(if you haven't read the chapter before this, please do... It's a double update :))

Seokjin felt his breath falling straight, he had found it, their destination. The metal plate gleamed under the sun while the commotion behind them grew louder, the black wave of death crashing right behind them as it engulfed the streets.

Seokjin pushed the gate open with a very shrill creaking noise, triggering the decedents even more. After getting inside, he helped Yoongi down and tried to lock the gate. He locked it halfway before the crowd of zombies slammed onto the gate, Yoongi quickly pulling him away from their clutches by a hair's breadth.

They knew that the gate won't hold the 'zombies' much longer, they had to make it to the top of the building before the gates failed.

Seokjin glanced at his watch, time was running out.

July 3 | DAY 9
06 : 15 am

Forty-five minutes. That was all they had to reach the eighth floor of the edifice they saw in front of them, standing tall but crestfallen.

Seokjin picked up Yoongi and ran to the main door of the building which seemed to be deserted, they couldn't spot any of the creatures around there. Behind them, the crowd grew. Shrieking and screaming, the creatures banged on the huge gates, some even trying to get across by climbing up.

Seokjin and Yoongi quickly made their way onto the ground floor of the building, entering what used to be a reception area. There was no power, thus elevators were not an option.

"Let's take the fire exit...", Yoongi spoke as he panted, pointing at the door with a green sign. Seokjin was tired too, he had been carrying Yoongi all day but he was determined to get out alive.

Seokjin shifted all of Yoongi's weight to his shoulders and started climbing the steps, one by one, it was a tiring task. There were eight floors of stairs and as if everything was not in hell already, Yoongi's leg had started bleeding again.

They persevered through until they heard a loud thud followed by a clash and a clank. The sound of footsteps echoed through the building, screams resounding and the rails vibrating.

They were inside.

It was only a matter of time before the creatures found the staircase, the door to which Seokjin had locked but that really wouldn't do any help here. He only hoped the creatures never found it.

They kept moving. The floor number boards stuck onto the walls on each floor made their hearts beat faster and lungs work quicker. They were on the seventh floor when Seokjin suddenly felt the staircase railing vibrating vigorously, the echoes of the shrieks started reaching their ears more clearly.

They quickened their paces to the maximum they could do, fatigue started taking them over.

"Come on Yoongi... One more... floor...", Seokjin panted, his lungs ached from not being able to breathe properly.

Yoongi was dragging his leg, the blood oozing out of the cardboard that was tied onto his leg. Only he knew how much he was hurting. But still, the thought of him being in safe hands in just a couple of minutes kept his mind awake, he did not falter.

The echoes and vibrations grew louder and louder as Seokjin and Yoongi reached the eighth floor, they opened the door to find a big empty hall. They fastened the door, muffling the voices and started searching for the helipad.

"It should be on the other side of the hall...", Seokjin said as he traversed the hall with Yoongi, sweat covering his entire body.

They were lost, but they saw a few doors on the side they were walking towards, opened it and locked it behind them to find themselves standing on a very wide open terrace.

But where was the helipad? Was this even the right building?

"Where is it? Where's the helipad?!", Seokjin felt confused.

Questions started whizzing through Seokjin's head, his mind losing everything. Seokjin paused trying to get his thoughts straight while Yoongi limped around the terrace, exploring each and every corner. The sound behind them had dulled out for a while but it was only for a while and Seokjin knew it.

Seokjin stood there, thinking that they were at the wrong place when suddenly Yoongi called out, his voice coming from a hidden corner of the terrace, around the building.

"Hey! I found it!", Yoongi yelled.

Seokjin ran over and he found Yoongi standing inside a huge circle with the letter 'H' marked in the middle, he felt at peace again. He checked his watch, the needles showed five minutes to seven.

They had made it. Seokjin looked to the sky, squinting as the sun blinded him temporarily, to see any aircraft. He realised that they were the only survivors in Busan and that thought made him think even more. How many would have survived this apocalypse? Was his family safe?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of rotor-blades chopping the air. Both Yoongi and Seokjin looked to the skies and started waving like there was no tomorrow. Help was coming and they had never felt so alive.

As the helicopter slowly approached the terrace, both Seokjin and Yoongi felt as if everything was gonna be alright, an involuntary smile adorned their faces. Yoongi had sat down on the floor while Seokjin still stood, his cardboard covered arms high up in the air, waving at the incoming aircraft.

But all hopes dimmed out when the sound of something banging on the doors reached their ears, their hearts beating at an even higher volume.

Seokjin looked around, there were multiple entries to the terrace and all of them were sounding and vibrating, he knew the doors won't hold for much longer.

