Seungho woke up and noticed Kyungsoo sitting beside him. It was already dark out and the laughter hours before had died down. Seungho pulled his legs in and sat criss-crossed on the mattress as the covers slide down from his chest. He stole a peek at Kyungsoo and saw a wide smile on his face. Seungho sighed and rubbed his eyes when Kyungsoo readjust himself in his seat.

"Are you hungry?" Kyungsoo asked when Seungho lowered his hands from his eyes. 

"No." 

"Yoo Jung made a sweet desert, why don't you give it a try?" 

"You know I don't like sweets." Seungho said as he looked into Kyungsoo's dark eyes. 

"But still you should try it, everyone tried it already except you. Yongguk doesn't like sweets either but he tried it and he loved it." 

"I'm not eating." Seungho bluntly stated and Kyungsoo smushed his lips together as a sign of surrender. 

"You should still eat something, you haven't eaten since yesterday...." 

Seungho sighed, "I said I'm not hungry." Kyungsoo nodded and stood up. 

"Well, I've thought about it and I shouldn't hold onto your guns.... Yongguk said you'll be keeping watch tonight so I figure you might need them." Kyungsoo walked over and grabbed them from the top of the drawer and spun back around. He lowered and rested them beside Seungho. 

"The pistol. Is yours." 

"Huh?" 

Seungho grabbed onto the pistol and held it out to Kyungsoo, "Keep it with you. When I left to get you your candy bar I also stopped by the gun store, there's extra bullets in the backpack with your clothes." Kyungsoo blinked blankly and took it. 

"But I don't know how to use it...."

"You will when you need to use it." Seungho bluntly replied. Kyungsoo wrapped his hands around the gun and remained standing. 

"Then I'm going to head back and help Jenissi set up our bed...." While Kyungsoo was turning around, Seungho stopped him by calling his name softly. 

"Kyungsoo. Do you feel at home here?" 

Kyungsoo had his back turned to Seungho, "Home? Home is where you are."

"Would I still be home if I told you they died because of me?" Seungho asked and immediately Kyungsoo spun around to face him again in the dark room. 

"What do you mean?"

"I left the front door open." Seungho began and he could see Kyungsoo's eyes sparkled. "They died because I left the front door open." Seungho repeated, he wasn't sure if there were more to share. Because he knew it was his fault they died. It was because he followed the program's rules and killed his family. 

"W-what?" 

Seungho straighten his back, "I let them die Kyungsoo. Our parents, Yesung and his family. I heard them died." 

Zelo stepped back from the door. His heart was beating and the tray of food in his hands were shaking. He heard Seungho's confession and it pained him to remember something he had always wanted to forget. Zelo took a step back while Yongguk was coming up from the first floor. "Oh Zelo, you haven't brought Seungho's food to him?" Yongguk asked. He froze when he saw Zelo's watery eyes and his trembling body. "What's wrong?" Yongguk asked gently. A tear slide down Zelo's cheeks without a warning. 

Then inside they heard a loud thud. Yongguk hurried passed Zelo and pushed the door open. They saw Seungho pinning Kyungsoo down on the bed and in the dark Kyungsoo was crying and struggling to break free. "Let go you monster! Why did you do that to our family!? You should have died with them! We both should have died! Let me go!"

Right when Seungho's gripped loosen a little, Kyungsoo broke free with one hand, he grabbed Seungho's gun and swing it at Seungho's face. Seungho fell to the side as Kyungsoo got up quickly and drop the gun. Yongguk stepped in and wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo. 

"Kyungsoo why are you like this?!" Yongguk asked in a loud voice as he pulled the feisty and fidgeting Kyungsoo out. Zelo moved to the side as Yongguk carried Kyungsoo downstairs. Inside, Zelo could see Seungho wiping the cut he received from the gun scratching his face. CL and Jun Gyu hurried to see what was happening. 

CL rushed over to Seungho's side and placed her hand near his over the cut. "Are you okay? What happened?" She asked with worry. Although it was dark, CL could see a mark on Seungho's face. 

"I'm alright."

CL touched the wound a little and noticed it was wet. "Are you bleeding Seungho? You're bleeding! Jun Gyu do we have-" Seungho grabbed her wrist. 

"I said I'm alright." 

"Seungho.... What happen exactly? You're bleeding." CL whimpered a little as Jun Gyu joined them. 

"You're bleeding Leader? Where?" 

Yongguk dropped Kyungsoo to his feet as the man tried to run back upstairs. "Kyungsoo!" Yongguk shouted as he pulled him back. 

"Let go of me!" Kyungsoo shouted and screamed. Yoo Jung came out from the kitchen and watched in astonishment. 

