After the Collapse ii.
Titel: After the Collapse
Pairing: Kai/Sehun, Kai/Kyungsoo
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Angst, Action
Warning: gore (!!), people will die (!!)
Summary: It seemed as if even the sun had extinguished. As if the sun mourned over the Collapse that destroyed her earth. Nowadays her sunrays would only show more of the disastrous place, pointing out all the flaws that could not be seen at night.
Kai stared at the anxious man standing in front of the couch. “Fuck.” He exhaled slowly. This was wrong. If the patrols would find out that a Citizen went missing, they would be fucked. And especially if there was made a report about Tourists near the safety district. Kyungsoo stood still, his eyes closed and his breathing irregular. Sehun put the identification down and picked up the other papers again. “What the fuck do we do now?” Sehun asked, looking up at Kai, who was glued to his spot. “We’re going to die, we have to let him go.” Kai snapped out of his daze. “And risk that he is going to tell about us, we’d be dead within a day. The only option we have is keep him, burn evidence and flee.” He suddenly felt bad about claiming him, but it’s what happened and if they’d let him go in the museum, he would’ve told on them anyways. “What’s your position in the district?” He turned to Kyungsoo, who finally opened his eyes to glance at him. “I’m a dealer.” He fought the urge to cry, it was not going to make anything better, not when two Tourists had him caught. “So that’s why you went to the museum?” He nodded. “Two guys from the district on the other side of the bridge would come to take cigarettes and the gun. Our district is in need of money as the food stock is scarce.” It was easiest to just tell everything about the district, it wouldn’t work in their advantage. Kai seemed to think, as he turned to the window yet again, resting his arms on the frame and watching a Dead drag itself along the street. It was struggling to continue, with one foot blown off by a bullet. Sehun silently glanced between the two, awaiting the man’s verdict. He licked his lips. “We’re leaving, right now. The patrols are probably not far from the district, as it is too dark to see. We’ll have to go north, to avoid bumping into other army patrols. If there has been a report of Tourists, it’ll be spread through the association of districts in this region. Get your stuff and weapons ready.” Kai ordered, his voice booming with authority, as his inner alpha instinct came out to lead the situation. Kyungsoo’s big eyes followed Kai’s steps towards them, then watched Sehun as the man took both his and Kyungsoo’s backpack. He handed the Citizen a small pocketknife, trusting him with only such a weapon. Kai took a smaller gun, aiming it at Kyungsoo to get the man walking and making sure he wouldn’t attack them.
Kai shot the Dead in front of their shelter without a thought. This part of the city had been pretty much deserted, save for that one Dead. If there would be Dead to come rushing towards them, they would be gone anyways. They had to leave and it didn’t matter if they would be followed by the army or Dead. The Dead fell down onto the pavement, its single leg giving out and its face hitting the hard ground. Kyungsoo stared at it with fear, his eyes even wider. Of course as a Citizens he would’ve never seen a Dead before. As a dealer he would have at least someone near him to protect him from Dead. That must’ve been the reason the soldiers were there to clean the area. And now that they had to go, the man was holding them up. His eyes seemed to bore holes into the Dead’s body, following every trace of blood or torn flesh. Kai pushed him with his gun, making him snap out of it and run after Sehun. They had to go as silent and fast as possible not to attract attention from either Living or Dead.
“Was that…” Kyungsoo trailed off. They ran through some narrow alleyways and he was having trouble to keep up with the others’ fast pace. Every corner they rounded, he would scrape his limbs against the brick walls. “Yes.” Sehun said, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He looked behind him to see if the man was okay. His arms were now covered with little wounds, his forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat. Kai was still behind him, with his gun ready. He rolled his eyes at the man’s innocence. The army took good care of the Citizens not knowing anything about the world beyond the safe walls of the districts. That was the army’s job after all. Making the people feel safe, and keeping them safe. Even if that meant that they had to hold back the truth. Kai didn’t even know how Kyungsoo’d heard about the Dead. He had assumed that those things were a taboo in the districts. Kyungsoo seemed to shiver before him, but that might have been because autumn was slowly coming. “Look out.” He said to Sehun, who stopped abruptly, making Kyungsoo bump into his back. “What is it?” Kai pointed at a shadow coming from the main street. It rolled past, blocking their sight as it went by. The tank made a lot of noise, the soldiers next to it yelling orders to each other. Kai swore under his breath. “You can just leave me here, you know?” Kyungsoo offered, his voice shaking. Kai threw him a look. “No.” Sehun cautiously looked around the corner, his eyes following the rows of soldiers. The light coming from the flashlights and torches lit up his face, giving it a grim but scared look. He swallowed visibly, his eyes now shifting helplessly to Kai, who seemed to be the only one to still have control over his nerves. “Let’s make a run for it, just keep running north. They won’t pass their border created by the association of districts.” Sehun nodded, taking the lead again. They ran as fast and silently as they could, while deviating farther from the main street. All the while, they glanced to the left, seeing how the army was progressing. “Dead!” Kyungsoo shrieked, throwing his full weight against Kai as he stumbled backwards. He pointed at the limping form across from them. Its jaw hung loose from its skull, its eyes almost rolling out of its sockets. Kyungsoo sobbed and Kai slapped his hand in front of the man’s mouth to stifle any other noises. Sehun scooted down, taking out his bow and arrow. It grumbled loudly, approaching them while leaving a trail of infected blood behind. Its blood-shot eyes seemed to register them, but it didn’t speed up. Sehun drew the string back, his eyes narrowing. With a swift motion, he let go. The arrow hit the Dead in its forehead. With one final grumbling noise, it fell on the ground. Kyungsoo stared wide eyed. His knees shook underneath him, his breath coming out ragged. “You okay?” Sehun asked as he put away his bow and arrow. Kyungsoo nodded sheepishly. Kai pushed him forward, out of his personal space. “Now walk.” He ordered, earning a look from Sehun.
