A/N: This story contains blood, gore, death and the use of deadly weapons. Please be warned. 

 

The magazine slid into place with a click and JooHyun lowered her arm, her head peeking past the makeshift cover they had found while running away from the horde. SeungWan mimicked her position, crouching just opposite her, her callused hands molding around the instrument of death easily (too easily), the safety carefully clicking off as she panted quietly.

 

Behind her, she could hear Seulgi’s silent footsteps, the telltale ring of her bat dragging across the floor, the older girl sniffing once before lifting the weapon with a soft whoosh.

 

JooHyun continued to look outside carefully before whispering softly, shifting the gun into her right hand as she pulled out the torchlight from her belt. Her leather bag, strapped tightly to her leg, creaked when she stood up, the brunette flicking her too long fringe from her face.

 

“Let’s go, looks like they’ve cleared out somewhat.”

 

She waved her torchlight once, signalling to SeungWan to lead the group, SeungWan nodding before darting past the cover, her steps sinking into the muddy ground slightly. She heard Seulgi behind her, breaths coming out in quick intervals as they ran across the clearing. She turned her head around to see if the others followed, relief settling in her chest when SooYoung and Yerim were also making their way to them, JooHyun bringing up the rear.

 

She turned her attention back to the front because she can’t afford to look away any longer, can’t afford to even let her guard slip up for one moment.

 

(Even if JooHyun looked beautiful with mud streaking on her face and hair in disarray.)

 

They hadn’t been able to relax since the world came to an end.

 

*

 

When the world ended, it did not end with a bang.

 

SeungWan had woken up in her bed like normal, hand slamming into the alarm they had made for their room, groaning when JooHyun shifted away from her, the older girl already awake enough to walk over to Seulgi to wake the other girl up. SeungWan rubbed at her eyes and stared at JooHyun blankly, her head molding into her extremely comfortable pillow and her bed feeling like it was one with her body.

 

She jolted awake when Seulgi snorted loudly, the girl sitting up on her bed with her back straight and her eyes closed. SeungWan heard JooHyun chuckle softly before footsteps padded back in her direction, JooHyun pushing her bangs away from her eyes.

 

“SeungWan, go have a shower first.”

 

SeungWan whined, arms coming around JooHyun as she rested her head on the older girl’s abdomen, listening to the faint sounds of JooHyun’s pulse. The older girl laughed softly and pushed at her shoulders lightly, fingers trailing down her arms to pull SeungWan out of bed. Their leader then pushed the limp SeungWan towards the door, her tone chiding but fond.

 

“Go. I have to wake SooYoung and Yerim up as well.”

 

SeungWan grumbled but did as instructed, a smile making its way to her lips involuntarily when she heard JooHyun try to keep Seulgi awake, her same aged friend making the same whining noise she did in protest.

 

When the world ended, SeungWan woke up like she always did, in JooHyun’s arms because the older girl still got scared at the things that go bump in the night, with JooHyun’s soft fingers caressing her face and soft cajoles to get her to shower.

 

When the world ended, SeungWan had woken up as Wendy, still innocent and unaware as they prepared to become Red Velvet.

 

*

 

“SeungWan, watch out!”

 

A loud bang resonated through the air and the undead making its way towards her furiously fell to the ground, the sickening groan exiting its mouth dying off as liquid oozed out from his head. JooHyun jogged to her side hurriedly, the gun in her shaking hand smoking as the older girl scanned the area for any stragglers. Seulgi smashed her opponent’s head in and ushered SooYoung and Yerim towards the both of them, just in time to hear JooHyun scold SeungWan.

 

“Pay attention! That zombie was almost on top of you! What do you think would happen if I wasn’t looking?”

 

SeungWan wanted to argue (because JooHyun was always looking, had always been looking out for them since this nightmare started) but kept silent, lowering her head in deference to JooHyun’s burst of anger.

 

Yerim’s hand clasped on the oldest’s arm, the youngest speaking softly as she heaved her machete on her shoulder.

 

“Unnie, I know you’re mad but we have to keep moving. We need to find shelter before night falls.”

 

JooHyun gave them a glare but nodded, clicking another sheath of bullets into her gun, expertly ejecting the shell from the last shot out before stalking off, her steps slowing down instinctively when they scrambled after her. Though she had started to lead the pack first, JooHyun soon moved to the back, her usual position as she watched their backs while trekking through familiar yet different landscapes.

