

"I'd LOVE to see you try Songhon."

"For fuck's sake it's Seonghyeon!"

You gasped dramatically, "Wow, language, Seonghyeon! Aren't you supposed to be legal in a year?"

"Right? We're minors, man..." Keonho jumped in, wheezing as he took Seonghyeon's annoyed figure.

He clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes as he mumbled, "Unbelievable."

Martin scoffed from the side, lazily playing with his glasses, "You guys are arguing about this, meanwhile I'm here being almost eighteen."

"Unc." You coughed, and Seonghyeon and Keoho snorted.

"Hey, man! You're not that far off!" He stared at you as you offended him (which you did), and flicked your forehead as soon as you stopped walking.

"Juhoon is already eighteen!"

You nodded in respect, giving him a thumbs up as he playfully bowed in courtesy.

James, who had been silent since earlier, finally spoke up as if he were ashamed, "Children..."

"Oh, shut up," Martin said. "You're not that old."

The first shrugged casually, walking at a slower pace to prove his point. "I'm twenty, man. I'm already getting white hair from your asses."

"Whatever, guys...are we getting any closer to your wonderful hideout?" You asked, yet everybody refused to answer. "It's a simple question, not a trivia quiz."

"We have like four more miles to go." Juhoon finally replied, and you widened your eyes, four?! What are you, a cheetah?

"Juhoon man, I love you and all, but there's no way I'm walking four miles. Who even does that?"

"People who want to survive a zombie apocalypse, Y/N," Juhoon replied, and you sighed, shoulders dropping in surrender.

"That's if we even get to survive in the next hour." Seonghyeon reminded, stretching his hands with his pans in the air. "We never know what might come."

You blinked at him as everyone went silent for an instant. It's true.

You can't guarantee that you'll survive at all.

You and the boys kept walking along the empty road, the sound of shoes scraping against asphalt echoing way too loudly in the silence. Abandoned cars were scattered everywhere, some with doors hanging open, others crashed against sidewalks like the drivers had just panicked and fled.

Martin stopped you from walking, putting a hand in front of you as his face darkened.

Everybody else understood what that meant.

On cue, Martin reached for his gun and pressed the reload shift.

He turned to look at you and at Seonghyeon and Keonho.

"Zombies. The crawling type. Be wary, you three." He said with a cold voice, which sent shivers down your spine. You gulped as you tightened your grip around your iron pipe.

"How many?"

"I'm not sure, but there are a lot." Juhoon suddenly announced, getting his pocketknife out, you swallowed loudly as you exhaled.

These weren't the type of zombies that walked impossibly slow or were controlled by their own hunger.

Those were the smart ones that crawled from under abandoned cars and buildings.

You had to keep your head up to not get caught off guard.

From beneath the cars, they started to emerge one by one. Martin whistled at the sight, smirking as he loaded his bullets into the gun he lazily held.

"You have to kill your first zombie here, Y/N." Keonho suddenly whispered; his voice wasn't teasing anymore. He stepped next to you as he prepared his empty nunchucks. "They aren't the easy type."

"Thank you for comforting me..."

But in the blink of an eye, a crawler lunged from under a white van, straight out snapping at Seonghyeon's boots.

The latter dodged, hitting it with his pans as he kicked out in front of him. It wouldn't calm down, so he had to stomp on its head with a great amount of force. "Watch the shoes, man..."

James was already moving with the screwdriver he borrowed from Juhoon, "Don't let them bite you! If they surround you, it's over!"

You felt a string of panic tighten at your hands, screaming as one of the crawlers gripped your ankle and opened its mouth to bite you. The fingers you felt were cold and slick with blood.

It made you shiver before hitting it with every amount of force in your body to its skull.

"Y/N!" Juhoon shouted, "DON'T LET IT BITE YOU!"

Your heart hammered against your ribs.

It felt...good.

It felt amazing to take a swing at those creatures.

Oh, how you've missed this.

The rusty iron pipe felt heavy, but your heart was heavier with pain.

You hit it repeatedly until your pipe dented at a 90° angle.

The cracks echoed louder than you expected. The zombie slumped instantly, turning into dead weight at the weight of your smashes.

You stood there, chest breathing heavily as you smirked.

The adrenaline rush felt amazing.

Yet the boys froze in place as they watched your face drip with the creature's blood. Even Seonghyeon and Juhoon got distracted for a moment before letting out a nervous laugh.

"Okay..." Keonho started first, "So are we just going to ignore that Y/N might be a potential serial killer?"

Martin's distraction didn't last too long before he started shooting again, his eyes wide as he looked from the pulped zombie to your face. "Way to go, Y/N!"

You didn't look at them immediately.

You were staring at the dented pipe, and at the blood you wiped with the back of your hand, all the pain in your heart finally found a way to exit.

The boys continued to kill the crawlers, and you searched for any makeshift weapons you could use.

Until you landed on a crowbar next to a van.

Seonghyeon looked at you for a second, raising an eyebrow before smirking.

"What a crazy girl." He whispered as his pans hit the skulls of the green, disgusting monsters.

You ran to the van, grabbed the crowbar and climbed into the vehicle.

You stood on the hood and started banging the crowbar on the window, trying to attract the crawlers.

Everything and everybody looked at you.

"Y/N, get down! You're going to get killed!" James shouted, slowly detaching himself from the zombie he had just choked.

You didn't pay his words any mind. You just inhaled deeply before shouting at the top of your lungs:

"DON'T BARK IF YOU CAN'T FUCKING BITE, YOU CRAWLERS!"

Keonho scoffed in shock. "Yeah, she's fucking insane."

The van groaned underneath the weight of your boots banging on it. You stood tall on it, the heavy steel crowbar in your hand felt like your first ticket to finally getting rid of these creatures that you despised.

Below you, the sea of rotten limbs and skulls stared at you. They began to pivot as they let go of the boys, spiralling to bite your chunks off at your cry.

Their disjointed necks all rushed to you, dull eyes fixating on your finger as you banged the steel on the van.

Your grin was what they despised more than the sound of the metal clanking.

Martin looked up at you, his mouth hanging open. "Y/N, the same goes for you, you idiot!"

"Martin, I don't think she cares, man. Just look at her provoking them!" Juhoon's voice was filled with terror and awe at the same time. He watched you fling your crowbar to the van every time a crawler came by your side, waiting for the right moment to launch.

The first one reached the bumper. Its finger-slicked nails were scraping against the metal as if it were trying to make you hit it. The sound of its scratching did set everybody's ears ringing.

You looked at it with disgust. Instead of giving it what it wanted, you leaned next to its face and grinned, whispering a small, "Fuck. You."

You swung the crowbar in a brutal arc that hit the zombie's head right on the jaw. Its head went flying the next second, landing right next to Keonho's feet.

"Oh, my God." He nervously kicked it away.

"That's it!" You yelled, "Come and get a taste of this steel!"

Seonghyeon, for the first time, let out a jagged laugh. "You heard the lady."

James glanced up at you, eyes narrowed in a mix of fright and awe, "Y/N, don't get too excited!"

"Less talking, more hitting, James!" You shot back as soon as you hit the other crawlers that grunted in hunger. You jumped from the hood of the van to its roof to get a better point of view of the situation.

Blood splattered everywhere; it was a massacre.

"Keonho!" You called the younger boy, "I'll keep these monsters distracted. Check if the fuel tank is intact and full!

Keonho nodded, dropping his nunchucks as he ran to the van, sliding under the chassis to verify. "It's leaking slowly, but it's enough! All clear Y/N!"

You looked at him as you thought. Your crowbar was dripping sluggishly with blood as you tried focusing on an idea.

