October 29 2187
Warm blood dripped slowly onto the concrete below, forming small puddles with splatters around. Blinded by spotlights, Hyunjin kept his head down, breathing heavily through his mouth. It was all he could do to keep himself from going unconscious, watching his breaths form before his face, distracted only by his own blood puddling below him.
On his hands and knees, the earlier strike to the back of his head took away all his coordination, making him rock slightly back and forth to keep his balance. While nearly unnoticeable to anyone else, it felt as though the world was literally shaking to him. There were people all around him, he knew that from before. What he didn't know was what they were saying. His ears rang so badly that he couldn't figure out if the voices were even real or his own madness getting to him.
The suspicion was confirmed when the voices got louder, closer. They were different. Real. While he still couldn't make out what they were saying, it clarified something at the very least.
It felt like hours passed since he was hit, and he knew he'd never figure out how long truly went by. Through his parted lips, instead of an exhale came a laugh. He wasn't even sure what he was laughing at, but the act came unconsciously, and given his foggy mind he didn't have enough control to stop.
The next moment nearly gave him whiplash with the panic that flooded his veins, almost making him nauseous from a sudden movement. There were hands that went under each of his arms, hoisting him up from the ground, causing the world to spin and blur in a flash of light and dark.
At first it was impossible to tell how he was being held, then he was being dragged backwards and it made sense. Two different people held him by his under arms, leaving his legs to drag uselessly against the ground. All that was left to show where he was was the blood on the concrete. His eyes fixated on the red as it grew further and further away. It was all he could do to keep himself from passing out.
Head lolling to the side, then backwards, he stared at the moon that rested in the dark sky. There were so many lights it was hard to see the stars, but at least the full moon still illuminated through it all. There was a reason the full moon was important...but he couldn't remember why.
He couldn't see the faces of the people holding him, they blurred in his outer vision and he made no move to try to see their features. He didn't care nor did he have the strength to move as blood still dripped from the back of his head.
Another laugh passed through his cracked lips, the unnerving sound filling the otherwise silent air. His body convulsed unintentionally, giving the impression he was trying to escape when that was never a conscious thought he had. It caused voices to pass through his ringing ears once more, still leaving him unable to understand what they said.
The grip on him tightened and caused his body to thrash even more as he was dragged more violently than before. His parted lips merely formed a smile, head lolling back and forth.
Moments later the view of the sky disappeared, being replaced by something more industrial. The fuzziness in Hyunjin's mind prevented him from being able to understand where he was pulled. It left him in such a conscious confusion that the smile dropped from his lips, eyes narrowing as he tried to understand what he was seeing.
A scream caught his attention, bringing him closer to reality than he was seconds prior. He managed the strength to lift his head to see before him, the view narrowed on the sides. It clicked, he was pulled into the back of a truck, one of those ones that the back end lowered down to a ramp to get into.
He was supposed to avoid these types of things...but he couldn't remember why. Who told him that?
The same scream of bloody murder filled his ears, bypassing the ringing as if it weren't even there. It was a familiar voice that he could hear more clearly than the ones of the people talking right above him, despite it being further away.
A really weird feeling filled his body.
The world began fuzzing up again, this time different than before. This time it was more forcibly rather than his own subconscious doing as a mask was pressed over his mouth and nose, forcing him to breathe in weird smelling air. He tried to jerk away, but a hand pressed against the back of his head, smearing his blood and causing a sharp pain to take all of his attention. He screamed and yet he never heard his own voice.
His eyes blinked back open to look out the back of the truck, noticing someone running in its direction. They seemed so familiar, even at a distance being covered by the dark. They were the one screaming, Hyunjin just knew it, yet at the same time pieces of the puzzle weren't fitting correctly.
The edges of his vision went completely dark. He focused on the person as they entered the nearest spotlight, still too far away to do anything, but close enough to not be blurred. It was the only thing he could do to keep himself from losing consciousness.
Another pained scream filled his ears at the same time Hyunjin saw the man properly step into the light, doubling over as if he were in pain as he screamed with all his might.
"Hyunjin!"
The man screamed his name, and like the flip of a light switch everything suddenly made sense.
