"FUCK! THEY'RE COMING!" Wooyoung shrieked, turning towards his companions and starting to bolt. But San grabbed his hand.

"We have to find the others."

"And we will! After we take cover and wait for the zombies to be gone!"

"We don't know that they'll leave. And even if they do, we don't know long it will take. What if the others need us? What if a few hours is too long?" Yunho asked, getting set in a defensive position. He held his broom in front of him, ready to shove back anyone who came close.

"Are you two insane!? The bathroom is still a ways up the hallway!! We'll have to go through them to get there!"

"We know," San said firmly, grabbing his wrench from his pocket and tossing it up, catching it in a defensive stance.

"Wooyoung! You have our best defense. We need you," Yunho pleaded, his hands shaking with fear as the zombies approached.

San looked him in the eye, squeezing his hand.

"Fuck! Well if you two won't go hide I'm not gonna abandon you! But if I die I'll come for both of you first!"

With a battle cry, Wooyoung turned around his cart and charged.

The first time his cart made contact he almost lost it.

The crunch of human bones against his heavy metal instrument. A few of the zombies were trampled by it, getting stuck under the wheels.

He stumbled backwards a bit as Yunho rushed forward and pushed the next group back with his broom.

Getting his head on straight, Wooyoung launched forward into another attack, hitting harder.

They kept this up for a few good minutes, slowly pushing their way down the hallway.

Until one of the zombies broke through during their switch.

It headed right towards Yunho.

"Yunho look out!" Wooyoung screamed but soon the zombie fell to the ground as a resounding crack filled the hallway. Almost too fast to be seen, San's hairbrush whizzed through the air, smacking the zombie right in the temple, sending it backwards into the mob.

Yunho quickly grabbed the brush and tossed it back, and the group resumed their charge.

Finally, the door was in sight. It was a little concerning that they hadn't seen the group yet but they were all starting to feel like getting into the safe bathroom was far more important at the moment.

"Keep pushing guys we're almost there!" San yelled, stepping up beside Yunho and putting his wrench to use.

Wooyoung braced to charge forward again but as he threw his whole weight into it, it came to a halting screech, sending him sprawling backwards.

"WOO!" San screamed, glancing back, just for a moment.

Wooyoung saw a zombie turn at the shout, getting ready to launch itself.

"SAN TURN AROUND!" he screamed as loud as possible, causing the zombie to turn towards him instead.

It gave Yunho just enough time to smack it back with the handle of his broom as Wooyoung regained his footing and check on his wheels. As he looked ahead, he was hit with a sudden realization. The rest of the path led to the service ramps for the stage equipment, and was riddled with miniature speed bumps meant to warn stagehands of other equipment coming around the corner.

His momentum would be expended on every bump. He wouldn't be able to hit the zombies with enough force to knock them very far.

They needed to retreat.

"Guys! Look at the floor! I can't keep pushing them back! We need to take cover!" he called out, turning the cart to its side to act as more of a shield than a weapon.

The other two gathered behind it.

"What do we do!?" Wooyoung cried.

"The bathroom is right there! We can almost open the door! We can't just stop here! Not when it's the safest option!" Yunho answered, glancing nervously at the mass gathering in front of them.

"How the hell do you propose we do that?" Wooyoung snapped.

"If we just force our way into the maintenance closet next door, we can hide until the zombies clear out. And we'll be close enough to hear anyone if they come through here," San suggested and Wooyoung looked up at the closet in front of them.

It was still going to be risky.

"Okay," Yunho said, surprising Wooyoung.

The two turned to him and he had no choice but to nod. It didn't seem like they'd settle for anything less dangerous.

San and Yunho flanked Wooyoung on each side and the three charged at once. Wooyoung eased the cart over the first speed bump before throwing his strength against it, causing the closest zombies to collapse on top of it as their shins cracked loudly against the metal. He tried his best to lean back as fast as he could, avoiding the snarling faces and dodging the desperate fingers.

