Today was a dry sunny day making your journey easier. You strolled down the centre of the road holding out your crumpled map, tracing your finger up along the road to the next town. Hopefully there will be food and somewhere for you to stay there. You had given up looking for other survivors, you hadn’t seen anyone else since your family died and that felt like a long time ago now. You had already come to terms with being alone. 

Reaching the small town you head straight for the local pharmacy, you always check there first. The red cross above the building is like a beacon calling to you. Inside many of the medical supplies have been raided or smashed on the floor. Stashed away in a draw you find some bandages and painkillers, you shove them into your backpack. A small glass vial rolls across the floor out of the aisle across the room, it catches your attention freezing you in place. If there is one of the undead in here you must leave quietly, you haven’t used your axe in a long time and you never wanted to again if you could help it. Carefully threading your arm through your backpack you pull it on and creep towards the back door watching every step you take. 

“Wait!” a voice calls out from the far away aisle. You pause in shock at the human voice. Did you actually just hear that or are you starting to lose your mind? Glancing over your shoulder, you see a young man step into the middle of the store, both his hands raised in surrender as if you were a police officer ready to shoot. 

“Please don’t go. I’m sorry if I scared you I just… I haven’t seen anyone new around here in a long time,” he lowers his hands now he knows you are not going to attack him. Looking him over you noticed he was just as unkempt as you. Life after the modern world ended not being kind to anyone who survives. You couldn’t look away from him, he was real. After seeing countless undead wander around on your travels, eyes lifeless and skin peeling away, the sight of this real alive human was like taking the first sip of an ice cold drink on a warm day, refreshing and addicting. 

“Are you alone?” he asks. You felt silly for thinking his large shining eyes made him look trustworthy enough to tell him the truth but you weren’t a very good liar. 

“I am,” you reply, standing your ground trying not to let your shocked feelings show. He takes a tentative step forwards, eyes never leaving you. 

“I can see you’re hurt,” he gestures towards the bandage on your arm, “my friend was a medical student, he can take a look at it for you if you’d like” A small kind smile appears on his face. It must be due to looking at withering decaying faces for over a year that you find yourself thinking he was beautiful to look at. His pale skin was illuminated by the sun streaming in through the shop windows, his deep brown eyes lighting up with life and emotions, his chest rising and falling with every breath of air. 

He took another step towards you freeing your mind from its trance. Your logical side stepped in to debate the situation, he could be telling the truth meaning you could get medical attention for your wound and real people to interact with, or he could be lying which means you could end up in trouble. He didn’t look like the deceiving type but you can never truly know what people are thinking. 

“My name is Kai. My friends and I have set up camp in a house nearby here, there are five of us. We could give you a dry place to stay, a warm meal and fresh bandages for your arm,” he told you, staying a few paces away. If he was lying then he was a really good actor because there was so much sincerity in his tone. 

“That is very kind of you but I don’t want to take up your resources,” you reason starting to turn around. 

“Wait! It wouldn’t be a problem, we would be happy to share with you and help out another survivor,” he pleads. He genuinely seemed to care for your safety, a stranger wanted to help another stranger. There were still tiny flecks of humanity still left. You decided it had been too long since you’d had any social interaction to pass on this opportunity. 

“Okay Kai, I will join you and your friends but only for the night… I have to keep going,” he visibly relaxed at your agreement, not questioning the rest of what you said. 

“Great! I’ll show you the way to our house. The guys are gonna be so happy to see a new face,” he walked to the glass pharmacy door, you followed a few steps behind. 

The house was only a few blocks away. You trailed along behind him, keeping him fully in your sight to watch for any suspicious movements. He glanced back every few minutes to check you were still following him. A small smile adorning his face when he saw you were still there. The surrounding houses were quiet causing your footsteps to echo loudly on the concrete. The undead were long gone from this town. 

“This is us,” he calls back to you walking across the overgrown front lawn to the front door. He swings the door open, holding it for you to come in while he shouts for his friends to gather in the living room. You slowly step through taking in the state of the house which wasn’t as run down as you expected. They must have been living here for quite some time. Kai closes the door behind you and gestures for you to follow him into the living room. 

Rounding the corner you are met with four boys standing at a similar height to Kai. You have never seen so many alive people together since the first few weeks after the disease took over. 

“Woah! You found a survivor,” one of them said gawking at you like you had done less than an hour ago when looking at Kai for the first time.  

“Yeah, I met her at the pharmacy. This is… actually I don’t know your name,” Kai stopped himself, an excited grin fading from his face as he turned to you. They all looked at you expectantly and you felt hesitant under their gaze to give out any information. A silence stretched on for what felt longer than it actually was. You guess you could tell them your name to show you were grateful for their hospitality. 

“My name is Y/N,” a smile returned to Kai’s face. 

“Let me introduce you to everyone, then we can get your arm bandage changed,” he said to you before launching into stories for each of his friends. After no social interaction for over a year all this boy’s talking was starting to give you a headache. 

Taehyun, the medical student, treated your arm and replaced the bandage for you. He was steady, calm and only spoke to you to explain what he was doing. You were thankful for the reprieve. When he was done he led you into the garden, the boys were sitting around a fire boiling water and roasting some meat on a spit. You took a seat on the plastic garden furniture. The boys talked amongst themselves for a while, discussing their day and the meal. It was a strange atmosphere for you, people chatting and sharing together. You had been alone for so long, looking after yourself, cooking for one, that watching them brought memories of your family back to you. Dropping your head you fiddle with the bracelet on your wrist, wishing for time to speed up so you could go to sleep then continue your journey in the morning. 

“Hey Y/N, how are you doing?” Yeonjun asked you, noticing how you were slumped in the chair. You look up to respond “Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you for letting me stay the night, that is very kind of you all.” 

Soobin equally distributes the cooked food across six plates then hands one to you. You thank him then realise this is the first warm meal you have had in weeks. 

“No problem, we are just thrilled there are more people out there,” Yeonjun said, the boys nodded along with him digging into their food. “What brought you to this town?” 

“Oh, I was just passing through,” you told them, you didn’t want to tell them more than you had to. They seemed nice enough but you couldn’t allow yourself to trust them just yet. 

“Where are you heading?” Taehyun asked, placing his plate down. This was the question you wanted to avoid. 

“North… How long have you all lived here?” You hoped swapping the conversation to them would take the intrigue away from you. Beomgyu spoke up for the first time tonight, “a couple months ago, we were actually thinking of moving on. Maybe it’s fate that Kai found you, we could come with you tomorrow.” Dread filled you. Travelling alone was the only option, you didn’t want to lose any more people. Before you could protest, the boys were talking through the idea. 

“I think it's best if I go alone. I need to get up early so I’m going to go to sleep if that's alright?” you informed them with a firm voice to sound serious. You placed your plate down on the grass then rose from your chair. The boys said goodnight and let you leave, not wanting to push you. 

