When you live against darkness and evil forces, you have to stay low and go on by codes. Checking up your friend every now and then, even setting a certain act to confirm each other’s identity. All so that you could be sure that who you are with is friend, not foe.

- my overdramatic friend, the night we went camping in the woods.

 

 

 

It was only a knock, a soft one, but loud enough for Seohyun who dozed off near the door to jerk up awake. She narrowed her eyes, waiting, and her wait paid off when someone in the other end imitated a chicken. -a-doodle-doo. Seohyun threw a glance towards the other two girls present in the room before peering through the tiny crack on the door.

 

“It’s unnies,” said Seohyun after a moment, pulling away from the door and signaled an OK. “Judging from the slight crack on the doo in doodle part, it must be Hyoyeon unnie. I mean, she’s never good at imitating chicken…”

 

Yoona and Sooyoung heaved a relieved sigh, their tensed shoulder relaxed simultaneously as they lowered their guns. Seohyun opened the door and stepped back to let the ‘visitors’ in. Hyoyeon came in first, hugging the youngest briefly and pouting because apparently she heard the doo-crack remark. Yuri followed behind with bags of goods, whining jokingly at Hyoyeon to make way for her and the heavy bags in her arms. The last to enter was Taeyeon, who ruffled Seohyun’s hair and told her to lock the door completely now that all of them had been there.

 

“Food!” cheered Sooyoung as her gaze locked at the bags with food brands all over them.

 

“Don’t just cheer like that over there, Choi Sooyoung,” scolded Taeyeon. “Come here and help.”

 

With a laugh, Sooyoung walked over towards Yuri whose arms began to tremble.

 

Yuri and Sooyoung quickly left the room, probably to the storage. Hyoyeon and Seohyun also left, to where, Yoona wasn’t sure. The sight of foods was tempting. Even more to Yoona, who was dubbed as the second shikshin in the group. Considering the fact that they had been lacking of foods for a few days already, it was understandable if Yoona’s stomach growled. But instead of joining Sooyoung, Yoona held back and stayed behind to observe the three ‘newcomers’, looking for scars and wounds.

 

“Taeyeon unnie,” she called softly. “Your right arm is wounded.”

 

Taeyeon checked her right arm and huffed at the obvious scratches and stain of blood. “Ah yeah. Some piece of broken glasses did this. Bumped several times too. But nothing too nasty.”

 

“Still,” said Yoona, “let me treat them.”

 

“Let’s wait for Yuri first,” Taeyeon replied. “She also bruised her shoulder trying to break into the medical store.”

 

“Something appeared?” a new voice asked. Yoona looked to her left and saw Tiffany and Sunny came into the room.

 

“Are they around?” asked Tiffany again in concern, “Was there another encounter?”

 

Taeyeon smiled, letting her head fall onto Tiffany’s shoulder as soon as the latter settled beside her. “It’s not them,” she answered. “But the buildings left are basically hard to break in. We have to use strength, and I admit it’s not easy doing that while being cautious too.”

 

“You should let us to switch role sometimes. We can’t stand still and let you do all the hard work.”

 

“But you have an important role and you’re doing a good job here too.”

 

“Still—“

 

“Are we on the part where we said ‘mum, dad, please don’t fight’ again?” asked Yuri in amusement as she entered the room with Seohyun and Hyoyeon in tail. Seohyun passed the first aid kit box to Yoona, informing her that it had been refilled and upgraded with some new items.

 

The doe-eyed girl looked back and forth between Taeyeon and Yuri, mentally contemplating until the latter spoke up,

 

“Do Taeyeonnie’s first. I can wait—but give Hyoyeon a vitamin.”

 

Yoona nodded and moved to the oldest girl.

 

“Where’s Sooyoung, by the way?” asked Taeyeon. “Ouch, Yoong, be gentle over there—“

 

“I’m never not gentle,” huffed Yoona as she reached for a cotton bud.

 

“Sooyoungie stole a bag of foods and went to Jessica,” said Hyoyeon, gulping two pills Yoona handed her. “I’m forever thankful that she loves her and loves food. God knows no one will be as persistent as she is to Sica about food.”

 

“Speaking of,” Taeyeon spoke, wincing a little bit as Yoona pressed a spot, “We will have to move in a week. The amount of stores around there which have foods is getting lesser.”

 

“Have to try finding more guns and ammo, too,” added Yuri, nodding.

 

“Just when I start to feel comfortable here…” sighed Seohyun, “But I get what you mean, unnie.”

 

Tiffany smiled and ruffled the youngest’ hair. “We’ll try to find a place with a book collections, okay?”

                                                                                                 

“Better yet, I’ll try to go into a bookstore tomorrow,” offered Yuri.

 

Yoona finished the bandage and looked over the tanned girl with a frown. “You can think of that after I’m finished with you,” she said, pointing at her shoulders.

 

“Woah,” Yuri backed away, covering her shoulders with her hands, “it’s just a bruise. This will be healed naturally, no need to go all doctor on me.”

 

“Unnie…”

 

“Please don’t tell me someone will help you to hold me still,” squeaked Yuri as her eyes darted around nervously. Hyoyeon was grinning while Tiffany tapped Taeyeon’s nose, signaling the other to wake up from her almost slumber.

 

“Honestly, unnie, to think that your gangsta aura against zombies is blown away in front of medical treatment…” said Seohyun, flexing her fingers.

 

“Maknae not you too!” Yuri pleaded, eyes widened in horror. She turned towards the leader with puppy eyes, “Tae! Please, you know that this is all just a hassle, right? You’re on my side, right?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO???”

 

Taeyeon stopped shaking her head and hummed, “Well, if you want to go with me tomorrow…”

 

“THIS IS NOT THE WAY!”

 

“Good Lord, she’s speaking too much,” grumbled Yoona as she sheathed the alcohol, “Maknae, Hyo unnie, now!”

 

“ASSA!”

 

“NOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

Yuri fled from the room, followed by Yoona, Seohyun, and Hyoyeon, with the other three girls’ laughter booming in the room.

 

“Is she seriously scared of medical treatment?”

 

Taeyeon’s laughter subsided, although she still sported a smile on her face. “It doesn’t scare her, per se. It’s more of the fact that her body somehow react badly to those ointments and pills.”