They reached the border without any other trouble. The tanks and soldiers were still going around town, so they kept running until they came to a abandoned diner along the road. Exhausted and sweating like crazy, they slumped down into the torn leather seats. Kyungsoo was still shaking, his eyes wide. Sehun threw an arm around him, comforting him by whispering nonsense to him. When Kai had had enough of all the sweet words, he stood up to check the place. He almost ran into a barstool on his way to the back, playing it off coolly by pretending he was looking over the bar. He could practically feel Sehun staring at him. But he didn’t look back. Behind the swinging doors awaited him a surprise. He wasn’t even mildly shocked to see half a body hanging against a counter. Blood covered the tiled floor, it was still quite fresh. They couldn’t stay here long. He took his gun from his back pocket, loaded it and pointed it at the door to, what he assumed, the freezer. Carefully stepping over the torso, puddle of blood and torn of legs, he stood in front of the door. Not making any sound, he pressed the doorknob down. As he let it go, he kicked the door open. He was greeted with more bodies. All of them covered in a thin layer of ice, these bodies had also cruelly been ripped apart. Just how did a Dead manage to get them into the freezer? He turned around, coming face to face with a man. A gasp left his lips. He looked cute, with fluffy brown hair and dimples adoring his cheeks with the slight smile on his face. But his eyes twinkled dangerously. “Hello.” He whispered, his soft voice barely audible. Kai didn’t say anything back. His mind flashed to the two sitting on the couch and he wondered if they were okay. Then he stared right back at the man in front of him. “I’m Yixing.” The man said, extending a bloody hand. As he waited for the other to take it, the blood dripped down to form a puddle on the tiles. Kai took it hesitantly. He didn’t know what this man’s motives were or if he had an anger problem, but he decided that for now he would play along. Yixing looked him over approvingly, his eyes raking over every small feature of the young man in front of him. Kai took this time to inspect Yixing as well. His shirt was drenched with blood, the liquid seeping from the material onto the floor. His hair was disheveled, his pants ripped at the knees. His shoes were colored blood red and not from themselves. “And you are?” He asked then, looking up at Kai with an innocent smile that had him smiling back unconsciously. Kai didn’t answer, as he never did to this question. He finally realized that he was still holding onto Kai’s hand and let it go, smiling brighter at how the blood looked on his skin. “Are you here all alone?” Yixing asked, which made relief flood through Kai’s stomach. The man hadn’t found Kyungsoo or Sehun yet. “Yes, I am alone.” Yixing laughed. “Such a beautiful man, with such a beautiful voice. I couldn’t have found someone better.” His laugh sounded malicious. Kai was actually starting to become scared of this stranger. “Do you want something to eat?” He asked, his eyes twinkling. Kai looked over his shoulder to see a pan on the stove, its content boiling. He didn’t answer, again. Yixing pulled on his arm, setting him down on a metal table in the middle of the kitchen after swiping away something that looked an awful lot like organs. Kai felt like vomiting. The scariest thing was, that Yixing appeared so happy and innocent, but then again there was blood all over him, he was surrounded by ripped apart bodies and he was cooking questionable content. “I hope you like rigid meat.” Kai stared at him.
“Kai!” It sounded from the other side of the door. Kai could feel his heart drop in his chest, as Yixing turned towards the door, his eyes flashing with anger. The spatula he had held in his hand was now replaced by a sharp knife. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll keep you safe.” He said to Kai, who was shaking with fear. The man approached the door slowly, clutching the knife, breathing heavily, leaving a trail of blood behind, if that was even possible any more. He extended his hand towards the door, an evil grin on his face and his breath sounding almost anticipating. Then he fell to the ground, into the blood that had spread throughout the kitchen, with a dull thud and some splashing. The breathing continued for a while, the blood next to his mouth rippling with the motion. He stilled, his eyes still open and his mouth filling with blood. Kai lowered his gun, his heart still booming against his ribcage. It was hard to keep everything inside his stomach, where it should be. “Kai!? Are you alright?” Sehun yelled, throwing the door open and thereby managing to crush Yixing’s head between the door and counter. Kai stared at the dead body on the ground. He had never been this scared since the beginning of the Collapse. It was as if Yixing was a Living with the mind of a Dead. Maybe that was the beginning of the Change. “What happened? I heard you talking and then a gunshot.” He looked behind the door and then back at Kai. “Are you alright?” Kai just sat still, his whole being trembling. Sehun walked up to him, encasing him in a tight hug. He shushed him softly, petting his hair and rocking him from side to side. That was until Kai came back to his senses and pushed the younger away, huffing something about being a grown up and being emotionally stable, while Sehun just smiled at him. “That guy you crushed with the door liked humans way too much.” He explained, pointing at the body in the corner. Sehun pursed his lips. When he sniffed, he scrunched up his nose in disgust and pulled Kai back to the other room. Kyungsoo peeked at them from over the edge of the seat, his eyes still wide open, and slightly red. When he saw that Kai was still alive, he sighed a bit. “You’re covered in blood.” He said, stating the obvious and took Kai’s hand, looking for scratches or wounds. “Not only me, the whole fucking kitchen.” He pulled his hand out of the man’s grip, smearing the blood on a table cloth on one of the tables. What had previously been a nice white table cloth with embroidery on the edges, was now looking like a cloth that people lay over dead bodies on a crime scene. Kai scrunched up his nose at the idea that maybe he had had infected blood on his hand. After that, he cleaned his shoes with the other end of the table cloth, draping it back on over the wood messily. All the while, the others observed his behavior from their seats a few tables away. “I need a drink.” Behind the bar stood bottles of alcohol, some burst open or thrown against the wall, and some still intact. The first bottle of whiskey on the rack looked good enough for him, as he gulped half of it down in one go. “You should slow down.” Kyungsoo said, taking the bottle away from him and pushing him down onto the seat. Kai grumbled, smashing his head against the table.
When he woke up, Sehun was sleeping against him, his head on his shoulder and his mouth opened slightly. Kyungsoo lay with his head on his arms, snoring every now and then. He raised himself up, Sehun’s head falling off his shoulder and thus waking him up. “Morning.” He said, snuggling against Kai once more. Kai stiffened, but didn’t push him away. He figured the younger must still be sleep deprived. But when Sehun gave him a wet kiss on the cheek that smelled way too much like he had eaten a dead animal, he did push him away. “Wake up.” He said, slapping him. Sehun grumbled disapprovingly, but complied. “We have to leave again.” Kai said, standing up. He swiftly dusted off his clothes, remembered that his hands still had some dried blood on them and stopped, feeling utterly disgusted. Sehun took the whiskey bottle from the table, pouring some of it over Kai’s hands. “That’ll do.” He said with a smile. The younger woke Kyungsoo up gently by shaking him slightly and murmuring something to him. Kai looked at them from under his eyelashes as he picked up his backpack. For one last time, he went to the kitchen. Yixing still lay there, as expected, already starting to smell. He knew what he was looking for and even though he was scared to touch him, because if his assumptions were true he could only hope for the best, he had to. Never had he seen the process of the Change, no one knew what effect it had, how long it took, how it happened. It just seemed as if Living changed into Dead within a second, no trace of their previous being visible. He took a cloth from a counter nearby and used it to cover his hand as he lifted up Yixing’s clothing. He found it on the man’s arm, where arm met shoulder. It was a big bruise, with holes shaped like teeth, purple and red coloring the whole area. It smelled horrible, putrefied, of death. Of the wound itself, Kai couldn’t see how long it had been there. Was it even possible for a Living to survive being bitten without fully changing. The holes didn’t seem that deep, but of course he had never seen another wound like this. He let the shirt fall from his hand, covering up the sign of Dead.
