#exo zombie au

[wtfgaylittlezooid]

Saw your Bug!Vicagent.

... could you please give us some more tidbits of them in your Au? Because I've been staring at that post since you posted it lol-

I'm so normal about them /j

Sure! :DD I don't have any references for them on hand, but these two images show their designs pretty decently.

Agent is a pretty rare case of a tall dragonfly, so he's one of the lucky few bug species who can still fly.

Victim is a very special case: a cordyceps fungus in a locust host. Cordyceps are pretty rare, and locusts are just as rare. Locusts aren't born, they are triggered. Usually from a grasshopper or cricket, after going through an extreme trauma they become locusts, but the only locusts discovered are dead. Victim is no different.

Cordyceps are also pretty weird. Most cordyceps simply take the body and woe. zombug be upon ye. However, ancient Roaches wanted to try and replicate immortality and thus began the kidnapping of other bugs and experimenting on different species and themselves with cordyceps. It IS possible for somebody to live on thanks to the fungus, as the fungus can take and hold memories rather than replacing them. Only thing is, those cases tend to be artificial due to the extremely specific requirements

That being magic and a strong body. Poison and Ice are the easiest kinds of magic to work with, and one of the few species that can physically handle the cordyceps and magic without overloading the fungus are moths.

Victim got lucky. He was Alan's first little experiment when he discovered that bugs come from little larvas and eggs and if he grows his own bug then he can have endless entertainment. Victim couldn't fight back well against Gammas or whatever other Deadlanders Alan threw at him, but Alan is observant. He knows bugs use roach crystals to heal by hitting them. So he basically impales Victim alive with a crystal and murders him lmao

Cordyceps finds Victim's body and attaches to it, and he got lucky enough to where the tiny shards of crystal stuck in his system was just enough for the fungus to hold his memories and self. So victim basically becomes the fungus.

BUT THAT IS STILL NOT GOOD. It was sheer luck and because hes not even a moth the connection is pretty unstable. In a strong bond, there would be no worry about reverting to the zombie-like state, but since his connection is so unstable it can get triggered.

On the bright side, this makes him a living magic detector. Its how he finds one of the shards of the Wasp King's crown so easily, which allows him to brainwash Chosen One. On the ugly side, you get this:

This happens after Victim tries and fails to kill Alan. He basically gets really pissed that Alan doesn't want to kill him anymore, that he isnt even trying to fight back, and starts mentally spiraling because of it. He compares himself to the other Hollows which are all sorcerers and have magic, and chalks up his failure and lack of control over the situation to that lack of magic.

So to fix that he basically ditches everyone and goes to Snakemouth Den, aka the original lab where the Roaches experiment cause goddamn that place is potent with it you can literally see it in the air. Basically goes there and something something recreating the events of trauma so you can control the outcome, smashes a shit ton of the crystals into smaller shards.

Agent brings the color gang into this (the only mercenary who knows about vics situation) because he had a feeling shit would go wrong and boy was he right. Victim drives the crystals through his exo-skeleton and

he does it. he gets poison magic. but he still gets knocked down easily so rinse and repeat of him attacking, getting beat, healing by impaling with a crystal, and so on. But yeah the more magic he siphons from the roach crystals the more it makes the fungus kinda lose it and slowly but surely the grip the fungus has on his memories and self starts slipping and the instincts from the fungus and the sentience starts getting blurred. Yeah sorry victim in your obsession and greed for control for others you lost control of yourself

Basically a boss fight at that point, feral zombie vic vs his loyal lapdog of a bug and 5 children. At first its just operating off of the instinct of getting them OUT of the territory, but he also burns through the magic really quickly which means he needs more and oh look at that cute little bee hes full of magic. Basically a stalling game of blocking off the exist and making sure he doesnt rip the crystal stuck in seconds head out.

Eventually they win and after a quick revive from Second, an unconscious victim gets carried to an inn by Agent and everyone leaves the caves that day with so much trauma yippeeee

[mutated-green-things]

Dust Bunnies #1: A pleasure to meet you, O Terrapin Mine

Words: 2,481

Pairing: Leosagi

Rating: E

Warnings: No actual content warnings, but this whole ficlet is a Destiny 2 AU and... D2 lore is so goddamn complicated that I am not going to explain it here. Just. Cliff notes: The turtles are essentially zombie space super heroes resurrected by a silent mechanical god known as the Traveller and Usagi is a robot that used to be a human but was stuffed into said robot frame by a madman who wanted to become immortal through technology.

--

Ada-1 calls him over comms. Something about a newly forged sword he would want a look at. Inspired by a blade carried by Uldren Sov. He doesn’t know how much he likes the idea of using something related to Cayde’s killer, but Ada insists, saying she knows he appreciates the older ways of combat. She also adds something about a new spin on the old ways, and Leonardo honestly has no clue what to make of that. 

All of that doubt leads to a faux pas of sorts. There’s a new face in the armory, an exo like Ada, but unfamiliar, as Leonardo felt the mystery sword would be. So he hesitates. Freezes really, long enough that Ada actually chuckles.

“This is Usa-5, Guardian. He won’t bite.” 

Leo coughs, continues forward, and holds out one of his bulky, three fingered hands. Usa-5 stares at it curiously for a moment, then bows. Leo blinks, then follows suit, smiling a little under his helmet at such a formal, antiquated greeting.

When he rises he can’t help the one word that slips out, raised at the end like a question. “Usa?” 

The new exo doesn’t speak, instead Ada-1 steps in to break the beat of silence.  “Yes,” she says, amusement still laced into her voice, “Usa is intentional. 

Leo’s eyes are still fixed on… him? Usa-5 is clearly styled to be more masculine, his metal body has sharper angles than Ada’s, even if there is still some curves along his— 

Leo’s eyes fly back up, thankful that his helmet is there to cover the sudden heat that flares up into his cheeks.  That face. So very distinct in its shaping. It’s why he’d asked about ‘Usa’ in the first place. The eyes are nothing remarkable. Like most other exo’s, they glow bright and occasionally shutter closed like camera lenses, but… but the metal below them doesn’t shape to form lips, or even a recess and volume visualizer like Ada-1’s. Usa-5’s alloys instead bend out to a tip of what Leo can only describe as a snout. That isn’t all though, really it’s not even the most notable feature. No, even more obvious is the tall triangular antennae that flick and sway as Usa-5 stares him down. Leonardo finds himself wondering if he’s ever seen a more charming exo. 

He doesn’t ask that. Instead he turns back toward Ada, and tries to word his actual question as carefully as he can. “Not to offend, but is he here because of the new sword or…?” 

Neither of them bristle. Ada responds with a nod. “Yes.” Then she tilts her head a little and concedes, “…and no. Usa-5 did indeed craft the blade I called you here for, but he is also here as part of a… training program?” 

“An apprentice of yours then?” Leo says it with a playful note to his voice, and gets the sarcastic bite he expects back from Ada. 

She rolls her eyes. “Something to that effect I suppose. You see, as much I would love to spend all my precious time attending to you guardians, I simply can’t, especially with the hours you all keep. Still, I and the rest of the armory felt that the forge should continue to be available at all hours if possible. The solution is simple enough. I’ve begun to train others to monitor this post, with Usa-5 being the first of a hand picked few.” 

Leo nods, smiles, and turns back to the new face. “So I’ll be seeing more of you then?” 

There’s enough of a pause that Leonardo almost doesn’t expect a response, but no, Usa-5 is indeed capable of speech. “Yes, guardian.” He says with a curt nod. 

—

Leonardo enters the armory backward: smile on his face, helmet in his hand, ghost at his side, and still chuckling at something Michelangelo said before speeding off to find Donnie. 

He turns, and just like last time, freezes. This time, Usa-5 does too. His eyes snap from place to place along Leonardo’s body in a way that by now is completely familiar. When him and his brothers had first been resurrected by the Traveler’s light, there had been questions, wonder, disgust, outrage, curiosity, but between the existence of Exo’s and Awoken, and the undeniable fact that all of them had been chosen, many had gotten used to the presence of four mutated turtles in their ranks. The vanguard’s approval and recognition helped too of course. Not many dared to question Ikora or Zavala individually, and when they agreed on something, well there wasn’t much to do but go along with it. 

Still, new lights and rare visitors to the last city were caught off guard at times. Especially when they took any of their armor off. Usa is a bit more tactful than the new lights though, and cuts his stare with another traditional bow. “Guardian.” 

Leonardo mimics the movement and takes a moment to contend with the deja vu. When he rises, Okami has already drifted forward, shell twisting to and fro as he inspects what he missed last time. There’s a pause where the only sound is the clicking and whirring of his ghost as he analyzes, then Okami turns, and his mechanical voice is as smug as Leonardo’s ever heard. “You’re right Leo, he is definitely… interesting.” 

The teasing makes Leo’s face burn bright and this time there’s no helmet to cover it up. Usa-5 doesn’t seem to pick up on the salacious undertones though, and simply looks at Leo quizzically. “I appreciate being of interest, but I can’t possibly imagine what was so fascinating. I barely spoke last time we met.” Then the metal plates of Usa-5’s snout shift in an unusual way. It takes Leo longer than he wants to admit to realize the change is a gentle smile.  

“Y-Your sword.” He says because that’s the first thing that comes to mind. He means the weapon of course, but can already hear Okami turning that into a double entendre later. He squashes that thought down. “It’s been very useful.” 

Another shift of metal. The smile is wider now, more enthused than gentle. “Oh good. And it continues to interact with the void light you imbued it with as intended?” 

“Yes. Just as you described and demonstrated.” 

“Excellent! And what do you think of the projectile overall?”

Leonardo reaches behind him and pulls the sword from its sheath with the sound of metal against leather. It hums in his hands as he holds it out horizontally, pulsing with vibrant purple void light. He recalls how easily the sharp blade broke through hordes of Hive, Eliskni, Cabal but… any sword could do that. 

No, what Usa will want to hear are stories like the time he and Donnie were pinned down by a Vex Hydra, tense and scared as they watched Raphael’s ghost slowly repair his broken body in the open. He’ll want to know how the sword’s projectiles buffeted back the hulking mechanical frame long enough for Spike to finish fixing their brother, long enough for them to regroup and win the day. 

Leonardo opens his mouth to relay all that, but the recounting sticks in his throat like taffy. There’s another aspect that he isn’t sure he should voice. How he always feels safest with a sword in his hand, even when he knows that the more standard firearms of the Tower and Black Armory are more practical, are safer. Donnie had told him it was likely a memory, something he only half remembered from their past, mortal lives. Regardless of the reason, a ranged blade, a “caster frame” as Ada-1 had called it, allowed him to not have to compromise. Allowed him to always feel secure under fire. 

“It’s.” He swallows. “I never would have thought of it, but that part has been invaluable. Really, words can’t express my gratitude.” 

Usa-5’s shutter eyes go wide, then click closed and open several times in rapid succession. “You mean it?” 

Leonardo nods once, curt and sharp, and Usa-5’s smile blossoms into a bright, beaming thing that Leo can’t help but match. 

—

"Hunter."

"I've graduated beyond Guardian now?"

"I am learning. Your roles. Your... Vanguard, and the titles associated with it. The Black Armory was never concerned with such things. Until recently that is."

Leonardo smirks. "I see. I appreciate the interest. Ada-1 still calls me Guardian. Just... don't make it obvious you're developing a soft spot. Secret's safe with me."

Usa-5's mechanical 'ears' flick downward, hinting at embarrassment or at the very least the fact that he's caught off guard. Just like a rabbit, Leonardo thinks.

—

Leonardo holds the little tin package gingerly, rubbing his fingers over the cool metal. He’s already delivered Ikora’s and Zavala’s cookies and he’s of course picked out more targeted gifts for his brothers, but he’s questioned and reconsidered this Dawning present over and over. 

Baked goods are standard, friendly, but not considered and personal like what he gave his family. He’s had deeper conversations with Usa-5 now. Not anything terribly profound but more than casual greetings and small talk. That’s how he’s learned of Usa-5’s love for vanilla shortbread. That’s how he learned that Usa-5 hadn’t celebrated the dawning in a long, long while. 

“If you don’t make a move soon I’m going to charge in and tell him how much of a chicken you are.” Leonardo startles at Okami’s words, then glares at the little laughing menace. He’s never known another ghost that takes so much delight in teasing its guardian. Even Klunk, fun loving though he is, usually teases others with Michelangelo. 

“I’m—“ he goes to scold his ghost, but then pauses, sighs, and looks down at his gift again. “What if it’s too much?” 

“Oh please! They’re cookies! I bet you fifty thousand glimmer he got you some too.” 

Leonardo rolls his eyes. As ghost and guardian, their resources are intertwined, so any glimmer of his also belongs to Okami. Once Drifter had taught them what gambling was though, there was always some sort of bet from his ghost. Even if it didn’t really count as such. Especially when it didn’t count. 

“I don’t—“ 

Okami starts to drift backward toward the Black Armory’s entrance. “I’m gonna do it!” 

Leonardo lurches forward, grabbing for his ghost’s traitorous form, only for Okami to dart away once, twice, thrice. Leo almost has him, the little demon, just—

“Hunter? Are you alright?” 

Leo turns slowly, and sees Usa-5’s bright eyes staring into him, all curiosity and concern. Okami speaks before he can, calling out cheerfully. “A joyous Dawning to you, Usa-5.” 

Leo wants to cringe into himself, into dust, into a puddle on the floor, even as Usa-5 five calls back cheerfully, “Yes! A happy Dawning to you as well, Ghost. And you too, Hunter.” 

It’s too much. Usa won’t even use his name. Even something as surface level as baked goods is too obviously sentimental to be appropriate. Especially when they’re homemade, especially when Leo remembered his favorite from an offhand comment said weeks ago. Maybe he could just—

“I— I got you something. Well. More… made you something.” It takes Leonardo a moment to realize those words are not his own, but Usa-5’s. “It’s nothing extravagant or unusual, but I did not wish to go overboard, and Ada said this would be… appropriate.” 

Leo’s gaze drifts down from the bright eyes, the metal snout. Usa-5 is holding out a sword in both hands. A finely crafted, honed thing with a long, thin metal blade that has frost creeping along its back edge. Leo immediately feels the pulsing weight of darkness energy, of stasis, of control. 

“How—“

“The Drifter infused it for me. He was very helpful once I asked, though he kept pestering me with strange questions.” 

“Oh I bet he did…” Okami says it with an edge that implies a lot of… something. Leo guesses there might be another entendre in there somewhere, but before he can really start puzzling it out, Okami continues, more cheerfully, “That’s great! Fantastic really, since Leonardo got you something too.” 

Leo freezes as those words float out into the air. He’s ashamed to admit that he does consider ending Okami right then and there for the briefest of moments, then even more embarrassing, he contemplates running for many, many more moments. 

“Oh! That’s very kind of you. I—“ There’s a stuttering whirr that sounds a lot like cogs and wires getting tangled up. For a moment Leo even considers that there might be a serious malfunction in Usa-5’s artificial voice box or metallic jaw. It is kind of just… hanging open. But then the muzzle clicks shut and opens a second later with a gentle, joyous smile. “Thank you.” 

Okami doesn’t say anything else, he simply floats out of the way and turns toward his guardian. Deferring to him, but also… egging him on almost. 

Leo takes the hint and power walks down the hall, hand already outstretched to offer what seems like a measly gift next to Usa-5’s sword. Each movement is mechanical and stiff, more robotic than any exo, ghost, or Vex Leonardo had ever seen. “Here I— um. I-I’m pretty sure I remembered correctly.” 

Usa-5’s shifts the sword to one hand and lets it drop to his side. Each movement seems like water next to what Leonardo was… attempting a moment ago. Usa plucks the tin up with one sleek, intricate hand. They too look like the picture of grace next to the thick, heavy, three-fingered mitts the mutation left Leo and his brothers with. He does his best not to dwell on the difference.

Watching Usa work is a much better use of his time anyway. The way his thumb flexes, strains against the metal cap for a moment, before it yields and pops open. The way that digit keeps lifting, flicking the lid to the side to reveal what Leo can only hope is a prize worth the effort. 

“These—“ There’s a moment where lenses whirr, shutter closed. Then Usa-5’s muzzle flexes and spreads into that bright, beaming sort of smile again. “You did remember. Vanilla shortbread, and—“ he giggles, actually *giggles.* Leo didn’t know a member of the black armory could do that. He does know it’s the most wonderful sound he’s heard since the Traveler resurrected him. “Look at them. Shaped like little blades.” 

Usa-5 had been focused on the gift until that moment, but when his bright eyes and shining smile turn up, back toward Leo, there’s a funny little flutter his heart and stomach do simultaneously. 

He knows he should say something. ‘You’re welcome’ ‘I’m glad you like them.’ Nothing comes out. Leo doesn’t mind though. Usa-5’s next words are better than anything he could have come up with. 

“Thank you Hu—“ a pause, a shifting of the lenses in those glowing eyes, then, “Thank you, Leonardo.”

[alice-vstn]

Post nº32 - Sept 2024

Exo backgrounds (theme)

J’ai du inventé des décors à partir de "concepts" donnés par mon professeur. Environ 10min par illu

1. Fantôme bienveillant

J’ai opté pour des formes rondes et douces, et des visages mignons pour le côté bienveillant, gentil réconfortant. Et pour le lieu un cimetière avec une sorte de cathédrale pour le côté fantôme. C’est difficile de savoir exactement ce qui caractérise les fantômes.. les zombies et les squelettes ont les cimetières, les vampires ont les manoirs…

2. Amitié compliquée

Je suis partie sur une amitié compliqué par une grande différence entre les deux. Une chambre de collocation pour forcer les personnages à cohabiter. J’ai choisi un axe plutôt politique par rapport au contexte actuel ( 😄 ) en y mettant le plus de cliché possibles. Également les compositions s’opposent, la gauche est bien rangée et cadrée, la droite et chaotique (a noter l’inversion entre le camp politique et leur place dans l’illu 👀)

[kimerawrt]

(happy beyond words that people like this tiny AU)

Now i have even more ideas for this, starting for:

Ghost cat king!

The cats that gets out of the exo-suit is that of a normal black cat with green eyes it looks identical to any living cat. After that most ghosts avoid any black cat they encounter in Amity just in case it was that munchkin cat that defeated the king.

Though the humans often see a bunch of one eyed ghosts trying to crown random black cats in alleyways, the park and even some pets

The only ghost that knows who the true king is says nothing, the ghost of time is too amused in this timeline, he may crown the boy later but for now he will have fun

Once crowned, the crown changes sizes and style as randomly as the cats forms, sometimes there would be a huge green tiger as tall as a house with a crown small enough to be used as a ring in a children toy, others would be a small and adorable kitten with a crown the size of a truck tire, black as night with ominous blue fire coming out of it

The ring appears in random body parts, sometime the left paw, other the tail and more often floating around the cat like a planet to its star

The Dan cat:

The idea of Walker betrayal is great! I imagine two possibilities:

,1 Danny transforms for the last time and that cat becomes the most feared ghost of all times, because of all the hurt and anger the cat form changes over time but in a bad way, Danny last transformation leaved him with a white cat with the fur on fire, over time it seems that some fur was lost with the many fights, there are patched in with one can see blue skin were there is no fur, the cat eyes had become pure red and in some parts one can see bones from some holes in the cat, many call it the zombie cat

,2 Danny keeps transforming but because he was warped in anger, betrayal and grief all of his cat forms are on fire, they all look in pain but they all attack everything ghostly, Danny doesnt notice his favorite repeating forms never come back

The clones:

Danny duplicates start with few, first there is the original with two more, then there are five, seven, 15, 29, 36, and it keeps growing, Danny discovered that he doesnt need to separate his energy equally to maintain the duplicates, thanks to that and his growing power there is more cats every few days, though to not cause panic most of the duplicates are invisible

Until the day they werent

It was a ghost invasion, a small one taking in mind the quantity of ghosts in the zone but big enough to cause panic in Amity, the hunters were overwhelmed and very few expected their cat guardian of the day to be able to stop this, and then they appeared

thousands of different cats appeared from thin air, they covered the streets, the roofs, the lampposts, the walls and many were floating in the air, the invasion was stopped by a tsunami of cats

From then on the humans knew they were protected by the Phantom Clan, for they appeared like a phantom, other names included the Cat Clan, ClanClan or Kitty Clan, the ghosts tended to call it The Horde, cause being attacked by a horde of cats was terrifying and traumatic

Schrödinger’s cat a la DP

(why does the title sound like i’m making pasta?)