"Chan!" Hyunjin screamed in a sudden panic, the adrenaline flooding his veins allowing him to fight against the people holding him down. He thrashed about in their hold, crazed eyes fixated on the man in the spotlight as if his life depended on it.
There was a sharp pain against Hyunjin's neck that made him wince, and not even a few seconds later his body went completely limp. He fought against the pull of unconsciousness, but it was too strong this time to ignore.
The last thing he saw was a group of people in white suits rushing towards Chan with an assortment of weapons. The image of fear on Chan's features was something he was sure he'd never forget before the older turned and ran back into the darkness, right as the back of the truck lifted and the world went completely dark.
February 7 2188
Jisung was just about to walk outside when he was stopped with a sudden tug at his arm. Taking in a sharp breath he turned around to be practically face to face with Felix who appeared slightly distressed.
Furrowing his brows and tilting his head to the side, he was silently expressing his confusion as to why he was being stopped. He was sure he had everything he needed and Changbin was just as ready as he was at his side. They needed to leave now if they wanted to travel in good light.
"What is it?" Changbin spoke up in a whisper, stepping between Jisung and Felix to force the contact to break as he made eye contact with the latter.
Felix took in and let out an anxious breath, closing his eyes tight, reopening them to look at Changbin. At his side his hands balled into fists in a sorry attempt to hide how they shook.
"Just...please be careful." Felix nodded, taking a step backwards only for his boots to crunch against the debris that lined the entryway. Taking another breath, he looked back to Jisung for reassurance. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
With a firm nod Jisung gave his answer. It clearly wasn't enough to reassure Felix though, so Jisung added a small smile, reaching forward to pat him on the shoulder as well. Still the blonde wasn't convinced, but there was nothing more Jisung could really do. He patted his own chest and showed a thumbs-up, then spun around right after the motions since he didn't want to see Felix's expression change for good or bad.
He could go out just fine and while he appreciated the concern, there were times he wished the others wouldn't baby him so much. He has plenty of problems, but that wouldn't stop him from wanting to help their messed up family. They were all exhausted and had their own problems, so why should his be treated any different?
Putting a hand on the door, Jisung pulled the squeaky thing open, quickly having to readjust to catch it since it nearly fell off the hinges. The amount of noise that fall would've created could've easily cost them their lives at this time of day. In a mock anger he turned quickly, pointing to the hinges then to Felix, then back to the door.
Changbin snorted under his breath, moving over to help adjust the door to an opened position without it falling over completely, "yeah Lix, I thought you fixed the door."
"I thought I did too." The blonde muttered in an apologetic confusion, acting as if he were going to take a step forward but merely froze in his place. "I'll...uh...try to get it fixed again while you guys are gone."
Jisung kept his angered pout on his lips as he narrowed his gaze at Felix, once again pointing a finger at him. He then smirked playfully, eyes changing to show a sincere look before he stepped outside to the dust filled air. Not expecting the air to be so thick, he let out a huff through his nose in disapproval, trying to keep from breathing in too much of the dust visible in the morning sunlight.
"Shit, wait here, I think we still have some masks around here somewhere." Felix quickly put a hand up to block his own lower face, backpedaling to then turn and sprint into their sorry excuse of a home.
Changbin fiddled some more with the door, getting agitated and just leaving it be when the old thing wouldn't stop sliding down the wall. With a huff he put an annoyed hand up to his lower face, his bare hand not doing much to protect him unlike Jisung and Felix who used the sleeves of their shirts to protect their faces.
"We should look for an abandoned hardware store or something like that on the way." Changbin stated, looking to Jisung for approval. "Felix isn't going to be able to fix this with what we have."
Jisung just nodded, deciding to step back inside to get out of the direct bad air and sunlight. Leaning against the inner doorway, with his free hand he adjusted his backpack, only filled with essentials to get by, mainly filled with empty space to carry more supplies. Changbin's bag mirrored his own with its contents, along with the state of being rather torn and disheveled. One of the zippers to his bag didn't even work anymore which definitely wasn't ideal, but they needed to work with what they have.
"Do me a favor, can you snap your fingers for me?" Changbin requested after some silence, moving his gaze from the abandoned road outside to Jisung. There was an innocent look to his features, but the look in his eyes and the dark circles under them went against all innocence.