 

SeungWan signalled to Seulgi to take the lead position, passing over her rifle and accepting the bloodstained bat as Seulgi took point, rifle tip lowered but in a position to shoot. She lifted the bat and made her way to the back of the group, her steps matching JooHyun’s as they walked through the terrain quietly, abandoned and broken down cars accompanying them in their mission.

 

“Unnie?”

 

JooHyun tilted her head to show that she was listening but her eyes continued to scan the environment, her gun poised to shoot.

 

“Unnie, I’m sorry about earlier.”

 

JooHyun tore her eyes away from her vigilant lookout to stare at SeungWan’s face, a familiar softness interjecting with a hardness that had grown exponentially these past few months and she shook her head, their arms brushing against each other.

 

“Don’t be sorry. Be vigilant. That’s what you should do.”

 

SeungWan stared into brown eyes for a moment longer, wanting to keep the softness that had been missing in her life since this whole thing started, replying once it was kept locked away in her heart.

 

“I know. I just didn’t want unnie to be mad anymore.”

 

JooHyun sighed and tugged at her bag, her once flawless hands littered with scars. She looped the strap through another hole, tightening leather into skin as she adjusted the item, the bag constantly slipping on her waist due to the weight she had lost.

 

(Weight that they all couldn’t afford to lose.)

 

“I’m not mad. I was scared.”

 

SeungWan bit her lip but didn’t say anything.

 

“I’m scared because I can’t lose any of you. I won’t be able to survive it.”

 

SeungWan inhaled sharply, her fingers reaching out to tug JooHyun’s hand into her own, their palms pressing into each other in a position that they have long abandoned, fingers clasping together tightly. She squeezed three times and shook her head, her voice coming out firm.

 

“You won’t lose any of us. You won’t lose me. We’ll make it to the safe area and we’ll be together.”

 

JooHyun nodded, a faint smile on sun kissed lips and she squeezed SeungWan’s hand back, the same three beats from a different lifetime.

 

“Then pay attention, okay?”

 

SeungWan nodded.

 

“Promise.”

 

*

 

“Unnie, unnie, I’m scared.”

 

They were huddled in their dorm in a large pile, JooHyun pushing away Yerim’s hair from her face as the leader reassured her, her legs tangled with an equally terrified SooYoung. She cooed consolingly, her fingers betraying her calm voice by shivering ever so slightly.

 

“I know. But we’re all together so it’s a little bit better, right?”

 

Yerim nodded, burying her face back into JooHyun’s neck again. The leader pressed her lips to her hair and looked over to Seulgi, eyes in silent request.

 

Seulgi got the message loud and clear and lowered the volume on the television, the anchor screaming into the camera about a mass viral outbreak that apparently turned normal humans, there was no better word for it, into flesh craving, unintelligent, zombies. There were silent footages flashing across the screen, no country in the world safe from the sickeningly quick spread of the virus, as the undead groaned and heaved their ways through the streets, displaying an agility unlike their gait when happening upon prey.

 

It was bloody, it was terrifying and no one was safe.

 

The phone lines had gone down just an hour ago, their manager managing to get in a scream filled voice message for them to stay safe before the line cut off. The last message they had on their phones were from their sunbaes, each of them detailing a meeting point, the government already setting up “safe zones” for survivors to get to, and they were saying that they should all go together, claiming safety in numbers.

 

But they haven’t left the dorm yet, all still too afraid to even take a step out of their temporary sanctuary.

 

SeungWan had sat by their window, her fingers tight around a phone that would not ring, not daring to look out of it but the screams and shrieks from below already painted an image in her mind, her imagination ten times worse as compared to reality.

 

(And that was saying a lot.)

 

Seulgi had dug out her silver bat from a Halloween party, the brunette rolling it between her fingers as she put on an uncharacteristically hard expression, her eyes glaring at the television. SooYoung seemed to have checked out of reality, the girl just staring at the pictures on her phone, legs splayed out in front of her.

 

Yerim had taken position in JooHyun’s arms, their youngest extremely terrified and unable to accept the fact that the world had ended but was slowly calming down with JooHyun whispering and comforting her.

 

Their oldest, the one that jumped when someone made a loud noise, that exited stage left whenever someone came near her with a furry animal of some kind, had taken the mantle of their leader seriously as she made her rounds to each member and making sure they were okay.

 

SeungWan has never seen this side of JooHyun before.