DP AU! in which everything is the same but Danny ghost for is the “Schrödinger’s cat”

When Danny had the accident he became something not alive but not dead, but also alive and dead at the same time. Because concepts, ideas and myths can become ghosts in the ghost zone, and Danny becoming the definition of Schrödinger’s cat theory his ghost form became that of a cat

Being a cat didn’t change any of his powers, he is just a little more faster agile and very hard to catch

But what makes him the embodiment of that theory is the fact that his ghost form is different every time he transform, sometimes he is a black cat that looks perfectly normal, others he is a white cat with wispy fur, also a green cat with red eyes that’s obviously a ghost, he can be a black cat that glitches in a way that people thinks reality is breaking around that cat, though the form of the white cat made of snow makes it the favorite for his friends in summer

Danny doesn’t know why his form is like that until he finds out about Schrödinger’s cat thanks to tucker, though knowing doesn’t change anything, the various cat forms are almost infinite, though they tend to repeat sometimes the forms are too random that are impossible to predict, after some time Danny learn to live with it and appreciate the pets his friends and other people give him in that form, though his favorite one, and the one that repeats more often is the form of a cat black as the void of space with stars and galaxies moving on the fur

One of the advantages of this cat forms is that no one, besides his friends and sister, knows his secret, though nobody expects a living teen to be a ghost cat, the ghost just think that there are multiple powerful ghost cats in amity and are very territorial about it, the Fenton parents try to trap the cats putting traps with cat food for ghosts in there, Danny always destroy those traps and gets rid of the food before it poison the living stray cats, Vlad plans to kill Jack always getting stopped by those cats is very humiliating and he doesn’t brag about any of it

Cujo is a good dog, he like to play with the cat boy a lot, playing is always fun for the puppy and he is happy to have a friends that doesn’t mind if he is bigger sometimes, Danny thinks Cujo is a very friendly dog that doesn’t mind cats, though he would prefer to not be licked so much, ghost dog saliva doesn’t smell good at all

[writeformesinpie]

Zombies And Ice Cream

Tao x Fem!Reader

Word Count - 7.6k

Genre - Crack/Romance

Summary -

You and Tao are in the middle of an argument when an unexpected guest arrives. Will you both survive the uninvited pest? Is this the end of your relationship? And will Tao ever get his ice cream?

Warnings -

Suggestive / implied sexual content, swearing, violence, death and violence (non-major character)

A/N -

This fanfic is inspired by a similar scene in Shaun Of The Dead.

It is apart of the EXO collab The Undead run by @biaswreckingfics​. Please check out the Masterlist and the other writers of this collab!

KPOP Masterlist

   There they sit all in a row, polished and protected from the elements inside their glass encasings. A collector's dream. Perfect for daddy. Never aging. Never changing. Their creepy eyes unwavering.

   Tao’s beloved BearBrick Babies will live forever if cared for correctly unlike your delicate flowers which last less than a season. Their frailty is the draw for you. Unlike these obnoxious toys that he can’t seem to get enough of them, flowers are alive.

   Turning to look back outside the window, rage brews as you stare out the window, the obnoxious teal muscle car blocking the view of the garden you spent weeks planting. Is it too much to ask for this one small thing? It took painstaking effort to arrange the perfect garden. You had even done it with inferior tools. After planting your beautiful flowers, you had thrown the disastrous gardening supplies out in last week's trash. The new ones will be arriving any day now. Tools that are sure to make you feel as pretty as the flowers you plant.

   The sun room is a place where you’re meant to be able to escape and you can’t even have that. The anger crescendos into a squeal of frustration as you realise the angle of the car suggests the flowers you placed into the ground just yesterday have been run over and are currently shredded under the flashy tires of the eyesore Tao decided to buy on a whim. He might as well smash all your fine china as well, just destroy everything you love.

   The floorboards squeak above as the plant killer himself makes his way from the bedroom down the stairs. Each step creaks from wear and tear, a reminder of another thing that needs to be fixed. Of course, instead of coughing up the money for house maintenance, Tao decided to buy a ferrari.

   “Why are you carrying on so early? I was trying to sleep.”

   If this were a cartoon, there would be flames rising from your exaggerated, beetroot-stained face as you turn to address the oblivious man. He didn’t even bother to get dressed, adorned in his Dragon Ball Z socks and the boxer briefs he found online with his face (his own face!) on them, a toothy grin spreading across his manhood. And of course he had to ask you to suck him off that one time while he was wearing them. You'll never forget that horrific moment no matter how deep you hide it in the back of your mind. Just one of the many ridiculous experiences Tao decided he couldn’t live without trying.

   Looking at him, you're surprised by the tousled hair and dark rings. He had gone to bed early last night after throwing a fit about you eating the last Cornetto. Carmel. It was delicious and you’re glad you ate it.

   “The flowers.” The words are soft as you hold back your fury, you don’t want to start another fight. Not on the first work-free day you’ve had together in over three months.

   “What flowers? I don’t see any flowers.”

   “You don’t see the flowers because your nasty vehicle destroyed them,” you say, your fists tight balls. “I thought we agreed to park in the garage, which is why we bought the damn thing.”

   The clench of his jaw signals the beginning of an argument. He’s stubborn and even though he knows what he’s done is wrong, you’re willing to bet he’s about to push back, probably bring up something he feels you’ve done to justify his mistake.

   “It’s a bit hard to fit in the garage when you practically double park. You shouldn’t be allowed out on the road with the way you drive.”

   Bingo. He knows how much you hate to drive. It’s something you avoid whenever possible. The idea that other people's lives are in your hands every time you get behind the vehicle is enough to keep you from enjoying it. Walking is just easier. If it’s somewhere close, like say your mother's house, it’s easier to just walk.

   “Well at least I didn’t buy some ridiculously overpriced pussy magnet.”

   “Pussy magnet?”

   “Pussy magnet!”

   “How is that-”

   “We all know the only reason you bought it is so you can soak in all the heart-eyed girls from work. And your incel friends that think of you as their God,” you say, your voice pitching up as he tries to interrupt. “Pride is a sin, baby. It’s such a male ego move and you must know that as they praise you, they’re all thinking about what it is you're overcompensating for.” As you finish you hold up your pinky and wiggle it around.

   “Fuck off. I don’t have a small dick.”

   “I know that but they don’t,” you say with a shrug. You're sick of his constant need for validation.

   “God, you’re a vindictive harpy. Why are you such a bitch in the morning?”

   “Why do you care so much? Because you know I’m right.”

   “You sound like your mother.”

   “Fuck you.”

   “Two harpies living in the same city is bad enough as it is and then she just had to go and move in just two blocks from us. She just had to, didn't she? Like a leech she follows you wherever you go and it’s me who’s always stuck dealing with her.”

   “Like you can talk! You think your mother is a saint?”

   “Don’t bring up my mother!”

   “Then don’t bring up mine!”

   “I can’t keep living like this. Every day I want to wrap my hands around your pretty little neck and snap it like a twig,” he says, venom dripping from his lips as his eyes bore into yours.

   “Go ahead then. Snap my pretty little neck,” you say, jutting out your chin in an act of defiance. He would never touch you, not like that. Tao may be a lot of things but he has never hurt you and you know he never will.

   “I’m going for a drive,” he says, turning towards the door but stopping in front of the window.

   “Just go then.” What is he waiting for?

   “There’s a girl in the garden.”

   “Oh? Go on, then. If you think you can do better. Run off with your new girl.”

   “No, there’s really a girl out there. Look.”

   At first you think he’s talking about his car until you see her too. Her strawberry blonde curls fall across her slack, ashen face as she wobbles back and forth behind the teal car. “What the fuck? Is she drunk?”

   Tao taps his knuckles against the window, swearing under his breath when she ignores him before using sweeping gestures with his arms to get her attention. It works. Her eyes roll to the back of her head as her head lolls to the side. She starts to shuffle forward, her white slippers with Sheraton written across the side kicking up dirt as she walks towards the window. She must have walked over from the hotel - it’s only a five minute walk from here. She must have gotten turned around in her intoxicated stupor.

   As she gets closer you can see her dirt-crusted elbows and knees and a strange red smudge across her nose and her left cheek. Even with the blemish she is practically perfect. No makeup but under the white robe is a black lace lingerie one piece that pushes her up in all the right places, making her look like a Barbie doll. Frowning, you tug at your shirt, pushing your breasts up and wiggling them back and forth. They don’t compare to her and you look over at Tao with a glare. Of course he’s looking at her. Pig.

   “She’s pissed!” Tao laughs before shaking his head, walking in the direction of the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll go and chase her out.”

   “I’m not worried but Tao...”

   “What now? I thought I was doing you a favour here.”

   “You’re in your underwear.”

   “Yeah? Well maybe our new friend shouldn’t have gotten shitfaced last night,” he says with a stubborn flick of the brow before opening the front door and walking out of view. You dig into your purse hanging off a hook in the hallway, apply some lipstick then follow.

   “Excuse me but I need you to get off my property.”

   “Our property.”

   “For fucks sake,” Tao says, looking over his shoulder at you from the walkway connecting your door to the driveway before glancing back at the girl standing by the window. She turns back towards him with staggered steps, one of her Sheraton slippers lost in the grass, forgotten behind her as she makes her way over to Tao. “We’re just trying to have a quiet morning and I can’t do that with some rando in the garden.”

   “Technically it’s just the lawn.”

   “I swear to God, woman.”

   “Well it is. The garden is the area your ridiculous little car is currently parked in,” you say with a shrug as the drunk girl gets closer, her eyes locked in on Tao as he turns around to you.

   “Is this really the time? Why are you always on my dick? I am-” Right as he steps towards you, the drunk swipes at the air behind him, a soft gurgling sound erupting from her small frame. “Holy shit, lady.”

   “She’s smashed!” you laugh, starting to walk down the path to the pair, adjusting your hair as you walk.

   “Looks like you had a great night,” Tao says with a chuckle, shaking his head. “Whoa, whoa hands to yourself there.”

   “Oh, another one of your fangirls?”

   He’s gorgeous. People flock to his sexy aura but this is getting ridiculous. You have to be worried about these desperate freaks coming to your home now? This one is half naked and practically throwing herself at him, her hands grabbing at his naked skin.

   “Very funny,” he says while trying to push the lush off, her hands caressing him as she starts to bite the air right by his face. He stumbles and they both fall to the ground.

   “Oh wow, looks like she’s got the hots for you.” This wanton slut. “I mean, don’t let me stop you, just pretend I’m not here, I guess.”

   “She is attacking me,” Tao says, his voice starting to lose its lighthearted edge as his muscles tense to keep her in place.

   “And with our relationship already on the rocks.” You bend down to take a selfie with the pair on your phone. “Proof for the lawyers.”

   “She’s bloody strong! Help me get her off,” Tao sputters, avoiding her gnashing teeth.

   “I can’t help but think this is exactly what you deserve,” you say but after seeing his wide eyes and pressed lips, you grab her arm, pulling her back. Tao rolls out from under her and you let her fall face first to the ground. No guilt; she shouldn’t have gotten blackout drunk, she shouldn’t be on your property and she shouldn’t be touching your Tao.

   She moans in pain on the ground, trying to get back up. Well, maybe a little guilt. She does have such a pretty face.

   “Ma’am, we need you to leave now. You’ve had your fun. Now this is getting old,” you say as she gets back up to her feet, no more Sheraton slippers. “Just go home and sleep it off.”

   There are grass stains on her white shirt. Her feet are bare as she hoists each leg one after the other in peculiar, jagged movements, each grueling step bringing her staggering towards you.

   Stepping back, you look over to Tao who shrugs. “Just call the police.”

   You pull out your phone and start to dial as he looks around the yard for supplies. He jogs over to the side of the house. The girl turns to watch him, her whole body jerking in his direction before turning back to you. The sounds of Tao ransacking the shed drift to the background as the polite message from the emergency line tells you ‘all lines are currently busy’. Too bad if this was a real emergency. What is this city coming to?

   “Shit,” you say, the phone slipping from your fingers and crashing to the cold concrete below. Shattered. Fuck.

   When you stand up, smashed phone in hand, the drunk girl is disturbingly close. Her stale breath is warm against your face and her dirty hands push roughly against your shoulders. Her teeth are tinged pink inside her wide mouth and smelling of rancid meat. You can’t help yourself - you scream out for Tao.

   Her fingertips cling for a moment before being ripped from your shoulders. The girl flings back a few feet where she then stumbles and falls. Tao is holding a large rake in front of him, both hands holding the wooden handle, the metal tines edging threateningly towards her. As she starts to get back up, you wonder why she’s doing this, why she won’t just leave.

   “Get back woman, I mean it.” Tao jabs the rake a few times towards her but it doesn’t deter her.

   “I doubt a rake is going to scare her.”

   “It’s the only thing in the damn shed worth anything. There is so much junk in there, do you ever clean it out?”

   “I guess I’ll add it to my list of things to do,” you say as you both back up a little towards the wall as she approaches painstakingly slow. “I ordered new tools. I was going to try and tidy it up then.”

   “I’m warning you,” he says to the drunk, pushing against her roughly with the rake, his back now up against the red brick of the house. “Did you call the police?”

   “They didn’t answer.”

   “They didn’t answer?”

   “That’s what I said. They were busy.”

   “Well, try them again.”

   “I can’t.” He glances over at you from the corner of his eyes, exasperated as he continues to hold the girl back. “I dropped my phone. It’s broken.”

   “You have got to be kidding me,” Tao almost growls, his fingers digging deeper into the handle. Pushing back the woman while spitting out profanities, he digs the prongs of the rake into her ribs. She doesn't stop, instead turning towards you, her hands outstretched. Before she is able to get close, Tao jams the rake into her chest, the tines drawing blood as they gouge deep into her skin. “Get lost!”

   “Holy shit, Tao!” She falls on her back flush against the manicured lawn, the erect rake sprouting out of her flesh. “You killed her!”

   Tao steps back, his face blank, then turns to you. His eyes flicker across your face and body, his hands joining in their search. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

   “No. What do we do?” Your whispered breath is shaky. “We can go buy a shovel and bury her under the garden. This isn’t so bad. In fact she’ll make great fertilizer.”

   “What the fuck? It was self defense,” he says, an incredulous look on his face. “I appreciate the ride or die mentality but-”

   He stops mid sentence as you gasp, your eyes widening as Sheraton Barbie rises, arms out stiff in alignment with the wooden handle still protruding from her chest.

   “There’s no way.”

   The wood sticking out of her body flails senseless and free, back and forth as she sways, each staggering step creeping closer. Tao looks over and you both burst out laughing, the image of the rake thrashing about while still embedded within this undead woman is too much to bear. You continue to laugh until she’s too close to ignore, stepping back a few spaces before you both run to the front door. Leaning against the door, you look over at each other and laugh again.

   “Let’s call the police,” Tao says, grabbing his phone from the living room table. Pushing a few buttons, he presses it to his ear. After a moment of silence he says, “It’s busy.”

   “I told you.”

   “Yes, but it’s still busy,” he says, handing you the phone. “Hold that and let me know when they answer.”

   “Where are you going?”

   “We need to find weapons. Something to use against that- that thing.”

   “She’s dead. You killed Sheraton Barbie.”

   He looks at you with one eyebrow raised before he nods. “I’m well aware of that.”

   “I mean, I think she might be a zombie.”

   “Don’t be ridiculous.” A loud thump on the door makes you both jump and when you turn to look, the Sheraton Barbie is outside. Her grubby hands press against your window and the wooden rake sticks out lengthwise against the glass as she chews the air looking right at you. Every time she moves the rake moves with her, thudding hard against the window.

   “She’s going to break it,” you say, looking up at him. “What do we have down here that we can use? What about your Bearbrick Babies?”

   “Don’t even joke.”

   “They’re right there. It’s in the name. They are freaking bricks, Tao,” you say, pointing towards the case holding his collection, the pristine gleam of the clear glass calling out to be opened. The banging of wood on glass from outside punctures the silence every three to four seconds. “We don’t have many options.”

   “I would rather that trashy, drunk undead ‘Barbie’ break in here and rip out my intestines while I’m still alive. We are not hurting the Bearbrick’s. We have other options.”

   The banging increases. It’s every one to two seconds now. The audible sound of glass cracking ringing out throughout the room. “Well you better find something else quick or we won’t have a goddamn window.”

   “Fuck.” Tao squeezes his head, the force of his hands against his skull turning his knuckles white.

   “Ah!” You dive to the bottom of the display case's shelf, the one covered in a light blue marble. You slide open the door and pull out two large metal boxes and slide them across the floor. “What about this?”

   “The Rolexs?” He frowns, hesitant. Another crack echoes off the walls as the zombie outside tries to get in.

   “Well I don’t think throwing the table or lounge chair is gonna do it.”

   “Why do I have to throw my precious collections? What about your china?”

   “The fine china? My fine china? Why would I-”

   Another crack, this time right before the window smashes inward. Sheraton Barbie on the other side is already starting to climb in. Behind her you see another zombie at the edge of the lawn, close to the road but making his way toward the house. The sound of this stupid, dead bitch breaking your window must have gotten his attention.

   The fuck nut zombie inside knocks over your kaleidoscope-coloured crystal vases and your fine china tea sets with that stupid, stupid wooden stick and you scream out in frustration. First your garden and now your fine china. Is nothing sacred? Your vision starts to blur on the fringes of your eyesight as a wet rage builds.

   “Just do something!”

   “I don’t think freaking out about your little tea set is going to help the current situation,” he says, lunging over the sofa and jamming his palm onto the wooden stick to hold back the zombie.

   “I am calm,” you growl, giving each word emphasis before grabbing one of his silly little watches and throwing it towards Sheraton Barbie. It hits her straight in between the eyes then bounces, ricocheting off the handle and slingshotting back up against her chest. It lodges itself in one of the widening holes created by the rake.

   “What the hell? Did you just throw my Rolex? Did you throw my Rolex? Did you just throw my damn Rolex and now it’s got zombie gunk on it?”

   “Well, wasn't it last season anyway?”

   “Last season? It doesn’t really work that way and if it did, no ‘season’ is any less important than the last when it comes to a Rolex. They’re timeless.”

   “There’s a zombie in the living room, Tao.”

   “I am well aware of what is in the house, sweetheart,” he says, accentuating the last word as he nods towards the undead woman.

   “Well, what about this one? When did you last wear this?” The silver watch dangles from your index finger as you hold it in front of your eyes while you use your other hand to search for the next sturdy Rolex to throw.

   “I wouldn’t dare to wear that one.”

   ‘Oh, great, then this one?” You throw the watch and this one bounces off her temple. Gnashing teeth turn your way. Tao moans, his staggered breath punctuated by moisture building up around his eyes as he holds steadfast. Good. He deserves it. “It’s not working. They’re too soft, Tao.”

   “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.”

   “We need to use the Bearbrick Babies. They are good for nothing. Literally useless,” you say, jumping up and running towards the case.

   “Fuck that. Hold this,” he says, leading the zombie over and shoving the handle into your hand. Pain trickles throughout your palm from what you are certain will be splinters. “Hold her and stop throwing my stuff.”

   “Wait.”

   He doesn’t. He runs past you and around the corner before you hear the familiar sound of his footfalls on the wooden steps as he continues on to your bedroom.

   Her stench is unbearable; you can smell death on your lips. Turning to look out the window, you notice the other zombie is halfway across the yard. His lifeless eyes lock on the shattered frame.

   This is not how you want to die. Where is Tao? As long as you don’t die before he gets here, it should be okay. He won’t let anything happen to you… right?

   Right as a tear rolls down your face, the moisture seeping into your dry skin, you hear the thumping sounds of Tao running back down the stairs. He dashes out from behind the corner now wearing jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. Yesterday's outfit that was carelessly thrown across the room last night. There’s something off about him. Searching him over a few times, you notice it. At first you had mistaken the silver glint as an accessory.

   “Is that a gun?”

   “If it looks like a gun and acts like a gun then I guess it must be a gun.”

   “Where did you get that from?”

   “Not in the safe, that's for sure,” he says, bitterness on his lips as he raises the weapon towards the zombie that now has you pinned against the wall, her arms flailing out in every direction, desperate for your flesh. “Nope, couldn’t put it there. Not after you randomly changed the code on me.”

   “You kept that gun in the house? After I told you to get rid of it?”

