A Light In The Dark » Chanyeol x Reader Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter 21

-Author's Note-

Happy Halloween! We're so close to the comeback and I'm so excited. If you didn't know already, DMUMT has already hit 1.1 million pre-orders. Well done EXO-Ls! I haven't pre-ordered it yet but I certainly will do soon. Enjoy!

The two of you stand in silence, neither one of you really wants to tell the others. It sort of feels as if you're frozen in time like if you don't move then Sehun will never... You feel your throat tightening at the thought of it. If this is how you feel now, you can't imagine how the boys are going to react.

"Stay here, I'll get the others." You say and watch as Sehun's eyes don't even rise to meet yours. He gives you a small nod and swallows hard. You find yourself struggling to turn around. It feels like if you turn your back on him then he won't be there when you turn back around. You manage to drag yourself out of the room, immediately spotting the boys crowded around your mum. They all seem rather happy, chatting amongst themselves. You try to call out for them but the sight of their smiles seems to choke you. Chanyeol is the first to catch a glimpse of you. He's grinning at first but it fades to confusion as he sees your expression. He quickly stands up and rushes over to you. 

"(y/n), what's wrong?" He asks softly, placing a hand on your arm.

"I need to speak to you, all of you." Without hesitation, Chanyeol calls out to the others. You feel a weight in your chest as you see the group strolling towards you.

"Hey, where's Sehun?" Suho asks. Your eyes flicker to Baekhyun, whose fingers are trembling at his sides. Unable to speak, you turn around and lead the boys to the empty classroom. They follow you inside, all sparked with curiosity. When their gazes fall on Sehun, the entire atmosphere changes. It feels as if all the new-found excitement of finding the school has been drained. The warmth that once surrounded the group seems to have dissipated, leaving a sombre chill. 

"Sehun-"

"I've been bitten." Sehun cuts Kai off. It's hard to tell whether the gravel in his voice is from the infection or the sadness. You feel Chanyeol tense up beside you. They must have known from the moment they saw his arm but didn't really believe it until he said so himself. "I tried to hide it, I thought it would get better. But it didn't, and- I know what comes next."

"N-No... No Sehun that won't happen, we- we can fix it. We have medicine and-" Chen reaches for Sehun's arm but he flinches away, wincing as he does so.

"It won't work. Baekhyun already tried to clean it..." He trails off as all eyes flicker to Baekhyun. His small body freezes up and he looks around at the horrified faces around him. 

"You knew about this?" Suho whispers, his voice is a mix of disappointment and anger. Baekhyun's mouth opens and closes but not a sound comes out. His fingers are tightly interlaced and all colour seems to have drained from his face.

"It's not his fault. I told him not to tell any of you. I told him not to worry, that I'd be fine." You can tell that Sehun is trying to get up to comfort Baekhyun but his legs can barely hold him up.

"Isn't it clear that he's not fine? Don't you know what a bite means?" As Suho's voice raises, Lay steps between the two. 

"Getting angry at each other is the last thing we should be doing right now. We need to focus on Sehun."  

"What is there to focus on? We've seen enough movies to know what happens when someone gets bitten." Suho takes a threatening step towards Lay, who remains surprisingly calm.

"Maybe it's not like the movies."

"So you really think that looks like a healthy person?" Suho points at Sehun, who's swaying slightly on his feet. He looks as if he's about to pass out.

"That's enough!" Kai shoves the two apart. "The situation is stressful enough, we don't need this. Now, we need to find a way to deal with the problem."

"I've found a way." Everyone turns to Sehun, staring in horror as he holds Kai's gun to his temple. He must have taken it when Kai turned around.

"Sehun, put that down." Kai takes a small step forward, reaching towards him.

"Stop." Sehun's finger trembles dangerously close to the trigger.

"Look, you don't have to do this. We can find a way to help you." Chanyeol finally speaks up, standing next to Kai.

"Don't pretend that there's a way to fix this when you know there isn't. I don't want to turn into a monster." His speech is slightly slurred and his fingers are twitching violently.

"Sehun, please. You won't turn into a monster, we won't let you. Give me the gun." Chanyeol takes another step towards him.

"There's only one way to stop it. It'll be quick, I won't feel anything." Sehun sounds more desperate now. It's like he's begging them to let him go.

"Please." Chanyeol takes another step forward.

"Don't come closer."

"Stop-"

"I'm sorry." Sehun takes a deep breath, his eyes fluttering rapidly. But he doesn't pull the trigger. The gun slips from his hand and clatters to the ground. His eyes roll into the back of his head as his knees buckle. Chanyeol rushes forward as Sehun falls into his arms. Kai slowly picks up the gun, staring at it in disgust as if he'd just killed someone with it.

"W-What happened?" Baekhyun stutters, breathing rapidly.

"I think he passed out." Chanyeol seems to relax slightly as he checks Sehun's pulse. "He's still breathing."

"Does that mean he's gonna... Turn?"

"I- I don't know."

You all stand in silence, breathing heavily. You should be feeling relieved that he didn't pull the trigger, but all you feel is a tightness in your chest and a pounding in your head. Your eyes meet with Chanyeol's, fear is prominent in his eyes but you can tell he's trying to be strong for everyone else. 

"What are we gonna do?" The group turns to Kai, expecting him to know what to do. He just stands there, staring solemnly at the gun in his hands before looking up at you with an empty gaze.

"I don't know."