The sun was almost out as the campers stood by the lake.
Beomgyu pushed one of the canoes towards the shore, to have Lei climb on first.
Lisa and Beomgyu helped Lei sit on the floor of the boat, leaning her back against one of the seats.
Beomgyu helped the girls climb on and then did so himself, before setting off with the little strength he had.
They were all quiet as Beomgyu and Lisa rowed their way down the misty lake.
The sound of the paddles hitting the water was the only thing strumming through their ears.
Ji Ah let out silent tears as she had an arm around Sara, who only looked down at her hands.
Beomgyu's gaze fell on them and then turned his head to look at Lei, whose eyes were barely open.
She had lost more blood than he had.
Her lips were pale and her breathing a little hurried. There was sweat on her forehead and goosebumps on her skin. Her head was laid back against the seat as she stared up at the sky with a tired gaze.
Beomgyu couldn't help but look at the sky as well, seeing the hues of pink, yellow, orange and purple.
He felt tears in his eyes as he witnessed the sunrise he previously had chosen to only observe once a year.
He couldn't be gladder to see it again.
Still, he contained his tears, and continued rowing.
He knew where to go, and he wasn't going to celebrate until they arrived.
"You're all going to go home. Your families will all be happy to see you. And all of this will be over." He comforted quietly as a tear slipped from his eye and fell down his cheek.
Beomgyu gave them all a small smile to which they all responded the same way.
He felt a small weight against his leg, and looked down at Lei, who laid her head softly against his thigh.
****
Without realizing, they finally made it to the place Beomgyu and Jun had previously marked.
Lisa was more agile now, compared to the adults, as her and the kids were the only ones not injured.
She climbed off first and then Beomgyu did as well, and they both pulled the boat closer to the ground.
The two little girls were quick to hop off and Beomgyu and Lisa got back on to get Lei out.
"We're here, Lei." Beomgyu said softly as he tapped Lei's cheek carefully.
Lei's eyes stayed closed, making Beomgyu's heart raise a little.
"Lei?" He called out quietly as he tapped her cheek again.
From getting no response, Beomgyu's hands start to shake.
"Hey, we're here. You need to wake up, Hawaii." He said frailly as he placed his hand on the nape of her neck.
She's so cold. Why is she so cold?
Tears weld up in his eyes again as he continued to tap her cheek.
The girls watched him as they held each other again.
They stared in fear at Lei, who continued to be unresponsive.
"Lisa, help me get her on my back."
Lisa stayed silent for a few seconds and hesitated in her spot.
"Gyu, I don't think she's-"
"She's alive, Lisa. She has to be." Beomgyu said harshly as he looked at Lei again, this time his tears were falling like water falls down his cheeks.
"She's lost so much blood-"
"Lisa." He turned his head towards her with furrowed eyebrows.
Lisa stopped talking as she noticed Beomgyu's gaze.
"Ms. Lei!" Ji Ah suddenly called out making the two look at her.
"Her eyes are open!" Sara said excitedly as she pointed at Lei.
Beomgyu quickly turned to look at her and saw her gaze on his.
"Lei." He cried as he felt his tears fall even harder at the sense of relief. "Why would you scare me like that?"
He sobbed softly as she saw her blink slowly.
"Are we here?" She weakly spoke, her voice barely heard, but she was still there.
Beomgyu couldn't even respond, but all he could do was softly rub his nose against hers.
"I love you." He whispered softly as he placed a small kiss on her forehead. "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
He pulled away as he sniffled and ran a hand through his hair, wiping his tears.
"Come on, Lisa, help me." He said softly as he sat up.
Lisa quickly helped him with the little strength she had left and pushed Lei onto his back.
They all followed Beomgyu's lead as he led them through another forest.
But this time, they knew it was different.
The vibe wasn't the same, and the sun was making its way through the big trees.
There were no other sounds besides the insects and their steps, and the shadows that were once eerily surrounding them disappeared.
After a while, they spotted the road leading to the camp.
They all almost collectively sighed in relief at the sight of the road and not a gate.
They walked down the side of the road, in hopes of finding a traveler in their car.
They walked and walked, slowly losing hope at the long stretch that was still in front of them, but the camp was long behind them and that was enough to be happy about.
Beomgyu rose his gaze from the ground at a familiar sound.
"A car! It's a car!" Ji Ah said excitedly as she waved her hands in the air.
"We're right here!" Lisa called out loudly as her tears fell down her cheeks. "Please help us!"
