“Yes, everything about the ‘Zombie Apocalypse’ or whatever you call it is true. The virus is deadly, and you’ve all seen enough Zombie movies to know the outcome. I need you all to protect your groups, that is of utmost importance. Am I understood?” Lee SooMan asked, looking everyone who stood before him in the eye.

 

Suho, Kris, Leeteuk, Yunho, Onew, Victoria and Taeyeon nodded, fully understanding the situation and their responsibilities.

 

“You don’t have to tell your group, but you can if you want to. But if you tell them, you are fully responsible for any reckless and inappropriate actions of theirs” SooMan said.

 

“What do we do if they – the zombies – enter the building? Are we not all in danger?” Taeyeon asked, looking a bit worried.

 

“All staff, are trained with firearms and always carry one with them. They are ordered to protect all our idols, Actor, model, dancer and singer alike. Also, all solo artists, as well as The Grace and TRAX have been told already, so you do not need to worry about them” SooMan answered, reassuring everyone who stood in front of his desk.

 

“But what about us? Do we get weapons as well, or are we left defenseless, except for a few staff members?” Onew questioned.

 

“Good question. You all get a handgun for now, but that’s all I can give you” SooMan answered, and he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a few handguns. Some were black and some were silver.

 

“Now, I’m not expecting you to know how to use them, so all schedules have been cancelled for the next week because I’ve booked for you all, and your groups, to learn how to use them. If you don’t want to tell them the truth, say it’s training for a variety show” SooMan continued.

 

Everyone nodded again.

 

“You are dismissed” SooMan stated, standing up and leaving the room.

 

All the leaders who were present in the room followed him with their eyes then looked at each other when the door closed behind him.

 

“So…was anyone else expecting that news when they were called up?” Victoria asked.

 

Everyone shook their heads.

 

“Is anyone actually going to tell their group?” Kris questioned.

 

Yunho was the only one who raised his hand, and Onew looked unsure.

 

“Changmin is the only other person in our group, so why not? He’ll be easy to handle” Yunho explained.

 

“I might tell my group. I would, definitely, but I fear Key might become a bit dramatic and that would simply throw everyone else into panic, so I might tell them one at a time. I’m just not sure yet” Onew spoke, mainly to himself but for the other leaders to hear.

 

“Telling my girls is out of the question, unless I take Onew’s method of one at a time. But they will definitely freak out and possibly become chaotic and reckless” Taeyeon stated.

 

“Same here. The calmest of my girls is Amber, but that doesn’t guarantee she will be calm this time. She could become really hysterical for all I know. I’ll call you all when I do tell, though, because I might need back-up. But I’m wondering, how we tell them when we do?” Victoria’s question threw all people in the room into silence.

 

“…Not sure” Suho finally answered with a whisper.

 

“But, in the meantime, I am going to be taking those firearms lessons, and I might buy a baseball bat for temporary use. The least I can do for our members if I refuse to tell them anything is protect them from the shadows” Kris said confidently.

 

“You sound like a superhero, but no matter. I wish you, all of you, the best of luck, but I need to get back to my members now. Stay in touch, so we can always get to each other in times of need. Goodbye” Onew said, and he was out the door in an instant.

 

No one moved, they all just stood around for a minute, thinking up things to say to their groups.

 

“The girls are probably wondering where I am and why I’ve been gone so long, so I need to head off as well. Vic, do you want me to give you a lift?” Taeyeon asked the only other woman in the room.

 

The person being addressed nodded her head and both girls headed out of the room.

 

“See you all at the firing range!” Victoria called over her shoulder as the door swung closed.

 

“It seems everyone is leaving, so I shall follow their example. If you next see me covered in bruises, do not panic. It will simply be Changmin in denial and trying to find out if I’m lying” Yunho said, a smile on his lips.

 

“We should go as well. Suho, are we in the same dorms tonight, or separate?” Kris asked, turning to his fellow bandmate.

 

“Ah…I’m pretty sure we’re sharing dorms. But we’ll find out when we get there. Come on, I’m driving” Suho replied, heading to the door.

 

Leeteuk waved to them as they headed to the door.

 

“Bad news guys. Our vehicles are unable to be reached. The drivers have moved them away from the entrance because there is a mob of the infected at the door, trying to get in” Yunho stated, sticking his head into the room.

 

All three leaders followed their colleague from the office and all the way to the entrance, where staff were standing or kneeling on the ground, guns in hand and ready to shoot.

 

Off to the side stood Taeyeon and Victoria. Both were shaking a bit, and they were being looked over for injuries by another staff member.

 

“Where’s Onew?” Leeteuk asked, looking around for the only leader not standing with them.

 

“…Out there. He left a few minutes before us, so he was already outside when they got here” Victoria said, looking down at the ground.

 

“So he is now in danger? He doesn’t even know how to use his gun! And are they even loaded?” Leeteuk panicked.

 

“Calm down, Teuk. The kid can look after himself just fine” Yunho said, trying to calm the older but only made everyone uncomfortable with his relaxed attitude.

 

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN!? HE IS OUT THERE WHERE THOSE THINGS ARE! HE COULD BE HURT RIGHT NOW AND YOU WOULDN’T CARE!” Taeyeon screeched, lunging for Yunho but being restrained by Victoria and Kris.