You had to jump from the roof to get inside the car and drive over the crawlers.

"MARTIN, SEONGHYEON, JAMES, JUHOON AND KEONHO!" You cried out, sweat dropping from your forehead, "Move out of the way! I'm gonna drive over them!"

The boys stared in shock.

"Y/N, are you fucking nuts?!" James screeched, eyes wide as he kicked a crawler away, "Can you even drive?"

You looked down. The sea of green was closing in on you, their bodies piled up against their own comrades' dead ones.

The van tilted dangerously under their weight, which made you accidentally trip over one of the skulls.

All you saw was grey and green before your back slammed into the asphalt. The impact surely broke one or many of your bones. Your crowbar was still in your hand, but it echoed in your ears as you hit the ground.

"Y/N!"

The scream came sharply from five different bodies at once.

You didn't even have time to groan or be aware of what happened before a dozen crawlers suddenly pivoted to your direction with wet snarls and groans.

They were hungry.

Hungry for your body.

Then a sharp sensation climbed up your ankle, making you scream.

"Y/N?" Martin turned to look at you. And then his eyes landed on your ankle for a second before hurrying to the car.

But to your own may, they all scrambled over the van's bumper, leaving Keonho to hop inside the car.

"Get up, get up now!" Seonghyeon barked; he didn't wait for a response. He launched himself into you, his boots kicking any crawler in the chest in the way as he carried you over his shoulder.

"Don't just lie there and look pretty, the car's waiting for you!" Martin hissed, long gone his smirk, which was replaced by a jagged panic.

You sensed a crawler coming to Seonghyeon and you. Rolling to tilt a bit on his shoulder, you tightened your grip around your crowbar and smashed its jaw to pieces as you swung to the left, destabilising Seonghyeon.

"Y/N, fuck! Stop squirming, or we'll fall—"

And you guys in fact fell.

You pushed yourself off the ground, ignoring the pain in your shoulder and grabbing Seonghyeon's wrist as you scrambled toward the driver's side door of the van.

"Get in, guys! Hurry up!" Martin yelled in the driver's seat, slamming the door's metal with his hand to get you in.

Juhoon and James quickly climbed into the backseats with their blood-stained clothes and weapons.

"KEONHO! Get in the damn seat for God's sake!" Juhoon yelled.

Seonghyeon, Keonho and you arrived at the same time. The first ripping the door open with the adrenaline rushing in his body. The interior smelled like smoked cigarettes and old, used leather.

You jumped in the backseat with Seonghyeon and left Keonho in the passenger seat.

The van's engine roared to life as you piled in, the doors slamming shut as decaying hands tried to make their way into the car.

James punched the back of Martin's seat, his chest heaving from the amount of pressure he had been through as he yelled, "GO, MARTIN, DRIVE THAT CAR!"

Martin didn't need telling twice; his knuckles went white as he gripped the steering wheel, his shades still intact, slid on his face. "LET'S GET IT!"

"LESS TALKING, MORE DRIVING, MARTIN!" Seonghyeon snapped. He was pressed tight against you as you struggled to breathe. His shoulder hovered over your fractured one as he glared out at a crawler from the window. "Y/N'S SHOULDER IS FRACTURED!"

The van launched forward between the sea of green zombies; it lurched over many bumps that made the car jump every second. The vehicle tilted left, then right, then left again as Martin navigated through the roads for safety.

Keonho's eyes went wide as he watched the hood of the van fill up with crawlers that were still attached to it. "They're crawling up bro! Martin, can you even see the road?"

"I don't need to see the road, Keonho! I just need to move!" Martin shouted.

"Then move?" Juhoon replied, and Martin stepped on the gas immediately.

The van moved impossibly fast. "We're going 180 KM/H! If you're gonna do something, do it now!"

Martin announced, and Juhoon looked at James.

"Together?" He asked, smirking as he grabbed his pocketknife despite the sweat and fatigue.

"Together." James nodded as he grinned.

"If we're going down, we're going to do it in a badass way!" Juhoon yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos as he kicked the heavy door of the van open, just enough to wedge his slim figure into the gap. He didn't even flinch at the wind slapping his face or at the mere fact that the road was rushing inches from his shoes.

"Juhoon, I'll get the right side! Keep these monsters off the wheels and hood!" James commanded, and the younger didn't hesitate to jump on the hood in front of Martin.

"Juhoon, what the fuck?" Keonho and Martin said in a union.

James thrusted with his screwdriver the skulls of the crawlers and punched them away, he sent them away like a bunch of ragdolls to the moving asphalt.

"JAMES! BEHIND YOU!" Juhoon crouched and gripped the side of the hood's window, pointed his pocketknife in James direction, but the latter didn't pay it any mind. "ZHAO YUFAN!"

At that, James turned and smashed with his elbow the crawler trying to sneak up on him. "Is that all you got?!"

His face was splattered with dark red, a wild and adrenaline-fueled grin made its way to his features and God, he looked like a beast.

In the backseat, Seonghyeon tightened his arm around you. He shielded your fractured shoulder from the violent jumps Martin took with the van. He looked in front of him, then to his side and whispered in a nervous laugh, "Those idiots will die if Martin hits a pothole."

You tried smiling, but half your face felt paralysed.

Oh no.

That's not good.

Your head rang, and you couldn't hear clearly.

"Hyeon, who do you take me for?" Martin yelled over his shoulder, his hands shaking as he tried to swerve right, "Tell them to finish it off quickly, I'm going to have to turn sharply in three hundred meters!"

Keonho rolled down the window and shouted at Juhoon to get in.

He and James moved in sync as James pulled the door wide open and indicated for Juhoon to enter quickly.

With a final shove of the last crawler, Seonghyeon yelled a clear "THEY'RE DONE!" and James landed heavily on the latter along with Juhoon.

He slammed the door shut with a deafening bang, chest heaving as both of them were filled with blood only.

The silence that followed was heavy; it impregnated the air with its thickness as Keonho turned around to look at the elders and whistle.

"You are both more blood than clothes."

"Guys, brace yourselves now! We're sharply turning!' Martin warned, his voice was tight as he shut his eyes.

The van shrieked, tilting to the right so far that you were pinned entirely against Seonghyeon's chest.

Then, the vehicle came to a halt. The adrenaline that had been keeping you upright started to drain away into something...numb and cold.

You couldn't feel half your body at this point.

"Martin, pull over! Behind that warehouse." Keonho's voice trembled as he saw your figure.

As soon as the doors opened and everybody scrambled away, James carried your body as everybody called your name.

"Y/N?" Their voices sounded miles away; you saw ten faces at once as you felt your body being placed on wet grass.

"Crazy girl, look at me! Hey, don't black out on us now!" Seonghyeon's hands hovered around your face. He pulled back, then he noticed.

The right side of your face couldn't move; your eye was barely blinking while the other looked straight into his and the others.

"Shit...Seonghyeon, get the kit now!" James scrambled from the back, "She hit her head when she fell off the van, it's either that or her shoulder! She's probably going into shock!"

"We need to stabilise her neck, James." Juhoon suddenly said, "We need something rigid to put her on; this wet grass won't do her any good."

You could only hum as you weakly pulled your trembling hand to your shoulder. "Pop...it back..." Your voice trembled as your hand fell.

Keonho looked at you like you had asked to recover gold. But he hurriedly helped pick you up with James as you made your way into the warehouse.

It smelled like rusted iron, and it felt cold.

"The table! Clear it!" James commanded. Martin and Seonghyeon managed to push everything away from it and drop all of the unwanted items to the floor.

Juhoon carried the first aid kit with him and tried thinking of a way to pop your shoulder back into place without it hurting in the process.

