You were in an odd place - half aware of the things going on around you in real time, half...elsewhere. Even as you struggled to stay conscious, the other half tried to tug you under, to a tempting state of blissful numbness. You could see the vague forms of Luhan and Kris hovering over you, could see their mouths moving, but your brain refused to process the words that reached your ears.

 

It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake. The effort it took to keep your eyes open was akin to dragging yourself through thick mire, and the alternative was becoming more attractive by the second.

 

You heard the bullet when it made contact with the van, but by then, you were too far gone to link the sound to the danger it entailed.

 

The last thing you were aware of was the warmth of a large, familiar hand, gripping yours tightly, as if trying to anchor you to the present. 

 

 

 

He could only watch helplessly as your eyes fluttered shut, the black lines on your face reaching towards your hairline, and felt the hand in his go limp.

 

Horror clutched at his heart, and the panic he felt was unfamiliar. He had been trained not to feel such emotions. He had been in situations worse than this - he watched comrades fall beside him without batting an eyelash, so why the anguish right now?

 

"Kris!"

 

A snide, smug voice in his head laughed at him, taunting him with the truth that he refused to acknowledge. He was not stupid. He knew perfectly well why he felt this way, but he had no idea how to deal with those foreign emotions, and so shut them away. However, the more time he spent around you, the harder it became to keep them barred.

 

"Duizhang!"

 

"What?" Kris's head snapped up meet the fuming glare of the elder boy whose torso you still rested on.

 

"Pull yourself together! You think she'd want to see you go to pieces like this?" Luhan hissed at him in Chinese. "God, man! You're scaring Tao!"

 

It was only then that he realized that the boy in question had been shaking his arm, tears running down his cheeks, for the past few minutes while he had been unresponsive, lost in his thoughts. 

 

Bullets were still raining down on them, clattering against the armor of the car like high-speed hail.

 

"Gege, is jiejie g-going to die?"

 

"No!" The word came out harsher than intended, and Tao recoiled at the almost snarl that erupted from his throat. Kris immediately regretted it, and hastened to calm the already terrified boy.

 

"She'll be fine, Tao Tao-er. Right now, it's us we have to worry about," he attempted a reassuring smile, but judging from the looks he recieved, he guessed that it came out more like a grimace.

 

As the words left his lips, the van swerved suddenly to the left, hurling them all against the right wall of the vehicle's interior. Luhan locked his arms around you to keep your body from crashing through the window.

 

"Hold on to something!" Sooyoung called back to them as she swung the steering wheel sharply, turning the SUV onto a small side street in an attempt to lose their pursuers.

 

"Thanks for the warning!" D.O shouted angrily, rubbing his bruised shoulder as he picked himself up from the floor.

 

Lay wiped sweat from his forehead as he hurried to tie off the bandages around Kai's wound. Kai himself couldn't do much more than grip onto the armrest to keep still as the car swung around again.

 

Xiumin winced at the screech of the tires. 

 

"This isn't working," Baekhyun said tersely, staring out the tinted windows at the buildings flashing by. Occasionally, he'd catch the glint of the small metal pellets flying by. Evidently, their pursuers were just as good at driving as Sooyoung was, and her efforts at evasion were rather futile.

 

Kris suddenly had an idea, and dove towards you, hands reaching for the hem of your white dress. Luhan, fearing that the other Chinese man had cracked under the pressure, grabbed his wrists when he tried to lift the soft material.

 

"Is this really the time?!"

 

Kris glared at him, not bothering to explain his misunderstanding, and threw off his grip, pushing aside the cloth just enough to reveal the holster and gun still strapped to your thigh. Without another word, he lifted the weapon, careful not to touch the enticing expanse of soft, pale skin revealed to him.

 

He looked up to see that Luhan, having understood his intentions, had already rolled down the nearest window. He stuck his head and arm out the opening, firing twice before ducking back in quickly. The satisfying breaking of glass signalled the shots reaching their target. 

 

This time, the squealing of tires did not come from their vehicle. Sooyoung watched the car behind them spin this way and that when the driver slumped over the wheel, clutching at his bleeding chest. 

 

"Nice one, hyung," Chanyeol said appreciatively.

 

Kris, however, was not satisfied, and leaned out once more. This time, they heard the popping of tires before a loud crash as the vehicle rammed into the wall of a building after skidding onto the sidewalk.

 

"How much longer, sunbae?" Suho asked, calmer now that they were out of immediate danger.

 

"Half an hour, maybe," the older woman replied, pushing down on the gas.

 

It was quiet for a moment while the boys took a time to breathe and compose themselves. Then-

 

"...Jae..."

 

Eleven pairs of eyes turned to your still unconscious form at the soft moan, the sound oddly clear and audible in the silence.

 

"No...don't...," you whimpered, lips quivering. "Please..."

 

As they watched, a single tear made its way from the corner of your eye and down your left cheek.

 

"Jinhye-jie...?" Tao reached out for your arm.

 

"NO!"

 

The sudden scream shocked the poor boy so badly that he fell backwards, crashing against the back of the seat in front of him.

 

You thrashed about in Luhan's arms, now sobbing, eyes shut, trapping you in your nightmares.

 

"NO! STOP! SHOOT ME!! KILL ME FIRST!" you cried. "LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

 

"Leave him - " you gasped, "- alone..."

 

The fight suddenly seemed to leave you, though your body still shook from your sobs.

 

"...what?" 

