Survive ❦ Namjoon

14 | Bitten

A shadow appeared in the light coming from the door, casting its elongated shape along the floor. The shadow belonged to a sheepish male, and he entered the room. His hand gripped his neck, and he smiled apologetically at Amara and Namjoon.

He sat on a wooden crate, his elbows rested on his knees and his hands were clasped in front of him.

The couple who were each in a sleeping bag looked at him expectantly; what would he even need to see them about in the middle of the night?

"Sorry for just coming in here like this, but if I didn't speak to you now, this would be on my mind all night." He breathed in, and he fumbled over his words. "I also want to apologise for the guys. They're not in the happiest of places right now. You see, this isn't the whole group; there used to be a lot more of us, 21 in fact."

"Before we found this place, we were wandering about, trying to find somewhere safe. We stumbled upon the woods, and there was a hoard of zombies hidden amongst the trees. We were attacked, and half of our group were killed. So now the guys are hostile to anyone new. I hope you understand and wait for them to accept your group being here. Please, all I want is for you to give them time."

His pleading eyes stirred Amara's emotions, and she couldn't say no to him - not when he looked like a sad puppy. Conversing with their eyes, and nods of their heads, Amara and Namjoon then came to a decision.

"We understand what you're saying, and it's a terrible thing what happened," Amara, the more soft-spoken of the two, said. "We'll give them the space they need. However, in return, all we want is respect. We don't expect to be friends with you and the others, but we do expect to be treated fairly, and with less hostility."

Taeyong smiled merrily and nodded his head enthusiastically. He jumped up and hugged Amara much to the chagrin of Namjoon.

Green flames danced behind his irises, and he grimaced at the sight of another male's arms around Amara.

"Thank you for giving them a chance! Trust me, once you get to know them they're the nicest guys you'll ever meet."

And before he left the room, he turned back and said, "good night! Come to the same place as tomorrow and we'll discuss what's going to happen next. And don't worry about the voting. I'm sure everything will work out in your favour."

☽

Old metal pipes ran through the room, and grime stood out on the floor. Footsteps sounded out in the silent room, and a male figure could just be made out in the little moonlight that shone through a small window.

Heavy breaths left the male's parted lips, and he clutched his side in pain. Blood soaked his white shirt and fell to the floor like rain.

He went to a hidden part of the basement and lifted up his shirt. Underneath, teeth-marks decorated his skin, still oozing a red substance. Dark veins snaked out from the wound, and he bit his cheek to stop himself from screaming.

It was the worst pain he had ever felt, and he just wanted it to stop. And he knew that no matter what he did, it wouldn't stop the transformation that would soon overtake him.

Undoubtedly, he would become one of the undead.

He cleaned up the wound as best he could, with the limited supplies available. He then changed his shirt. Throwing the old one into an incinerator, he vowed to keep his wound hidden.

☽

A bright light awoke the sleeping couple the next morning, and they smiled at one another. Getting out of their sleeping bags, they each stretched and got ready for the day.

After they were done, Hobi came to get them for the meeting that was going to take place soon.

Standing in the same spot as they did the day before, Amara, Namjoon, Jin and the others waited for everyone else to arrive.

As they entered, Amara eyed the boy with silver hair and noticed that he was wincing in pain with every step he took. Is he ok? Her eyes narrowed, and that was when she saw spots of red on his shirt. She was about to voice out her suspicions when she was interrupted by Taeyong.

"So, now we're all here, let's start the vote," Taeyong stood before everyone and spoke to them all. "Raise your hand if you want them to stay."

The guys exchanged glances, and most of them raised their hands, whilst the others kept theirs lowered.

"Raise your hand if you want them to leave."

The ones who didn't vote before raised their hands and scowled at the ones who voted for them to stay.

Taeyong moved forward and held out his hand. "Welcome to the family." He grinned widely and cheered when Namjoon took his hand.

After the vote, they all went their separate ways.

☽

"Hey, you!" Amara called out to the silver-haired boy, startling him. "Your name is Haechan, right?"

He slowly spun round to face her, and timidly nodded his head. "Can I help you with something?" His voice was tense, and he seemed almost hostile.

"No, I just wanted to see if you were ok." Her voice lowered, and she indicated his side with her eyes. "You're bleeding."

"Shit." He frantically wiped at his shirt, trying and failing to get rid of the bloodstain. The one that had grown in size since the voting.

Something clicked in Amara's mind as she watched his frantic actions, and she exclaimed, "were you bitten?!"

That's when she was slammed against the wall, and a hand was pressed against her lips and nose.

Struggling to breathe, she looked down at the male before her, with widened eyes. 

"Shh," he furiously said. "Don't tell anyone about this! If you know what's good for you, you'll stay silent, got it?"