[CONTENTID1] CHAPTER THIRTY SIX - SECURITY ROOM [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

I lost track of the word count and when I checked at the end, this chapter was almost 7k words. So I had to split it T_T Anyways, enjoy! :D

“This is the stupidest plan I’ve ever taken part in,” Neon grumbles for the hundredth time. We’re on our way to the security room to 1) find out who or what has been controlling the electricity in the mall and 2) sit down and delegate mission roles. 

I glance at him then roll my eyes. I’ve already made my mind up, no amount of complaining from anyone will change it. Blowing up the car park level will not only kill hundreds upon hundreds of Infected, it’ll also attract however many more to that place where they’ll burn to death — again. The only risk is that we might not be out of the building in time to escape them but if everyone does their part and listens to me, we’ll easily be in the clear.

Of course, that’s easier said than done.

“Why the hell are we listening to you? Why are are listening to her?” He asks, nudging Jade. “Seriously, we could just take the food and leave them all here.” 

I scoff and Tao answers in me and my friends’ place. “Then you’d have the rest of their team down your throat. You wouldn’t live to see another day, I don’t think.”

“Besides, they’d just come and rescue us,” Hyoyeon adds, smirking at Neon. He narrows his eyes at her. “What? Jealous no one would give a about you if you were in trouble?”

“What the is that supposed to mean?” he growls.

She shrugs. “Sorry, I thought AIs would be more logical than to waste time on rescuing one measly, pathetic, trashy piece of—“ He leaps at her but she ducks, swerving out of his reach. “HA!”

“Aish, enough,” I grunt, shaking my head. Hyoyeon pouts and moves further away from Neon. “And stay over there.” She sticks her tongue out at me and I wink at her.

“Listen to the human, vermin,” Neon taunts and Hyoyeon starts lifts up a sharp blade.

“Hyoyeon,” I warn, watching her with narrowed eyes. “Don’t even think about it.” She huffs and lowers the weapon. Neon looks between us.

“What the hell is so special about you?” he questions, studying me. I raise an inquisitive brow at him. “You don’t look like a leader. You’re small…your face is…” He chews his lip, seemingly in thought. “You just don’t look like a leader.”

“I agree. The sturdy one looks more fit for the role,” Taeyeon comments, inclining her head in Julien’s direction. Then, she looks back at me. She eyes me up and down. “You, however, look more suited to be a leader’s consort.”

“Why, because I’m a woman?” I ask her, genuinely interested. I want to know more about how her kind thinks. She shakes her head at my question.

“Well, yes and no. You look too winsome to be a leader, especially in these times. You look like a delicate little flower,” she replies after some time. She then motions at my body with her left hand. “And the fact that you still felt the desire to experience something as trivial as a high school dance.”

“I’m far from delicate, trust me,” I tell her and she looks at me with a doubtful glint in her eyes. “Like Bora and everyone one else I brought with me, I’ve been through things and done things that have cost me my innocence. You shouldn’t be so quick to judge.”

“Of course I should. How else would I assess dangerous and abrupt situations?”

“Everything needs some thought. Rationality is one of the things we should strive to keep alive,” I lecture and she tuts, shaking her head.

“I think I’ve done it.”

“Done what?”

“I’ve found a flaw in you.” I raise a brow for her to continue. She taps her chin, eyeing me up and down again. “You’re far too quick to trust. I don’t know much or anything at all, actually, about you. But I think I can safely say that your greatest flaw is your ability to trust people easily. It’ll get you or someone else killed one day.”

“For once, I agree with you,” Sehun says and I snap my head his way. He merely shrugs at me. “You do trust too easily.”

“When have I ever trusted someone easily!?” I demand and he scoffs. He points directly at Julien then at Jungkook, Bora and Mino. 

“The entire Alpha Team. You so easily allowed them into our group without any thought as to what kind of people they could be or what it could mean to have them with us.” This time, I’m the one to scoff.

