Run.

33

Your heart leaps up into your throat.

Amidst the nearing growls, you hear another noise.

The sound of bells chiming.

You look around, unable to make sense of the noise. Before you can ask the others, Yoongi groans. "You've gotta be kidding me. Will we ever catch a break?"

"How did they find us?? We weren't being that loud, were we?" Jimin says in frustration, raking a hand through his orange hair.

"Maybe we're all immune too?" Taehyung chimes in hopefully.

"Lets not take that chance. Everyone, move!" Namjoon commands, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. You push the sound of bells from your mind, dismissing it as a trick of the mind probably brought on by exhaustion and blood loss. The others follow Namjoon's lead, scooping up supplies and getting ready to run.

But you're not quick enough.

The first zombie breaks the tree line, running straight for Yoongi. It's slowed due to an apparent broken knee, bending a way that no leg should. Yoongi brandishes his sword, looking almost bored as he takes the monster's head off in one clean sweep. It thuds to the ground with a soft thump.

"Brace yourselves!" Namjoon calls. Immediately, everyone falls into line, weapons held at the ready.

Your try your best to ignore the searing pain in your injured arm as you raise your gun. Taking a few deep, steadying breaths, you glance over at Jungkook. His dark eyes lock with yours. He nods once, flashing you a small, reassuring smile before returning his gaze to the trees.

But he can't hide the worry lingering in the depths of his eyes.

The thundering of feet grows louder and louder, and you struggle to not let it overwhelm you. The chorus of screeches sends chills down your spine. It's impossible to tell just how many there are, but it's certainly enough to be more than concerned about.

We can do this. We've trained for this. It will be ok.

You tell yourself over and over, trying desperately to calm your pounding heart. You feel the familiar adrenaline ignite, setting your veins on fire. You tighten your grip on your gun just as the second zombie breaks the tree line. Its followed by a third, then a fourth. You stop counting as the floodgates open, several more crashing through at once.

The sound of guns firing fills the frigid air.

The beasts start dropping beneath the onslaught of bullets. They pile up on the ground, slowing down the others still coming. They rush in, tripping over the fallen monsters, making it easier to pick them off.

But there's too many of them.

They keep coming and coming, as the number of bullets you have left dwindles lower and lower. 

One of them gets a little too close, launching over the others in a flash and lurching towards you. The sight of it turns your stomach, somehow seeming more horrific than the others. There is a gaping, black hole where its nose used to be, and its arm is so broken that the bones break through the skin. Its long, matted hair flies behind it, and its body is covered in wounds, torn flesh hanging all over it. Before it can reach you, you aim straight for the head, staring into its soulless, milky eyes as you pull the trigger. The bullet finds its home right between the beasts eyes, and it drops mere feet from you.

You take down several others, never letting any get as close as the other one.

Inevitably, you pull the trigger yet again only to hear the hollow click of an empty chamber. You curse under your breath, throwing the gun down. Just as you go to reach for the knife hidden in your boot, Minho steps in front of you.

"I have bullets left. Stay behind me. We'll make it through this." He says calmly, weapon raised.

"Thanks" you say, relief flooding your voice as you move closer to him. You're definitely better with a gun than you are with a knife, and know your chances of surviving would be much slimmer if you were forced to come face to face with one of those monsters.

Suddenly, the world starts spinning.

You blink your eyes rapidly, taking a few stumbling steps backward.

"Y/n? What's wrong?" Minho calls over his shoulder, glancing back to see why you've moved away from him.

"I don't know, I'm just feeling a little light-headed all of a sudden. It's nothing, I'm fine." You call back, leaning against a tree trunk as you try to steady yourself. Looking down, you notice with a start that the snow around you has turned bright red. You grip your throbbing arm, finding it slicked with blood.

You're bleeding more than you thought you were.

Reaching down, you tear a long strip from the bottom of your shirt. Carefully, you tie it around your arm, above the bullet wound. Using one hand and your teeth, you fasten it as tightly as possible, creating a tourniquet. Gasping in pain, you stand back up, knowing you can't let your guard down even for a moment.

You look forward, where the boys still stand, assessing the situation. Relief flows through you as you realize the floodgates are closing, now only a few zombies stumbling through the tree line at a time. Jimin and Hoseok are also out of bullets, taking refuge behind Taehyung, Namjoon, Jin, and Jungkook, who still fire their guns. Yoongi stands to the side, swinging his sword at any stragglers that come along. As you watch, Namjoon also runs out of bullets, sighing in frustration and taking a step back to join the others.

We'll be ok...we're running out of bullets, but there's less of them now...we'll be ok..

You shake your head, trying to shake the fuzzy feeling creeping in and threatening to take over.

In front of you, Minho's chamber clicks empty too. He throws it down, quickly drawing his knife.

"It's ok, there's less of them. Its manageable even without bullets. Just stay behind me." His breathing quickens, and you can tell he's trying his best to remain calm. He looks back at you again.

But something that he sees there shatters his forced calm.

His eyes widen in apparent shock and fear. He whips around, abandoning the fight, trying to get to you.

"Y/n!" He yells, reaching for you in desperation.

You don't even have a chance to turn around.

Two arms wrap around your waist, dragging you backwards, into the trees. In the same moment, the sound of a gun being fired fills your ears, much too close to have come from the boys.

Minho freezes in his tracks, his hand immediately going to the spot in his side where blood now pours out. He pulls his hand away for a moment, looking down at the blood coating it before his gaze finds you again. He murmurs your name once more, but the sound doesn't reach you.

The last thing you see as the arms drag you away is Minho falling to his knees, turning the glistening, white snow red.

A/N
Unedited.
Thank you all for your continued support. Hope you are still enjoying this book! As always, don't forget to vote! 💜
- m.