You curled up on the sofa with your blanket and backpack under your head. The smoky smell of the fire and the muffled voices of the boys helped you drift off to sleep. 

Your recurring nightmare woke you up with a jump as it did every morning. You shook it off, grabbed your belongings and made your way out of the house. It was better if you just left, goodbyes were too difficult. Opening the door you see Kai sat on the step, he turns his head to see who it was. 

“Ahhh, knew you would try to leave without saying goodbye,” he looks back out at the sunrise peeking over the tops of the houses. 

“It's better this way,” you said matter of factly, closing the door and walking past him. 

“Hey wait, hold on!” Kai scrambled after you. You paused and spun to face him, his face glowing in the early golden sun. “We are all ready to go, I just need to wake them up. Can we tag along with you for a little while?” he pleaded, hoping to see a soft expression grace your face. You had been so cold and hard since he met you which is understandable since you were alone and he was a stranger, still he thought even a small smile would really compliment your beauty. 

“I promise we won’t get in your way,” he added to his argument when you didn’t cave. 

They desperately wanted to join you. Maybe you could use them to broaden the search for supplies so that moving through towns would be quicker. 

“You have 2 minutes, I will leave without you,” you checked your watch then looked back up at him. A large grin spread across his face and his eyes lit up with happiness, before he leapt back into the house shouting for the boys to wake up. 

Admiring the orange cloudless sky, you took a few deep breaths whilst counting the beads on your bracelet. Bounding out the house, Kai pulled along four sleepy boys with their backpacks slung lazily over their shoulders. Without a word, you walked up the pathway to the road hearing your new companions shuffle along behind you. Checking your map you make note of the route to the next town and set off in that direction. You hoped to reach it before nightfall. 

The boys talked among themselves for the trip not wanting to disturb you as you marched forwards as the leader. You were thankful they didn’t engage you in conversation as you preferred to listen out for any hazards that could be nearby. 

Passing the wonky neglected welcome sign for the next town, you spot the row of shops and head straight there to find the local pharmacy. Stopping in front of the door you turn to the boys, “I’m going in here, you can go explore if you want.” Through your peripheral vision you see four boys walk off towards the supermarket and one follows you inside. Whilst you’re raiding the shelves for anything useful Kai speaks up, “do you always come to the pharmacy first? That’s where I met you after all.” Stuffing more bandages and plasters into your first aid pocket in your backpack, you reply without looking at him, “medical supplies are always needed so I make sure to stay stocked up, you never know what could happen on the journey between towns.” 

“Where are you heading to anyway?” he asked so calmly yet the emotion it stirred inside you halted you mid-search through a shelf. Kai noticed and stopped a step behind you. “Is everything okay?” he asked, a worried tone lacing his voice. Staring at the expiry date on a packet of medication, you hold the tears back. You push your emotions away and let the facts take over. You straighten up, walk to the next aisle and calmly say “home.” Kai just stands as you drift away, trying to comprehend the meaning behind the simple word. Suddenly and more loudly than you would like, Beomgyu bursts through the pharmacy door shouting “Hey guys, you need to come and see what we found.” 

In the back of the supermarket storage room, you pass the four boys to peer around the corner into a closet. Involuntarily, your body reeled backwards at the sight bumping into Kai. He grabbed onto you to hold you up yet his eyes were fixated on the scene. You couldn’t take it. For the first time since you found yourself alone you craved comfort. You turned in Kai’s arms and buried your head into his shirt, squeezing your eyes shut hoping it would erase the horrid image. 

“Guys!!! What the hell? We did not need to see this, it’s horrific,” his head turned away in disgust then glared at his friends. It was like a scene in a horror movie, chains, guts, blood. Those poor people strung up, butchered then left to turn into the undead, flailing about. You needed uncontaminated air. Pushing away from Kai, you ran past the boys into the store, not stopping until you reached the fresh air outside. 

“Well done Beomgyu, now she is going to want to leave us behind,” Taehyun sighed. Beomgyu was taken aback, “What? How is this my fault? I didn’t know she would grip onto Kai like one of them was going to eat her.” They filed out of the room shaking their heads, leaving Beomgyu to stand stunned. As Kai plodded by he told him in a low whisper, “you could have warned us first.” 

They saw you sitting outside the front of the store and decided to give you some space while they searched for any edible food and useful supplies. They were just thankful you hadn’t left them. Once they finished, Kai volunteered to check up on you. Sitting beside you on the curb, he held out an open bag of salted pretzels to you. You shook your head not feeling very hungry at the moment. He shrugged his shoulders before putting two in his mouth at once. 

“How are you feeling?” he said between crunches. The memories haunted you, finding ways to occupy your thoughts at all times. You inspected a tuft of grass blowing in the breeze, which had grown up through a crack in the concrete. 

“Beomgyu says he is sorry, he didn’t expect it to scare you so badly,” Kai tells you, hoping this will avert your attention to him. Observing your face, he struggles to understand what you are feeling. What he does know is that in the amber glow of the setting sun you looked beautiful. Outgrown messy hair framing your face, tiny freckles across the bridge of your nose, rosy cheeks and pink lips. He has to look away before you notice him staring. Inhaling a large breath to clear your mind, you finally break your gaze from the grass to take in the orange-pink sky. 

“It’s okay, it was just… unexpected, that’s all.” You stand up dusting down your jeans. “Let’s go, we should find a place to stay before it gets dark.” Kai stands too and lightly reaches for your arm to finally sway your attention to him. Your eyes connected, the familiar light in his was comforting to you. 

“We will do our best to protect you and keep you safe,” he stated, squeezing your arm gently to emphasise his words, “you don’t have to be scared when you’re with me.” Just like the first time you met him you could feel he was trustworthy, he genuinely meant every word he said. Unfortunately, the world wasn’t so kind, you knew no amount of promises could keep anyone safe. 

A few days passed and a routine was formed between your new group. You would hate to admit it to the smug boys but you enjoyed their company and they were proving to be very useful. Upon entering a new town, you and Kai would go to the pharmacy while the others would search for food then meet back up to explore anything else interesting before choosing a house to spend the night in. The boys would sleep upstairs in the beds while you slept on the downstairs couch at your request. You felt at ease knowing you had a clear exit if you needed one. It was better to be safe even though you hadn’t encountered any undead for a few towns but as you had found out that never lasted long. The next morning you set off again as usual, you lead the way map in hand while your five companions blindly followed you. You enjoyed listening to their silly stories and minor arguments as it let your mind rest from the haunting memories. 

Temporarily getting absorbed in the map seeing there was a shopping centre coming up, you missed the conversation behind you. 

“Hey hey Y/N,” Yeonjun calls out, you tear away from the map and turn around to find all five of them staring at you. All the sudden attention made you feel uneasy. 