James and Keonho laid you on the workbench. Martin took out his flashlight and held it high. It was sharp and too bright, as if you were in a clinic.

"Y/N, stay with me," Juhoon whispered, his voice breathy and trembling. "Follow Martin's light with your eyes only."

As the flashlight moved, he let out a breath he'd been holding for a long time now. "No internal brain damage, gladly, but the facial paralysis must be from a pinched nerve in her shoulder fracture. Or maybe the impact."

Seonghyeon stepped beside the table, face as pale as a ghost. "Look, Y/N, this is going to hurt like hell. Squeeze my hand or break it if you have to."

James loved to sit on the other side of the table, "I'll hold her nice and steady." His hands were on your torso a second later, fixed there so you wouldn't move.

Keonho held your head as Juhoon approached your shoulder with steady hands, ripping your shirt from there, his face inches away from yours as he inhaled deeply.

"On One." You breathed sharply, "Two..." You squeezed your eye shut. "Three..."

CRACK

Your world turned white for a second, a scream torn from your throat made their heart ache.

But the numbness in your face started to flare with a pins-and-needles sensation.

"It's back in! I've got it." Juhoon exhaled as he leaned his forehead against the edge of the workbench for a second of relief.

Keonho wiped the stray tear away from your face as he grinned widely, all the tension in his body left when he saw your second eye blink.

As for Seonghyeon, his hand was still glued to yours.

"There she is," he whispered, "The girl who tells zombies to kiss her ass is back."

The tension in the warehouse finally loosened after a while. Everybody sat next to the table you lay on and caught their breath as fatigue started kicking in.

"Y/N, what was that stunt you pulled earlier?" James scoffed, wiping the gory blood from his face with a rag he found. He watched as you tried laughing, and he couldn't help but genuinely smile at your antics. "Your aura was insane. It's as if you were aura farming!"

"I know, right?!" Martin jumped in excitedly, "I was lowkey jealous of her. Like, how can you just say all that and manage to kill loads of zombies just like that?"

Juhoon stood up, stretching his back until it popped, and he sighed in relief. "Miss 'don't bark if you can't fucking bite' has to rest for a while. Nothing has to stress her out in the next twelve hours."

Keonho turned around after changing his top into a hoodie and announced, "I'll keep watch." He looked at you, and you looked back tiredly.

Yet you smiled.

And his expression softened after the dark events that took place earlier.

Seonghyeon later came back with a bunch of cereal boxes and almost expired milk, triumphantly holding them like a prize. To which you weakly clapped your hands.

You tried sitting up, but James stopped you, quickly shaking his head. "You're supposed to rest. Don't move Y/N."

"Okay..." You mumbled softly, to which he smiled. "Unc."

Laughter exploded in the room as he tried to glare at you, but a grin climbed up his features instead.

All of them, except you, sat next to the table, putting their respectful meals in front of you.

"Dinner of victory." Seonghyeon joked, "To the girl who almost died and killed us with her!"

The five of them settled around you, eating and joking like the teenagers you are. Sometimes they feed you with them as they diss each other with insults.

Your favourite was when Martin was called a bigfoot with no hair.

And for the first time since the world had entered this apocalypse, it felt like you found your home.

Or something close to it.

You closed your eyes as fatigue started to kick in, a smile on your lips and a stray tear threatening to stain your cheek.

Your mind refused to rest behind the sudden darkness.

A door slammed in your face as you cried, your arms hurt like hell, and your ears were burning.

Why did you have to be an experience?

An object to be tested with?

Someone shouted your name, but you couldn’t even hear anything correctly; your ears were covered with blood dripping from them.

Your eyes darted across the fluorescent room as you saw the notebook that held your life together, yet destroyed you.

Inside it were a bunch of old papers, diagrams of cells, blood tests—yours—and other documents of health checks that indicated too many complex things you couldn’t understand.

There were many tubes filled with liquids whose names you didn’t even know.

Mumbles and whispers were heard behind the door, and you couldn’t help but cry even harder.

Your ears rang sharply.

Can you even hear?

Soon, three men with white lab coats and masks entered. They all had the same degrading look on their damn faces.

Your teary eyes glared at them as you backed off from their approaching figures.

One man’s gloved hands reached for your wrist, and you shouted, “MOM! HELP ME!”

Yet no one came to your aid; they all grabbed you.

Your wrists were too small for their big hands, your head was too full of ideas that a little child like you shouldn’t have known, and your eyes burned as someone covered your screaming mouth.

Then out of nowhere appeared your mom, a smile on her face and her hands behind her back. You knew what she was trying to do.

The smell of acids and blood filled the air heavily now.

You knew that you were going to be used as a test again.

“Y/N, darling…” she muttered, and you shook your head as the mad men tightened their hold on you. “This is the last one, I promise!”

Then, in her hands appeared a large syringe head filled with a blue liquid. Your eyes gnawed at the massive capacity it held.

Then she looked at you with a cold expression that said, “You’ll get shot with it either way.”

You always knew that even if you dared run, you would never escape what she started.

The syringe went into your body with a piercing scream.

You gasped too quickly, and the blanket over you flew, knocking out a few bottles on the table.

The sharp sound of the bottles rolling on the floor was the only thing that made you certain this was reality.

Your chest heaved as you felt a hollow pain in your shoulder, and breathing felt impossible as you coughed, choking on pure dusty air. For a second, you didn’t know if this was a dream or reality.

“Whoa whoa! Easy Y/N!” James's hand reached out to your shoulder. You flinched violently, nearly punching him, until you realised it was one of the boys.

He was looking at you with a weird, confused, and worried expression; a flicker of concern appeared on his face.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Keonho asked as he looked at you with furrowed eyebrows and tired eyes. He had just woken up—you woke him up—and that made you feel guilty, “You kept mumbling and turning in your sleep.”

“Something about a needle?” Seonghyeon said, leaning against your table, he was still covered in the blue paint and blood from the earlier events that looked eerily familiar. “And a mom too?”

The memories haunted your soul as you shut your eyes, and your steady hand wiped the cold sweat on your forehead. You lowered your head, then lifted to look at the boy’s faces with a shaky smile.

“Just a dream,” you swallowed as they didn’t laugh or smile. “Just a really, really bad one.”

They stayed silent.

Juhoon glanced at you, and Martin narrowed his eyes.

You felt yourself laugh at how hideous you felt; nothing felt as humiliating as this.

Under the silence, Martin looked at you like he wanted to ask you or say something. Still, before he could, Seonghyeon turned around and squinted his eyes at you.

"Hey," His gaze dropped to the bandages on your shoulder, "Is that supposed to look like that?"

You followed his eyes, and the sight made your stomach drop.

Right under the bandages, a faint blue spread beneath your skin; it was thin and barely there, but it reminded you.

It was the same colour.

As.

The.

Liquid.

Your.

Mom.

Injected.

Into you.

For a moment, you felt your heart beat at an impossible pace; nobody spoke, and you internally panicked.

Keonho and James leaned forward to inspect your shoulder, but you quickly pulled the blanket over it.

"It's just the paint Keonho sprayed on us." Your words rushed out rapidly.

"But Y/N, weren't you talking about a needle in your dream?" Juhoon calmly addressed, "And you were screaming."

You swallowed.

He made a huge point.

And from your right, James looked at you for the first time since you woke up directly, and Lord.

The first time you met him, he never looked this tense.

The room felt heavy with the tension lying on stakes; you felt every drag of their eyes on your body. Now that James had analysed your facial expressions, you were sure you were doomed.

His hands hovered in the air, away from your shoulder. His warmth radiated next to you.

"The paint was on your clothes, Y/N." He said softly, his voice dropped an octave. His playful banter and grin vanished, replaced by coldness and seriousness. "This blue liquid, or whatever this is... came from inside you."

