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When the clock struck 12 on the night of the full moon, hell broke loose. That day was known as ‘scorched Halloween. On a certain 31st of October, a disease spread rapidly through human contact causing instant death. However, despite ‘dying’, the bodies rose up from the ground in just mere seconds craving human flesh. Perhaps it was to fulfil their needs of survival (was the initial train of thought), seeing their flesh peel off their bodies in chunks and white bones exposed in the air– maybe, by eating human flesh, they’d regain back theirs. But the theory was proved inaccurate. Those monsters– zombies, were immortal. They didn’t need fuel to keep going, nor would a bullet to their already-stopped heart kill them. The numbers soon rose sky-high in just a night. Buildings were destroyed, broken into, and set on fire, but not one of those monsters could be stopped… Until humanity was wiped out.
However, humans were tenacious creatures. In pockets of ex-civilizations, there were survivors. Research on these ‘zombies’ showed that not one of them had any brain activity. The infection from their bite was like a snake’s venom to humans. A single bite could wipe out an entire village. Scientists worldwide had tried researching a cure, but what could be done for those deceased cadavers that were only moving from instinct? But it seems that god was on their side, as they found a way to halt the infection rate after a bite. Despite the low success rate, the injectable dose of vaccine had helped humanity somewhat.
In the depths of Seoul, the once bustling city– now a piece of land wasting away, a human base was situated. It was rather small, considering how when the attack took place, the density of the population made it hard to survive. The base had less than a hundred survivors, each doing their part in keeping their fellow countrymen alive. The safe space was situated in a high school building. It was once a prestigious school, boasting of its facilities. But seeing the peeled-off paint and blood-stained walls, no one in their right mind could imagine its former glory.
Division of labour consisted of small teams in charge of several tasks which could include, ‘sourcing of food’ (scouting supermarkets or convenience stores), ‘maintaining food supply’ (through simple farming), ‘cleaning the area’ (combat teams would scout the vicinity and wipe out any lingering zombies), and ‘maintenance of the base’. Despite having 80 or so survivors, most of them were elderly, children or maimed from a zombie attack. Only 40 or so of them were healthy enough to carry out tasks outside of the base. Hence, easier work in the base would be given to them. There were 5 combat teams in total, each consisting of 5 members. Heading the base and the leader of combat team 1, was Han Yoohyun.
“I’m going, period.” Han Yoojin slammed a piece of paper down onto his younger brother’s desk. Han Yoojin was the commander of team 2, after much persuading on his part that he was strong enough to protect himself– but what’s the point of having his title when he barely gets to leave the base? The permission slip was given a short glance before Yoohyun turned back to the computer on his desk. The veins on Yoojin’s forehead throbbed in annoyance at his younger brother’s blatant disregard for his wishes.
“I can take out 5 zombies alone. I’m sure I can take care of myself out there! Yoohyun ah…” Yoojin sighed. The base commander continued typing away on his keyboard. Seeing his gentle coaxing not working, Yoojin’s ears heat up in anger.
“Fine! I’ll just leave then! Maybe I won’t ever come back. Try to sto–
“Hyung!” The black-haired male stood up from his desk, finally forgoing whatever work he had to do on the computer. The tall male’s lips formed a pout, very at odds with his handsome features and huge musculature. However, no one but his hyung could see such a side of the Seoul-based commander. “We have enough people out there patrolling. Why can’t you just stay with me?”
“Because I’m fucking bored! Ever since you’ve become busy– and I, appointed as the leader of team 2, haven’t even gone out once! For fuck’s sake. Yerim gets to go out! She’s only a teenager, why don’t I get to go?”
“It’s dangerous out there.” Yoohyun sulked. His hyung never liked listening to him when it comes to his own safety. Oh, how he wished he could lock him up and tell Yerim and Myeongwoo about his death. Those 2 were the only ones that would hang out with his hyung anyways. The rest of the civilians in the base were too afraid of angering the possessive base commander to near Yoojin.
