Trigger ↬ [ P.JS ]

Chapter 17:

Everyone got in the room, the same time Gray fell limp on the wooden floor. This caused panic to Astrid as she suddenly let Hwayoung go and knelt down to her friend. She held her head and shook her awake. No response.

"What happened to her?" Donghyuck crouched down beside Astrid. He scanned her figure, trying to find what was wrong.

"If I knew, you think I wouldn't tell you?" she threw the words at him, putting her hands under Gray's unconscious body. "Gosh, she's sweaty," she tried to lift her up, but she hasn't got much strength. "Can you boys help? Why are you just staring?" Astrid finally looked up to them.

Jeno acted first. Running to Gray and swooping her body up, putting her to the small wooden bench they have on their 'living room', that served as their couch.

Rina held Hwayoung's hands once she noticed the girl trying to go to Astrid. The little girl looked up at her and shook her head, trying to say that she wants to get there. The older stayed stern and held her firm but soft.

"They don't need more people there, Hwayoung." Rina explained to her, speaking about the boys gathering around.

Donghyuck felt nauseous since he felt that somehow this, Gray being in potential danger, was because of him. He was the one that offered them help. He was the one that told him to come here in broad daylight, knowing that they have kids to take care of.

"Why is she shaking?" Renjun asked to no one as everbody was busy gushing over Gray.

"Can everybody please get away and give them space?" Mark spoke, pushing Jaemin and Renjun out of the way.

"Why is she shaking?"

"Jisung, can you please get a towel if you have one, and water. Non-drinkable water, we don't want to waste water." Mark ordered again, still keeping his friends from the area as they caused unnecessary heat.

"Why is she shaking?"

Astrid held Gray firm, trying to make her stay still while Jaemin attempted to place a cold towel on her forehead. Gray can't stop shaking. She was sweaty, and hot, and sticky and moist. Her body was not okay, it was far from okay.

"Why are we putting towel on her? We don't even know why she fainted." the words came out of Jeno's mouth casually.

"Why is she shaking?"

"She got bit," Chenle finally spoke out loud. "She's infected." he was observing them earlier, checking if they were actually safe, and he noticed Gray.

"Are you out of your mind? She would've said so if she is in fact bitten." Astrid said with a scowl. There was no way she was bitten. She knew that Gray wasn't bitten. She saw her unharmed- no she didn't. "Oh fuck." she muttered to herself once she realized that she, Gray, could possibly been bitten.

"Look at her sleeve," the raven haired boy pointed at Gray's ripped clothing, stepping closer to the girl. "Pull it up, Astrid." he wore a faint smirk, an oh-so-hidden smirk behind his cold face.

Astrid felt nothing but rising frustration at that point. He was getting to her nerves, and he knows it. She can't say anything since she knows that he knows that he's right, and it made her enraged. She hated that he was provoking her and it was working.

She hastily pulled up Gray's sleeve, and there it was revealed.

A bite.

A soft gasp escaped Astrid lips. She looked at Gray and at her bite mark. It was ugly. It had the veins around the skin protrude, the color around it was turning pale blue, and it looked disgusting. The teeth of the zombie that bit her was engraved to her skin as a mark. A mark that tells them, she's going to be like it soon.

It irked Astrid as a memory flashed through her mind. It made her head hurt. She never wanted this to happen to Gray, and now that it did, she started to look at her a little differently.

She held her head as it throbbed, earning a quiet groan from herself. She stood up and quietly excused herself as painful memories replayed itself over and over again in her head.

In my fucking head. Astrid gritted her teeth as she forced her feet to walk and her eyes to lead her way.

Nobody minded her as the information still hasn't sunk in, in all of them. Rina, especially. She was frozen. Her eyes were wide and nothing came out of her mouth. She couldn't believe it. She won't believe it. It can't be.

"Is there sonething that we can do?" she looked around the room, hopeless.

In the midst of this, Jisung saw how Astrid was struggling to walk away from Gray's place, so he held her forearm, gently leading her to a place to rest. He supported her back, worried that she might loose balance as he noticed that she was wobbly.

Nobody really noticed him as he did so because he was behind all of the people. And all of them were still dead silent.

"So that's why she was shaking."

"Can you please shut the fuck up, Renjun? All of our lives are at stake right now. Please." Donghyuck spoke a little too quiet for his usual self. He looked like a mess. His hair was tousled and his eyes showed that he can cry any time. He was blaming himself for this. It was his fault.

Renjun looked at him and he understood. Donghyuck told him before that he was going to do exactly this if everyone didn't agree to bring them along. And he did keep his words. He did it.

He just gently put his hands on Donghyuck's back and he pulled the boy a little closer to him. "It's not your fault, Lee. You did what you had to do." he whispered to his friend. His hand slowly rubbing his back.

"She's fucking bitten," Donghyuck muttered. "She's fucking bitten, man." he bit his lip, trying to not cry. He couldn't believe it. He doesn't know her, he's not friends with her, but the fact that he's the reason why she's suffering broke her. She's bitten and it's because of me.

"Don't you fucking dare blame yourself. I will punch you in the face until you pull yourself together, you did not put her in this state. You didn't mean this to happen. It. is. not. your. fault." Renjun smacked his back with everyword. He wasn't going to let his friend beat himself up for something that he didn't do.

Donghyuck didn't believe him, but it made him feel better knowing that somebody thinks that way. He was grateful for Renjun. Even though they bicker often, they still understood each other.

"There's nothing we can do," Jaemin decided to speak. "There's no cure, no medicine, whatsoever." he sighed. He wanted to help, but there's really nothing that can help. He can't do anything.

"There's nothing we can do." Rina repeated as tears escaped from her eyes. There was nothing they can all do. It was bound to be that way. Gray was bitten.

Gray will become a zombie.

........................................................................

i'm sorry but it's not my book if nobody dies (wink wonk). Gray is such a lovely character and I hope we can see much of her more and we actually will *laughs nervously*

the next chapter will be dedicated to her since she'll be *dE4D, insert headslice hand movement* soon so haha and we got a little jisung n astrid action comin thru i see u boi, u tryna get that thang

who knows if this is the only character that will die? shrug it off