 

This same JooHyun had given up staring at the television and got up on her feet, bending down to pat Yerim on the head when the younger girl scrabbled for her, fingers tight around JooHyun’s pants.

 

“Guys, go and pack some essentials. We’re going to leave soon.”

 

SooYoung came back down to earth and shook her head, eyes hard as she looked up to JooHyun.

 

“No. It’s a mess out there. Going out there means we would die.”

 

SeungWan inwardly agreed, crawling back over to her circle of friends. JooHyun bit her lip and sighed, the leader closing her eyes before opening them, her usually kind, love filled eyes dark and dull, a stone wall shuttering her expression.

 

“And we’ll die if we remain in here. We have food to last us, what, a week at the most? And that’s assuming the electricity and water doesn’t follow the phone lines.”

 

As though her words were prophetic, the television shut off suddenly, the room plunged into mild darkness with only the faint moonlight filtering in through the windows as their source of light. JooHyun inhaled sharply and gestured around her.

 

“And we’re sitting ducks here. We might be in a high rise but sooner or later, those things are going to sniff us out and we would be cornered.”

 

Seulgi spoke up lifelessly.

 

“Unnie is right. At least going out there, we would have a fighting chance if we manage to make it to the safe zone.”

 

Yerim replied timidly.

 

“The nearest safe zone is pretty far. Even if we did make it out of our neighbourhood, tracking through the city and the wilderness would kill us. We’d need food, water and none of us know how to fight.”

 

Seulgi lifted her bat and swung it, the other girls flinching at the cutting sound.

 

“I have a bat.”

 

SeungWan retorted tiredly.

 

“And if they come too close to you before you can swing it? You heard the news. They are unbelievably fast when running after prey and it takes bullets to stop them. Even if we did know how to shoot, where would we find guns?”

 

“They also said that we can smash their heads in, which is my intention.”

 

“We’re leaving as a group, you won’t be able to protect all of us.”

 

“I’ll do it. You know I can.”

 

“I know you can defend us from anti-fans, Seul, but this is an entirely different situation-”

 

JooHyun cut through their argument sharply, all of them cowering in the face of a stern JooHyun, a rarely seen sight.

 

“Enough.”

 

She waited for all of them to listen before speaking up again, her shoulders slumped but her eyes bright.

 

“You all brought up good points but you’re failing to see things. Didn’t you listen to me? We have enough rations to last a week. Meaning, after that, we’d have to go out anyways.”

 

SooYoung whispered brokenly.

 

“But I’m scared, unnie.”

 

JooHyun’s face softened and they were treated to the JooHyun they know and love, the older girl’s voice losing its edge.

 

“I know, SooYoung. But we would die either ways. At least this way, we’re giving ourselves a fighting chance.”

 

SeungWan sighed and nodded, Seulgi already getting up to follow JooHyun’s previous instruction.

 

JooHyun repeated herself again.

 

“Pack what you need. I’ll see to how we can bring some food along with us. If there’s anything you can use as a weapon, bring it. We’ll leave in the morning.”

 

SeungWan opened to question the departure time before shutting it, remembering that the anchor had told them that the zombies seemed to lose strength under sunlight, making daytime the best time to go outside. She nodded along with the others, the younger girls following Seulgi into the room to start packing and maybe get some rest. SeungWan wrung her phone between her fingers, a weight settling in her chest as she took two steps towards JooHyun, the pale girl pinching her brow with her fingers.

 

The older girl turned to face SeungWan, her face pinched as she glanced down to the phone, knowing instinctively what SeungWan was worried about. JooHyun sighed and pressed her fingers to SeungWan’s arm, her voice low.

 

“SeungWan, your parents-”

 

“No one answered.”

 

JooHyun’s lips thinned and she turned her face away, her hand finding SeungWan’s, palm hot against SeungWan’s skin.

 

“Same for me.”

 

They stood there for a while, two people with the same concerns before parting, SeungWan already dreading the next morning.

 

(The world ended quietly.

 

But SeungWan felt like that they would go out in a bang.)

 

*

 

“Let’s stop here.”

 

JooHyun eyed the shack with a critical eye before signalling to Seulgi, the younger girl falling in step with her quietly as she called out to SeungWan.

 

“Wan, watch over SooYoung and Yerim, we’ll vet the house first.”

 

SeungWan nodded and heaved the rifle upwards, her right hand steadying the nozzle as she pushed the younger two behind her, backs facing a wall.