   He’s upset because you needed a place to keep your documents and all his friends know his combination, which he in turn said wasn’t a big deal. It’s not that you don’t trust his friends, but why should everyone have the code? If everyone can get into the safe, what’s the point of it? And you bought it after all, it’s only right that you be the one that makes the code.

   “Yeah, that's right. It's a good thing too,” he says, waving at Sheraton Barbie with a crooked smile.

   “A zombie apocalypse is an outlier, Tao!”

   The zombie lurches forward, the rake squelching inside her undead skin until it passes completely through to the other side, leaving you face to face with her bared teeth. Screeching, you push against her chest, leaning away from the overwhelming stench of decay leaking from her mouth as the other one starts to paw at the windowsill. This is it. This is where you die. This is how your pathetic life finally comes to an end. What has it all been for?

   Fireworks penetrate your thoughts. Two loud pops. Sheraton Barbie falls to the floor with a thud and your eardrums vibrate.

   “Gross! What the fuck, Tao!” A tremble rumbles across your skin and you feel pressure like when high altitudes pop your ears. After a few seconds, your hearing resets to its original level of capacity. Your face scrunches up as you pluck pieces of Sheraton Barbie out of your hair. “My eardrums might never recover.”

   “Don’t be dramatic.” He puts the gun into the holster and upon noticing your glare he continues. "You’ll be fine. It will settle in a few minutes. It’s only a 45mm.”

   “Only.”

   “And what would you suggest instead?”

   “I don’t know, a knife?”

   “And use the good cutlery? I’d never hear the end of it,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It’s not your fault that whenever he tries to make something in the kitchen something ends up broken. It’s not the cost of replacing the item, it’s the inconvenience.

   “That’s it!” You are done. You refuse to be in the same room as this Neanderthal for a moment longer. The way he prances around the house, fists beating against his chest. The way he makes you feel like you can’t do anything right. “I’m going to my mother’s house.”

   “In the middle of a zombie apocalypse?!"

   “I’d rather die out there than be stuck in here with a plant killer like you.” You grab your envelope clutch from the entryway table, slamming the door on the way out. “I’d rather die out here than live in there with you.”

   A pout forms on your chapped lips as you walk down the walkway thinking of all the cutting words you could have said instead, the ways you could have hurt him but didn’t. You restrained yourself yet again for the betterment of the relationship. You always put him first and here he is sending you outside when he knows you left your keys inside and he knows you’re too stubborn to turn around and get them now. How could you when you’ve already gotten this far? Why would he send you out into the cold in the middle of a zombie invasion?

   Reaching the footpath in front of the house, you turn in the direction of your mother's house that, as Tao so eloquently put it, is only two streets away. The walk will do you good - the fresh air and the quiet. The deafening silence is just what you need. The empty streets, the absence of children's laughter and blaring horns. The empty red Buick with all four doors open, its front bumper wrapped around the wooden telephone pole while smoke spirals from its engine. It’s all so refreshing. The absence of humanity.

   Continuing down the next street, the smell of rot and rust in the air, you turn the corner and run straight into a crowd of the restless undead, their mouths slack and their eyes lifeless. There’s about fifteen of them and they’re blocking the walkway. They haven’t seen you yet, their attention instead on the young couple in front of them. The pair are holding hands up on trash cans that look ready to cave in at any moment.

   The issue is how to get over to that side of the street without the horde noticing, because although they seem oblivious to you right now, the couple they currently have their eyes on have taken notice. What a bother.

   “Help!” the woman yells out. You point to your ear and shrug, pretending you didn’t hear before trying to creep past them. “Please! We can’t hold them off for much longer!”

   And just what the fuck do they expect you to do?

   Before you can reply, the man tears his arm from hers and pushes her towards the zombies. Her screams quickly become gurgled gulps of blood as you stare slack-jawed after the prick now shimmying up one of the poles holding the awning above. So much for true love. Must all men be scum?

   Turning away, you shake your head and decide to take this moment, the death of another hopeless woman in love, to not let her death be in vain. Right as you step out onto the road, a loud tearing sound echoes out over the groaning of the hoard of zombies.

   “No, no, no. No!” It’s the dickless fuck. He’s hanging from the railing. The soft material of the awning now split in two, its nonchalant flapping drawing several of the mob. The ones not eating his girlfriend start to surround him and claw towards him, reaching with hungry sweeps of their arms. He looks to you with pleading eyes and calls out, “Help me. Please!”

   You give him a thumbs down and mouth the words, ‘die bitch.’

   And he will die. The first zombie that reaches him when his hold on the pole finally weakens digs her teeth into his ankle. It’s his partner. Poetic justice. He squeals and falls to the ground, his high pitched screams soon snuffed out by the crunching of teeth on flesh.

   Shuffling as quietly as the tips of your shoes will allow, you dart across the street to the promise of safety and it pays off. They didn’t notice you, instead immersed in the meal already caught. Resisting a triumphant shout of achievement, you continue to walk down the pavement, your eyes glancing back at the group every so often to make sure you haven’t been seen.

   Turning back to face the street ahead you’re caught off guard when a lady dressed in classic black skinny jeans, a white tucked in shirt, business black kitten heels and a tan blazer walks out from the boutique and slams right into you. Her face is perfect, eyebrows plucked and lined, not a single lash out of place. If it wasn’t for the small smudge of her red lipstick spread across her slack jaw you might not have noticed anything was wrong.

   Fuck. You should have thought of the stores. What an amateur move.

   Before you have time to ponder your mistake, hands grab you from behind, a hoarse moan accompanying the stench of wet dirt and old pasta sauce. It’s too much. The thought of it ending this way, sandwiched between this cheap business woman and the man who loves meatballs a little too much, it's depressing and not at all the type of threesome you wanted. You scream. It’s a guttural noise that reverberates from chest to throat in a painful spiral.

   It’s a mistake of course. The booming sound echoes out across the street, bringing the unwanted attention of the horde of undead looking for something more exciting to snack on now that the asshole has gone cold. Caught between the two creatures, you kick the woman hard in the chest, causing her to stagger backwards. Ducking from the tall man still leaning over you with his teeth bared, you crouch down while kicking out your leg and slamming it against his knees. He topples over in time for you to turn back to the woman who is now lunging at you on the floor. You roll to the side and let her fall face first into the concrete pavement.

   Fuck.

   Three more are behind her, exiting the boutique. Tears spring to your eyes out of frustration. Not fear. You refuse to be scared. Scared people act stupid in these situations and get themselves killed. No, you will not be dying here today.

   You take a quick look at the three zombies. There’s a queen of hearts sticking out from the breast pocket of one of the old women and when you see it, a glint of metal catches your eye. One of them has a cane. Sorry Grandma but this firecracker refuses to be taken down by an old bridge group.

   Spinning on your toes, you dart out of their direct line of contact before kicking the old lady square on the left knee. She buckles and as she goes down you grab the silver cane. Is this considered elderly abuse? You can’t think for long because the other two are coming towards you and the one you took out is already wobbling to her feet.

   “Let’s do this, you ugly bastards.”

   Holding the cane out in front of you with both hands on the end, you jab at them Three Stooges-style: one in the eyes, one in the gut, one across the ear. In quick succession you jab at them over and over again until your arm aches. Then you dash past them, holding them back by the length of the wood.

   “Haha!" Cheerful glee drips from your words as you continue down the street. Looking over your shoulder for the last time, you poke your tongue out and turn down the next street. You ram into another zombie. This one grabs your arm to take a bite. You kick him in the shin and start to beat him over the head with the cane when he folds over in pain. “Just die, you bastard!”

   “What the fuck!"

   It’s Tao.

   “Oh my god! I thought you were one of them!”

   “What the fuck!?”

   “Oh Tao! Tao!” You squeal, pulling him up to his feet and hugging him. “Thank God you’re here!”

   “That hurts like a bitch,” he says, holding you with one arm as he shakes his leg and rubs the top of his head. He’s so strong. You know it doesn’t even hurt him at all. He’s come and saved you. You’re safe!

   “Oh, Tao.” Holding him tighter, you let your legs give way underneath you, finally allowing the stress of the day to wash over you. “You came for me. You came to save me. I knew you would. I knew you couldn’t live without me, Tao!”

   “Well, I mean, I knew you would get yourself killed out here,” he says, dragging you by one arm into the alleyway right as the limping, caneless grandma from the previous street turns the corner and walks past aimless and hungry, followed closely by her slack-mouthed friends. Tao’s quick thinking saved you again. He’s so brave. He’s so smart. He’s such a man.

   “I-” He holds a finger to your lips, stopping you from drawing attention to your hiding spot, and you can’t help but admire his reflexes. Instead of pushing him away like you usually would, you step closer. His base scent of pink pepper, limes and amber wood is provocative and you want the taste of him on your lips.

   Grinning up at him, you grab his finger still hovering in front of lips and suck on it, taking it in all the way to the knuckle and making a soft plop sound as you pull back to his fingertip. You kiss each digit, your eyes glued to his. The quirk of his brow is the only response as you kiss up his hand, his arm and his shoulder. A glint of something you haven’t seen in months flickers across his face before he pulls you into his embrace, one arm wrapping around your waist, the other circling your neck.

   It’s fire. The look in his eyes. The look he lost. It’s desire in its rawest form. He wants you and you can’t blame him - you’re quite the catch - but after today you can admit that he is too. A hero. The type of man you can depend on no matter the situation.

   Biting your lip, you lean into his chest. An animalistic urge to take him where you stand in this dirty back alley, wild and free of worry, builds up inside, right next to the searing heat within your gut. Heat that threatens to spread like wildfire and burn you both down for being so foolish to play with matches in the forest. The type of fire that leaves nothing. Spontaneous and unyielding.

   Your thoughts start to muddle as his lips press against yours with the same desperate need that mirrors your own. Your hands grasp with reckless lust, clawing at this shirt, needing skin to skin contact. His chest is tight under your fingertips that mark and claim his body. He belongs to you and to you alone and you wonder why things were even going south lately. He’s fucking sexy. The burning desire and aching love you feel for Tao now might well be the same as the first time you realized he was your one love, your other half.

   He places creamy kisses across your neck before biting your bottom lip. He sucks on your tongue as he squeezes your ass. The taste of him is salty and bitter like that of a margarita on a warm summer's night. A small moan exits your lips and his eyes shift to the entryway of the alley before he pulls you closer, your hips flush against his as he lifts you like a doll, defenseless in his arms. Defenseless but safe. His toned arms engulf you as he continues to fuck your mouth with his magic tongue and you can’t help but think of all the things you want him to do with it.

   As if the heavens themselves are opening up for you, a light drizzle of rain starts to fall upon you, deepening the romance. The dark cramped alley, Tao covered in blood, and now it's raining; it’s as if you are in a movie. A romantic comedy, Tao and you the stars. The signs out on display, it was fate that you and your soulmate had saved each other from a fate worse than death.

   Grinding against him, you nip at his tongue with a muted chuckle, your swollen lips crushing against his. Then his sweet, salty taste starts to change into something less appealing. Something… sour, acidic yet metallic.

   “What the hell?” Separating, you both look up, the romantic rain actually rusty, red water coming from the pipe off the gutter above you. It stains your clothes, Tao’s white shirt turning an atrocious shade of pink.

   “It suits you,” you say, laughing before slapping a hand over your mouth and looking down the alley. No movement. Yet.

   “Yeah, yeah. It’s hilarious,” he whispers with a tilt of irritation on his lips. He grabs your hand, entwining his fingers with yours as he leads you back to the street's entrance. “Let’s go home.”

   “Okay.” Although you are closer to your mother's place you don’t argue, knowing he must have one thing in mind for when you return, your hearts and bodies now aligned. He needs you as much as you need him and you’ve proven that today. After all he was your saviour, your knight in shining armour, cutting through the hordes of beasts in the way of his one true love. He’s amazing.

   “Jesus Christ,” he says under his breath as he looks down the street. His face is scrunched up in pain as he says, “That guy's dick has been chewed straight off.”

   “He really is a dickless fuck.” When Tao quirks his brow, you shake your head. “It’s what he deserved. Believe me.”

   Making your way back down the streets that separate you from your home, Tao is ready to jump in front of you whenever danger strikes. Although there are less zombies on the way home, there is a close call with a Chihuahua. Once the crisis is averted, Tao limps down the street in remembrance of his brave act. It takes less time to return. Most of the zombies wandering the streets are in pairs or alone, easy to evade.

   As you turn onto your own street, your home in view, you lean into Tao and let him guide you up your driveway with your fingers still entwined with his. Nothing can ruin this moment. Not the broken window or the dead zombie slumped under said window, not even the crushed flowers under Tao’s ridiculously overpriced pussy magnet muscle car. And although yes, a small part of you was hoping that he would carry you inside bridal-style, you don’t let that get to you either, because nothing is perfect and that’s okay. It’s okay because it's almost perfect.

   You don’t let the fact that Tao didn’t remove Sheraton Barbie from the living room get to you. It’s not like you’re strong enough to get her out of here, anyway. A delicate flower like you should be taken care of and you know you will be. You know that Tao will get rid of her soon. He was just in too much of a rush to come and find you. If the house looked like he had cleaned up, it would be suspicious. Kind of like the fact that his watches are all put back inside the case inside the glass cabinet. His watches are all safe and packed away. How lovely.

   No, you refuse to be brought down in this moment, a moment of pure bliss by anything. Not even by Tao turning on the TV and flipping through the channels.

   “What are you doing?”

   “I want to see if there’s any news about what’s been happening,” he says with a frown as he stares at the television, each channel providing the same blank static as the next.

   “I thought we were gonna, you know,” you mutter, touching the ends of your pointer fingers together. “I mean, that whole rescue thing got me pretty hot.”

   “Yeah, it’s hot out there.” He continues to switch through channels as he walks over to the bookcase behind the couch, grabbing the ancient satellite radio.

   “Are you kidding me right now?”

   “What?”

   “We had a moment, Tao! What about our moment? It was romantic!”

   “Are you crazy?” He is looking at you now, finally paying attention to you. “Are you talking about that psycho move you pulled in the middle of a fucking zombie apocalypse that ended in us being drowned in rusty pipe water? That romantic moment?”

   “Yes, Tao! It was a sign that we are meant to be together. Didn’t you feel it?”

   “A sign?” he laughs, shaking his head while fiddling with the radio. “I felt an intense desire to fuck my kinky wife who was obviously going off the rails after dealing with this whole traumatic event and you obviously needed comfort and who was I to deny you that? But a sign? It’s literal Armageddon out there and I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

   “It needs batteries and we have none that size in the house.”

   “What?”

   “The bloody radio, arsehole,” you yell, turning your back to hide your tears. How had he not felt it? It was as if he hadn’t been there with you at all. It was like magic and he was denying everything you felt. “I thought you cared about this marriage. I thought you cared about us.”

   “Hey.” He wraps his arms around you, squeezing you tight enough that you can’t breathe for a moment as he lifts you in the air and swings you around. “I do care about this marriage.”

   “Could have fooled me.”

   “You know, when you left I thought, 'Good riddance, and don’t come back.'” He ignores your huff as he continues, “I did. I thought about how peaceful it would be without you. But then the longer you were gone, the more deafening the silence became. There was a knot forming in my chest and all I could think about was what I was meant to do without you if you didn’t return.”

   “Really?”

   “Of course, you idiot.” He pushes his pointer finger against your cheekbone before lightly touching his forehead to yours, your breath connected in unison. “I didn’t realize it was that bad out there or I wouldn’t have let you leave at all.”

   “As if you could have stopped me,” you say, biting the inside of your lip.

   “You think I couldn’t have?”

   His eyes sparkle with a mischievous gleam, a smirk spreading across his face as he spins you towards the recliner and pins you underneath him. Leaning close he whispers your name as he brushes his lips against yours. Squeezing your ass, your hips lift up to his as he deepens the kiss, his tongue dancing with yours, singing a song only they know the words to. Your hand digs into his hair and you suck on his tasty lips before he pulls back with a start. He leaps up to his feet and walks towards the door.

   “What? Where are you going?”

   “I’m going to the store - do you want anything?”

   “Are you serious right now? I swear to God,” you say the words behind clenched teeth, your hands balled up into little fists. How can this man be so oblivious? “Also I don’t know if you noticed this but there just so happen to be zombies out there!”

   “Yeah? So? I want a Cornetto. I think I work hard enough for this household to give myself a treat.”

   “Oh and I don’t, I guess. It’s always I work so hard. I do this. Well I work hard, too! I cook, I clean. I do a lot around here and I am sick of your condescending attitude!”

   “Listen. I’m going to get some batteries and a Cornetto and at this point I might not get you anything!”

   “Get me some chocolate milk. The expensive one. The cheap ones upset my tummy,” you say with a pout.

   “Anything for my princess.” He kisses you on the temple with a sly chuckle before saying, “And when I get back we can fuck since I know you want to so bad.”

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this content! If you did, please consider liking, commenting, reblogging and/or following, and check out my masterlist for similar content. Have a great day!

[coffee-and-kpop]

luhan + 118 with some fluffy ending

118. You were separated before the outbreak and trying to find your way back to each other.

“Luhan! Luu-haaan!” you sang, ducking behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree. You pressed your back against it, holding your breath in the hopes it would keep you hidden longer.

“Ready or not, Y/N, here I come!” Luhan called. You crouched down against the tree trunk, its stiff bark digging into your skin through your shirt. You curled your hands around your knees, pulling them under yours chin as you heard the crack of dead leaves under Luhan’s footsteps draw closer. You closed your eyes tightly, squeezing them until you saw red and breathed in the musty, earthy smell of autumn.

“Got you!” Luhan’s hands grabbed your shoulders, causing you to shriek, loosing balance in your crouch and falling flat on your butt against the tree.

“How do you always do that?” you cried once your heartrate slowed slightly.

“I can always find you, Y/N,” Luhan laughed and held out his hand, picking you off the ground.

Autumn, this year, smelled like death. Death, and loneliness. When you were little, for as far back as you could remember, you’d loved autumn. You loved the promise of winter, when you and Luhan could snuggle up on one of your couches on the school-less afternoons, drinking hot chocolate and watching VHS tapes.

Now, however, you were alone. You couldn’t help thinking about how lonely you truly were as your pick ax made a squishy sound as you pulled it from the eye socket of the zombie laying on the ground before you.

The zombie’s eyes, you had noticed before you’d driven your ax into one of them, resembled Luhan’s, your old friend. You hadn’t thought about Luhan in years, and you especially hadn’t thought about him since the beginning of the infection. But something about that zombie’s eyes…

You wiped the viscera droplets from your face with your sleeve and began heading back towards your parent’s home. You home now, since you hadn’t seen your parents since the first wave of the infection. Maybe they’d evacuated, maybe they were zombies. All you knew was, after your frantic rush to make it back home from college, they were already gone.

As you walked, your mind again travelled back to Luhan, and you were amused at the fact that you had thought about him twice in one day, when you hadn’t spoken in years. You’d grown apart as you grew older, middle and high school cliques and puberty ripping your innocent, childhood best friendship apart. And then you’d both gone off to college, you only a few hours from home, and Luhan somewhere across country, and you hadn’t heard a thing from him since.

There was a time when you’d thought you loved Luhan, right on the verge of middle school. It was an innocent type of love, in which you planned your marriage and arranged your future children’s names. And Luhan agreed, because you’d assumed he loved you too, that you would both be together forever.

And then high school happened, and eventually the zombies came. You basically had to forget your whole past life, just to cope with this new one. You found that if you dwelled in the past, on memories of your friends and family, it would only cause you to sink into a severe, vulnerable depression.

Once back home, you sat on the floor in your parents’ home, eating your last can of peaches. You’d have to leave again to go search for food, and the neighborhood was running low. You’d looted most of the surrounding houses, and you were quickly running out of places to search. You decided to try, at least, and after you finished your last peach from the can, you grabbed up you backpack and pick ax and headed towards the door. Tugging it open slowly.

You almost screamed when you saw to figure standing on your porch, hand raised to grab the doorknob. You raised your pick ax, readying yourself to slice into the filthy, mud-covered zombie, until you noticed his eyes: they were bright, gleaming with a smile instead of glazed over and dead. They were familiar eyes, eyes you’d only just been thinking about.

“Lu…Luhan?” you whispered. You pick ax thundered to the floor as you dropped it in disbelief.

