[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Nineteen[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Baekhyun was exhausted. He hadn’t slept all night, hadn’t dared to take his eyes off of Seri’s withering body. She was still unconscious when the sun’s morning rays dyed the sky bloody red, and it shattered him to see her like this—she had fought for a long time, restlessly writhing on the sheets as her fever had returned. He had attempted to calm her, had kissed her forehead, held her hand and whispered reassurances to her, but she hadn’t shown a reaction. It was all pointless. He had come to the frustrating realization that he couldn’t help her. This was a struggle she had to endure on her own, and by watching without interfering, he only prolonged her suffering. She was in pain, and he didn’t do anything to alleviate it. Baekhyun was a coward—he couldn’t kill her. He just couldn’t do it.

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth in the small bedroom. If he hadn't heard Seri's strained breaths, he might have thought she had already died. Time passed so slowly that it didn't seem to progress at all. He glanced at his watch, only to find that not even five minutes had gone by. Nervousness, restlessness, and fatigue plagued him incessantly and his uncertainty about Seri’s state drove him mad. He looked down at his hands. They trembled when he thought about ending her life.

He didn't want to. 

It just wasn't fair. They had survived so many hardships and had always come out alive until now. Countless confrontations with zombies, even the disaster in the safe zone and clashes with other survivors hadn’t stopped them. What would have happened if he had ignored Seri's request to take Bora in? What if he had just kicked her out? He should have trusted the odd feeling in his gut when he had first met the woman. Maybe it had been his subconscious trying to warn him, or a simple survival instinct. Bora’s strange behavior had stood out to him—perhaps the virus had affected her actions even before she had fully transformed into a zombie.

“, it’s all my fault,” he growled as guilt choked him and he buried his face in his hands. He was a soldier—he should have been able to protect her. If he couldn’t even do that, then why was he even here? To make it worse, a similar situation had occurred in the past, when his old team had died in Incheon. They had been infected as well, and he had been forced to watch as they lost their humanity. Thus, the present situation was awfully familiar to him.

A nauseating mix of guilt and exhaustion gnawed at him, but he fought the tiredness since the horror was not over yet. If he fell asleep now, Seri would kill him as soon as she woke up. He could not let that happen. It would have devastated her. Although he was a coward, he was prepared to honor her last wish.

Baekhyun stifled an exhausted yawn as he approached the bed for what felt like the hundredth time and stopped at her side. He glanced at her face, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath. However, something changed. Her breathing pattern became irregular and her head jerked in his direction. He narrowed his eyes and took a step back. His hand wandered to his gun and pulled it out of the holster. Trembling, he pointed it at Seri's head. The end of the barrel shook. Maybe the first shot wouldn’t even hit the mark like this…

He couldn't delay it any longer. It was time. Baekhyun struggled to block out the merciless guilt that plagued him and forced himself not to see Seri lying there but a soulless zombie. He focused on the paleness of her complexion, on the bloodstains on her shirt, but it didn't work. The soldier was facing Seri and not an enemy he had to shoot at any cost. Bora had called him heartless—and at this very moment, he wished he truly was heartless. Then this task wouldn't be so damn hard. Then he wouldn't feel sick to his stomach at the idea of pulling the trigger.

Seri's bloodshot eyes opened and disorientedly darted around until they found him. She stared at him without moving a muscle, without making a sound. The atmosphere was laden with tension. He couldn’t get any air into his lungs. This was his last chance to interfere before she would attack him. Baekhyun raised his arm and took aim. Simultaneously, her gaze focused on the gun he was pointing at her head, and her eyes widened. Was it fear he saw in them? Were zombies capable of feeling fear? No—all they knew was anger and greed.

“Don’t shoot!” she pleaded, and though her voice was weak and raspy, it held enough power to stun him. He was petrified. Why was she still able to speak? The illness had already broken out, he had seen it with his own eyes.

She grimaced and raised a weak hand to touch her temple. “I’m still me, I swear.”

“How is this possible?” he whispered and lowered his gun, putting it away since he didn’t wish to scare her. He sat on the edge of the bed, needing to be close to her despite the risk.

“I… don’t know why I’m not dead yet, but most of the pain is gone,” she mumbled and looked at her pale hands. Moving them was unexpectedly tiring. It was as if she had no control over her own body. “The fever is gone as well.”