“We were thinking we should alternate who goes to the pharmacy with you, what do you think? Does it always have to be Kai?” Your eyebrows furrow. Were they really having a debate over this? It didn’t really matter who came along with you but Kai was good at completing the tasks you gave him and had learned what you deemed valuable. You spun back around on your heels and started walking again, they jogged to catch up with you.

“No it doesn’t matter who joins me but… Kai’s good at it,” you say, focusing back on the map. They shoot daggers at Kai while he tries to contain a small proud smile. You chose him and in front of his friends too. 

“We should stop at this place and check it out,” you tell them pointing to the shopping centre sign in the distance hoping it will change the conversation. 

The centre is huge, you could spend a week here rummaging through every single shop but you didn’t have time for that. Checking your watch you decide it was too late to make it to the next town so you will have to camp here tonight. Picking up a shopping centre map from the information stand, you scan through the list of stores for potential places to sleep. Soobin looks over your shoulder, eyes lighting up.

“Oh oh, they have a food court here, we should hit that section first.” He was right, food and water were essential. 

Rounding the corner to the food court, Beomgyu, Soobin and Yeonjun race off like they are children at an amusement park. 

“Hey be careful, we haven’t checked that it’s safe yet,” Taehyun called out weakly to them not wanting to raise his voice too much just in case. They fly into a pizza parlour. Taehyun goes after them like a concerned parent. You stroll past the parlour to a snack store as this type of food has a better chance of still being edible due to the packaging. Kai was right behind you not wanting to split up. After a quick scan down every aisle you find most of the shelves were empty so you head into the back looking for the extra stock leaving Kai to have a closer look at the remaining items. 

The backroom was cold and filled with cardboard boxes stacked high on metal shelving. You shrugged your backpack off and pulled your hoodie closer to you. Ripping the boxes open one by one you worked your way across the bottom line. Three boxes down you realised that you would need the boys’ backpacks as well to carry some of this food, for now you would have to find a shopping bag. Rising up, you hear a faint crunch. Checking under your feet you find nothing so you look around for Kai but he’s not there. “Kai,” you quietly call out. Silence. 

Taking two cautious steps toward your backpack, you reach for your axe. Gripping it tightly with both hands you hold it up. Standing still you strain your ears to listen out for any sound. A shadow through the shelving catches your eye so you dip your head to get a better visual when you hear a footstep on the floor behind you. Your attempt to spin round is stopped by strong arms holding you in place, one arm around your middle pulling you backwards and a hand placed over your mouth. 

“Shhh… there's an undead in here,” Kai whispers next to your ear so quietly it was barely audible. Releasing one hand from your axe, you pull his hand away from your face. Turning to face him, you push him away gently. 

“I got this, go get the others,” you whisper back, holding your axe up to show him how you would handle it. He grabs your wrist, eyes going wide. 

“What? No way, I’m not leaving you. Let me do it,” he puts his palm out for you to give him the weapon. The grotesque gurgling noise slowly creeps up on you. While you quickly glance over your shoulder to check the distance of the undead Kai takes the opportunity to grab the small axe from your hand leaping past you. Two long strides and a full swing later, the sharp edge has sliced through the undead’s head letting the body drop to the floor with a dull thud. 

Kai heavily exhales, lowering his arms to let the axe swing dripping black congealed blood onto the floor. It all happened so quickly that all you are able to do is stare at him in disbelief. In your short time of getting to know Kai you found he was a gentle kind person so seeing him swing a weapon to slay a monster was… shocking to say the least. 

“Now we can get the boys,” he said, volume returning to normal level. You are cross with yourself for not being more careful, you should have checked the entire stock room before letting your guard down. This is why you were better off alone, your new friends have weakened your defenses. When you are alone the only person in danger is you and you can only blame yourself if you get injured. Now there are six of you to worry about. 

“KAI!” You're shouting before you can even process what is happening. A green rotting bony hand hovered over his shoulder alerting you to the presence of another undead. 

“BEHIND YOU!” But it was too late, the hand pulled him down. Your axe clattered to the ground out of his grip sliding under the metal shelving. You gasped in fear. History repeating itself right in front of your eyes. Determination flooded you. You would not let him die. Kai pushed and kicked the undead away but with it hovering over him biting into the air he was struggling to get away. You drop to your knees to retrieve the axe from under the shelves as quickly as possible. Your hand swept across the dusty floor until you finally felt the axe’s wooden handle. You yanked it out then stood up a bit too quickly causing stars to immediately blur your vision. The undead is grunting into Kai’s face now using all of its heavy dead weight to its advantage. Kai's face is turned to the side to stop it biting his nose while using all his strength to push it up and away from him. How would you kill it without hurting Kai? The undead's irritation was growing the longer that his meal was putting up a fight so it began moving more erratically to reach him. 

“Y/N!!!” Kai desperately yelled, eyes pleading. His face was flushed and his arms were shaking. There was no time to think, you had to act. 

Raising your leg, you used all your thigh strength to kick the undead in the shoulder sending it flying sideways then rolling until it hit the wall. Kai’s arms slump as his head falls back with closed eyes catching his breath. The undead claws at the floor trying to drag itself back over to you, teeth still biting. You step over Kai, holding the axe up yet again. The haunting memory flashes before your eyes, freezing you in place. Every night since it happened you have relived this moment. Every time you wake up frantic and sweating. Every day you wish for a peaceful night's sleep. Since then the axe has been idle… until now. 

Kai notices your state and the undead creeping closer to your feet. He promptly stands then tugs you by the sleeve so you fall back a step giving you a little more time. 

“Your turn. You can do it,” he says softly, no rush, no demand, just encouraging. The undead’s eyes are dull, lightless, the soul that once inhabited this body no longer remains. The ice melts from your veins allowing you to bring the axe down smashing through the brittle skull into the undead's mushy brain with a heavy blunt thud. It lay flat, motionless. Kai slowly took the axe from your hands, pulling it out of the head. You both stand for a moment, staring down at the unmoving rotted body. Your shared heavy breathing fills the space as your mind’s catch up with the almost fatal events.

“GUYS GUYS!!! There are undead in here,” the four boys come scampering round the corner. Upon seeing the two slain undeads around your feet their jaws collectively drop with a quiet “woahhh…” That was enough action for one day. Taehyun and Yeonjun checked the rest of the store while you all filled your backpacks with food from the boxes. Once your bags were overflowing, you all made your way to a camping shop you saw on the map to set up for the night. You helped set up three 2-man tents in the large display space in the camping store, filling them with sleeping bags and pillows. You would search the supplies here in the morning when you had more energy, right now you just needed to rest. Saying goodnight to the boys you entered the first tent you came to, got in a sleeping bag and fell asleep faster than you had done in weeks. You felt safe knowing that your friends were right outside and had proven that they were more than capable of protecting you. 

Your body jumps so hard you sit straight up, still screaming until you realise it was just your recurring nightmare. The body in the sleeping bag next to you wakes with a start. 

