Come Morning Light

Eight.

Jooheon awoke to loud chatter. He analyzed his surroundings and realized everyone else was awake. Bright sun rays slipped through the broken windows of the warehouse. He guessed it was very early in the morning. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"Good. You all are finally awake. Hope you slept well. You'll need it."

Jooheon looked at Dawoon, eyes narrowed. The older man sat upon a crate as he ate a large red apple. Jooheon frowned as his stomach growled. On his left, Kihyun rested his head upon Hyungwon's right shoulder.

Dawoon got to his feet, tossing the apple core in a trash bin.

"I'll go tell them to bring you all breakfast," he said.

Dawoon walked away. Jooheon noticed there were a few men and women chatting nearby. He hated that they could never be alone. Jooheon wondered if they would ever be free.

"This is a very delicate situation, so we can't be too reckless. So, here is the plan," Hoseok said, eyes focused on the tiny group of people on their left. "For now, we do as they say."

"So, we're really going to knowingly be bait for aliens?" Minhyuk asked. "That's ridiculous."

"Do you have an alternative idea, genius?" Kihyun asked, voice stern. "I think hyung makes a lot of sense."

Minhyuk glared at Kihyun.

"How about you shut up," he said.

"Hey," Hoseok said, looking from Kihyun to Minhyuk. "No fighting. We have to remain united. It's very important we stay calm and level-headed. We really have to stay focused on what's important right now. Understand?"

Kihyun and Minhyuk nodded quietly. A man and woman walked toward them, carrying large trays of food in their hands. A small assortment of breakfast items rested on the surface of each tray. He spotted something that looked like oatmeal and bread. The man and woman set the two trays on the ground and then joined the group of people watching them.

Minhyuk grabbed a bowl and a slice of bread. Kihyun reached out and handed Minhyuk a small carton of orange juice. The two brothers shared a look before turning away and smiling on their faces. Jooheon smiled softly. He knew they could never stay mad at each other.

Jooheon handed a bowl to Changkyun, Hyungwon, and Hoseok. He grabbed the last bowl for himself and started scooping large amounts of oatmeal into his mouth. He knew the day would be hard, but he didn't want to think about it for too long. Instead, he focused on the warm meal in front of him.
                 ****************

The large SUV pulled up in front of a large grocery store. After a few minutes, they exited the car. The sign on the building read '24 hour Super Market'. A tiny smile formed on Jooheon's lips as he remembered a time when he had accompanied his brothers to a 24-hour grocery store after midnight.

"Alright," Dawoon said, hands stuffed in his pockets. "You all are going to go into the building first. You are going to make a ton of noise. I mean cause a scene in there. It'll serve as a perfect distraction for whatever could be in there. But anyway, get in there. We'll come in shortly."

"I prefer to go in alone," Hoseok said, glancing at Dawoon. "Leave my brothers out of it."

"Are you kidding me?" Minhyuk asked. "You want to be bait alone?"

"No, hyung, you can't," Changkyun said, grabbing Hoseok's arm.

"Well, Mr. Hero," Jess said, moving closer to Hoseok. "That isn't going to happen. We need all of you to go into the store. We want the aliens to have more people to chase."

"Like I said yesterday," Dawoon said. "If you all survive, congratulations. We'll move on to the next store. You mess up then well. That's just too bad. The aliens will just have a good feast. And we'll unfortunately have to find new runners."