You closed the door to the roof behind you, surprised that there werenât more zombies in that building. Not that it mattered. You were done running and fighting. You had already watched all of your friends and family get taken. You had watched strangers fall to the hands of zombies.
You didnât know why or how you had survived, but the constant fear was too much to handle. Especially while you were alone.
Everyone knew that to even get to safety you needed two people.
You walked to the edge of the roof, shivering slightly in the wind. If you had planned on being around longer, you might have taken the time to ransack some of the apartments and try and find a coat. The cold was making the zombies move more slowly, which only made it easier to come up here and end it all. You wouldnât be a zombie. You would just be a splat on the sidewalk that had no one left to care.
âAreâŠyou alive?â A soft voice asked from behind you.
You flinched and turned, losing your balance.
âNo!â He lunged forward and grabbed you, then pulled you farther onto the roof for safety, crushing you in a hug.
You were still a little stunned, but you werenât about to object. Just having someone else alive for a moment that seemed to be just as desperate as you was such a relief.
Finally he pulled away and looked down at you. âHi.â
âHello.â
âUh, sorry, IâŠdonât speak English good,â He said carefully, gripping your hands. âPlease donât jump. IâŠdonâtâŠaloneâŠâ
You looked up at him. âYou donât want to be alone.â
He shook his head, eyes sad and plaintive. âI am from Korea. MyâŠfamilyâŠgone.â He said something else in Korean, but you didnât understand.
You nodded slowly. âMy family too.â
âMy friendsâŠthey waitingâŠâ He struggled to get the words out.
âTheyâre somewhere safe?â
He nodded, holding up a phone. âBefore died, call.â
Realization sunk in. He couldnât get there alone. He had people who cared about him waiting, but his family had been overtaken by the zombies. He needed you. Alive.
âPlease,â He said, his voice so sad and plaintive.
You looked down, then back up and tapped your chest. âY/n.â
He managed a wavering smile. âJimin.â
âThe apartments, we have to be careful, but we can get supplies. I need a coat.â You pointed toward the roof door.
He nodded, understanding at least.
âMaybe we can find a charger?â You suggested. Actually, from what you could tell, there was still electricity and the water supply was still clean here so if you two found an empty apartment it would do you both good to shower and eat and stock up on whatever supplies you could find.
He seemed to understand where you were going with it and nodded. He picked up his weapon, a baseball bat, and he opened the door first, leading the way down.
You picked up the machete you had taken from a stranger that was infected. You had been using an axe, but it was too heavy and too slow for you to continue carrying.
The two of you inspected the first apartment that had the door opened. It was dangerous to open closed doors because it was impossible to tell what was behind the door. Zombies were apparently unable to open the doors, and had to be motivated to try and break down the doors.
You two looked at each other and nodded.
He hurried to close the door and barricade it while you started searching the closets for a coat that would keep you warm, and maybe a new backpack to shove supplies in since yours ripped last night while you were fighting off a horde of zombies.
This had definitely been a bachelorâs apartment. A very tall bachelor.
You tested the shower, finding towels and soap in the cabinet.
Jimin found you in there. âYou shower. I find food. Then I shower.â
You nodded, hesitating, and then hugging him.
He held you tightly, breathing shakily.
âThank you for being alive,â You whispered, then pulled away. You then grabbed one of the clean t-shirts from the closet of the former resident. Your shirt was disgusting. Itâd be nice to wear something clean for the first time in a while.
The water wasnât hot, but it was blissful to get all the dirt, blood, and grime off and to just smell like soap.
When you went back out, he had found some food and was heating it up carefully on the stove.
He looked over and gave you a smile. âBetter?â
You nodded. âYour turn. Did you find a charger?â
He nodded, pointing over to where his phone was charging. âI call after we eat. If I can.â
You took over cooking. âGo shower.â
He nodded and went to raid the closet before taking his shower.
You looked through what else he had found, checking the things he had set aside. It should be enough to last you guys a week. Maybe there was more food in the other apartments. You two had to make it down another thirty stories, it couldnât hurt to ransack a few more apartments. Maybe find some womenâs clothing that fit you.
He came back out not long after the food was finished cooking, and the two of you scarfed down the meager portion you both allowed yourselves in relative silence.
Then you nodded toward his phone. âCall.â
He nodded going over and grabbing his phone. âThey call meâŠmuch.â
âThey tried calling you while your phone was dead.â
He nodded, bringing his phone over to show you the notifications. Then he brought up a picture of him with six other guys.
You smiled. âCall.â
He chewed his lip and went into his contacts, picking the one that had called him most recently and hitting the call button. He put it on speaker.
âJimin?!â The person answered after two rings, and soon other voices were exclaiming in the background.
Jimin almost sobbed. âHyung? Byeolil eobji?â
There were multiple voices overlapping each other, all speaking so quickly you couldnât make out what was being said.
âYe,â He replied. âNaneun sal-a issda.â
Someone on the other end got the others to be quiet with a loud yell, then spoke to Jimin.
âYe. Ye, hyung,â Jimin looked at you then took your hand. He kept speaking with them, and you just listened, not understanding and yet seeing that his motivation to survive was rising.
The other men on the line would pipe up now and then, asking questions. Four of them from what you could tell.
âBogo sipeo, Jimin-ssi,â A new voice said as the conversation started to slow down.
âBogo sipeo. Saranghae,â Jimin replied, looking down at you. He said something that was obviously him saying he needed to hang up.
