Vengeance

forty

Jinyoung and Jeongin raced through the upper level towards the stairs, keeping an eye out for the zombie who'd gotten into the bedroom. They didn't know where it could have gone and it was becoming increasingly suspicious that it hadn't shown its face yet.

"How much control does she have over them?" Jeongin said quietly, hoping the head of the medical team could give him some answers.

But Jinyoung shook his head.

"I have no idea. I knew she could make them attack but I didn't think they would be capable of targeting or stealth. I didn't know that she could give direct orders. That must be why she turned them that way in the first place. For more control."

"But how many do you think she can control at once?"

"Hopefully not all of them. But we won't know until we get down there."

Jeongin slowed, turning to him.

"Down where? I thought we were going to help the others?"

Jinyoung's eyes remained forward.

"I'm going to the lab to finish her off myself. That's the only way to end this once and for all."

Jeongin felt a shiver run through his body at the harshness of his tone but didn't want to fight him on it. He picked up his pace again, keeping up.

But as they neared the stairwell, a thudding sound caught their attention and Jinyoung sped to a halt, eyes wide. Jeongin glanced at him.

"Do you think..."

Jinyoung didn't have to say anything. They were both thinking the same thing.

The zombie.

It was close.

Jinyoung turned to the table sitting against the wall, grabbing it and tipping it over. Jeongin watched in confusion.

"What are you—"

With a heavy stomp, he broke a leg free, tearing it from the table's base. He turned back to Jeongin.

"Want one?"

Jeongin didn't know what to say but nodded slowly.

After grabbing each of them a makeshift weapon, they took off towards the sound. Jeongin knew it was going to slow them down but he was too scared to speak up. Maybe he was just a coward after he'd hardly even been able to face the zombies on two occasions, but he couldn't bring himself to get Jinyoung back on track. He also couldn't bring himself to take her on all alone. He was useless.

At the thought, his heart tightened in his chest. He knew Seungmin would yell at him for thinking that way.

He shook the thought from his head, unable to even picture him without starting to cry and tried his best to focus on the mission ahead of them. If Jinyoung failed, he would have to help out.

He needed to be ready.

They finally turned into the hallway where the sound was ringing and they each slowed, staring forward at the zombie ahead of them.

It was Hongjoong.

The banging was coming from his fists as they pounded against the door of one of the rooms in the hallway. There must have been someone inside.

"We have to help them," Jeongin whispered but Jinyoung wasn't listening.

He stared at the zombie, a rage building in his chest. He didn't know this kid before he turned. To him, this was the face of Jackson's killer and nothing more.

He was the only one up here. And he was trying to kill again.

He would never let that happen.

"Hey you! Your fight is with me, you hear me??"

Jinyoung flexed his forearm, gripping the wooden weapon tightly as he caught the zombie's attention. But it only lasted a moment as he turned back to the door, banging on it once again.

"Jinyoung??"

The voice inside was hard to make out, but it sounded like Yuta.

"Stay inside. I'll handle him," he said sharply, twirling the wood in his hand.

"No! Don't hurt him!"

Jinyoung turned just a little at the sound of Seonghwa's voice.

"What?"

"I said, don't hurt him!!"

Jinyoung stopped, scoffing as his anger began to build, just looking at the murderer before him.

"He's a zombie. He won't even feel it."

The fact that he couldn't even really hurt him only boiled his blood more.

"Please!! He hasn't even done anything! All he's done is follow me! We led him up here!"

Seonghwa's voice was laced with tears and Jeongin could hear furniture scraping the floor as those inside started towards the door.

"He killed Jackson!" Jinyoung shouted, bringing his weapon back and hurling it forward, a loud crack ringing through the hallway as it collided with bone, knocking Hongjoong to the floor.

"HONGJOONG!!" Seonghwa screamed, scrambling to push the furniture inside aside as he tried to get the door open.

"He didn't do it! He's been following us this whole time! It was someone else, I swear!" Yuta yelled. "And they're targeting specific people! He's only after Seonghwa!"

Jinyoung looked at the limp form on the ground, his anger fading just a little. But he shook his head.

"There hasn't been a single other zombie on this floor. It had to be him!"

"Jinyoung...look at his hands. There's no blood."

Jinyoung took heavy breaths, his fists shaking as he looked down at the zombie on the ground. It started to rise again, turning back to the door and banging against it again.

"It wasn't him," Jeongin said quietly.

Jinyoung stood still, watching as the zombie continued to attack the door, completely uninterested in the two them.

"We need to get to the lab," Jeongin said softly, putting a hand on Jinyoung's shoulder. "That's where the real killer is. The zombie was just being controlled."

"I know that," Jinyoung snapped, but Jeongin knew he wasn't mad at him.

After another deep breath they rushed past the zombie, still shaken by its disinterest. Kyungsoon clearly had a goal in mind.

Hongjoong going after Seonghwa. Chan after Jeongin. Someone after Jackson.

She was sick.

And they were going to stop her before she hurt anyone else.