He understood now, why his parents didn’t want to go through the Change. Why they didn’t want to change. And he suddenly felt relieved, almost happy. Because his parents had never had to go through this process, through killing and eating people like themselves, without knowing what they were doing. They could’ve killed him, even, their own son. He bit his bottom lip as he thought about it. About his parents being so heroic. He stood up, straightened up and walked back into the other room, where Sehun and Kyungsoo were waiting for him. Sehun had his arm draped around Kyungsoo’s shoulder, but once the door closed behind Kai, he let go to swing his arm around Kai’s shoulder instead, squeezing it assuringly. “Let’s go.” He said, gesturing to Kyungsoo to go ahead. Kyungsoo had been given permission by Sehun to carry his backpack himself. He himself thought it was because the younger finally trusted him, but in reality Sehun was just a lazy little shit, who didn’t want to go around with other people’s stuff. And maybe because the younger couldn’t really care if Kyungsoo just left their clique to run back to his district. But Kyungsoo felt safe, saver than when he were in the district. And Kai had seem so intent on bringing them to the other side safely, that he felt like he should behave around him as a thank you. The day at the museum was an enlightening to him.
They walked unhurriedly, as both Kai and Kyungsoo were still in a slightly traumatic state. Sehun babbled on and on about his life before the Collapse, some stories he had already told to Kai, so the other sometimes just spaced out, only to be snapped back to reality by Sehun’s snickering. Kyungsoo walked in front of them, or rather waddled, his bag being a little too heavy for him. “So how was life over there, protected by the army and all?” Sehun asked suddenly. Kyungsoo slowed down a little before answering. “It was okay.” His tone sounded harsh and confused at the same time. Sehun jutted his lower lip out and shrugged, turning his attention back to Kai. “And how about you, southern boy?” Kai shrugged as well, lowering his eyes to the ground. “It was okay.” Sehun huffed. “Great. Everything is okay. That’s okay.” He was clearly upset, but Kai couldn’t be bothered to cheer him up, he would do so himself within a few minutes anyway. “Do you know how to handle a gun?” Kai broke the silence. Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder, glancing uncertainly at him. “A little bit. I learned the basics for self-defense.” Kai pursed his lips. Then he walked away from Sehun’s arm to rummage through Kyungsoo’s backpack, taking the gun out of it. It was certainly a gun that was hard to lay hands on, and here he was holding it. The ammo would be hard to find, but its aim was just perfect, even long distance shots would be easy. He took his own gun out of his back pocket and handed it over to the other, who stared at it. “This is a little easier to shoot with. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to shoot. The ammo can be found almost everywhere.” He nodded as he turned the gun around in his hands, his pale fingers closing around the trigger loosely. “Don’t keep your finger too close to the trigger.” Kai warned, before stalking off to walk between Sehun and Kyungsoo, so they were side by side.
The night dawned upon them quickly. The sun died out behind the horizon, its gorgeous flame-like colored rays shining between the trees, casting the forest under a spell of false glory. By the time the moon shed dim light on them, Kyungsoo’s eyes had gotten droopy with fatigue. Sehun kept yawing as his feet got stuck behind tree rots a little too often. Kai decided that this was probably the time to seek shelter to stay the night. The safest would be to climb in a tree and sleep there. The Dead wouldn’t be able to attack them that way. So that’s how he ended up carrying a half asleep Kyungsoo on his back while climbing up a sturdy tree. Sehun waited at the foot of the tree, watching them to make sure they wouldn’t fall and give instructions. Kyungsoo clung to his back like a Koala, his full weigh dropping on his shoulders and his feet around his hips. His quick puffs of breath kept tickling Kai’s neck, his hands trembled around the other’s shoulders. “Is this safe?” He asked, distracting Kai and making him loose balance. Kyungsoo flailed a bit when Kai slipped, but the younger managed to grab onto a thick branch. Kai glared at the scared face behind him, with the droopy eyes and bottom lip jutted out. “If you keep quiet.” He said flatly, continuing to climb up. They settled on two large branches, sturdy enough to hold their weight. To prevent them from falling off the tree in the middle of the night, Kai instructed Kyungsoo to sit in a certain way. If he was so fast asleep he would slip off, his arms would catch onto another large branch and he wouldn’t be able to make it all the way down. Sehun came up next, easily climbing the same path as Kyungsoo and Kai. He chose for a branch next to Kai’s. Surrounding the leader of their pack, Kyungsoo and Sehun fell asleep without another worry. While Kai was wide awake, his senses going wild. Every rustle of leaves, every moving branch, every unexpected gush of wind had his eyes flying open. So instead of closing his eyes to rest as well, he relaxed against the trunk of the tree and listened to the others’ soft breathing. Kyungsoo made a little snoring sound in his sleep, his nose scrunching up and moving a bit like a bunny’s. Sehun’s mouth hung wide open, catching flies in the most literal way possible, his hair hung over his eyes and his arms hung next to his sides, dangling in the wind. Kai held his gun tightly, clutching the grip. How scared he had been the first time he held a gun and now it was just a extension of his arm. The first time he held a gun, was the one his parents shot themselves with, the gun he had seen his father put in their nightstand in case of criminals, or so he had said. It had taken him a while to adjust to the feeling of holding death in hands. Every time he had picked it up, he put it away. And it had gone that way, until he realized he needed it to survive. His first shots weren’t the best, he missed a lot, because he couldn’t hold the gun still during and after shooting, but he gradually got better. Until he was something like a professional. He was almost as scared of his gun now as he had been back then, because he knew that his shots would count so much more now that he had others to defend, to keep safe. Right now, he was the only one who could help them during a attack and it made him anxious. He wondered why he let them be with him, why he didn’t just choose to be alone.
Sehun woke up first, smacking his mouth and swallowing audibly. He made a face at the taste on his tongue, of which Kai didn’t want to tell him where it came from. He flipped his hair out of his face as he stretched his limbs. Kai had fallen asleep for just a while, before waking up again and feeling guilty for giving in. Sehun smiled at him, murmuring a soft “Good morning.” He took his backpack from where they had hung them on the branch above them and took out a can. With his pocket knife, he took the lid of and ate some of it. Then he handed it over to Kai, who took his turn. He woke Kyungsoo up by hitting him softly with the can until the other grunted. Once again, he moved his nose a bit and then wiped his hair away. They might need to find something to tie their hair back with later. But that was not as important as making Kyungsoo eat. The man was still trembling and he wasn’t sure if it was because his body was still exhausted or because he was still too scared to do anything. With a little difficulty Kai managed to make him eat the last bit of food in the can. They retrieved their bags from the branch and climbed down slowly, Sehun first then Kyungsoo and lastly Kai, so they could keep an eye on the eldest.