In the next second, Yoojin slipped out a knife from his boot, and with a flick of his wrist and before Yoohyun could even register what was happening, the dagger was embedded into the wood frame of the painting just right behind Yoohyun. A thin cut stung the base commander’s ear. Yoohyun looked back, to see a gun pointed at his face.
“See?”
“Hyung…”
“Forget it, I’m leaving.”
“Hyung, I’m doing this for your own good!” Yoohyun reached out to grab Yoojin’s wrist, but only missing by a millisecond. The door slammed in his face, leaving the frames of the room shaking with Yoojin’s indignation.
The moon was high and not a nary of clouds in the sky. It was a bright night– one that Yoojin was going to plan his escape. He could physically feel his wings being clipped the longer he stayed at the base. It wasn’t as if he was blind. He could see and even feel the pure disdain in the other base dwellers’ eyes as he walks through the compound. Of course, they would hate him– if he were in their shoes, he’d hate himself too. He was basically a leech– eating the food they grew and wearing the clothes they sourced without contributing at all to the base. Albeit him being the base commander’s older brother, everyone viewed him as lazy. When in fact, he was itching to do something. Whenever he would approach the kids watering the root vegetables, he would get dirt thrown at him. Their parents would rush to their side, ‘apologizing’ to Yoojin– but never really meaning it. Their awkward smiles hid daggers and their words dripped with sarcasm. They would never outright go against Yoohyun’s brother for fear that the ruthless base commander kicks them out, hence, the relationship between Yoojin and the other civilians was strained.
He keyed in the access code, hearing a soft click to the main gate. Tugging his jacket close, he could still feel the chill in the air. It wasn’t easy getting the code out of Yoohyun. Well, technically, he didn’t get it out of his brother. He had to sneak around in his office, searching for the digital lock’s information. Dragging the stolen motorbike he got from the garage, he double-checked his bag. Patting the cartridges of bullets and bottles of water. It was risky going solo in the apocalypse for sure, but he didn’t want those horrid looks on him any further.
“Oh my god, Ahjusshi! What–
Yoojin whipped around, giving the familiar teen a wide-eyed stare.
“Oh jeez, Yerim ah, you scared me.” He zipped up his bag pack, nonchalantly loading it in the storage box behind the motorbike. He can’t let the young girl know of the bulk he was carrying– she’d tell on him. He loved her– he truly did, but Yerim was almost like a carbon copy of his younger brother when it comes to ‘protecting’ him (even though they fight whenever they meet). “What’s up,”
“Ahjusshi… are you… Where are you going?” Yerim was still in her pyjamas, bleary-eyed from waking up in the middle of the night. She was living in the female dorms– how she could have sensed Yoojin was leaving, was something that Yoojin would never know. “Does… Yoohyun-oppa know about this?”
“Um… Yes. Yeah, he knows.” Yoojin turned quiet. Perhaps, his younger brother already knew long ago about his wishes to leave. Or maybe not… the stares of dislike towards him were rather hard to ignore. “Yerim ah,” Yoojin paused, getting onto the bike. “I’m leaving, I promise I’ll come back. I don’t know when, but I promise.”
“Ahjusshi! I can’t allow you to do so! This is fucking crazy behaviour!”
“Yerim, mind your language.” Yoojin started up the engine, kicking up a puff of smoke. His feet nudged the kickstand. “Please go back, and don’t fight with Yoohyun… well, if you can.” His grip on the handles was white-knuckled. He loved Yerim and Yoohyun, but he needed some time off– from everything. And Yoohyun wasn’t one to listen.
“I can’t let you go!”
Yoojin revved up the engine, propelling him forward. He looked back at the girl, and for once, the boisterous teen looked small and forlorn. She had been there for him since the start– since he picked her up at the emergency shelter a week after the viral outbreak. Bak Yerim was abandoned ruthlessly by her uncle who had prioritized his safety over hers. He had thrown her in front of an infected zombie just to run away– but lady luck was shining on her, as she managed to survive albeit with a nasty infection on her hands from wielding a rusty pipe. When everyone was rushing around in the emergency shelter, either begging soldiers to take them to the safe zone or fighting for the limited resources, Yerim sat curled up in the corner. Yoojin almost missed her from the bustle around him.
