Quick breaths were all that could be heard in the silence, which was quickly broken by the growing sounds of low growling. The nine of them hadn’t suspected anything, they hadn’t realised that a group of zombies had already occupied the abandoned building that they had taken shelter in. The tallest of the trio made her way towards the nearby window; she had a clear view of the zombies, thankful that they were currently preoccupied.

“Damn it!” Tzuyu exclaimed quietly to herself before turning to face the two older girls in the room. The three them had unfortunately been separated from the rest of the group in their attempts in to escape yet the youngest was thankful that she wasn’t alone. “What is it?” Jihyo asked, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. “Those things are blocking the exit,” the youngest responded as she leant her head against the wall in frustration.

Silence had fallen between them, the two older girls leaning against the desk behind them and catching their breaths. How are they supposed to escape now, Tzuyu began wracking her brain for any ideas. “Do you know if the rest escaped?” Sana asked, she turned to look at her girlfriend but the younger girl only responded with a shake of her head. “Jihyo, do you know?” She began to worry slightly, questions of whether or not their friends escaped appearing in her head.

“They managed to escape, I saw them close the door the moment they left. However I’m not sure about the situation outside.” A sigh of frustration escaped Tzuyu’s lips, she was angry that a group of zombies was blocking their way out, but she was angrier with herself. She should’ve been more alert when she checked the building out with Jeongyeon, she should’ve made sure that there was no infected. She should’ve heard the growling before it became too late.

“It’ll be ok Tzuyu. I’m sure the rest of the group are ok,” a soft voice that she had grown to love took her out of her thoughts. Sana smiled reassuringly at the younger girl as she grabbed her hand and squeezing gently in hopes to calm her down. The taller girl began to feel guilt building inside of her; the two girls in front of her acted as if everything would be ok but Tzuyu knew it was anything but ok.

The pain in her side was only growing stronger by the minute and she knew that she wasn’t going to last long. With a deep sigh she turned her head to look up at Sana, a reassuring smile gracing her face to assure her that everything will be ok. The moment Tzuyu noticed the older girl respond with a smile of her own, she turned to face Jihyo, the smile disappearing slowly until a look of seriousness was left.

“Jihyo unnie, the moment those zombies are gone. I want you to take Sana with you and get out as quickly as you can and meet with the others.” Jihyo furrowed her brows in confusion, unsure of what the younger girl was saying, only realising the meaning when she raised her head to look at Tzuyu. The confusion disappeared and a look of understanding appeared before slowly transitioning into one of sadness.

Tzuyu was thankful that Jihyo had been quick and smart enough to understand the message that she was trying to convey. Their exchange was quickly interrupted by a soft voice, “But the exit, ho-” Tzuyu cut off the older girl’s voice with her own, “I’m going to distract them and lead them away.” Sana’s eyes widened in shock immediately, she didn’t want to believe what the girl was saying. “No, you’re going to die if you do that,” she protested, her hands letting go of the younger girl’s.

She refused to let the girl that she loves die; she wasn’t going to lose her again especially since they had just found each other again. “I’ll be dead in a few hours anyway,” Tzuyu turned to face Sana with a bitter smile, the tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her heart began to ache as she noticed the older girl tilt her head slightly in confusion, it didn’t take long for Sana to realise before the confusion washed away and a look of pain appeared.

“No,” Sana shook her head, she didn’t want to believe what she was saying, she wanted to believe that she was lying to her. The taller girl looked down at the ground, she couldn’t bear to see the hurt in the older girl’s eyes. “It happened when we were trying to escape,” she said quietly, “It happened so fast, that I didn’t realise I was scratched until the pain became unbearable.” Tzuyu continued as she ped her jacket, revealing a large scratch on her side.

Sana gasped as she covered with her hands, the tears beginning to from in her eyes before she quickly looked away, not being able to bear seeing her girlfriend in pain. “Tzuyu,” Jihyo’s voice was soft, she wasn’t sure how to feel in that moment, she didn’t think that this would happen to one of their own so quickly. Jihyo hadn’t realised that she was crying until the tears began to fall, quickly wiping them away before resting her hand on Tzuyu’s shoulder and squeezing gently.