“Hey Y/N, are you okay?” Kai’s groggy voice asks. You rub your eyes and shake your head to rid yourself of the gut wrenching feelings. 

“Yeah I’m fine… sorry that I woke you,” you apologise and lie back down staring at the ceiling of the orange tent. It must be the early hours of the morning as the sunlight is just reaching through the windows of the store, illuminating the tent in an amber glow. 

“Did you have a nightmare?” You didn’t blame him for being curious but you couldn’t bring yourself to talk about it. It was still too fresh and painful. 

“Yes,” you squeaked out rolling onto your side to face him, he was already turned towards you. There was just enough light to make out his facial features. Your eyes traced the outline of his hair framing his deep brown eyes that looked black in the dim lighting, down the slope of his nose to his lips. Your eyelids drooped heavily and your heart rate returned to its normal pace. 

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. You can go back to sleep. I’m here,” he whispered. You felt his hand slip into yours resting by your head, a firm gentle grasp confirming his words. You let your eyes flutter closed, focusing on his warm hold and the sound of his steady breathing. 

A light tapping on your shoulder woke you up. As your senses tuned in you heard your name being spoken over and over. Fighting against your stubborn eyelids, you opened your eyes. Kai was crouched in front of you trying his best to wake you up gently. 

“Hey! Good morning, we let you sleep for as long as possible but we really need to be heading out soon. Taehyun has made you some breakfast when you’re ready,” he stood up and left the tent. You checked your watch for the current time and couldn’t believe how long you slept in, you must have been exhausted. Gathering your belongings you double check you have your map, water bottle, blanket and beaded bracelet. These items had to be with you everywhere, you don’t know how you would survive without them. Once you leave the tent, Yeonjun and Beomgyu start to pack it away having decided that bringing the tents along for the journey would be useful if you struggled to find somewhere to rest indoors. After thanking Taehyun for the food, you ate while observing the boys pack away around you. 

Silence always made your mind wander, without distractions it was easy for you to spiral down a hole pretty fast. The events of yesterday caught up to you. Kai almost died, in your presence and your care. You would never be able to forgive yourself if that had happened. The idea that it could happen again, that the people around you could get hurt, it would leave you devastated and alone once more. That's when you decided, the kind thing to do would be to leave them. They didn’t need to travel with you and put themselves in the way of more danger. This was your mission not theirs. You will go on alone with the peace of mind that they were safer without you. 

While they were waiting, the boys raided the camping shop, searching for any lightweight useful items. Soobin found a box of torches with working batteries still inside so they took two torches each and emptied the batteries from the rest. During these times you could never have enough sources of light and energy. Coming back to the middle of the store to share their find with you, Taehyun notices you are gone. 

“Guys, where did Y/N go?” he asked, hoping you had told one of them you were using the restroom. They shared a confused look that quickly turned to panic as they realised none of them knew where you were. After searching the area, Yeonjun spots something. 

“Oh no,” Yeonjun sighed as he held up a scrappy piece of paper that had been lying on one of the camping chairs. “She wrote a note,” a collective gasp sounded between them whilst rushing over to their friend's side to read the note over his shoulder. Yeonjun began to read it out loud anyway, “Find a new house to settle in, that will be safer for you all. Good luck!” A moment passed as they took in your words. 

“Is that all?” Beomgyu exclaimed, taking the note out of Yeonjun’s hand and inspecting it front and back. 

“She can’t have gotten far, we need to go after her,” Taehyun pointed out while pulling his backpack on. Kai was disappointed, he really believed you liked their company and after your sweet moment in the dark early this morning he thought you felt safe with him. They copied Taehyun, throwing their backpacks on then dashing out of the store. 

They searched everywhere for you, in every rest stop, every hotel and every town along the road you had all been travelling on together but they couldn’t see any sign of you. During the first few days they were positive and full of hope that they would find you, telling each other not to worry however, weeks had now gone by with no luck. They were devastated and Kai was heartbroken. Settling down in a house now would be too painful, reminding them of their life before they met you so they kept going hoping one day they would see you again. 

Then one day their wish came true. 

The sun was starting to set as they entered the next town. They always stopped by a food shop first then found somewhere secure to rest for the night. Kai couldn’t help himself from gazing into every pharmacy they walked by just in case he found you in there again and today was no different. Trailing at the back of the group, he looked through the large windows of the pharmacy, glancing down each of the small aisles then continued walking on. All of a sudden, Kai halts, his brain finally catching up to his eyes. Taking three steps back, he squints through the glass. He inhales sharply causing the boys ahead of him to turn around. Kai whispers your name in disbelief so faintly his friends almost miss it. You were here, he found you. They rush to his side to peer through the window too. You were knelt with your back to them yet they recognised you from your hoodie and backpack. 

“Who’s that?” Beomgyu asked, pointing to the tall dark figure in the corner of the store. It only took a few seconds for the scene to come together, the parts they had overlooked in their shock. Your trembling hands, the blood on the floor, the bag overflowing with medical supplies, the gun in the figure's grasp and a second figure approaching the front of the store. They have been seen. 

“Oh shit,” Yeonjun muttered while ducking down, “let’s go!” He ran round the corner to the rear of the pharmacy, the boys followed his lead. 

“We need a plan,” Soobin said desperately, already wringing his hands. 

“We need to act fast, who knows what’s going on in there, she could be in danger,” Taehyun stated. Beomgyu dug through his backpack in search of something to use as a weapon, he pulled out a screwdriver and held it up as if it was a huge sword. Over his friends' shoulders, Kai saw the man come towards them. Eyes wide and mind reeling, he let instinct take over. He told you he would protect you and keep you safe so that's what he’s going to do. 

“We’re going inside,” he commanded and grabbed his closest two friends, pulling them in the direction of the back door. Soobin and Yeonjun chased after them through the entrance. 

Stumbling over the strewn medical items, Kai makes it to the stock room door that leads into the store. He pauses in front of it for a moment to calm his nerves, he pictures this evening when you all would be safe together around a dinner time fire catching up and laughing. Exhaling the anxious energy away, he grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. The boys were surrounded now, a broad man behind them and a weaponised man in front of them. Your eyes widened in shock at the sight of Kai standing in the doorway. How did they find you? Leaving them was supposed to keep them out of danger and now they were right in the middle of it. 

The man pointed the gun at them causing their hands to shoot up in surrender. Beomgyu’s screwdriver clattered to the ground. 

“We don’t want any trouble, we just came to get our friend then we’ll leave,” Kai tried to reason in a firm tone. The man’s head tilted and he squinted his eyes menacingly at them. 

“And why should I let you do that?” he asked in a gruff voice. Kai didn’t have an answer. 

