~*~

I couldn’t scream. I didn't have any sort of defence for myself too.

Never did I think I would say this, but I wish my power was working. It

I found Mai laying on the ground fighting off an infected on top of her.

I quickly ran to her aid and kicked the undead off of her. Mai got up and let out her silenced pistol and shoot the hell out of it.

I waited and waited for her to stop shooting it. Bullets after bullets, I thought they were the last ones she was going to shoot.

“Mai! Mai!” I called her, trying to stop her. “Let’s go.”

Mai looked distraught but she followed me eventually.

We found the guys and we continued to fend ourselves from them.

We put down as much infected as we could but Hendery was doing most of the job. 

“We can’t keep doing this. More of them are just gonna come!” Hendery said as he sliced the head of an infected with his swift firebending.

No one responded to him as we didn’t really know what to do next. We were trapped, circled by tons of infected trying to have a taste of our flesh.

“There’s a cottage over there!” Jaemin shouted and I followed where he was pointing.

“Let’s go!” Hendery said.

We ran through the herd of infected as Hendery opened the way for us. He kept bursting his hot, orange fire stream to clear the path.

We eventually got to the cottage and I slammed myself against the door to open it as we got in, the guys locked the door with a giant log of wood.

The boys sat on the ground trying to catch their breaths. I sat next to Jaemin and patted the back of his head. He leaned to my chest and I wrapped my arms around him tightly. “You did great. You’re so brave. I’m proud of you.” I faintly whispered.

Renjun came and joined the hug. I closed my eyes, because for a moment I thought I was too late and I would never see them again. I buried my face on their heads.

“This will never hold,” Mai said quietly.

The door of the cottage kept banging and it seemed like it would break any minute from now. 

Jaemin slowly broke free from the hug to look at the door, so did Renjun. 

“So what do we do now?” Renjun innocently asked.

He was scared. I wanted to hug him again and tell him that it was alright, but I couldn’t. That would be a lie. Because I don’t know myself if we were ever gonna… make it.

I shifted my gaze to look over at Hendery, and for a second I thought I caught him watching me, but he quickly turned away. 

“What do you think we should do?” I asked and he went back to look at me.

“I can’t hold them forever…” He said. 

For a second, I was angry at him. Maybe I always expected him to have an answer to every of my questions and he didn’t have one this time.

“We’re gonna die.” Jaemin said gravely.

Mai walked to Hendery furiously, clenching her fists. “Did Victor send you?” She asked, as if they’d known each other for quite sometime.

Hendery nodded.

“You've gotta be kidding, he isn't as bright as he acts, is he?” Mai hissed. 

Hendery looked down, not meeting her eyes. He looked more concerned than offended by Mai’s remark.

“Wait, what are you two going on about?” I asked, walking closer to them.

“Where’s this god-forsaken institute of his?” Mai said, completely ignoring my question.

“We have to get to the portal first up north.” Hendery said, looking at me.

“What the are you guys talking about?” I raised my voice a bit,