As Winnie came to her senses, she slowly open her eyes, which took way more effort than usual. Is she dead? She had no idea. She peered up at the ceiling, noticing the intricate design of the painting. She studied it, taking in all of it, noticing that it resembled that of one she would find in a church or in a museum. Looking around, her surroundings seemed so surreal, from the elegant decorations hanged on the walls of the room to the ornate furniture that seemed to be made for the richest of richest. Even the bed she is laying on is so soft, she can go back to sleep easily is she wanted to. Considering the current state of the city right now, this was surprising, to say the least.

She looked at her arm, to inspect her wound. Her eyes widened when the wound that was there on that fateful day was no where to be seen. Not even a scar can be seen. She was pretty she was stabbed by a glass shard, remembering the pain. Running her hand through her arm, her arm was smooth as silk, soft and delicate. She also noticed that the rest of her injuries were gone too, as if they were nothing but a distant memory. How long was she out for? Surely it had to be a long time if all her injuries to full heal.

She took her time to slowly take in all of her surroundings. This all seemed unreal, as if she was in a dream or another dimension. Is she dead? Probably, she was sure of it. Otherwise she would not be in this luxurious bedroom without any scars or wounds to remind her of what happened.
As she was lost in her thoughts, the door opened. A beautiful young man entered the room. His features were perfect. Slightly toned skin, doe-faced and owl-eyed at complemented his good looks. He was wearing nothing but plain white shirt and black pants, but it made him look at the more innocent. He was handsome, and even that would be an understatement. It was as if god had a sculpture and brought it to life. Simply amazing. Yup, she had to be dead. Winnie could not help but stare that the figure approaching him. As he sat down on a chair beside her, he smiled slightly, revealing rows of his sparkling white teeth. Oh god, so perfect. When he spoke, it was as though honey was rolling out of his tongue, sweet, warm and comforting. “You’re awake, took you long enough. We were starting to wonder if you would even wake at all.”

When Winnie did not register what he had said cause she was too busy staring at his face, he asked, “are you ok?”

Winnie could not help but ask, “Are you an angel?”

The man stared at her in confusion, “What?”

“Is this heaven?” Winnie absentmindedly asked.

“Er…. No…? Are you sure you are okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m more than fine actually.”

“If you say so…”

Just then, the door opened again, and three more men entered the room. Winnie noticed that all of them were good looking, probably as good looking as the first one, if not more. Damn it, did heaven have so many looking guys? Did it did, she could see why she had not died earlier and be sent to heaven faster, she joked to herself. When one of the newcomers spoke, Winnie swears to god he is so perfect.

“Lookie here who’s awake. You’ve been out cold for way too long. Now that you are awake, you look even prettier.” Winnie blushed at the comment. She looked to the owner of that soothing sound. He had a gorgeous tan, and a toned physique. Someone should totally hire him as a model.

“Ok that’s enough JongIn.” Chided another with an angular jaw, but so perfect.  “Give the poor girl some space. She just woke up and this must be a lot to take in.”

Pouting, JongIn replied, “fine, Jongdae. I was just trying to have some fun with her.”

Sighing, the other asked, “so, what’s your name?”

Winnie stared blankly for a long time before she realised that the question was directed at her. “Wi…Win… Winnie. My name is Winnie.” She stuttered softly, forgetting how to speak that brief moment. God, these boys have to stop asking questions. She can hardly keep up with her current state of mind. She mentally slapped herself, feeling stupid for losing all of her intelligence in front of this group of handsome guys.

Jongdae gave her a concerned look. “Winnie, you should know how lucky you were. We heard you screaming and the next thing we knew, you passed out. Right there on the street. When we found you were still breathing, we knew we had to do something. We immediately brought you back here to take care of you. We were so worried, Winnie. You were out cold for about three days. By the second day, some of us were certain you could never wake. Luckily, you did.”

Winnie tried to take in whatever he said. Wait, so she’s not dead? So much for thinking she is in heaven now. Then she thought of the group of men she saw before she fainted. Turns out, her calls for help did not fall on deaf ears.

“Erm… so right before I fainted, I saw this group of guys. Was it you?” she asked.