The forest was still silent. Dew covered the leaves, sparkling in the morning sun. The air was fresh, the wind was calm. A few trees ahead a single bird chirped it’s sad song, and ode to the dead. He was wildly interrupted apparently, because his song stopped midway and there was a noise of flapping wings, hastily trying to get away. Kai directed his eyes to where the noise had come from as he held Sehun and Kyungsoo from moving. “I guess this was bound to happen.” He said then, loading his gun and signaled Sehun to do the same with his bow. Kai pulled Kyungsoo down to the ground, where they lay on the humid ground. Sehun rose to rest on his knees. Kai put his elbows firm on the ground. Kyungsoo stared in the distance. His hand inched towards his gun as well, holding it, loading it and pointing it, mimicking how Kai had done it. Once the Dead came into sight, Kai shot. The gun was more powerful than his last one, so he moved back with the force. He blinked a few times. The Dead had fallen to the ground, but the grumbling noises continued. Sehun arched an eyebrow at the others. He still had his bow tensed, the arrow resting between his index finger and middle finger. Kyungsoo squealed, his body going backwards as he was suddenly dragged away. Kai turned around, firing blindly at the attacker. The Dead fell to the ground, falling a top of Kyungsoo, covering his clothing in infected blood and his face hitting Kyungsoo’s. The man screamed, rolling away and throwing the Dead away with his body to not touch it. He kept yelling and crying as he rubbed his face on his shirt and was still in shock. “It’s okay, it’s over.” Kai whispered, taking Kyungsoo in his arms. The man cried violently, his body shuddering, his shaking hands coming up to rest on Kai’s back as well. Sehun stood up, searching through the forest with his arrow pointed at nothing. He fired an arrow a few more times, the grumbling dying out only slightly. “We’re surrounded.” He said, ushering the others to stand up. He took his gun out as well, loaded it and held it on front of himself. Kai picked up Kyungsoo’s gun from the ground, then gave it back to him. “Are you able to defend yourself, or do I have to help you?” Kyungsoo took the gun, his fingers slowly slipping around the grip and his face going still. “I can do it myself.” “Alright.” They started running mindlessly, as they had no idea where the forest went to and where it ended. There was grumbling coming from left and right, Dead moaning in pain and dragging their lifeless bodies towards their prey, their mouths hanging open in hunger. Kyungsoo shot a tree the first time he tried to aim for a Dead, but Sehun was quick enough to shoot after him to not have him eaten. The Dead sounded like they were calling them, trying to get them to come. Spasms went through their bodies, lunging their limbs forward. Their breath could be smelled all the way to where the three Tourists were standing, smelling of blood, flesh and dead. The scariest about the Dead was that they were people, but they were not recognizable as people anymore. Their face had morphed, their hair had fallen out, their eyes were bloodshot and rolling in their sockets, their skin had turned blue, as if their body was rotting away, they were covered in marks and blood while they had never been attacked. Their whole previous being was forgotten, lost in a brain that didn’t belong to a soul anymore. So many lives ended in oblivion, as if they had never even existed, just washed away by the Virus.
They came to a saver area behind a high fence, where the Dead couldn’t come. Tears trickled down Kyungsoo’s cheek silently, his breathing was soft and his eyes red. Sehun sighed, taking his hand through his hair. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he averted his eyes and lay down onto the ground. “I hope it’s going to rain.” Kyungsoo said, looking up at the sky hopefully. He too laid down, closing his eyes to lock out everything. Kai scanned the area briefly. “We should get some wood for a fire.” He said, kicking Sehun’s leg and making him get up to walk with him. He didn’t leave Kyungsoo behind until the man was in a sitting position with his gun ready. When they were on a safe distance, picking up small branches, Sehun finally opened his mouth to say what had been bothering him. “Kyungsoo’s quite a scaredy cat, isn’t he?” Kai shrugged as he made a pile on his left arm with twigs and branches. Sehun pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything else. They silently collected enough to make a fire with, going back to Kyungsoo to see the man fast asleep.
“Kai?” Kai hummed in response, piling their collected branches. “Should we leave him here?” Kai looked up at him, from his position kneeled on the ground, one hand busy with the branches his other hand resting on his knee. He raised his eyebrow at him. “He has only made things harder for us. He attracts Dead even more than we do and the army is looking for him. He only brings trouble.” Kai didn’t react, he just busied himself with getting up a good fire. “You realize this too, right? Kai, please. It would make everything easier.” That last sentence made him snap, he put the branches down and stood up. “Do you realize, Sehun, that every life is extremely valuable right now. No matter how much things that life has gone through. Kyungsoo is as much of a human as we are and we should protect him now that we’ve gotten him out of his safe environment. I don’t want to hear anything about it anymore, so be quiet.” Sehun didn’t seem satisfied at all. “Kai, one life less doesn’t make this the end of the world. The end of the world has already been anyways.” He almost screamed the end of his sentence, waking the subject of their argument wake up. “Why are you so intent on leaving him on his own device?” Kyungsoo looked up at a screaming Kai, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t want anyone else to be with you, okay? You need to be mine until the end of time and I can’t risk your life, by letting him be with us!” Kai was utterly confused at this point. Sehun directed his gaze at Kyungsoo, who stared at him. “Who is this about?” He asked, though the answer was already obvious to him. Sehun strolled over to Kyungsoo, dragging the man up, putting his arm around his neck and putting a gun to his head. “Don’t.” Kai said. Sehun’s eyes were maniacal, his brown orbs blown, his face going pale. The gun Kai had given to Kyungsoo lay on the floor out of reach. Kai directed his own gun at Sehun. “Don’t make this any harder than it is. Us three can survive, together.” Sehun laughed, the noise was shrill and unreal, spit flying out of his mouth. “Together!? There is no together!” At this point he was screaming, and Kai could already make out the grumbles of Dead, crowding near the fence. “Please Kai. Who do you choose? Me or him?” Kai’s eyes flickered between the two. “Stop this now, I won’t make a choice.” Sehun’s eyes grew wider, his lips stretching out further, until his grimace took up his whole face. His slender finger moved towards the trigger, his eyes blood-shot, watering slightly. His breathing was harsh, the puffs blowing against Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo was trembling, clawing at the arm around his neck and struggling as much as he could. His eyes were wide and he was trying to breath. Kai still had his gun pointed at Sehun. He saw tears stream down Kyungsoo’s cheeks. He inhaled. “I choose you, Sehun.” He exhaled. A gunshot followed, combined with the loud grumbling of Dead.
a/n: very unbeta-ed. finally some thing revealed about the Dead, ay. That's nice right? Woohoo. This chapter took me forever to finish. I just didn't know how to go about it. But I did it. I will try to write the next chapter in less than a month, but I can't promise anything as this month is pretty hectic and I have quite a lot to do. Thank you for reading, and I am sincerely sorry to Yixing stans. Yes, it had to go this way.