A little confused, Jisung lifted his free hand so his frayed sleeve could fall down his arm and allow the proper moment of his hand. Then he did as asked and snapped his fingers, all while light shuffling and thuds could be heard from upstairs.
"Again." Changbin stated, closing his eyes after giving an approving look.
Jisung narrowed his eyes, but again snapped his fingers as the older wanted. The noise made him a little anxious, but it was only a brief, small sound that shouldn't attract any unwanted attention.
When Changbin opened his eyes again Jisung portrayed his need for an answer on his features. Lowering his arm, he shook it a little to let his sleeve fall down and protect him from the cold. He couldn't understand how Changbin was in a sleeveless shirt in this weather, but unlike the others he wouldn't bring it up. They all had preferences and some of them were better to leave unquestioned.
"I know, I know, you don't have to keep giving me that look." Changbin let out as a breathy chuckle, shaking his head as his gaze moved over towards the entry to the stairway, hoping to see a certain blonde reappear. "If you need my attention and are behind me or elsewhere, just snap. I was memorizing the sound so I know what to listen out for."
Realization dawned on Jisung, eyes widening as he nodded slowly. It made sense and was definitely a good idea. He liked it and didn't know why he or anyone else hadn't thought of doing this before. It could definitely work and he might even get the others on board with the message when they get back...if they get back.
Brushing off the dark, worrying thought, he gave Changbin a thumbs-up and a forced smile, which the other returned with a nod. He pushed himself off the opposite wall when Felix came storming down the stairs. Granted, the blonde was light on his feet and hardly made any noise.
"Here! Sorry they were fucking buried." Felix announced in his quieted voice, holding out two masks, one for each of the others. He seemed out of breath, smiling for one second before it dropped.
Jisung and Changbin both accepted the mask, putting it on after checking it over. It definitely helped them breathe better with the filter, but it wouldn't last long and they all knew it.
"I don't know when the dust rolled in, but I hope it'll let up soon." Felix muttered, shifting his weight on his feet as he glanced out the open doorway. "Just try to get indoors when you can."
Changbin responded with a noncommittal hum, giving Felix a long, empty glance before moving to leave.
"Remember to fix the door. If we aren't back by sunrise tomorrow then put the barricades back up and forget about us." Changbin sounded rather heartless with his speech, but they all knew he was putting up a strong front. He had to, otherwise the emotions he carries so close to his heart wouldn't let him leave.
"Be safe out there." Felix watched with an emotionally pained expression as they stepped outside, putting their images to memory in case something did happen. "Both of you."
Changbin kept walking and Jisung threw a hand up by his shoulder, giving a brief wave but never turned around. He too would be stopped if he saw the look that he knew was on Felix's face. Together they disappeared around the corner and walked off into the dangers of their world.
Felix breathed heavier, choking on the dust that crept inside. This feeling of panic was nowhere near foreign, but with no one here to help calm him, only more panic built up. A distraction was the only thing he needed to keep from spiraling, so with a newfound rush he walked to the door and lined it back up in the closed position, trying to align the hinges but couldn't get it quite right.
Obsessing over the door for a good while, he got it as fixed as he could with the supplies that was lying around. Left to the silence, he stumbled to stand in the middle of the first floor of the house, spinning around as he looked in each direction.
The rundown mess could hardly be called home, but it was all they had. This was the only building where the first few floors still had windows that were intact, unlike all the similar ones in the area. He didn't quite know what to describe this building as, what it could've been before, seeing as all the room layouts were extremely open. Not that it truly mattered in the end, this was their home for now, until they would inevitably have to find somewhere new once again.
Despite the building being about six floors tall, they hardly ever went beyond the third floor. It was too dangerous the higher up they went, the floors and walls were a lot more unstable, not that it was all that much better on the lower floors. Regardless, they agreed that they wouldn't ever step onto the fourth floor and above, leaving that half of the building uninhabited. The only time they ever went up there was when they initially arrived, determined it was dangerous, and merely looted what they could.