 

(“Always keep your back covered.”

 

JooHyun had drummed this into their heads ever since they started.

 

It was hard enough dealing with a snarling, drooling meat eating machine in a frontal attack without having to worry about another one sneaking up behind you.)

 

JooHyun waved to Seulgi to stand behind her, JooHyun opening the door gently as to not startle any potential undeads behind the door. The musty scent of a place abandoned greeted them, the gloom settling deep in their bones as they made their way through the humble abode slowly, Seulgi tapping around corners to see if anything would jump out at them. They shuffled through the entire shack quietly, JooHyun only letting off one shot when she thought she saw a shadow moving before deeming the place safe, tilting her head towards Seulgi to call the other girls in.

 

Seulgi went off, the clink of her aluminium bat ringing through the silence while JooHyun stood there, her breathing soon filling the quiet of the night.

 

She placed her gun back into the holster on her other thigh, buckle left unclasped in case of anything through the night and started to forage, not minding the other girls when they trekked in, SeungWan and Yerim both using their gained strength to push the furniture against the door. They made quick work of it, SeungWan also twisting the chain lock into place.

 

The moment the lock clicked into place, they all heaved a breath of relief, their guards lowering ever so slightly at the thought of being safe even for just the night.

 

JooHyun stared at them, their battle weary faces and scarred filled bodies and guilt filled her senses again, her hands pulling out casted off tins of food, all miraculously still within their expiration dates. She tossed them over to the girls, each of them catching a few tins, one kept on their laps for eating, the others going into their respective bags.

 

(She should do more, should protect them more, she was the leader-)

 

She stared at them, her face relaxing and she snapped the knife on her belt off, her feet taking her to a spot by the front door.

 

“Eat and then try to get some sleep, I’ll take the first watch.”

 

Her tone of voice left no room for argument and JooHyun settled by the door, her feet crossing as she leant against the wall, her eyes trained outside the window. The girls shuffled around to find a place to rest, a glance over told her that SooYoung had once again taking refuge by Seulgi’s side, the older girl positioning her bat over the taller girl, eyes sharp though tinged with exhaustion. Yerim had joined SeungWan by the wall opposite of the other two, the youngest already polishing off their pitiful dinner before dropping off to sleep.

 

JooHyun kept her gaze away from the outside for a moment longer, wanting to take in the way the girls’ faces relaxed with sleep, the day’s hardship falling off like leaves off a tree in autumn.

 

It was her favourite part of the night.

 

One by one, her members fell asleep, resting but bodies still tense, the nights where sleep was a luxury embedded into muscle memory.

 

JooHyun knew if she called them now, no matter how soft, they’d spring awake, weapons at the ready and eyes darting around for the threat.

 

She scooped the unappetising food into and chewed slowly, looking back out the window, wondering how long they could go on like this.

 

It has been months since they left their dorm, since they decided to join up with their sunbaes and go to the safe zone.

 

Months since they turned from soft, smiling idols to hardened soldiers, guns and weapons now an extension of their arms.

 

JooHyun sighed and dropped the can by her feet, her knife carelessly as she continued to stare at the moonlit landscape, the abandoned cars littering the streets, the bodies accompanying the picture, pockets overturned and heads smashed to avoid reanimation. The knife glinted under the light, catching her reflection in the bloodstained surface and JooHyun was struck with the image of herself, no longer surprised by who she was seeing.

 

(Gaunt, cheeks sunken, pale skin marred with imperfections.

 

The only thing that caught her off guard every time was the hardness in her eyes, the willingness to kill.)

 

She kept watch vigilantly, the snores of her girls filling the silent shack. Her mind started to wander and she found herself trying to make solid plans that didn’t just involve them trying to trek their way to the safe zone, to lessen the possibilities that one or more of them would fall before even reaching there.

 

(Food was scarce these days, convenience stores and markets looted long before they had even stepped foot into the shops and they were getting tired.)

 

A hand clamped on her shoulder and she reacted immediately, knife whizzing through the air.

 

And stopping just at SeungWan’s throat, the brunette’s eyes widening and her hand flying to the long metal stick on her hip. JooHyun let out a breath and whispered harshly, her hand dropping immediately, sharp edge pointed away from the younger girl.

 

“SeungWan! I almost killed you, why did you sneak up on me!?”

