[Recommended Song]: Violent by Carolesdaughter
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Jace was becoming busy all of a sudden, his eye kept blinking at his phone for almost half an hour. He became so distracted that he even ignored his boyfriend who kept calling him repeatedly.

"Back to earth Rafael Jace Jimenez-Xiao!" Seb clapped in front of his gege causing Elijah to laugh.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Jace came back after a few claps. Elijah tilted his head.

"Am I disturbing something? You keep on ignoring me every time I call you." The younger sighed as he finished the rest of his food. He stood up and cleaned the dishes with the help of Ezra.

"Atlas, come here!" Yskael called, Atlas just responded with a hum.

"What, Kael?" Atlas walked toward his girlfriend (Atheena) who crossed her arms.

[ Asher Ma as: ]

Name: Joaquin Atlas De Leon

Age: 29

Relation: Atheena's boyfriend, friend

[ Guocheng as: ]

Name: Yskael Jackson Lim

Age: 29

Relation: Friend
__________________________

"Take the spare weapons," Yskael instructed. Atlas frowned at the latter. "Can't you take it by yourself?"

"Do I look like I know where it is?"

Atheena rolled her eyes. "Atlas, go ahead, he's the boss, remember?"

The male could only sigh. Boss? Yskael? No, never- it was Jonathan who led the group to survival. But, it was Atheena asking after all, how could he refuse?

Atlas hummed, he stood up and went to get the spare weapons he'd hidden somewhere.

"Kai, I thought I told you to call jiejie?" Jace says, Kai gave him an I don't know look.

"Ge, I did call those two, I promise." The latter replied. "I swear I just closed the door shut moments ago after I left."

Zack gently patted Kai's hair. "Try calling them again, maybe they fell asleep."

"I'm too lazy," Kai whined, Zack clicked his tongue and dragged the younger to the sofa. "Just, stay still, then,"

Ezra giggled at Kai's reaction, he was somewhat shocked.

"Ezra, you better shut up, right now," Kai instructed, but, Ezra didn't listen.

[ Cao Junxiang as: ]

Name: Cyren Ezra Rodriguez

Age: 21

Relation: Friend
___________________________

"Eh? I was only laughing!" The younger exclaimed. He pouted his lips, how come Kai can't take a joke?

"Gege, can't you stay?" Jonathan sighed, he was worried, but at the same time, he knew he'd miss how Elijah took care of him.

Elijah cooed at the latter. "I can't, I still need to study, but I can visit you here anytime, so don't worry about me. You can take care of yourself."

"It'll take months before you graduate with Jace-ge! I don't care if I'm whining like a baby. Besides, eh... I can't even trust Jace-gege. You know-"

"I had a boyfriend at the age of 25, Nathan. I know what I'm doing. Your gege is close to you as well, isn't he? Munchkin, just be happy for us, okay? Hm... just focus on your friends."

Jonathan gave a nod. To be honest, at first, he didn't really trust Jace with anything- and that includes the person he'd always been vulnerable to Elijah. It was clearly shown that his trust issues were obvious toward the older.

"Hey! Are we going now?" Kiara waved from a distance. Everyone nodded and waved goodbye to the others.

Diana looked at her sister. "Young mom, you are coming with me." She gently dragged Dimitri by her wrist.

Atheena felt unknown pity for the girl. It wasn't easy being a teenage mom. "Maybe, it's better for her to stay, jie. She just gave birth after all we'll take care of her."

"Are you-" Jonathan hissed in a faint voice. He didn't expect this, and neither did he agree. Well, actually, no one even consulted him about the sudden decision.

Diana took a slight glance at her sister and then to the group: "Will it be okay?" Everyone didn't seem to like it. What Atheena did was selfless of her- but, the thing is, she went on with it so suddenly.

Dimitri looked at the group, eyes filled with hope. She doesn't want to fly to Canada ever again.

"Babe," Atlas whispered in his lover's ear. "What are you doing? We aren't even in good terms with her. Seb isn't, Jonathan isn't!" Atheena sighed.

"We'll take good care of her, don't worry- rest assured, jiejie." The female already felt choking, yet, she refused to let Dimitri go as she believed the latter would be safer around them who were trained to fight.

Diana nodded. She let go of her sister's wrist and gingerly stroked her hair. "Take care of yourself and my niece!"

Dimitri giggled and hummed in response. "Yes, yes! I will call you, jie." She hugged her sister before joining the others. Diana turned and ran to chase the squad.

------

San Vedra University:

When the squad came back, everyone was gossiping about something.

"Ivan!" Diana shouted as she ran to Ivan's tent. "What's going on?" She asked in a bewildered tone. Ivan answered her.

"Another strange thing after the massacre: one of our students disappeared again."

Diana shivered, the massacre left a big impact on everyone- it feared them to death. It's been weeks, yet, no one seems to have moved on from the incident.

"Where's Elias?"

"He just went through a heartbreak. He's probably alone somewhere."

Nodding her head, Diana stayed in the tent along with Ivan who was on his phone.

----

"Another student has gone missing." Callista worriedly told as she sat on the ground.

"I've heard," Jace replied as he took a marshmallow out of the container and stuffed it inside his boyfriend's mouth.

Tris ruffled his hair. "I wonder what principal Lixin's doing about this. We haven't contacted anyone of our family members for weeks now, they might be worried. To add to that, we can only be reliable to him and ourselves."

Zack rested a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Chill, Tris, principal Lixin could undergo pressure as well, and you know that."

"Little miss someone being in a forbidden relationship without his parents knowing!?"

A paper hit Elijah's head. The group turned to a group of boys and girls.