The other two girls started calling out the same words as they waved their hands into the air.
Beomgyu stopped walking as he watched the car approach them.
"THAT'S MY DADDY'S CAR!" Ji Ah yelled out as she jumped in her spot. A big smile spread on her cheeks as she spotted something familiar.
Beomgyu felt another immense sense of relief as the car stopped in front of them.
"Daddy!"
"Ji Ah?" A man stepped out of the car with a confused gaze as he sees the bunch of bloodied up kids. "What happened?"
The man was interrupted by a big hug from his daughter as she cried heavily.
"I'm so glad you're here." She sobbed into his shoulder. "Please save Ms. Lei."
He looked towards the other kids in questioning as he tilted his head.
"She needs help, sir. We need a hospital. She's dying." Beomgyu almost begged as he felt Lei's breath against his shoulder come slightly short.
The man snapped out of his confusion and quickly opened the door to the car, helping Beomgyu bring Lei inside the car, and having all of them climb on as well.
"What the fuck is going on?" The man questioned to himself as he made a sharp U-turn, and sped down the road.
*****A Few Weeks Later****
"The eerie camp which resulted in the atrocious death of six young campers is being investigated by the police. It is said there is no evidence of a criminal act, and the authorities are thoroughly..."
Beomgyu sat in his hospital bed as he ate a piece of corn bread, raising his eyebrows at the story that was being covered on the news.
He reached for the remote and shut off the TV, tossing the remote to the chair next to the bed.
He let out a small sigh as he took a sip of orange juice, looking towards the door when he heard it open.
"Are you ready?" His mother asked him as she stepped into the room with his father following behind.
"There isn't much I can take is there?" He joked halfheartedly as he sat up on the bed, grabbing his IV pole and pulling it with him. "Can I go see her first?"
"Go ahead." His father said as he picked up the things around the hospital room which had become his home for the last few weeks.
Beomgyu walked down the hallway to a room that was quite close to his own, fortunately.
"Hawaii." He called out softly as he pushed open the door, with a slight knock.
Lei softly opened her eyes and looked towards Beomgyu at the door.
"Hi."
"Hi." He responded softly as he moved towards her and carefully sat on the bed next to her.
She still couldn't fully move, as her ribs had been fractured, her broken leg was in a cast and her arm was still healing from its stitches.
Beomgyu endearingly stared into her eyes as he softly touched the strands of her hair that had fallen onto her face.
"You're going back home today." She said quietly as she reached for his hand.
He nodded his head as he intertwined their fingers. He placed her hand to his cheek and closed his eyes slightly.
They had decided not to speak about the occurrences in the camp.
The families tried to sue the camp but there was no one to sue, as Ms. Sally was also dead.
They had been interviewed by the police multiple times, but no one believed them besides their parents.
It was almost like trying to battle something that had never existed.
Someone walked into the room, making Beomgyu look towards the door.
Lei's father walked in, with a sluggish step making Beomgyu awkwardly look at Lei.
Lei gave him a small smile and looked over towards her father, who set some fruits down on the table.
Mr. Pines has been mourning Naya day and night. She was the sunshine in their home.
The one who would wake everyone up in the morning and would make them all watch Disney movies with her.
She was the liveliest and had the most friends. She was always having people over and there was always something that would break in the house.
It would be too quiet without her.
"Hello Beomgyu."
"Hi Mr. Pines."
"I heard you're leaving today."
"Yes, I came to say goodbye to Lei." He said softly as he looked at Lei, whose eyes were already teary. "Since our phones don't really work, anymore. This is my mom's number, and I will let you know when I get a new phone. I'm going to be stealing her phone every day until I have my own, you just watch. I will call you every day."
Lei watched him rant in endearment as she felt herself smile.
A knock made them all look towards the door, and Beomgyu's mother stood there with a small smile.
"We have to go."
Beomgyu looked over at Lei before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I will call you every day and you better pick up the phone, Hawaii."
Lei only nodded her head as she watched him walk out of the room, but not before sending him a wave.
After the door closed, she closed her eyes tightly, feeling the tears she was holding fall down her cheeks.
The door suddenly opened and Beomgyu practically jogged inside, softly wrapping his arms around Lei.
She hugged his waist as she sobbed against his shoulder.
The parents only watched them with compassionate gazes.
They knew what they went through, and they knew that the only thing that had helped them maintain hope was each other.