 

Tiffany pursed her lips, “Why does she act so exaggerating, then?”

 

“What else,” huffed Sunny, “she wants us to laugh every once in a while, even in the middle of this .”

 

“Speaking of ,” Taeyeon lifted her head from Tiffany’s shoulder and fixed her position, “How’s the research going?”

 

“You know that if Seohyun hears you she will say that every research is not , right?”

 

“That’s why I asked you, you think of it as too.”

 

“Touché.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“I will forever hate you for this,” spat Yuri to a grinning Hyoyeon. “ACK!”

 

“How did you manage to bruise your shoulder to this extent?” asked Yoona as she tightened the bandage, resulting the tanned girl to let out yet another yelp. “Bring an axe later if you want to break into a store!”

 

“Well, it’s not me who’s forgetting to bring sharp things—ACK!” Yuri yelped as Hyoyeon jabbed the side of her waist. “WHAT THE HECK, HYO?!”

 

Hyoyeon innocently grinned back as she growled at her. Beside her, Yoona sighed while Seohyun pinched Hyoyeon’s side to tell her to behave. In Yuri’s opinion, though, Hyoyeon needed more than a pinch. Maybe swap the i with a u. Punch. Now that’s more like it.

 

“Your waist, too?” Yoona scooted closer, her hand reached out to tug on the older girl’s shirt, but Yuri quickly backed away and shook her head.

 

“No. It’s not bad.”

 

“You yelped,” Yoona pointed out. “Unless you’re bitten by them, I don’t see the harm of me checking them for medical reasons.”

 

Yuri vigorously shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself to defend her waist. She knew that Seohyun and Yoona were medical students, but she still didn’t feel convinced when one of them used medical reason as an excuse.

 

“Yoona is right, Yuri unnie.”                                            

 

Now that the two of them used it, though… it’s no more an excuse, it’s downright bullying.

 

“You know what,” said Yuri, arms still around herself to shield her body from possibilities, “My mind has called you guys bully just now.”

 

Hyoyeon snorted. Oh well, Kwon Yuri had made enemies out of two medical students. Things would go very well anytime now…

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“Told you the hives would look nasty.”

 

“It’s urticarial,” Yoona corrected and shook her head, smiling. “I think you still look adorable.”

 

It was the first time in forever both girls perched on the rooftop, hand in hand, just the two of them. Yoona had suggested it as a compensation for the torturing period the older girl had undergone in her and Seohyun’s hands. In Yuri’s opinion, this was a bribe.

 

A bribe she gladly took, mind you.

 

“They itch like hell,” sighed Yuri. “And I can’t scratch them.”

 

“I don’t think Hell itches… fine, it’s not funny. But it’s just for a day or two,” said Yoona, squeezing the older girl’s hand gently. “I’m sorry that you have to go through that, but without the medicines, your bruises would last a week.”

 

Yuri stared at the younger and blinked at the frown forming on Yoona’s lips.

 

“Why are you frowning?”

 

“It’s just that… I know you hate your hives and being the one to tend you the most, I’m practically the one who causes them to appear.” Yoona let out a bitter laugh and looked away, “Never mind, unnie. It’s silly.”

 

“Why would a medical student think of something silly?” said Yuri. “I’m sure it’s not silly.”

 

“Will you think of your hives when you’re reminded of me?” mumbled Yoona. “See, it’s silly. I don’t even know why I’m worried of such things, geez.”

 

“Of course I won’t think of my hives,” answered Yuri, eyes widened. “Yah, turn around and look at me. How am I supposed to correct your answer and make you believe that I’m honest about it if I can’t see your eyes.”

 

“No.”

 

“Come ooooon, I’m having hives, play nice with me.”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Doctor, please?”

 

“Dooon’t wanna.”

 

“Do you? Fine, I’ll just do what I want, then.”

 

Yoona scowled at the sky, feeling stupid at her brain for even thinking of such question. It’s silly, why couldn’t Yuri see that? Why had she grown quiet, anyway? There were rustles, but no voice. Yoona didn’t want to turn and look, she had said she didn’t want to. But the silence on her side made her curious, too…

 

“What—“ Yoona exclaimed, surprised as she felt something settled on her lap. She automatically looked down, eyes widened and ready to react in the worst possible way ever, only to found a grinning Yuri looking back at her.

 

The older girl had laid her head onto her lap.

 

Yoona recovered herself from shock and laughed, flicking Yuri’s forehead lightly. “Unnie, you startled me.”

 

“Did I?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“First list, when I’m reminded of you, I will think of your lap,” Yuri mused, eyes closed in contentment. She sighed blissfully, “It’s comfortable.”

 

Yoona laughed lightly at that. Her shoulders relaxed as she watched Yuri’s calm expression. It was so different from the annoyed one Yuri had after they finished the medical treatment moments ago.

 

As the nightfall’s breeze blew lightly on them, Yoona let her hand to come up and thread between Yuri’s dark locks, the older girl’s head gently.

 

“Not gonna lie, this will be my favorite time in a while,” Yuri whispered. “This is comfortable.”

 

“My lap is never uncomfortable,” the younger bragged.

 

“Not going to refute that,” Yuri agreed, laughing lightly. She opened her eyes and searched for a pair of doe eyes. She found them, and she smiled.

 

“Second list, when I’m reminded of you, I will think of your hands and how comfortable they feel when they have their way through my hair.”

 

Up above several stars are starting to be seen, but all Yuri saw was Yoona again. Yoona’s beaming face, her happy face that Yuri swore fitted her better than anything.

 

Yoona’s smile faltered as she noticed Yuri silently gazing at her.

 

“Is there… something in my face?”

 

Yuri shook her head. “Nope.”

 

Silence descends as they gazed at each other’s eyes quietly, no words spoken, no move given except Yoona’s hand smoothly threading its way through Yuri’s hair. It was calm and perfect. In the midst of the apocalypse, in the midst of dying possibilities among encounters with friendly zombies, their little time of peace felt as if it could stay that way forever.

 

“Hey…”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Yuri tapped the younger’s nose lightly with her finger. “I’m thinking of a very sad thing right now.”

 

Yoona’s brows curled up. “What is it?”