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Jace came closer to the other group, his eyes showed that he was burning in anger. Zàijiàn squad came close as well.

"We weren't saying names, maybe it's you who have problems!" Said the male pushing Jace.

Dominic growls: "It was very clear, you said it out loud as soon as you stopped over us, the girl even threw a paper on our youngest." He said in a cold voice.

"Dominic, stop, let's just go." Elijah turned; "Don't provoke the little miss social butterfly but can't even pull one true love."

"You- maybe that's why your parents disowned you, you fucking idiot!! did they even love you, huh?! I think not. And, Jace? He can pull many girls

Elijah felt his heart sink deep into his stomach. It was true, his parents despised him, and they hated his whole existence. "If my parents hate me because I'm being me- it's only you and your minions who give a fuck, I don't." He gave a cold stare and left. The group neither smiled nor laughed in victory, they were awoken by the cold stare.

Jace hissed and could only run after his boyfriend.

Tris gave a bloody stare, it was as if he was ready to murder. No one dares to hurt his brother like that.

"Tris, let them go..." Kai softly murmured. Zack pulled the latter out of there. He, too, was burning in anger. The two ladies twitched as they walked forward.

One stare and a hard slap hit the guy's face. He groaned. Kiara scoffed. "That is for messing with Elijah. Oh, you're groaning? I didn't even feel like I slapped you hard enough."

The two left with satisfaction. Tris stayed there and just looked.

"What?! You're going to slap us too? Then, then, do it!" A girl yelled. Tris chuckled.

"Silly, very silly of you- I'm not going to hurt you physically." Replied Tris with an innocent pout. "Be careful though," He reminded and showed some screenshots, even a video. "Is this you all? Doing drugs, getting drunk, and doing sexy make-outs pleasing boys at the club?"

"I'm not scared, your dad and ours have a connection. I just need to contact him and voilà! All the proofs gone." Said the other girl with an evil laugh.

Tris knitted his eyebrows. "You're the one who said it, Elijah was disowned, that makes me and my older brother disowned as well. Do you even know what it's like to... be a middle child of a broken family? I don't seek approval- not a single one from the Harisson-Wang siblings does. Not even my gege." He twirled the phone to play with it. "So, what's it going to be? Shut your mouth, or, this goes not only to your father but the whole world?"

The group just left, afraid of what humiliation might they face. Tris ran back to the tent following the others.

----

Elijah swallowed as he had his own breakdown. He used an extra pillow to cover his face and turn his cries into muffles.

"I already knelt in front of them until my knees bled, and they never forgave me... Was it my fault?! I did every single fucking thing just to make myself reach their standards." He murmured to himself and cried more. He tried to stop his tears but his chest became tight.

"I tried everything... Dear God, is this what I get for not helping myself? I tried to fit in with other people, focused, and motivated myself to keep studying every day. At least let me keep the man I desired all of my life. I want to be selfish for once."

He just let his chest tighten until he knew he couldn't breathe, he was used to it.

"Elijah? Love..."

When Elijah heard his lover's voice, he quickly laid down and turned to his right. He pretended to sleep.

Jace opened the door to their tent. He saw his lover asleep. He sighed and lay beside his lover his arms wrapped around Elijah. The latter noticed and turned.

Jace cooed, thinking Elijah was having dreams again. He continued hugging him.

"I've never seen you cry, how come?" Jace murmured to himself. "I know there's something inside of you that felt hurt when the other group involved your family."

"Why did you even stop me from punching those guys? You defend us, and let it be without us doing the same? I love you so much that I..."

Elijah flinched, what was it?

"I'm ready to kill anyone just to protect you, I can even sacrifice myself."

The younger looked up, "You crossed, in no way are you going to die for me."

"I thought you were asleep?"

Jace's eyes landed on his boyfriend. Elijah thought for a moment what would his reply be.

"I... woke up when I hear you murmur." The other replied in an instant. However, the older wasn't convinced by this.

Elijah felt it. From Jace's intense stare, but, he wasn't going to let his lover found out that he cried. His parents... they never deserved his tears anyway.

"Don't stare at me like that," He continued. "It scares me." He snuggled to Jace inhaling his scent. It had always brung comfort to the younger, his lover became his life, and his comfort.

Jace just shook it off. "Sleep," He ordered, ruffling his boyfriend's hair.

The two slept, embracing each other after some (what you can call) "confrontation."

-----

Meanwhile, Wisteria and Ambrosia had something evil in mind. They gathered the dead-cold corpses during the massacre, those who were killed, and other unknown bodies of the dead to who knows where they came from.

Counting: One, two, three... there were countless of corpses laid on the ground.

Wisteria cuffed the corpse's hands and it's feet to a stretcher.

Ambrosia looked at her sister and nodded. Wisteria's cue was her only approval.

"Do it," said the older as she sat back down, watching the show she had enjoyed through the years.

Ambrosia slowly poked the needle through the cold corpse's skin while pressing the lower part.

Once the drug was comepletely injected, Ambrosia took the needle part out.

The dead body started moving its head part. You'll hear bones cracking while the head moved. Its lips parted, revealing yellow-colored teeth. The fingers started to move as well, one by one. Toes curling- on top were injured, bleeding nails.

Its eyes blinked open, and it soon roared. The process was complete.

It was a creature brought to life from fiction: a zombie.

"Hm... You creature little zombie will cause havoc to this school, until it goes down, along with other challenges."

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Late, super late update. I have upcoming exams this October, and updates might be slower than usual, so please do bare with me. Also, I will release my ZhanYi oneshots book. That's all! Enjoy! ♡

-xoxo: Ms. Khi 🦊🖤