Present Day
You plummet towards the dark, unforgiving water below. Jungkook clutches you to his chest, arms like a vice around you as you fall. Cold wind whips past you, water rushing up to meet you. You cling to Jungkook for dear life.
An eternity and a second pass all at once, and then you're crashing into the river.
The icy water slices through you, stealing the breath in your lungs as you sink into the black depths.
A Few Months Ago
No one moves. Everyone stands huddled in the living room, breath frozen. All eyes are trained on your front door, where the pounding continues.
"Zombies don't know how to knock, right?" Jimin whispers fervently, eyes stretched wide.
Jin smacks the back of Jimin's head. "Yah, what are you saying? Of course zombies can't knock, they're dead." Jimin scowls, rubbing the back of his head. He opens his mouth to answer, but is cut off by a new voice.
"Please, open the door! I'm not infected, I need help! Please!" The voice on the other side is desperate, practically screeching as he continues to frantically bang on the door. All fears flee your mind as you hear that panic-stricken voice, and you rush forward. But a hand stops you, shooting out and grabbing your arm.
"What are you doing? We don't know who that is or if they've been bitten! They could be lying. We can't let them in." Jungkook hisses, dark eyes boring into yours.
"Or they could be telling the truth and they need us." You shrug out of his grip. "You said it yourself, we need to help each other now more than ever." You don't give him a chance to answer, turning on your heel and rushing for the door.
"Y/n!"
"No, wait!"
"Don't!"
The other boys call out, but you ignore them, unlocking the door and turning the knob. You fling it open, finding a tall, dark-haired man on the other side. There are scrapes marring his cheekbone and the bridge of his nose, but he seems otherwise uninjured. He stands there with his fists still raised, blinking big, brown eyes at you in surprise. Not hesitating, you grab his arm, yanking him into the apartment and shutting the door behind him.
Before you get a chance to speak, you hear Taehyung's voice behind you, filled with shock.
"Hyung???"
He rushes forward, pulling the man into a rib-crushing embrace. You look at the man curiously. In the scramble to get him in the door, you hadn't taken a moment to really look at him. As he releases a crying Taehyung, your jaw drops as you recognize the man before you:
Choi Minho.
"You can't believe how happy I am to see you. But what are you doing here? How did you get here?" He asks Taehyung, who's busy wiping the tears from his eyes. Taehyung turns, gesturing to you as he says "its kind of a long story. This is y/n-ah's apartment. We know her from work, and she brought us here when...when everything started."
Minho steps towards you and bows, taking you by surprise. His eyes lock with yours as he rises. "Thank you for letting me in. You saved my life. I honestly don't know how I can ever repay you." His eyes are soft, his voice filled with sincerity and gratitude. You clear your throat, waving a hand as the heat rises in your cheeks.
"Ani, it was nothing. I just did what anyone would do." You glance away, inexplicably embarrassed by the attention of the man before you.
"But Hyung, what are you doing here? What happened?" Taehyung asks, eyeing the scrapes on Minho's face.
Minho's eyes mercifully leave you, moving back to Taehyung. "It's also kind of a long story. I was out with some friends, not far from here, when everything went crazy. We ended up getting separated. I have another friend who lives in this building, so I came here. But he was gone when I finally made it to his apartment. Some...monsters must have heard me or something, because they appeared at the end of the hall. I didn't know what to do so I ran. I came up to this floor, hoping someone may still be here."
"How did you know we were here?" Namjoon interjects, clearly worried that if Minho found us, zombies could too.
"I heard you laughing. I was running from door to door, listening at each one for sounds of movement. And I heard you all. Honestly for a moment there, I didn't think you would let me in." He chuckles lightly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"For a moment there, neither did we. You have y/n to thank for that." Jungkook responds humorlessly, arms crossed over his chest as he eyes Minho coldly.
"Jungkook!" You and Taehyung snap at the same time, staring at the youngest in shock.
Minho waves a hand at you, dismissing Jungkook's comment. "It's ok, I get it. I would be nervous of letting a stranger in too, with everything that's happening right now. That's why I can't thank you enough for your kindness." He says, bowing towards you again.
You all stand in an awkward silence, shifting uncomfortably as no one quite knows what to say.
"Well...welcome to the family. We're doing our best to survive, but no guarantees." Yoongi deadpans.