 

“I’m thinking about my funeral…”

 

Yoona’s hand paused. “What?”

 

Yuri tapped the younger’s nose once again and offered her a smile, but Yoona’s lips formed a scowl that read ‘elaborate or I will forbid you access to my lap forever’.

 

“It’s nothing. It’s just that, you know how people say eulogies on one’s funeral?”

 

Yoona was still scowling, and despite of how adorable Yuri found her, Yuri knew she had to explain further. She took a deep breath and added,

 

“In one’s funeral, people will say nice things about the passed one… and… I’m just, wondering, you know? What will you say…”

 

Yoona’s brows stopped curling, and her frown began to disappear.

 

“Sometimes, I just wish people would say what they have to say while I’m still able to hear them…”

 

One year living near her made it possible for Yuri to detect the sadness behind the understanding smile Yoona had right now. It made her curious.

 

“So… what will you say? In my funeral?”

 

Yoona’s hand resumed its work to soothe the nerves in her hair.

 

“Do you want the brutally honest version or the ordinarily honest version?”

 

Yuri felt her eyes begin to flutter close as the younger’s hand worked its wonders on her. She started to feel a little bit sleepy, but Yoona’s question got her attention…

 

“Brutally honest?” she whispered, already half-dozing off.

 

Yoona hummed softly, as if serenading her to sleep, and Yuri felt her eyelids obeyed the younger’s soothing voice as they began to close.

 

Yoona’s hum stopped the moment her eyes were closed completely.

 

Yuri’s eyes were closed, but her ears were wide open.

 

A soft mumble of ‘I love you’ wasn’t lost in the silence of the night.

 

Yuri was half thankful that her eyes were closed as Yoona’s words made their way to her ears.

 

The way she said it…

 

Yuri waited, for an explanation, but it never came. Their regular breathing was the only ones filling the air.

 

“Why?” Yuri whispered, breaking the silence, and Yoona’s hand stopped moving for the second time.

 

“Why… why do you want to say it in my funeral?”

 

Yoona must be frozen, because her hand was still when Yuri’s eyes fluttered open. Doe eyes stared at brown orbs, and somehow Yuri could see something flickered in the other’s gaze… insecurity?

 

“Why don’t you say it now?” Yuri asked softly, her heart slowly raised its pace against her ribcage. “Why do you want to wait until I can’t hear you?”

 

Yoona swallowed.

 

Yuri could hear the silent question rang in her ears again. Brutally honest or usual honest…

 

The younger smiled slightly, but Yuri noticed that it didn’t reach her eyes.

 

“Because I love you in a way you can never reciprocate, unnie…”

 

Yuri stared at her and felt her brain going in frenzy. “What are you—”

 

Yoona tapped her nose lightly, her smile widened. But Yuri knew her, she knew her too well, she knew the younger too freaking well that she could see the sadness behind that smile.

 

“I love you, silly…”

 

The way she said it…

 

“I love you as in wanting to see you happy… while at the same time be the one who can makes you happy.”

 

Those doe eyes, they started to get misty.

 

“I love you in a sense that my ultimate happiness is to be with you, being the one you smile the brightest to, making you feel like you’re the most special person in this world, taking care of you and your wounds, and growing up together until death do us apart…”

 

A tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it off as quick as Yuri inhaled her breath.

 

“And I… wish I could hold it in me until the end…”

 

“And only say it when you can’t hear me…”

 

“Because… you’d never feel guilty, then…”

 

“You’d never feel sorry for not feeling the same…”

 

“And you’d never see me with such pity.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

Taeyeon blinked and rubbed her eyes before refocusing her eyes again. She frowned as she realized that she saw it just right.

 

Why was Yuri sleeping on the couch?

 

As far as her memory served her, Yuri and Yoona excused themselves to go have some alone time (‘alone my ’, Tiffany politely said) and that usually meant that they would share a room together.

 

Putting away her question for later, Taeyeon approached the sleeping girl and shook her shoulder lightly.

 

“Yuri-ah, time to hunt.”

 

It was until the fourth shake, never the fifth, when Yuri finally stirred and grimaced lightly.

 

“Hnngh… already?”

 

Taeyeon grinned, “Or do you want me to exclude you today?”

 

“Are you crazy?” The tanned girl groaned, and slowly moved to sit. “What are you going to do without me, trying to break into a store by knocking politely?”

 

“Why are you not in Yoona’s room, Yul?”

 

For a split of second, Yuri froze. It was quickly gone the moment Sooyoung entered the living room, but Taeyeon caught it clear. Yuri turned to see the new person coming into her view, leaving the question unanswered.

 

“What, this giant will be going too?”

 

Sooyoung raised her brows. “I’m taking Hyo’s part, she’s knocked out from yesterday. You? How’s your hives doing? We can’t have you scratching your nape when our old friends show up, you know.”

 

“Ha ha ha.” Yuri rolled her eyes and got up, “I’ll prepare, give me fifteen minutes.”

 

“Fetch me an axe, will you?” said Sooyoung before she completely disappeared from the other two’s sight. “I wouldn’t want Yoona to go berserk at me because you bruise your shoulder again!”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“Yoong, get up, you haven’t eaten breakfast!”

 

Yoona hid her head under the pillow and groaned. She didn’t want to eat breakfast. She didn’t want to do anything. She only wanted to curl up on the bed, wallowing in her self-pity and regretting yesterday.

 

“Can you excuse me, unnie? I’m sleepy… I want to go to sleep early tonight.”

 

No, she hadn’t been sleepy. She had been running away. She had been running away because Yuri had stared at her with an unreadable expression on her face and Yoona hadn’t dared to ask what it meant.

 

“Yoong!” Tiffany tried again, knocking. “Come on, we leave you some foods. Even Jess ate two plates, why aren’t you coming out? The menu is delicious!”

 

Yoona grumbled. She didn’t want to do anything but disappear today, why couldn’t anyone understand?

 

“Honestly, Yoong, come out already! Hunting Team has left so you don’t have to compete against Sooyoungie! And Yuri left a note for you too!”

 

Yoona’s eyes widened. She immediately sat up and yelled,

 

“What did you say!?”

 

A loud grumble of ‘seriously?’ was heard from the other end. “I SAID BREAKFAST, YOONA. NOW.”