Other than that, everything in their possession was on the lower floors, and it certainly wasn't a lot. They were lucky to have what they have, but they always needed more. There was always something to fix, something to repair for their defense, someone needing medical attention, and of course they all needed to eat and have access to water.
A loud crash followed by an equally loud bang from upstairs scared Felix out of his thoughts, causing his heart to pound in his chest. Looking over his shoulder, he confirmed the door was still closed before running to his backpack to grab a knife then rushed upstairs.
Taking two steps at a time, avoiding the existing holes and rotting areas in the stairs, Felix gripped his weapon so tight his knuckles turned white. He didn't know what he'd face, if it was anything at all, but he'd be ready. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he stood on the second floor, his senses heightening as he prepared himself for anything.
Well just about anything.
"What the fuck Minho!" Felix dropped his defense and raised his voice in anger, though not louder than a whisper-scream, as his eyes landed on the older.
"Sorry." Minho clearly had no care for the panic he caused as he dusted himself off. Notably he was standing by a window that had been busted inward. So much for all of the windows being intact.
"What the fuck happened?" Felix's wide eyes scanned around, deciding to tuck his knife into his belt for now since he had nowhere else to put it. "There's a fucking door you know."
"The door is broken." Minho looked up with bored eyes, his entire demeanor uninterested in the conversation. Still, he breathed rather heavily, and his hair stuck to his head from the sweat. "And I was being chased."
Felix's eyes somehow widened even more, looking past to the window then back to Minho. His hand went back to his knife, now extremely aware of how unstable the door was downstairs.
"By what?" Felix whispered, taking a few hesitant steps towards the brunette.
"Some rabid dogs." Minho shrugged his shoulders, turning his head to look in the direction he came in from. "I led them up the neighboring building and jumped here. We can deal with them later." He paused looking back to Felix, eyes trailing up and down. "Why do you seem off?"
Felix scoffed, shaking his head in a near sense of disbelief. He tried to calm his racing heart before he spoke, but the silence clearly began agitating Minho, who shifted his weight to one side and tapped his foot against the glass covered ground.
"First tell me how Chan is." Felix put on a brave act, raising his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't the only one acting off, and right now he didn't deem himself to be the most important thing on their endless list of problems.
Minho rolled his eyes, then looked down, sighing.
"Help me close this window, this damn dust is getting bad." It was clear they were both avoiding certain topics, but Minho's avoidance only made Felix more anxious. Still, he moved over and helped close the window, finding some nearby boards and nails to better cover the new holes in the glass.
They worked in silence, a thoughtful look across Minho's features. It wasn't a good look, it was clear whatever thoughts he was having were bad. Which wouldn't be surprising considering that he had been gone for two days on his own. Granted it was something he was more than capable of and certainly not out of character for him.
Once the window was secure Minho walked further into the room, dropping his backpack onto the floor before crashing onto a random mattress. He laid on his back, breathing now steady, and simply stared at the ceiling. After a short minute he patted the spot beside him, the message clear.
Glancing at the window, their makeshift work would have to do, and nothing was as crazy as Minho to jump from the neighboring building into a glass window. Well...so long as it was covered they should be safe. He couldn't fret over it anymore than they already did, so Felix took a breath and turned away.
With slow steps Felix walked over to the older, removing his knife from his side to place on the floor beside the mattresses, then sat beside Minho. Clearly that wasn't the entirely right move, since not even a moment later Felix sucked in a sharp breath as he was pulled backwards, falling into place directly beside the older.
"I need you to relax." Minho muttered, rolling his head to the side so he could look into Felix's eyes. "So I can relax too." His words came out airy, but the silence that followed made his features contort to confusion. "Why were you the only one to come investigate?"
Unintentionally Felix's eyes widened then blinked rapidly, and those subtle movements gave away what he was trying to avoid. Minho's eyes narrowed at him, his lips forming a frown.
"What's with that look?" Minho questioned, with each passing second he seemed to be getting more and more angry. It could almost seem irrational, and maybe it was, but whenever Minho traveled there was always something that turned off his emotions, and the first to come back was always anger, no matter the circumstance. "Felix?"
