There's an unnatural stillness in the forest - something Kris has grown to distrust and fear. There's no buzzing of insects, no small animals disturbing the bushes, no birds singing - this forest has death written all over it and Kris already regrets taking this route. He'd figured they'd be safer here -  the river bank had been too open: they'd be able to spot anyone coming from miles away, but it also left themselves easier to find and vulnerable, without shelter. They haven't seen many Walkers since leaving Daegu behind but Kris knows that only increases their chances of running into a horde. He'd hoped the forest would provide food, too, since they had been running low on supplies. 
But Kris doesn't know much about surviving in the woods, and keeping themselves fed with what the land provides is proving to be much harder than he had hoped. He didn't have the right weapons to kill any animals, and they certainly didn't have the luxury of time to set up a trap and wait around - not with the threat of Walkers ever present. They were leaving behind the infested cities of the East, opting to head north west instead: less populated lands where the chances of a walker ambush would be smaller. 

There's a rustling noise, barely loud enough for Kris to pick up. He crouches down, his hand reaching instinctively for the large hammer tucked underneath his belt. The quiet of forest returns like a suffocating blanket, and Kris hopes he'll hear any walker coming. After five months of running from the mindless creatures, his hearing adapted. 
His fingers tighten around the wooden handle of his weapon - always the heavy reminder hanging at his side that he'd killed. 

There's another noise piercing the silence, closer this time, and Kris' heartbeat picks up. Sehun. It's been twenty minutes since they split up, and Kris is starting to regret his earlier decision to part ways. They'd been scavenging separately for a few weeks now, forced because food was scarce in these lands. Their progress was slow - Sehun had never been good at handling high temperatures and the summer heat weighed down on their walking speed. Trekking through the woods offered some relief from the heat at least, but the terrain was uneven and Sehun had gotten a few nasty blisters on his feet as a result. Kris had told the teen to take some rest while he searched for food. Sehun, looking skinnier and more worn out then ever, hadn't even objected. Kris knows his son won't last much longer unless he finds food, shelter and some decent shoes, and he had been determined to take care of at least one of those things today. But this forest feels wrong, and he should never have let the boy out of his sight. There are more dangerous things than walkers in this world.

He turns on his heels, ready to walk back to the clearing he'd left Sehun. There's movement from the corner of his eye, but before he can even lift his hammer, he feels the cold prick of sharp metal against his throat.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

(¬º-°)¬

She’s young, at least a head shorter than Kris and slim, though her cheeks are round. Kris feels the first wave of panic disseminate a little as he sees the rosy blush across her cheeks, the movement of her chest as she breathes. A human, not a walker. Of course – Walkers don’t talk, nor do they know how to wield a weapon. But humans can be just as dangerous as zombies.
Kris freezes and gulps, the edge of the blade scraping against his adam's apple.
They'd always managed to avoid running into rogues or poachers so far - Kris had kept Sehun far away from these gangs, knowing they were as easy a prey to them as they were to the Walkers.
Panic sets in again as the situation dawns on him. He'd heard a few stories of bands of rogues hiding in the country from other humans they'd met, in the first few weeks after the outbreak. It had been easier to get news back then, easier to find good people, people in the same situation as him. But running into friendly faces had become a rare occasion as the weeks and months progressed. They hadn't seen another soul in the past month and a half.

He hopes Sehun will remember what they'd decided on. 

(¬º-°)¬ 

"If I get caught, you run." 

Sehun's eyes grow wide - Kris can just make out the white of his eyes in the moonlight. "What do you mean?"

"You don't come back for me. You don't come save me."

Sehun's body shifts, his improvised hang-mat tilting precariously to the side as it bumps into Kris'. Kris can't see his expression in the dark but it's easy to imagine the stubborn pull of his lips, the defiance in his shoulders as he just out his jaw at Kris. "I've killed two Walkers today. Quit treating me like a kid."
Seventeen is still a kid.
"Sehun, I'm not asking you. I'm ordering you."
It hadn't been the first time Kris and Sehun had had to fight their way out of a pinch, but it had been the first time Sehun was forced to deal out the blows himself. They'd run into a group of five walkers, hiding out in the green house close to the suburban residence that had been their shelter for nearly three weeks - the longest they'd stayed in one place after since they'd left their home almost a year. Kris had taken out the first two easily but the third one was almost a head taller than him and twice as wide. He'd stumbled, and if Sehun hadn't swung his bat at the female Walker coming up behind Kris... 
Sehun had taken out the last one as Kris finally finished the giant walker with a last, desperate swing of his hammer.