She was suspicious at first of the older male but soon warmed up to him. Similarly, to Yoohyun, she wasn’t as sociable towards others except for Yoojin. It took some time for her to make friends– Moon Hyunah, Team 3’s leader and Myeongwoo, the base’s engineer. Taking her with him would be too cruel but leaving her seemed…
Turning back to face the front, Yoojin hardened his dissolve. He will make it back one day.
Without the shade of the tall high-rise buildings in Seoul, the summer heat was scorching, to say the least. Yoojin could feel the heat through his shoes as he walked through the mess on the asphalt pavement. Once a magnificent office shopping mall in the central business district of Seoul, the structure before him was a broken shell of what it was in the past. Walls were broken down and crumbled into debris, and only part of the building remained. Yoojin parked his motorbike at the entrance before dismounting and heading in. It was unbearable being under the late afternoon sun, so for the past week or so, he had been taking breaks in between his travels. He didn’t really have an idea of his destination. If he could find other human settlements in the area, it would be great. If he could help in ridding the world of the endless hordes of zombies, even better. So, it didn’t matter where his motorbike or feet took him. He would sleep in abandoned buildings– houses if he’s lucky, or on trees, if he’s in a haphazard area.
He bit into a granola bar. It tasted stale– dry like soil, however, it was better than nothing. The shops in the mall looked like it was from centuries ago. Funny how without a few years of maintenance or human presence, most buildings start to rot and take on a haunting look. He peered into a doll shop, feeling chills down his spine. The dolls were left in pristine condition in their airtight boxes. Their dead eyes bore through him as he stared back. A lifeless life-sized doll sat on the counter, an eyeball missing– her other blue pupil bulged out of her beautiful face. He swallowed the soil-like sustenance in his mouth, before moving on. But before he could, a ‘doll’ in the shop caught his eye.
Leaning up against a shelf, was a male doll– No, a human man. But, if Yoojin were to put a finger on the person’s eccentricity, the man looked half alive. His blonde hair was unruly, the tangled locks reached his shoulders as his head hung to the side listlessly. Those dull golden orbs, even prettier than the glass beads the dolls have in the shop, stare into nothingness. His features were sharp, with a deathlike pallor on his face. Suddenly, the eyes moved.
A shriek echoed down the hall– only for Yoojin to realise it was from him. The golden pupils watched him as he caught his breath.
Yoojin stepped into the shop through the broken display, probably how the person entered.
“A-Are you alright?” Panic in his voice. He could see the blood on the ground with further inspection. The man’s clothes were tattered and moth-eaten. However, from the red pool on the floor, it didn’t seem like the man was there for long. It was fresh. Reckoning the man had fallen due to blood loss, he rummaged through his bag for some food.
“Here, a red bean bun.” He offered the packaged bread. Though, the man showed no response. A low groan could be heard from him instead. Yoojin frowned, nearing the man– only to pull out his gun immediately.
He was covered in blood, but there was a very clear wound on the left of his neck. A gnarly bite mark had torn his jugular open. No human could survive that– which meant that the man wasn’t human. Yoojin cursed, his fingers trembling. He would have shot him immediately after seeing the bite mark, but somehow, he’s hesitating. Had weeks of loneliness gotten into his head? Was he turning crazy and sympathizing with a… zombie?
“No… Kill…” The man zombie groaned with difficulty. Surprise flickered in Yoojin’s eyes. Zombies were dead– literally, brain-dead. None of them could ever talk. Could the man in front of him be a human instead? Even with the vaccine after a bite, it would take mere seconds to transition into one of those flesh-eating monsters. Considering the flies on him, it had been quite some time after his initial bite. Could it be that the vaccine had worked– but he was dying due to blood loss? Yoojin moved nearer, albeit with his gun still cocked. There were faint blue veins running all across his neck, fading down to his torso and limbs. He was infected. Surely… but how could the man/zombie in front of him still talk?
“I… dead long… long ago,” The blonde spoke. His words were slow as if the tongue inside his mouth was too thick to form proper words. “Help… me.”