Pairing: Kai/Sehun, Kai/Kyungsoo
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Angst, Action
Warning: gore (!!), people will die (!!)
Summary: It seemed as if even the sun had extinguished. As if the sun mourned over the Collapse that destroyed her earth. Nowadays her sunrays would only show more of the disastrous place, pointing out all the flaws that could not be seen at night.
Kai stared at the anxious man standing in front of the couch. “Fuck.” He exhaled slowly. This was wrong. If the patrols would find out that a Citizen went missing, they would be fucked. And especially if there was made a report about Tourists near the safety district. Kyungsoo stood still, his eyes closed and his breathing irregular. Sehun put the identification down and picked up the other papers again. “What the fuck do we do now?” Sehun asked, looking up at Kai, who was glued to his spot. “We’re going to die, we have to let him go.” Kai snapped out of his daze. “And risk that he is going to tell about us, we’d be dead within a day. The only option we have is keep him, burn evidence and flee.” He suddenly felt bad about claiming him, but it’s what happened and if they’d let him go in the museum, he would’ve told on them anyways. “What’s your position in the district?” He turned to Kyungsoo, who finally opened his eyes to glance at him. “I’m a dealer.” He fought the urge to cry, it was not going to make anything better, not when two Tourists had him caught. “So that’s why you went to the museum?” He nodded. “Two guys from the district on the other side of the bridge would come to take cigarettes and the gun. Our district is in need of money as the food stock is scarce.” It was easiest to just tell everything about the district, it wouldn’t work in their advantage. Kai seemed to think, as he turned to the window yet again, resting his arms on the frame and watching a Dead drag itself along the street. It was struggling to continue, with one foot blown off by a bullet. Sehun silently glanced between the two, awaiting the man’s verdict. He licked his lips. “We’re leaving, right now. The patrols are probably not far from the district, as it is too dark to see. We’ll have to go north, to avoid bumping into other army patrols. If there has been a report of Tourists, it’ll be spread through the association of districts in this region. Get your stuff and weapons ready.” Kai ordered, his voice booming with authority, as his inner alpha instinct came out to lead the situation. Kyungsoo’s big eyes followed Kai’s steps towards them, then watched Sehun as the man took both his and Kyungsoo’s backpack. He handed the Citizen a small pocketknife, trusting him with only such a weapon. Kai took a smaller gun, aiming it at Kyungsoo to get the man walking and making sure he wouldn’t attack them.
Kai shot the Dead in front of their shelter without a thought. This part of the city had been pretty much deserted, save for that one Dead. If there would be Dead to come rushing towards them, they would be gone anyways. They had to leave and it didn’t matter if they would be followed by the army or Dead. The Dead fell down onto the pavement, its single leg giving out and its face hitting the hard ground. Kyungsoo stared at it with fear, his eyes even wider. Of course as a Citizens he would’ve never seen a Dead before. As a dealer he would have at least someone near him to protect him from Dead. That must’ve been the reason the soldiers were there to clean the area. And now that they had to go, the man was holding them up. His eyes seemed to bore holes into the Dead’s body, following every trace of blood or torn flesh. Kai pushed him with his gun, making him snap out of it and run after Sehun. They had to go as silent and fast as possible not to attract attention from either Living or Dead.
“Was that…” Kyungsoo trailed off. They ran through some narrow alleyways and he was having trouble to keep up with the others’ fast pace. Every corner they rounded, he would scrape his limbs against the brick walls. “Yes.” Sehun said, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He looked behind him to see if the man was okay. His arms were now covered with little wounds, his forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat. Kai was still behind him, with his gun ready. He rolled his eyes at the man’s innocence. The army took good care of the Citizens not knowing anything about the world beyond the safe walls of the districts. That was the army’s job after all. Making the people feel safe, and keeping them safe. Even if that meant that they had to hold back the truth. Kai didn’t even know how Kyungsoo’d heard about the Dead. He had assumed that those things were a taboo in the districts. Kyungsoo seemed to shiver before him, but that might have been because autumn was slowly coming. “Look out.” He said to Sehun, who stopped abruptly, making Kyungsoo bump into his back. “What is it?” Kai pointed at a shadow coming from the main street. It rolled past, blocking their sight as it went by. The tank made a lot of noise, the soldiers next to it yelling orders to each other. Kai swore under his breath. “You can just leave me here, you know?” Kyungsoo offered, his voice shaking. Kai threw him a look. “No.” Sehun cautiously looked around the corner, his eyes following the rows of soldiers. The light coming from the flashlights and torches lit up his face, giving it a grim but scared look. He swallowed visibly, his eyes now shifting helplessly to Kai, who seemed to be the only one to still have control over his nerves. “Let’s make a run for it, just keep running north. They won’t pass their border created by the association of districts.” Sehun nodded, taking the lead again. They ran as fast and silently as they could, while deviating farther from the main street. All the while, they glanced to the left, seeing how the army was progressing. “Dead!” Kyungsoo shrieked, throwing his full weight against Kai as he stumbled backwards. He pointed at the limping form across from them. Its jaw hung loose from its skull, its eyes almost rolling out of its sockets. Kyungsoo sobbed and Kai slapped his hand in front of the man’s mouth to stifle any other noises. Sehun scooted down, taking out his bow and arrow. It grumbled loudly, approaching them while leaving a trail of infected blood behind. Its blood-shot eyes seemed to register them, but it didn’t speed up. Sehun drew the string back, his eyes narrowing. With a swift motion, he let go. The arrow hit the Dead in its forehead. With one final grumbling noise, it fell on the ground. Kyungsoo stared wide eyed. His knees shook underneath him, his breath coming out ragged. “You okay?” Sehun asked as he put away his bow and arrow. Kyungsoo nodded sheepishly. Kai pushed him forward, out of his personal space. “Now walk.” He ordered, earning a look from Sehun.