“Yeap. Me, JongIn and Chanyeol, the quiet guy who has not said a word. To be honest, we did not expect to see you. So far, we had not seen any survivors since all these began, and all we expected to see was just more minion. So, we when saw you, we knew we had to do something. We could not lose you. In a way, you gave us hope that there might be more who might have survived.” Jongdae replied.

“You must know how fast I came to your rescue. I ran so fast I almost thought I was flying. I really wanted to teleport both of us back but Jongdae was against it, saying…”

“JongIn!” The other guy snapped at him. “Watch what you are saying. Don’t ever do anything that would reveal who we are.”

Winnie was left even more confused. Minions? Teleport? Revealing who they were? What are they? Some sort of secret society?

Jongdae must have sensed her curiosity, because he said “don’t worry too much my dear. Just know that for now, you are safe with us. And that our doctor YiXing took good care of you. He somehow knows how to work his magic.”

The words doctor and magic seemed slightly off to Winnie, as if there was an underlying meaning to it, but she did not question.

Once again, the door opened, but this time the aroma of food wafted into her nostrils. Winnie’s stomach grumbled, realizing just how hungry she was. After all, its been days since she last ate.

“Talking about me, huh?” The intruded asked, faking offense. “Alright, all of you, out. It’s time for her check up. I would appreciate if all of you could leave us for now so that I can check on my patient.”

Slowly, one by one, they made a beeline for the door. As Jongdae exited, he said a brief “It was nice meeting you, Winnie,” before walking out. Winnie looked at the last guy who never spoke at all. He looked just as handsome as the rest, but something struck him as unique. She could not take her eyes off him. Somehow, he looks so captivating. Maybe it’s because of his hair, which was blonde but somehow bright as if it was on fire. Winnie then looked at the last guy who just entered. This must be YiXing. Somehow, he looks so innocent and loving, and reminded her of a unicorn. Sure enough, the guy introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Zhang YiXing, you can also call me Lay. That’s what everyone nicknames me as.”
Lay the Unicorn. Somehow, the name sounds pleasant in her head. But she’ll stick with YiXing.

“I’m Winnie” She replied, more sure of herself this time.

“How are you feeling Winnie?” He asked, smile genuine.

“Could be worse. Confused and hungry, but other than that, I’m fine.”

“Yes, it could be. You suffered some severe injuries. I’m glad that my treatment worked out well. You look fresh and new.”

Yes, almost too fresh. She was pretty sure her wounds would leave a scar, but no said scar could be found on any part of her body. However, she did not press on the issue. YiXing took her hand gently, checking her pulse, then moving his palm to her forehead.

“You seem to be perfectly healthy, Winnie. Since you said you were hungry, I brought you some food. I have also cleaned your dirty clothes and put them on the table.” Yixing said, reaching for the bowl of porridge. That was Winnie realised. She was so caught up previously she did not notice it at all. She was in a different set of clothing. Had they changed her out of her clothes? Who was the one to dress her? She was also surprisingly very clean. Had someone washed her up? She panicked, but soon calmed down when YiXing explained. “Relax, we did not see anything, or do anything, if that is what you are worried about. You were so filthy we had to clean you up.”

Winnie tried to reason with herself. She should be grateful that someone took care of her. After all, nothing bad could have happened, right? Right? Winnie looked at YiXing, as she looked at his innocent puppy face, she thought that maybe she was over-reacting and such a person who never do something to make her feel uncomfortable. As Yixing brought a spoonful of porridge to , she rejected it.

“I can take care of myself, thanks.” Winnie said, reaching for the bowl and spoon to prove it.

YiXing smiled back at her, standing up. “Glad to hear it. I have to go now to attend to other matters. Call me if you need anything, I’ll be outside at the living room.”

After YiXing left, Winnie wolfed down on her food. She could not even begin to fathom how good it was. By the time she had emptied the bowl, she was craving for more even though she was full. She would just have to wait until YiXing brought her more. Putting the bowl aside, she looked around the room. Her clothes were on the table just as YiXing had said, folded neatly on top. Next to the pile of clothes was her duffel bag. The boys must have brought it back for her. Opening the bag, she looked through the contents. All of her belonging were still there as they were. Taking out her charger and her phone, which batteries’ now dead, she plugged it into a power socket. She turned it on, trying her luck with it. Damn it, still no signal. There was no way to her to connect to anyone. To her friends. To her family.

