Within half an hour the zombies had magically forgotten about the six girls hidden in what had surely been a special classroom for those who needed to study even during breaks, a specialty of that school according to Jeongyeon.

However, contrary to what was shown by the monotonous arrangement of the desks, in that classroom there was a cabinet next to the window containing various snacks, to which they immediately attached themselves to pass the time and, above all, to regain strength.

"They've stopped stalking us, but it will be enough to open the door to attract their attention again" Mina had taken off her shoes so as not to make any noise, since she was physically unable to sit without doing anything "what can we do? Go out the window and climbing would lead to certain death, since none of us have the right physique"

"According to careful analysis, I'd say we're screwed" Momo hadn't touched the food and was looking outwards, more precisely in the direction of the moon "we tried so hard and in the end we'll die anyway"

Jihyo divided the chocolate snack she was eating in half and handed a piece to the blue-haired girl "try not to be pessimistic and eat this, we all need energy to be able to come up with another plan"

"I'm not hungry, eat it all"

At that point, under the surprised gaze of their friends, the soft cake was slapped directly into "I told you you have to eat, you're pale and wasted"

Momo had no choice but to chew and swallow "I'm pale from the moonlight and I'm not the only one who has lost weight, you just need to look at Jeongyeon's arms to tell. Or Tzuyu, she looks like a surfboard"

The person just mentioned sadly put her hands to her chest, making a hug "I swear I'm not flat, you can see very well that I'm a woman"

"Seeing is believing, come here little Tzu" Sana looked ravenous and had a mischievous smile lighting up her face, which was however chased away by a glare from her girlfriend "I was joking, the only pair of s I'm interested in touching is the your"

"Take similar attitudes again with someone other than me and I assure you the punishment will be the worst ever" Mina was fiddling with an arrow and in the dim light she looked more menacing than ever.

Jeongyeon had approached Momo to whisper in her ear "are they talking about ual punishment?"

"No, the worst punishment for Sana would be not to go shopping with her. She once cried an entire afternoon just because we couldn't follow her to all the shops on her endless list"

"She's really weird" Jihyo started shaking, so much so that she ended up rubbing her arms with frozen hands. About three seconds passed before she was wrapped in a jacket that gave off irresistible warmth, yet she didn't want to take advantage of anyone's kindness "you have to keep it or you'll get sick"

Momo seemed calm even though she was wearing only a sweater "I never get sick and I can bear the cold without any problems. Don't worry and try to warm up, you need it much more than me"

Jeongyeon was watching them and let out a small smile after seeing the affectionate way the brunette cuddled to the one who lent her the only source of warmth she had.

It wasn't the first time she'd seen Momo behave like this and it wasn't that that made her smile, but the sweetness with which they were embracing. That gesture reminded her of Nayeon and of all the times they had spent together, both good and bad.

On the other hand there were Mina and Sana, immersed in a whispered conversation and characterized by such an intense exchange of glances as to give the impression of being witnessing an intimate moment.

The hatred of just before had disappeared and the sweetness with which Mina was observing her girlfriend was of a disarming sincerity, so as to give the idea that a love like theirs was unique in the world.

Yet, a feeling like that, Jeongyeon had experienced before and felt it even now. She considered herself a fool for never coming out and letting her bond with Nayeon go without that scary-yet-beautiful bond, but by then she had resigned herself.

"You miss her a lot, don't you?" Tzuyu was checking her knee, enjoying the effect the cold was having on it. Feeling no pain was like a blessing after the efforts she had put in.

"Sometimes it seems to me that I still see her among us, but the same goes for the other strange brats too" she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes to lighten the weight of her own existence "those three will remain my biggest regret"

The younger one had imitated her gesture, looking at one of the desks "you have nothing to blame yourself for because you have done so much for us, just like the three of them did. It's always the best people who lose out, in fact I'm afraid that something could happen to you five too"

Jeongyeon's hair was so matted that it prevented her fingers from combing it "do you think you're not worthy enough to be included in our list of best people?"

"I don't think so, it's simply a fact. If I hadn't stumbled to get that damned bottle of water Dahyun would still be here with us and I'll never be able to forgive myself for that; I was a real imbecile" she was crying silently, without not even letting a sob escape.

"Dahyun had a particular soft spot for you, even if I'm convinced she was totally unaware of it" she turned towards her to look her in the eyes "she had her own way of proving things and she always showed herself quite standoffish, but with you she didn't has ever succeeded and the katana next to you is proof of that"

Tzuyu couldn't keep her eyes on the older's "hearing you say this won't take away my regrets and the pain of loss"

"I know, but it will help you grow up with the awareness that life is to be lived to the fullest and that to be on par with her, you just need to live for both"

"I couldn't have said it better" Mina was a little moved, even though she wouldn't have admitted it even under torture "it's right to mourn them, but our real job is to honor their existence to the best of our ability"

Sana knew very well what her girlfriend was feeling, but instead of embarrassing her she had limited herself to holding her tighter "holy words my girls, you only need a long white beard to be able to define yourself as two wise"

Momo had looked at her with feigned contempt "is it possible that sensible things never come out of that mouth?"