“W-what? The protocol is always to remove an infected person, or a zombie immediately upon encounter. You… what are you?” Yoojin’s gun wavered. He knows he shouldn’t let down his guard against an infected person. They could be lying down in pain one second, and the next, jumping up to rip his throat apart. However, those golden orbs seemed to pull at his heartstrings. The man before him reminded him of how broken Yerim was when he saved her.
“I… don’t know… I… woke... here… No one…” Broken words formed somewhat of a sentence, but sufficient meaning came across.
“You’re infected,” Yoojin sighed, flicking back the safety feature on his handgun before tucking it back into his holster. He opened up the red bean bread, tearing it in half. “Can you eat?” Prodding the sweet pastry onto the man’s pale lips, he offered the zombie food. The blonde man’s jaw widened, his teeth biting into the bread before processing it in his mouth. However, he soon vomited it out. The piece of chewed-up pastry stained the dregs that were supposedly a shirt.
Yoojin shook his head, giving him water instead. The man took it in. However, water started pouring out of his opened throat. The black-haired male cursed, leaning away a little. The man in front of him was definitely not alive anymore. But how the zombie could still have brain activity? Yoojin would never know. Neither would any of the scientists worldwide since no news of a talking zombie had been published.
“What’s your name?” Yoojin closed the bottlecap, deciding not to waste his precious fluid any more. The zombie looked like it didn’t need much sustenance after all.
“S…Sung… Hyunjae…?”
“Why did that come out as a question?” Yoojin chuckled, finding the way the zombie tilted his head in confusion, somewhat adorable. His blonde hair fell onto his beautiful golden pupils likened to the rays of the morning sun. Yoojin reached out to dust away the disturbing locks.
“I… don’t remember… I can’t… I…” A frown marred the handsome face. Sure, he was deathly pale like he belonged to a morgue, but that didn’t take away from his beauty.
“It’s okay. Can you walk?” Yoojin could sense the chill in the air– the sun was setting soon, and he needed to secure a safe space for tonight’s sleep. It took a while to find an area since he needed to scout the place for any zombie groups. He wouldn’t want one to find him in the middle of the night.
The blonde man shifted, and his stiff body finally managed to break loose. He groaned as he stood. Not much damage was done to his body, apart from his neck and shoulders. Yoojin couldn’t help but get taken aback. The man in front of him was much taller than he had expected. A piece of shredded cloth fluttered to the ground as he stood fully. Yoojin laughed, picking a new pair of jeans from his bag. “Here, this will do for now. It might be a little too tight, but we have to make a move.” He offered the piece of clothing.
The little tall zombie was obedient, and he quickly slipped off his tattered clothing in exchange for Yoojin’s. As he undressed, Yoojin couldn’t help but choke on his saliva. The man was perfect by every means– not only was he good-looking, but he packed a punch… in his nether regions. His cock reached his mid-thigh and hung low. It bulged obnoxiously through Yoojin’s jeans which were way too small.
“Um, w-well, I think we can wait to find our sleeping grounds tonight. First, let’s just… find some new clothes for you.” Yoojin coughed.
“I… go… with you…? You… allow?” The man asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, sure. You’ll be good company for the journey.” Yoojin smirked, heading out of the shop. Yoojin shook his head at himself, wondering if whatever he was doing was acceptable. If they were to chance upon any scouting member of the surrounding bases, they would definitely be taken out. Mercy didn’t exist after Scorched Halloween. Not when people are desperate to live. They take each other out like imbeciles fighting over a fire. Glancing to his left, the blonde seemed like better company than the people at Yoohyun’s base.
The area they Yoojin found for the night was located nearby, up a hill on a church. The black-haired male had realised the blonde that followed him didn’t quite fit in the definition of a human, or a zombie. Perhaps, if Yoojin were to describe Hyunjae, it would be a robot. The man followed his orders well. If he were to ask the man to set up a fire, he would. He would obediently gather the dried leaves or twigs and use his fire starter to set the pile aflame. However, if Yoojin were to leave the man alone, the blonde would just stand motionless, staring at him with those judgemental eyes as if calculating Yoojin’s every move. Hyunjae didn’t move like a zombie– he walked like a human, admittingly a little off-kilter. From afar, Hyunjae could pass off as a human.