 

The younger girl apologised quickly, her body pressing against JooHyun, her own hand twitching at the familiar (missed) warmth.

 

“I’m sorry, unnie! I just- I wanted to see if you wanted to exchange shifts already.”

 

They haven’t worn watches in a long time, those pieces long discarded when the ticking of the hands merely rubbed at their frayed nerves, each click reminding them of their impending doom. But even without them, and the fact that SeungWan looked just as exhausted as she had been in the morning, she knew she hadn’t been keeping watch for long.

 

“It hasn’t been two hours yet, Wan. Go get some sleep.”

 

Watches were useless to her after the world ended but JooHyun had adapted to being able to tell time without them. JooHyun, the girl who was constantly startled by the world, worked out in this new world because she sensed things way before they came at her and it became a sort of sixth sense, a helpful tool in evading zombie hordes and unfriendly people.

 

It was not lost on JooHyun that the most timid member (herself) had become the hardiest one and she wondered just how much more this new world would take away from her.

 

(But it didn’t matter.

 

Because she will fight tooth and nail to preserve what she had left.)

 

“I know but...”

 

SeungWan trailed off before turning her head away, her voice coming out softly.

 

“You never wake us up for the shifts. You always take the full night’s watch.”

 

JooHyun reached out and tugged at SeungWan’s threadbare jumper.

 

“You guys need your rest.”

 

SeungWan’s head snapped towards her, her eyes narrowing.

 

“So do you, unnie. You’re awake all night and then you’re watching us in the morning. You’re not going to last.”

 

JooHyun shrugged, knowing that the younger girl was right but did not acknowledge it.

 

“I’ll last. I have to.”

 

SeungWan gave her a look of distress, her fingers wrapping around her hand on her sweater.

 

“You won’t be able to. Look, unnie, I understand, you feel like you’re the one responsible for us-”

 

“I am.”

 

SeungWan continued as though there was no interruption.

 

“But you’re human just like us. You may be hard and unforgiving but you’re just as malleable like the rest of us...”

 

SeungWan crowded in, her breath mixing in with JooHyun’s.

 

“And you’re not alone in this. We’re all here, I am here.”

 

JooHyun’s grip on her knife tightened as she drowned in the galaxy that SeungWan had managed to keep behind her eyes through the months, only half listening to SeungWan begging.

 

“Please, unnie. Even if we make it out alive, we don’t want to if you’re going to run yourself into the ground.”

 

JooHyun pulled away from the captivating gaze with difficulty and whispered low, her fingers pressing into too thin stomach.

 

“But I have to make sure you will all come out of this alive.”

 

“Then do it together with me.”

 

SeungWan connected their foreheads together, her other hand cupping JooHyun’s face.

 

“Do it with me. Share the burden with me. Let’s get through this together, with me, and with everybody else.”

 

JooHyun closed her eyes, teetering at the edge of support and love that she has missed for months and she nodded once, reluctant but exhausted.

 

“Okay.”

 

SeungWan’s smile was felt rather than seen, the girl kissing her nose softly.

 

“Thank you.”

 

JooHyun shook her head, opening her eyes and getting lost in SeungWan’s gaze again.

 

“But I still get first watch.”

 

SeungWan laughed, the sound light and uplifting in these sombre times, JooHyun smiling along because if there was anyone’s laughter that could bring some light into a situation like this, it would be SeungWan.

 

“Of course, unnie.”

 

SeungWan settled against her, her body heavy against JooHyun’s side, a position that would be detrimental should any attack happen.

 

But JooHyun allowed it just this once.

 

For the first time in months, her walls came down and she relaxed into SeungWan’s touch, listening to the steady thump of SeungWan’s heart as they both kept watch.

 

*

 

The streets were a warzone.

 

Bodies were everywhere, red splattered on the ground and the stink of death lingered in the air, the quiet morning made eerie as they picked their way through the pavement. SooYoung peeked into the cars abandoned by the sides, her soft whisper carrying past even the distance they had put between themselves, all of them spaced out and checking out their environment.

 

“What the happened here?”

 

JooHyun’s head snapped towards her, her eyes narrowing into that familiar slits whenever she caught one of them swearing before they widened in fear, SeungWan instinctively looking over to SooYoung, falling open uselessly. JooHyun screamed across the space, her feet taking her across the range quickly, SooYoung turning around and falling backwards, a shriek leaving .

 

“SooYoung, behind you!”