You felt a drop of cold sweat roll down your spine as your shoulder suddenly throbbed. Keonho looked at you, rubbing his tired eyes. But he wasn't smiling; he looked like he was bracing for any outcome possible.

On the other hand, Seonghyeon stood up and faced you. His back straightening as he crossed his arms, "Do you have anything you've been hiding from us, Y/N?"

"No!" You choked out, though your voice cracked, and that let their suspicion sink even further. "I... I swear I don't!"

"You're a terrible liar," Juhoon said quietly, and everybody turned to look at him. He wasn't being mean, you could tell. But he was observing your fright. "Your pulse is unsteady, and you're terrified. It's as if you're guilty."

"Juhoon..." You whispered.

Then Martin's eyes widened, as if he remembered something insane.

"Fuck! Check her ankles, guys!" He worriedly said, voice stuttering as he instantly grabbed his gun. "I thought I was imagining shit, but I think she got bitten!"

The temperature in the room had reached a plummed tone. The sound of Martin reloading his gun was deafening as he shook; the sharp clack of it made everyone jump.

"Shit, shit, shit!" He slapped his forehead, "Why does it have to be you!"

"Martin, put the fucking gun down!" James barked, yet he didn't move to protect you. He stepped behind, letting his eyes dart at your covered feet.

The accusation hit you like a train, a bite from those zombies meant a death penalty, and it wasn't just a threat.

You were the threat.

Juhoon and James didn't reach for their weapons, but they moved to stand a little further away from you. Their demeanour was long gone; it had been replaced by a hidden fear that had accumulated from the series of events.

"If you're bitten, you should've turned hours ago. Why aren't you violently shaking or losing your mind?" Seonghyeon asked, moving closer to you as he knelt. His face was pale. "Show us your ankles, Y/N."

With trembling hands, you lifted the blanket they once placed on you, and lifted your legs.

There it was; Martin wasn't just imagining things then. On the side of your left ankle, the skin was disgustingly torn with four distinct punctures, wounds so deep your bone could be seen from where teeth had sunk.

Yet, it didn't look black or rotten.

Instead, it vibrated and gushed with a blue substance. It swirled around your wound as if it were weaving through your arteries like a glowing net.

"How?" Keonho chuckled nervously, "What the fuck?"

James let out a breathy sigh, half a sob, half a laugh, "Are you a supernatural being, Y/N? You're literally immune."

Juhoon didn't speak; he just lowered Martin's gun from your face. His eyes were wide, darting to the eerie liquid swerving around your ankle with terror.

"Yeah, no. Fuck that." The taller one shook his head in disbelief.

Keonho then looked at you, noticing how scared you were, but turned to the boys. "If she were to actually turn, she wouldn't be even this normal."

"Or it's a different stage, Keonho!" Martin snapped, "We don't know these creatures that well!"

Creatures, your stomach twisted at his words.

Seonghyeon exhaled as he threw his hands in the air out of pure disappointment, "We can't just pretend this never happened."

"I'm fine for the love of God!" You shouted, yet they didn't look at you. You noticed how his jaw ticked.

James stepped forward; he looked scary and looked at you like you were something dangerous.

"Let me see your ankle again." He asked.

"No, I told you I'm fine." You replied, pulling the blanket over you again.

His jaw tightened as he crossed his arms, "Y/N."

"I'm fine."

"Then show me if you're fine!" He snapped; his loud voice made you flinch.

You shook your head, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance and anger. Your eyes flickered with terror, yet you stayed firm.

"I said I'm fine, James. Stop acting like I'm gonna fucking bite you."

And that's when his patience broke.

He hurriedly grabbed your wrist before you could grip the blanket and move away.

"Let go!" You said sharply, but he didn't.

Instead, his fingers tightened around your arm in a bruising force, "People don't get bitten and just sit here chatting!" He yelled, "Pzople don't bleed blue shit and call it nothing."

"I'm not calling it nothing!"

"Then explain it." He pronounced each word as if they poured straight venom from his tongue.

"I can't, I wish I could!"

Then the warehouse stilled; you yanked your arms and tried to shove James off of you.

"James, God damn it! Let go!"

"Not until you stop lying about this!"

"Oh, for fucks sake! I'm not lying!" Your voice cracked louder than you meant to.

You angrily turned to look at Keonho, Seonghyeon and Juhoon, who were also holding their weapons.

Really?

Is that how you see me?

Then something inside of you bolted out of pure annoyance and anger. You shoved James off with every ounce of power you had in you, ignoring your throbbing shoulder.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" You shouted, "You'd think I'd hide something as crazy as this from you even though we met only a couple hours ago?!"

James stumbled backwards, but he caught himself as a jolt of frustration flickered in his eyes.

"It's because you are hiding something!'

"I'm not!"

"Then why are you panicking every time someone asks about that weird shit in your body?!"

Your chest heaved deeply, rising and falling quickly as he started to get on your nerves.

"I just woke up, with a throbbing shoulder after all the hero acting I took in the past hour, and everybody looks at me like I've committed genocide and that I am a fucking zombie!"

"BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE ONE!"

His cry hit you like a slap to your face, silence crashing over the room as he breathed heavily.

"Wow." Your throat tightened, "You think I'd hurt you?"

James didn't answer, and that hurt more than any throbbing shoulder or wound.

You laughed bitterly at his facial expressions, "Wow. What a hero."

You clapped, "All of you deserve a fucking trophy for the act you put up."

"Y/N." Keonho tried speaking, but you stopped him.

"No, seriously, wow." You said, pushing yourself to stand despite the pain in your ankle, "After everything I've been through to protect all five of you? That's what you think of me?"

Everybody backed up and tightened their hold on their weapons.

"I don't want a zombie to lurk between us—"

"For the last time, I am not a zombie!"

"Then prove it!"

Something snapped inside of you at his words.

He wanted you to prove that you aren't a zombie?

Okay, fine!

He can fucking learn.

Actually, all of them can.

Before anyone could stop you, you took your right hand and sank your teeth deep into it.

Pain exploded from your arm as you groaned in agony.

"Y/N, what the hell!" Seonghyeon yelled, but you kept biting until you tore the flesh off.

Blue liquid dripped immediately from the puncture. It glew as it welled up to your hand, your teeth were painted blue now.

"Look!" You snapped, "Would blue shit drip from my body if I were a zombie?"

Your breathing felt ragged as you looked at each of the boys individually. "Tell me, would it? I got bitten hours ago. If I were turning, I'd be dead and gone already !"

And nobody argued with that, not even James.

Your eyes flicked to his, "The dream you've heard me mumbling about? That was my past. I used to get injected with liquids and shit like a test rat when I was a kid!"

Your yell echoed through the warehouse when nobody spoke. The liquid kept dripping from your hand sluggishly as it hit the concrete floor with a quiet but loud tap.

Keonho was the first to move, "Jesus..." he whispered, running his hands through his hair. "That's not an infection...it can't be."

Seonghyeon squinted his eyes as he dropped his pans to the floor with a loud clank, "That's not blood either." His voice was hushed as if he were afraid of lying.

"What are we looking at genuinely..." Martin finally spoke; his brain had stopped functioning as he threw his head back.

"Y/N, your hand." Juhoon suddenly said, his eyes studied the blue liquid on your hand, "The substance is stabilising your wound."

"What?" You blinked, what?

Juhoon pointed at your ankle, and everybody looked down, and so did you.

You gasped.

The punctured wounds that had exposed your bone minutes ago were gone; they had healed completely.

"No," your breath hitched, "No way."