Yoojin had stitched up the man in silence, grimacing as he did so. Even if the blonde could feel any pain, he made no sign to show he does. Those golden pupils followed him everywhere he went. With each stitch of his needle, those eyes would track his hand’s movement. His throat was the hardest to mend. Half his flesh was already gone, so Yoojin had no choice but to wrap the man up in a bandage despite it not bleeding anymore.
He ordered requested Hyunjae to sleep, but the zombie just lay there, eyes open. His pupils dilated as he stared into nothingness. Yoojin then realised Hyunjae was ‘sleeping’ in the shop earlier when he chanced upon him. Even with Hyunjae’s presence, the same loneliness could be felt in his bones as he stares into the fire. Hyunjae didn’t really make a good conversationalist, with his broken sentences after all. Yoojin decided to teach the man the proper linguistics from tomorrow onwards. But that would have to wait till the sun rises…
And on cold nights like this, Han Yoojin sorely misses his brother.
Over the next few weeks, Sung Hyunjae learnt quickly under Yoojin’s guidance. And perhaps, with the help of the linguistic and phonology lessons, Sung Hyunjae started showing more of his personality before his ‘zombie-fication’. His memories were still hazy, but bits and pieces seemed to form a complete story. Sung Hyunjae was from a base just outside of Seoul. He was the commander of the base. However, the base was soon stormed by a horde of zombies, wiping out the entire combat team, and soon, its living occupants. Hyunjae was one of the remaining survivors– yet a bite is all it took to take down the once charismatic and powerful man. He had awoken in between the haze of his infection, mind in a state of disorientation. For all one knows, it was the survival instincts in him that found the safe space in the abandoned shopping mall where Yoojin found him. Despite all that, Hyunjae still tended to ‘space out’ whenever he wasn’t given any orders by Yoojin. The latter would always tease him by calling him a ‘Pokémon’.
At the present moment, they were travelling around the outside of Seoul. It was raining but the weather couldn’t stop their journey. They had parked near a housing estate, scouting the area and searching for more food. Hyunjae doesn’t eat, but Yoojin’s supplies were dwindling. Yoojin had a feeling that Yoohyun’s scouting teams were frequenting this area, and the thought gave him the jitters. He wasn’t quite ready to go back. If any base members ever landed their eyes on Hyunjae, they would shoot him on the spot. He looked relatively normal, but ignoring the bandaged zombie bite, the blue veins on the lower of his jaws and arms were a dead giveaway.
“What do you do if you’re spotted by a living human?” Yoojin asked again in worry. He had learnt of the man’s past and his age as well. However, the caregiver instincts of Yoojin couldn’t help but plague him. He had come to find Hyunjae amusing. The man had a funny way with his words.
“Yes, yes, I remember. Hide.” The blonde nodded, a smile playing on his lips as he followed behind the human. “But you’re a human, do I hide? Won’t you miss me?”
“I’m different. This is serious, no joking around.” Yoojin shot him a disapproving glare. They entered a house that had its doors locked. It had long rusted from the harsh weather and lack of maintenance, hence the door opened easily with a hard kick. Yoojin thanked the gods they found one that was untouched by scouts.
The house was eerily empty. Half-eaten food, already rotting and maggot filled, lay on the table. The chairs at the dining table were pushed aside without a care. Yoojin could imagine the family of 3 stopping their meal halfway to run towards the nearest emergency shelter after seeing the news of the zombie attacks. Heading to the kitchen, he ignored the fridge to walk towards the pantry.
“Thank god,” He mumbled to himself as he scooped the cans of soup and baked beans into his bag. “C’mon, grab the instant noodles and those chips.” He gestured slightly to his right. Wordlessly, Hyunjae did as he was told.