 

Seulgi was by JooHyun’s side in an instant, her bat making contact with the snarling zombie in a sickening crunch, the monster stumbling back several steps. It wasn’t going down like they thought it would but it gave SooYoung enough time to scramble to her feet, hands gripping the back of Seulgi’s sweater, the shorter girl whipping her bat in front of her.

 

The zombie’s head rolled forwards, its neck crunching in a way that had both of the girls flinching, SooYoung breathing heavily as she drew out the tripod out from its bag, wielding just like Seulgi. JooHyun stopped beside SeungWan and she whispered softly, her hands already holding her knife at the ready.

 

“I thought the streets were clear, I didn’t see anything-”

 

“Unnie! There’s another one here!”

 

Yerim’s panicked yell had the zombie in front of SooYoung lurching forward, SeungWan moving towards the attacking demon and smashing its face with her pan, Seulgi’s bat connecting with its torso heavily.

 

JooHyun had broken out into a run, screaming for Yerim to move, the youngest frozen in place as a tall undead groaned above her, his grabby fingers already reaching for Yerim. JooHyun, in a burst of athleticism never seen before, sliced at the zombie’s eyes, the creature shrieking shrilly. Its motion was undeterred as it made its way towards Yerim, JooHyun pulling Yerim behind her and backing away, knife pointed straight at the demon.

 

SooYoung seemed to have recovered from the surprise attack, her tripod sweeping up in an arc and it caught the battered zombie in the jaw, the undead’s mouth dislocating, blood spurting out from its eyes. It gurgled for a moment, its hand stretched towards the three girls and Seulgi smashed her bat on its face again, this time caving in its skull. It fell into a heap, finally unanimated and the three of them ran back towards JooHyun and Yerim, JooHyun valiantly keeping the zombie away with her erratic swinging.

 

Seulgi swung without hesitation, the force behind her attack sending the zombie crumpling into the ground and the girl was on top of it with a vengeance, curling into a snarl as she continued to hit it, her bat making soft thumping sounds while flecks of blood flew everywhere.

 

“Keep away from us! Don’t even-”

 

The zombie was clearly not moving anymore, SeungWan reaching out to stop Seulgi’s manic attack, her fingers gripping against the older girl’s arm tightly.

 

“Seulgi, stop! It’s not going- Seulgi!”

 

Seulgi continued to attack like a woman possessed, only really snapping out of it when JooHyun called out shakily, their leader’s eyes hard.

 

“Seulgi. We have to go.”

 

The girl’s bat made one last contact, the silver sheen of the weapon tainted crimson and she sniffed loudly, tears pooling at her eyes and she nodded, wiping at her cheeks roughly before moving away from the dead body. SeungWan took her friend’s hand gently, looking over to the zombie and felt her breakfast making a reappearance, the gruesome sight and the reality of what they just did sinking in. She bent over and vomited all over the ground, Seulgi’s hand on her back as she patted it in intervals, silent as SeungWan continued to hurl.

 

JooHyun passed over the water she was carrying quietly, her own face pale from something else other than her usually white complexion but her eyes were sharp, their timid leader shaping up in this new world they were in. She held the knife close to her body and instructed lowly, Yerim and SooYoung standing to attention.

 

“Go and check if any of the cars still have the keys in the ignition. It’d be faster if we had a car.”

 

SooYoung nodded and reached out for Yerim, JooHyun looking over to them worriedly as they scampered off. She swallowed tightly, SeungWan watching the tension seep into her body and the oldest turned to Seulgi, the younger brunette nodding once at the order.

 

“Go after them. Stick together.”

 

Stay alive.

 

The next part of the sentence was unspoken but SeungWan heard it loud and clear, Seulgi running after the two young ones. JooHyun took over Seulgi’s position, rubbing at the back of SeungWan’s neck gently and making her take small sips of water, her eyes trained away from the battered body and the mess SeungWan had made.

 

“Feeling better?”

 

SeungWan nodded and spoke up hoarsely.

 

“I’m sorry, I just- it just hit me all at once.”

 

JooHyun’s eyes softened.

 

“I know. But we have to keep moving forwards.”

 

SeungWan nodded, straightening her back and brushing her bangs back, JooHyun smiling at her softly before guiding her away from the disturbing sight.

 

A car started up somewhere and SeungWan looked over in that direction, spotting Seulgi waving her bat above her head.

 

JooHyun murmured in surprise.

