It was chaos. There were hordes. Hordes of them.
The group of boys tried their best to figure out a safe escape route out of the tight spot they were in but to no avail. The only way they could get out was to fight. Shots were fired everywhere. For every one they killed, it was as if ten more appeared in its place. The group was scattered throughout the roads.
Chan had already run out of ammunition long ago and resorted to his knife. By a stroke of sheer luck, he managed to stick by Soonyoung who had saved him more times than he could count. With fluid and graceful movements, the pair easily killed dozens of zombies. But with fighting came fatigue. Chan got more worn out as the battle progressed.
“Soonyoung, we have to get to one of those buildings. Quick, to the mechanic’s, while there aren’t so many of them around us,” Chan urged. Soonyoung nodded and drove his machete into the head of a zombie. Immediately, both of them bolted for the metal shutters that closed off the garage. Soonyoung lifted the shutter and peeked under it. It looked pretty clear. To be sure, he entered the shop first with Chan close behind.
The sunlight filtered in through the cracks of the bordered up windows. The shop was nothing out of the ordinary, unless you counted the corpses lying on the ground. It was quiet, almost tranquil. A much needed safe haven from the chaos that reigned the outside world.
A groan rang out from behind one of the abandoned cars. They creeped towards the source of the noise, the pair even more wary than before. Catching a glimpse of the familiar head of brown hair, Soonyoung’s jaw dropped. There Wonwoo was, his face a shade of ivory, sitting in a pool of blood.
“Oh my god…” Chan gasped. Wonwoo’s head shot up, eyes widened. “Looks pretty bad doesn’t it?” he whispered, gesturing at his leg. A large gash ran up from his knee to his mid-thigh, bleeding profusely.
“Chan, check if there’s any more zombies around. We have to make sure it’s safe,” Soonyoung said. Chan nodded and began his search.
Soonyoung crouched down and cut off a strip of fabric from his shirt, preparing to tie a tourniquet. Grabbing a nearby wrench, he took a deep breath and got to work. Who knew that he would remember what he learnt from that first aid class from ages ago?
That was when he noticed blood oozing out of Wonwoo’s arm. Soonyoung peeled away the blood soaked fabric and dabbed at the wound with a cloth in a poor attempt to clean it. The wound, previously caked in dried blood, was now more visible. He gasped. It couldn’t be. Nononono. Soonyoung’s head spun and his vision blurred with the tears pricking at his eyes.
A crescent-shaped mark. Shit.
The sudden thud of Soonyoung falling backwards was enough to snap Wonwoo out of his trance.
“What is it? Does it look that bad?” Wonwoo asked.
Soonyoung gulped, shaking his head. He couldn’t kill Wonwoo, one of his closest friends. They had been through so much together, even before the outbreak. Sensing his hesitation in answering, Wonwoo asked again, “Come on, just tell me, I can handle it”.
When Soonyoung still refused to answer, Wonwoo decided to look at it himself.
“Soonyoung, look, I’m going to die anyway, whether you like it or not. I’d much rather die at your hands than become one of those… things, ” Wonwoo said dryly.
“I- I- I can’t,” Soonyoung choked out.
“Soonyoung, I don’t want to turn into a monster. Just close your eyes and do it. Please, ”Wonwoo pleaded. He grabbed Soonyoung’s hand and guided it towards his machete.
A tear glided down Soonyoung’s cheek. It was the least he could do to help his dying friend. To fulfill his final request. Soonyoung grabbed the machete and squeezed his eyes shut.
When Soonyoung was shaken to his senses by Chan, he was already walking away from Wonwoo’s body. He looked over his shoulder and took one last fleeting glance at Wonwoo.
On his face was a ghost of a smile.
a/n: hello!! i’m @hoshbrownie and i’m your seventeen secret santa!!! it’s been really fun being your secret santa!!!! i hope you have a great christmas!!!