Just as soon as he'd pulled back, he reeled forward, tipping the cart and ultimately turning it over onto the zombies before him.

"NOW!" he called, as he gave the cart one last kick forward and ran to the maintenance closet. Yunho followed right behind him and San stood behind, striking back any zombies who hadn't been caught in the attack.

Wooyoung yanked the door open and he and Yunho flew inside. Wooyoung quickly reached out and grabbed San's shirt, dragging him in before slamming the door and locking it.

The three sat in darkness, pressed against the door as it shook under the force of the mob outside. Wooyoung tossed his head back, trying to regain some of his oxygen. San grunted, adjusting his legs as he pressed his shoulder into the door. Yunho wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he pressed his back firmly against the closet door.

But just then, the closet filled with light as a second opening alarmed their senses.

"YUNHO!?"

They glanced at the opening, able to make out a figure that stood about six feet tall.

Yunho practically released his grip on the door right then and there.

"MINGI!!" he gasped, his eyes immediately brimming with tears.

A few other faces approached, and they recognized Yeosang and Jongho, as well as a few members from Stray Kids.

"Come on! We need to help them!" Mingi called, rushing forward to hold back the door, but Changbin held him back.

"We don't know if they've been bitten," he muttered, eyeing them suspiciously.

"They haven't! They have Yunho! He's the smartest person I know! He'd never let that happen!" Mingi protested.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't convince me of anything," Changbin remarked.

"He's right, Mingi. We just need to make sure. You never know," Jongho said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You too, Jongho!? They're our friends! What are you saying!?"

"Keep your voice down! You're just making their situation worse!" Jongho snapped, and Yeosang moved forward to pull Jongho back.

"We can trust them. They'd never hurt us," Yeosang said quietly.

"I'm not saying that they would! I'm just saying we need to be smart. This isn't normal circumstances, it's a fucking apocalypse! I'm just trying to keep you safe!"

"Well I don't need your protection!"

Everyone went quiet as Yeosang's voice rose louder than it ever had before.

"Yeo...it's okay. If you want to check us, we'll let you. We understand. And if you want us to stay in here for the time being...it's okay," Wooyoung said quietly.

"We just want everyone to feel safe," San added.

Yunho and Mingi were still staring at each other from across the space. They hadn't let their eyes drift once.

"I think it's probably safest if you three stay in here for an hour," Jongho said firmly. But they could see he didn't like doing it.

"An hour!? But that door might not hold! The bathroom is secure! They might not be safe here! We can't just leave them to fend for themselves!" Mingi cried.

"It's okay. We'll be okay," Yunho smiled at him, his lips trembling.

"Then I'm staying in here too!"

Everyone turned to stare at Mingi.

"Mingi, don't be stupid. I care about them just as much as you do! But we can't trust anyone right now!" Jongho snapped, his volume shooting much higher than it had been before, causing a substantial rise in the force on the closet door. The three grunted under the strain.

Mingi didn't hesitate.

He charged forward, placing his shoulder into the door, aiding the group of three.

He turned his head to meet Yunho's astonished stare.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Yunho whispered.

"I'm sorry I had to shit," Mingi laughed lightly and Yunho burst into a fit of laughter, causing Mingi to join in.

A smile broke across San's face and Wooyoung smiled in return. He looked back at Jongho who was clearly feeling a tremendous mix of fear and guilt.

"We'll stay for the hour. If any of us start having symptoms, getting Mingi back is our first priority. Okay?" Wooyoung called.

"Fine. His loss," Changbin sighed, earning a punch from Felix who'd been pulling at his arm to let the others in.

"See you in an hour," Wooyoung smiled, his eyes connecting with Yeosang's, which were trembling with anger.

"If they die, I'll never forgive you."

Yeosang turned from Jongho, storming back into the bathroom. Jongho looked entirely defeated but he tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor.

"See you in an hour," he whispered, before closing the door and returning the closet to darkness.