James hadn't moved, not since you courageously bit your hand. His chest heaved, rising and falling heavily as his sharp eyes fixed on the liquid dripping from your mouth and your fingers.

Something in his expression cracked as his nose scrunched up.

"...Fuck." He muttered under his breath, dragging a hand down his face before dropping to his side again.

He approached you, and now you were the one backing away until your lower back hit the table you were once lying on.

"Can I see your hand?" He said awfully quietly, making you instinctively pull it back.

"Now you want to get close and ask permission?" You replied in an annoyed tone, "Thought I was a dangerous threat ten seconds ago."

The guilt on his face appeared quickly, his expression tightening.

"I was trying to keep everyone safe..."

"By accusing me? Oh, okay!"

"By being careful, I mean." At his words, you laughed bitterly.

"Martin almost shot me, dude! The other three had their weapons ready!" You said, your voice sounded hoarse and hurt.

James winced at that. Next to him, Martin shifted nervously.

"I— Well—" James stopped himself, looking away from you as he crossed his arms and tightened his jaw.

He then whispered, "I was wrong, all right?"

Keonho and Seonghyeon widened their eyes, looking at each other as they raised their eyebrow. That was the first time he had admitted he was wrong.

"You're not turning, that's a fact." He said, to which Juhoon nodded.

"If anything, it's the opposite," Seonghyeon added; the others hummed in agreement.

"What's your point?"

Then Keonho gasped, as if he had realised something, the sight of that annoyed you.

You frowned, spitting out a small "What?"

Keonho looked at you, pointing his finger at your hand, then at your ankle, then turning to look at Juhoon as if he had discovered a crazy conspiracy.

"Usually, zombies bite humans; they turn because their virus spreads through blood, right?"

Juhooned nodded, "Where are you going with this?"

"But what if hers...kills it?" Keonho dropped the bombshell in the warehouse.

Everyone turned to look at you now, "You're saying..." Martin's hands trembled as if he had finally got it.

"Her blood... neutralises the infection."

On cue, a quiet, stunned laugh came out of Seonghyeon. "Holy shit."

"You're not a zombie." James exhaled, his voice dropping an octave lower, "You're a fucking cure. A vaccine."

Great, now you’re a vaccine. A human vaccine dispenser.

At those words, James stopped looking at you, but he stared more at the liquid.

He was thinking deeply about something, an idea or a theory.

Or even an experiment.

And Juhoon seemed to catch on, stepping next to James as he spat out a harsh, “James, whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

But too late, in one swift movement, James reached to Juhoon’s belt and yanked the knife from its sheath.

Martin turned to the older, confused, “James, what are you trying to do?”

He didn’t reply.

All he did was sluggishly drag the knife across his upper bicep, the sharp blade drew a cry from the others and you.

“JAMES?” Keonho shouted, nervously looking for the first aid kit.

Seonghyeon’s SHIT! He was the loudest in the warehouse, “What the hell are you doing, man?”

Blood immediately poured down from the massive cut, and it smeared down his shirt and pants like a giant reminder of how bad an idea that was, then it dripped on the concrete ground.

James’s gaze didn’t falter; he didn’t look away from you.

“Prove it.” He ordered, and your mind short-circuited.

“What?”

“If Keonho’s right,” James stepped in front of you, mere inches away from your face, “then your blood should stop infection.”

“It’s not an infection!” You stated, pushing him away.

“Exactly, so prove that too.” His jaw tightened as he grabbed your bloody blue wrist.

Juhoon stepped in and tried to reason with James, but pulling him away didn’t help either.

“This is reckless, James! You can’t just introduce a foreign substance to your body without knowing the consequences.” He said sharply, but the eldest didn’t pay any attention to any of it.

“Didn’t you just bite your own hand to prove a point?”

You swallowed, opening your mouth then closing it. Because he was right, damn it. He had a point.

Martin looked between you and rubbed his face with concern, worn out. “This is so stupid, James! Let me just treat you—“

“No.” James put his bicep in front of you, right in front of your eyes, to see the crimson blood dripping.

“You’re mentally ill.” You whispered, and he tilted his head.

“Maybe.”

Behind him was Seonghyeon muttering under his breath curses.

“This is the most immature thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life.”

“I suppose we find out one way or another…”Keonho continued.

And now, James was staring at you as if nothing else mattered anymore.

“Please Y/N. Do it.” His voice came out whispery and broken.

Your stomach wrenched violently at the tone of his words. He just wanted to save his friends.

“If there is anything weird, we have to observe it.” Seonghyeon groaned, getting closer to both of you to observe and analyse.

Now your bodies were inches apart.

Red blood started dripping on you, and blue started dripping on him.

“Y/N.” He repeated, softly now.

Then you lifted the wrist he was holding and placed it on his bicep.

For a moment, everything seemed normal. The blue and red hues mixed into a purple solution, and James hissed.

Juhoon squinted his eyes, and Martin leaned forward.

“Alright, James, you’re dead—“

“Agh!” James inhaled sharply, slowly twitching at the sudden sensation climbing up his veins.

The purple liquid spread across the open wound, and weaved through each vein in his body.

Keonho’s jaw dropped, “No fucking way.”

The bleeding stopped instantly, and James choked suddenly, making you pull your hand away from him.

But to everyone’s surprise, he pulled it back and pressed it even harder against him.

The torn skin began to pull itself together, the edges sealing like invisible threads were stitching it closed, and James coughed up purple.

James coughed up literal purple blood.

Within seconds, the liquid splattered on the floor and everyone froze.

“What?” Juhoon took a step back, “I don’t understand… that’s impossible.”

James bent over slightly, his hand bracing against the table behind you as the other wracked his throat.

Your stomach violently wrenched as you saw a purple streak leave his mouth.

“James…” you whispered, yet he didn’t reply.

But then Martin stepped toward him, grabbing his shoulders to steady him.

“Bro? Bro! BRO!” He called, “Don’t pass out, stay conscious, James.”

“What—“ He coughed again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “What? I’m fine.”

“That didn’t look fine at all!” Keonho snapped, panic escaping his lips, “You—Oh my God.”

“Guys!” You pointed to the floor where the substance dripped earlier, “Where did it go?”

It had evaporated.

“James, your bicep—“ Juhoon’s breath caught at the sight, “It’s healed.”

Seonghyeon comically moved to look, “What? Healed? Like completely healed, no scar, no nothing?”

Juhoon nodded, his eyes wide with disbelief as he covered his mouth. “It didn’t just heal…it rejected.”

“Rejected what? Did her blood do something weird to him?” Keonho asked, and Juhoon nodded.

“His body rejected something injected into her. When the virus enters the bloodstream, the immune system fights it.”

But then, he glanced at you, and so did the others, including James.

“But that wasn’t any normal rejection.” He whispered, looking at your ankle and then at his bicep. “Y/N’s blood attacked the zombie virus in his body.”

Martin let out a stunned laugh, “Oh my God. Tell me that you’re kidding.”

Seonghyeon grabbed his head, and Keonho gasped. James looked at Juhoon, then at you with a shocked face.

“Does that mean…”

“He wouldn't be able to turn even if he were bitten.”

The silence in the warehouse wasn’t just loud, it was deafening and eerie.

But the scary thing was how calm James seemed after all that. His hand hovered on his throat, gaze on his bicep that he literally tore minutes ago.

It looked smooth and perfect, as if nothing had happened to it. He then looked at you, his eyes were dark and cold. But at the same time, terrified as he smirked at the discovery.

“You are insane,” James whispered. He looked at his body, then at the vapour, then at his own hands as if they didn’t belong to him. “When that ran through my veins, I felt…I felt like burning. Then it just stopped…”

“What stopped?” Martin’s voice sounded hushed and intrigued.