Winnie thought of what Jongdae had said earlier. There might be more who might have survived. After all, she could not be the only one right? Even though Winnie would get worried sick every time she thought of Unnie and Oppa, she had to trust that they were fine. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock through the door. The door crept open slightly, a face poked through the gap. Winnie recognised the face. It was the doe-faced boy that she first met.

“Can I come in?” He asked, unsure.

“Sure.” Winnie could not see why not.

The boy walked in gingerly and sat down on the chair next to her bed. “You seem to feel a lot better. What are you doing?”

Winnie giggled at his shyness. “Nothing” Winnie replied as she sat back down on her bed. “By the way, I have not gotten to know your name.”

“Oh, Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo smiled, and Winnie thinks that he cannot get any cuter than that. They spent the rest of the day chatting. Winnie learnt much in that time. She had learnt that ever since she arrived at the place, Kyungsoo had been watching over her, taking care of her while YiXing was away. She also learnt that there were a total of 12 boys living in the same house they are in, of which the leader was named Suho, and they call themselves EXO. Strange name for a group. They all seemed to live a happy and blissful life, oblivious to the happenings of the world outside their well-fortified fences. But she knew that was not the case, as Kyungsoo explained that everyday since this had all began, they had sent out groups to look for survivors like Winnie herself, and they have been fighting back the zombie-like creatures they call ghouls. A strange group with strange boys indeed. As for fearing for their safety, Kyungsoo assured Winnie that they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. As far as she can gather, the entire Seoul has been run over, and has pretty much turned into a ghost town, and most likely the rest of Korea as well. Winnie then thought of Unnie and Oppa, but when she explained what had happened to them, Kyungsoo simply held her hand and told her not to worry. “Have faith,” he said. They could have run away or be hiding at the moment. Besides, it was too dangerous to leave right now and travel all the way Incheon. All the transportation hubs in the city were completely destroyed and it would take days just to reach Incheon, leaving them exposed to those creatures, and harsh conditions, without proper food and shelter. Winnie saw wisdom in his eyes, and decided to trust him. For now, she would just have to pray that they would be all right.

The sun was setting their chatting session was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. “Come in.” Kyungsoo shouted and the door opened to reveal an unfamiliar handsome face. “Ah Winnie, this is our leader, Suho.” Explained Kyungsoo, introducing the latter. “Suho, her name is Winnie,” needing no future explanation.

“Greetings Winnie,” Suho said, extending his hand. Winnie took it, exchanging hand shakes. Something about Suho felt so charismatic, so mature. He felt like an older brother, a sunbae. Winnie could see why he was the leader. “I suppose the boys have been taking good care of you?”

“Yes, yes, they all did, especially Kyungsoo and YiXing.” She gave him a reassuring smile, and looked at Kyungsoo, whose cheeks was a shade of pink.

Suho chuckled a little. “Well you are welcome to stay as long as you like Winnie. We will take good care of you, and provide you with all you need. You will be safe with us, I promise.”

Winnie was not so sure about that. While she did appreciate all that the boys had done for her so far, she did not want to take their hospitality for granted. Plus, she still had to find out what happened to Unnie and Oppa. Instead, she just responded with a “Yes, thank you.”

“Well, if you are feeling better, you should join us for dinner. I’m sure the rest of the boys would be eager to meet you. You’ve been the talk of the group for days.”

Kyungsoo looked at her expectantly, wanting her to say yes.

“Yes. That’ll be great. Let me go get changed first.” Winnie waved, gesturing for them to leave the room so that she can get changed.

“See you downstairs, Winnie,” Kyungsoo said as he left the room.

Winnie opened her duffel bag, looking for something appropriate to wear. Finding one that she thinks might suit the occasion, she removes the pajamas she was wearing all day and puts on the outfit. Looking at herself in the mirror, she forgot one thing. Make up. Applying some basic foundation, not wanting to over do it, but look presentable at the same time. She looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She looked kind of cute in the reflection.

It was her first time out of the bedroom. Nervous, she pushed a door, revealing a lavished corridor. Wow, these boys must be filthy rich to afford a house like that. As she scanned the house, she cannot even begin to fathom how much wealth the boys must possess. She remembered those rich households that she would see in dramas, but she was seeing it for real, and so much bigger. It was a place she had dreamt of living in all her life.

