Chan stopped short in his tracks, blood running down his shirt.

Minho wasn't looking at it.

He was just running.

He couldn't stop.

Jieun screamed. She tried to put her hand over it to stop the bleeding but an involuntary twitch sent her elbow reeling in the wrong direction, knocking her back against the wall in pain.

Minho wasn't watching.

He was just running.

With a horrified sob, she threw open the door and ran, and it slowly closed behind her before the zombies in the hallway had time to react.

But soon a loud pounding started against it and the door started to shake.

Chan still hadn't moved.

But Minho had.

He was almost there.

"CHAN!" Hongjoong screamed, too horrified to move. He dropped his weapon and it clattered loudly to the floor.

Seonghwa moved to follow Minho's pursuit but Hongjoong grabbed his hand, shaking his head.

Minho saw none of this.

He hardly even noticed the crimson flooding Chan's chest as he finally reached him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay. You're safe. I've got you. It's gonna be okay."

He held onto Chan as tight as he could, barely feeling the hot blood against his neck.

"M-Min-ho," Chan finally gasped, the words barely leaving his lips.

"Shhhh, just rest your voice. It's going to be okay. Seonghwa will get you all wrapped up and you'll be all better in no time. Just stay with me, okay?"

Seonghwa finally heard the crack in Minho's voice and realized that Minho already knew what had happened.

Jieun must have had a premature reaction to the zombie blood in her veins. When Chan had approached from behind, the sudden sound had caused her to attack, biting whatever her teeth could find first.

For Chan, it was his neck.

The wound was pouring blood. It had covered his shirt with its crimson color.

It was too much.

He couldn't lose that much blood.

"I-I'm sorry," Chan gasped, coughing as the organs in his throat failed to function and blood seeped into his lungs.

"Don't you be sorry. You can't be fucking sorry. You're the best leader I could've asked for. The best big brother. I'm sorry I made your life so difficult," Minho said, his voice breaking as he started to cry.

"I-I'm sorry I couldn't-save them. Save-you."

Minho looked at Chan's eyes and saw the pain in his expression. Not from his injury, but from his guilt.

He felt guilty.

For everyone who hadn't made it.

For the members who were all alone.

As if it was all his fault.

As if everything was on his shoulders.

"You don't deserve this world, Chan. You don't. It wasn't fair to you. You are the kindest, most generous, human being I will ever know. You deserved so much fucking better and I'm sorry the world told you that you didn't. I'm sorry I never helped you to see how fucking special you are. How much you mean to all of us."

Minho's eyes were shut, tears painting his face, mixing with the red stains of hardened blood on his chin.

"Let me go."

It was hardly even a whisper.

But Minho heard it.

He looked Chan in the eye, barely able to see through the blur of tears.

"How am I supposed to do this without you?!" he sobbed reaching his hands out to hold Chan's face gently, his fingers brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Please."

Minho bit his lip, his eyebrows knotting together.

He finally let himself look down.

The gash in his neck was already circled with black veins, reaching up to his chin.

It wouldn't be long.

"Please don't leave me. I don't think I can do this without you," Minho whispered, knowing his words wouldn't do anything but hurt both of them. His hands shook as he clung to Chan's face, unable to focus on anything else.

"Minho. You're-stronger than-you think," Chan managed, clear pain crossing his face at the effort.

Minho shook his head, his eyes running over with tears.

"I'm not. I'm not strong at all."

"Then be strong-for me."

Minho stared into his eyes.

"Save them for me. Do what-do what I c-"

All of a sudden Chan's chin jerked up, his wound ripping further and spraying Minho.

He scrambled back in horror, fear consuming him.

"What I cou-"

Chan tried once again to finish his last statement but his spine twisted, making a loud popping sound and sending Chan into a fit of agony.

"S-save them," Chan finally whispered.

Minho couldn't do anything more than nod.

Chan knew he was changing. He knew what he would become. And so did Minho.

They knew he had to go.

With a start, Chan pulled open the door but was halted as another spasm sent his arm backward, leaving the doorway wide open as the zombies nearby turned to glance inside.

It was in that moment when Minho realized he could still sink lower.

Lying on the ground, just a few meters away from them.

Hyunjin.

A gunshot hole in his temple.

Blood across the floor.

His unmoving eyes, still puffy from the tears he'd probably shed in his final moments.

Chan panicked, not able to bear the thought of leaving the others to the zombies and threw himself at the zombies, taking the door handle in his hand and slamming it shut as he moved.

The room finally fell into silence, other than the growling of the zombies outside, likely sinking their teeth into Chan's heavily bloodied body.

Minho fell to the ground.

Numb.

Hongjoong finally released Seonghwa's wrist and they each took a step towards Minho, not sure what they could possibly do.

"Minho, we...we need to change your bandages. It might get infected. And...you're losing blood," Seonghwa said quietly.

"What if I'm the only one left?"

Seonghwa paused.

"The others are okay. You know they are. They can take care of themselves. You can trust them."

"Jinnie..."

Seonghwa turned to Hongjoong for help. Hongjoong moved closer.

"What did you say?" he asked gently.

"Jinnie...he's gone. And it's all my fault. If I hadn't-if I hadn't been wounded he would've-he could've gone ahead..."

Hongjoong and Seonghwa realized who he was talking about.

"You don't know anything happened. He's probably somewhere safe with Jeongin and Seungmin-"

"He's dead. I saw him. His eyes...they were so...empty. What if-what if none of them made it except me?"

The two froze. So his body must have been in the hallway. That must have been what came over Minho.

They didn't know what to say. They hadn't seen any actual death until this very moment. And it was jarring.

It was horrifying.

It was unreal.

Hongjoong still felt like Chan might just walk back in at any moment. As if it was all just an elaborate prank.

"Minho...I'm so sorry," Seonghwa whispered and he walked over to him, holding him tightly from behind.

But Minho didn't move. He just sat in the same position, arms hung limply at his sides.

"We're all going to die."