 

Yoona rolled her eyes and got up, leaving her bed. She opened the door and met Tiffany’s annoyed face. She pouted, muttering sorry, and walked away to the kitchen.

 

It wasn’t long until she reached her destination. She looked at the fridge, note-less. The sink was clean of dishes. Yoona glanced at the table and her heart thumped. On the table were plates of food. A glass of juice. A portion of pudding.

 

A folded paper.

 

Her hands trembling, Yoona picked the folded paper up and slowly unfolded it. There was a sentence written on it, and judging from the messy scribbles, it was written in a rush. Yoona smiled slightly as an image of a rushing Yuri picking up a pen and a paper to write something on the kitchen’s table.

 

Slowly, she read the content.

 

Third list, when I’m reminded of you, I will think of your love for me.
- KY.

 

Yoona felt her heart torn between wanting to take comfort from the words, and wanting to believe that Yuri did it out of pity. She sighed and folded the paper back.

 

She felt uneasy.

 

Glancing at the foods served, she frowned. It wasn’t the food that made her feel uneasy. Then what? May it not be them…

 

Pocketing the folded paper, she turned away, determined to go to Jessica’s room upstairs.

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“You’re positive that you bring the axe, right?”

 

Sooyoung rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Duh, captain, they’re right here on my hands. How you even think that there’s a possibility of me not being positive is beyond me.”

 

“Now you two, be nice or I’ll drop you halfway,” warned Taeyeon as she took a turn. She looked at the rear mirror to meet Yuri’s gaze, “So our target is a bookstore, a convenient store, and a cop’s office? Is that all?”

 

“There’s a meat shop near the cop’s office, I say we take a look if we have time,” Yuri added. “Other than that, yeah, we’re done.”

 

“Why don’t we just barge into the hypermarket?” Sooyoung asked.

 

“We have. Last week.”

 

“Speaking of last week,” Taeyeon cut in, “we kinda agreed that our ultimate destination is the harbor, steal a ship, and go freaking away from Korea.”

 

“We’ll have to inspect the ship thoroughly, though,” mused Yuri. “We have to make sure it won’t be a swimming graveyard.”

 

“True. According to Jessica, there will be some of them in the harbor at this moment. We have to take precautions.” Taeyeon took another turn, and then she sighed. “Guys, let’s be careful today.”

 

Sooyoung gulps. “Why?”

 

“They’re around, huh,” Yuri remarked.

 

Taeyeon nodded, tightening her grips. “Jessica said they’ll be more aggressive too. Let’s… let’s come back alive.”

 

Yuri and Sooyoung shared a look and nodded.

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

Yoona paced around the door and glanced at the clock. She felt restless. Because of why, she wasn’t sure.

 

“Is it your shift to guard the door?”

 

Yoona looked at Sunny and shook her head. “It’s Sooyoung unnie’s turn but she’s substituting for Hyo unnie.”

 

“Where’s that dwarf?”

 

“Knocked out in her bed.”

 

“Seohyun?”

 

“Research room with Tiffany unnie.”

 

“Jessica?”

 

“Tower. Watching out like usual.”

 

“Huh.” Sunny grabbed the gun on the table and walked to the couch nearby, “Guess I’ll have to accompany you, then.”

 

They fell silent as the only sounds filling the air were the clock’s tick tock and their breathing. Every now and then, Yoona would glance at the clock and frowned. Sunny noticed it, but she didn’t comment.

 

“Unnie.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Do you think Yuri unnie loves me?

 

Yoona swallowed. “How’s the research going?”

 

Sunny stared at her weirdly. “I’m sure that’s not what you were going to ask just now, but okay. The research is going okay. Not okay good, but okay bad,”

 

Yoona halted. “Is that a pop reference or literature reference I don’t know?”

 

“Never mind.”

 

“Okay.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

Yuri didn’t know why she was assigned with Sooyoung. Might be because Taeyeon liked being alone, but Yuri thought they had to be extra careful? Didn’t that mean they had to stick together or something…

 

“Achooo!”

 

Yuri glared at her companion, “Please tell me you aren't about to sing Lovelyz’ song.”

 

“What the Hell dude,” Sooyoung exclaimed, “it’s a natural phenomenon, it’s not like I can hold it in.”

 

“Singing Ah-Choo isn’t a natural phenomenon. Get your fact straight.”

 

“I mean sneezing, God!”

 

Yuri stared at her calmly. After several beats of silence, she spoke, “Are you done?”

 

“Done what?”

 

“Speaking to God?”

 

Sooyoung bumped her head to the wall nearby and groaned. She didn’t know why she was assigned with Yuri. Might be because Taeyeon wanted a privacy to look for questionable things (like, you know, pictures), but hadn’t they had to be extra careful? Didn’t that mean they had to stick together or something? Honestly…

 

“Grrrwl.”

 

“Are you for real?” Yuri sighed, “No, not EXO. Please no.”

 

“That wasn’t me!” defended Sooyoung, frowning.

 

“Then who?”

 

They looked at each other. Silence.

 

“Grrrawwllllllaarwrwwr.”

 

Sooyoung hadn’t opened . Neither had Yuri. And Taeyeon never sounded that horrible; heck, even Sunny in her sleep-talking mode sounded nicer than that.

 

“Hey, Soo?”

 

Sooyoung gulped. “Yeah?”

 

“Run.”

 

“Run?”

 

“GRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

 

“RUN!”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“So how’re you and Yuri going?”

 

Yoona choked on her juice. She coughed several times while Sunny looked at her in amusement.

 

“Unnie!” Yoona gasped, finally able to speak. “You shouldn’t give me juice only to make me choke on it!”

 

“How would I know that you’d choke on it like that?” Sunny innocently countered. “My question is harmless, it’s your fault you’re surprised.”

 

“Why would you ask that anyway?” grumbled Yoona. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

 

“Riiight.” Sunny sipped on her tea, smirking at the look of disbelief Yoona gave to her.

 

“I’m serious, unnie!”

 

“Of course. I was agreeing with you, Yoong.”

 

“But I—“

 

“Guys!” Both girls looked at Tiffany who came running to the living room, frantic. “They haven’t come back yet??”