“Y/N,” Luhan breathed a sigh of relief. You were frozen to your spot, scared to say anything. “I’m so glad I found you. I’ve been searching for you ever since the outbreak.”

“Wh…what… why are you here?” you stuttered, unsure of anything else to say.

“When the outbreak started, and people were dying around me and coming back, I shut myself in my dorm to try and wait it out,” Luhan started. “I thought about you every day in that dorm, about you and coming home to you. I’m… I’m so sorry for everything that happened between us.”

You rushed into his arms, not caring that he was completely covered in mud. You threaded your fingers into the back of his hair, pulling his head close as you hugged him tight. Tears sprinkled your eyes, you were so happy to have someone here, alive and with you, and the fact that it was Luhan made it even better.

“I can’t believe you found me,” you cried, your breath hitching in your throat.

“You know I can always find you, Y/N.”

- Admin PeachJin 🍑

[scarlet-sky4]

Masterlist [BBH]

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🌸 Most recent updates:

Wolfbound (October 27, 2023)

💥 - mature scenes 💗 - personal favorite ✔ - finished work

🌸 Short Stories and Oneshots (< 20k words)

✨ Sunshine  ✔

Greek AU/Reincarnation AU Genres: Fluff, Angst, Fantasy

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Soulmate AU/Christmas AU Genres: Romance, Angst

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Zombie AU Genres: Romance, Thriller, Action 1 2 3 4 5 6 (click here for more chapters)

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[kpop---scenarios]

Life After Death

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Reader

Genre: Zombie! Au, Enemies to Lovers

Warning: Death, Blood, Smut, Swearing

Word Count: 9k

Summary: The morning you woke up, everything seemed normal, until it wasn't. The world is turned upside down the government and the World Health Organization have shut down, zombies around every corner and only the strong survive. You meet a few friends along the way, and lose even more as you continue to fight for your life. You never thought you'd meet someone under these circumstances but here you were, happy while surviving life after death. Though you should have known, there's never a happy ending in an apocalypse.

A/N: This is part of the collab started by @biaswreckingfics! Go to her page to see the other stories written by terrific creators!

"I'll see you later." You whisper to your sleeping boyfriend before you place a light kiss on his cheek. You open the front door to your apartment, looking back and around at everything, making sure you weren't forgetting anything before you left. As you close the door, you realize you forgot to turn off the radio when you hear one of your favorite songs playing. With a sigh, you glance at your watch and you see you're going to be late, so you leave it, just missing the important message that interrupted everything.

"Breaking News: The World Health Organization has announced extremely serious side effects from the recent vaccinations of batch number 0506361. If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment."

You don't notice anything different or weird as you walk down the pathway from your apartment building to your parked car. The sun is shining, the air smells crisp, today was going to be a good day, you could feel it. You slide into the driver's seat of your car, turning it on and immediately syncing your phone to play your favorite playlist to amp you up for the day of work you had ahead of you. As you continue to drive to work you notice the streets seem a lot busier than they usually were, especially for 7:45am, some people in their suits running down the sidewalk screaming. Your stomach twisted as you continued down the street, your eyebrows furrowing as you tried to watch the people and the road, slowing your speed. You look out your window and see a man laying on the ground, with another man on top of him. You rolled down your window to yell at them, but when the man turned to look at you, panic ensued. His eyes were white, his face was covered in blood, veins pulsating in his face. Nothing about him seemed human. He looked directly at you, and stood up. Your hands shook as you rolled up your window as fast as it would go. The man suddenly now bolted towards you, snarling. With your window up and both hands now on the steering wheel, you try to breathe through the lump that had appeared in your throat. As you keep driving, you see more and more of people being attacked, tackled and ripped into, people running away crying and screaming, vehicles crashing, buildings and cars up in flames. You could hear the blood curdling screams from inside your car. With shaky hands you switch the station of your radio to see if anyone was reporting on what the fuck was happening.

"..If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment.. there's a virus.. It's zombies. Zombies are attacking the city.. everyone seek shelter.. oh god.. please no."

You quickly turn your car around, speeding back to your apartment as you try to swerve off the undead as you rush back to your boyfriend. You may not know much, but you've seen enough zombie movies to know that you need to get supplies. You drive your car up and over the curb, parking directly on the lawn in front of your building and run inside. You were lucky you lived right on the ground floor of one of the first apartments in. You struggle to slide your key into the lock, the cries of residents pleading filling the hallway. Your key finally slides into the lock, quickly you turn it and shove your door open before slamming it behind you.

"Jaebum?" You whisper as you scrounge through the front closet looking for the duffle bag that you knew was in there. "Jaebum." You hiss again, running to the kitchen. You pack all the perishable food items and then begin filling up every jug you could find that had a lid with water. You tore through your junk drawer grabbing the flashlights and batteries, and any candles you could find as well as your butcher block.

"I'm serious, Jaebum. You need to answer me now." You hiss, bringing the bag into the living room. You guys needed to leave quickly, which meant you needed to pack even quicker. It wasn't like him not to answer you, it made you worry. You glance to the front door and his shoes were still exactly where he had left them the night before. You crept up to your closed bedroom door, with your hand hovering over the door knob. Your heart felt like it was beating out of your chest as you grabbed the knob, slowly turning it. You push the door open, expecting to see him, but he wasn't there. You quickly changed out of your work clothes, and grabbed everything from all of your drawers and shoved it into the bag. It wasn't until you had finished grabbing what you needed and you had a second to listen that you heard the shower running from down the hall, but for whatever reason, something didn't feel right. You tiptoed quietly down the hallway, standing in front of the door, you pressed your ear against it but heard nothing other than the sound of the shower running.

"Jaebum?" You whispered, gently knocking on the door, but there was no answer. You turned the knob, and opened the door. You saw your boyfriend standing there with his back turned to you. "Oh my god, Jae, we have to go! There are fucking zombies outside!" You gasp, still having a hard time believing those words that were coming from your mouth. In a split second he turned around, his face was beginning to contort, one eye was pure white.

"Y/N.. somethings wrong." He chokes out, spitting out blood before he falls to the ground, his body spasming while he froths at the mouth.

You let out a loud scream as you slam the door shut, running down the hallway to grab the duffle bag before heading out. You swing your door open to run out and crash into a man who falls into another group. You turn to apologize but already there were zombies staggering down the hallway at a quick pace. You whisper an apology before you run out the front door, his cries and pleas for help making your heart sink. You release a big breath seeing your car is still there. You climb in your front seat, closing the door as fast as you can and locking all the doors before turning your car on. Just before you were able to put your car in reverse and speed away, a man began banging on your window.

"Please miss, please open your door." He asks. You look at his face, he's sweating, blood splattered all over his face. His fists and arms remain pressed against your window, smearing blood across it. Your eyes drift down and you see a fresh wound - a bite mark and a chunk taken from his arm.

"You were bitten.." You say to him through the window.

"I'm fine. It's fine.. it's not a bite.. please." He begs. He turns to look behind him and looks back at you, panic written all over his face.

"Please miss, they're coming.. please." He cries.

"I can't." You yell, turning your head away from them. You put the car in reverse, stepping on the gas you pull away from him, knocking him to the ground. As your car stops so you can switch it into drive, you watch as the man gets mauled by a herd of the undead. You felt bad, but you couldn't have helped him, even if you wanted to.

You drove towards the freeway, thinking your best bet is to get out of the city. Your eyes were glued to the road and watching the mirrors, you watched as people panicked while driving, crashing into other cars trying to merge first, crashing into medians, and going in all directions. You could feel a panic attack coming along as you finally realized you were all alone. You had no one to talk to, no one to help you and that was terrifying. You glance down at your gas gage, seeing you had almost a full tank, you knew you would be able to make it to the one place that was probably the safest, your cousin Ray's.

You're stuck in traffic with your doors locked as you see a few people running to cars, trying to get in. There's a man, crying and panicking. No one would let him in, a herd of zombies following behind him. You needed to make a quick decision, so you rolled down your window motioning them over to you. "Here, get in." You yell, unlocking your doors. A man climbs into the backseat of your car, and you quickly lock the doors as soon as the door closes.

"Thank you." The man cries

"Have you been bitten?" You ask, turning to look him over.

"No.. no I haven't. Some men.. they pulled me out of my car, and took off, leaving me out there to die." The man explains. "You're the first person who offered me any help."

"I'm glad I could help." You smile through your rear view. "My cousin has a farm just an hour or so up from here. My family is heading there now. He's been preparing for an apocalypse for a long time. We should be safe there." You explain.

Earlier you had gotten a frantic call from your mother, her asking if you had seen what was going on. You couldn't understand why she thought you lived under a rock and didn't know anything. You did leave your house and listen to the news, contrary to popular belief.

"Thank you, thank you." He cries. You just smile as you continue to drive to Ray's farm.

**

An hour later you take a left turn, driving down the gravel road that leads you to the farm house. You drive slowly, seeing your mom's car, your aunt's car and a few other relatives. You sighed a sigh of relief, knowing that your family was safe. The two of you get out of the car and quietly make your way to the door. You softly knock but there's no answer. You turn the door knob, pushing the door open and it's empty. You walk down the small hallway and hear nothing. Your mom isn't talking, Ray wasn't yelling, no one was making a sound and that was very unusual for your family.

"Hello?" You call out.

You hear footsteps coming from down the hall as the two of you stand around the kitchen. "Hurry up." You laugh and cry.

As the footsteps got closer, you could hear snarling. Your laughter stopped as your cousin Ray came out of the back room. "Zombies." You whisper, backing away.

Not far behind him was your mom, dad, and aunt all coming out, rushing towards you all. "Run!" You scream, heading towards the door. You pull it open, the man behind you trying to get out the door, but he falls, crying as the undead come closer. He's doing his best to fight the zombies off but more stagger out from the back room, there are too many for him. "Run! Save yourself! If you meet my wife, her name is H/N, tell her I love her and our daughter." He yells. "I was trying to get home to them." He yells.

He's trying so hard to fight them, but he's bitten, he screams in agony as he's being ripped to shreds, his body being mauled by the undead.

His screams are now silent, the only sound filling the room is the sound of flesh being torn through.

You close the door, running back to your car. You see a gas can on the side of the house. You rummage through your car, knowing that you have a lighter somewhere in there. You remembered the argument you and Jaebum had gotten into about smoking and he tossed his lighter in your car.

Found it, under the passenger seat. As you went to get out of the car, you noticed something in the backseat.

A wallet.

You grabbed it, opening it up to see the license. It was the man's.

"Kim Jongdae." You whisper. You felt sorry for him, but you couldn't take long to mourn. You needed to be alert and get back on the road. You take your lighter and run to the gasoline. You pour it all over the front of the house, seeing your undead family banging against your windows broke your heart but you needed to do this. You flick the lighter, igniting the flame and throw it onto the ground. The house lights up, the flames quickly engulfing the house. You walk back to your car, slide into the driver's seat and sit there, tears pouring down your cheeks. You have no family, no friends, you have no one.

No one is coming to save you. You watch as your family and the house burn to the ground, exploding in the process.

That made you laugh a little bit, thinking of all the illegal shit your cousin Ray had in his basement.

A while later you get yourself together and drive over to the barn. If you knew anything about your cousin, it is that he always stored something in his barn, besides his pride and joy of a car, his old bronco, Monty. You pull the doors open, and take the tarp off the car, revealing its shine. Just as you remembered it. You peaked in the driver's side and sure enough, the keys were dangling from the ignition.

You began walking slowly to the back of the barn, opening another door, and here you found the jackpot.

Guns.

From a machine gun, to a pistol, to a shotgun. You gathered them all, putting the guns and the ammo in the backseat of Monty. You grab your bags from your car, tossing them in as well before looking around to see if there was anything else you could take. You notice a radio, but don't think much of it at the moment.

You climb into the driver's seat, and pull out of the barn, feeling safer than you have all day. You keep driving down the deserted highway. Abandoned cars everywhere, a few bodies laying around but most of all, no zombies but also no humans either. You're barely paying attention to the road, when you hit something, causing you to swerve, and the car to make a funny noise. You get out to check and see your front tire, flat as fuck.

You didn't have a spare. It was getting dark and you were exhausted. You moved most of the guns to the floor of the back seat, grabbing a blanket and some food and water. You change your clothes, wiping yourself down before having a snack. Laying down in the backseat you try to plan out your next move, but your eyelids get too heavy, and you can't fight it anymore. You doze off completely, and for a little while, forget about the disaster you're in.

You stayed in your car for weeks, never coming across anyone human. You missed talking to someone, talking to yourself wasn't the same. At times you almost forgot what your own voice sounded like. When it was safe, you'd get out of the car and wander around the forest, collecting sticks and branches to make fires with, so you could heat up some of your food. You have some, but you were starting to run low and you didn't know what you were going to do when it ran out. You were limiting yourself to one meal a day but even that didn't seem to help.

You learned when zombies came near the car, in a few or a herd, you needed to hide yourself very well. No moving, light breathing and packed under a lot of things. You were sure if they couldn't see you then they would continue on their way and leave. It almost always worked.

Life in the apocalypse was lonely and exhausting. That night you went to sleep, hoping for a miracle.

You're woken up later, by a frantic tapping on your window. Your eyes adjust to the sun as you look directly out your back window. A group of men stand there, all looking terrified as one of them taps on your window harder. You crawl up to the front driver's seat. You know you can't go anywhere, not with your busted tire. You turn the car on, rolling down your window just a crack.

"What?" You ask, side eyeing all of them.

"Please, we won't hurt you.. we just need a ride. There.. there's a military base a few miles up, but we just can't walk anymore. We haven't come across anyone, human in a while." He stutters.

"My tire is flat." You explain. "I don't have a spare."

"I can change it for you, just gotta take one off another car." A man pipes up.

You didn't feel uneasy from these guys and you were one to always trust your instincts.

"You change the tire, I'll give you a ride." You say. A military base? Maybe it would finally be somewhere safe for you to be.

The man nods and gets to work. By the time he's done the sun is beginning to set, and then you're on your journey to hopefully find somewhere safe.

You're driving down the highway, doing your best to follow the men's map that has every military base mapped out in the 100 miles surrounding the area. "What are your names?" You ask.

"I'm Changbin." The one in the front seat answers. "I'm Chan, and this is Felix." One in the back answers.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N." You say with a smile. As you continue to drive, it quickly becomes night time, everything is black, except for the dim lights coming from your headlights. The two men in the back continue to loudly talk and argue over something, making it hard for you to concentrate. You hated driving at night, especially near wooded areas, you never knew what was out there.

"Can you guys stop?" You ask, glancing to the back.

They continued and got louder. Changbin was asleep in the front seat as they continued their bickering, making you get even more flustered. You turn your head to look back at them, telling them again to stop. They look at each other as you look back at the road and see something standing there. You get startled, yanking the wheel to try and avoid it, heading directly into the woods. The car heads straight on towards a tree and crashes. You hit your head hard on the steering wheel, knocking you out.

What feels like hours, but only seconds later you gain consciousness, just in time to hear Changbin and Chan crying. "She killed him." Changbin cried. "I'm gonna kill her." He yells.

You're struggling to open your eyes, your head is pounding.

You can hear some rustling between the two. "Don't." Chan says. "Leave her. She's in no condition to go anywhere. The undead will get her. She'll get her suffering, ``he says. "Let's take what we can and leave."

"No." You whisper. "Don't."

They can't hear you.

You can hear them rummaging through your car, collecting your guns, your food, your water, everything you had.

"Let's go." Changbin says, they both take off, leaving you there to die as you lose consciousness once again.

**

You're startled awake, surrounded by darkness. You unbuckle your seatbelt, getting out of the car with your head pounding. Your headlights are still on, and you see Felix's body laying on the ground. He had flown through the windshield from the impact of the crash. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. You begin to cry, this was too much for you.

And then you remember. You look up and see a herd of zombies staggering towards you. They were quicker than you thought. You turned towards the road, running as fast as you could, your leg was throbbing. You run across the road to the other side of the woods. You can hear the snarling behind you as you do your best to navigate through the trees, branches breaking beneath your feet.

You stop, hiding behind a tree, trying to control your breathing. You listen, you can hear the sounds of them walking through the forest, searching for you. You take a second before you take off again, trying to zigzag through the woods in your best attempt to lose them.

You look up, seeing a fire. You run towards it, the flames becoming closer, you can hear the sound of faint words.

Then everything goes quiet. Suddenly the fire is put out and you can hear the sounds of guns clicking.

"Don't shoot." You yell out. "Please."

"What do you want?" A woman yells back.

"I'm.. there's a herd following me. I need help. I was in an accident, I was robbed. I haven't been bitten." You stutter.

"We don't need anyone else." A man yells. "Keep moving."

"Please.. I just need some help. I'm all alone." You cry.

"Move along, before I put a bullet in your head." He yells.

You let out a sob as you turn, beginning to run a different way. You hope you can find a safe place and a group of people but for tonight, you just hope you can survive the night.

**

It had been months.

Months since the outbreak, months of being on your own, months of fighting, scavenging, and hiding. You had come across a few groups, but they wanted nothing more than to take what you had and leave you defenseless. You had learned to hide from most people, giving yourself the advantage of a surprise attack. Most of the time you were successful and they just took off but sometimes they also fought back.

A week ago you had come across a small town, and had found some food and water and a place to stay, but you knew better than to stay in one place for too long. You quickly packed up your belongings into your backpack and grabbed your large spear. You learned awfully quick how to take down a zombie with it, finding it to be much more efficient than a gun, especially with having spears on both sides.

As you walk through the forest, your eyes and ears are open, listening for any signs of the undead. You stop in your tracks, hearing the sound of grunting and yelling, sounding close to you. You walk towards the sound, and come into view of four men trying to fight off a herd. They looked to be struggling, and although you don't usually like to insert yourself into others' fights, you felt like being nice and lending a hand. You run towards them, spearing a few in the head on your way.

You quickly join the fight, taking down a few zombies, as they get a little distracted, seeing another person helping.

"Focus." A man yells, bringing them out of the confusion.

A few minutes later, the last one is stabbed in the head, his decaying body dropping to the ground. The four men turn to look at you, two of them with a smile on their faces, one looking a little confused and the other one looking right angry.

"Hi." One with brown hair and a large smile says.

"Thank you." The blonde one grins.

"No problem." You laugh.

"I'm Baekhyun, this is Chanyeol." He introduces. "And that's Suho." He says, pointing to the confused one. "And that's Kyungsoo." He finishes, pointing to the angry one.

"Nice to meet you all." You say. "I'm Y/N."

"Are you all alone?" Chanyeol asks.

You nod your head.

"What's your story, Y/N?" Suho asks.

You smile awkwardly as you look at the four men who surround you. "My boyfriend turned into one of them when this whole thing started, so I was on my own from the beginning, in a sense. I met a man on my way to my cousin's farm, where my family was gathering, and when we got there they all had already turned. He..he tripped and he fell while trying to escape and he was bitten." You shudder. "I gathered supplies and I took off, and ended up with a flat tire a few hours away. I stayed in my car for weeks, managing pretty well on my own. I met three guys who offered to change my tire for a ride to a military base but when we finally got going.. it was dark and they were arguing in the back." You explain. "I turned around to tell them to stop, but they wouldn't listen and when I looked back at the road, there was something there and I swerved." You sigh. "We hit a tree, and one of them flew through the window. The other two robbed me of everything I had and I've been alone ever since."

"Well not anymore you're not." Baekhyun smiles. "You can join our group."

"Yeah!" Chanyeol exclaims.

"No." Kyungsoo grunts, walking past you, glaring at you. "We didn't need your help. And you're not joining us." He spits. "You're not going to let her join, right?" He asks Suho.

"I don't know." Suho sighs.

"Suho, everyone around her dies. She's bad fucking luck and if you bring her with us, we're all as good as dead." He spits.

"Meeting." Suho announces.

The four men huddle around, whispering to each other. You can make out Baekhyun and Chanyeol saying yes, and Kyungsoo saying no.

Seconds later they all stand up, Kyungsoo looking pissed with the other two looking happier than a pig in shit.

"If you would like to, we would like to invite you to join us. We know it's tough out here, and I can't imagine what it's been like to be alone." Suho says.

You look between all the men, even if one hated you for no reason, you were tired of being alone, and being scared alone.

"Yes." You announce. "Thank you."

"Come on, our camp is this way." Chanyeol smiles, waving you along. Three men begin walking away, but Kyungsoo walks towards you.