That made them get a little louder, but they mostly seemed to be saying they loved him, and probably to be careful.
âAnnyeonghaseyo,â He said it a little stronger, though you could tell he just wanted to sound stronger so they wouldnât worry.
You wiped a tear that escaped away from his cheek as he hung up. âWeâll get to them.â
He offered you the phone.
You stared at it, then looked up at him and shook your head. âNo one.â
He squeezed your hand. âWe get to them. Safe. You and me. Team.â
You nodded and turned back toward the table, wrapping your arms around your knees. âTeam.â You sat there another moment, then took a deep breath and forced yourself back to your feet to finish searching the house for supplies. You went into the bathroom first, opening all the usual places one would keep medicine, grabbing the bottles of over-the-counter drugs and then reading the prescription labels. You recognized some of the drugs, but couldnât place what they were for from memory. You bagged them. You could figure out what they did later. Maybe you could find some sort of clinic that wasnât flooded with zombies and find a medical dictionary or something.
âHere,â He said beside you, making you jump. He was holding a bag. âI keep medicine here.â
You nodded, dumping the medicine in the bag. âI need a backpack.â You mimicked having straps on both of your shoulders, just in case he didnât understand.
He nodded. âI look.â He went back out.
You went out and started tearing up one of the clean sheets into strips that could be used for bandaging.
He came back in shaking his head, then just stared for a moment and smiled. âNo backpack. I get some clothes. We check other place.â
âOkay,â You said, rolling the bandages up.
He sat next to you. âWe survive together. No more alone.â
You sighed, relief flooding over you again. âNo more alone.â
âââ
âJust a little farther,â You murmured, breathing heavily.
He nodded, tucking his arm around you so that you could both support each other. âWeâre almost there.â
You adjusted your grip on the machete.
The two of you had been fighting and making your way toward the sanctuary for a month now. You both had cried on each otherâs shoulders, saved each otherâs lives, and kept the other going. You taught each other your languages, and he picked up yours much better than you picked up his.
He told you about his friends, now his only family. His motivation for making it to safety.
âCall them. Weâll need them to open the gate for us,â You told him, turning to look around and make sure the two of you were safe.
He nodded and pulled out the phone, turning it on. âLast call.â
You pulled away from him, keeping an eye on your surroundings to protect him while he made the call.
Two zombies attacked while he made the call, but they were moving slowly and you easily killed them.
Jimin hung up and turned to you. âCome on, y/n. They waiting for us. Theyâre excited to meet you.â
âTheyâre more excited to see you again.â You hugged him, grateful again that he was with you. The horrors you had seen since meeting him had almost doubled, and you were sure that if you had faced them alone or lost him you would easily have given up and just died. Maybe called his friends and told them not to expect him. If they even understood.
He placed a kiss on your head. âLetâs go.â
The two of you made your way downhill, ready to fight.
And you did fight. You lost count of how many zombies you had to face to get to the gate.
He constantly checked to make sure you were with him, and you did the same with him. You both were too close to freedom to lose the other.
Finally, the two of you reached the gate, clearing the area in front of it while the gate was opened.
Some people came out and helped hold back the zombies until you were both inside and the gate was closed.
They checked you both over, making sure neither of you were infected, giving you clean clothing after making sure you were both clean.
It was unnerving, being separated from him and surrounded by strangers after so long. The longer you were away from him, the more wound up you got.
They cut your hair since it was a matted mess, and the clothes they gave you fit you better than what you had been wearing before. All of which just kept you away from him longer.
You were ready to panic, following the women out into the clear air of the town.
Jimin emerged from the building next to you and hurried to your side, pulling you into his grasp. âHi.â
You smiled, relaxing into his grasp. Finally letting your guard down. âWeâre safe.â
âWeâre safe,â He replied, echoing your words and kissing your head as he had become accustomed to doing after the two of you almost lost each other two weeks ago.
âLetâs find your friends,â You told him, pulling away and smiling up at him.
He grinned and nodded.
The two of you started walking along the road, knowing that his friends were waiting for him.
âJimin-ssi!â Someone hollered, racing toward the two of you.
You stepped away as Jimin was tackled in a hug by one, then six boys, all speaking rapid Korean.
Jimin broke down in tears along with a few of the other boys, hugging all of them individually and clinging to them with relief.
One of them, Namjoon, looked at you finally, obviously emotional. âYouâre y/n.â
You nodded.
He took your hand, holding in both of yours. âThank you. Thank you for getting him here.â
You looked at him, surprised at how well he spoke English. âActually, he got me here. I wasâŠâ
Jimin met your gaze. He and all of his friends were listening.
You recognized them from his photo. You could name all of them, and knew stories about all of them. âHe saved me.â
Jimin pushed through them all to hold you close in his arms. âWe saved each other.â
The boys surrounded you with relieved looks.
Yoongi looked at Namjoon, then pointed up the street. âWe have a house, you two stay with us?â
You dropped your gaze. âI should probably find my own place.â
âNo. Team,â Jimin murmured. âYou and me. Neither of us will be alone. Ever.â
âYouâre our family now,â Namjoon said, still holding your hand. âWeâve all been waiting to meet you. Jiminâs told us so much about you. Weâve also all lost people we care about. We all stick together. Weâre family.â
Jimin placed a kiss on your temple. âSaranghae,â He whispered in your ear, holding you tightly.
You smiled, looking up at him. You knew that your relationship with him would change when the two of you reached the sanctuary, but you had thought he would leave you behind.
âI love you too.â