Hyori and Jenissi joined them from the dining room. "Kyungsoo calm down!" Yongguk shouted as Kyungsoo fight to break free, slowly Yoo Jung walked over and tried to help Yongguk calm Kyungsoo down. After a five minutes of pushing and pulling, Kyungsoo dropped to the floor and begin bawling. Yoo Jung dropped beside him and wrapped her arms around him while Yongguk was trying to catch his breath.

Jenissi hurried over and placed a hand on Kyungsoo's back as he looked up at Yongguk for answers. "Why is he like this?" Yongguk shook his head in response. Jenissi then turned back his attention to Kyungsoo and together with Yoo Jung they comfort him.

Yongguk took the time to head back upstairs after remembering seeing Zelo crying. Once he got to the second floor he could see CL and Jun Gyu trying to help Seungho with his wound. But Zelo was nowhere in sight. 

He turned the doorknob to the room Zelo was supposingly sharing with Jun Gyu. He found the tray of food on top of the night stand while Zelo was laying on the bed, his face buried in the covers. "Zelo?" Yongguk called. As Yongguk got closer Zelo got up and wrapped his long and thin arms around the bigger man's broad shoulders. 

"Daehyun.... Seungho and Daehyun!" Zelo said aloud through tears. "They did the same thing, Seungho did what Daehyun did! The others died when Daehyun left the door open Yongguk!" Zelo poured everything out to Yongguk. The anger, sadness, and pain he've held for a while. Zelo coughed between his words as clenched his teeth as he pulled onto Yongguk's black shirt. "It hurts. Daehyun's decision still hurts!" 

Yongguk patted Zelo on the back gently. "It's alright. It's alright Zelo." 

Yoo Jung had her arms still wrapped around Kyungsoo as he leaned his head against her chest. They sat on the couch together and Kyungsoo was in a sort of dazed state.

Jenissi was pacing the kitchen's floor while Hyori leaned against the counter. Jenissi stopped in his tracks and his lips, "This is sad. It hasn't even been 24 hours since they saved me and now they're fighting.... Could it be that I'm bad luck?" Jenissi asked to no one in particular but Hyori could clearly hear him. 

Yongguk shut the door as he tucked Zelo in. He headed toward Seungho's room and as he was about to turn the corner he saw Seungho coming out. "Oh, Seungho." Yongguk called and Seungho stopped in his tracks. Yongguk noticed Seungho was fully dressed and his gun was tucked in his belt. "Where are you going?" Yongguk asked and at the corner of his eyes he could see CL and Jun Gyu. 

They appeared worried and desperate. When Yongguk wasn't going to continue, Seungho headed downstairs and Yongguk quickly followed. Without looking at anyone Seungho headed for the front door and before Yongguk could stop him, Seungho opened it and stepped outside. 

Finally as they came closer to the gate Yongguk grabbed onto Seungho's arm and pulled onto him. "Seungho!" Yongguk shouted. Through the bars on the gate, wayfarers were beginning to gather and put their arms through it. "Where are you going? Why are you leaving?" Yongguk asked, Seungho pulled his arm free from Yongguk's strong hold and turned to face the taller man. 

"It was a mistake to return. I should have fled Seoul when I was alone. But since I didn't and I couldn't, I've brought nothing but headaches and heartaches to this group. So let's all take our own paths." Seungho stated as he and Yongguk's gazes met in the dark. 

"Seungho you're not thinking clearly, I can't let you go like this-"

"Don't try to find me. I beg of you. Take care of them." 

Yongguk shook his head, "Why are you doing this to me? To us. While you were gone Kyungsoo became reckless, I can't watch him go through that phrase again." 

"Don't worry. This time he won't try to find me. You too, shouldn't try to find me." 

"Seungho, I'm sure we can work this out without you leaving. If you leave how should I take care of-"

"Just do what you've been doing. I know I can rely on you to keep them safe and together. It's in your nature to do so." 

"Please, if I have to I'll get on my knees and beg for your stay. Just how you rely on me, I rely on you too. You're the rightful person to lead and protect this group. I'll help you, please stay and lead the crew. Leaders should stay with their group." 

Seungho sighed, "Yongguk, this isn't about leadership. I'm a danger to everyone here and-"

"The world is a dangerous place Seungho. If you're in danger do you think us, your followers, will be any safer? Whether it's zombies or people that are threatening your life, I want you to rely on not me but the whole group to keep you and us safe. Even if you're not around we're all in danger in our own ways. So let's embrace that danger and fight through it together. Let's experience it together. Let's support each other till the end." Yongguk said calmly. 

Near the door, Kyungsoo was standing alone watching them. 

Seungho sighed and commented, "Why does it sound like you're marrying someone off."

A wide smile flashed across Yongguk's face, "Will you marry your follower and fans until death do us part, Yoo Seungho?"

End of Chapter 23.