"You can't ask me to just go on without you." Sehun's voice cracks.
Kris doesn't know how to respond to that. He supposes he should know. He should know the quiet words of confidence and hope that would keep Sehun's spirits up. Should know how to put it into words, that all Kris wants is for Sehun to keep going, don't give up, there's a future for you, you have a chance, not all things in this world have gone to hell. But after eight months of violence, hunger and solitude, those words have left him - empty memories of warm words that would turn cold and foreign in his mouth.

"Where would I even go?"

"You just keep going north-west."

" you and your north. If I'm going to be all on my own, the west will be just as bad as the east."

"Hey."
Kris reaches out blindly to Sehun's hand. Long fingers intertwine with his. Sehun's palm feels warm - always does, unlike Kris, who shivers like a leaf when temperatures drop below 19 degrees. Sehun may have inherited his height, but was the mirror image of his mother in everything else.

"You know I would never leave you alone." Kris says, squeezing Sehun's fingers. "But I will not have you risk your own life again to save your old man's ."

Sehun sighs, pulling his hand away. "Dad-" 

"Promise me."

"But I-"

"Sehun. This isn't up for discussion." Kris uses that definite tone is final - Sehun knows better than to try and argue with that.

The teen huffs. "Fine, whatever. Now will you let me sleep?" 

Kris releases the breath he's been holding. "Sleep nice, Sehun."
It's not enough to cut the invisible ropes of fear lacing tight around his chest since this afternoon. After all, Sehun has his mother's personality, and she was the most stubborn person Kris has ever known.

(¬º-°)¬

The girl walks behind Kris, his hammer tucked behind her belt, and to his dread, they’re heading straight for the clearing where Sehun had been waiting for him. 

He stumbles as they push their way through a few bushes, and Kris prays Sehun will hear them and hide. 

His prayers go unanswered as he sees Sehun sitting on the fallen tree branch – and he’s not alone. A single figure stands in front of him, arm extended towards Sehun. He’s holding a gun.

“Found another one, Chanyeol,” the girl announces as she and Kris move into the clearing. 

Chanyeol is tall and doesn’t seem to be much older than the girl behind Kris. He looks thin, his hair falling into his eyes in unruly curls. He doesn’t look like a rogue, but the gun he’s holding tells Kris otherwise.

“Wh- what do we do now?” Chanyeol asks, looking at the girl. Clearly she’s in charge.
 
“Raise your arms and part your legs,” she barks at Kris. “Chanyeol, keep that gun on him, in case he tries to do anything foolish.” 

Kris obeys and lets her frisk him as he tries to catch Sehun’s eye. He looks terrified. Kris mouths, “It’s going to be okay” at his son, but finds he doesn’t believe it himself.

“He’s not armed, aside from the hammer. How about the boy?”

“Unarmed. Though he did try to lunge for his bat again after you left. Baekhyun, what do we do with them?”

The girl keeps her sword raised as she starts circling around Kris. “You better talk fast, old man. How many more of you are there?”

“It’s just the two of us. We’re travelling, we don’t mean any harm –“ Sehun starts babbling. 

Baekhyun swings around, aiming her sword at the teen. “What’s your name, kid?” she asks. 

Sehun looks at Kris, who nods. “S-Sehun.”

“And who’s this?” Baekhyun asks with a flick of the blade towards Kris.

Kris finally finds his voice again. “I’m Kris, Sehun’s father. Please, we have no food or money, and no guns, we will be out of your territory soon, if you would just let us go-“.

Baekhyun shakes her head. “That’s not my decision to make. We will take you back to HQ with us.”

Chanyeol shifts. “Baekhyun, are you sure that’s-“

“Chanyeol, you’re going up front. Keep that gun pointed at the old one at all times. I’ll be right behind you with the son.” Baekhyun drones on. 