“What do you want from her? We can try and help get it for you?” Taehyun chimed in. A low chuckle escaped the man as he stared at Taehyun. The group watched in horror as the man walked behind you, gripped your hair and pulled you up to your feet placing the gun against your temple. You yelped in pain as your hands clawed at your scalp trying to relieve the tension. 

“She has already given me what I need, haven’t you darling?” he said right into your ear. In fear of more pain being inflicted, you nod your head in agreement the best you could. Kai felt so helpless watching you get dragged around, he wanted to act but didn’t want more harm to come to you. The blood from your concealed wounds saturated your clothes and dripped onto the floor, forming a red puddle around your feet. All five of them stood frozen, mouths agape seeing you were seriously injured. 

“Woah hold on,” Yeonjun pleaded, taking a tentative step forward through the door past Kai, “is there anything else we can do?” The man seemed to weigh up his options but he was already too late. Simultaneously, Beomgyu reached for his fallen screwdriver and jabbed it at the man’s chest behind him while Yeonjun raced forward grabbing a pair of scissors off the shelf he had spotted earlier and ramming them into the man’s thigh. This was enough for him to let go of you, howling in pain and anger. You fell to your knees and promptly started crawling through the blood ignoring the discomfort in your scalp. Kai rushed to your aid, hauling your arm over his shoulder. He had to believe his friends would be able to handle the situation by themselves, he had to get you away before any more harm came to you. Together you hobbled down the aisle and out of the front door. 

With the element of surprise on his side, Beomgyu had managed to stab the man three times in the chest with the screwdriver causing him to stumble backwards and hit the floor. Meanwhile, Yeonjun’s attack was supported by Taehyun who swung a set of scales at the man's head, knocking him unconscious. 

“WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH HER?” Beomgyu shouted at the cowering man unable to contain his rage. The man tried to answer yet no sound left him. Soobin had been paralyzed the entire time, the violent situation had stunned him then the action happened at lightning speed. Now it was all calming down he felt his limbs return to him. The duffel bag with overflowing medical supplies sat in the same position as when they arrived, he went to it to inspect the contents. 

“ANSWER ME!” Beomgyu was getting tired of not understanding what was going on. The man finally broke, his words spilling out between sobs, “He needed her knowledge… she knew where… all the valuable medications would be… Please don’t hurt me anymore… I’m sorry… I promise I never touched her.” He curled in on himself, vigorously crying. Beomgyu backed away a little alarmed at the dramatic reaction, at least he got some information. 

“Guys look at this,” Soobin beckoned them all over. They stood over his crouched form as he held up various medication boxes from the bag. 

“There’s so many packets of expensive pills in here,” he stated. Taehyun reached over to run his hand through the boxes. 

“They must have hit multiple pharmacies, there are too many in here for this one small shop.” Yeonjun was starting to feel jittery, he didn’t want to still be here when the other man woke up. 

“Let’s go, we need to check on Y/N.” They nodded in agreement then left the store. 

You were unable to speak, the physical and emotional pain was too much. Every step you took caused your legs to shake more and your vision to become increasingly blurry, until it was too overwhelming and you collapsed to the floor. Kai wasted no time scooping you up in his arms. He needed to get you to a safe place where they could tend to your injuries. Glancing over his shoulder, he sees his friends sprinting down the road to him. Over the next crucial 10 minutes, the boys search for a suitable building, Kai trailing along behind keeping watch over you. Your blood had started to drip down his arms, time was running out. 

“Kai…” you called out to him weakly, your eyes struggling to stay open. He looked down at you briefly, focusing on following his friends' movements in the distance. 

“Stay awake angel. Yeonjun has just found us a house, we are on our way there now,” his pace picked up now, desperate to get you to safety. 

“Kai…” you called breathlessly. Your eyelids were so heavy, it felt like you hadn’t slept for weeks. Finally he locked eyes with you, surrendering his full attention. Your thoughts were screaming at you, if these were your final moments then you had to tell him. 

“Your eyes…” you reached your hand up to brush some of his hair away to get a better view, “the light in them… it’s the brightest I’ve ever seen.” Kai’s step faltered at your words. You had never spoken so vulnerably to him before. Your arm went limp and dropped into your lap as your eyes closed, giving in to the immense exhaustion. He had to save you just like you had saved him all those weeks ago. A new boost of adrenaline coursed through his veins. 

He rushed down the path of the chosen house to his friends and the awaiting safety. They gathered all the medical supplies they had, placing them on the coffee table. Taehyun laid a sleeping bag on the floor for Kai to place you on. He took a cushion from the nearby couch and put it under your head. He sat on the floor by your side, holding your hand tightly. Taehyun unzipped your hoodie looking for your injuries. The darkest shade of red staining your t-shirt was under your right shoulder. He cut the fabric away and moved your bra strap to the side. You had been shot. Taehyun started to sweat, he was only a medical student, he wasn't fully trained when the world shut down. 

“Okay… I’m going to need your guy’s help to treat her and it needs to be absolutely quiet in here to do it, I can’t afford to make any mistakes,” he told them. They all agreed, none of them wanted you to die. 

It was a slow delicate process. The bullet needed to be extracted, your wound cleaned and then stitched up. Taehyun worked carefully as Beomgyu handed him tools, Soobin dabbed the excess blood away, Yeonjun steadily shone a torch on the area and Kai held your hand wishing for everything to be okay. While sitting there in silence, Kai thought about what you had said to him before passing out. Your voice was so small and weak yet your words were so honest and beautiful. He’d never heard it expressed that way before, as light behind your eyes. Everyone knew that the undead had lifeless unsettling eyes, anyone could recognise it instantly. Whereas the living still had their life, had their soul, their emotions and… their light. The inimitable characteristic in pure living eyes that could only be described as light. He wished he could see yours now, how it would sparkle as you looked up at him. His heart felt heavy thinking about the time you spent away from them. He wanted to gaze at your light again knowing how important you are to this group and how much they have missed you. 

Awakening to the delicious smell of food cooking, you realise you don’t recognise your surroundings. Pain erupts in your shoulder as you move, you grit through the agony and sit up. Gazing across the room you almost feel like you could fall straight back down from the pain's intensity. This was like nothing you had experienced before, it was overwhelming. Your fingers lightly traced over the bandage, dark red staining it. After a few minutes of deep breaths, the dizziness subsided and you were able to rise to your feet. You followed the sound of voices through the house out to the garden where you found the boys sat around a fire chatting away while cooking dinner. Kai noticed you first, he stood up sharply gaining the others attention. He came to your side offering his arm out to ask if you wanted support. You gladly took his arm with a small smile. Upon seeing your happy expression the boys all sighed in relief knowing you were okay. 

Their conversation continued while you sat and listened, they didn’t force you to join in. Patiently waiting until you were ready to get involved. They had a million questions to ask you about where you had gone, who those men were and how you were feeling but that could all wait, they were just over the moon you had actually woken up. The meal Soobin prepared was so good that it felt as if you hadn’t eaten for weeks, which made you wonder how many hours it had been since the pharmacy incident. As all the food disappeared, you knew you could not avoid talking to them for much longer so when the conversation topic died you spoke up. 