***
An hour later, you've all settled in the living room, some on the couch and some sprawled on the ground. You've taken turns telling your full stories of how you ended up here, and by the end you're realizing just how extraordinarily lucky you all are to be alive. You're also learning some very valuable information from the new addition to your group.
"They turn unbelievably fast. If you're with someone that's been bitten, get away immediately. I saw someone get bit and they turned into one of those things in about 15 seconds." Minho says quietly, a far-away look in his eyes as he remembers the experience.
Namjoon sucks in a breath quickly at the news, running a weary hand through his hair. "15 seconds? That's it?" He mutters more to himself than to anyone in the room. He looks back at Minho. "Does anyone know how all of this started? Have you heard anything?"
Minho shakes his head. "I don't know. Ive heard a couple different theories, but I don't think anyone knows for sure. Some think its some kind of mutated virus from an animal. Others have said it's some sort of accident that started in a lab. But again, its all just theories at this point."
There's a collective sigh from the group as the new information sinks in. You all stare at the ground, mulling everything over.
"So, what's the plan?" Minho asks, looking around at everyone.
Jin's eyebrows furrow. "Plan? What do you mean?"
"You know, the plan. What's the next step? What are you all going to do now?"
You all glance around at each other, not quite sure what to say.
"Um...the plan is to survive. We haven't really thought much beyond that." Jin replies.
"Oh" Minho blinks, surprised by the response. You all look at him questioningly, waiting for him to continue. "I just figured you'd have a plan. You know, like to get out of the city. I'm guessing people in the countryside are faring better than we are."
Again, your heart aches as you're reminded of your parents, still out in the country. You're desperate to know what happened to them, and Minho's idea may just allow you to do that.
"He might be right" you say slowly, surprising the others. "I mean I'm not saying we need to leave right now. But its a good point. It would probably be safer away from the city."
No one speaks, the fear of venturing out again hanging heavy in the air.
"How do you propose we get there? Do you know how long it would take for us to get out of the city on foot? We have shelter here, and supplies. Not to mention who knows how many zombies lingering in the streets." Jungkook's voice is edged with steel. Frustrated and bewildered by his sudden coldness, you open your mouth to respond, but he's not looking at you. His questions are directed at Minho, who, you notice with a start, is glaring back at Jungkook with just as much dislike.
"So what will you do when you inevitably run out of supplies? You'll have to leave eventually either way." He replies cooly.
Jungkook huffs. "Going out to replenish supplies is different from traveling on foot all the way to the country."
"Would you prefer to stay in this one-bedroom apartment with eight other people for the rest of your life?"
"Yes, if it means I get to stay alive."
"Clearly there are a lot of things to consider. It's a big decision, and fortunately its not one we have to make right this second." Namjoon interrupts before Minho can respond. He's looking back and forth between the two men staring daggers at each other, clearly also bewildered by their distinct dislike for each other. You glance at Taehyung, who shrugs, just as confused.
Before anyone can say anything else, a crash sounds somewhere outside. You all jump, looking at each other with wide eyes before rushing out the balcony door to see what's happening. You all squeeze out, barely fitting on your small balcony. You're smushed between Taehyung and Minho as you peer over the edge of the railing. A chorus of snarls rise from the street below. You gasp as you spot the source of the crash.
A large military vehicle plows through the monsters crowding around it.
Your heart leaps, hope springing alive. The military! They can help us!
You're about to suggest getting something to wave down the car below when a hand grips yours, pulling you back.
"Everyone, get back inside. Now!" Minho hisses as he drags you backwards. You look at him, surprised by his reaction. He's backing away quickly from the edge, face pale. "I mean it, now!" He rushes back inside, pulling you along with him, everyone else following quickly, concerned by his apparent fear.
"Hey, stop! What are you doing? It's the military, shouldn't we be trying to get their attention so they can help us?" Jungkook growls. He grabs your arm, the one Minho is clutching, and pulls you away. He steps between you and Minho defensively, nudging you behind him, as though the frightened man before you posed some sort of danger to you.
He faces Jungkook, looking him straight in the eyes.
"That's not the military. Whatever you do, don't get their attention. We may not survive if you do."
A/N
Unedited.
Happy Saturday! A slightly short chapter, but I have a ton of stuff I'm developing and this chapter would be waaaay too long if I included it. Also, I love Choi Minho and his friendship with Taehyung - he just really needed to be part of this story.
Please don't forget to vote!
- m.