They reached the border without any other trouble. The tanks and soldiers were still going around town, so they kept running until they came to a abandoned diner along the road. Exhausted and sweating like crazy, they slumped down into the torn leather seats. Kyungsoo was still shaking, his eyes wide. Sehun threw an arm around him, comforting him by whispering nonsense to him. When Kai had had enough of all the sweet words, he stood up to check the place. He almost ran into a barstool on his way to the back, playing it off coolly by pretending he was looking over the bar. He could practically feel Sehun staring at him. But he didn’t look back. Behind the swinging doors awaited him a surprise. He wasn’t even mildly shocked to see half a body hanging against a counter. Blood covered the tiled floor, it was still quite fresh. They couldn’t stay here long. He took his gun from his back pocket, loaded it and pointed it at the door to, what he assumed, the freezer. Carefully stepping over the torso, puddle of blood and torn of legs, he stood in front of the door. Not making any sound, he pressed the doorknob down. As he let it go, he kicked the door open. He was greeted with more bodies. All of them covered in a thin layer of ice, these bodies had also cruelly been ripped apart. Just how did a Dead manage to get them into the freezer? He turned around, coming face to face with a man. A gasp left his lips. He looked cute, with fluffy brown hair and dimples adoring his cheeks with the slight smile on his face. But his eyes twinkled dangerously. “Hello.” He whispered, his soft voice barely audible. Kai didn’t say anything back. His mind flashed to the two sitting on the couch and he wondered if they were okay. Then he stared right back at the man in front of him. “I’m Yixing.” The man said, extending a bloody hand. As he waited for the other to take it, the blood dripped down to form a puddle on the tiles. Kai took it hesitantly. He didn’t know what this man’s motives were or if he had an anger problem, but he decided that for now he would play along. Yixing looked him over approvingly, his eyes raking over every small feature of the young man in front of him. Kai took this time to inspect Yixing as well. His shirt was drenched with blood, the liquid seeping from the material onto the floor. His hair was disheveled, his pants ripped at the knees. His shoes were colored blood red and not from themselves. “And you are?” He asked then, looking up at Kai with an innocent smile that had him smiling back unconsciously. Kai didn’t answer, as he never did to this question. He finally realized that he was still holding onto Kai’s hand and let it go, smiling brighter at how the blood looked on his skin. “Are you here all alone?” Yixing asked, which made relief flood through Kai’s stomach. The man hadn’t found Kyungsoo or Sehun yet. “Yes, I am alone.” Yixing laughed. “Such a beautiful man, with such a beautiful voice. I couldn’t have found someone better.” His laugh sounded malicious. Kai was actually starting to become scared of this stranger. “Do you want something to eat?” He asked, his eyes twinkling. Kai looked over his shoulder to see a pan on the stove, its content boiling. He didn’t answer, again. Yixing pulled on his arm, setting him down on a metal table in the middle of the kitchen after swiping away something that looked an awful lot like organs. Kai felt like vomiting. The scariest thing was, that Yixing appeared so happy and innocent, but then again there was blood all over him, he was surrounded by ripped apart bodies and he was cooking questionable content. “I hope you like rigid meat.” Kai stared at him.
“Kai!” It sounded from the other side of the door. Kai could feel his heart drop in his chest, as Yixing turned towards the door, his eyes flashing with anger. The spatula he had held in his hand was now replaced by a sharp knife. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll keep you safe.” He said to Kai, who was shaking with fear. The man approached the door slowly, clutching the knife, breathing heavily, leaving a trail of blood behind, if that was even possible any more. He extended his hand towards the door, an evil grin on his face and his breath sounding almost anticipating. Then he fell to the ground, into the blood that had spread throughout the kitchen, with a dull thud and some splashing. The breathing continued for a while, the blood next to his mouth rippling with the motion. He stilled, his eyes still open and his mouth filling with blood. Kai lowered his gun, his heart still booming against his ribcage. It was hard to keep everything inside his stomach, where it should be. “Kai!? Are you alright?” Sehun yelled, throwing the door open and thereby managing to crush Yixing’s head between the door and counter. Kai stared at the dead body on the ground. He had never been this scared since the beginning of the Collapse. It was as if Yixing was a Living with the mind of a Dead. Maybe that was the beginning of the Change. “What happened? I heard you talking and then a gunshot.” He looked behind the door and then back at Kai. “Are you alright?” Kai just sat still, his whole being trembling. Sehun walked up to him, encasing him in a tight hug. He shushed him softly, petting his hair and rocking him from side to side. That was until Kai came back to his senses and pushed the younger away, huffing something about being a grown up and being emotionally stable, while Sehun just smiled at him. “That guy you crushed with the door liked humans way too much.” He explained, pointing at the body in the corner. Sehun pursed his lips. When he sniffed, he scrunched up his nose in disgust and pulled Kai back to the other room. Kyungsoo peeked at them from over the edge of the seat, his eyes still wide open, and slightly red. When he saw that Kai was still alive, he sighed a bit. “You’re covered in blood.” He said, stating the obvious and took Kai’s hand, looking for scratches or wounds. “Not only me, the whole fucking kitchen.” He pulled his hand out of the man’s grip, smearing the blood on a table cloth on one of the tables. What had previously been a nice white table cloth with embroidery on the edges, was now looking like a cloth that people lay over dead bodies on a crime scene. Kai scrunched up his nose at the idea that maybe he had had infected blood on his hand. After that, he cleaned his shoes with the other end of the table cloth, draping it back on over the wood messily. All the while, the others observed his behavior from their seats a few tables away. “I need a drink.” Behind the bar stood bottles of alcohol, some burst open or thrown against the wall, and some still intact. The first bottle of whiskey on the rack looked good enough for him, as he gulped half of it down in one go. “You should slow down.” Kyungsoo said, taking the bottle away from him and pushing him down onto the seat. Kai grumbled, smashing his head against the table.
When he woke up, Sehun was sleeping against him, his head on his shoulder and his mouth opened slightly. Kyungsoo lay with his head on his arms, snoring every now and then. He raised himself up, Sehun’s head falling off his shoulder and thus waking him up. “Morning.” He said, snuggling against Kai once more. Kai stiffened, but didn’t push him away. He figured the younger must still be sleep deprived. But when Sehun gave him a wet kiss on the cheek that smelled way too much like he had eaten a dead animal, he did push him away. “Wake up.” He said, slapping him. Sehun grumbled disapprovingly, but complied. “We have to leave again.” Kai said, standing up. He swiftly dusted off his clothes, remembered that his hands still had some dried blood on them and stopped, feeling utterly disgusted. Sehun took the whiskey bottle from the table, pouring some of it over Kai’s hands. “That’ll do.” He said with a smile. The younger woke Kyungsoo up gently by shaking him slightly and murmuring something to him. Kai looked at them from under his eyelashes as he picked up his backpack. For one last time, he went to the kitchen. Yixing still lay there, as expected, already starting to smell. He knew what he was looking for and even though he was scared to touch him, because if his assumptions were true he could only hope for the best, he had to. Never had he seen the process of the Change, no one knew what effect it had, how long it took, how it happened. It just seemed as if Living changed into Dead within a second, no trace of their previous being visible. He took a cloth from a counter nearby and used it to cover his hand as he lifted up Yixing’s clothing. He found it on the man’s arm, where arm met shoulder. It was a big bruise, with holes shaped like teeth, purple and red coloring the whole area. It smelled horrible, putrefied, of death. Of the wound itself, Kai couldn’t see how long it had been there. Was it even possible for a Living to survive being bitten without fully changing. The holes didn’t seem that deep, but of course he had never seen another wound like this. He let the shirt fall from his hand, covering up the sign of Dead.