Seokjin turned his head to the sky again, the chopper was nearby. The wind from the blades soon started blowing against the floor, the dust rising. Seokjin along with Yoongi moved away from the red circle, covering their eyes from the temporary sand-storm.

The chopper now hovered above the terrace just a few metres high, Seokjin was overjoyed to see other human beings on it. One of them signalled at Seokjin to come closer while the other dropped a rope-ladder.

Both Yoongi and Seokjin rushed to the ladder, the sound above and behind them exponentially increasing, their ear-drums bursting. Seokjin helped Yoongi to get a grip on the ladder while supporting him, his leg was being a menace.

The doors creaked and thundered, Seokjin hoped that the chopper had landed. That's when a deafening noise reached his ear, the doors were compromised.

"Holy shit!"

"Faster! Come on! Climb faster!"

"Take my hand!"

Curses and shouts rose in the air, one of the black-dressed men on the helicopter held his hand out to Yoongi which he successfully got hold of. Seokjin pushed Yoongi up and gripped his own hands to the rope, the decedents tearing through forward, just seconds away from him.

The chopper lifted, Yoongi held onto the man's hand while Seokjin hung in the air on the end of the rope for his dear life.

Yoongi somehow fixed himself on the ladder by wrapping his good leg around it and turned his head down at Seokjin.

"Hang on!", his voice tore above through all the other noises, his hand held wide and open towards Seokjin.

"Seokjin! Grab my hand!"

Seokjin tried to reach Yoongi, but he couldn't. He tried again, using up all his strength and reached for it, finally resting his hand in Yoongi's.

Seokjin tried to pull himself up with Yoongi's help, climbing a few feet up but something suddenly pulled him down, back to zero. Seokjin felt as if his foot was stuck somewhere and looked down to inspect only to see decayed fingers wrapped around his shoe.

One of the 'zombies' had caught hold of his ankle in the air, by creating a make-shift ladder of their own, a few of them dropping to the ground eight storeys below from the edge of the terrace.

Seokjin tried to shake the hand off, only to make its grip stronger and his grip on the ladder weaker. Seokjin felt one more hand on his leg, slightly above the ankle, digging its nails onto the cardboard.

The 'covering himself up with cardboard' idea was a success, but that didn't guarantee protection if the cardboard was torn off him and that was exactly what happened.

The second creature got hold of the cardboard edges and fell off their 'ladder', tearing it off his leg. At the same time, the helicopter tried to hover off even further, increasing the tension in the grip between him and Yoongi and also him and the 'zombie'.

He felt his palms sweating, the friction in their hold reducing, their grip loosening. He could see the pain on Yoongi's face, how his body was straining under the grip between the helicopter and Seokjin and how much of a risk Yoongi was in. The creatures had made a well-built support system for their ladder by this time, Seokjin had only one choice.

And that choice was to keep Taehyung's promise, to save Yoongi.

Seokjin looked at Yoongi, right into his eyes and Yoongi suddenly knew. It was as if they could read each other's minds. They had relied on each other for so long, maybe that was the case.

A sudden expression of sorrow and worry flickered through Yoongi's face, his hands automatically tightening their grips while Seokjin slowly started letting go, his fingers losing their contact with Yoongi's hands.

"No! Seokjin... Pull yourself up! Seokjin!", Yoongi cried, trying his maximum to regain his tight grasp on Seokjin's hand.

"Yoongi!", Seokjin responded. "It's okay... You can let go...", tears streamed down his cheeks from the corner of his eyes, burning through his skin as he realised that this is the last time he'll ever cry.

"No!", Yoongi remained adamant. "For fuck's sake Seokjin! Do not let go!!"

Tears poured out of Yoongi's eyes, broken sobs leaving his mouth, he felt completely and utterly helpless.

"Seokjin please...", his voice had now lost all its rage, all he had was a request.

"...don't let go..."

Seokjin still kept his eye contact with Yoongi who was struggling, tears and the sun had his vision in a blur but he could see Yoongi.

"Yoongi... I made a promise. ", Seokjin raised his voice above the chopper's ear-splitting volume. Yoongi suddenly raised his eyebrows, he was confused.

Seokjin sucked in a deep breath and spoke loudly. "I made a promise that I'll save you and I'm happy I was able to keep it."

Everything else after that happened in a split-second.

Seokjin slowly loosened his grip on the ladder and on Yoongi's hand. His palm slipped through Yoongi's fingers as he fell backwards into the air.

He had really let go.

~~~

OH MY GOD ONE MORE CHAPTER AND IT'S GONNA END I'M SCREAMING I'M SOOOO EXCITED.

Next chapter will be out shortly :)

Love,
PAPRIKA 💜