Baekhyun’s heart pounded nervously—hope budded in his chest. It was small, but it waited to grow into something bigger. “I need to see the bite mark,” he demanded and grabbed scissors from the first aid kit to remove the bandage from her lower arm. After the injury was uncovered, he inspected it carefully, noting that the blood had dried and the wound had begun its natural healing process. Baekhyun was astonished. No signs of inflammation remained.

“What’s the meaning of this? How is this possible?”

Seri’s eyes brightened with hope as an idea formed in her head. She took Baekhyun’s hand, weakly engulfing it with hers. “What if the virus won’t turn me into a zombie? What if I won’t die?”

At first, he couldn’t believe it, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Her immune system must have fended the virus off somehow—she no longer showed the typical symptoms for RABV-12. Her eyes were vibrant, full of life, and retained their pretty chocolate hue. Even her cheeks grew rosier by the minute. No zombie appeared or behaved like this.

“Last night I was convinced I would lose you, and yet here you are. When I started calling you angel, I had no idea how fitting it would be,” he chuckled and shook his head. The feeling of relief that washed over him was almost too strong to endure. His eyes watered.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up anymore. It was horrible,” she whispered and frowned. “I’m only alive because you were patient and didn’t give up on me. If you hadn’t interfered yesterday, I would have…” She gulped.

“I would never let you do something so reckless,” he replied, a hint of anger crossing his features. “It’s my job to protect you, even from yourself.”

“You take it very seriously.” A grateful smile lit up her face. She willed her debilitated body to move and leaned closer to him. Knowing what she desired, he pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his upper body and pressed her cheek against his chest.

“You didn’t sleep tonight, did you?”

“How could I?”

“You’re exhausted, Baekhyun. Don’t forget to rest. You’ve been through a lot and—”

“Yeah, yeah. I will rest later, let me enjoy this first, angel.” He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled, tightening his embrace. She was safe in his arms and the last thing on his mind was letting go. This was heavenly. Every breath she took was a miracle. 

“I love you,” he whispered in her hair and left a kiss on her forehead. “And I swear I will protect you better from now on.”

“I can protect myself too.”

“That’s not enough. Better safe than sorry, angel.”

Her skin tingled when he pressed a kiss on her cheek, gradually getting closer to her lips. Hands wandering to his neck, she decreased the distance between them further and her body curved against his. He let her lean on him, noting that her body was weakened by the virus. It was no wonder after her fever had lasted for most of the night, so he offered the support she required and relished her touch. Her body felt soothingly warm and alive. After this terrible experience, he vowed to value every single moment he had with her, every single kiss. He couldn’t waste a day since there was no telling when death would rip them apart for good… He had failed to protect her once and it couldn’t happen again.

A feeling of pure bliss grew in Seri the longer their bodies remained locked together. Her hands were tangled in the silkiness of his black hair, and she leaned her forehead against his, gazing deep into his maroon eyes. They overflowed with relief and adoration for her, crinkling at the corners when he smiled slightly. It was the kind of expression he only showed to her.

“I don’t think I could live without you,” he whispered, his breath ghosting over her skin before he sealed their lips. The warmth in her belly multiplied, rousing desire and the need to be as close to him as possible. She smiled into the kiss and allowed him to deepen it, fully enjoying it. Her worn-out state didn’t allow her to go any farther than that, so their shared intimacy was more tender than passionate.

“Thank you,” she murmured when their lips parted. Even though she had thanked him many times before, this time, her words were particularly heavy with gratitude, acknowledging and appreciating his devotion. Not many would have done what he had done for her; not many would have risked being infected just to care for her injuries and to keep her alive.

He nodded as if it was a given, but they both knew it wasn’t. “It’s the least I could have done.”

Muffled voices and footsteps reached through the locked bedroom door, and shortly after, they heard a knock. “Baekhyun… are you still there?” Chanyeol called, his shaky voice betraying his anxiety. Seri furrowed her brows—did he think they were dead?

“We’re okay,” Baekhyun answered immediately and untangled himself from his girlfriend to unlock the door. He discovered Yeji, Jongin, Sehun, and Chanyeol in a disheveled state. Their eyes were rimmed by dark