 

Yoona and Sunny shared a look, and then they stared at the panting girl, shaking their head in unison.

 

“My God!” Tiffany paced around, anxious. “This is bad. Bad. What should I do—“

 

“What happened?” Sunny asked. Yoona leaned forward, not sure she wanted to know what ‘bad’ Tiffany’s bad meant, but too curious not to know.

 

“Me and Seohyun have discovered something more about them,” Tiffany said, wringing her hands in nervousness. “The virus makes them able to navigate by hearing.”

 

“Hearing?”

 

Tiffany nodded, ruffling her hairs in frustration. “They can’t see or smell. But they can hear. That’s the simple version.”

 

“That’s bad,” Yoona spoke up in worry. “Yuri unnie and Sooyoung unnie like to banter. Loudly.”

 

“What’s more,” said Tiffany, stress clearly showed on her face, “Jess said she found them wandering around our targets.”

 

“…………”

 

“…………”

 

“Sunny unnie, didn’t we have a motorbike in the garage?”

 

Sunny swallowed, “No. Yuri had abandoned it somewhere last week.”

 

“What then?”

 

“What else? We have to wait.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“I hope Taeyeon is okay,” Yuri panted. They had secured themselves in a room. A bookstore they happened to enter, to be exact. They had immediately blocked the entry door and went around the room to make sure there was no old friend waiting for an encounter.

 

“There’s a janitor room inside,” Sooyoung informed, panting harder than the older girl. She was never on the athletic side. “It’s safe. Let’s go there, I’m worried they’ll see us here.”

 

“I don’t think they can see,” Yuri said, leaning against the wall. “I kicked a can against a wall. It made a loud noise. The zombie changed its course and bumped against the wall before resuming to follow us. Kinda funny but I didn’t have the time to laugh.”

 

“So that was you! I was wondering what sound was that. How did you observe that detailed while we’re running away anyway…”

 

“Experience,” Yuri grunted. “Damn, if only we have a way to contact Taeyeon…”

 

“Taeyeon is smarter than the both of us. She’ll manage.”

 

“…………”

 

“…………”

 

“Goddammit Sooyoung, not fart. Not now!”

 

“That wasn’t me,” Sooyoung innocently replied.

 

“Then who? Zombies? There’s no zombie here and a zombie can’t fart!”

 

“Who are you to judge? You and me have never been a zombie, there’s always a possibility!”

 

“They can’t fart because zombies' internal digestion system isn't working anymore. And they don't eat anything. As far as biology goes, they can’t fart. End of story.”

 

Sooyoung blinked, “Did you just…”

 

“Yep. I just gave you a scientific explanation of why zombies can’t fart.”

 

“Damn,” Sooyoung said, “you’re hanging out with Yoona too much.”

 

“Damn,” Yuri parroted.

 

“Damn?”

 

“Damn.” Yuri gestured to the blocked entry, which had shaken slightly. “We’re too loud. They’re here. Three.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

Sometimes, I just wish people would say what they have to say while I’m still able to hear them…

 

Yoona looked back and forth between the door and the clock, growing more and more restless as seconds passed by.

 

So… what will you say? In my funeral?

 

“No one’s dying,” Yoona repeated to herself. “They’ll come back. She will come back.”

 

Why do you want to wait until I can’t hear you?

 

“I didn’t wait,” Yoona whispered. “I didn’t wait so come back to me alive. I won’t have anything to say in your funeral. I won’t have anything to say and then all I have would be tears and you dislike them, don’t you? So come back, stupid. Come back to me. Please.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“Thank you for bringing the axe, Soo.”

 

They had been running for minutes after knocking out seven zombies while going out from the bookstore. With books and pens. Hopefully Seohyun would approve and forgive them for lending them to their ‘old friends’. They had packed several with them to bribe the youngest to forgive them anyway.

 

“Thank you for mastering martial arts,” panted Sooyoung, “but I guess you won’t want to piggyback me and my legs are dying.”

 

“We’re already near,” assured Yuri between her breaths, “see? The exit’s there. Hang in there. I hope Tae’s ready to go.”

 

“GRAAAAAWHHH!”

 

“OH BUMMER,” yelled Yuri as a zombie suddenly appeared from a corridor meters in front of them, “MOVE, AHJUSSHI! WE’RE IN A HURRY!”

 

The ‘ahjusshi’ moved.

 

Towards them, charging.

 

“Soo,” Yuri called out, “I will go first to greet that ahjusshi, okay? Don’t stop and go out.”

 

“But—“

 

“Do it or I will tell Jessica that you fancy her.”

 

Then ignoring Sooyoung’s calls, Yuri charged ahead to confront the stubborn old zombie.

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

Seohyun came in and paused as the tensed faces of her unnies were all that greeted her. Well, other than the deafening silence. She mentally counted the heads and looked at the door when her count stopped at five.

 

“They haven’t come back?” asked Seohyun quietly, but the room was too silent that it sounded like she was saying it out loud.

 

Hyoyeon shook her head. Yoona’s gaze didn’t waver from the door, while Tiffany and Sunny paced around with guns on their hands.

 

“I hate this,” muttered Hyoyeon, “not knowing—God, I hate this.”

 

Tiffany let out a bitter laugh. “That’s me every time you guys go out. Hating the time I have to spend waiting, not knowing, but don’t have any choice anyway.”

 

“Sorry,” mumbled Hyoyeon.

 

“This better be the last time you guys have to hunt this week,” Sunny said. “I won’t let you go out again until we move out.”

 

Whatever response Hyoyeon was about to give halted as Yoona lifted up a finger.

 

“I think I heard a car’s sound.”

 

They didn’t move, all trying to breathe the quietest they could as their ears tried to find a sound or two.

 

A knock.

 

Tiffany and Sunny were about to walk towards the door, gripping their guns tightly, but Yoona shook her head and signaled them to wait. Yoona leaned and pressed her ear against the door anxiously, waiting.

 

“-a-doodle-do.”

 

Yoona let out a breath. “It’s them.”

 

The others immediately sighed, half-relief, half-tired of the tension. Yoona opened the door and was about to greet them—but she froze. Her face paled as Taeyeon and Sooyoung were the only ones waiting in front of the door.