“Thank you,” you started, all their attention flying to you as you interacted with them verbally for the first time this evening. “I can’t remember much after leaving the pharmacy but I do know that I wouldn’t be sitting here now if it wasn’t for you all so… thank you,” you looked at each of them in turn hoping your genuine gratefulness and sincerity could be felt. Your gaze lingered longer on Kai as the look in his eyes was different to the others, it held extra emotions you couldn’t quite decipher right now. 

“Are you feeling alright? How's your shoulder?” Taehyun asked in a rush. You chuckled at his desperation, “I feel fine, my shoulder aches but it’s good. Thank you Tae.” They all seem to relax at your words, knowing that their efforts paid off. You had survived a bullet. 

The moment was here, the flood was about to happen, you knew all the questions they were going to ask before they could get them out so you decided to save them some time. 

“I know you are all worried about the situation yesterday. I’m sorry that you were all put in danger like that. I will do my best to explain everything but… let’s take it slow, I… can’t remember everything very clearly,” you told them. 

“It wasn’t yesterday. It’s been two days since then. We just let you sleep, knowing your body needed the rest,” Yeonjun informed you. Your eyebrows furrowed, two days had passed without your knowledge. Kai reached over and took your hand in his, rubbing his thumb back and forth to soothe you. 

“Take your time, we aren’t going anywhere,” he said quietly to you. Looking over them all again you felt like you were in a bubble, a safe area where nothing could harm you. It has been a long time since a feeling of immense protection surrounded you like this. The boys hung onto your every word as you recounted the events. 

You had met the two men a few towns back. They were raiding a food store when you spotted them. You tried to leave quietly but against your best efforts they discovered you. They ripped through your belongings for anything useful to them, noticing the large supply of medical items you had. They dragged you to the local pharmacy to point out the most expensive, rare and strongest medications. Wanting to avoid violence you told them all you knew which unfortunately made them greedy. They bound your wrists together with rope and pulled you along to the next town to complete the same task. Once you reached the next town you attempted to make an escape which led to you getting shot. With two men supervising you it was difficult to do anything. As you were bleeding out and losing hope, your five saviours showed up. You had been extremely surprised to see them and so relieved. Watching them try to negotiate with the menacing men for you and then put themselves in danger to rescue you was when you realised how much they cared and that you never should have left them in the first place. As you finish the story, ending with when you passed out in Kai’s arms, you let out a big sigh feeling the physical weight of the events lift from your shoulders.

“Woah… I’m so glad Kai saw you in that window. If we hadn't found you then who knows what might have happened to you next,” Beomgyu expressed, shaking his head in disbelief at what could have transpired instead. You were not surprised it was Kai that had spotted you first, he seemed to always be watching over you, whether it was so he could keep up on his promise to protect you, you weren’t sure. 

“Why did you leave us? Your note didn’t explain a lot,” Soobin asked you. This is what they really wanted to know. You scrunch your face up at the memory, it felt so silly now after what had happened to you all. 

“I… was trying to keep you all safe,” their faces contorted in confusion. You looked at Kai but his eyes were focused on your intertwined hands. A few silent seconds passed so you decided to explain further. 

“It scared me when Kai almost got bitten, I thought it was because you were around me. I seem to attract death, pain and suffering. I didn’t want that same fate for you all.” This is the most open, honest and vulnerable you have been in a long time, no one has earned your trust like these boys have. Blinking eyes stared at you as your words sunk in. 

The flood had settled, a calm river now flowed. You felt lighter after confessing your worries to them. Everything had been explained or so you thought when Kai asked his first question. 

“What has happened to you that makes you believe you attract those things?” his voice came out hesitant and soft, almost like he didn’t dare ask you. His eyes were still locked on your clasped hands. Flashes of your recurring nightmare suddenly attack you. No one else carried this trauma with you, no one else has these memories, no one else knew the story. The burning fire crackled away in the centre of the garden yet a cold chill ran across your body. The answer to the question revealed why you were alone. They have saved your life so they deserve to know. 

“My parents… they sacrificed themselves to save me from a hoard of the undead. I couldn’t help them. I had to watch as they turned… into them. Their movements going limp, their chests going still… the light leaving their eyes,” you paused to wipe a tear away that was threatening to spill over. Kai’s hand gripped yours tighter and Taehyun placed his hand on your shoulder in silent comfort. 

“We promised each other that if we ever turned, we would be kind to one another and put them out of their misery, so I had to…” you stopped, tears falling freely now. You couldn’t bring yourself to say it. Months had passed now but it still hurt the same. Three squeezes on your hand told you to take your time. Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth five times you felt your nervous system relax a little allowing you to continue. 

“I had to use my axe to… well, you understand,” you concluded, not being able to elaborate further. In your peripheral vision you saw their tiny nods, confirming they understood exactly what you meant. 

“Since the disease broke out I’ve not had much luck with other living people. They meet a tragic end, leave without saying goodbye or steal from me and break my trust so I opted to travel alone.” 

Kai had taken in everything you said. The bigger picture was now forming in his mind of why you were so reserved and why you wanted to leave them even on your first meeting at their house. However, there was still one question plaguing him. 

“Where are you travelling to?” The simplest question that he failed to ask you all those weeks ago. At the time, it didn’t matter where your destination was as long as he could tag along on your journey with you. Now, he wanted to understand you better so he could help solve your problems and be there for you when it all got too much. 

Tonight had been really challenging, spilling your darkest traumas and inner thoughts but there was one more you had to overcome. Talking about your journey’s end. 

“It’s not about where I’m travelling to, it’s to who… I’m going home to my little sister.” That was it, your last secret, they knew it all now. You could see in their expressions that they were processing all the information you had given them. Eventually, one by one, they sat back in their chairs staring into the blazing fire, the story settling in their minds. Yeonjun broke the peace to state “We’re coming with you.” Your eyes snapped to him. 

“What? No, you don’t have to. I didn’t tell you to make you feel obligated to come,” you panicked, hoping they could tell by your tone how much you meant it. 

“We’re not coming because we have to but because we want to,” Beomgyu clarified. Humming echoed around the circle in agreement with his statement. You turned your gaze to Kai, needing to know how he felt about his friend’s decision. He was already looking at you with a pleased smile on his face confirming that this is what they wanted, what he wanted. A shy grin stretched across your face, the first real smile they have seen on you. It was settled, your group of six would journey forwards together towards your home, towards your sister. 