"I don't trust you." He murmurs, moving in close. "If anyone from this group so much as gets a splinter, I'm coming for you." He growls into your ear, his tone is low and very threatening. Goosebumps cover your skin as you feel his hot breath on your ear.

You nod your head.

He turns away from you, running towards the rest of his group.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

**

You felt like your legs were going to collapse as you continued to walk behind the group. Baekhyun turns around, smiling as he announces you have arrived. You look around and see a bunch of trees, but no camp, except for the small campfire pit that sat on the ground.

"It's.. nice." You smile.

Chanyeol, Suho and Baekhyun start laughing.

"Look up." Chanyeol says.

You tilt your head to the sky, and see a decent sized tree house sitting between a few trees. Your jaw drops, this was one thing you had never expected to see. "Come, we'll give you a tour." Baekhyun says, beginning to climb up the swinging ladder. You follow behind Baekhyun, the rest coming up behind you. When you get inside, you're honestly still amazed. It wasn't much but it was safe and it was out of the way and off the ground.

"We pull up the ladder when we're here, and when we all leave we just hide it." Suho explains. "We have food, water and sleeping bags. The most important things. We all pitch in around here, whether or not it's repairs, runs, or fights, everyone helps." He says, looking at you.

"Of course. Whatever I can do to help, I will." You assure them.

"Or don't, I'm not ready to die." Kyungsoo mutters, setting his stuff down.

Your eyes darted over to Kyungsoo, giving him an offended look. He looks back at you, not caring if he's hurt your feelings. You can sort of understand why he's weary of you, but it's not like you killed these people for the hell of it. You were determined to prove that it wasn't you, that you weren't bad luck. How you were going to do that, you had no idea.

**

That night you sat around a campfire, your belly fuller than it's been in a while, while you listened to stories Baekhyun and Chanyeol shared about their friend group. As it turned out, there were a total of twelve of them when this first started. Some of them were unfortunate to be ones who had gotten the batch of vaccines, a few they had lost while traveling, some died in fights, or took off to find their loved ones.

"Have you come across any of them?" You ask.

"We've looked, but no luck so far. There are two we're still looking for. Oh Sehun and Kim Jongdae." Suho says.

Your heart stops. Your head darts up, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Chanyeol asks.

"What was that last name?" You whisper.

"Kim Jongdae? He was one of our best friends." Suho tells you.

You gulp, there's a ball forming in your throat. "What?" Kyungsoo yells. "What do you know?"

"I.. He said he was trying to get back to his wife and kid.. h-he told me to run and save myself. I wanted to help him b-but I didn't know how." You choke out.

"The man that was bitten at your farm. That was Jongdae?" Kyungsoo asks.

"I saw his license in his wallet.. he had dropped it in my car when we got out. I'm so sorry." You cry.

Kyungsoo rushes towards you, tackling you to the ground, straddling you.

"You fucking bitch, I knew you shouldn't have joined us. It should have fucking been you. You should have died, not him." He screams in your face, spit flying from his mouth as he hands pin your shoulders to the ground.

You're bawling as Suho and Chanyeol pull Kyungsoo off of you, he's still crying and yelling. "It should have been you!" He yells.

Baekhyun helps you off the ground, guiding you to go up into the tree house. He sets out a sleeping bag for you, tucking you in as you cry into the built in pillow. 'I'm so sorry." You whimper.

"I know. And we know it's not your fault. Jongdae was a clumsy motherfucker so I'm not surprised he tripped. Don't take what Kyungsoo says to heart. He's been through alot and he's not warm to new people. Just give him a bit." Baekhyun tells you. He gives you a half smile before climbing down the ladder and sitting back around the fire, helping to calm things down. That night you fell asleep with tears staining your face.

**

Days bled into weeks, and then into months, until this new life and these men were all that were at the top of your mind. Chanyeol had finally been able to make contact with the ham radio that had been found on one of many expeditions. There seemingly were whole groups of people like yourselves out there, sticking together and trying to survive. You reflected on the wonder of it all as you cleaned the rabbit you had caught, the best you could.

Kyungsoo had become different with you, he didnt give off a hatred towards you anymore. His words didn't cut quite as deep. Slowly you were becoming closer, and you enjoyed it.

Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you, waves of hot breath covering the nape of your neck, sending chills down your spine. He didn't even need to speak, you already knew who it was. "You're doing it wrong." Kyungsoo breathed, his body close to yours.

"I'm not." You retort, continuing to skin the dead animal. You tried to ignore his presence, and that fact that he made you feel so many mixed emotions whenever he was around.

You both hear a crunch of leaves behind you, making Kyungsoo step away from you and turn around.

"What are you guys doing?" Baekhyun asks, raising his eyebrow.

"She's skinning the rabbit wrong. She's going to take off all the meat with the fur." Kyungsoo announces.

"I am not.. shit." You spit, looking on the ground, seeing hunks of meat still attached to the fur.

"Told you." He mumbles, walking away and into the forest to try and find more food.

You stick up your middle finger at the man who drove you crazy day in and day out.

"Y/N." Suho calls out to you, a few hours later. "If you want to take a bath, go to the stream now. It's going to be dark soon."

You nod your head, climbing up the ladder to grab your things. You slide back down, just in time for Kyungsoo to be protesting something.

"We've all got other things to do, you're the only one free." Suho tells him. "Y/N, Kyungsoo will be keeping watch for you."

"I really don't ne.." you start.

"Yes you do." He says, looking at you. "And you will go. That's it."

With an aggravated groan, Kyungsoo stomps off towards the stream, with your speed walking to keep up with him.

As you finish up your wash, you dry yourself off with your towel, pulling your jeans on over your damp legs. You bend down to grab your shirt, when you hear a rustling from behind you. You stand up straight, your heart pounding in your chest.

You hear it again, the sound now closer to you. "Fuck." You scream, running towards Kyungsoo. Your body collides with his, your breasts pressing against his hard chest. "There's something out there." You whisper.

You both hear the sound, Kyungsoo holding onto you as his eyes dart around, taking in the surroundings. Seconds later a deer walks out of the bushes, grazing and you can feel your heart slow down.

"It's a deer." He announces, looking at you. You look back at him, your eyes trailing to his heart shaped lips. Your own set of lips parting slightly as you look back at him, his eyes haven't moved from your face. Without thinking you inch yourself forward, which causes Kyungsoo to inch back. Your stomach sinks. You cannot believe you just did that. Why did you think that he would return a kiss?

"We should head back." He says, avoiding eye contact and clearing his throat.

You feel so embarrassed. You quickly whisper an apology before grabbing your things and taking off, hearing a faint "wait." From behind you. You're running through the words, desperately trying not to cry as you can hear Kyungsoo running behind you.

You finally slow down, trying to catch your breath as your lips quiver. You hear a stick break behind you. You turn around with a sigh, and come face to face with a zombie, snarling as he reaches out for you. You scream loudly as you try to fight it off, tripping in the process. You fall back with him on top of you as he tries to go in for a bite. Black bile is seeping from his mouth, his breath is rancid.

"Help!" You scream out, one hand trying to reach for something, anything that would help you take him out.

Suddenly his body goes limp and you hear the sound of a sword coming out of his head. You roll the body off of you, and see Chanyeol smiling above you.

"Thank you." You sigh in relief. Chanyeol puts out his hand to help you up, when he's attacked. Another zombie staggers up to him, latching his teeth to Chanyeol's neck. He screams out in agony as the monster devours him before your eyes.

"No!" You cry. You take Chanyeol's sword, putting the blade right through the zombie's skull. Chanyeol sinks to the ground, sobbing while he holds his neck. "I'm sorry." You cry. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's.. not.. your...fault." He breathes. "Tell them.. I love them.." he stutters.

Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Suho rush to Chanyeol's side. Baekhyun is sobbing while Kyungsoo and Suho hold back their tears.

"I didn't.. I didn't know there was a second one." You sob.

Kyungsoo walks over to you, his face stone cold. He wraps one arm around you, pulling you in close to him. "It's not your fault." He murmurs. The two of you stand there, watching the life drain from Chanyeol's eyes.

Baekhyun announces he will be the one to put Chanyeol down, but would like to do it in private. Three of you walk away from the sobbing man, your heart full of guilt.

**

The next day, the camp is quiet. You were busy making wood spears, like Chanyeol had taught you a few weeks ago. You couldn't even look at Baekhyun. You knew the two of them were best friends and your heart hurt so badly that Chanyeol died while trying to save you.

Had you not been so stupid and tried to kiss Kyungsoo, then this would never have happened. You knew this was your fault and there was nothing you could do to make it better. You can't bring Chanyeol back and you really wish you could.

"Careful." You hear from behind you. You turn your head and see Kyungsoo leaning against a tree. "If you keep sharpening it like that you're going to end up slicing your finger off." He tells you.

"This is how.. Chanyeol showed me how to do it." You say. You could barely speak his name.

Kyungsoo chuckles. "Yeah, he wasn't the best at doing it either." He crouches behind you, wrapping his arms around you to show you the proper way of doing it. Your heart still flutters as he touches you.

"Thank you." You whisper.

"Anytime." He says, standing up and walking away from you.

Fuck. You were so fucked.

**

That night you couldn't sleep. You stared at the empty spot beside you, where Chanyeol used to sleep. You could hear the small whimpers coming from Baekhyun and you just couldn't take it. You slowly slid out of your sleeping bag, slid on some shoes and climbed down the ladder. As you stand in the forest, you take a deep breath of fresh air. You need to gather your thoughts and heal yourself. You begin walking through the woods. It's quiet, and you didn't plan on going very far. As you're walking, you stop to listen. You hear a noise coming from in front of you but you didn't know what it was. You tried your best to hide behind the tree, limiting your breathing as you continue to listen. You can heat twigs breaking and leaves crunching. Your heart begins to race in your chest, you squeeze your eyes shut.This was a bad idea, you should not have left the tree house.

"What are you doing?" You hear from in front of you. You open your eyes and see Kyungsoo standing in front of you.

"I thought.. oh my god." You sigh. "I thought I was going to die."

Before he can say anything you both hear groans and snarls but you're not sure where from. You unintentionally let out a squeak. Kyungsoo covers your mouth with his hand, pushing you up against the tree. His body presses hard against yours, you can feel his hot breath against your neck.

The two of you stay like this for what feels like hours. When the sound is finally gone he pulls away from you.

"What are you doing out here?" He growls.

"I needed some air, and to think." You explain.

"You could die out here. This has to be your stupidest decision." Kyungsoo scoffs.

"No." You begin. Before your brain can tell you not to say anything, your mouth begins to move. "My stupidest decision was trying to kiss you." You say, turning away from him to walk away.

"I was surprised." He announces. "I didn't think you'd try and kiss me. I didn't think you'd even like me. I treated you terribly." He tells you.

"That's probably why I like you unfortunately." You sigh, making him laugh.

As the two of you are walking back towards the house, you hear whispers coming towards you. You both stop, hearing the sound of a gun loading, making you stop in your tracks. Kyungsoo pulls you behind him, moving both of you towards a bigger tree to hide behind.

"Show yourself walker." A man screams. "I know you're out there."

Neither of you say anything. Kyungsoo is against pressed up against your body, shielding you from any danger.

A while later you see a light flashing. It flashes towards your tree, making Kyungsoo push into you more, trying to keep the two of you hidden. The light passes the tree you're behind and continues to walk away. Neither of you move until the light is completely gone and out if sight. Both of you let out a sigh of relief but Kyungsoo doesn't move away from you. His face hovers close to yours, you can feel his breath on your face.

You wait. You wait for what you hope will happen but you don't think that it will come.

Until it does. Kyungsoo presses his lips to yours. You're shocked at first, until he begins moving his lips against yours and you get into it. You wrap your arms around his neck as he slips his tongue into your mouth. You moan into the kiss, making him groan.

"I want to fuck you." He says, his lips still just barely touching yours.

"I want you to fuck me." You breathe.

Kyungsoo turns you around, pushing you up against the tree. He kneels down, pulling down your sweat pants and underwear.

"Spread your legs." He demands.

You spread them as far as you can. You can hear the sound of his belt unbuckling behind you. Your pussy throbs in anticipation. You don't know how big or small he is, but you hope he destroys you. You couldn't even remember the last time you had been fucked at all.

Kyungsoo steps up behind you, taking two fingers and searching between your lips for your hole. He chuckles when he finds it, he can feel your juices dripping from inside of you. "So fucking wet." He groans, slowly pushing his two fingers inside you. Immediately you clench around them, it feels so good. "I needed to make sure you were wet enough, and fuck are you ever." He whispers in your ear.

He pulls his fingers out of you, and lines his cock up with your hold. You're bracing yourself on the tree as he pushes himself inside you. Your eyes practically roll back into your head as he stretches you out.

"Oh god." You cry, your fingernails digging into the tree bark.

"Shit." He cries, slowly pulling out of you before snapping his hips and harshly pushing his cock back inside. "It's gonna be quick." He groans.

That was fine with you, you knew you could rub your clit twice and cum, it had been too long.

Kyungsoo has his hands holding onto your hips as he snaps his, grunting and groaning from behind you. You reach between your legs, touching your clit. You begin to slowly rub it and you can already feel your intense orgasm already building up. You feel like you're going to cum already. His cock feels so nice sliding in and out of your pussy, the sound of his grunts and moans, with the feeling of his hot breath covering you and giving you shivers.

"Cum." He grunts. Your tighten your pussy around him as you orgasm washes over you, leaving your body feeling weak.

Kyungsoo moans loudly as he pulls out of you, jerking his cock to cum all over your ass. He lets out a string of swear words as he releases his load, breathing heavily as he works through it.

You both pull up your pants, and get situated. "We better get back." He says, walking back towarsa camp. You follow closely behind him, confused about your feelings for him, but more so his feelings for you, if there were any.

**

The next day you wake up with the thoughts of what happened last night over flowing through your head. You didn't know how to process this, or what was going to happen now. You decided to see how the day was going to play out and just go about your normal routine.

When you got downstairs you said hi to Suho, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Two of them said goodmorning back to you, and one did not. You tried to stop thinking about it but it was hard and you knew he wasn't the type of man to tell you his feelings.

However, all day he ignored you. Anytime you tried to say anything to him, he walked away, he refused to answer you and honestly you felt extremely disrespected. Your eyes burn as you fight off the tears, watching him talk and laugh with Baekhyun while you just get ignored.

Suho on the other hand most definitely noticed something was going on because a little while later you see Suho quietly yelling at Kyungsoo.

"I don't care what you did." Suho spits. "Fix it. I refuse to have a hole in our team because one of us is being a dick. Fucking fix it." He murmurs again before walking away.

**

That night you laid in your sleeping bag, wondering if this is what it was going to be like. You having feelings for Kyungsoo, and him taking advantage of it. Fucking you when it's convenient for him and ignoring you the rest of the time. Even after death, life was still so fucked.

You feel something pressing against you from behind. You slowly roll over and see Kyungsoo laying beside you in his sleeping bag.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

You nod your head.

"I." He begins. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you, I'm sorry for the things I said and for the way I acted when I found out about Jongdae. Its been hard to lose people, and it's even harder to accept new people into the group. You're doing a great job here and we're lucky to have you." He whispers.

"Thank you." You smile. But you really want to know why he ignored you all day. "What was going on today?" You ask.

"I enjoyed last night. I, um, had a girlfriend when this whole thing started. We got out together, we met up with Suho and Baekhyun and Chanyeol and she really helped build alot of this. I lost her a while ago, and it's been hard. I didn't think I would meet anyone, or fall for anyone else and then you came along. I feel guilty for liking you so much, like I'm cheating." He explains. "I was convincing myself it wasn't cheating."

"I get that. I was in a relationship when this thing started. Unfortunately for me, he ended up being one of the ones who received that does of vaccine. I had to leave him in our apartment and take off." You whisper. "You'll always have her memory with you and it's something you'll treasure. I didn't know her, but I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be sad and mourning her."

"You're right." He sighs. "It's hard to let go, but I do like you, Y/N. I want you to know that."

"I like you too." You smile.

The two of you lay there, whispering to eachother, laughing and enjoying the night. You couldn't have asked for anything better.

**

Over the next few weeks, the others had changed. With Chanyeol being gone, it took a toll on Baekhyun. He often sobbed at night, crawling next to you so you could rub his head while he cried. Your heart went out to him.

This life wasn't easy.

Suho had become much more grimmer and sullen. He barks orders at people, never engaging in coversations anymore. He's tired, everyone is tired with very little of hope for the future. Fighting for your lives everyday, scrounging for food and water is a struggle, however none of this stopped you and Kyungsoo from sneaking off when you could to be together.

Neither of you really talked when you weren't fucking and that was okay with you, you knew he still had feelings for you. It was the little things he did for you when no one was looking that reassured you. You both knew that announcing your relationship to Suho and Baekhyun would not end well, so keeping it between the two of you would be the best.

You announced to Baekhyun and Suho that you were going to the river, they both just nodded while Kyungsoo offered to be your watch.

It didn't take long for him to be pulling off your shirt and for you to slide off your pants and panties. Both of you walked into the cool water, soaking yourselves before Kyungsoo pulled you towards him. He lifts you up, letting you put your legs around him as he leans in for a kiss. You can feel his cock sliding against your pussy, waiting to be pushed in. He breaks the kiss, leaning down to pepper kisses along your neck as he thrusts, pushing himself inside of you.

You throw your head back as he holds you, fucking you harshly. There was never time to fuck slow, you always needed to be quick and get it done, just in case.

He pumps himself into you, his hand reaching between you and him, touching your sensitive bud and rubbing while he pounds his cock into you.

"Fuck baby." He groans. "You feel so fucking good."

You hold him close as your orgasm builds, biting your bottom lip and your hands gripping his hair. "Just like that." You breathe. "Don't stop." You grind yourself on him as you begin to cum, intensifying your orgasm. "Oh god yes." You moan, breathing heavily.

"I'm gunna cum." He moans, thrusting harder. Seconds later he releases himself, shooting his cum inside of you, his head resting on you as he catches his own breath.

"Fuck." He breathes pulling out of you. "I love you." He whispers.

You stare at him with wide eyes. This wasn't something you had been expecting at all, considering you did your best to hide the relationship at all costs. "I know it might be too soon, but I do and I need you to know that."

"I love you too." You smile.

You're brought out of your sweet moment when you hear screaming from Baekhyun and Suho. You both rush out of the water and get dressed as quick as you can before running back to camp.

"What?" You breathe. "What happened?"

Baekhyun and Suho grin as they stare at the radio. "Listen!" Baekhyun yells.

“Our dear citizens, to those who have survived. The WHO has created what promises to be a vaccine. We are asking all our citizens to make their way to the nearest hospital facility. Troops are being deployed along with helicopters and planes to transport as needed. Today … we have hope in the world again”

You all burst into tears. You did it, you survived and met some wonderful people. You have a love you had never thought you'd get again.

Kyungsoo embraces you tightly, crying into your shoulder as you do his. Quickly Suho and Baekhyun join your hug, all of you feeling such relief and happiness, for the first time in a long time.

As quick as you all can, you gather what you need to make the trek to find a hospital. You say a quick goodbye to your site that has kept you safe for so long, before taking off, hand in hand with Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun and Suho on either side of you.

It wasn't long into your journey, when you hear the familiar sounds of zombies wandering through the forest. The four of you prepare yourselves for a fight but as they come out, you realize there are more than you all had anticipated. You try to fight your way through the crowd, but somehow you're separated from the group, trying to take on more than you can. The others are distracted, they aren't paying attention to your calls for help. A zombie lunges at you, knocking you back. You're crying loudly but no one is coming to help. The other zombies kneel beside you as you keep trying to fight them off, but one takes a chunk out of your shoulder. You scream in agony as you lose your strength to fight. They're devouring you as you're fading into the darkness. You can hear Kyungsoo yell no and all the pain stops. You see him standing over you as you spit up blood. He's crying over your body, asking you to stay with him but you can't. You're tired of fighting, you want to let go now.

So you do.

You open your eyes and see a film over everything. Your body is sore, the scent of meat makes your mouth water and your stomach cramp. Everything feels stiff but something smells so good. Your hearing is better than ever, picking up the sound of a rapid beating heart and the sound of crying. Wait…Where’s my heart beat? You look with horror at the meat...

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, “I love you.” You reach out to stop the knife but your body is stiff and I responsive as you watch the knife plunging towards you. It’s me you scream in your head as it all goes dark

There is no happiness in life after death.