"I don't let myself be touched by the insults of an idiot who goes to the gym just to be able to eat like a sow"

"At least I don't force anyone to wait for me for hours while I'm trying on ten identical dresses"

The pink-haired girl had to rub her temples to ease the sudden headache that had hit her "Momoring, it's clear you're a beggar with no taste for clothes. The same clothes you're talking about are always different colors and, I assure you, they don't all have the same effect because there are a lot of factors to look at, but you're clearly not ready to have this conversation"

Jeongyeon let that seemingly useless speech get everyone's attention, waiting for them to finish before intervening "I have a plan, but I need your cooperation to implement it"

The idea that they had all worked out together could only be implemented by exploiting the light of the day, so they had taken advantage of it to sleep for a few hours, finding themselves sticking together to transmit heat to each other.

When they woke up they were all tired and sore, but the awareness of having to face half a corridor and two flights of stairs to get to their destination had made them get off the floor without complaining. They were close to the goal and not even the fear of failure could crush them.

Each of them was preparing to leave the four walls in which they had taken refuge, especially Jeongyeon who had checked for the umpteenth time that she had the only remaining bullet correctly inserted into the gun "well, everything is still there"

"We are ready?" Mina had her bow clutched in one hand and an arrow in the other, as well as her backpack from which the few arrows at her disposal were sticking out.

Tzuyu had just finished wrapping her knee and was weighing her katana "I think I am"

"Me too" Momo had two baseball bats, one of which was given to her by the youngest of the group so she could use it more efficiently.

Sana and Jihyo were finishing tying each other's hair, but as far as everything else was concerned they were finished with their preparations as well.

"Let's go over the stairs all together" Jeongyeon had a perfect posture, which denoted a certain tension "you will go out the door on the left, the one closest to the stairs, and you will leave it open; I will shoot a pistol after opening the other door and then I'll run to you. Any questions?"

"Don't you think it's too risky?" Momo wasn't convinced she should act that way, and despite all the time she spent explaining to her that it was their only option, she didn't want to stop repeating that question.

However, the older of the group didn't let herself be held back "we've set up the desks so they can't pass quickly and I'll close the door before I leave. It will slow them down a lot"

"There may still be more zombies coming from different directions, we can't be sure"

Jihyo lightly squeezed her arm "we have no other options but to risk it all, it's the best idea we've come up with and we can't afford to doubt right now"

Even Mina had approached her to give her courage "Momoring, it will all be over soon and we will leave this crap behind us. We have to hold on for a few minutes and we will be on the terrace, but we also need your participation to make it happen"

"The majority decides, right? So let's do it"

They circled to give each other strength, then checked the arrangement of the pews before taking up their positions.

"Go to my three" Jeongyeon mimed with her lips, then she slammed the sliding door open to make as much noise as possible and attract the attention of the undead. She directly yelled the number that indicated they could exit the classroom and the other five did as scheduled.

However the girl hadn't done anything she said, going straight out the door that she had opened and just in time to exchange a look with Mina, who was aiming at a zombie to allow the others to go up the stairs.

"Take care of them!" she screamed at the top of her lungs before running in the opposite direction, screaming non-stop to lure as many monsters as possible to the other side of the school. She knew very well that the plan they had planned would have been useless, but she hadn't felt like telling everyone that she had decided to sacrifice herself.

The blonde fought back her tears and did her best to protect the others until they reached the terrace, thankful they hadn't heard their mate's screams.

Jeongyeon had continued to run for an apparently infinite time, during which she had used all her boxing training to be able to avoid even being touched by the crowd of zombies that was thickening every second.

In addition to the concentration there was the myriad of memories that had taken possession of her sight, giving her the impression of being in front of the television to retrace what had been her life that had lasted almost twenty-five years.

The memories of her family had been the first to overwhelm her, but it hadn't been them that had made her cry. It was the thought of the person she loved with all of herself that had given the final blow to her fragmented heart.

She saw herself reflected in Nayeon's cheerful eyes. Then there was Nayeon pouting after a futile argument, absolutely lovely. This was followed by their first orange-flavored kiss. Their first time had been memorable, as had all their other experiences with her special someone.

That set of things made her smile through tears "my life was great because I shared it with you"

While she was climbing onto a chair she let her mind say a last goodbye to the other seven girls who had become part of her days "you have been the best companions I could have wished for, I go to the ones who left us but I know that you five will do great things"

She released the safety from the gun and smiled again hearing the sound of a helicopter "the army is here, my work has finally come to an end Nay, I have fulfilled a part of your wish. Now I'm joining you, my love"

It was enough for her to point the weapon at her temple and pull the trigger to put an end to that nasty adventure.

~~~

The next chapter will be the last in the story, now we have almost reached the end🥺