It was when Kim opened the flap of their tent and yelled at them to wake up that Yeontae realized, eyelids glued shut, that the next day had come a lot earlier than he had expected. He slowly looked up, a ray of sun reaching his eyes despite all the trees surrounding the clearing they had settled in. He turned to the side: Jinkyu was already getting dressed.

It didn’t seem like anyone had noticed their little night getaway. Thankfully.

They had come back to the camp before the end of Inho’s shift without running into anyone on the way which Yeontae had found quite odd. So far, the quarantine zone did not look anything like what they had been told on their side of the wall.

“Yeontae, stop slacking !”

He flinched at his leader’s snarl and quickly grabbed his clothes.

Hours had passed. The trainees had split, Kim sending them in pairs to explore some more. Yeontae and Jinkyu were together, roaming around the area. Even after reaching the border of the forest where hair grass and wild wheat had grown, untamed, there was not a living soul. So much for exploring the quarantine zone…

“Okay everyone, gather back to the camp.” Kim called them through the communication device of their helmets. “I know it’s early, but we’re done for today.”

“YES, finally !” Jinkyu lifted his fist up in the air. “All those trees were getting boring.”

Yeontae snorted loudly. “You seriousl-”

Gunshot.

“AAAH !”

Both got on alert, weapons raised up, surprised by the unforeseen noises.

“What even ?!” The older exclaimed, adjusting his mask.

Jinkyu shrugged, his rifle ready to shoot as they ran over to where the sound had come from.

“CHANI !”

Yeontae didn’t know this voice.

When they arrived, the scene unfolding before their eyes was both scary and unexpected : one of their teammates in his all black apparel aiming at something, his hands contracted on the grip of his rifle, the tinted visor of his helmet and his mask preventing from seeing his face; and a few meters in front of him, two young men in the grass.

“Don’t shoot, man !” Jinkyu shouted at the dumbfounded boy, his mask tight on his mouth.

“Ji-Jin-Jink-kyu…?” He seemed petrified.

“Kyuhyun ?” Yeontae called hesitantly. He thought he had recognized the voice, but he wasn’t too sure.

“Kyuhyun, please listen to me.” Jinkyu went on, voice firm.

They couldn’t see Kyuhyun’s face, but his hands were betraying him: shaking badly, holding onto his weapon as if his life depended on it.

“Th-th-they-they-” He stammered, voice hoarse.  

Yeontae risked a glance to the side to the two guys on the ground: one of them was holding the other close, whimpering in fear.

“Chani !” His voice trembling. “Chani, it’s-it’s okay, you’ll be fine…!”

‘Chani’s’ leg didn’t look too good though, blood staining his pants.

“Man, stop ! Lower your gun !” Jinkyu was trying to disarm their teammate. “Why would you shoot at people, Kyuhyun ?!”

Yeontae turned back to the strangers. “Can I hel-”

His eyes stopped on their faces: chapped lips, pale skin… and purplish blood vessels trailing all over it.

“Kyuhyun, stop !”

His whole body froze at the sudden realization.

The boy who was holding the injured ‘Chani’ looked up and his eyes met with Yeontae’s tinted visor: his were bloodshot and Yeontae’s were dry from not blinking.

“AH !”

A loud thump coming from behind made him look away.

Jinkyu had tackled Kyuhyun to the ground, locking his arm in his back. The other squirmed and thrashed about, visibly very agitated while looking straight behind Yeontae.

“In-in-infected ! Infected !”

The taller one frowned and finally looked up. His jaw dropped at the sight of the two boys.

Yeontae looked back at them and the other boy had pulled up the injured one in panic, stumbling under his weight as he tried to support him.

“Infected !”

“Shut up, Kyuhyun !” Jinkyu snarled at him, making him quiet down.

Yeontae glanced at his boyfriend and lifted his visor, the other doing the same. They were both livid as their eyes followed the two running away in the distance.

This smelled like big, big, big trouble.

“WHAT did I say about shooting at contaminated people ?!” Kim barked.

“Only if they attack…” Kyuhyun quietly answered, head hung low, eyes on his feet.

After the incident earlier, they had brought him back to the camp where they were all supposed to gather anyway. All the other trainees w