[biaswreckingfics]

The Undead Masterlist: An EXO Collab

Enter, if you dare, into a world filled with the undead.

Nobody knew what had caused the mutation, or how it had spread so rapidly, but the world's governments and the World Health Organization quickly lost control.

Each author will take you on a journey that will leave you either frightened, intrigued, or relieved for your favorite EXO boys.

~ Teasers below the cut ~

I’d Rather Die by @xiumin-on-this-shit

Summary: I’ve heard rumors of what happens in the city, of what happens if they catch you. The arena. Those rumors kept us going, always telling ourselves we would rather die then end up there. I never would have thought when my time had come to make that choice, that death wouldn’t be an option. And that the arena full of zombies would be my best chance.

The Safe Place by @bangchanshehe

Summary: During the complete fall of the civilization, you and your best friend Luhan escape to find a safer place, designated for survivors. Bus attacks, twisted ankles, no food or water…. Nothing will stop the two of you from fighting for your lives. But just when you thought that the hard part was over, you now had a lot of time to think about the biggest monster of them all. Your feelings.

Extended Stay by @kpoptrashlord-007

Summary: There comes a point in every relationship where things start to get serious. For you and Kris, that point comes in the form of a weekend getaway at a paradise resort. While you have your doubts about the many secrets he holds, there's a part of you that wants the relationship to thrive, to grow into something greater. 

All great things, however, must be strong enough to withstand a storm and the quickest way to learn of a person's true character is under unfathomable odds. 

Luckily for you, an island gone dark promises many hardships. 

White Balloons by @exo-l-atina​

Summary: Junmyeon is about to head off to college and confesses his feelings to his childhood friend before he boards his flight. Waiting for her love's return, our main character's entire world falls apart in his absence. From governmental infrastructure, to the medical system, everything crumbles and only gets worse when a new strain of illness begins to wreak havoc in the absence of readily available healthcare. Will the two lovers whose romance was cut off before it began be able to reunite under this sky of doom?

To be Titled by @cosmiclatte28

Summary: The world had been destroyed. Zombies. Yes, you heard me right. Zombies took over humanities. They said it was conspiracy, others said it was planned, someone said it’s a bio weapon but you? You said this was fate and this was meant to be. In the middle of the chaos, your last proof as being a human started to disappear. And in times where you wished for safety, you did finally come to find the man who’s been embracing you in your dreams. Your online sugar daddy.

Shadowed Memories by @erotikkook

Summary: Hell is never too far off. You, a human with nothing to lose and him, a creature who wants to remember what it's like to be alive. When you have nowhere else to run, can one of the monsters you were warned away from protect you? 

White Terror by @an-annyeoing-writer

Summary: She didn’t look good in white, not in this white.

If he could take one thing back, he would take back this one. He didn’t care about her, but his heart had shattered into millions of pieces when her face suddenly became a reflection of his own.

But, if it was the only bit of light that he could get for himself before death, he wouldn’t let it fade.

A Safe Place by @biaswreckingfics

Summary: You and your sister are trying your best to survive, but you can only go on for so long without food, water, and shelter. When three strangers show up, and help you battle a herd of zombies, you have to decide if you trust them enough to follow them to their camp or if you'd rather continue trying to make it on your own.

Life After Death by @kpop---scenarios

Summary: The morning you woke up, everything seemed normal, until it wasn't. The world is turned upside down the government and the World Health Organization have shut down, zombies around every corner and only the strong survive. You meet a few friends along the way, and lose even more as you continue to fight for your life. You never thought you'd meet someone under these circumstances but here you were, happy while surviving life after death. Though you should have known, there's never a happy ending in an apocalypse.

Zombies and Ice Cream by @writeformesinpie

Summary: You and Tao are in the middle of an argument when an unexpected guest arrives. Will you both survive the uninvited pest? Is this the end of your relationship? And will Tao ever get his ice cream?

Experiment Z by @ninibears-erigom-fics

Summary: You've heard of the rumours, the experiments happening at the old hospital outside of the boundary but you never thought it was true - not until Jongin went missing. On your hunt to find your boyfriend, you learn the truth about the apocalypse and how the zombies came to be.

The Outsider by @breakyeol

Summary: There are many rules inside of the wall. But the most important: don’t let outsiders in. Breaking that rule meant being thrown into the outside world— thrown into the mercy of the undead. Are you prepared to take that risk for a boy you don’t even know?

[kpoptrashlord-007]

Extended Stay;; WYF [pt.1]

Check out Part Two here~

Word Count;; 10.4k total, 5.2k for pt.1

Genre;; Zombie AU [Horror], Mafia AU [Violence], Smut

Pairing;; Kris Wu x Fem!Reader

Summary;;

     There comes a point in every relationship where things start to get serious. For you and Kris, that point comes in the form of a weekend getaway at a paradise resort. While you have your doubts about the many secrets he holds, there's a part of you that wants the relationship to thrive, to grow into something greater.      All great things, however, must be strong enough to withstand a storm and the quickest way to learn of a person's true character is under unfathomable odds.      Luckily for you, an island gone dark promises many hardships.

Collab Info;;

The Undead - an EXO12 Collab hosted by @biaswreckingfics ♡ 

Check out the Masterlist for more great EXO Zombie AU fics!

Warnings;;

Zombies!! + Mafia AU so 

Graphic depictions of violence, gore, horror in general, guns Explicit Language!! Explicit Smut!! Thigh riding and fingering, daddy kink

My Networks;; @supermwritersnet​

My Masterlist

   The jet touches down in Banoi minutes before 6pm, much earlier than scheduled. Despite night fast approaching, the sun is still high and bright in the crystal blue sky. Nary a cloud taints the endless canvas - there aren't even birds floating on the gentle sea breeze.

   Stretching your legs without fear of touching the seat in front of you or even coming anywhere near it, a yawn escapes your lips. Travelling by private jet is a level of luxury you never thought you'd experience and yet here you are, as impressed as you are bored.

   You tear your gaze from the small glass panel and its view of the Royal Palms Resort. It was a long flight and you want nothing more than to disembark this extravagant tin can and take a gulp of fresh island air, to feel sand beneath your toes as the warm ocean kisses your feet.

   The stewardess approaches you. She is smiling. Of course she is - that smile hasn't dropped for the entirety of the flight. You wish it were contagious but it's a weak facade, incapable of eliciting anything close to a spark of emotion within you, and you have a sneaking suspicion that it's all for show. Anxiety twitches her upper lip and her hands shake as she hands you a menu. It's the same menu you've seen a hundred times over the course of the flight.

   You've started to hate it.

   Just a little.

   "Would you care for any refreshments before you leave, ma'am?"

   "God, no"—you wave her off—"I'll just have a scotch when we get to the bar."

   "Of course, ma'am."

   She scurries toward the back just as Yifan comes through the very curtain she's trying to disappear behind. They come close to a collision but he sidesteps her. Towering over her much smaller frame with a look that screams murder, it doesn't surprise you when she quivers. You, too, felt the same way the first time you met him.

   On the surface, Yifan is like ice.

   It becomes noisy fast; the stewardess is apologising nonstop, the pilot announces you're clear to leave, the bodyguards are shuffling to and fro and you're sighing in relief. There's a hiss as the doors open and a quiet howl rolls in on the breeze. Outside is otherwise silent.

   This realisation sends a shiver down your spine.

   You can't help but wonder if Yifan somehow managed to buy the island for the weekend. If it were an option, you think he would have. Extravagance is part of his lifestyle, after all, and he likes to display his wealth, flaunt his power, showcase his trophies.

   Stretching as you stand, you glance toward the exit. No one else is moving to leave yet, hung up on small details and menial tasks. Even the guards have yet to reach the door, stopping periodically to 'assess the situation'. They're just a bunch of lumbering fools. If a threat appeared, they would only serve as cannon fodder for their boss's escape.

   Yifan is calculating. Not cold, but calculating.

   He's the type of man that can find a purpose for anyone and everything. Even the worthless can be made useful. You don't find this to be a problem, not really. If anything you can appreciate his quick thinking and impartial approach to problems.

   Your issue lies in that you don't know how he views you. Sure, he flew you out to some luxury beach resort in the middle of the ocean for some R&R, but that doesn't mean much. Material things have no real value - they can be replaced, spent, tossed. No matter how much he loves his possessions and his collections, they are not what's important to him.

   What is important to him, however, is a mystery to you.

   Yifan is a man of many secrets.

   Hot on the trail of the security detail, your pace is erratic and sluggish until you finally reach the exit. Even within the shade of the men in front of you, the air is warmer here. Light pours in around them, basking them in an orange glow. There's an urge growing inside you just to push them out of your way, to shove them head first onto the tarmac down below. It's unbecoming of you but you can't shake it loose.

   "All clear, boss."

   "Thank you for your hard work."

   Yifan's smooth voice rumbles deep in his chest as he speaks and you know they've annoyed him. For a brief second you think he might indulge you and help eject them but you know better. Nevertheless, it brings a smile to your lips just imagining how the whole thing might go down. He's much too meticulous to ever give in to baser desires, however.

   "Sure thing, boss."

   When they don't move, exasperation taints his tone. "Why don't you check the perimeter of the plane?"

   "On it, boss."

   They descend the airstairs one step at a time, surveying the area all the while. The runway is clear of… everything. There are no other vehicles, aircraft or otherwise. No one is even here to greet you. While you've never travelled in such luxury before, you assumed the service would be better than a commercial flight. Where are the staff members and their welcoming gifts? Who was meant to tell you where to go from here?

   Slipping on a pair of shades, Yifan gives the jet one last glance before his Louis Vuitton shoes patter down the stairs. Dirt spirals in the air close to the hangar the jet will soon crawl inside. Despite the tropical palms and the endless beachfront, the concrete is dusty. It leaves a smudge on his pristine black suit.

   Warm, moist air tickles the back of your neck and you jump, hand flying up to rub the exhalation off your skin. The stewardess is next to you, eyes wide as she looks out over the island. Mesmerised by the sparkling ocean, she doesn't notice your reaction, your discomfort. Her lips fall open and she inches forward.

   "It sure is beautiful here."

   "Yeah," you say, stepping aside to give her a better view. "It's paradise, apparently."

   "That's an understatement."

   "I'm hitting the bar the moment we get inside. How about you?"

   At this she takes a step backward, smoothing out her stereotypical attendant outfit and clearing her throat with a slight bow of the head. "I'm here to work. I'll be waiting here until you're ready to leave."

   "On the plane?"

   "Yes."

   "For two whole days?"

   "Yes."

   "How?"

   "What do you mean?"

   Sparing a cautionary look at Yifan, you inch closer. "Won't you, like, die? There's only peanuts and wine on this thing and it'll be turned off, won't it?"

   "The plane has generators that will be connected to a power source inside the hangar for the duration of your trip and we have a supply of food, water, and other essentials, both for the crew's comfort and for emergencies."

   "Is that your flight license training talking?" you tease.

   She lights up at the mere mention of it, her eyes twinkling. About halfway through the flight you grew bored of listening to Yifan's business calls and sought out a new companion. It didn't take long before she had opened up to you about her lifelong dream of becoming a pilot. When you're passionate about something, it's hard not to express your love for it.

   "Everyone knows that basic crap." It's the actual pilot that speaks, having left his cabin to grab a travel-sized bottle of vodka. "But don't you worry, little lady. Us small folks will manage while you two live it up."

   There's animosity in his tone that you equal in your own slapback. "I'm surprised you still have your license, alky."

   He is disgusting, both perverse and repulsive. This sentiment is shared between both you and the stewardess. When you take a step away from the man, she follows. He grins, licking his lips while looking you up and down. His eyes linger on your curves and you once more are filled with the desire to lash out.

   But you don't.

   "Babe, come on," Yifan calls, his steps rattling against the metal stairs as he starts to come back up.

   "Well"—you clear your throat before smiling at the attendant and mirroring her own exaggerated expression of enthusiasm—"that's boring. I would simply not stay if I were you."

   "Duly noted." The pilot hiccups. He already reeks of alcohol and his cheeks are tinted pink. Reaching for another bottle, he downs the first and drops it onto the ground.

   "Not you. If anyone has to stay on the plane, shouldn't it be y-"

   "What are you doing? Do you need something?" Yifan asks from behind you. He wraps his arm around your waist. Tilting your chin up, his eyes scour your face, searching for any sign of unease. Between the island's eerie silence and the pilot's obvious alcoholism, you're filled with worry but you hide it well. It's meant to be a vacation and you don't want to dwell on those not worthy of your time.

   "Yifan, tell her she doesn't have to stay on the plane."

   "I don't care what she does. All I care about is you. So do you want to stay here until I find someone to grab the luggage?"

   "Has no one arrived to greet us yet?"

   You aren't one to get scared easily but something feels wrong about this whole thing. While you yourself didn't understand how someone in construction could afford such a lavish lifestyle, it didn't change the fact that Yifan had cash to blow. If you were running the resort, you'd prioritise high-spenders. Money talks, after all.

   He hums, releasing his hold on you in order to lean out of the jet. "Not yet. We did arrive ahead of schedule though."

   "I guess…"

   Doubt gnaws at you. It may not be an official airport but surely they would know when a plane arrives. If not by sensors, by sheer visual - a jet is hard to miss.

   "I'll be right back, okay?"

   "No!" The concern embedded in his words is overshadowed by your adamant exclamation. "I'll go with you."

   He opens his mouth to argue but closes it just as fast and you know he just doesn't want an additional issue to deal with before the current one is handled. "Alright, let's go."

   There's a crunch underfoot as you disembark. Granules of sand and dirt grind under your shoes. You're glad you chose one of your more casual outfits. When Yifan had told you about this little weekend getaway, you hadn't realised the magnitude of it. Dressed in a hoodie and sweats, you had assumed a long flight in coach awaited you. That assumption bumped up to a long flight in first class when Yifan picked you up in his Porsche while decked out in designer from head to toe.

   At least your few sets of designer clothes (mostly gifts from Yifan) are safe in your suitcase. A few more smudges on your tattered sneakers wouldn't hurt and you'd rather your heels be spared the harsh island breeze. Even now salt is accumulating on your face like a second layer of skin. You can taste it whenever you lick your lips. They're dry but not yet as dry as the wind ruffling through your hair.

   Trailing behind your steady boyfriend of eight months, you struggle to keep pace with his large, determined strides. After a few minutes, your obvious panting seems to catch his attention and he takes pity on you. He halts, back turned to the sun and casting a shadow you soon stand within. Without saying anything, he gestures toward a back entrance to what looks like the main building and nudges you forward.

   Once you're in charge of the pace, the trip is a lot easier. On occasion you point to some of the other buildings, admiring the sleek and modern design. In the distance is a set of "traditional" huts with their own pools and docks. When you point them out, he just nods and tells you that he rented one.

   "I thought you said we'd be in the main building?"

   "We will be. I didn't know which you'd prefer so I rented both. We can spend a day in each. The staff already confirmed they'd be willing to accomodate."

   You scoff. "Seems a bit redundant. Did you also buy the island for the weekend? This place is dead."

   "No, but it is kind of nice. Maybe next time."

   "Not even you can afford that. There's no way your business is going that well. When I googled it, no new projects came up. Unless you're doing secret, private projects but then you'd have to be doing so many to get any seri-"

   "Look." He cuts you off, yanking you backward into his chest. With a huff, you look at your feet and the surrounding area but see nothing. You look ahead, puzzled, only to find more nothing. His arm tightens around your stomach as he inches you backward, putting his body ahead of yours. "The door is open."

   While this back door is technically an entrance, it remains locked and secured at all times, requiring an escort and their key card hence why a team is meant to have met you upon landing. There's a doorbell and screen to summon assistance in cases like your own where a guest is locked out. The door is closed just like it should be and even from here you can see the angry red 'no access' warning on the door's fob system. Confusion furrows your brow.

   "The employee door, babe."

   Following his line of sight, you have to squint to see what he is talking about. Several feet down and almost hidden behind bushes is a second door. It isn't as high-tech or welcoming as the main back door but it is ajar.

   "Should we check it out?" You ask, starting to shift your direction.

   "Curiosity killed the cat," he chides, realigning your trajectory.

   You pout but allow him to lead. Once you reach the back door, he presses the button and you both wait. Shade envelopes you, providing a reprieve from the overactive sun. According to your phone it's nearing 6:30pm. Even so, summer is in full effect and you doubt night will fall for another two hours.

   Sweat dampens your forehead. Your hair sticks to your neck. Moisture is welling between your breasts. Trickling down the curve of your spine, you can feel the salty liquid. It's uncomfortable, disgusting. Your trip to the bar will have to be delayed - a long soak, whether in a tub or shower, is your new priority.

   Yifan had started to tap his foot after the first minute. By the third, he was pacing. At the exact five minute mark, he starts to push the button every other second. His knuckles rap against the door. When that fails, he yanks on the door and presses on the electronic screen. It indents wherever he touches but it doesn't utilise smart technology, remaining dark and useless.

   "I'm not fuc-" He stops, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm not waiting until seven. They should realise we're here."

   Your lips twist with mischief as you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet, eyes shifting toward the employee door. "Well there is another way inside."

   The wind starts to pick up. Sand swirls within the sudden gust, cutting off the path back to the jet in a miniature tornado of dust. It wouldn't be hard to get through it but you didn't want to deal with the plethora of particles that would taint your hair and clothes and you know Yifan wouldn't either. With a resigned sigh, he nods.

   "I guess. Easier than going to the front."

   "They shouldn't have left it open if they didn't want people using it," you say, a sing-song lilt in your tone, excited at the prospect of breaking the rules.

   "They should've sent someone to greet us," he grumbles while waving the two guards over. They jog through the dust, desperate not to cough and choke on it. Your disgusted frown is replicated on Yifan's face. By the time they arrive, they're not faring well, sputtering while they ask what he needs.

   "I want one of you to grab our carry-ons and bring it up to our room. The other is to stay with the plane. Make sure it gets into that hangar."

   They salute him and your frown deepens. With an overenthusiastic 'yes, boss!', they take off back toward the jet. Without waiting for them to reach it, Yifan turns his back on them and starts to walk toward the open door. Intrigue bubbles within you. There is something mysterious about seeing a side not meant for the general public's eyes. Would it be just as majestic or was the grandeur just for show, a front to cover a dark underbelly?

   "Keep up babe, I don't want you getting lost in there."

   "Okay!" you say, skipping up behind him and grabbing the back of his suit jacket. Leaning out toward the side of his protective figure, you count each step until you reach the door.

   An ominous vibe rolls outward from the darkness within. Not a single light is on. In fact, there's so little light inside that you cannot make out the shape of the interior room. Is it a hall? A locker room? A break area? There aren't any sounds emanating from within that offer any clues.

   All there is is darkness.

   "Maybe we shouldn't go in there."

   "But you were so eager a second ago." He glances at you, a smirk playing on his lips. "Are you scared, princess?"

   "Shut up. We should just go to the front."

   "Don't worry. Daddy will protect you."

   You stare at him in disbelief before groaning at the self-appointed title. "I'll manage on my own, thanks."

   Pushing him aside and opening the creaking door just wide enough to shine light inside, you hold back a gag at the putrid stench that rushes out. It's pungent and rotten, like roadkill that has marinated in the sun for a few too many days.

   "Oh my God, what is that?"

   Sunlight touches the edge of a counter and its metallic, shiny sink. The darkness is much too thick. Like a blanket, it stops any further illumination beyond its veil. Squinting, you take a step inside, both intrigued and nauseated by the overwhelming odour.

   "Smells like something died in here," Yifan supplements and you nod, taking another step, nearing the impenetrable curtain of darkness. "Be careful."

   Using the hood of your sweater as leverage, he pulls you back into the small circle of light. Gulping, you look back at him. He quirks his brow but is otherwise stoic, cracking his neck before pulling out a face mask from his pocket. After handing it to you, he takes a tentative step beyond the light.

   "Wear that. It'll help with the smell. Could you turn your flashlight on?"

   It takes you a minute to realise he means the one on your phone. You fumble for it, your pockets somehow much deeper than you remember them being. It's cold to the touch, contrasting your clammy hands. Once you have it free of your sweats, you turn the light on and gasp. The room, now bright under the battery-sucking beam, displays a disturbing sight.

   "My God," you whisper, squirming under Yifan's arm until it rests atop your shoulders. "Did they close down or something?"