“It’s ok, at least I died saving the people I love,” Tzuyu wiped her tears away as she turn to face both girls with a small smile, “As long as the both of you escape, it’ll be ok.”  The younger girl kept her gaze on Jihyo, “Is it ok if you give us a moment?” Jihyo’s lips curved into a small smile; nodding in response before saying, “Sure, just tell me when you’re finished.” Tzuyu watched as Jihyo walked towards the other end of the room and once she was out of earshot, the younger girl grabbed Sana’s hand gently as she wiped the tears away with her other hand.

“Don’t cry unnie, I hate seeing you cry,” her voice was soft as she squeezed the older girl’s hands again. “How can I not cry? The person I love is going to die,” Sana’s voice was quiet; she looked down to avoid Tzuyu’s gaze, the tears only flowing harder. How can she be so calm about this, Sana’s eyes landed on the scratch and thoughts of not being with Tzuyu appeared in her head and she began to cry harder.

Tzuyu’s heart began to ache, she had never wanted to hurt the older girl but she was doing this so that her and Jihyo would be safe, casualties were common in the world that they lived in. Tzuyu let of go Sana’s hand and raised her hands to the back of her neck; she unlinked the chain of her necklace and took it off. She held the older girl’s chin and gently raised her head so that she was looking at her. Tzuyu smiled softly as she cupped Sana’s face gently, wiping away the tears that were falling down her face.

“Don’t try to change my mind, I’ve already decided. This is what I want,” Tzuyu removed her hand from Sana’s face, she wrapped the necklace around the older girl’s neck, once she was sure that it was fastened she looked her in the eyes. “Remember that I love you,” she spoke as she wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall. Sana wrapped her arms around Tzuyu’s neck tightly, whilst being mindful of her injury.

The younger girl responded by wrapping her arms around Sana’s waist, the both of them were quiet, neither daring to speak. A minute or two had passed before Tzuyu let go of the older girl and saying, “Jihyo unnie, promise me that you’ll keep her safe. Make sure she gets out, drag her if you have to.” Tzuyu looked their leader in the eyes, if she turned to face her girlfriend; she was afraid that she would fall apart and cry harder.

“Tzuyu,” Jihyo’s voice was soft, guilt somehow slowly building inside of her. One of their own had been bit and didn’t even realise nor was she able to help in any way. What kind of leader was she, how can she protect the rest of them now. “Promise me?” The taller girl’s voice broke her thoughts, Jihyo furrowed her brows in pain as looked down, hoping to avoid her gaze before saying softly, “I…I promise.”

“Jihyo unnie, are you ready?” She asked the older girl. “I’m ready,” Jihyo’s replied quietly as she made her way towards the two girls; gun in hand, ready to kill any lingering zombies that they had failed to notice. She didn’t want to lose anyone else. “Remember, only leave once they’re gone ok?” Tzuyu double-checked if her gun had ammo left before grabbing Sana’s hand and placing the gun in her hand. “I love you,” she whispered loud enough so that only Sana could hear her before facing Jihyo.

“Be safe,” Tzuyu handed her bag to Jihyo, which had been full of supplies before grabbing the axe off of the floor and standing up. She leaned down and pressed her lips against Sana’s, “I love you,” she whispered once again before placing a tender kiss on her forehead. The younger girl smiled at the both of them and began making her way towards the door, “I love you too.” As soon as she heard Sana’s soft voice, Tzuyu’s lips formed into a smile and she turned to face the both of them, the smile not leaving her face.

The younger girl took a deep breath before opening the door and shutting it quickly. She kept her gaze on the zombies as she quietly made her way towards the other end of the corridor, ready to run away as soon as possible. Tzuyu took another deep breath before counting herself down and shouting as loudly as she could. “Hey idiots, over here,” she glared at the zombies, watching as they growled loudly, all of them turning around to face her.