 

Her blood ran cold as she asked,

 

“Where’s Yuri unnie?“

 

Oh, you know, she’s right behind us, retrieving some goods.

 

Yoona wanted to hear that, but Taeyeon only took out a bottle from her pocket and offered it to her. A note was there, a handwriting Yoona knew too well filling it with words.

 

Fourth list… when I reminded of you…

 

Yoona looked at the older girl who merely shrugged, solemn.

 

“You know how these stories end, Yoong,” whispered Taeyeon quietly, reaching for the younger’s hand and wrapped the bottle securely. She stepped in, with Sooyoung carrying some plastic bags with her.

 

“Close the door, Yoona,” whispered Tiffany faintly.

 

But Yoona was frozen, her eyes fixed on the bottle in her hand but not really. No one in the room exactly knew what Yoona saw with her faraway look. Sunny heaved a deep breath and walked towards the door to close it.

 

“You’re lying,” Yoona whispered.

 

Sunny turned towards the younger as she clicked the door shut. A pair of doe eyes looked up to meet her gaze, and Sunny felt her heart breaking at the wounded gaze they held.

 

“Yoong…”

 

Yoona stared at the bottle in her hand again. It was a bottle of yoghurt. Her favorite kind of yoghurt. No one in the group knew about it, not even Sooyoung who had the ability to tell what everyone’s favorite foods were in the first two weeks they were stuck with each other back then.

 

A knock.

 

Sunny turned her gaze to the door, eyes narrowing. A spark of hope flared inside Yoona, but she wasn’t sure she could handle another disappointment.

 

“-a-doodle-do.”

 

“Fany,” Sunny whispered, “please tell me zombies can’t speak.”

 

“Other than their gruesome imitations of that EXO’s song, no they can’t.” Tiffany bit her lips and added quietly, “I hope.”

 

“Open the door, bunny,” Taeyeon said, nodding.

 

“Is there other survivors beside us?” muttered Sunny, not bothering to check through the tiny crack. She opened the door slowly while Sooyoung pointed out,

 

“You know, the chicken code is only known to us nine—“

 

The moment she could recognize their visitor, Sunny gaped, stumbling back a step.

 

“Yul!”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“Why are you waiting for me, idiot. You should’ve entered the car the moment you reached it!”

 

Yuri and Sooyoung buckled their seatbelt, panting. Taeyeon moved to face the two passengers, offering a pack of tissue to the tanned girl, who had an icky amount of zombie-related liquids splattered on her.

 

“Hey, if I opened the door and slammed it shut, they’ll go here because of the sounds! You’ll have little chance to enter and there’s a possibility of me and Tae getting into danger too. We don’t know if they could break a car’s window.”

 

“Smart, but excuse me for still being annoyed childishly at you because you still risked yourself for me.”

 

“I’m the one deserving to be annoyed, hey. You ignored my yells while all I wanted to do was reminding you to at least take the axe with you. Stupid.”

 

“I’m older than you!”

 

“Yes, stupid halmoni, thank you for the reminder.”

 

“You aren’t bitten, are you?” asked Taeyeon quietly, signaling to Sooyoung to tone down her voice.

 

“If I was, I didn’t feel it,” Yuri replied. At the hard look Taeyeon gave her, Yuri shook her head. “I’m being realistic. I’m going to take a bath first and foremost, if there’s a bite mark you’ll know what to do.”

 

Taeyeon started the car, her wary eyes nervously roamed around as the engine made noises. Grumbling and growling sounds were faintly heard, but not too close. Hopefully zombies never took a driving lesson.

 

“I won’t know what to do, Yul.”

 

“Are you kidding?” Yuri wiped her hands with the nth tissue she took from the pack, sighing. “That’s okay. I can walk out on my own, I guess.”

 

“Can you?”

 

“If I’m positive about the bite? Of course. I won’t want to endanger you guys.”

 

“Leaving Yoona?” asked Sooyoung from the side.

 

Taeyeon glanced at her through the rear mirror. Yuri was smiling. A bittersweet one, she guessed.

 

“Yul,” she said, “have you looked into your heart?”

 

“Say, Soo,” said Yuri, leaving Taeyeon’s question hanging in the air, “do you happen to take a pen and a paper with you from the bookstore?”

 

“Huh,” Sooyoung mumbled, rummaging through the backpack she had carried. They had taken it from the bookstore too. Anything to give their hands a little freedom from plastic bags even if it meant their back had to be tortured.

 

“There you go. What’re you going to do?”

 

“Leaving a will,” Yuri joked.

 

“Not funny,” Sooyoung and Taeyeon chorused, and Yuri laughed lightly. She took a bottle of yoghurt from her pocket and stuck the paper on it. Opening the pen’s lid, she began to write.

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

Yoona tore off her gaze from the bottle in her hand and looked at the visitor who had stepped in and closed the door back. She blinked as Yuri stared at her with a wary grin on her lips.

 

The room was silent.

 

“I have to take a bath,” Yuri said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I stink.”

 

Yoona stared at the empty spot Yuri left as the older girl walked away from the room, limping. Some bags were left in front of the door. Containing what, Yoona wasn’t sure. There were too much things Yoona wasn’t sure of, and too much questions in her brain that she thought it was going to explode. Her ears faintly heard Tiffany questioning Taeyeon, and Sooyoung trying to reassure Seohyun that no, it didn’t have anything to do with Yuri’s promise about bookstore.

 

“She had a direct encounter with some of them.”

 

“We aren’t sure. She isn’t sure.”

 

“I don’t know, Ppany-ah.”

 

“I… I’m sorry.”

 

Yoona tightened her hold.

 

“No, Seo, no… it has nothing to do with you.”

 

“Well she asked to be dropped off halfway—when she saw the motorbike. Remember, the one she abandoned?”

 

“I wasn’t sure what’s going on her mind but—“

 

“I didn’t think it was a right idea, but Yuri had opened the door even when Tae hadn’t stopped the car. Tae had to hit the brake and before we could say anything she had sprinted outside.”

 

Yoona closed her eyes tightly, wanting to block the noises, wanting to block the miserable feelings clawing inside her.

 

I’m thinking about my funeral…

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

It was night outside. For once, all eight of them gathered in the tower, invading Jessica’s private workroom. For once, the latter didn’t protest about how jammed the room was.