The routine you had all become accustomed to before you left returned. The only difference this time was that you let yourself be their friend. You got involved in their conversations, shared stories of your own and laughed along to their dumb jokes. All of this felt grounding, it tethered you back to reality instead of you marching through towns with an emotionless determined mindset. That is, however, until it comes to Kai. He calms you down the best for sure but your emotions also seem to bubble up uncontrollably when you are around him. It’s in the moments you can’t look away from him, when your eyes meet even for the briefest second, when you touch even if it is in passing and when you hear his voice after a long time. You try your hardest to keep them at bay in his presence, hoping he won’t notice. Fortunately for you, it’s not Kai who notices first… It’s Taehyun.

One town away from your hometown you all decide to stop and set up camp early so you could get the most of the daylight for your journey tomorrow. While Kai and Yeonjun were setting up the three tents in the park clearing you had chosen and Soobin and Beomgyu were finishing their hunt for firewood, you and Taehyun sat cooking the evening meal together. It was easy and relaxed in his company as it always was, that is until he brought up a new topic of conversation. 

“Do you want to help them put up the tents? You are supervising as if they are going to be graded on it,” he giggled whilst continuing to stir the contents in the pot. 

“What? Oh… no. Sorry, I was lost in thought,” you said, pulling your eyes away. It was the truth, you were deep in thought although not about the tents. 

“What were you thinking about?” he asked absentmindedly. You knew Taehyun didn’t mean to intrude, he was just being a nice friend but you couldn’t tell him what you were really thinking about so you panicked and decided to lie. 

“Errr… tomorrow.” In truth, you tried not to think about tomorrow. The idea of going back to your hometown and family home made your stomach churn. You wanted to find your sister, your last remaining piece of your life before, however you felt like you already knew what you would find. 

“Are you worried?” he turned to you now, resting the spoon up against the side of the pot. 

“Yes, I’m worried about almost everything,” you let out a breathy giggle. 

Cackling laughter and a string of curses sounded from across the park as Yeonjun got engulfed by a collapsing tent. Kai was laughing so hard he couldn’t even help his friend escape it. Looking up to the commotion, the infectious sounds caused you and Taehyun to burst out laughing too. The sight was just so ridiculous, Yeonjun’s limbs were poking up against the tent in all directions. After a minute or so, Kai had composed himself enough to rescue Yeonjun. You watched the pair as they had a discussion, one of them was more irritated than the other, and as they began to rebuild the tent. Taehyun studied your facial expressions, recognising a flicker of something he had seen on you before.

“When you left us you said it was because you wanted to keep us safe but that wasn’t the whole reason, was it?” he asked. His voice was so quiet compared to before that it caught your full attention immediately. 

“Of course it was. I was frightened something tragic might happen to you all if you stayed within my presence,” you reasoned, unsure of where he was going with this, “I see now that we are safer together.” He hummed at your response, picking up the spoon again to stir the food. An uncomfortable silence passed as you stared at him, your heartbeat increasing. Taehyun was observant, which was extremely helpful in the current world, but was he also able to read people’s feelings, especially ones you had tried so hard to hide? 

“You left because you realised you cared too much didn’t you?” You looked away from him, staring at the grass by your feet as heat rose to your cheeks. He continued, “one of us maybe a little more than the others?” It felt like the fire in front of you had spread to your body, you were hot all over, your blood pumped with a burning sensation through your veins causing your brain to feel fried. Taehyun took a glance at you and let out a hearty laugh at your embarrassed reaction. 

“You don’t have to tell me anything, I just wanted to see if my suspicions were correct,” he focused back on the pot, understanding you needed a moment to catch your breath. If Taehyun noticed then you must have let your guard down too much, how long would it have been until the others started to notice too? 

Beomgyu and Soobin emerged from the forest, arms filled with logs of various sizes just as Yeonjun and Kai finished securing the final tent. In less than a minute the whole group would be back around the fire. You need to get your emotions under control. 

“Just between us,” Taehyun whispered in a low voice while leaning sideways towards you, “he looks at you the same way when you aren’t aware.” 

The evening passed comfortably, you all ate and then went to sleep. You asked Soobin if you could share a tent with him, knowing you would be able to rest easier without Taehyun’s knowing looks or Kai’s ability to make your heart race. As soon as your head rested comfortably on your backpack you fell asleep. For the first night in months, you slept peacefully, your recurring nightmare taking a break in anticipation of tomorrow.

When you woke up, Soobin was gone. His side of the tent was already empty. You gathered your belongings and exited the tent finding the boys all packed up and ready to go. While they collected the remaining tent, you checked your map out of habit and your watch, estimating your arrival to your home at noon. When they were ready, you took your place at the front of the group to lead them towards your hometown.

Today was different to all the other journeys, you had reverted back to your old ways of marching on at the front without interacting with them. The weight of what was to come sat heavy on your shoulders. 

“Heyyy…” Kai called out and jogged to catch up with you, “How are you doing today? You’ve been quiet.” You tried to place a soft smile on your face but you weren’t able to do so convincingly. 

“I’m gonna be honest, I’m… really scared,” you stared ahead at the road not being able to look at him directly. He wrapped his arm over your shoulders and gave you a squeeze. 

“It’s gonna be alright. Whatever happens when we get there, remember we're with you.” Tears started to build in your eyes, threatening to spill over. “You’ll never have to be alone again,” he added simply yet it stopped you dead in your tracks, tears streaming down your face. Upon seeing your reaction, Kai pulled you to face him before enveloping you in a hug. The action increased the severity of your crying leaving wet stains on his shirt. Only a few paces behind, the boys stilled at the sight of you crying in Kai’s arms. Beomgyu raced to you, joining onto the hug. The other three followed his lead, hugging you as well. You were surrounded by your friends, feeling all their care, love and empathy. With them by your side you knew that you could survive anything. 

The next part of the journey went by in a haze. Your body was on autopilot, walking the memorised route to your house. You passed by the town sign, the local shops including the pharmacy, the children's park and the school until your feet touched the path leading to your family’s home. The boys didn’t rush you, they stayed silent by your side. The walk down the path felt longer than you remembered, you noted the rustle in the trees as the wind flew by, the weeds springing up between each flagstone, and the dirt settling into every groove of the front door. Grasping the handle, you inhaled deeply, squeezing your eyes shut for a second to mentally prepare yourself. You turned to Kai on your right, he smiled and nodded his head to the door telling you it was okay, they were right with you. So you pushed it down and to your surprise it was open. 

The house smelled stale, no one had been here in a long time. Flashbacks of the day you and your parents left for your trip surfaced as you examined the rooms. Your sister stayed behind due to school so your Auntie offered to move in to take care of her temporarily. Every day since the outbreak, you wished you had known to stay to be able to protect her. The only thing you could do was travel home to see if she survived and wear the beaded bracelet she gifted you. You knew all along that it was a long shot that she would still be here even if she did survive. However, if your roles were reserved you would have stayed in hopes they came back for you. 

