Changjo rested his hand against the icy window, letting the frost numb the pads of his fingers as he watched the snow fall. It was now the beginning of January and he had finally and fully accepted his existence as a System. He no longer missed school or his family, he didn't crave human food, and he rarely thought of his life prior to that September. There was no use pining after things you couldn't have, wishing for things that couldn't happen. He was comfortable here in the apartment with his newfound friends. They had spent Christmas together, and Changjo was certain that it was the happiest memory of his life. There hadn't been any presents or fancy food, but they made their own decorations out of cheap construction paper and other craft materials. The entire apartment was an explosion of  snowflakes, red and green chains, sloppily cut out stars, messy Christmas trees, and glitter. Minsoo brought home a DVD that played a video loop of a crackling fireplace and a CD of instrumental holiday songs. They sang them together in the living room as Chunji drank hot chocolate (which Niel and Ricky eyed jealously) until one by one they all drifted off to sleep. Changjo remembered smiling as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, his heart more content than it had ever been. He had fallen asleep on Ricky's shoulder; the two of them having become practically inseparable since Ricky had returned.

Minsoo joked that they were now just as bad as Byunghun and Chunji, but neither Changjo or Ricky cared. There is a certain type of connection that forms between one who willingly gives their blood to a System and the System who drinks it. It was an unexpected result of the Virus that had gone unnoticed by the Project. Changjo had tried drinking Ricky's blood several more times and uselessly attempted to get Ricky to do the same to him. Both of them had become entranced by the bond formed during the bite. Despite this, Changjo still hunted on the streets almost every day, relishing the thrill of the chase and the unique taste of each girl's blood. He was becoming more and more sadistic in his methods; it wasn't just about feeding anymore. It was about playing with them, messing with their minds and utilizing their bodies to satisfy more than just his appetite for blood. He'd never gone too far physically, for no matter how much he craved 'it' he would never even think about doing such a horrible thing to a woman. How ironic, he thought to himself, that even a monster like me couldn't bring himself to do that. He closed his eyes and thought back to a few hours before.

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The sky was a dull grey and hinted at snow, but for now the air was clear. A thin layer of ice coated most of the pavement and there were small, dirty piles of old snow here and there. Changjo walked casually down the street, eyeing the houses on either side of him and using his sense of smell to determine how many people were inside of each one. He could detect his next target while he was still a few blocks away; her blood smelled like honey and she seemed to be home alone.

Changjo walked around to the back of her one story house, looking cautiously around for any signs of an alarm system or witness. The closer he got, the more tantalizing the girl's blood smelled. He turned the handle slightly; it was locked. No problem. He twisted the knob again, this time putting more of his Virus-given strength into it. The lock popped apart and he opened the door as quietly as possible. Changjo crept silently through the kitchen; his nose told him that she was close. 

"Mom?" she called from the next room, her voice quavering slightly, "is that you?" He peeked around the corner and saw her, sitting on a couch and facing the other direction, her black hair tied up in a bun leaving her neck fully on display. Changjo stepped out of the shadows and into the living room, a wicked smirk on his face.

"Do I look like your mom to you?" he asked, walking slowly towards her. She turned and leapt up, her eyes wide with fear.

"Who are you? How did you get into my house?" she cried, but he just laughed. 

"Do you really think I'm going to answer that?" With unnatural speed, he leapt over the back of the couch and landed in front of her. He leaned in close and caught a loose strand of hair that fell to her chin with his long fingers. She gasped and tried to pull back, but his other arm had already s around her waist and held her in place. "You're very pretty," he whispered, his hand caressing her pale cheek. She was stunned into silence, though was open as if she was going to say something. 

"Who--how--" she stuttered, her eyes locked on Changjo's. He smiled again and pushed her backwards until she was sitting on the couch. He gently tipped up her chin with his index finger.

"You're a good girl, aren't you?" his voice was a low and hypnotic purr. She nodded slowly, her eyes becoming glazed over. "You're going to do everything I ask you to, aren't you?" There was a pause before she nodded again. "You want to make me happy, don't you?" Her hands wrapped around his as she nodded again. 

"Yes," she murmured, pulling him closer. He breathed in her honeyed scent as he bent down, their faces close enough to touch.

"Good," he growled. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. His hands broke free from hers and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her down roughly so she was laying on the couch. He climbed on top of her, deepening their kiss and allowing himself to taste her lips. Her arms stayed uselessly at her sides, her whole body limp. He pulled away for a moment. "Touch me," he breathed, and she complied.

Her fingers ran through his hair and across his shoulder blades. Changjo lowered himself so that every part of their bodies were touching, the smell of her blood enveloping him like an intoxicating cloud. His hands roamed her body and their lips barely parted for more than a second. Unable to control his hunger much longer, he moved his way across her jaw, nipping softly at her skin along the way.

"Don't scream or struggle," he said, her neck. Changjo felt her body shiver slightly, and with that he sank his teeth into her flesh. She inhaled sharply, her fingers tangling in his hair. Her blood burst into his mouth and across his tongue, gliding down his throat and sending a tidal wave of pleasure signals to his brain. He gulped at it greedily, grinding their bodies even closer together.