 

For once, they sat in circle and faced a possibility that one of them was infected.

 

No one uttered a word, no hint of laughter, not even a smile. They all sat in silence, waiting for the last part of the group to come in.

 

Yoona spun the yoghurt bottle in her hand slowly. She had waited in front of the bathroom with Seohyun, and the maknae had quietly asked if Yuri needed an assist to tend her wounds.

 

“No, maknae. Thank you. I’m fine.”

 

No you’re not.

 

Yoona wished she had insisted to help. Yoona wished she had been strong enough to barge into the bathroom and force the older girl to let them treat her wounds. Sooyoung and Taeyeon had told them that Yuri had fought. Even Sooyoung had scratches and Taeyeon sprained her right arm. It was only logical that Yuri would have it the worst, yet…

 

A rustle, and the door into the room opened. They turned to see Yuri coming in quietly, band-aids plastered carelessly and a messy bandage wrapped around her hips.

 

Yuri gave them a small smile as she walked towards them after closing back the door.

 

“I’m sorry if I took too long.”

 

“Sit,” Taeyeon gestured.

 

Yoona felt, rather than saw, a tap on her shoulder. And then a soft whisper to her ear,

 

“Do you mind if I sit next to you?”

 

Swallowing, Yoona moved to make a space beside her. It led to everyone shifting around to make it comfortable with nine of them in the circle, and Yuri finally sat, thigh pressed against thigh with Yoona’s.

 

“So…” Taeyeon trailed off.

 

Yuri shrugged, “So.”

 

Tiffany studied her, and Yuri noticed the absence of fear. No, it was worry and anxiety. Not only from the pink-lover, but everyone. She had thought that if one of them had the risk of being infected, there would be someone who kept a distance out of fear, unconsciously at least.

 

But they only emanated worry. Anxiety. Concern.

 

Except for the person next to her.

 

Yuri took a deep breath as she noticed despair and insecurity on those doe eyes. Hesitating briefly, she moved her hand to reach the younger’s. Yoona’s fingers were tense, but Yuri didn’t want to think of that as she grasped those fingers in hers, entwining them together and giving it a gentle squeeze.

 

“I’m clean.”

 

It was spoken softly, and it was meant to be heard by everyone, but Yuri directed her eyes to Yoona as she said those words.

 

Look at me, Yoona.

 

“Logically speaking,” Yuri continued as Yoona’s gaze still fixed on their joined hands, “I probably have to let Tiff and Sunny to check on my blood thoroughly later. But there’s no bite mark as far as I checked myself.”

 

Yoona’s eyes slowly traveled up, to some slight scratches Yuri didn’t cover in her arm, to the messy band-aids on the older girl’s shoulder, to Yuri’s lips which formed a smile, and finally to a pair of eyes she had avoided.

 

“I’m sorry,” Yuri whispered. “I had to go with the motorbike to find a toy store. There were many loud toys we could use as distractions. I can’t risk Tae and Sooyoung to go with me because the fuel wasn’t enough.”

 

Yoona swallowed, didn’t know what to say except that three words she had been wanting to say for quite some time—

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Do you?” asked Yuri lightly, her gaze fell to the bottle of yoghurt with a note. “I brought you your yoghurt to bribe you into forgiving me, though. There’s a bag full of them, I hope Sooyoung hasn’t consumed everything herself. That brand is too delicious.”

 

Yoona wanted to laugh, or smile, at least, and it confused her when the only thing she could do was tearing up. Logically, she shan’t feel that relieved because there was a chance that Yuri was… well, there was a blood test she had to go through. But she felt relieved to have Yuri close, even if the uncertainty hadn’t completely disappeared.

 

Yuri smiled, her free hand reached out to wipe Yoona’s tears gently.

 

“Don’t cry. I’m clean.”

 

Yoona nodded, but the tears didn’t stop. Stupid tears.

 

“Oh, come on,” Yuri whispered, taking a tissue from Sooyoung’s offering hand to wipe the younger’s cheek. “Don’t cry. How am I supposed to tell you the fourth list if you’re crying like this?”

 

“What fourth…” Yoona mumbled, “isn’t it the yoghurt? How can you know that anyway? I don’t remember telling anyone—“

 

“What, your yoghurt? No, that’s not the fourth. I was in the middle of writing it when I saw the motorbike and I didn’t have the time to finish it.”

 

Yoona shook her head, too tired to point out that Yuri hadn’t answered her last question. The tension and the worry had caught up to her.

 

“Then what is it?” asked Yoona in a faint whisper.

 

Yuri smiled. “Fourth list, when I reminded of you…”

 

A finger came up under her chin, tilting Yoona’s head up just enough, and suddenly Yuri’s face was so close. Yuri’s breath swept over her, warm, and Yoona felt rather than heard the older girl’s whisper a breath away from her lips,

 

“I will think of my love for you.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“Why are we going out?” whined Sunny, “I wanna see them kiss! I can’t believe they haven’t dated already, God. No wonder Yoong was in denial when I asked her how they’re going.”

 

“It’s called giving them privacy, unnie,” Seohyun reprimanded. “Now about these books…”

 

“That’s my workroom,” Jessica grumbled, “why am I being kicked out of my own workroom.”

 

“What do you mean?” Sooyoung cheerily replied, grabbing Jessica’s hand and dragging her along down the stairs. “It’s a perfect opportunity to introduce you to the delicacy called Hyoyeonnie’s live cooking show!”

 

“I don’t say anything about cooking,” Hyoyeon exclaimed in exasperation, “it’s not my turn tonight! Right? Anyone? NO? What the—urgh, fine I’ll cook.”

 

Stepping out as the last, Taeyeon closed the door behind them and glanced at Tiffany who waited for her right in front of the stairs. She offered the latter a smile, and Tiffany returned it after a beat of hesitancy.

 

“A cent for your thought?” Taeyeon lightly whispered as they walked side by side.

 

“I don’t think we need to perform blood test. The only way for the virus to be transferred is through a bite. Blood contact isn’t enough. It’s strange, but that’s the way it is,” Tiffany quietly said.

 

“A good thing from that virus, huh,” Taeyeon mused.