"Don't shoot the messenger." Felix spoke quickly, shifting to put his arms up in mock surrender. He knew how to deal with Minho and realized quickly what was bound to happen. "But not too long ago Changbin and Jisung left to go—"
"What?" Minho raised his voice nearly to a regular talking level, sitting up with a rise of anger. It happened so fast that it was hard to believe that it was real. But he exploded and there was no sense of calm to him anymore. His eyes now filled with a murderous intent as he looked back to Felix. "You didn't try to stop him?"
Even with two names being said, it was pretty clear who Minho was referring to.
"It-I-Listen, Minho, please calm—"
"Don't tell me what to fucking do." Minho tried to stand up but Felix caught his wrist and pulled him back.
Felix knew very well that after revealing the others left Minho would try to leave and follow them, but it wasn't necessary nor safe. He needed Minho to stay here for everyone's safety, and with the rise of anger, of course a fight broke out between them.
For a short while the two wrestled, Minho trying everything in his power to escape and Felix taking bruising hits in order to keep him where they were. It took longer than Felix would've liked to get Minho in an ideal position, but when he did all it took was a few quick movements for Felix to get Minho pinned in a way that the older couldn't escape from, using his body weight to keep him there.
While it hurt to see and be on the receiving end of, Felix knew well that Minho wasn't in the right state of mind. All he wanted to do was make sure Minho was safe and help him get back to a stable state of mind. Sometimes roughhousing was the best solution. And most importantly, Felix knew not to take it personally.
"I was going to go with Changbin, I promise, but Jisung took my bag and...well you know how he is, I couldn't stop him." Felix explained in a calmer tone, knowing this was an even more delicate situation now that he decided to speak. He kept his eyes closed as he pressed his forehead against Minho's, their sweat mixing like their heavy breaths. "I also...fuck...you should've seen the look in his eyes. He wanted to go, I could tell. And I wasn't going to take that from him as much as it worries and scares the shit out of me."
Minho's eyes had been closed from the moment he was pinned beneath the blonde, and they stayed that way until he regulated himself enough to not feel his blood boiling. Felix was almost convinced the older somehow fell asleep, but he knew better than to release his hold. He'd been tricked many times before and wouldn't let it happen again. And while Minho would never say it aloud, he appreciated the bruising hold Felix held him in, the pain calmed him more than it should've. In a way, he was sure the younger somehow knew this.
"Changbin went with him?" Minho opened his eyes as he asked, a lot calmer sounding but there was still that unsettling edge to his voice.
"Yeah." Felix answered, hoisting himself upward to give some space between their upper bodies. "Jisung seemed pretty sure of himself. I'm sure they'll be fine. Changbin said they'll stay in the district too."
Minho hummed, nodding his head as he seemed to think it all over. The murderous look left his eyes and was replaced by a clear exhaustion. He no longer pulled against Felix, instead just melted into the mattress.
"Right." Minho muttered, almost to himself by the look on his face. His eyes then refocused on Felix, causing him to frown. "I'm sorry for lashing out."
"It's fine, I understand." Felix responded in a mumble, deciding it was okay to remove himself from Minho's bubble now. He pushed himself off, hesitating just outside of the olders personal space before plopping back onto his own spot of the mattress.
"It's not fine. I hate that fucking feeling." Minho sighed heavily, shaking his head as his eyes found the cracks in the ceiling once more. "And I hurt you."
"Ah..." Felix laughed off awkwardly, rubbing the bruise that was already forming on his shoulder. "What's a few more bruises to the ones I have now? I can handle it."
Minho shook his head, jaw locking up. He closed his eyes, opening his mouth to say something but no words passed. Reopening his eyes, he stared at Felix.
"I'm sorry."
Sighing, Felix showed a small smile of reassurance. It dropped not even a second later.
"Apology accepted." He breathed out the words reassuringly, hoping they had the intended effect.
It was hard to tell since Minho closed his eyes again and gave no visible reaction. The silence lasted longer than it should've, but Felix wasn't sure whether he should speak or not. He wanted to give Minho more time to regulate, and moving away felt like it'd give the opposite effect, so he sat still in the silence.
"So Changbin and Jisung left...." Minho repeated with a sigh, opening his eyes to find Felix, features forming confusion. "Where's Seungmin?"
