Both groups pressed the lobby buttons at the same time, hoping to clear out as many zombies as possible. They watched the doors slide open as the crowd of zombies behind it turned, rushing towards it and into their hallway.

Though they knew what was coming, it didn't make seeing the mass of zombies any less horrifying.

As soon as it seemed the hallway had calmed, Seonghwa motioned for the two to follow and they quietly slipped into the hallway, walking along the wall to avoid as many zombies as possible.

Hopefully with the distraction, the number of zombies on the other side had decreased substantially. If so, they could stand a chance of taking all of them out.

They slipped through the opening, into the lobby. But Seonghwa had to stop, his whole body tensing in disgust.

So far he hadn't actually had to see the effects of the initial attacks. Though they saw a little bit of it on camera before it went dead, it wasn't the same as seeing it with his own eyes.

Blood coated the floor. Darker patches showed where people had been taken down and turned. Bits of human carnage scattered the room, causing the area to reek.

After all, he didn't even know how long ago this whole thing had started. How many days had the parts been left out to rot?

Seungmin tapped his shoulder, reminding him of their mission. Seonghwa nodded, thankful for the cover of darkness from the night sky as a tear rolled down his cheek.

They slipped between zombies, zigzagging across the lobby until they could get to the wall that would connect them to the concessions stand. Breathing heavy, they tried their best to stay quiet as they edged along it, towards the entrance.

Since the door was still ajar, they wouldn't have to worry about making noise as they opened it. But it meant they had no idea just how many zombies would be waiting for them. If it wasn't too many, they could close the door as they entered and take them out, making the room a safe space.

But that depended on their aim.

Seonghwa had watched his brother hunt but he'd never been interested in learning. He wasn't sure if Jeongin or Seungmin had much experience either.

If it came down to it, they'd have to be resourceful.

Finally, they were at the door.

Seonghwa glanced back and the two nodded at him confidently. Seonghwa saw Seungmin grab Jeongin's hand reassuringly.

He turned back, flicking off his safety and entered, gun pointed.

He was immediately greeted by a zombie who had been about to leave, and he panicked, firing at whatever he could hit.

Thankfully, his gun had been practically in its face and he got a clean shot, but the bloody face stared back at him as it fell towards him.

He jumped to the side, rushing in before the zombies in the lobby could find them. The other two followed and they shut the door, turning to face the other zombies in the concessions stand.

There were four, just enough to leave them outnumbered.

Seonghwa rushed towards the first, shooting it in the shoulder. It spun back a bit but turned forwards again, heading for him. After taking a deep breath, he adjusted his aim, this time hitting right above its left eye, and it fell to the ground.

Jeongin started along the opposite side of the counter, heading for the two who had been crashing together against a wall. Seungmin bolted past Seonghwa, going after the fourth. After a few shots, Seungmin had taken out his target and turned to help Jeongin who had been able to hit one in the face.

The other swung widely, almost scratching Jeongin's cheek. Jeongin jumped back in surprise, dropping his gun. It clattered across the floor, sliding under the countertop in the center.

Just as he turned back, the zombie swung again but stopped mid-swing as a swing from the left crushed its head in, knocking it to the ground.

Seungmin panted as he held a bloodied cash register, slowly setting it on the counter.

"Thanks," Jeongin whispered.

"Didn't want to risk missing with my gun," Seungmin said with a slight smile.

Seonghwa sighed in relief, double checking for any other zombies.

"Is it safe?"

They all turned, spotting the little boy tucked under the countertop. Three others sat with him, their eyes shining with tears.

The three idols approached slowly, smiling reassuringly.

"You're safe now. You can come out," Seungmin said.

Seonghwa reached to help the young boy, looking him in the eyes gently.

"You must be Saem. Did your sister make that shirt for you?" he asked sweetly.

"Yeah. She's the best painter ever. And look! She put all of the Ateen members on the back! And they're sparkly!"

Saem's eyes lit up with pride as he turned around, seemingly unphased by all of the gore around him.

Seonghwa didn't have the heart to correct his error.

"She's really talented. So talented that she's even gotten all of us together to make sure you're safe. Is everyone okay?" Seonghwa asked, glancing around at the others.

They all smiled shyly, quite startled at the realization that they were surrounded by idols.

"You're all safe now. We're gonna get you out of here," Jeongin smiled.

They nodded, smiles breaking across all of their faces.

One girl leaned down, reaching under the counter as she grabbed Jeongin's gun for him. He quickly insisted that it might be dangerous since it was loaded and tried to stop her. But she shook her head, insisting she had experience with firearms.

Gently, she slid it out, flicking on the safety before bringing it up and placing it in his hands. He thanked her generously and Seungmin crossed the room to find his own firearm.

Seonghwa had all of them stretch their limbs and eat something before leading them through the plan for the evening. After checking the clock, he saw they had an hour until they were supposed to get everyone to the staircase so he had ample time to make sure everyone understood every detail.

While he was explaining everything, he saw Jeongin wrap his arms around Seungmin's back, surprising him. Seungmin glanced over his shoulder, meeting his eyes and Jeongin placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for having my back," he whispered.

"Of course, you don't have to thank me. It's my job."

"But you're still injured. I know that must have hurt your ribs."

Seungmin looked away. He'd been trying his best to hide the excruciating pain in his side.

"It wasn't too bad. They've mostly healed."

"They're not going to just heal on their own. You'll need to see a doctor as soon as we're out of here, okay?"

Seungmin didn't have the heart to tease him, knowing that ribs often do heal on their own. He kind of liked the idea of Jeongin wanting to take care of him.

"Okay."

Jeongin smiled brightly, nuzzling his head into Seungmin's shoulder as they listened to the rest of Seonghwa's plan.

Seonghwa smiled at the sight.

But he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sadness.