 

“And Yuri gives us a solution about their sensitivity to sound, too.” Tiffany shook her head and smiled her first genuine smile that day, “I didn’t even think of loud toys. She brought batteries with her too.”

 

“She’s brilliant when she’s not stupid,” Taeyeon admitted. “So have you guys decided where we’re going to go after we conquer a ship?”

 

“Western land, probably. I’d rather we go out from Asia altogether. This country is already a hopeless place and we don’t have anyone but ourselves.”

 

Taeyeon smiled and briefly glanced back.

 

“It might be a hopeless place, but they find love anyway.”

 

“Aren’t we too?”

 

Taeyeon laughed lightly, her hand met Tiffany’s halfway and squeezed their interlocked fingers gently.

 

“The nine of us are.”

 

 

~ : : YY : : ~

 

 

“They left us,” muttered Yoona as they parted, her mind dazed. Yuri let out a soft chuckle, resting her forehead against the younger’s and nuzzled their noses together.

 

“Have you convinced yourself that I’m here?”

 

And for the first time that day, Yoona felt her heart finally allowing her lips to form a smile. Warmth enveloped her heart as Yuri beamed to her timid nod.

 

“How about here?”

 

At Yoona’s confused look, Yuri reached for Yoona’s hand and brought it to her chest. She closed her eyes and felt the beating of her own chest, racing.

 

“Have you convinced yourself that you’re here?”

 

Yoona fell silent as she felt the harmonic thumps beneath her hand.

 

“Is it because of me?” she quietly whispered.

 

“Yes,” Yuri answered, “I’m in love with you so just deal with it.”

 

“What’s going to happen to us?”

 

They were in the middle of dead country. So much yet so little could happen. But as their gazes locked, Yoona suddenly knew the answer even without Yuri voicing it out loud.

 

The younger smiled. “The more reason for us to fight for a future?”

 

Yuri shrugged. “I heard Nyurk is more open to this kind of relationship anyway.”

 

“It’s New York, Yul.”

 

“Is someone jealous because I have a special nickname for someone other than her?”

 

Yoona shoved the older girl jokingly, chuckling. “New York isn’t even a person, but you tried.”

 

“Let’s go to bed,” Yuri said, standing up and reaching out a hand for the younger to take. “Jess’ workroom’s floor is uncomfortable as Hell.”

 

“To be fair, Jessica unnie worked while sitting in her chair, not floor.”

 

“Party pooper.”

 

Yoona laughed, relieved that there was no change of their nature around each other. They exited the room, hand-in-hand, a comfortable silence enveloped their journey downstairs.

 

“Nothing is changed, right?” Yoona quietly said.

 

Yuri looked over the younger and leaned in to press a chaste kiss on the side of Yoona’s lips. The sudden affection surprised the younger that Yoona halted her steps, stunned and flustered.

 

“What was that?”

 

Yuri chuckled as she pulled the younger to resume walking again. “Everything changes, Yoong, but at the same time everything doesn’t.”

 

“That doesn’t make sense at all.”

 

“Love doesn’t make sense.”

 

“Does feeling hungry make sense?”

 

They had reached the first floor, and the smell coming from the kitchen was too tempting for Yoona’s grumbling stomach. Yuri shook her head and led the way to the kitchen, the laughter and animated chats from the other girls were heard even from afar.

 

It was a hopeless place, the country they were in, and they were trying their hardest to be able to get out from the country. When they firstly stuck with each other, they had agreed to work together to at least have a future to continue. They had thought they would go off their own ways later when they went out.

 

Now, though, Yuri was sure they couldn’t vision a separation. Even after freeing themselves from these zombies clutches, Yuri wasn’t sure the nine of them wanted to say goodbye. They had grown fond of each other. They had learned to depend on each other, and they had found a dynamic family—a weird one, but it was theirs.

 

It was a hopeless place, the country they were in, but they found each other anyway.

 

These little things and a bond forming between them had offered them happiness.

 

"Say," Yuri muttered as they reached the kitchen, Yoona ducking low when a wild balled tissue was thrown her way. "Can I drink a bottle of your yoghurt, too?"

 

"Of course—thanks," Yoona sighed in relief as Yuri's fast reflex blocked the next flying tissue. Both of them started to look around, wondering where the strange flying objects came from.

 

"YAH CHOI SOOYOUNG, KIM HYO, STOP WASTING TISSUES!" yelled Taeyeon without taking off her gaze from the frying pan. “AND HYO! YOU SAID YOU’D COOK. HELP ME.”

 

Yuri shook her head, "I thought they had graduated from elementary school, guess I was wrong."

 

"OH, YOONYUL THERE YOU ARE! HOW WAS KISSING?!"

 

Yuri scowled at Sunny’s wriggling eyebrows. "Sod off, bunny."

 

Yoona tapped the older girl’s arm lightly. "Yul, language."

 

Yuri looked at Yoona and grinned, "You know what, I like how my nickname sounds coming from you."

 

"YUUUUUUL!" yelled Sooyoung.

 

"YUL!" exclaimed Hyoyeon.

 

"YUWREEE!" That was Tiffany.

 

"I SAID 'COMING FROM YOONA' GODDAMMIT!"

 

"OH YUUUL~"

 

"LEE SOONKYU, SHUT UP."

 

"Stop bullying her, unnies," Yoona said, laughing. "And tone down the voices. They would come surrounding the house soon at this rate."

 

"Finally someone who defended me," huffed Yuri, pulling a seat for Yoona to sit.

 

"Caaaaaan you feeel, the loooooove toniiiiiight~"

 

"Maknae..."

 

"What? I like that song, unnie. Lion King was my all-time favorite."

 

"Ok now stop bickering and help Taeyeon bringing the dishes, you guys," commanded Tiffany, placing a bowl of chicken soup on the table. She looked over the newly formed couple and smiled, "Congratulations, you two."

 

"Thank you, Tiffany unnie," answered Yoona, smiling.

 

"Don't be too loud later, okay?"

 

Yoona blushed, while Yuri let her head fall against the table loudly, groaning. She loved them, she swore, but they had weird ways to express their affections and instead of worrying about zombies, Yuri now wondered if they could sail through the teasing alive.

 

 

 

 END