She steps towards Kris again, the blade of her katana pointing at his abdomen. “Don’t try anything funny. I can cut out your guts before you realize it’s happening and Chanyeol won’t hesitate to shoot you if you try to pull a stunt.”

Kris heart drops in his stomach as he realizes he led Sehun right into this death trap.

(¬º-°)¬

Every few steps, the gun Chanyeol is holding pokes painfully into Kris' back. "Look, is the gun really necessary?" Kris barks. "I'm going as fast as I can." Chanyeol's step falters for a moment. "Oh, sorry, I'm-"

"Chanyeol," Baekhyun cuts in. She's following right behind the two taller guys with Sehun in tow, Kris' hammer and Sehun's bat tucked under her belt. "Don't you dare lower that gun. Keep walking, we need to get back to base camp before nightfall."
Kris looks over his shoulder at his son and Sehun shoots a glance at Baekhyun's katana, as if he's sizing her up. 

"Don't get any ideas in your head, boy," Baekhyun barks as she flicks her wrist, sunlight reflecting on the sword's smooth surface. "Move."
They're walking uphill along a rocky, uneven path, and Kris is terrified of what he might find at the end of it.
Chanyeol's gun presses in between Kris' shoulder blades again and Kris stumbles on. The little group moves slowly, and Kris feels vulnerable walking up front without a weapon in his hands. He can only hope Chanyeol has good reflexes if they come across a Walker. 

"How much further is it?" Sehun asks after half an hour of traipsing through the forest in silence. 

"About twenty minutes, though it might take longer if your old man keeps tripping over air," Baekhyun grunts.

"I heard that," Kris grumbles as he pushes aside a few long-hanging branches. Behind him, Chanyeol needs to duck to avoid the backlash. 

"Easy there, soldier," Baekhyun says. "You don't want that gun accidentally going off, do you?"

Kris takes a deep breath, as if he needs to bite his own tongue to stop from speaking out, but doesn't reply and resumes walking at a brisk pace. 
Baekhyun carefully keeps the branches out of the way and lets Sehun pass. The boy's shoulders are tense, his eyes fixed on the back of his father's head. 
"Hey," Baekhyun whispers, her hand brushing the teenager's shoulder. "Don't worry, okay? We don't want to hurt you or your dad, but we have to take our precautions."
She pauses, looking at Sehun's face intently. "How long have you two been on the road?"
"We left the house after Christmas. I - I don't know what the date is now."
Baekhyun's expression softens. "It's July."
Sehun gasps as he l
"Baekhyun, keep up!" Chanyeol's voice sounds dangerously loud and Baekhyun rolls her eyes in exasperation and mutters a curse under her breath. 

"Chanyeol's my best friend but I swear he has the survival instincts of a beanbag. Come on, let's get moving before he raises an entire Walker army with that damn voice of his," she says.

(¬º-°)¬

"Base camp" turns out to be an abandoned wood processing plant with several deserted buildings surrounded by an eight foot fence. Kris notices several gaps where corrosion ate away at the thin pattern of metal - it's not enough to keep a Walker out, but it would slow it down enough to give Baekhyun's and Chanyeol's group time to prepare for any unwelcome visitors. A heavy padlock rests against a heavy chain wrapped around the gate.

He can see a small reception building, with bricks slathered in graffiti and shattered windows covered by heavy blankets. Behind that, two connected structures, a water tower and what seems to be a large hangar. 

"It's a good spot. As far as we can tell, It shut down over a decade ago and the single road leading up to it clearly hasn't been maintained since, so it's fairly secluded," Baekhyun explains. "There was a Walker nest a little closer to the river, but we took care of that and put up a fence in the wood a little further south - that seems to keep most of them out. It's been a few weeks since we last saw one."

Something moves out of the corner of Kris' eye, up on the water tower. A blonde woman is standing on the small platform around the tank, pointing a rifle at the quartet. Chanyeol moves to open the padlock, turning the digits on the combination lock with practiced ease. Baekhyun raises her hand and flicks her wrist - apparently signaling to the woman with the rifle, because the latter lowers her weapon and turns around, disappearing around the corner of the tower balcony. 