That sheepish, guilty-like feeling returned, and it showed on Felix's face. He didn't even try to hide it, but quickly spoke when Minho narrowed his gaze on him.
"Well you know Jeongin hasn't been feeling well, and...well he seemed to of gotten worse through the night last night...and we didn't have any medicine that was helping him." Felix quickly explained, words fumbling together yet his tone was still rather even in a forced state of calm. "And since we didn't have anything to help him, Seungmin geared up and took—"
"In the middle of the night?" Minho sat up again, this time in more of a rush of concern rather than anger.
"Yes, in the middle of the night." Felix replied with a firm nod, locking eyes with Minho as he carefully continued. "He said he was taking Jeongin to District Seven to find a doctor."
Minho blinked slowly at Felix before letting out an exasperated sigh, falling back onto the mattress. He threw an arm over his face a second later, jaw locking up again as he just laid there. Felix readjusted slightly, crossing his legs while reaching an arm out to rest on Minho's thigh in a silent reassurance.
"That's two districts over." Minho sounded choked up, fighting back pained tears.
"Yeah...but Seungmin said there should be someone there that can help. He heard rumors one time." Felix got quiet as he spoke, lowering his head as the dread filled his chest. "Do...you think the chip is what's keeping him from getting better?"
"Probably." Minho practically growled, but made no sudden movement to go with the anger. "But even if it was somehow possible, I think removing it would probably kill him."
Felix didn't know how to respond. He let his head hand forward and focused on the warmth that radiated from the older. Minho sighed, throwing his arm from his face and once again stared at the ceiling, calculating in his head, which turned into voiced thoughts.
"If they left through the night, they should be somewhere near the center of District Eight if Seungmin took the route I would've. Assuming this damn dust rolled in through Ten, then it at least wouldn't affect them through their travel. But...there were a lot of Hollowed in Eight when I passed through there. Fuck...."
"Seungmin took the silenced rifle." Felix thought it'd be good to share the additional information he knew, lifting his head just enough to look at Minho through his bangs. "But he was carrying Jeongin on his back. He...didn't have the strength to walk."
"And Jeongin won't hold a fucking gun cause of the chip." Minho practically seethed in a curse, hand balling into a fist only to slam down onto the mattress. "Why the fuck can't he have a normal birthday?"
Felix sensed the atmosphere change again, watching Minho closely to monitor his anger, except the older unballed his fist and instead just cried. The tears fell silently from his eyes, his head tilting in the opposite direction so Felix wouldn't have to see them pour.
"This is such a mess." Minho laughed unnervingly, shaking his head as the same arm he used to cover his face came back, only now he angrily wiped the tears from his face.
Felix meekly chuckled along, agreeing completely but not wanting to say anything. Once he stopped the room went silent between them. Felix kept a reassuring hand on Minho at all times, but shifted so his back was to the older, staring into the dark, desolate place they call home.
"Chan is still at the fucking junkyard." Minho finally answered Felix's initial question, facing the ceiling again now that the tears stopped falling. "I swore he was in the same exact spot I found him in last month."
Felix hummed, biting his lower lip as he looked down. That made the pit in his stomach even bigger, allowing even more anxieties to bubble up to eventually pour over the edge. Minho sighed, trying to find the right words to continue, now realizing the state the blonde was in...and the fact that he was contributing to it made him feel even worse than he already did.
"Lay back down." Minho said softly, the tone slightly forced, keeping his eyes on the back of the blonde. "Do you need a hug?"
Again that meek sounding chuckle came from Felix. Keeping his back to the older, he plopped to the side and laid relatively still, using the arm previously on Minho as a pillow now. Behind him Minho shifted onto his side, facing Felix, putting a delicate arm around his waist, hand trailing up to rest over the younger's heart.
"I'm sorry." Minho quietly apologized again, eyes practically memorizing every strand of Felix's hair.
"Was there anything else?" Felix didn't acknowledge the older, eyes practically memorizing every shadow in the darkness before him. "About Chan, or anything really from the past few days."
Minho took in a long breath, letting it out just as slowly. "Well a lot happened actually, but it's a bit of a story."
Felix let out a short, quiet hum. There was a slight shrug to his shoulders as well. "We've got time."