   Remnants of meals litter the sinks and stoves of the kitchen area you've walked into. Cutting boards filled with moldy vegetables and bloody, maggot-infested chunks of steak line the counter tops. Cutlery is strewn across the floor. Bottles of oil lay broken on the ground; their shards reflect your torch's light. Near them are dark puddles where the liquid has congregated.

   And inside those thick, gooey puddles are what you can only imagine was once considered meat.

   "Without cancelling our reservation first?"

   Snapping out of your reverie, you shake off the unease crawling across your skin in the form of bumps and raised hair. "Have you checked your voicemail lately? Or is that just an excuse you give when you don't want to grab milk on your way over?"

   He huffs, a tinge of amusement underlying the overall indifference of his demeanour. "They haven't called. Let's just find someone or maybe a flyer or notice. People don't just up and disappear mid-meal prep. There has to be an explanation."

   "Yeah, let's."

   It's a mistake to go in any further. This you know. Deep in the recesses of your racing mind, you know that something is wrong. You can't stop yourself from clinging to Yifan, handing him your phone so you can instead hold his jacket in both hands. Sinister silence echoes around you, devouring your footfalls and your shallow breathing until the only sound left is the unnatural lack thereof.

   Yifan doesn't act affected. His breathing is steady, comforting even. He moves at a snail's pace, giving you ample time to look around and explore the deep, pitch-black crevices in the corners of the room. When you stop, he shines the light toward the direction you're staring in. It slows the process down but it's soothing to know that nothing is lurking, waiting to pounce.

   By the time you reach the next door, your legs are shaking. While you don't consider yourself a coward, the unknown hosts an array of possibilities. Fear grips your heart and you have to fight back the urge to upheave the in-flight meal you had a few hours prior. The arm around your shoulder tightens, reassuring you before Yifan pulls the handle.

   Compared to the Hell you just passed through, the overabundance of light you are greeted with is a welcome sight. It floods the wide, open-mouthed hallway. To your left and quite far down is the reception area where you should have entered from. It's a large room that swings around and connects to the front entrance of the resort. To your right are a few more doors, an elevator, and a set of double-doors with a tacky sign that reads, 'Beach Entrance'. Next to the door closest to the powered down metal box is an emergency red plaque with the words 'Stair Access' in bold font and 'Basement Access' in a much smaller size.

   Pocketing your phone, Yifan tilts his head toward the main desk. "Shall we?"

   "Can't wait."

   You manage a single step before you stop dead in your tracks. There's some sort of thudding sound coming from one of the storage rooms. After a brief pause you look at Yifan but he just shakes his head, brushing it off. He takes off down the hall, dragging you with him, but your attention remains on the doors to the right. Every few seconds the sound repeats, as if someone is walking into a door or hitting their head against the wall.

   Then you see it.

   "Yifan!" You hiss, slipping away from him. "Look!"

   He groans, both impatient and growing tired. "What?"

   "There's something in that room."

   "Good. That means it isn't abandoned. Let's hit up the front desk and get our key cards."

   "No, there's something wrong with them. They aren't moving right… like they're… I don't know, on a loop or something."

   Humouring you (but not without first sighing, impatience chipping away at his manners), he watches the doors. His gaze lingers here and there, checking under a new threshold after a few repetitions of the grating sound. Synchronised with the noise is a shadow. It follows the same pattern. When the thud occurs, the shadow moves close to the door. Then it steps away.

   "See it?"

   "It's a resort. Can't blame 'em for drinking early."

   "That should be me," you mutter, your scotch craving returning in full force, increasing tenfold alongside your nerves.

   "Lush."

   "What?"

   He shrugs off the venom in your question. "Drunkard."

   "I barely even drin-"

   A metallic clang quiets you. It resonates, bouncing from wall to wall within the stairwell. When the sound settles in the bowels of the hotel, you walk forward. After several long seconds of waiting for the sound to continue like the one behind the door had, Yifan steps in front of you, shielding you behind his lanky frame.

   "I'll lead."

   You throw your hands up in mock resignation. Despite the small distance, it takes a lifetime to reach the stairwell. Paranoia claws at your gut. Every few feet you look behind you. Keeping your back to the endless hall and the atrium it houses is a tactical disadvantage. Given the absolute lack of life within the hotel's walls, you would hear someone approach… but you can't shake the feeling that it wouldn't be enough, that a single second's notice could be the difference between escape and certain death.

   Somewhere deep in the back of your mind you hope the stairwell is locked.

   You've never been very lucky though.

   Yifan's slender fingers wrap around the handle, pushing it open just enough to peer inside. Your own view is blocked. Seconds pass by while he just stares. There's a growl from high above. It rolls down the stairs in pursuit of the sudden influx of fresh air. The door creaks open further. You shiver.

   "What's happening?"

   "There's something a few floors up."

   "Do you think it's a staff member or guest?"

   "An animal."

   "Is it hurt?"

   He pauses before he answers, weighing his options. "No."

   "Liar."

   "Stay behind me. It sounds big."

   "How big?"

   He shrugs before ushering you into the pitch black stairwell. When he hears you patting yourself down, he returns your phone and you're quick to turn the torch on. First you flash it onto him, bathing him in artificial light. It's comforting. His visage, as smooth and suave as ever, offers a sort of normalcy in an otherwise odd situation. Then you check the lower floor.

   You see nothing.

   So you check the upper levels.

   An endless spire towers overhead.

   "How many floors does this place have?"

   "A lot."

   The trek upward starts strong but soon your pace slackens, forcing Yifan to follow suit. Once more an uncomfortable layer of sweat accumulates in the well of your back. After the fourth floor an odour starts to waft around you. You're self-conscious about it, going as far as sniffing your hoodie. By the sixth you're both scrunching your noses, revulsion twisting your features. A gag clutches at your throat and you dry heave.

   "Fuck, that's awful."

   "It's the same as the kitchen." He coughs, trying to eject the acrid scent from his mouth. "Wear the mask again."

   It's when you're fumbling through your pockets for the thin patch of fabric that you hear it: an ear-splitting scream. While you're no expert, the dainty, high pitch resembles that of a child. Shivers tear down your spine. Your mind is telling you to run, to protect, and yet you're frozen to the spot.

   Yifan is quicker to respond, climbing the remaining stairs between the sixth and seventh floors in a few leaps. Upon reaching the door, however, he doesn't enter. Instead he presses his ear to it and listens.

   With your heart beating a million miles an hour and damn near thudding out of your chest, you raise your flashlight off his cautious stature and toward the guttural moaning floating down to you from much higher in the spire.

   You're transfixed.

   Squinting against the straining dark for a single glimpse of what could make such a noise, your breath catches in your throat. It seems almost surreal, no, it's absurd really. Impossible. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you. That's all it was. That's all it could be. An illusion or a hallucination brought on by dehydration.

   And yet the way it hangs above you seems so real.

   And the way its eyes watch you seem so life-like.

   "Babe." You scream in shock at his unexpected shout. Whipping around to face Yifan, you place your hand on your chest all while panting. His eyes shine under the light's influence and he looks up into the darkness before cautiously asking if you're alright.

   "Yeah, I just-"

   Another scream, this time not your own but rather the child's.

   "Come on," Yifan commands, dismissing the panic in your voice as nothing more than childish, like one's fear of boogeyman.

   In your state of trepidation, you didn't realise the door was propped open. Yifan holds it ajar with his foot while beckoning you, urging you back to his side. Strangled sobs pour through the empty space, no longer hindered by the solid metal barrier.

   Within a few short steps you're peering through the gap. There's luggage sprawled across the floor and just beyond a mountain of suitcases is a child. All you can see is their leg; it's red. Scarlet blood paints their skin in a dark hue and stains the carpet around them.

   "Oh God," you murmur, falling into step behind Yifan as he runs toward the child.

   "Hey, are you okay?"

   He kicks a luggage cart out of his way. It rattles down the hall and with it gone, he stands over the child. You hear her soft sobs before you can get a good look at her as his long limbs pull her to her feet. Scooping the small girl into his arms, Yifan cradles her against his chest.

   Her pink outfit is tarnished with grime. When she pulls her head away from the comfort of his shoulder, her cheeks are stained by a layer of dirt. The tears that rush free from an endless faucet leave a visible trail in their wake.

   "What happened to you? Did someone hurt you?" Yifan asks, intent to pry a response out of the trembling girl.

   No matter how he phrases his questions, she doesn't budge. All she does is stare at you. No, beyond you. It's as if she's looking right through you. With her glassy, unwavering blue eyes, she watches the other end of the hall.

   In your rush to check on the girl, neither you nor Kris had checked the other side.

   Your neck creaks as you turn.

   The girl's breath staggers.

   Yifan checks her for injuries.

   Hungry growls waft toward you.

   Their lifeless eyes watch you.

   "-bitten?"

   His voice is like a tether.

   You don't dare to look away from what lurks down the hall.

   "They're dead."

   "What?"

   Yifan's attention pulls away from the girl, looking toward the small crowd forming a hundred feet away. Most are in summer wear ranging from bikinis and boardshorts to sarongs and flowery t-shirts. Much like the girl, their bodies are covered in varying contaminants with the most notable being blood. The darkest spots are accompanied by open wounds. Their skin is torn and serrated, often oozing thick clots. Where the flesh is loose and hanging by the thread is a glimmer of white.

   Right down to the bone, they've been-

   Bitten.

   Just like the weeping girl in Yifan's arms.

   Except she isn't crying anymore.

   She's dead silent.

[Part Two]

  – ♡ –  If you enjoyed this, please consider liking, commenting, reblogging, and/or following! Thank you!

[ohhmydyosfics]

(Chansoo) come home to my heart

When Kyungsoo's apartment is destroyed by his neighbours with an anti-zombie agenda, he has no choice but to move to the outskirts of Seoul. The last thing he expects is to fall in love with the human he hires to help renovate his home.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517176

[xhaotixaesthetica]

The Reckoning Star System

You have now entered: The Reckoning Star System.

This star system is a highly unstable one, very unsuitable for life. Most planets and galaxies regularly go through natural and man-made disasters that leave their residents in an impending apocalypse of some kind. Most people in this star system are the descendants of travelers who were stranging in the Reckoning long ago and could never find an escape.

*Genetic mutations are content that isn’t canon-compliant to CS21 lore, such as an imagine/headcanon where Chan is a siren even though in established CS21 lore, he’s a werewolf.

Return to the Starlink Intergalactic Navigator. 

Stray Kids

Stray Kids: A Literary Experience

An ongoing series inspired by Peter Pan and Hellevator by Stray Kids

TW: polyamory, coming of age, growing up, racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexual abuse, child abuse, pseudo-post apocalyptic au, pseudo dystopia, Stray Kids and 3 OCs

After The Event, twelve lost kids end up banding together for survival, all united by their unanimous trust in Christopher Bang and the irreparable harm of childhood and growing up. In each other, they learn to trust and heal and survive the new world they’ve been thrust into.

The Event

Woojin: the Afterthought

Chris: the Cursed, Lost, & Lonely Leader

Angelique: the Girl Who Should’ve Never Been Born

Minho: the Extinguished Dancing Flame

Changbin: the Silent Screamer

Jasmine: the Clueless, Helpless Confidante

Jisung: The Serial Hair Colorist

Hyunjin: the Beautiful, Faceless Man

Nailah: the Girl That Can Never Be

Felix: the Little Big Man

Seungmin: the Guiltless Candor

Jeongin: the Guilty Dependee

01/01/2019; 10:49 p.m.

01/02/2019; 1:13 a.m.

Genetic Mutation

None yet!

Requests are currently open, but view guidelines and pending requests first.

[writeformesinpie]

~Zombies And Ice Cream~

Summary:

You and Tao are in the middle of an argument when an unexpected guest arrives. Will you both survive the uninvited pest? Is this the end of your relationship? And will Tao ever get his ice cream?

Exo Collab Masterlist

~Coming soon~

[youxidol]

Wow I really missed you and your writing ㅠㅠ I hope you’ve been doing well! could I request #7 & 9 with Zombie!Myeon or pocket!Myeon??

Your peaceful evening of a movie and snacks was ruined by frantic knocking at your door.

Your zombie friend was stood there, severed arm hidden under his jack.

“I need a place to stay,” his lips turned down into a frown as he held up his arm. “My building is covered in CCTV.”

“I’ll get the staple gun,” you pushed the door fully open to let him in before going to collect the gun.

He settled himself down on your bed, looking st the snacks laid out on the duvet before reaching for the one he liked the most.

You stapled the two pieces together, creating a band of silver around his arm. He wiggled his fingers once the final staple was in place, a grin coming into his face as he shoved more crisps into his.

“Thanks.” He spoke with his mouth full.

“You’re getting crumbs all over my bed,” you pouted, guuiding his arm closer to him so the bag was under his mouth to catch whatever fell.

[sweetheart-sunghoon]

[4:18 pm] from your hiding place behind some overgrown bushes, the sound of moaning zombies is almost as loud as your beating heart. your grip on the barrel of the semi automatic shotgun in your hand tightens.

you glance at the boy beside you. sehun is peering between the leaves to get a good look at what lies between the two of you and safety.

"how many?" you ask him.

"thirty at least."

your heart sinks. you'd naively hoped for an easy path to freedom, a clear road void of the infected creatures; the rotting shells of what was once a human.

swallowing your nerves, you put on a brave face and cock your gun. "it's now or never. you ready?"

sehun nods, his face serious but his eyes fearful. "ready."

gif by @issasehun

[scarlet-sky4]

Phoenix - Chapter 4

Pairing: Soldier!Baekhyun x Doctor!OC AU: Zombies Genres: Romance, Thriller, Action Warnings: Violence Chapter word count: 5.7k

Baekhyun and Seri are an unlikely pair, united by their struggle for survival amid a global crisis. Faced with a deadly disease that turns people into ruthless monsters, can the soldier and the doctor make it out alive?

Read on AFF |  Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Previous chapter | Next chapter

Baekhyun stopped the car in the middle of a large forest. He was convinced it was safe to spend the night in this spot. The car was hidden from view since he had parked it on a deserted hiking trail. Bushes and trees separated it from the nearby street.

“You want to stop here?” Seri asked, staring into the darkness with worry swimming in her eyes.

“Yes. Our supplies will last until tomorrow and then we’ll arrive in Sokcho anyway.”

He appeared tired and not in the mood for discussions, so Seri bit her lip and kept her concerns to herself. Baekhyun had proved his capability and experience while they had fought themselves through Seoul. If he thought it was better to continue their journey tomorrow, then so be it. She no longer had any reasons not to trust him. Baekhyun was on her side, considering her safety. He wasn’t like the people in her former group. Not in the slightest.

They shared a small dinner in the car and then Baekhyun fetched two blankets from his backpack. He handed one to her, and after locking the car doors, they transformed the backseat into a makeshift bed, reclining it. They awkwardly lay next to each other without touching, struggling to find a comfortable position. Their legs were too long to fit on the reclined seats, but they had to make this work somehow—it was only for one night. Seri rolled on her side and watched Baekhyun’s outline in the darkness. The sounds of the nightly forest were unnerving. Constant rustling, the howling of the wind, and noises she couldn’t identify reached her ears. What if zombies roamed this forest? They hadn’t seen any so far, and the next town was far away, but…

Maybe she shouldn’t think about this.

Seri pulled the blanket up to her ears, still wearing her jacket. A shiver shook her body. “It’s so cold,” she whispered and blew hot air on her freezing fingers to warm them up. “Do we have an extra blanket in the trunk?” she asked hopefully.

“No, unfortunately not,” he answered and watched her as he contemplated something. “Come closer. It’ll help.” He raised his blanket a little and motioned for her to lie right next to him, but she hesitated because it was hard to shake off her old habits.

“Is this appropriate?” she blurted out.

“Who cares? Don’t tell me you would rather freeze. This isn’t the time to act proper, doctor.”

He was right. Moreover, they had slept in one bed before, maybe not as close as now, but still. She avoided his gaze as she crawled under his blanket and put hers on top of it. His body heat surrounded her once they were huddled up to one another under the blankets. He draped his arm around her back, hugging her. It was awkward at first for both of them. Baekhyun wasn’t sure how to hold her and ended up putting his hand on her shoulder blade while her face was pressed to his collarbones, head tucked under his chin. She breathed in his scent and felt the firmness of his well-trained body. He was tense like her, and for a while, neither of them spoke a word.

Until she broke the silence because she sure as hell couldn’t sleep while surrounded by this heavy and thick tension that had manifested.

“It feels better like this,” she told him.

“You stopped shivering. Do you think you can sleep now?”

“Yes, I’m exhausted after the long walk today. Goodnight, Baekhyun. Get some rest, we’ll need it tomorrow,” she smiled and let her eyes fall shut. Once he relaxed, she became more comfortable and gave in to the sinking tiredness that weighed on her limbs.

“Sleep well,” she heard him say moments before sleep claimed her.

 .

.

.

.

.

Seri felt warm when she awoke the following morning. Her eyes remained closed for another while as she basked in this delightful feeling of belonging and safety that had become a rare treat in this cruel world. Her nose was pressed against the collar of Baekhyun’s jacket, hands resting on his chest. Their legs were linked as well. Seri couldn’t remember the last time she had allowed someone to get so close to her. He had earned and deserved her trust. Moving away never crossed her mind—if it weren’t for their plan to head to Sokcho, she would have no qualms about staying like this all day.

Her lashes fluttered. The first rays of the sun broke through the treetops and reached through the car windows, tickling her skin. It seemed like the rain had ceased—hopefully, the weather would stay warm for another while before winter arrived… Seri shifted and propped herself up on her elbow, gazing at Baekhyun’s sleeping face. His arm lay on her waist and prevented her from getting up. It didn’t matter; she was just fine where she was and used the opportunity to take a closer look at her new companion. The soldier looked oddly vulnerable. While asleep, the harsh lines of his features softened. The dark shadows underlining his eyes had disappeared. For a moment, she considered touching his silky black hair but discarded the idea. It was better not to overstep any boundaries. He probably wouldn’t appreciate being touched like that while asleep. She wouldn’t either.

Seri caught movement from the corner of her eye and stiffened. Her blood froze in her veins as she slowly raised her head and gazed through the rear window. They were not alone. Absolute terror overcame her. Standing right there, on the other side of the glass, was a person. He stared at her with an odd glimmer in his eyes—how long had he been waiting there, watching them? Had they locked the doors? The trunk? Where did he come from? They were in the middle of nowhere!

She gasped. The stranger’s jacket was torn and on his shoulder, he sported teeth marks covered with dried blood. The area surrounding the bite was blackened… The disease was festering. To her horror, he still seemed sane enough to understand what was happening to him. His hand touched the window, leaving a bloody smear. Opening his mouth, he rasped a quiet, “Help me.”

Her eyes watered in sheer horror. The disease took over rapidly. It ate away at his sanity and stole the last pieces of his humanity. She couldn’t stop it, she couldn’t help him. Never had she felt so utterly useless. Her panic rose when a terrifying hungry sneer stretched over his lips. Finally, she broke out of her frozen state and grabbed Baekhyun’s arm, waking him up.

“Baekhyun, we have to leave! Hurry, please!” she spluttered, causing him to shoot up. He flinched away from the window, automatically reaching for the baseball bat they had stashed behind the seat.

“Fuck, where did he come from?!”

“I don’t know!”

He muttered another curse when the monster violently banged its fists against the window. Unfortunately, the ensuing noise lured in five more zombies who emerged from the forest. Their teeth clacked when they found their prey, and they started to run. Adrenaline rushed through Baekhyun’s veins as he processed the situation. He acted fast. Jumping over the gear shift, he sat in the driver’s seat and turned on the engine.

Meanwhile, Seri couldn’t move at all—she was petrified in fear. The zombies reached the car, pounding against the windows, trying to break them. They were strong enough to accomplish it. Cracks formed on the rear window. Soon, it would give in.

The car lurched, and she fell on her side. Baekhyun accelerated without warning. They shot over the hiking trail, the zombies wailing as they followed the car. Their faces appeared like those of rabid animals, void of reason and identity.

Baekhyun steered the car back on the tarred road where he accelerated further, leaving the terrifying scene behind. When they rounded a corner and trees obscured the view, Seri tore her gaze away from the window, collapsing on the backseat. The loud roaring of the engine drowned out any other sound. She gazed at the blankets under her hand and tried not to think about the moment that had scared her half to death. The blue fibers blurred. A salty drop rolled down her cheek.