“You want me, you’ll have to catch me first,” Tzuyu smirked before turning and quickly running down the hallway. She quickly glanced behind her and a sigh of relief escaped her lips as noticed the whole of group of zombies following her. “I hope they get out safely,” Tzuyu muttered to herself as she turned the corner.

-

Jihyo watched as the group of zombies disappeared, once she was sure that the hallway was clear she quickly grabbed everything they had with them and made her way towards the door quickly. Jihyo was ready to open the door when she noticed that the older girl had yet to move away from where she was. She looked over at the girl with worry before making her way back, “We have to go Sana, we don’t know if they’re going to come back,” her voice was gentle yet firm as she gently squeezed the older girls arm.

Sana’s gaze had been fixed on the gun in her hand ever since the younger girl had left as she played with the necklace around her neck. She still couldn’t process the fact that her girlfriend had been bit and was now going to die. The tears began to flow again; she quickly shut her eyes tightly as her grip on the gun tightened too. The older girl could feel her breathing getting heavier, the tears only continuing to flow.

“I’m sorry Sana, but we need to go now. I promised Tzuyu I would keep you safe.” Sana heard the younger girl’s soft voice, she sobbed harder at the mention of the taller girls name. Jihyo’s heart began to ache as she watched her friend cry, placing her hand on the older girls shoulder and rubbing it gently in hopes to calm her. Sana quickly wiped away that tears that had fallen and took a few deep breaths to calm her self before slowly getting up. She turned to face Jihyo, an empty smile on her face, “Let’s go.”

Jihyo frowned as she watched the older girl leave the room before following her. She looked around the area; double-checking that there weren’t any and once she was sure that it was safe she quickly made her way towards the exit. The moment that the both of them had exited the building, Jihyo closed the door and grabbed a nearby pole to stop any chance of the zombies inside escaping. “Jihyo!” The girl turned her head to find a figure running towards her, stumbling backwards as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her neck tightly.

“I thought I lost you,” Mina could feel the tears forming in her eyes, for a moment she was caught up in her happiness which soon faded away. Mina pulled away immediately, worry in her eyes as she asked, “Are you bit?” As soon as Sana heard the question, the tears began to form in her eyes, images of Tzuyu leaving appearing in her head. The rest of group turned to face the blonde with worry, which only grew as they watched Sana drop to the ground, head in her hands as she continued to cry.

Jihyo looked dejected as she moved away from Mina and made her way towards the older girl, wrapping her arms around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. The oldest of the group had noticed that they were missing one person. Nayeon turned to face the both of them, her eyes on Jihyo, “Where’s Tzuyu?” she asked, the worry bubbling inside of her. Nayeon knew what Jihyo would say yet she asked hoping that there was the slightest possibility it wouldn’t be true.

Jihyo looked down, the tears falling down her face, “She was bit so she sacrificed herself so that we could escape.” She could hear the faint sobs coming from the blonde girl besides her so Jihyo began to rub Sana’s shoulders gently in an attempt to calm her down. After a moment she could tell that the older girl had calmed down and that her sobs had died down until they were only sniffles. Jihyo looked up to find the rest of their group with sad looks on their faces and she began to worry about everyone else.

The faint growling that could be heard in the background brought Jihyo back to her senses, she removed her arms from around Sana and stood up slowly, grabbing the bag that Tzuyu had given her and giving it to Sana. The older girl gave a small smile and put the bag on, she wiped away the tears and took a deep breath before standing up slowly. “We should get going, it’s not safe to stay out in the open,” Jihyo’s voice was more determined, checking that her gun had enough bullets just in case she had to use it.

She slowly made her way towards Mina, intertwining their hands and walking away slowly so that the rest of the group understand that they had to leave. Once Jihyo was sure that everyone was following, she picked up her pace and began heading in the direction of the woods, the trees would allow for cover. “I don’t want to lose anyone else,” Jihyo muttered to herself, instinctively tightening her hold on the younger girl who only frowned upon hearing her girlfriend’s words.

Sana took one last glance towards the building, wiping away the tears that were falling before quickening her pace and catching up with the rest of the group.