 

“I didn’t think- never mind, we’ll take what we can get. You’re okay to drive?”

 

SeungWan nodded, remembering belatedly that she was the only one who could control a car (though it felt like as time progressed, they would all acquire this skill) and quickened her steps, not wanting to find out if the games were true and zombies were attracted by noise.

 

She felt the presence of JooHyun disappear from her side and she stopped, jerking around and looking back in a panic, spotting JooHyun bending over several policemen and relieving them of their weapons. Her knife went back into her bag and her fingers curled around a baton, her other hand juggling another weapon (or weapons in this case) SeungWan would have never thought would fit in with JooHyun’s image.

 

JooHyun walked towards her quickly, passing over to SeungWan another baton.

 

“Keep that and lose the pan. It’ll probably work better.”

 

SeungWan nodded in shock, the both of them reaching the car in record time, Seulgi shifting over to the back when SeungWan rounded the driver’s seat.

 

“Unnie, the guns-”

 

JooHyun’s face was grim as she slid the weapons into her bag, the clink of bullets scavenged clear to all of them, Yerim staring at the oldest with a mix of fear and awe.

 

“I had a feeling. I wanted to be prepared.”

 

(This was wrong.

 

They were supposed to be singing and dancing on stage, holding microphones and worrying about the cameras.

 

Seulgi was not supposed to have lost her cool and smashed a zombie till it was unrecognisable.

 

SooYoung was supposed to be outgoing.

 

Yerim shouldn’t have to look so scared.

 

JooHyun didn’t have to hold guns as though they were an extension of her arm.)

 

SeungWan continued staring, only moving when JooHyun opened the passenger door and slipping into the running car, Seungwan snapping to attention and making her way into the vehicle hurriedly. She shifted gears and started their journey, the sight of more abandoned cars and bodies making their scenery.

 

JooHyun sniffed and passed over another baton to Yerim, the youngest taking it without question.

 

SeungWan chanced a glance over to JooHyun and felt something in her crack.

 

The new world had just started and already JooHyun looked like somebody else, the usually even tempered leader’s face strained and her eyes as muted as their surroundings.

 

*

 

A hand grabbed her collar and pulled her away from the zombie that had came out of nowhere, teeth narrowly missing her as JooHyun fired off the gun once, the undead stumbling back and screeching its lack of lower jaw. SeungWan pushed her arm past JooHyun’s right ear, the older girl cupping the ear firmly as SeungWan used her shoulder as a gun rest, her rifle firing off in rapid succession and the zombies from afar dropped like flies.

 

Breathing heavily, JooHyun lowered her arm and spoke quickly, her other arm trying to keep the bottles of medication cradled.

 

“There should be none left, we have to go now.”

 

Nodding, SeungWan stuffed the bandages into her bag and rushed for the front door, the rattle of the pill boxes JooHyun had pilfered from the shelves following behind her. They streaked past the empty parking lot towards where they had left a sick Seulgi and two very tired maknaes behind, the three of them poorly sheltered in an overturned container truck. The snick of a magazine sliding into place was loud in the eerily quiet town but SeungWan had no time to contemplate it, urging her fatigued legs to move faster, lest their presence was discovered.

 

She heard them before she saw them, whipping around to slam the of her rifle into the temple of a zombie creeping up behind her, JooHyun swearing loudly before her gun fired.

 

There weren’t a lot of them, as compared to what they have been fighting off these past few days (weeks? months? Time hadn’t been the same to SeungWan in a long time) but they were both tired and emaciated and there was only two of them as compared to the five so they were quickly overwhelmed. One zombie managed to get close to SeungWan before she pushed it back roughly, jamming her rifle into its mouth and shooting erratically.

 

She heaved heavily and turned head around to find JooHyun struggling to keep a zombie away from her, unable to do anything about the other one rushing at her back. Her heart leaping to (no, no, no) and she ran, tackling the zombie away. JooHyun’s head whipped towards her, her eyes widening and she seemed to have found some hidden strength, pushing the zombie away and slamming her gun under its chin, her gun going off in one, two, three times.

 

A screech tore from .

 

“SeungWan!”

 

SeungWan realised belatedly she should’ve shot the zombie from afar instead of going after it because now she’s on the ground with it, scrabbling away frantically as it crawled its way quickly towards her, hissing and spitting like a deranged lizard. Its teeth clacked dangerously close to her ankle and she scrambled to stand, eyes widening when