 

“BECAUSE I KNOW HIM!” Yunho yelled back, then took a deep breath.

 

“Besides, your yelling won’t help him. But, although it doesn’t seem like it, Jinki is capable of using a firearm. Our guns are loaded, and he is an exceptional shooter, that’s why I am not panicked. That and his dorm is just down the street, only a few minutes away. He’s fast, armed and experienced, and he doesn’t live on the other side of Seoul” Yunho continued more calmly.

 

It didn’t go unnoticed that Yunho used Onew’s real name, but no one commented on it.

 

“So Onew was lucky enough to get out before they appeared, but what about us?” Suho questioned.

 

A few staff members walked up to them with a sports bag.

 

“These items are for you, just as a reassurance. The only way we can get you out and back to your groups is to get rid of them, and to get rid of them we need the doors open. Stay behind us, and only use these if absolutely necessary” The man on the left said while the woman who accompanied him handed out some metal baseball bats that were a little spiky at the end.

 

All leaders glanced at each other, knowing what was going to happen, but still feeling unprepared.

 

“On 3, we open the doors. Shoot to kill!” A staff member next to the doors said.

 

“We should get the girls out of here, so they don’t see this” Kris said to their small group.

 

“If we shield them forever, then they’ll not be able to cope out there because they won’t just be watching, they’ll also be performing this task, so it will be better in the long run if they’re exposed” Yunho countered, Leeteuk agreeing with him.

 

“Girls, do you want to get into a room and be safe, or do you want to stay out here and view, learning the true horror of our futures?” Suho asked, turning to the girls who were hugging each other for comfort.

 

“If we’re to be fighting these in the future, then it would be best if we’re here, but I don’t want to look” Victoria said, looking scared and a little bit sick.

 

“We’re sorry that this is forced upon you so suddenly, and if we could, we would get you away, but this is your best chance to prepare yourself” Suho responded, showing true concern in his voice.

 

“We’ll watch and learn this time, but don’t judge us if we suddenly flee” Taeyeon said firmly.

 

“Here they come” Leeteuk said quietly as the doors swung open. All leaders and staff braced themselves for the wave of the rotting flesh.

 

Everything seemed to stand still, from the moment the doors opened. It was silent, completely silent.

 

Then the noise hit.

 

Guns were being fired, and they didn’t have silencers. The moans and groans of the dead were loud and they were drowning out the shouts of the staff who were firing.

 

Victoria and Taeyeon stood behind the boys, watching but being shielded at the same time.

 

While staff were focused on the large mob heading at them, a small group of them, only 3 or 4, managed to enter along the walls and get past the staff.

 

“LOOK OUT!” Taeyeon yelled, seeing a skeletal hand reach out for Victoria. She wielded her bat, pulled the other girl behind her, then swung her bat down on the visible skull of the zombie.

 

Bits of bone, blood and rotting brain matter splattered the walls and floor, but any of the people.

 

“Good swing” Victoria complimented, trying to calm her beating heart.

 

“Thanks, but I was just looking out for my friends. We’re a team, and we need to look after each other” Taeyeon replied, addressing everyone with her message.

 

Talking about protecting, duck” Yunho said, pushing Suho’s head down and swinging his bat, hitting another that had managed to slip past the gun wielding staff.

 

Another few minutes passed, and the staff were now making fast work of the few that were left. The leaders didn’t even need to swing their bats anymore.

 

“That’s it! That’s all of them, now get them out of here!” Another staff member called. The leaders were then ushered to the doorway, being careful of where they stepped because the floor was covered in corpses.

 

“Get in the van, you will be rushed to your dorms. We will not have a repeat of this afternoon” The driver said when they exited the building. They scrambled in and buckled up.

 

“Right, the girls are getting dropped off first because they’re furthest away. I’ll only throw you out if we directly pass your dorms” The driver called over his shoulder, turning the engine on.

 

The van took off, and only a minute later, they drove past the SHINee dorms and saw Onew just as he entered the building.

 

“At least he’s safe” Victoria breathed when he was pointed out by Leeteuk.

 

The rest of the drive was silent, except for the cursing of the driver as he swerved many times to avoid individuals on the road.

 

They reached SNSD’s dorms, and both girls got out because F(x)’s dorms were only a few buildings down.

 

“Be safe” Everyone in the van said before closing the door and driving away.

 

“Take care, Vic. We will get through this” Taeyeon smiled, hugging the other woman.

 

“You too” Victoria replied, walking down the street, bat held confidently in her hands.

 

~~

 

“Dear Lord, this has been a hectic day. At least you two are in the same dorm this time, otherwise I would be going from one end of the city to the other” The driver said to the two people in the back of the van.

 

Kris and Suho were falling asleep, but were awake enough to agree with the driver. Suho fell asleep first, while Kris forced himself to keep his eyes open.

 

Ok, we’re here. Take good care of yourselves and your charges” The driver announced, smiling a bit into the rear-view mirror.

 

“You look after yourself as well” Kris replied, nudging Suho awake.

 

Both men climbed out of the vehicle, and when the doors were closed the vehicle drove off.

 

“So are we going to lie and say it was a normal conference?” Suho asked, looking up at his colleague.

 

“yep” was Suho’s simple answer.