He understood now, why his parents didn’t want to go through the Change. Why they didn’t want to change. And he suddenly felt relieved, almost happy. Because his parents had never had to go through this process, through killing and eating people like themselves, without knowing what they were doing. They could’ve killed him, even, their own son. He bit his bottom lip as he thought about it. About his parents being so heroic. He stood up, straightened up and walked back into the other room, where Sehun and Kyungsoo were waiting for him. Sehun had his arm draped around Kyungsoo’s shoulder, but once the door closed behind Kai, he let go to swing his arm around Kai’s shoulder instead, squeezing it assuringly. “Let’s go.” He said, gesturing to Kyungsoo to go ahead. Kyungsoo had been given permission by Sehun to carry his backpack himself. He himself thought it was because the younger finally trusted him, but in reality Sehun was just a lazy little shit, who didn’t want to go around with other people’s stuff. And maybe because the younger couldn’t really care if Kyungsoo just left their clique to run back to his district. But Kyungsoo felt safe, saver than when he were in the district. And Kai had seem so intent on bringing them to the other side safely, that he felt like he should behave around him as a thank you. The day at the museum was an enlightening to him.
They walked unhurriedly, as both Kai and Kyungsoo were still in a slightly traumatic state. Sehun babbled on and on about his life before the Collapse, some stories he had already told to Kai, so the other sometimes just spaced out, only to be snapped back to reality by Sehun’s snickering. Kyungsoo walked in front of them, or rather waddled, his bag being a little too heavy for him. “So how was life over there, protected by the army and all?” Sehun asked suddenly. Kyungsoo slowed down a little before answering. “It was okay.” His tone sounded harsh and confused at the same time. Sehun jutted his lower lip out and shrugged, turning his attention back to Kai. “And how about you, southern boy?” Kai shrugged as well, lowering his eyes to the ground. “It was okay.” Sehun huffed. “Great. Everything is okay. That’s okay.” He was clearly upset, but Kai couldn’t be bothered to cheer him up, he would do so himself within a few minutes anyway. “Do you know how to handle a gun?” Kai broke the silence. Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder, glancing uncertainly at him. “A little bit. I learned the basics for self-defense.” Kai pursed his lips. Then he walked away from Sehun’s arm to rummage through Kyungsoo’s backpack, taking the gun out of it. It was certainly a gun that was hard to lay hands on, and here he was holding it. The ammo would be hard to find, but its aim was just perfect, even long distance shots would be easy. He took his own gun out of his back pocket and handed it over to the other, who stared at it. “This is a little easier to shoot with. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to shoot. The ammo can be found almost everywhere.” He nodded as he turned the gun around in his hands, his pale fingers closing around the trigger loosely. “Don’t keep your finger too close to the trigger.” Kai warned, before stalking off to walk between Sehun and Kyungsoo, so they were side by side.
The night dawned upon them quickly. The sun died out behind the horizon, its gorgeous flame-like colored rays shining between the trees, casting the forest under a spell of false glory. By the time the moon shed dim light on them, Kyungsoo’s eyes had gotten droopy with fatigue. Sehun kept yawing as his feet got stuck behind tree rots a little too often. Kai decided that this was probably the time to seek shelter to stay the night. The safest would be to climb in a tree and sleep there. The Dead wouldn’t be able to attack them that way. So that’s how he ended up carrying a half asleep Kyungsoo on his back while climbing up a sturdy tree. Sehun waited at the foot of the tree, watching them to make sure they wouldn’t fall and give instructions. Kyungsoo clung to his back like a Koala, his full weigh dropping on his shoulders and his feet around his hips. His quick puffs of breath kept tickling Kai’s neck, his hands trembled around the other’s shoulders. “Is this safe?” He asked, distracting Kai and making him loose balance. Kyungsoo flailed a bit when Kai slipped, but the younger managed to grab onto a thick branch. Kai glared at the scared face behind him, with the droopy eyes and bottom lip jutted out. “If you keep quiet.” He said flatly, continuing to climb up. They settled on two large branches, sturdy enough to hold their weight. To prevent them from falling off the tree in the middle of the night, Kai instructed Kyungsoo to sit in a certain way. If he was so fast asleep he would slip off, his arms would catch onto another large branch and he wouldn’t be able to make it all the way down. Sehun came up next, easily climbing the same path as Kyungsoo and Kai. He chose for a branch next to Kai’s. Surrounding the leader of their pack, Kyungsoo and Sehun fell asleep without another worry. While Kai was wide awake, his senses going wild. Every rustle of leaves, every moving branch, every unexpected gush of wind had his eyes flying open. So instead of closing his eyes to rest as well, he relaxed against the trunk of the tree and listened to the others’ soft breathing. Kyungsoo made a little snoring sound in his sleep, his nose scrunching up and moving a bit like a bunny’s. Sehun’s mouth hung wide open, catching flies in the most literal way possible, his hair hung over his eyes and his arms hung next to his sides, dangling in the wind. Kai held his gun tightly, clutching the grip. How scared he had been the first time he held a gun and now it was just a extension of his arm. The first time he held a gun, was the one his parents shot themselves with, the gun he had seen his father put in their nightstand in case of criminals, or so he had said. It had taken him a while to adjust to the feeling of holding death in hands. Every time he had picked it up, he put it away. And it had gone that way, until he realized he needed it to survive. His first shots weren’t the best, he missed a lot, because he couldn’t hold the gun still during and after shooting, but he gradually got better. Until he was something like a professional. He was almost as scared of his gun now as he had been back then, because he knew that his shots would count so much more now that he had others to defend, to keep safe. Right now, he was the only one who could help them during a attack and it made him anxious. He wondered why he let them be with him, why he didn’t just choose to be alone.
Sehun woke up first, smacking his mouth and swallowing audibly. He made a face at the taste on his tongue, of which Kai didn’t want to tell him where it came from. He flipped his hair out of his face as he stretched his limbs. Kai had fallen asleep for just a while, before waking up again and feeling guilty for giving in. Sehun smiled at him, murmuring a soft “Good morning.” He took his backpack from where they had hung them on the branch above them and took out a can. With his pocket knife, he took the lid of and ate some of it. Then he handed it over to Kai, who took his turn. He woke Kyungsoo up by hitting him softly with the can until the other grunted. Once again, he moved his nose a bit and then wiped his hair away. They might need to find something to tie their hair back with later. But that was not as important as making Kyungsoo eat. The man was still trembling and he wasn’t sure if it was because his body was still exhausted or because he was still too scared to do anything. With a little difficulty Kai managed to make him eat the last bit of food in the can. They retrieved their bags from the branch and climbed down slowly, Sehun first then Kyungsoo and lastly Kai, so they could keep an eye on the eldest.