 

Nobody answered Sehun, but Sooyoung cringed in the front seat.

 

Kris stared at you wordlessly, fists clenched so tightly that his nails cut into the flesh of his palms. His firmly locked jaw was beginning to give him a toothache from how hard he was biting down.

 

"...you stupid...lying...bastard..."

 

Each of your sobs, your screams, every single one felt like someone branding him with a red-hot iron in quick succession. He wanted to take away your pain, but moreover, selfishly, he wanted to take away your memories of the man that still held your heart, even from beyond the grave.

 

"...you said you would stay...with me...forever..."

 

"...liar."

 

Luhan felt you lapse back to silence and stillness, though sniffling occasionally, but the damage was already done. The confusion and wordless questions whirling around in the form of uneasy gazes.

 

Sooyoung mentally prepared herself for the Spanish Inquisition that was sure to come her way later.

 

 

 

By the time the black SUV pulled to a stop outside of the pharmaceutical building, the short, black-haired woman was already pacing back and forth at the doors anxiously, a small white box clutched in her hands. Her brows furrowed when Sooyoung came out to greet her. 

 

"How does this work?" Sooyoung asked curtly, not giving Eunmi a chance to ask about your absence. "On the second thought, it's probably better if you do it."

 

Eunmi followed her to the vehicle, her uneasiness increasing with each step. Before they reached it, the door swung open, Suho's distressed face peering out at them.

 

"Quickly, please, sunbae. They're burning up."

 

Eunmi caught the word 'they're', and was relieved for a second, glad that she had brought several sets of the antidote. Said relief evaporated instantly when she saw your unconscious body sprawled on the middle seat.

 

Wordlessly, she shooed EXO out of the van to give her room to work. However, one remained by your side, and she didn't try to challenge him, as the look in his eyes plainly told her he was not moving an inch.

 

Kai had succumbed to unconsciousness a while ago, and now a rosy colour was sweeping up his neck, colouring his previously pale face. Small gasps and pants escaped his lips as beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face. 

 

Eunmi spotted the bandage wrapped expertly around the boy's calf, and raised her eyes to the man beside you in a silent question.

 

"She took the bullet out already," he gritted out from between his teeth.

 

She nodded, and pulled a rubber tube out of her lab coat pocket, tying it around the middle of Kai's thigh. She then opened the case to draw out a small needle and glass bottle. After drawing out the liquid, she flicked the syringe twice to get rid of any air bubbles, before sticking the tip into a vein right above the back of his knee.

 

Then she turned towards you, and promptly let out a groan. 

 

"Goddamnit, Jinnie."

 

"Why are you hesitating? Give her the damn shot already."

 

By now, Kris' nerves were stretched to a breaking point. You had already passed Kai's feverish state. Your skin, in contrast, was pale, cold, and clammy. You were shivering uncontrollably, despite the mound of suit jackets piled atop you.

 

In response to his words, the young woman plunged a second, longer and thicker needle directly into your neck. While you showed no reaction, Kris winced at the sight. He saw her preparing another shot, and asked what she was doing, since Kai had only recieved one shot.

 

"Iron supplement, to hold her off until we can get somewhere for transfusions," she replied as she injected this one into the crook of your elbow.

 

"Why?"

 

"She's anemic. And the antidote works by destroying corrupted red blood cells. You do the math."

 

Eunmi withdrew from the vehicle, not seeing the horrified look that froze Kris' face at her words.

 

"She needs blood," she said to Sooyoung when the taller woman approached her, eyes full of questions and worry.

 

"Her apartment's closest," Sooyung said. She walked back to the driver's seat, ushering the ten tense boys back into the car. Eunmi dashed back into the lab, reappearing a few minutes later with a few IV bags of dark liquid and attached clear plastic tubing. 

 

"Will they be okay?" Sehun asked in a small voice when they were all crammed in. 

 

"He should be fine. His fever's going down already," Eunmi gestured to Kai. Indeed, his breathing had slowed, and the flush had retreated from his face.

 

"What about Jinhye-jie?" Tao pressed when she did not continue. 

 

Eunmi was reluctant to answer him. She knew that her words would not be comforting. However, she made the mistake of glancing into the eyes of that male who had not budged from his position by your side. The ferocious glare she recieved threatened to incinerate her on the spot if she did not reply.

 

"It's up to herself now."

 

 

 

--

Whoa, two updates in such quick succession. IT'S A MIRACLE. 

I think it's mainly because I'm really enjoying writing this fic right now. Even though I should be studying uuuuughhh pchem whyyy

ALSO BECAUSE THE LOADS OF COMMENTS I GOT FOR THE LAST CHAPTER AND THE NEW SUBSCRIBERS EEEEE I FLIPPIN' LOVE YOU ALL. I HAVE THE BEST COMMENTORS EVER YOU GUYS WRITE ME ESSAYS OK I ING LOVE THEM. YOU ARE THE BRIGHT SPARKS OF LIGHT IN THIS POOR SUFFERING UNI STUDENT'S LIFE. 

 

sweet baby jesus bless

and precious unicorn

and dumb dumb kkamjong

and baby tao

 

yes.

 

Comments and/or subscriptions are loved, if it wasn't already clear. lol.

 

- Ace

 

Edit: WAAAEEE??!?! WAE ARE YOU GUYS UNSUBSCRIBING??! WHAT DID I DO? I'M SORRYYY QAQ *sniffle*