The Infected ⬩ (G)I-DLE

Four

The lock clicked open, a delicate girl walked out of the stall. She was shaking, clutching her pale arms. Soojin could see that the girl was shorter than her, with brown wavy hair. She was pretty, not that Soojin even cared.

"No, c'mon, what are you, a little coward?" Soojin snatched the girl's small wrist, leading her toward the exit.

"No!" The girl yanked her hand from Soojin and stared at her intensely. "I'm not following some pedophile!" Soojin choked, she coughed and spat in the dirty sink.

"Me, pedophile? Ok, kid, I swear. I may look like shit, but I'm not shit. Seo Soojin." She introduced, reaching out to grab the girl's wrist.

"Well, I'm Cho Miyeon." The girl backed off. "I don't care if you're–"

"Wait a second. You're Cho Miyeon. As in the so-called-queen of NIA?" Soojin cutted her off, placing a hand on Miyeon's shoulder. She gazed at Miyeon's outfit, the plaid black and white school vest and skirt. "We have to go now. I swear, you know, Yuqi?" Soojin didn't let Miyeon nod in response and continued, "There's zombies, I feel so stupid right now, we have to go to Yuqi's safeplace."

"I said–" Miyeon struggled to squirm out of Soojin's grasp. The taller girl pressed her palm and clasped Miyeon's mouth.

"Shut up." She snarled, nudging her shoulder to the door. "We have to go, Yuqi and Shuhua got into trouble." Soojin pulled out her lusterless machete, its curve blade intimidating Miyeon as she cowered backwards. Soojin looked back once, "Follow me and I'll bring you to safety. Or you can stay there forever." Miyeon gulped, scooting. She chased after Soojin before she could be left in the quiet bathroom.

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Shuhua bit the inside of the mouth, trying hard not to scream as the infected woman's warm blood coated her arm. The stickiness caused Shuhua to feel queasy, the room shaking very little. Yuqi backed off, clutching Shuhua as she kicked the woman's head away.

"There's more coming!" Yuqi pointed toward the entrance, "Get Soojin, we have to go!" Shuhua scampered to the back of the store, frantically tripping over spilled contents. Crumbs of peanut balls crushed under her shoes. Crunching, crumbling. She caught the shelf, steadying her balance.
"Soojin!" Shuhua waved, confused about the additional girl. "We have to go." Soojin nodded, tightening the grip on the machete as Miyeon trailed behind the girl to Yuqi's car.

"Alright!" Yuqi exclaimed as she stabbed another zombie in the head. Its blood started to stain the books Yuqi taped to her appendages. The pages were dripping with crimson. She looked back, making sure there were no infected corpses following her. She sprinted fast, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Yuqi used the car key and unlocked it from the inside. Shuhua crawled into the passenger seat. She smeared mahogany blood on the clean cushions. Nearly at the same time, Soojin shoved Miyeon into the rear seats, hopping right next to her.

"Drive already!" Soojin ordered, pointing at the zombies that were attracted by the engines starting.

"I'm trying!" Yuqi whisper-shouted, slamming the car's plastic pedal. The car quickly drove away from the small convenience store.

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"Seriously? You call this, small?" Miyeon gasped as she toured the heated cellar. It was starting to get hot fast. Yuqi smirked, then beamed at the compliment. Or at least, that's what she thought the remark was.
"I mean. I should have added air cons."

"Yeah, you should have." Soojin agreed, struggling to peel the sturdy taped books from her arms. "A little help here?" She pleaded. Shuhua crawled over, stumbling each time she moved. The books were blocking her joints from functioning properly.
"Here, I can help!" Shuhua offered, reaching out and peeling the tape. She would feel her stomach flopping over and over again. Although the wine-coloring had dried on her arm, she could still feel the particles twitching. Shuhua bit the inside of her mouth as Soojin freed her arms from the tight books.

"You, okay?" Soojin asked, and she grabbed Shuhua by her shoulders. "You look so pale." Shuhua swayed from left to right.

"Hey, Shuhua?" Yuqi stalked over. "Oh my god. WE NEED A BUCKET!" Yuqi shouted, sprinting toward the kitchen to get a bucket. Miyeon frowned, clearly. This was not what I expected. She thought, moving to find a bucket. Less than 10 seconds later, Yuqi landed on her heels. She shoved the bucket at Shuhua's face.

"Puke in here!" She pleaded, wagging the bucket. Shuhua's face turned pale as she stared at the red plastic.

"Actually," She squeaked, shaking from the blood. "I think I could just wash this off.."

"Good, good!" Soojin grunted, releasing her grasp on Shuhua. "What time is it?" Soojin closed her contact with Yuqi's hickory eyes.

"I believe it's...21:00 PM."

"I feel so sleepy and hot." Miyeon placed a hand on her mouth, muffling her yawn.

"Oh, you can go to the room on the right, there should be a sleeping bag or something in there. Don't sleep on the bed, though. It's mine." Yuqi stared Miyeon down, intensely. Miyeon shrugged, pacing to the room and disappeared. Yuqi flipped to Shuhua, who had cleaned the blood from her arm. "You should go to bed, too."

"B-but, you're not my mother, Yuqi-unnie!" Shuhua whined, "I'm scared. What happens if the other girl tries to kill me?" She grabbed Yuqi's wrist, waving it around and around.

"Seriously?" Soojin scoffed, "You? Scared of Miyeon? She's a fucking coward!" Soojin raised her arms dramatically, her hushed tone lowered. The sleeping girl doesn't need to hear her complaint.

"You're safe, Shuhua. I promise." She grasped Shuhua's hand, squeezing it tightly. "You should rest now, we have to plan out tomorrow." Yuqi led Shuhua and Soojin into the bedroom. Miyeon was already snuggled warmly on the plush couch in the corner. "Actually, now to think of it, Shuhua, you can share the bed with me. Soojin, you take the other couch." She gestured to the matching couch, facing the opposite side of the room. Yuqi hopped onto the bed, stretching herself. The lights turned off as her eyes shut. Letting the darkness take her consciousness.