She headed to the sound of laughter and chattering. As she approached a warm and cozy dining room, a welcoming sight greeted her. The air wafted a heavenly smell, and Winnie’s stomach grumbled. A dozen boys were chatting happily with one another, and setting up the dinner table. Kyungsoo made his way up to her, greeting her.

“So glad you could make it. I hope you enjoy the food I made.” Well, it was highly doubtful she would not, considering how aromatic the smell is.
“Hey, look who’s here. My beautiful princess, as always! Care to join me for dinner?” JongIn interjected.

After shooing the latter away, Kyungsoo sat her down on one of the chairs beside him, and handed her plate full of mouth-watering food. Dinner was a joyous affair. All the boys soon noticed her and begin talking to her, asking a non-stop flow of questions. Winnie struggled to keep up with answering all of them, obviously flustered. They seemed to be so interested, so intrigued with her, they showered her with attention. It was only until Suho had commanded them to stop harassing her that they left her alone, and began talking amongst themselves. Winnie soon learnt all of their names, and that ZiTao, or Tao, was the clumsy one in the group, often causing trouble. Once, he had dropped his spoon on the floor, and another time he had spilled his soup over, causing a ruckus and earning disapproving remarks from the others. Baekhyun was the chatterbox of the group, never stopped talking. Winnie also learnt Kyungsoo was considered the rest as the ‘chef’ of the group, which was totally understandable. Kyungsoo shy away from the compliments, which Winnie thinks was adorable.

After they had their scrumptious meal, the group headed to the living room. Winnie wanted to stay back and help Kyungsoo, but he insisted he was fine. Winnie proceeded to join the others, and made several new friends in the household. The first was Baekhyun, who she had no problems talking to. Their personalities instantly clicked, as if they were long lost friends trying to catch up on gossip. Minseok and Jongdae were pretty nice too, although they preferred to stick to each other’s company, cuddling and sharing whispers. Winnie thinks that they seem to be in love, but chooses not to say anything. It would be just rude, considering she barely knows them. Luhan and Sehun were pretty cool people, too. They didn’t say much, but Winnie would always welcome their company. Kris felt like a big brother to her, seeing his height and how he showed concern for her. But what really got her attention was Chanyeol, who seemed to be so distant, so lost in his own world. Somehow, he had a cold demeanor, which made him look slightly intimidating. Also kind of like the bad boy type. Winnie thought. When asked about Chanyeol, Baekhyun simply replied “Don’t worry about him. He might seem like an at first, but he actually is a really nice person. He’s just not used to having you around. Just give him a few days, I promise.”

As they chatted into the night, Winnie grew weary. She stifled a yawn, and looked around. The conversation had died down, so she excused herself. The boys yelled a chorus of “good night” as Kyungsoo escorted her back to her room. As Winnie showered and got ready for bed, she thought of the events that unfolded today. Smiling, Winnie drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Back out in the living room, a heavy discussion was going on. “Nothing found so far,” said Kris. “Just more and more of those filthy minions, and more debris.”

“This is pointless!” Chanyeol exclaimed. “We are barely making any progress so far, and here we are, playing babysitter to this random Winnie girl. She is just going to slow us down. I say we throw her out once we get the chance.”

A outcry of protest can be heard.

“Yah! Chanyeol-ah!”

“Are you insane? How can you be so heartless?”

“And what? Leave her to die, to be eaten alive? What if she becomes one of the other minions?”

“Fine. If you guys aren’t up for it, I will personally make sure she leaves!”

“Silence!” Suho’s voice rang across the room. “I don’t want to hear anymore about this. My decision is final. I have welcomed Winnie to stay as long as she likes, and even if she wants to leave, it’s her decision. We will respect that. And no, Chanyeol, I would never do such a thing. What better are we than those creatures if we cannot even show sympathy for a simply human life? What are we, if not monsters? As for our progress, yes we have to step it up. Each day our enemy grows, and we cannot afford to sit idle. Fortify our barriers, and we have to double our efforts. And you Chanyeol, you are not to lay a finger on Winnie…”