Kechak
The door opened from the living room. Yoojin stopped his actions, a look of panic crossing his face. Looking towards Hyunjae, the blonde was still stuffing the bag of chips into a haversack. “Stop, Hyunjae-ssi.” He whispered, grabbing the blonde’s arm. He pulled them to the laundry room beside the kitchen.
Soon, shoes thumped into the linoleum flooring of the house.
“You sure? The door’s open. We must’ve raided this place before.” An unfamiliar woman’s voice drawled.
“I’m sure. I always mark the houses we’ve searched through with a red cross on their doorbell. This one doesn’t have one.”
“Then, maybe you’ve forgotten to do so that one time.”
“No. I won’t. I’ll make it quick, I promise. You know I’m fucking terrified of Commander Han.”
“Well, me too. Don’t make him wait too long.”
The two females were speaking with each other just outside the living room loud enough for Yoojin to overhear their conversation– and the contents brought a sucker punch to his gut. Meeting the other combat teams out here would be bad, but chancing upon Han Yoohyun’s team? Yoojin gave an aggrieved sigh, only to realise how close he was to Hyunjae. His breath tickled the blonde man’s chest. Looking up, he saw those golden orbs staring right at him.
“Really, even now– at this moment, you’re staring at me? Do I have horns growing out of my head, Hyunjae-ssi?” He whispered. He had only one choice– to wait here till the combat team leave or sneak out of the house. Luckily, the other entrance of the laundry room led out to the backyard. It was an easy escape but not so once they leave the security of the house. He was sure his younger brother was out front with the Jeep.
“We must hide, yes?” Hyunjae raised a brow, finding no wrong in this situation. Their bodies were pressed together in the tight space. He could feel how warm the human really was against his cold marble-like skin. The soft thrumming of the younger male’s heart filled his ears– the conversation the two females were having outside of the laundry room, long filtered out. Close to a month had passed since he had met Han Yoojin. The man had surprised him with his straightforwardness, especially his lack of fear when facing enemy zombies. The more Hyunjae looked at the black-haired male, the more infatuated he had become. So much so, that he wanted to sink his teeth deep into that thin neck of the man… However, he knew that would end their relationship. With his favourite person served right in front of him on a silver platter, how could he resist?
Sung Hyunjae’s hands moved to touch the sides of Yoojin’s cheeks. The cold stung the younger male, causing him to flinch. However, he accepted his touch. “What–
Before he could finish his sentence, cold lips touched his. It was weird. Han Yoojin never had much experience in dating, but he knew a kiss shouldn’t feel this frigid. Despite the novelty, he found himself melting under the kiss. It honestly felt good. “No biting, I do notice you staring at my neck at night,” Yoojin whispered against the soft lips, before putting a tongue in. Hyunjae moved his hands from Yoojin’s face into his black locks. Tilting the younger male’s head further up, he plunged his own tongue in reciprocity to Yoojin’s actions.
Yoojin couldn’t help but notice the movements against his own crotch. Hyunjae was grinding his hips into his lower belly due to their height difference. Thinking back to when he first met the blonde, he frowned and grabbed onto the thickness inside of the taller man’s pants.
“Stop, we can’t do this here.” He panted as they broke their kiss. Hyunjae was half-hard, the monster he calls his cock already strained against his pants to form a tent. “Why not?” was the answer he got. Yoojin scowled at the handsome face, swatting at Hyunjae’s hips in disapproval. Perhaps, the blonde man would need some etiquette and common-sense lessons… if they got out of this alive.
“Let me check this room before we leave.” The voice sounded very close to the door.
“Shit. Quick,” Yoojin pushed Hyunjae backwards towards the door behind the blonde man. With his heart in his throat, they both managed to escape from the back door. Closing it behind him quietly, Yoojin turned to face Hyunjae. The man’s eyes were still on him, though, his gaze was quite a bit different. They looked hungry– just like those mindless zombies roving the abandoned streets.
“I hate them.” The blonde spoke, which was quite rare for him to do so first.
“What? Why?”
“They interrupted us.”
