Warning: Minor gore, nothing really descriptive

You peek around the corner before pressing back against the wall. You can hear it; the Walker’s staggered breathing as it walks along the corridor of your hideout, which an old entertainment company once called TS Entertainment. Once your boyfriend’s place of employment before everything happened. Your group-which consisted of you, BAP, and Secret-had originally left the building to find help, but after practically going in a large circle to the other cities of Korea to find help and getting none, you returned to find the place in good condition. The first night here you’d all cleared a path to a studio and all stayed in it to rest until you could clear the rest.

You check on the Walker again and this time it’s close enough to strike, so you do by driving your knife into its head before pulling it out and backing away as it drops with a violent thud. You’ll come back for the corpse later, right now you have to keep going. Smart idea, ___________-ah, doing this on your own, you think to yourself as you look around, trying to decide which hallway to go to or if you should return to the studios were you all spent the night. In fact, you were supposed to be asleep in Junhong’s arms right now, but you were too restless. Not after that Walker got so close to the group yesterday.

The entire first floor was supposed to have been clear, but clearly the Walkers from the two floors above you were figuring out how to get down. None of those from the outside could get in since Youngjae had made sure to board up all the windows and the doors were securely locked and only Yongguk and Youngjae had the keys for your group sent people out to make runs for supplies. Thinking about the runs you can’t help but think how you’ll need more supplies soon, and how it was remarkable that no one in your group had been bitten. Daehyun came close one time when he’d been sent with Zinger to get some food...how Yongguk had allowed Daehyun to go where tons of food was you had no clue, but the story went that when he was caught up in looking at the cheescake a Walker snuck up behind him; however, before it could get him, Zinger used her crossbow.

You snap out of your memories as you hear something move nearby. You look around quickly to find the hallway is empty. Don’t get nervous, if you get nervous you’ll get distracted, if you get distracted you get bitten, you remind yourself and shift the blade in your hand as you continue slowly forward to the next turn in the hallway. That was your system, clear the hallway before you open up any rooms, but you’d save the rooms until tomorrow when you had back-up. You glance around the corner to see one Walker feeding on another. Ten months ago the sight of just a Walker in general would make you feel sick, but now this barely turned your stomach. You wait, making sure no others will come to feast on the dying Walker. When no more appear to be coming you slowly start your advance, pausing now and then when the feeding monster seems to smell you; not that smelling you would do it much good since you were faster.

You hear another sound behind you and instantly become tense as you turn around only to see a rotting face growling at you and the moldy smell hits you, and then you feel it grab your wrist, ready to sink its teeth into the flesh. You can’t just pull your wrist away since a scratch could still spread the infection and kill you so your other hand quickly reaches for another knife. Before your hand even touches the hilt of the next blade you see a foot swing up and collide into the Walker’s head, thus smashing it against the wall and causing it’s brain to splatter. You don’t even look at it to know that last piece of information since you heard it; instead your eyes land on Junhong, who is straightening into a normal stance.

Before you can say anything he pulls you into his embrace. “Don’t you ever sneak away from me again!” His voice is quiet as to not attract other Walkers, but you can tell just how much he wants to yell at you for disappearing on him. “I woke up and you were gone, do you know how scared I was?! If you were turned, what would I do without you?! I’m supposed to protect you,” he breathes. You feel him pull away so he can look you over for any marks, but when the two of you hear a low growl you know the feeding Walker has caught sight of a fresh meal. Junhong doesn’t even give it a chance to stand up; he throws a knife with deadly accuracy into its head so it collapses onto what had been its meal. The two of you forget about Junhong’s lecture as you walk forward to make sure the Walker is dead by driving a knife into its brain and the brain of its meal. Junhong removes his throwing knife and the two of you use the Walker’s old clothes to clean all your blades.

“Let’s go back,” Junhong takes your hand and leads you back to the studio.

“I’m sorry to worry you, I just couldn’t sleep after what happened last night,” you admit softly.

“I know, jagiya, I was worried about that too, but we’re always safe in the studio since it’s locked from the inside.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be on the same floor as us, Junhong, we made sure we got all of them. We checked three times, and yet one still found Jongup in the bathroom! I couldn’t just lie there when I could start taking care of the problem. I know I should have brought you with me, but I didn’t want to wake you when you’ve barely slept.”

“I don’t care if I haven’t slept, if you’re troubled I want you to wake me up and talk to me. When I found you you were so close to becoming one of them. Do you think that I would be able to-to kill you? Do you think I could go on knowing I let it happen?”

“Junhong, it didn’t happen so please stop thinking about it. I don’t want to be the reason you’re upset. I swear I’ll never do anything like this again. I just needed to do something, and I didn’t think about the risks properly, but I will never leave you or let you leave me. We’re going to get through all of this together,” you squeeze his hand as the two of you stand outside of the studio room where everyone is sleeping. You take the keys out from where you left the as a hiding place, which is a hole in the wall right across from the door, but before you can unlock the safe room Junhong presses you against the wall in which they keys had been hidden in..

“You’re my reason to keep going you know. The hyungs help keep me going, but just know that at the end of the day I can lie down with you and pretend everything is normal is my biggest reason. One day, when everything works out, we can settle down somewhere and have the life we once talked about before all this started. I know we’ll be able to have that because I love you so much ____________-ah,” he finishes his small speech with a passionate kiss; something you hadn’t shared in a very long time.

The kiss doesn’t last long, but it’s enough to make you feel a little dizzy as you become breathless before you speak, “You’re my reason too. You’re the reason I’m alive...especially after my parents-” you cut off, unable to say anything about how they’d been turned before you could find them and you had to take care of them.

Junhong cups your cheek and uses his thumb to wipe away a tear that had slipped out without you knowing. “Shh, it’s alright, I know. They’re still with you jagiya, in your memories and in your heart. i’m sure they’re watching over all of us right now,” he kisses your forehead. You give him a small smile for knowing just what to say to make you feel better about it. “Now let’s get back in there before anyone wakes up and catches us,” he steps back and allows you to open the room. He locks it behind the two of you as you put Youngjae’s keys back before lying down in your spot. Junhong is soon wrapping you in his arms after covering the two of you with one of the small blankets.

“I love you too,” you whisper, realizing you hadn’t said it back since you’d thought about your parents. “I can’t wait until we get our future together.”

A smile spreads across his face before he gives you a quick peck. “Until we get our future these moments with you are enough. Sleep well jagiya.”

“You too,” you snuggle closer to him and listen to the steady beating of his heart as well as feel his chest rising and falling with each breath he takes. As long as you have Junhong beside you you know that everything was going to be alright, that this hell would somehow pass, and one day you could do everything you wanted, but for now this is enough and you drift to sleep in his safe embrace.