“The voices,” he replied, “You guys hear them, right?”

Everybody nodded their heads except you.

Well, you know why for sure.

“Every time we get near them, or even when it’s too quiet.” James started, looking at Juhoon as he agreed. “There’s this low hum. Like a frequency. It makes you angry, it makes you want to... fuck shit up. I thought it was just the stress. But the second her blood touched mine, it all disappeared.”

“You’re saying that those zombies send head signals that make you feral, so you can approach them, and have a higher chance of biting you?” Juhoon muttered, his head overheating from the amount of information gained in the last minute.

Keonho let out a jagged, hysterical laugh that lasted a while, leaning his nunchuks on the table. “So you're basically saying we’re literally the dumb and idiots one here and not those brainless creatures? What an amazing world we fucking live in.”

“It’s more like saying we’re being put in an experiment.” Martin countered, his gun was now tucked away in his sweats, though his hand remained close to it.

“Y/N, are you okay though?” Keonho asked, walking up to you and staring at the bite on your hand, the skin was already healed up. “Does it hurt? Do you need first aid?”

You looked at your hand, the phantom sensation of your own teeth still stinging. "It hurts," you admitted, your voice small. “But it’s fine. As long as you guys are alright.”

James finally looked you in the eye, forgetting everything that had happened in the last hour. The way his shoulders slumped and the look on his face were enough to show how guilty he felt.

“I was ready to kill you.” He admitted quietly, “You shouldn’t have done that for me.”

You looked at him, really looked. But you couldn’t bring yourself to glare at him, and with that, a soft, small smile appeared on your face.

“I know, James,” you replied, “You tried protecting your friends, no, your family even. I get from where you came from. As long as Cortis has you, I don’t think anyone will be left behind. Not even dumb-dumbs with guns and pans.”

“Hey!” Martin and Seonghyeon shouted in unison.

That made James snicker, and a weak smile appeared on his face. It was genuine. “Fair enough.”

A sudden, deafening ring passed by; its sharp, single-toned whistle made the boys go crazy.

But you and James stayed completely still; you didn't understand what was going on until you saw them.

Seonghyeon's balance tilted; the weight of that ring physically dragged him as he landed on the table next to you. "W-What the hell?"

Juhoon and Keonho clutched their ears; the sound was too piercing as they groaned in pain.

The latter looked at you as he saw your mouth moving, probably shouting his name, but your voice was buried under the shrieking noise.

Martin turned around to look at both of you and grunted, shouting, "How come you're not hearing this?"

You stared at each one of them in panic, so this was the noise they were hearing.

You saw the way Seonghyeon gripped the table; he looked like he was hyperventilating, and next to him was Juhoon losing his mind. His hands trembled as he bent over, trying to block the irritating sound.

"Keonho!Martin!" James cried out, and you turned to look at them, your eyes widening as you glanced at the way he almost ripped his hair out of his scalp as his teeth ground.

But Martin was the most abnormal one out of all of them; he wasn't trying to get rid of the noise, but he was getting angry. His hands reached for his gun once again, this time, trembling as they drifted to the open door behind them.

"Does that happen to you when something approaches you?" You cried out, grabbing James' arm.

"Zombies are near!" He shouted back, and you almost choked yourself.

"AGAIN?!"

"YES AGAIN!"

The warehouse was then filled with hungry groans. Outside were those creatures for the third time since you had met the boys.

"They're here again for fuck's sake!" James hissed, his face going pale as he looked at how feral Martin was at that moment. He had grabbed his gun with both hands and reloaded the bullets, pointing the weapon at the approaching figures. "It's like they're calling them!"

Martin had his thumb on the safety of his pistol, "shut up...", he growled, yet his voice was buried under the white noise frequencies getting louder, "shut up, shut up, SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"James, we have to move asap!!" You shouted over the sound of the groans, "If they get near them, they'll die!"

James grabbed your hand, his grip wasn't just firm, it was literally crushing as he yelled back, "We can't carry all four of these guys! We have to fight these zombies!"

You looked at him like he had grown two heads, "Oh, okay, so you want us dead!"

"WE'RE IMMUNE YOU DUMBASS!" James had lost all his patience with you. "Tell Juhoon to grab the other three and to hold on to each other!"

"Yes, sir!" You saluted and turned to grab Juhoon.

"Juhoon, Juhoon! JUHOON!" You screamed, but he seemed like he was out of it, "JUHOON PLEASE!" You started shaking his shoulder, and there was a sign that he was actually listening to you.

"Huh..." He whispered, and you slapped his face.

"JUHOON! I'LL GIVE YOU MARTIN AND THE TWINS, STAY BEHIND THE TABLE OR SOMEWHERE SAFE!" You yelled at him, and to your own luck, he heard a bit of the phrase.

"Twins...Table, huh...?" He asked, and you completely lost your mind.

"YOU. MARTIN. TWINS. BEHIND TABLE. NOWWWW!" Okay, maybe you didn't have to exaggerate shouting the last word.

Your hand reached for Martin's clothes, dragging him back as he fell to the floor, his gun had fallen.

The concept of you dragging Martin across the concrete like a sack of potatoes while he groaned in pain and agony was honestly just a joke to James, who was searching the warehouse for any useful weapons.

"MOVE, MOVE!" You roared one last time, before giving him the shove he needed to start collecting his members like Pokémon balls,

Juhoon tried his best as he tried understanding what you wanted to tell him, "Twins... Martin...Behind the table." He muttered, swaying as he grabbed Seonghyeon's waistband of his saggy pants and dragged him behind the table.

Keonho eventually followed him, and Martin (with the help of your strength) got thrown to safety.

And the second you let go of him, you turned back to the entrance where James had been waiting for you. Two distinct weapons in his hand as he told you to hurry.

You ran to him, observing how he was already sweating like crazy. In his right hand was a sharpened, thick wood stick, and in the other...a new fire extinguisher?

"Finally!" James's voice cut through the gnarly noises approaching. He handed you the wood stick, and you adjusted your grip on it. "Ready to kick ass?"

"I was born ready! Even though I don't know where my crowbar is..." You sighed, but you attempted to adjust to the weight of the new weapon. 3I haven't had a shower in a long time, don't get blood on my hair, thank you!"

He sighed before rolling his eyes.

The first wave of zombies hurried to enter. This time, they were the strong type. A blur of greyish skin and wet snarls made their way through.

You looked at James, and he looked back.

And you both understood what that meant; it was showtime.

James crushed every single one with ease; he dismantled them using his fire extinguisher like a battering ram. He used every part of his body to fight, his free hand, his elbows, his legs, even his own head to head -bump the fricking zombies.

On the other side, every time a zombie tried to flank him, you were there, swinging your stick, turning their skills and crushing them with atrocious skill.

They were confused, you noticed.

"They don't understand what's going on, Y/N!" James yelled, ducking away from a sudden attack, "They don't know why we're moving extremely fast!"

"Yeah, no shit, man! We're goated just like that!"

Behind the table was the rest of Cortis, watching the massacre like an action film, through their ringing ears and blurry vision, they saw you and James dancing inside the sea of grey skin and blood.

"Is that...Y/N?" Keonho whispered, jaw tight as he squinted, "She's fighting with a stick this time."

Seonghyeon groaned as he watched, his head resting against the table, "She's a psycho. I told you guys to feed her to the zombies..."

Martin let out a jagged laugh even in his ained state, "That's our Y/N...get'em, girl."

"Are we ignoring...James?" Juhoon asked, still grabbing the boys tightly.

"He's unc, of course we are."

Sooner or later, you and James were drenched in blood. Standing on the skull of one of the zombies, James grimaced at the bitter taste of copper in his mouth.