The downstairs harboured no signs of life recently so you ventured upstairs to the bedrooms. You headed straight for your sister's room, disregarding your own. The door was closed. You felt the boys standing behind you in the hallway. Turning to them, your eyes begin to water again. Kai takes a few steps towards you, gazing into your eyes while running his hand down the back of your head as if trying to smooth your hair down. In a whisper he reminds you, “We’re with you, whatever happens.” A tear trails down your cheek as you push the door handle down, it opens with a slight creek. 

Just like when you first walked into the house the smell hits you first, it is rancid. You immediately pull your shirt up over your nose so you can enter. Peering round the corner, you are met with the most devastating scene you have ever witnessed. Your beautiful little sister is dead. There was a gory blackened wound in the centre of her forehead from a close range gunshot, that looked like it had been there for a very long time. The once shimmering light behind her eyes, that you adored so much, was gone. No amount of comfort could console you in that moment yet your feet bolted back to Kai anyway, sobbing violently into his chest and clutching his shirt as your weak legs gave out from under you. He held you tightly and sat on the floor with you as you reeled. The boys were too curious so they slipped past you into the bedroom. Soobin and Beomgyu were the first to dash off in horror. Yeonjun’s eyes closed instantly at the image, he then backed away out of the room with his hands shielding his vision. Taehyun, with a medical background, was able to stomach it although his heart couldn’t. Turning to leave he catches sight of something, a small folded piece of paper in your sister’s hand. He lightly steps forwards and with his forefinger and thumb delicately retrieves the paper from her grasp. Without saying a word, he stores it in his pocket for later then makes his way out to the back of the house with the others to let you have a moment to grieve. 

The sun had set by the time you emerged from the house, eyes bloodshot and cheeks streaked with dried tears. You and Kai joined them around the fire they had made while they patiently waited for your return. A long solemn silence passed staring into the hypnotising flames until Taehyun wordlessly handed you a piece of paper. You looked to him for an explanation but his eyes wouldn’t meet yours. Taking the paper in your hands, you unfolded it and began to read. 

To my family, the disease has gotten me, I’m writing this before it takes over. Auntie is going to be kind and put me out of my misery once it does, please remind her this is not her fault. 

To my big sister, I still wear my beaded bracelet, I hope you wear yours too. Thank you for always sticking by my side even when I got mad at you for it. 

Thank you all for everything you ever did for me. If you ever find this note please don’t cry as I am always with you in your heart. I love you more than anything <3 - your baby bear

After hours of crying you thought you had none left yet reading her final thoughts and seeing her endearing family nickname caused warm liquid to trickle down your face again. You let them fall whilst clutching the paper as close as possible to your heart. The disease had gotten her just like it had gotten your parents. All that time not knowing her fate, now you were able to rest knowing what had become of your sister. It was the worst outcome but unfortunately the most likely. You stand, causing the boys to look at you. The emotions were overwhelming, you had to tell her how you felt one last time so you spoke to the only place you thought she might hear… the stars. 

“I miss you… I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you in the end. If you were here tonight I would sing you to sleep as I did when we were younger, you loved that one stupid song so much” you let out a giggle through sobs at the memory, “You will always be the brightest star in the night sky, I hope to meet you there one day… I love you.” With those final words you used up the last of your energy, you slumped down into the chair letting your eyes close. Listening to the soothing crackle of the fire, you fell asleep with the note and your beaded bracelet clutched against your chest. 

The next morning you asked the boys if you could move on straight away which they weren’t expecting, they assumed you would want to stay for a few days maybe even a week in your home yet you felt the opposite. You wanted to move on from the past to make new memories with your friends. So you all packed up and journeyed on, slotting back into your usual rhythm again. For the first few weeks you were more mellow and reserved, they gave you space and never pushed you to do anything. Chats around your nightly fires determined you all had the same idea, that you should settle down as a group of six in a house and start to search for survivors. Hopefully, there were more people out there and you were able to join a community to spend the rest of your lives in. That was the dream anyway. 

Various towns came and went as you house-hunted until finally in a small quiet town just off the coast, you found a six bedroom house with a large garden. The town nearby was still intact too with very little debris and abandoned cars in the streets. This shall be your home for now. After years of being on the move you could finally be in one place.The boys were so excited that they got to work immediately, showing you how they made their previous house more homey and how they reinforced it for the current world. Kai was always there for you when it got a bit too much, taking you into the town to scrounge for items or to the beach to feel the sand between your toes and the cool water on your feet. That’s where you were right now. 

The midday sun beat down from above, heating the golden sand along the beach. You sat, knees to your chest, mindlessly watching the ocean waves. Kai sat the same, head resting on his knees as he watched you instead. The sunlight caused your skin to glow and eyes to sparkle. He had noticed in the recent days that you were slowly opening up to them all again. He understood all too well the crushing all consuming grief you felt and how it would haunt every second. He just hoped he could be an escape for you for even the briefest moment. Out of the corner of your eye you saw him facing you, so you mirrored his position and met his gaze. You enjoyed all the boys' company but Kai’s was your favourite, no one made you feel as free and comfortable as he did. 

Suddenly, feeling impulsive and playful you stuck your tongue out at him then jumped to your feet to set off running down the beach. Behind you, a joyful booming laugh sounded followed by approaching thumping footsteps. You were barely running for 30 seconds when you were grabbed from behind, the momentum tumbling you both to the ground landing you on your back with Kai next to you. You were laughing so hard your sides were starting to hurt. 

“What did you do that for?” you asked him, clearly joking by your unstoppable giggling. 

“I couldn’t let you get away with being so cheeky, could I?,” he joked back, pivoting his head to see you. 

The view took your breath away. The ocean was just visible in the background, the sunlight illuminated the golden flecks of sand in his hair and his smile beamed with pure delight infecting you once again. This moment was perfect and you wanted to remember it forever. As if Kai could read your thoughts, he reached across to brush a strand of your hair out of your face that you hadn’t even noticed was there then whispered softly, “You’re so beautiful.” Is this how life is supposed to feel? All your worries and hauntings fade away leaving only this blissful, quiet moment. A blush crept up onto your cheeks, it had been such a long time since you felt any emotion like this. You looked away as embarrassment caught up to you. Kai chuckled at your flustered behaviour and sat up to admire the ocean. You sat up too and rested your head against him. His arm naturally found its way around your shoulders pulling you closer. 

The ugliness of the current world didn’t matter anymore, you could feel that as long as you were together everything would be okay. Something new and beautiful was beginning to bloom after a drought. You could hear his breathing and feel his heartbeat, he was real and he chose you time and time again. You took his hand in yours, intertwining your fingers, hoping this was enough to convey your emotions to him for now. Kai didn’t need your words to understand, you showed him through your touches, your laughter and your attention. All those weeks ago when you were hurt, he was crushed at the idea of losing you. Now as you looked up at him, his heart skipped a beat seeing the sparkle that had been missing for so long return to your eyes. Kai hoped he always got to gaze at the light behind your eyes. 

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