𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭│𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐮 ✓

63

Odera

[Chapter contains descriptions some readers may find distressing, read at your own discression]

The group gathered in the middle of the night, consisting of Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jun, Wonwoo and Mingyu. The others had been been out producing all day and were too tired, leaving them with Minghao who they'd figured had been through enough recently.

"We're really doing this huh?" Mingyu said, peering at the back of their van containing torches, rope and a plethora of menacing looking things they weren't sure if they needed. The nights in Odera were dangerous in the wrong places and the Odera slums was definitely one of those wrong places. Mingyu carried a small pistol and handed one to each of his housemates reluctantly. "We don't even know him, why are we going to all this trouble?"

"Well thanks to Jun we don't have much of a choice, the idiot failed to mention this would put all of us at risk," Wonwoo said, eliciting a grumble from Jun but he couldn't really protest. Jeonghan was understandably the most nervous, he was only there because he was the best at first aid due to his proper education from Healina. "It's fine, there are bodies on the outskirts all the time, we'll just take one and everyone leaves, fine. Well, except the dead guy but that's... You know maybe they'd be happy to help?" Seungcheol tried to be comforting but found himself doubting his words the more he spoke.

Jun rolled his eyes, "Just get in the van." They all complied as Mingyu drove them warily to the worst parts of Odera. Seungcheol was glad it was night, he'd worked hard on making sure Jeonghan had a fairly good image of Odera so he didn't have to put up with what they endured and the darkness blocking their vision made him feel at least a little more at ease given the situation.

When they got out the car a deep fear set in, the air was ominous and lurking but all five tried to ignore it, gearing up with torches and lighting up their small area. The slums looked dead, Jeonghan could've sworn they were abandoned but everyone else knew better that people were packed in those 'houses' like sardines, too afraid of the horrors the night may bring. "Why did we have to come so early again?" Mingyu whisper shouted, trying to trudge through to the far ends of the slums.

"Guards trample through here all the time and I don't know if you've considered how easy it would be to question five boys carrying a dead body but something tells me they'll be pretty likely to say something," Wonwoo whispered back, the way he was treating Mingyu like an idiot was contrasted the way he desperately clung onto his arm, regretting his decision to come along so they didn't do anything stupid when it was bound to happen anyway.

Their journey continued on like this until Jeonghan let out a sharp gasp, torch landing on the thing they were desperate for but desperately didn't want to find. Strewn across some bin bags was a body, a cold, dead corpse.

Mingyu and Jun approached it first, Seungcheol would've gone with them but upon the sight of it Jeonghan had ran into his chest, refusing to look up or let go. Mingyu poked the mass with his gun hesitantly, it didn't move. Jun nodded for Wonwoo to come inspect it but it was clear what had happened, a large bullet hole right through the heart, a bloody pool surrounding it, "This kid is perfect, looks about our age too," He said flatly, trying to treat it like an object instead of a freshly dead real human being.

Mingyu grimaced as he attempted to pick up the bloody mass along with Jun, Wonwoo kept a look out and Seungcheol was consoling a distraught Jeonghan who still refused to look away from his chest. They were used to this, he was not.

The putrid smell of decaying flesh filled their noses as they weaved through the slums on the long trek back to the truck, Wonwoo and Jun were emotionless, Mingyu had tears threatening to fall and Jeonghan was full blown crying into Seungcheol's jacket, unable to help it. They knew it was what they had to do to survive and they were helping a living person but it still felt wrong. They had wrapped up the body in a tarpaulin to make it a little more bearable.