As soon as you thought they were finished, a vibration hit the ground. You hurriedly turned to look at the mysterious figure approaching, and you didn't think that it would be this huge.

A massive, double the size of your average zombie, pushed through the warehouse doors with extreme force, its veins pulsing in time with the sound frequencies the boys heard.

"It must be this zombie on steroids that's making the noise," James said as he wiped his forehead and cheeks. "We have to take it down.

"Well, James! You're on your own!" You lifted your stick in the air, "There's no way I'm fighting this." You nervously laughed.

But to your own dismay, James turned to glare at you with his menacing, cold eyes, fire extinguisher raised at your direction.

"Y/N."

"There's actually a way to fight it! Let's go."

The zombie didn't play fair at all. You tried lunging forward with James behind your back for support. But it swung a fist the size of your face, catching you square right on your chest.

"Y/N!" James screamed, but the air was gone from your lungs as you flew backwards, rolling across the gritty concrete as your back finally slammed against a bunch of crates.

"Holy shit. That pervert!" You yelped as your body collided with the boxes.

Your vision blurred with stars for an instant, but as you scrambled to sit up with the blue liquid rushing like adrenaline in your veins, your hand brushed against something metallic and loaded.

Martin's gun, lying there like it was calling for your name.

You looked down, smiling in triumph as you grabbed it.

You had a plan that would only work if James distracted the creature.

"JAMESSSSSSSS!" You yelled out, dragging out the last syllable of his name.

Said James turned around in pure shock and disbelief on his face, "What? Can't you see I'M BUSY?!"

"DISTRACT THAT THING, I HAVE A PLAN!"

The older dragged a tired, bloodied hand on his face and straight looked at the zombie.

"HEY! ZOMBIE ON STEROIDS!" He roared, using his fire extinguisher to draw its focus. The zombie groaned loudly, making the boys behind the table shout in agony as their ears bled.

James quickly pulled the pin and sprinted to its legs, sliding across the splattered blood to kick it and make it fall. Then unleashed a white foam directly on its face as James splashed all of it.

"TAKE THAT!" The monster shrieked; the sound of it made Keonho pass out in Juhoon's arms.

"K-Keonho!" Seonghyeon tried yelling, but his voice came out cracked and weak.

The zombie tried flailing through the fog of white foam, trying to grab James and kill him.

But luckily, before it could do so, you found your footing and ran toward the chaos. As you got close, James sat up and grabbed your waist, lifting your body to land on the mountain of crushed zombies and jump.

You launched yourself in the air and kicked the zombie's face straight into oblivion.

You felt something crack in your leg, but you groaned it out, straight adrenaline driving you out of pure thriller to hit your target.

You landed in a low crouch, raising Martin's gun with both hands, and squinted through the blood that had dripped in your eye.

"Power off, asshole." You hissed, pulling the trigger with a loud BANG.

BANG.

Three successive shots to the monster's head with precision.

Its body stiffened, the purple veins that were bulging out earlier died out and faded into nothing. It collapsed with an enormous thud forward.

No ringing.

"What the fuck, Y/N?" James looked shocked, "What the actual fuck."

Behind the table, Juhoon let out a shaky breath, slowly letting go of Martin and the others. "It's gone. The noise is gone, guys."

Seonghyeon sat up, rubbing his face and looking at the chaos you and James had left behind. "Good lord..."

James didn't move for a second; he stayed on one knee, looking at the mountain of crushed zombies in front of them, then up at you. He smirked.

"You literally used me, jumped off me and shot it in the head three times." His voice was raspy, and his body was full of white foam and crimson blood.

"I told you," you breathed, finally blowing off the smoke from the gun and lowering it, "I don't like being yelled at." But then you felt your leg throb where you had kicked the zombie, the adrenaline started to wear down, and the pain came crashing down twice as hard.

But you ignored it, knowing that your blue blood will save it.

"Keonho?" Martin called, lightly tapping the younger's cheek, to which he finally started to stir. Blinking his eyes slowly as the noise had vanished.

"I'm...yeah," He started, "I'm fine. What happened?"

"Boy, did you miss what happened." Seonghyeon snorted as he stood up, kicking away his pans to the floor with the help of Martin. "You didn't get to watch James and Y/N being badass."

You smiled as you looked at the boys. You tried to turn around and get down, but your leg throbbed even more now.

"You're limping,' James noted as he got up, dusting away the remnants of zombies and foam. "Want me to carry you?"

"It's just the small price to pay for not telling you guys about myself. You replied, wincing as you tried crushing the dead creatures to step down, "I can handle it."

"Hey," said James, stepping closer and reaching for your arm to wrap it around his shoulders, "Cortis isn't Cortis without you, thank you."

"EW! Don't get all emotional on me now, James! It doesn't suit you!"

He snickered, "Let's get your ass somewhere calm."

Suddenly, Keonho bolted upright and grabbed Juhoon's shirt, "Don't tell me I missed Y/N's prime moment. Don't tell me she did the thing."

"She did the thing, Keonho," Juhoon sighed, though a smile cracked on his face, "She used Martin's gun too."

"She used what now?" Martin widened his eyes, and Juhoon didn't answer.

Later that time, everybody gathered around the centre of the warehouse, looking at you and James. With the deafening sound gone, and for the first time since yesterday, you looked safe.

"Hey, guys," Martin said, looking up from the floor, "I'm lowkey hungry. I think we should finally go to our hideout."

The ride home was more chaotic than any event that had happened in the past 24 hours.

"BRO? DON'T SKIP THAT SONG!" Seonghyeon yelled from the back, leaning forward to the dashboard to change the radio's frequencies.

"We've played your choice of songs literally three times. I think we deserve a chance too." Juhoon countered, making Seonghyeon mumble curses under his breath as you giggled, watching the chaos unfold in front of you.

"Do you guys want Fashion or Go to play?" Martin asked, turning the stirring wheel as he took a right.

"Whatever Y/N goes with, gotta give her the choice for what she did earlier!" Keonho said, and everybody hummed in agreement. Even Seonghyeon!

"Wow, I get to choose?" You pointed to yourself, "Personally, I'd go with fashion."

"Martin, play that beat!" James hollered in the front, making the twins and you laugh in unison, and for the first time, you felt that...it didn't matter whether you were in a zombie apocalypse or not.

You've found your family. A real one that took care of you.

But that string of thought broke with Martin's cracked voice, "MY TEE FIVE BUCKS MY JEANS TEN THOUSAND WON!"

"Shut up, Oh my God!" You hid your face in embarrassment as you kicked his seat from the back, "You sound so bad!"

"I CALL THAT? WHAT?" Keonho yelled, raising a fist in the air as he bopped his head to the repeated words.

"FASHION FASHION FASHION FASHION FASHION!" Juhoon sang, and you whipped your head to the source of the sound, Juhoon?!

"Oh my God, you guys aren't serious..."

"I CALL THAT? WHAT?" Keonho roared again, his voice cracking midway through, which only made Juhoon and Seonghyeon laugh harder.

"FASHION!" they all screamed in a disorganised, tone-deaf chorus that deafened your ears, let alone the zombie trauma from earlier.

In that chaos, you heard Martin inhaling deeply, turning to look at James next to him, then at the back before adjusting his shades. You knew what was coming.

"Martin, NO! DON'T START RAPPING THE NEXT PART!"

"Too late, Y/N! Here it comes!" And he let out the most hideous, low-rapping voice ever that made everyone cry with laughter.

When the van finally halted, you looked out of the window to see where they were located.

The energy from earlier didn't calm down at all, and you shoved your index fingers into your ears to have some peace.