The chain rattles against the fence as the lock opens and Chanyeol ushers them in. 

Kris grabs Sehun's wrist. "Stay close," he says under his breath.

There's a dull thud and a scratching sound coming from the first building, and then a door swings open on the side. A woman steps out - short, with black hair cut into a jagged bob, a pair of wide eyes framed by thick brows and uneven bangs. She's dressed in black, her pants tucked into worn combat boots and a thin shirt looking frayed around the seams. The fabric fits awkwardly around her frame, as if she suddenly lost a lot weight, or if she's wearing someone else's clothes. 

"I send you out to get food and you bring me back home two strays instead? I knew I should've sent Jongin instead," the woman says disapprovingly. 
Up close, Kris can see she's still quite young. 

Baekhyun huffs, twisting around to reveal the game on her back. "I've got two rabbits for you and Chanyeol's bag is full of bunchberries and dewberries." 

The woman sniffs, her stern expression unchanging as she looks at Chanyeol, who has finished reattaching the lock. "Are you sure you picked the right ones this time? I'm all out of psyllium seeds, we can't risk ting ourselves again because you can't tell the difference between crowberries and cascara berries," she asks. 
Chanyeol scurries to the front, opening the flap of his backpack and holding out a handful of berries. "Don't worry, Kyungsoo, I've only picked the ones I knew were good. I could've brought more," Chanyeol adds, and gestures to Kris and Sehun, "but then we ran into them and Baekhyun thought-"

"Oh," Baekhyun interrupts. "I'm sorry - Kyungsoo, this is Kris and his son Sehun, we found them in sector eight and-"

Kyungsoo cuts her off with a curt shake of her head. "I don't even want to know, honestly. Wait until Minseok hears about this." She grabs the dead rabbits, yanking them off Baekhyun's shoulder impatiently and points at the bag in Chanyeol's hands. "I need to start cooking. Help me take these to the kitchen," she tells Chanyeol, not sparing another glance at Kris or Sehun. "You better go get Minseok, Baekhyun."

"Luhan saw us coming, I'm sure she already told to him," Baekhyun retorts. Kyungsoo walks off towards the smaller building opposite the water tower, Chanyeol in tow. 

She flicks her wrist, clicking her blade against the heels of Kris' boots. He can feel the resounding zing running up his legs, and he stumbles forward a little. 
"In you go," Baekhyun says, pointing at the entrance of the withered building in front of them. "You too, kiddo."
Kris glances over his shoulder, and sees Sehun shuffle forward with a sour expression on his face. It's getting dark, and the forest looks even more threatening now - it'd be impossible to find good shelter for the night if they were turned away now. Kris can only hope this Minseok, or whoever is in charge, won't force them out, or worse. He squares his shoulders and steps inside.

(¬º-°)¬

Minseok is short but muscular - Kris tries to figure out if he could take him down, if needed. Not that it matters right now, because Luhan is standing right behind him, rifle slung over her chest - her right hand never wandering too far from the trigger. It's no longer aimed at him or Sehun, but the blonde keeps her eyes pinned on Kris, almost daring him to make a wrong move. Kris keeps his arms close to his body and tries not to make any sudden movements as he tells Minseok about his travel plans. 

"... so we decided to head north. It's been a while since we last ran into people - we've spotted a few groups from a distance but...," Kris hesitates, looking over at Sehun. "I've heard rumours about Rogues. I didn't want to take any chances," he finishes.

He doesn't know if he made the right choice telling Minseok the truth: it leaves them vulnerable, a widowed suburban history teacher with his teenage son, traveling through hostile lands - they'd be an easy kill, and there'd be no one to come look for them. Kris prays the man sitting in front of him isn't the type to do away with strangers wandering into his territory.