“What are you? A 5-year-old? You’ll have to wait. Now, keep those hungry eyes to yourself and let’s get going.” Yoojin ignored the blonde, walking around him. The backyard was gated by a short white-picketed fence. It wasn’t the ideal type of fence to sneak around the house with as it provided little to no cover– but time was of the essence. Yoojin beckoned Hyunjae to follow, which the blonde easily obeyed.
Yoojin led them around the house, past the kitchen windows. They had to crawl through bushes, but that didn’t bother the both of them. Not when sleeping on insect-filled trees was the norm throughout their journey. Peering out from the side of the house to the front entrance and gate, he saw a familiar black Jeep wrangler. The side doors were removed and Yoojin could clearly see his younger brother in the driver’s seat.
“Shit, let’s wait,” Yoojin whispered to Hyunjae.
“I don’t quite like that man. Why does he look like you?”
“Because he’s my younger brother. If he spots me, he’ll tear us apart and haul me back to the hell hole I’m from.”
“Tear… us apart?” Yoojin was still eyeing the door. Those two girls were surely taking their time. They shouldn’t have taken more than 10 minutes to raid a single kitchen– the laundry room even less, there was nothing in the room anyway. He could tell from a single glance Han Yoohyun was feeling restless. He shifted in his seat, fiddling with the portable radio. All of a sudden, he heard a loud bang from behind him.
“Ah, fu– Hyunjae-ssi?!” He shrieked, seeing the man behind him stand up from the bushes. He was holding the handgun he was given by Yoojin for self-protection. Yoojin still remembered teaching him gun safety– and here the blonde himself, shooting at–
“HYUNG!” A hoarse scream came from the direction of where the Jeep was.
“Shit. Hyunjae-ssi, let’s run.” He turned to grab the arm of the blonde man but Sung Hyunjae could not be moved. His fingers gripped the rifle so hard that Yoojin could see his knuckles turn white. The ugly blue veins were very obvious under the afternoon sun. The rain had stopped somewhere during the time they were in the house, and the humidity caused cold sweat to form on Yoojin’s forehead. He cursed inwardly.
“Sung Hyunjae! I order you to leave with me!” Yoojin hissed. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his younger brother dismount from the Jeep, a gun in his arms. The blonde anomaly stood still, and another bullet whizzed through the air, accompanied by its deafening blast. “DON’T HURT HIM!” Yoojin screamed. He had always thought of the blonde as stupid, slow even. He had thought Sung Hyunjae was his little Pokémon he could control (and handle). But the stubborn man zombie in front of him was not the same Sung Hyunjae that would listen to his commands. He never ‘unconditionally listened’ to his orders, all his actions were up to Sung Hyunjae’s whims, and he just played along with Yoojin all this while.
“I don’t like him, and whatever I don’t like– I’ll remove them. I don’t want to be apart from you.” Sung Hyunjae deadpanned, his eyes set on the black-haired commander approaching. Yoojin glanced back at his brother walking slowly their way. Every muscle in his body was strained and cautious– every movement he took with intent. The gun was already loaded, his finger just millimetres away from pulling the trigger. He was sure his younger brother thought he was in danger. The blue veins, like a curse, stood out under Hyunjae’s pale skin.
A trembling hand covered his mouth as he tried gasping for air. “Hyunjae ah, let’s just leave, please! Don’t hurt my brother!” He screamed, but that still didn’t work.
“Yoohyun, don’t– don’t come closer! Hyung’s fine. He’s– He’s my friend.”
“What friend, Hyung? I only see a zombie wielding a gun.” Yoohyun’s glare was comparable to hardened steel. Yoojin knew Yoohyun was stubborn ever since he was a kid. The hatred towards zombies in all humankind was hard to fix– perhaps, he was the anomaly. The zombies did singlehandedly bring down the entirety of humanity after all. Now, look at what he ended up with– a zombie he considered a friend, trying to kill his younger brother.
“Hyunjae ah, please stop. It’s okay, I’ll ask my brother to lower his gun. Listen to me, hm?” Yoojin touched the blonde’s shoulders.