“Wrong. I did think. I thought about what kind of person Bora is, what kind of person Jungkook is. I knew that if they trusted Julien and the rest of them, then my team could to,” I retort. I’ve known Jungkook longer than any of them — it doesn’t matter if it has been years since I last saw him. I know that no matter the state of his memory, he would not trust anyone without good reason. He’s just always been that way. And Bora, well, she’s just a special case altogether. She wouldn’t trust anyone easily either, given her past. My decision to take on the Alpha Team was completely grounded. 

“You need to stop thinking that Jungkook or Jay or whatever the hell his name is, is the same person as he was six years ago. He’s not. You don’t know him, you know his ghost. You don’t know Bora — you know her past,” Sehun chides. My blood begins to boil. “Not everyone will be truthful about the kind of people they are.”

“Your greatest flaw is your reluctance to trust anyone,” I state.

“I’d say it’s my greatest asset. My ‘reluctance’ to trust people has allowed me to stay objective when the rest of you mesh your emotions and bias into every affair,” he ripostes. 

Before I can answer, Hyoyeon cuts in. “What, so you’re saying you don’t trust anyone? What about us, people you’ve known for years? You don’t trust us?”

“I do but only because I’ve been able to assess your skill and value firsthand,” he replies and her jaw drops. Even Youngjae looks at him incredulously. “I’ve seen you in action, I know what you’d be willing to do under extreme circumstances. So yes, I trust you. I also trust Jackson, Kyuhyun and Daehyun. I trusted Henry, Jessica, Yoongi, Jongin and BamBam.”

“But you don’t trust us,” Julien concludes and Sehun nods once. Julien shrugs. “It’s understandable. You have to look out for yourself and the people you care about.”

“See, even that human would be better suited to be the leader,” Taeyeon says, injecting herself back into the conversation. 

I sigh. “You can’t go through life without trusting people. Sure it’s risky. Sure, sometimes it’ll have been a mistake but pushing people away or disregarding their views just because you haven’t known them for long will eventually ruin you.” Sehun opens his mouth to speak but I cover it with my index finger. “Trusting people is risky…but it might just be worth it.”

“Whatever, you,” Hyoyeon barks at him. “I revoke our friendship, . That’s right. on that.” Sehun brushes my finger away and looks her up and down. He snorts and looks away, muttering something under his breath. “You’ll be sorry you were such a to me.”

“Does she ever shut up?” Jade snarls and we (myself and my friends) shake our heads. She points at Hyoyeon. “You’re possibly the most annoying human I’ve ever met.”

“I think she’s kinda cute,” Mino shrugs and Hyoyeon gapes at him. Her face goes red and she quickly looks away. I look at Mino and watch as a grin spreads across his face. I see a twinkle in his eyes — does he have an interest in her? I bite back a smile.

“You’re not doing a very good job in being Kyuhyun’s substitute if you flirt with Hyoyeon,” Youngjae tells him. “You’re supposed to bicker with her nonstop.”

“After you sleep with her,” I add and their eyes dart to me. “What? Kyu-oppa and Hyoyeonnie ed, remember?” Hyoyeon’s cheeks redden even more and I struggle to hold down my laughter. She elbows me harshly in the ribs and I grunt, rubbing the spot. 

“Shut the up,” she hisses in me ear. Her attitude then does a 180. “Does my hair look okay? What about my makeup, is it still good? Do these combat pants make me look fat?”

I roll my eyes and elbow her back. “You’re gorgeous, shut up.” Then, a thought comes into mind. I grab Bora’s arm and yank her back so that she’s walking in line with me and Hyoyeon. “You know…maybe we have one advantage that people living before The War didn’t.”

“Yeah, right,” Bora snorts.

“No, really. When it comes to romance…we’ll know if someone likes us for who we are because we don’t have to pretend to be anyone other than ourselves,” I say thoughtfully. “People years ago had to fake personalities to fit into cliques. We can be ourselves. We don't really have the time or patience to fake anything.”

“True,” Hyoyeon hums. “And the guys have all seen us in our worst so there’ll be no shock. There’s no such thing as a bad hair day anymore.”

“That and it doesn’t matter if we’re -ugly. It’s not like anyone has an extensive list of potential partners they can choose fro