He drank until he felt her grip on his hair loosening. Reluctantly he pulled away, his tongue lapping up the dribbles of blood that ran down her neck and sealing the puncture wounds. Her eyes were half closed, looking at him distantly. She weakly lifted a finger to his chin, wiping off a drop of blood that lingered there. She studied it for a moment, her eyes dark. 

"What did you do to me?" she asked quietly. Changjo leaned forward and the blood off of her finger.

"Nothing that you'll remember," he replied, bending his head down and kissing her once more. "That's what your blood tastes like." A sick grin twisted across his face as she her lips and grimaced.   

"Did I make you happy?" she croaked, her eyes fully closed now. Changjo thought for a second. Happy? No, happy was too innocent of a word to describe what he felt; what he still wanted. He wanted all of her, in every way possible, and to drink her blood until there was none left. He wanted to devour her completely, to feel that ultimate satisfaction of not having to stop. His tongue darted across his lips before he answered. 

"No," he said, standing up and turning to go.

"What?" she cried, looking after him with a glassy yet pleading expression.

"I said no. That wasn't nearly enough," he replied cruelly. Her face fell. 

"Please, you can take more, I'll give you everything," she said, trying to stand. Her legs buckled beneath her and she fell to her knees on the floor. Deep down Changjo knew it wasn't really her talking, that it was something he'd done to her that was making her say it, but he ignored that. How could he refuse when she begged him to take her life? To take everything? He walked back over to her and she pulled feebly on his arm. He knelt down and she clumsily ed his black shirt. Shakily, she pushed it from his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. He shook his head faintly.

"No. I still can't do that..." he said softly. He paused for a moment before shoving her backwards onto the floor, her legs wrapping around his waist and his lips brushing against her neck.

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Changjo didn't turn when Ricky entered the bedroom. His eyes followed a single snowflake as it drifted slowly through the air outside, spinning and twirling until it fell out of sight.

"I think I finally understand why you don't want to drink people's blood. I don't think you really know the reason though," Changjo said, removing his cold hand from the window. Ricky was quiet. 

"Onew's here," he murmured. Neither of them moved for several moments. Changjo didn't turn around until he heard Ricky's footsteps recede into the hallway. He followed him out into the living room, where the others were gathered. Onew was there too, cleaning his glasses with the bottom of his shirt. Minsoo stood by the window, occasionally peeking through the shades at the streets below. He glanced up when Changjo came in the room.

"Well, we're all here now. So what is it, Onew?" Minsoo asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. 

"I have news. Good news, actually," he replied, sliding his glasses up his nose. The other six boys perked up at this statement. "I just received word from the only Resistance member in the United States; they've finished developing a cure for the Virus."

"Wait, what?" Niel cried in confusion, "a cure? Why would the Project make a cure?" Onew smiled patiently at him.

"To control the Virus after it has killed the 'appropriate' number of people. If they just let the Systems run rampant, we would eventually kill off the entire human race. That's not the idea; the Project only wants to kill part of the population."

"But they've made it? It works?" Minsoo asked, looking out the window again. Onew nodded.

"It's 100% complete and available in various forms. There's both an injection and a vapor. They'll use both depending on how many Systems they need to cure at a time. However, they won't be sending it out to other Headquarters for several years, at the least." The smiles that had appeared on everyone's faces faded.

"So we won't get the cure until then? If at all?" Ricky mumbled, his face downcast. Onew paused a moment before replying.

"Well...perhaps not. That depends on you. You five are the only compound in which every System is part of the Resistance. There are some compounds made entirely of the Project's puppets and some that are about half and half. I need someone to go to the States and get the cure from the Resistance member at the master Headquarters. I want it to be all of you. You're the only ones that I can trust." 

"Of course we'll do it," Minsoo replied before the others could even fully comprehend the enormity of such a task.

"I was hoping you'd say that. I didn't want all of the hard work I put into you to go to waste," he said beaming. "You're a very special group of Systems. I've monitored every single one of you and placed you together on purpose. Sometimes the Virus has a tendency to overdevelop, enhancing Systems beyond the norm. It's very rare, but it happens. As you may have guessed by now, each of you has a certain ability that makes you more powerful than other Systems. You might not have discovered what exactly that power is yet, but you have it." Minsoo shifted uncomfortably in the corner, though none of the others noticed.

"What's my power?" Ricky asked, excited. Onew shook his head.

"I can't tell you. You'll have to figure it out for yourself. Anyway, I should be going now. I'll send you more information about your little 'mission' soon. Take care, everyone," he said. He stood, gave them all a nod, and left. The room broke out into feverish chatter as everyone tried to guess everyone else's abilities; except for Minsoo. He quietly crept back into his room and tried to stop the shaking in his hands. He slowly lowered himself to the floor, the vision of his sister's dead body breaking through the walls of his mind and once again dragging him into the hell his memories had become.