"Alright! Quiet down, will you? We don't want to attract zombies anymore."

James commanded, he hopped out, sliding the door open as he offered you a hand with a formal bow. "My insane yet caring lady, welcome to our headquarters! Watch your step, Keonho decided to become Picasso before we left again."

"Stop being jealous of my paintings!" Keonho defended, stumbling out of the back, to which you giggled and offered your foot instead.

"My lady, I don't accept such behaviour."

"Fuck off then!"

"LMAO," Martin cackled as he shut the door and searched for their keys at the hideout, "I'd rather die than let Y/N tell me that."

Surprisingly, the hideout looked cozy. They had laid rugs over the undusted floor, a wall full of glued polaroids mostly filled with Martin's and Keonho's stupid mewing faces, and a stash of crates filled with what they had labelled loot.

"Whoa, that's really cool!" You said, turning left and right to look at the different abstracts in the room.

Another wall was spray painted with a bunch of graffiti, but what stole your attention was a single word in blue.

FAMILY=FRIENDS!

You smiled at that.

Juhoon disappeared for a second, then came back with an unopened bottle of cider, "Found this a while ago, saved it for something big."

"Wow," Seonghyeon dragged out, "You were hiding it from us all this time, I see how it is."

To your right, Martin and Keonho were already fighting over a SHIN ramyun packet, to your left was James already asleep on the black couch, and to your front were Seonghyeon and Juhoon arguing about the cider.

You sighed, making yourself around to each corner of the hideout as you discovered many things.

Pictures of them in high school, them hanging out together in a park, and many more that made you pout in awe.

"Y/N," Juhoon started, "You're the first person we've let in since the apocalypse started."

"Yeah," Seonghyeon agreed, "We didn't just save any idiot, we saved you. Our sister." He smiled fondly.

"And a bodyguard," Keonho added, letting go of Martin's collar to hug your arm. "Don't forget the bodyguard part, though, I really wanted to see you kick the zombie."

You felt like crying at that point, so your initial reaction was to tightly hug Keonho.

The moment you pulled him in, he froze for a split second. Not expecting the sudden burst of affection from you, before he melted into it, burying his face in your shoulder with an overjoyed laugh.

"Whoa! Okay, yeah! Group hug!" Martin cheered, not waiting for an invitation as he lunged forward, wrapping his long arms around both of you.

"Get off, Martin! This is my moment! Also, you smell like shit!" Keonho complained. On the other side, Seonghyeoned and Juhoon moved in, sandwiching you and Keonho with a chuckle.

Even James sighed and leaned in, resting his chin on top of Keonho's head.

For a moment, nobody tried saying anything. The sound of six heartbeats finally slowing down and calmly beating was enough.

Even if most of you were a mess filled with paint, dust and blood, it felt safe.

"Don't leave us, stay with us." Keonho squeezed you tighter.

"Yeah, you're the only one that appreciates my rapping skills," Martin added, drawing out an exasperated sigh from the five of you.

"She literally told you to shut up. I don't think she appreciates it." James replied, slapping Martin's back in warning.

"Exactly, she's the most honest one here. She has to stay." Seonghyeon added, and Juhoon nodded.

"I don't trust any of you except her brain here." Juhoon quietly announced, and everybody gasped in offence. A bunch of Wows and ouches were thrown in the air as you giggled.

"Alright, no more mushy moments!" Martin finally pulled back after what felt like an eternity, clearing his throat to regain his leadership authority. "Where do you wanna sleep, Y/N?"

"Anywhere?" You replied.

"Here," Juhoon said, handing you a fresh oversized hoodie that smelled like laundry detergent, which was a miracle considering the world's situation. "It's Seonghyeon's. I figured it would fit you since he's the fun-sized one here."

"FUN-SIZED?!" Seonghyeon protested from across the room, where he was trying to change.

"It's Y/N's now, boohoo!" James said, "Cry about it or something."

"Is there any shower...or water? Or anything to wipe this mess away?" You asked, glancing to catch sight of any of the things you mentioned.

"Well," Martin started, rubbing the back of his neck and looking at James, who was suddenly finding the wall next to him very interesting.

"Define shower," Keonho chimed in, leaning against the couch on the floor, "If you mean a porcelain bathtub with scented steam, then nah. But if you mean a pipe sticking out of a wall dripping with freezing water into a bucket, then yeah!"

You stared at them, deadpan in your tone. "You guys are joking, right?"

Nobody answered.

"Right?"

No answer whatsoever.

"I hate all of you."

Calling that a shower was the overstatement of the century; it felt like a waterfall was fighting your soul. The boys had handed you a bar of soap that felt like sandpaper and a handmade shampoo made from one of the nine-in-one cleaning products they found.

Martin and Keonho stood about five meters away with their backs turned to ensure you knew how to use the 'shower'.

"This water is so FREEZING, FUCK! OH MY GOD!" You screamed aggressively. The first splash made you flinch away from it.

Behind you were Martin and Keonho giggling their asses off, "Told you."

Then you snapped your fingers, "Music, please!"

Martin rolled his eyes as he kissed his teeth in annoyance. Keonho didn't even bother to hum anything out.

"I said music!"

They began to hum a song you knew before the apocalypse.

What You Want! That song was your favourite.

"Are you okay in there, Y/N?" Martin shouted over Keonho's emotional humming.

"I'm," you shivered as you stepped out, clattering your teeth so hard you could barely let out a word, "I'm going to kill you all, and I don't mind your blood staying on me!"

"See? She's fine!" Keonho chirped, leaning back on his heels. "You get worried for nothing, Tin."

"HURRY UP I WANNA SHOWER TOO!" James called out from across the room, "I DON'T WANT THIS SMELL IN MY HAIR!"

"James, shut up!" You hollered back, desperately trying to scrub the last of the zombies and paint grime off with that sand-textured soap.

When you pulled the curtain back, Martin and Keonho spun around at the sound of rings sliding across the broken rod.

You drowned in the hoodie as the sleeves hung past your wrists, and the hem reached your mid-thigh, making you look half your size. Your pants were baggy, and that completed the look.

"Whoa," Jeonho said for the millionth time that night, "You look human. And small."

"You're lucky I'm too tired to hit you." You snapped, though your smile faltered on your face.

"Your hair looks shiny, " I told you that nine-in-one works like magic!" Martin grinned, completely unfazed by the way you threatened Keonho a second ago.

James pushed past them, holding a towel and a fresh change of clothes. "Move it, move it! Go eat you, kids! There is a bunch of stuff out there."

"We're not kids!"

"Whatever," he smirked before disappearing behind the makeshift curtain. A second later, a strong yelp echoed through the hideout.

"SHIT, IT'S COLD!"

Juhoon had set up a small circle of cushions from the couch next to the camping stove where a pot simmered with something remotely close to soup. Or a stew.

Whatever that was, filled the air with canned food.

"Here, sit," He gestured to a spot between him and Seonghyeon. "Eat this, before some big-back here decides to have seconds."

"Unprovoked, by the way," Martin said, sitting in front of you. "I don't eat that much."

"How did you know it was you?" You said, and Juhoon burst out laughing at his shocked figure.

Seonghyeon, next to you, looked at you, really looked at the hoodie he once owned on your frame and let out an annoyed huff. "Don't stain it. I love that hoodie."

"Life goes on," You teased, taking the bowl Juhoon offered you.

And after what felt like an eternity of suffering, you've finally found the right time to say that you found your family.

A family of five boys that dissed each other endlessly and made fun of each other as much as they loved themselves.

And now you were a part of them.

This was your happily-ever-after afterall.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME! MY LEG CRAMPED!" James yelled from the shower.

Well, not that happy? But still, you were satisfied.