Yunho stared at Mingi. Waiting.

Waiting for him to crack a big smile and say it was just a joke. To punch him in the arm and tease him for falling for it.

To do something.

But Mingi didn't move.

His eyes were staring at Yunho.

They were so scared.

"Fuck," San whispered, his voice cracking.

Wooyoung paced in small circles, running his hands over his hair.

"When could this have even happened!? We barely even saw any zombies!! It has to be a false alarm! Mingi, are you sure you didn't put your hand in something in the maintenance closet??" he finally asked, pausing in his incessant steps.

Mingi's hand shook. His head slowly shook side to side.

"It must've been...the ones we fought on the way in..." he whispered, tears starting to pool in his eyes. "Guess it serves me right. For being useless. Only I could manage to get bit by the only zombie I ever fought."

San shook his head walking over to him, his face drenched in tears.

"No, it's not your fault. You did everything right," he whimpered, pulling Mingi into a tight hug. Wooyoung reached forward to warn him to stand back, but thought better of it.

"He's going to be okay, right? There's gotta be a cure, right?"

Yunho turned to look at the Wooyoung and Kyungsoon, his eyes rimmed with red. His expression brought a sob to Wooyoung's throat and he had to turn away.

"Kyungsoon?"

Kyungsoon stammered, her eyes already brimming with tears.

"I-I don't-th-there has to be...somewhere..."

"We need to find it. That needs to be our priority," Yunho said, turning back to look at San and Mingi.

San slowly released Mingi, turning to Yunho. He grabbed his hand and leaned close.

"There's no time," he whispered, his voice catching as he released Yunho's hand and turned away, walking over to Wooyoung. His pace quickened as he approached and eventually threw himself into Wooyoung's open arms.

Yunho looked at them in confusion.

"But...there has to be...we have to do something..."

San sobbed into Wooyoung's shirt, his fingers twisted so tightly around the material that they glowed white.

Yunho turned back to the door.

"Jongho...Jongho can help you."

He started walking towards it, his face blank. Jongho could find the antidote. He could save Mingi.

But as his fingertips brushed the door knob, a hand grabbed his shirtsleeve. Yunho turned back.

"Please. Don't leave me."

Yunho stared into Mingi's eyes. They shook with fear, his eyebrows drawn up in the center in desperation. His lip trembled as another tear fell from his eye.

Yunho looked down at Mingi's dark wrist.

It didn't look right. It wasn't Mingi. This wasn't his friend's hand. It was something else.

But the sleeve of Mingi's favorite sweatshirt sat just above his wrist, the sleeve spattered with blood. Yunho reached for it, trying to wipe away what was left. Mingi watched him.

"Yunho...we can't..." Wooyoung began but couldn't finish his sentence. San held his head tightly as he broke down against San's shoulder.

Yunho was forced to face the truth.

This was his friend.

He was dying.

He would die.

It was too late.

There was nothing he could do.

He looked over at the back of the room. Seeing the closet that Kyungsoon had been hiding in.

Well...not nothing.

He held Mingi's hand, taking him toward the closet, pulling open the door.

"Yunho-what are you-" Wooyoung started but San stopped him.

"Give him a moment alone with him. If we barricade the closet door, he won't be able to hurt anyone. And then we don't have to make him..." San looked over at the hallway crawling with other zombies.

Wooyoung followed his gaze, shaking. He turned back and nodded.

"Okay. However long he needs."

San's eyes began to water again as he locked eyes with Wooyoung, reaching up to brush back the strands of air caught in the flood of his tears.

"Are you sure you aren't bitten anywhere?" he asked, his lip quivering.

Wooyoung nodded firmly, a sad smile breaking across his cheeks.

"I promise you. I'm not leaving you alone, Sannie. I'm not going anywhere."

San nodded with a sad smile that quickly broke into tears and Wooyoung pulled him close to his chest.

"I promise."

Yunho had closed the closet door, leaving him and Mingi in the small space, less than a foot apart.

He still held Mingi's hand tightly.

"Yunho...I'm so scared..." Mingi whimpered, looking down at his hand.

Yunho pulled the sleeve over the mark, turning Mingi's chin up to look him in the eye.

"I'm here. I'm not leaving. I'll never leave you."

"I don't want to...I'm not ready to die," Mingi cried, breathing shakily as he began to hyperventilate.

"Hey, Mingi. Look at me. It's gonna be okay. Okay? I'm right here. See? I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm gonna-I'm gonna-I'm-"

Yunho grabbed Mingi's face, holding it in his hands.

"Hey, remember in the closet? When I was going to tell you something? I'll tell you now. Okay?"

Mingi stopped talking, his mind struggling to think about anything other than the bite on his wrist.

"You were right. I was lying. You always know when I'm lying. You were right. The reason I punched the mirror was because...I got really upset with the other members. Because...they weren't doing anything to look for you. And I was so fucking worried about you I punched a mirror."

Mingi's eyes finally connected with his, widening as the pain slid away.

"You were...worried about me?"

Yunho felt tears forming at his innocent expression.

"Of course I was worried about you! Mingi, you're the best friend I've ever had!"

Mingi slowly leaned back a bit, looking at the ground. Yunho realized he had backtracked without intending to.

If he was going to tell Mingi, now was the time. It was his last chance.

"Mingi, I love you."

Mingi glanced back up again in shock, his ears turning red. It was almost comical to see such a silly reaction in their current situation.

"You...love me? Like...love love?"

Yunho didn't know how else to explain it, and as he looked at Mingi's soft eyes, he came to a conclusion. He leaned forward, pressing his lips against Mingi's.

And...

Mingi kissed back.

Yunho stopped, immediately pulling away in shock. Mingi stared back at him, confused.

"You...you..."

"I love you, too," Mingi whispered, a small smile tugging at his lips as a tear slipped down his cheek.

Yunho threw himself forward, pulling Mingi's lips to his own as his eyes overflowed with tears. His body shook in pain as he pressed his lips into Mingi's, wanting to turn seconds into years.

Trying to make up for the time they never had.

The future they'd never have.

Eventually his lips stopped as he broke into sobs, pressed against Mingi. Mingi started crying, holding Yunho tightly in his arms.

"I'm not going to let you go. I'll be here until the very end, okay?" Yunho whispered quietly as his tears began to slow down.

Mingi nodded, gripping Yunho's back.

A knock on the door startled them but neither answered it.

"Yunho...you need to come out," San said quietly but firmly.

"No. He's still Mingi. I'm not leaving him alone. We'll be together until the end."

"Yunho, don't do anything stupid. As soon as you see him turning, get out of there."

"He's still fucking here! Don't talk about him like he's fucking gone!" Yunho yelled, holding onto Mingi tightly.

The others were silent, unsure what to say. Wooyoung stepped back, his foot tapping anxiously. San walked over to put a hand on his shoulder.

"He needs to get out of there," Wooyoung whispered, pulling his finger to his mouth in a nervous attempt to bite his fingernail. San held his hand, pulling it down to his waist.

"You know I'd do that same thing if it was you," San responded.

Wooyoung turned around, shaking his head.

"No. I won't let you."

"Too bad. You know I'm stronger than you. I'm not letting you get away from me."

"San, don't say shit like that. Seriously, if I get bitten, you toss me out right away. Don't make me hurt you."

"Now you're the one saying shit! I'm not just gonna toss you out into the hallway infested with zombies! Are you insane??"

"It's the safest option."

"Fuck the safest option! I won't let this apocalypse take our humanity! As long as you're human, you're staying right by my side-"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, coming from the closet.

San immediately ran for the door, grabbing the handle.

But it was locked.

That's when the second gunshot sounded.