She didn’t know why she cried now of all times. Maybe it was reasonable after what she had been through. She had held the tears in for weeks, and now she burst like a water balloon. The outbreak drove her to the edge of what she could take, and her pent-up frustration was set free. She had become a stranger in a world she was supposed to know. Every morning, she woke up to a new terrifying predicament, but this one had outdone everything… They weren’t safe anywhere, and letting down their guard could be fatal. This wasn’t how she wanted to live. This wasn’t how she could live.

She rubbed her eyes. Her lower lip didn’t stop quaking, and her face flushed. After a few minutes, the blurry outline of Baekhyun’s face came into focus. The car had stopped and they had left the forest and their pursuers behind.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked. Hidden somewhere under his expressionless façade were insecurity and hesitancy. He sat next to her slouched form, reaching out his hand and touching her shoulder. The unexpected gesture spurred her to move. She sat up and scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his mid. Her face was squished against his chest, tears wetting the fabric of his jacket. The initial stiffness of his body remained unnoticed by her as she sniffled quietly. After a second of hesitation, he reciprocated her embrace and placed his hands on her back and head.

This was the kind of human connection she needed to stay sane. She was so grateful she didn’t have to be alone anymore. How rare was it to find someone like him in this world? She closed her eye. One last tear slid down her cheek. Then, she lay in his arms and just breathed.

“You’re safe. They’re nowhere near us,” he murmured. She nodded but did not budge. Her head stayed on his chest. It moved with every breath he took, and she found it easier to relax by adapting to his breathing pattern.

“When I woke up, this guy stood behind the car and stared at us through the window. He asked for help,” she explained. “But the transformation happened so fast... I’ve never seen it myself.”

“I have, and it’s disturbing. RABV-12 is insanely aggressive, it turns people into monsters from one second to the next,” he scowled. Bitterness and regret dyed his voice as his eyes stared into the far distance. A memory of the past resurfaced. His lips curled in response.

“We shouldn’t have stayed the night here. I misjudged the situation, and for that, I’m sorry. I should have known better,” he added after a long pause.

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t expect anything to happen either. It’s not like we’re close to a town,” she answered softly. Her voice was muffled by his jacket.

“I hope things will look brighter when we reach Sokcho.”

“Me too. We should move on now,” she said and untangled himself from him. Her hand brushed her messy hair in an attempt to make herself look more presentable.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

She cracked a smile. “Actually, no. But talking to you always makes me feel better, so thank you for listening.”

“Anytime, Seri.”

.

.

.

.

.

It was late afternoon when the tall buildings of Sokcho appeared on the horizon. The sky was gray and cloudy, giving the city an ominous appearance. The closer they got to it, the harder it was to dodge obstacles on the street. Cars had been left behind, large trucks raided and some vehicles seemed to have burned out after accidents. Baekhyun needed to avoid them which slowed them down. They saw zombies too, and Seri freaked out a little every time one managed to reach the car.

She gazed out the windows and took in the scenery, looking out for threats. While this town wasn’t as large as Seoul, it was still big enough to get lost if you didn’t know your way around. Thankfully, Baekhyun had a good idea of where his friends might be, so he followed the street signs as they drove through Sokcho.

They passed apartment buildings, companies, and stores. The latter had been ransacked, windows destroyed and doors kicked in. It reminded her of Seoul. She’d hoped that this place wasn’t as affected by the outbreak, but she had been wrong. It was just the same. Chances were high all cities in South Korea looked like this…

When they passed the city center, the sound of the engine drew zombies out of their hiding spots. They chased after the car, forcing Baekhyun to accelerate.

“Fuck. If I still had my gun, this would be so much easier,” he cursed, eyes narrowing at a zombie who jumped out of an alley right in front of them. Baekhyun tried to dodge, but the car was too fast and collided with it. The zombie hit the windshield and was flung over the car. The vehicle swerved dangerously. Seri didn’t turn to look at what had happened to the zombie. She just clutched the car door and prayed they would lose their pursuers.

“Do you know where we are?” she asked, clenching her teeth.

“Yes. Our destination is only one street away,” Baekhyun said and glanced in the rearview mirror. “But these fuckers just don’t give up.”

“What do you suggest we do?”

“Grab your weapon. As soon as I stop the car, you’ll get out and follow me.”

She blanched. That didn’t sound like a great plan, but what other choice did they have? “Okay,” she sighed and grabbed her baseball bat, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable. The car took a sudden turn and they briefly left the sight of their pursuers. It swerved into a smaller street where Baekhyun stopped the engine.

“Get out now!” he barked and left the car. They ran down the street. She had no clue where they were going, but since he had a plan, she followed him blindly. Baekhyun’s eyes were set on a particular building—it had gray walls and looked like a regular condo building.

Seri glanced over her shoulder and saw the zombies swarming the abandoned car. They weren’t following Baekhyun and her yet. Since the duo needed to get out of sight quickly, Seri and Baekhyun ran faster and made it to the front door of the building at record speed. It was open, the lock broken. The pair slipped inside and let the door close behind them. Only then did they allow themselves a little break to catch their breaths.

“I think we lost them,” she panted. “Is this the place you wanted to check?”

“Yeah. Now we just need to find Sehun’s and Chanyeol’s apartment.”

“If we check the nameplates, it should be easy.”

He nodded. It wasn’t hard to determine on which floor the soldiers lived, so they took the staircase and climbed up the steps. The tiles were smeared with blood and dirt, but at least no zombie was within sight. They didn’t hear any sounds at all—the building seemed to be deserted. Seri wasn’t sure if this was a good sign…

On the third floor, they followed a long hallway lined with doors. One of them was broken down and the apartment empty but all others were locked. Baekhyun stopped in front of one particular door labeled with his friends’ names, knocking and calling out to them. When he received no answer, his hope waned. What if they were dead? What if they had left? He gritted his teeth and swiftly decided to kick in the door.

“Get back,” he told Seri before he delivered a powerful kick that forced the door open. The loud bang it created made her flinch. She looked up and down the hallway, but they were alone. No zombies or survivors were within sight.

“I’ll go in first. Wait here,” he said and cautiously entered. At this point, Seri wasn’t surprised to be ordered around again. It was a habit he couldn’t shake off.

Seri leaned against the wall next to the door and waited for his return. However, the house wasn’t as deserted as they had thought it to be, and the noise had drawn the attention of someone. A lone shadow approached her, his steps silent like those of a feline predator.

By the time she saw him, it was almost too late. She ducked and narrowly evaded his hands as they tried to grab her. Her experience once again saved her—she switched into survival mode and went on the offensive. Seri’s fist shot towards his stomach, but he stopped it, holding it in a bruising grip. He was strong.

The stranger’s eyes glared at her while she tried to free her hand. It didn’t work, so Seri did what she had been taught by her former hapkido teacher. She twisted her lower body and raised her leg so fast that her opponent had no chance to dodge. Her boot collided with his ribs. He gasped and his grip loosened enough for her to pull her hand away.

Seri held her fists in front of herself, finally getting a better look at him. He was wearing a military uniform that looked just like Baekhyun’s. The name stitched on its fabric was Park Chanyeol—one of the people they were searching for.

“Wait, stop! I’m on your side!” Seri yelled and dodged his next jab. He slowed down, giving her the chance to explain a bit more. “I’m with Baekhyun!”

Hearing that name from a stranger’s mouth caught him off guard. He stopped mid-swing. Seri jumped out of reach, just in case, and didn’t let him out of her sight. Alarmed by the noise, Baekhyun returned from the apartment, and he didn’t like what he saw.

“Park Chanyeol! Why the fuck are you fighting my doctor? What kind of rude greeting is that?”

Chanyeol’s eyes went wide and his head snapped around. His jaw dropped. He looked like he saw a ghost. “H-Huh? Your doctor? Wh—BAEKHYUN?” he spluttered, struggling to swallow his surprise. “What are you doing here?!”

Baekhyun crossed his arms, his expression gradually darkening like the sky before a storm. Seri was not the only one who noticed this. Chanyeol cleared his throat and panicked.

"Why don’t you apologize first?” Baekhyun added after a short silence, and Chanyeol’s eyes widened even further if this was even possible. Realization flickered over his face.

“Of course, how rude of me,” he said and straightened his back. “I’m sorry about this. I thought you were an intruder and wanted to steal our belongings.”

“It’s okay, I understand. It was just a misunderstanding,” she smiled. The soldier’s awkwardness dissipated when he saw genuine forgiveness in her expression. He heaved a sigh and nodded.

“My name is Park Chanyeol… as you heard just now.”

“I’m Gwan Seri, a surgeon from Seoul. Nice to meet you. Is it okay if I call you Chanyeol?”

“Um… sure?” He scratched his neck, no longer used to meeting people with actual manners. “I’ve never seen a surgeon who kicks ass like you.”

“Did she kick your ass? Really? Damn, why did I miss it?” An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind Chanyeol, and Seri spotted a tall man with black hair that was parted in the middle. He must have arrived moments ago since she hadn’t noticed him earlier. The letters stitched on his uniform read Oh Sehun.

“Shut up! I complimented her,” Chanyeol shot back and stiffened after he heard something unsettling from the staircase. “Come on, let’s go inside. It’s not safe here. Sometimes, zombies find their way up to this floor,” he said and ushered them inside the apartment, taking a long look at the door. “Damn it, Baekhyun, you didn’t have to be so rough with that door.”

“Oops.” A sarcastic smirk stretched over his friend’s face, prompting Chanyeol to roll his eyes. The taller soldier did his best to close the door and used the locks to keep it in place. After he inspected it for a while, he deduced that it would hold.

“This should do it,” he grumbled, but a grin settled on his lips when he turned to face Baekhyun. “I can’t believe you’re here! We thought you were dead, it’s a miracle to see you!”

“Same to you,” Baekhyun answered, mirroring his grin.

“What a day, man. I didn’t expect any visitors. Sorry about the mess,” Chanyeol remarked sheepishly to which Sehun laughed.

“Don’t act like we would have cleaned up.”

Seri curiously gazed around—it looked like a typical household run by men. Everything was messy, and yet the chaos seemed to have some kind of order to it. The flat had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom. All of them were cluttered with various items. On the kitchen table, she found an assortment of guns and ammunition. She furrowed her brows, wondering why they would put their weapons there.

“Let’s go to the living room,” Sehun suggested. “You’re lucky we went scavenging this morning. We got water and food in case you want anything.”

They entered the living room, and Seri plopped down on the sofa like a sack of potatoes. She was exhausted and glad she could finally let her guard down. There was no reason to doubt Baekhyun’s friends, so she got comfortable without second thoughts. Baekhyun sat next to her and thanked Chanyeol for the water bottles and snacks he brought for them. He put everything on the coffee table and sat on the other sofa with Sehun. The two soldiers had countless questions for their friend and his new companion. Their expressions showed a mix of relief and curiosity.

“How did you find us here?” Sehun burst out. “I remember you were deployed in Incheon. Why didn’t you stay in the military base?”

“Because it got infested by these monsters,” Baekhyun curled his lips in distaste, casting his eyes at the windows, “And there was nothing I could do. I lost my squad to the disease and was forced to run in order not to get infected as well.”

Seri’s ears perked up. She gazed at him with shock written all over her face. This was the first time she heard of this tragedy, and though he was good at hiding his emotions, she found a flicker of guilt in his gaze. Did he hold himself responsible for the fate of his fellow soldiers?

“I decided to search for my family in Seoul, but they were already dead when I arrived... I lingered in the city center for a while because I didn’t know where to go next, and that’s where I met Seri. She patched me up after I got injured and ever since then, we’ve worked together.”

“I’m glad you made it out alive,” Chanyeol said. He gave a crooked smile but failed to hide the pain in his eyes. Baekhyun’s story saddened him, and being his best friend, he could tell that Baekhyun hadn’t come to terms with his loss yet.

“Have you heard from the others?” Baekhyun asked.

Sehun shook his head, shattering Baekhyun’s hope. “No, we don’t know where they are now. If the mobile network or internet servers were still working, it would be so easy to contact them, but we don’t even have electricity.”

“Um, excuse me, but who are they?” Seri asked, having followed their conversation with a blend of confusion and curiosity.

“The other six members of EX9,” Sehun explained. “We were selected to join a special forces team a few years ago and used to work together, but shortly before the outbreak began, we were sent to different military bases. Everyone ended up somewhere else. Take Yixing for example, he’s a medical army surgeon and had to help out in a hospital somewhere in the South of the country.”

“A hospital…” she mumbled, paling. Not exactly a safe place to be during an outbreak. She didn’t share her concerns on the matter, but they must have been visible on her face. “I hope your team members are okay.”

“I hope so too. Sadly, locating them is impossible without any clues,” Baekhyun answered.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Sehun agreed. His eyes lingered on Seri, gleaming with curiosity. “May I ask why you teamed up with our captain?”

Her eyes softened as they darted from Sehun to Baekhyun and back. “He’s the first survivor I met who was kind to me. He shared his food with me so I wouldn’t starve. People like him are hard to find, so I decided to stay with him when he asked me to.”

“He asked you to?” Chanyeol repeated. “Wow, that’s unusual.”

Before Seri could tell him to elaborate, Baekhyun changed the topic, leaving her wondering what Chanyeol had meant. “Where are the other soldiers? Are you the only ones left in Sokcho?”

“Yes. We opted to stay here. The others either were infected or decided to move on since they wanted to look for friends and family.”

“I see, that’s reasonable. I was hoping we could gather a bigger group of people, but maybe it’s better this way.”

“What do you think happened to the rest of the world? I wonder if there’s a country somewhere on the globe that managed to protect itself against the disease,” Chanyeol said and his gaze came to rest on Seri. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you? How much do you know about the virus?”

“I’m a surgeon. Virology and epidemiology aren’t my specialties, so I can’t tell you more than you already know,” she explained hollowly. “What makes RABV-12 so scary is its mortality rate of 100 percent. It’s even deadlier than the bubonic plague. Humanity has never faced such a threat before. As far as I heard, not a single person ever recovered from it. It’s very aggressive, and we have yet to discover its origin… All we know is that it started in South Korea.”

“Right, this has been bothering me,” Baekhyun scowled. “It’s suspicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be a bioweapon.”

“I hope that’s not the case,” she whispered and looked down at her lap. The level of cruelty needed to use such a thing was unfathomable. Nothing could ever excuse such an act since it cost the lives of countless innocent people. Especially the older generations had been affected by the virus, as well as people with conditions that require medical care in hospitals. Even a simple illness or infection could now lead to death since antibiotics were hard to find.

“We shouldn’t overthink it. What matters is that we’re safe here,” Sehun said in an attempt to cheer them up. His effort was rewarded with a little smile from Seri. “Our flat might not be an ideal home, but so far, we made it work.”

“Is there even enough space for all of us?” Baekhyun asked doubtfully.

“It should be fine for a few nights. You can sleep in my room if you want, Seri,” Sehun offered, earning a surprised look from the young woman.

“But where will you sleep? I can take the sofa, it’s no big deal.”

“No, no. You’re a guest and a woman, so you’ll get your own room.”

“If you insist. Thank you, Sehun,” she smiled, inwardly looking forward to a comfortable bed. Her back hurt from that horrible night in the car.

The group spent the rest of the day chatting and catching up with each other. Seri learned that Chanyeol and Sehun were both squad leaders. Sehun was her age, and Chanyeol was two years older just like Baekhyun. Their light-hearted jokes and casual banter were the kind of distraction she needed. She found herself laughing and conversing with them like they hadn’t only met a few hours ago. The soldiers inquired about her as well, and she told them about her job, the years she had spent in university and her favorite hobby which was hapkido. To her surprise, Baekhyun had practiced hapkido too before he had joined the military—the additional experience would explain why he fought so well.

As the evening progressed, she grew tired, drowsily listening to the conversation until she nodded off. Her body leaned against the backrest of the sofa in an uncomfortable position. Baekhyun noticed and wrapped his arm around the small of her back, tugging her into his side. Her head slowly fell on his shoulder. She stirred a little, then let out a sigh and relaxed.

Baekhyun watched her fondly, lips quirking up. During their trip, she had grown closer to him in more than one way. Baekhyun’s loyalty needed to be earned since he didn’t give it away on a whim. Normally, it took a long time to gain his respect, but she had impressed him when she had saved his life while risking her own. The moment he had been running and hiding from his pursuers, he had been convinced this was how he would die. He wasn’t one to sugarcoat things; with his injury, he wouldn’t have made it out alive, so he had prepared himself for the inevitable. But then he had heard her voice, and from that moment on, everything had changed for the better. Only a scar would remain of his injury thanks to her.

“Hey, Baek,” Chanyeol said. Baekhyun tore his gaze away from her and glanced at his friend instead. He and Sehun wore suspicious grins. They were up to something.

“What?”

“How did you manage to find a girlfriend in the middle of a zombie pandemic?” Chanyeol joked. “You’re not some celebrity who has everyone running after them. I’m surprised your glares didn’t scare her off.”

Baekhyun deadpanned, giving him exactly the glare he was talking about. “She’s not my girlfriend. We’re friends.”

“With benefits,” Sehun laughed but fell quiet at the warning glower he received.

“No. We don’t have time for distractions.”

“Oh, come on! You can’t tell me you’ve been with her for a week and nothing happened!” Chanyeol’s disappointed sigh was somewhat amusing, at least enough to make Sehun smile. “I’m surprised because you look close.”

His voice was too loud, prompting her to mumble something in her sleep. She changed her position, grabbing Baekhyun’s waist for support and snuggling up to the welcome source of warmth. Chanyeol’s brow raised.

“Look! There you have it!” he whisper-yelled and pointed at her arm. “That’s so cute! She’s girlfriend material.”

Baekhyun’s face darkened. “Don’t get any ideas.”

Sehun grinned and elbowed Chanyeol. “I think the captain’s jealous already.”

“I’m not jealous, Sehun,” he retorted in a tone of voice that could be described as threatening. “Why would I be? As I said, we’re friends.”

“So I can flirt with her from now on?” Chanyeol prodded, wearing the biggest knowing smile.

“No.”

“Oh, okay… We’ll see how long you can stay friends with her, Baek.”

“I’m betting one week,” Sehun said.

“That’s fast. Hmm… you think he’s such a big simp for her?”

“Sure. Look at how tightly he’s holding her, and she’s so clingy too. I have no clue how she can sleep next to him, though. Imagine how annoying a relationship with someone like him would be,” Sehun whispered back. “He’s too commanding. Always orders everyone around.”

“Don’t act like I can’t hear you.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “If we were on duty right now I would make you run twenty laps.”

“You just proved my point!” Sehun laughed and Chanyeol cracked up at Baekhyun’s sour grimace.

Their conversation got too loud again. Seri stirred, grumbling in her sleep. Nobody could make any sense of her mumbling, but Baekhyun deduced this wasn’t a suitable place to sleep. It was too loud and she also would have a sore neck in the morning if she kept this up. So he moved his arm under her legs and secured his hold around her back, picking her up.

“What are you up to now, captain?” Sehun smirked.  

“Putting her to bed of course, since you’ll wake her up with your nonsensical conversations.”

“Putting her to bed,” Sehun repeated, hardly containing himself. He ended up wheezing and hitting Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“What an honor to be tucked in by the captain himself.” Chanyeol muffled his laughter with his hand. “He’s getting soft.”

Smoldering brown eyes burned holes in their heads while Baekhyun passed them, clicking his tongue in annoyance. If they thought they could mock him, they had another thing coming. He didn’t see any issue with taking care of a friend—because that’s what he considered her to be. Why they reacted so childishly was beyond him.

Her head lay on his shoulder and her breath tickled his neck. Holding her in his arms felt comforting. She was still very light although they had done their best to find an adequate amount of food. Baekhyun made a mental note to pay attention to her eating habits. She should eat enough to stay healthy.

He pushed the door open with his foot and carried her inside the bedroom where he put her down on the sheets of the bed. A blanket was draped over her to keep her warm. He shut the curtains and left her alone so that she could rest undisturbed.

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Author’s Note: Baekhyun telling himself they're just friends is hilarious to me. 😂 Did he convince you or not? At least Sehun and Chanyeol seem skeptical. 😌

Please leave a comment before you go. I would love to hear what you think about BaekRi's developing relationship. 🥺🥰 See you next time! Jess

PS. My Spellbound readers can look forward to a spicy update this weekend. 😏