The forest was still silent. Dew covered the leaves, sparkling in the morning sun. The air was fresh, the wind was calm. A few trees ahead a single bird chirped it’s sad song, and ode to the dead. He was wildly interrupted apparently, because his song stopped midway and there was a noise of flapping wings, hastily trying to get away. Kai directed his eyes to where the noise had come from as he held Sehun and Kyungsoo from moving. “I guess this was bound to happen.” He said then, loading his gun and signaled Sehun to do the same with his bow. Kai pulled Kyungsoo down to the ground, where they lay on the humid ground. Sehun rose to rest on his knees. Kai put his elbows firm on the ground. Kyungsoo stared in the distance. His hand inched towards his gun as well, holding it, loading it and pointing it, mimicking how Kai had done it. Once the Dead came into sight, Kai shot. The gun was more powerful than his last one, so he moved back with the force. He blinked a few times. The Dead had fallen to the ground, but the grumbling noises continued. Sehun arched an eyebrow at the others. He still had his bow tensed, the arrow resting between his index finger and middle finger. Kyungsoo squealed, his body going backwards as he was suddenly dragged away. Kai turned around, firing blindly at the attacker. The Dead fell to the ground, falling a top of Kyungsoo, covering his clothing in infected blood and his face hitting Kyungsoo’s. The man screamed, rolling away and throwing the Dead away with his body to not touch it. He kept yelling and crying as he rubbed his face on his shirt and was still in shock. “It’s okay, it’s over.” Kai whispered, taking Kyungsoo in his arms. The man cried violently, his body shuddering, his shaking hands coming up to rest on Kai’s back as well. Sehun stood up, searching through the forest with his arrow pointed at nothing. He fired an arrow a few more times, the grumbling dying out only slightly. “We’re surrounded.” He said, ushering the others to stand up. He took his gun out as well, loaded it and held it on front of himself. Kai picked up Kyungsoo’s gun from the ground, then gave it back to him. “Are you able to defend yourself, or do I have to help you?” Kyungsoo took the gun, his fingers slowly slipping around the grip and his face going still. “I can do it myself.” “Alright.” They started running mindlessly, as they had no idea where the forest went to and where it ended. There was grumbling coming from left and right, Dead moaning in pain and dragging their lifeless bodies towards their prey, their mouths hanging open in hunger. Kyungsoo shot a tree the first time he tried to aim for a Dead, but Sehun was quick enough to shoot after him to not have him eaten. The Dead sounded like they were calling them, trying to get them to come. Spasms went through their bodies, lunging their limbs forward. Their breath could be smelled all the way to where the three Tourists were standing, smelling of blood, flesh and dead. The scariest about the Dead was that they were people, but they were not recognizable as people anymore. Their face had morphed, their hair had fallen out, their eyes were bloodshot and rolling in their sockets, their skin had turned blue, as if their body was rotting away, they were covered in marks and blood while they had never been attacked. Their whole previous being was forgotten, lost in a brain that didn’t belong to a soul anymore. So many lives ended in oblivion, as if they had never even existed, just washed away by the Virus.
They came to a saver area behind a high fence, where the Dead couldn’t come. Tears trickled down Kyungsoo’s cheek silently, his breathing was soft and his eyes red. Sehun sighed, taking his hand through his hair. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he averted his eyes and lay down onto the ground. “I hope it’s going to rain.” Kyungsoo said, looking up at the sky hopefully. He too laid down, closing his eyes to lock out everything. Kai scanned the area briefly. “We should get some wood for a fire.” He said, kicking Sehun’s leg and making him get up to walk with him. He didn’t leave Kyungsoo behind until the man was in a sitting position with his gun ready. When they were on a safe distance, picking up small branches, Sehun finally opened his mouth to say what had been bothering him. “Kyungsoo’s quite a scaredy cat, isn’t he?” Kai shrugged as he made a pile on his left arm with twigs and branches. Sehun pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything else. They silently collected enough to make a fire with, going back to Kyungsoo to see the man fast asleep.
“Kai?” Kai hummed in response, piling their collected branches. “Should we leave him here?” Kai looked up at him, from his position kneeled on the ground, one hand busy with the branches his other hand resting on his knee. He raised his eyebrow at him. “He has only made things harder for us. He attracts Dead even more than we do and the army is looking for him. He only brings trouble.” Kai didn’t react, he just busied himself with getting up a good fire. “You realize this too, right? Kai, please. It would make everything easier.” That last sentence made him snap, he put the branches down and stood up. “Do you realize, Sehun, that every life is extremely valuable right now. No matter how much things that life has gone through. Kyungsoo is as much of a human as we are and we should protect him now that we’ve gotten him out of his safe environment. I don’t want to hear anything about it anymore, so be quiet.” Sehun didn’t seem satisfied at all. “Kai, one life less doesn’t make this the end of the world. The end of the world has already been anyways.” He almost screamed the end of his sentence, waking the subject of their argument wake up. “Why are you so intent on leaving him on his own device?” Kyungsoo looked up at a screaming Kai, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t want anyone else to be with you, okay? You need to be mine until the end of time and I can’t risk your life, by letting him be with us!” Kai was utterly confused at this point. Sehun directed his gaze at Kyungsoo, who stared at him. “Who is this about?” He asked, though the answer was already obvious to him. Sehun strolled over to Kyungsoo, dragging the man up, putting his arm around his neck and putting a gun to his head. “Don’t.” Kai said. Sehun’s eyes were maniacal, his brown orbs blown, his face going pale. The gun Kai had given to Kyungsoo lay on the floor out of reach. Kai directed his own gun at Sehun. “Don’t make this any harder than it is. Us three can survive, together.” Sehun laughed, the noise was shrill and unreal, spit flying out of his mouth. “Together!? There is no together!” At this point he was screaming, and Kai could already make out the grumbles of Dead, crowding near the fence. “Please Kai. Who do you choose? Me or him?” Kai’s eyes flickered between the two. “Stop this now, I won’t make a choice.” Sehun’s eyes grew wider, his lips stretching out further, until his grimace took up his whole face. His slender finger moved towards the trigger, his eyes blood-shot, watering slightly. His breathing was harsh, the puffs blowing against Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo was trembling, clawing at the arm around his neck and struggling as much as he could. His eyes were wide and he was trying to breath. Kai still had his gun pointed at Sehun. He saw tears stream down Kyungsoo’s cheeks. He inhaled. “I choose you, Sehun.” He exhaled. A gunshot followed, combined with the loud grumbling of Dead.
a/n: very unbeta-ed. finally some thing revealed about the Dead, ay. That's nice right? Woohoo. This chapter took me forever to finish. I just didn't know how to go about it. But I did it. I will try to write the next chapter in less than a month, but I can't promise anything as this month is pretty hectic and I have quite a lot to do. Thank you for reading, and I am sincerely sorry to Yixing stans. Yes, it had to go this way.