“Why should I? I have always been listening to you, since the start. Why can’t I do the things I want?” Hyunjae raised a cocky brow. Yoojin would see it every once in a blue moon whenever he interacted with the blonde. They would debate about meaningless matters and whenever Hyunjae would win, his self-confident, arrogant side would show, and it irked Han Yoojin like there was no tomorrow. But at the end of the day, they’d just laugh it off. However, the same cockiness could be seen in the man in front of him and Yoojin knew the outcome would not be as benign as their late-night debates.
“SUNG HYUNJAE! You fucking monster– drop that gun!” Yoojin screamed. His survival instincts kicked in and he drew out his gun, pointing it at the blonde’s forehead. The golden orbs landed on the shorter male, and Yoojin was brought back to the day he had chanced upon the doll shop. The golden gaze on him reminded him of the dead and glassy stares he got from the dolls on the shelves. His hands shook in horror.
“Hyung! Get away–
But before the base commander could finish his sentence, two loud blasts ricocheted in the quiet neighbourhood, each in quick succession. The metallic smell of gunpowder filled the air.
“H-Hyunjae-ssi!” Yoojin gasped. He saw the body crumble onto the ground in front of him. A pool of blood already staining the yellowed grass red. A whimper escaped from the back of Yoojin’s throat as he felt his legs give way.
“Hyung!”– “Commander Han!” One of the girls interrupted, her guns still cocked and ready to shoot.
“Put those away!” The black-haired male growled in their direction, which they quickly complied.
Adrenaline still coursed through Yoojin’s veins. There were shouts of disorder around him, but he could only hear his blood rushing in his ears. With trembling hands, he touched the body lying on the ground. A bullet had embedded itself into Sung Hyunjae’s forehead– however, the man was still blinking. His eyelids fluttered as his golden pupils dilated, trying to focus on the younger male kneeling above him. Hyunjae gave a soft groan as if losing his last remaining strength.
“Seems like my wishes can’t come true after all.” Hyunjae’s lips were turning grey but they still curved up into a handsome smile.
“Fuck– you fucking idiot. You should’ve listened!” Yoojin felt wetness on his cheeks.
“Maybe… maybe we’ll meet again… in another universe.” Long eyelashes flickered as Hyunjae’s eyelids got heavier. Yoojin swallowed hard, speechless. Those favourite golden jewels of his were soon to be gone.
“You fucking idiot, if there is, I hope I don’t meet you– so I can spare myself the heartbreak!” He growled. His tears dripped down onto the blonde’s pallid complexion. In the past month or so, he had spent every waking moment of his time with Sung Hyunjae and had found himself gaining a fondness for the blonde– his clever quips, obedience and the way he received his full attention. He never felt as special as he did around someone. A bitter taste filled the back of his throat as he bit back a wail. He shouldn’t have called the man a ‘monster’. He recalled a conversation they had a while back when he had just started teaching Hyunjae conversation skills and when the blonde had barely any memories of his past.
“You’re able to speak which is good, ‘cuz it means you’re one of us.” He pointed to himself.
“…Us…? Who… us?”
“Humans. The one that did… this, to you, they are zombies– flesh-eating monsters that don’t have the ability to think, much less talk.”
“Zombies… bad?”
“Yeah! I mean, we’re sleeping in this dirty bus because of them.” He patted the peeling leather seats that were his makeshift bed for the night. However, the blonde beside him didn’t seem to care much for comfort.
“I… don’t… want to… be monster… Yoojin, love me?”
“Love you?”
Hyunjae nodded firmly with his golden gems staring tenaciously into Yoojin’s eyes. He seemed to want something.
“Um, sure. I’d love it if you wouldn’t bite me in my sleep,” Yoojin chuckled. A spark of glee sparkled in Hyunjae’s eyes as he nodded once more like an obedient kid.
“Go to sleep, Hyunjae ah. We have a long day tomorrow.”
“Mm… I… obey… Yoojin love me.”
But by then, exhaustion had taken over the younger male’s body, robbing his consciousness and bringing his world into darkness and silence.
‘I opened my eyes to see a world of red, but when my eyes lay upon you, I saw pure gold.’ – Sung Hyunjae.