Minseok hums in agreement. "You were right to protect your son from that. But you don't have to fear for your own, or your son's safety here." He points at Luhan and Baekhyun. "I know our weapons don’t give the right impression, but I swear you were never in any real danger. Baekhyun can take down a whole horde of Walkers on her own with that blade, but she wouldn't use it on a stranded traveller and his son."
He looks at Kris intently, eyes piercing right through him. Minseok has a youthful face, with large eyes and a pointy chin, but the crowfeet next to his eyes and the gray streaks in his hair betray his age - he must be well over forty years old, possibly older. Kris swallows around the lump in his throat, trying to fight down the acid taste in his mouth as he forces himself not to look away from the other man's calculating gaze. 
Minseok's focus shifts somewhere over Kris' right shoulder, where Baekhyun is sitting in the corner. 
"Baekhyun, could you please go get the others?" Minseok asks softly.
Kris can hear the scraping of a chair over hardwood floor behind him as Baekhyun stands up and exits the room.
Sehun shifts slightly in the chair next to Kris, his fingers bending and flexing - a tick revealing his anxiety. Kris reaches out, grabbing Sehun's hand and giving it a firm squeeze. 

Luhan's eyes follow the gesture, but her posture stays relaxed.
Minseok keeps a straight face as a full minute passes in tense silence. 
Kris' heart thumps loudly in his chest, wishing he'd know what the older man was thinking, if only he could-
His train of thought is interrupted as a Baekhyun walks in again, followed by a grumpy looking Kyungsoo and a young man. Chanyeol comes in last, closing the door behind him.

Kris does a quick headcount. 6 people. That's a small group, and he wonders if it's a good sign or not. 
Chanyeol looks friendly at least, smiling widely at Sehun. There's a berry juice stain on his shirt (or is it blood?). Sehun shifts a little further away from him.

"Tell me what it is you want from us," Minseok says.

"I- We need shelter."
Sehun jerks next to him. "I swear we're not looking for any trouble, and we'd like to move on as soon as possible. But we can't travel in this heat. Sehun's hurt. If we could have a few days, to-" out of the corner of his eye, Kris can see Sehun looking at him like he's grown another head, "to rest, and prepare for the next part of our journey."

Kris knows what's going through Sehun's mind, because he's thinking the same. It's insane, you're making us look weak, they'll kill us, never trust anyone else... He'd repeated it over and over to Sehun, You can't trust anyone simply because they're not a walker, we only have each other. All these months of carefully avoiding other people, hiding for hours and days on end whenever they spotted movement. 

Kris doesn't trust Minseok, or Baekhyun, or any of them, but he knows he and Sehun don't stand a chance out there in the forest, where hunger and dehydration will kill them faster than walkers. And if Minseok and his gang had wanted them dead, they would've shot them by now.
Unless he wants to make sure it really is just the two of us, before he kills us, Kris thinks. 

But the man before him doesn't strike him as calculating, or evil. The few wrinkles he has indicate he had been a man who smiled widely and often. He doesn't have the face of a ruthless killer. 

"What size do you wear?" Minseok asks, pointing at Sehun's worn-down sneakers. 

Sehun looks down, confused. "Two- two hundred seventy."
Minseok nods, his mouth twitching slightly. "You're in luck - that's Yixing's size."
Luhan moves to the front, her hand cupping Minseok's elbow in a gesture of comfort. "Come on," she says to Sehun, "I think we've got a few things here that will fit you."
She beckons Sehun to follow her, walking towards the door on the far side of the room.
“Wait,” Kris says, grabbing Sehun’s shoulder before he has the chance to stand up. “I don’t want him wandering around on his own.”
Minseok raises his hands. “Kris, I understand you want to protect your son, but I personally assure you he is safe with Luhan. As long as you two stay here, you will have nothing to fear from us.”
“Baekhyun and Chanyeol brought us here under gun point,” Kris bites back, “and she- ” he points at Luhan, “was ready to shoot us the moment we came in.” He straightens his back a little – Kris knows he doesn’t have the upper hand in this situation but he’s not a fool. “So I know you’ll forgive me if I’m still a little wary of your group mates.”
Minseok smiles softly. “Chanyeol’s gun isn’t loaded. We ran out of bullets for it a while ago – and I assure you we’ve only killed animals and Walkers with it. None by Chanyeol, if I may add – he doesn’t have it in him to hurt a living thing. He carries the gun only to ward off other unwanted human guests – you’ve heard the stories about the rogue troops roaming the country. I know Baekhyun might seem a little quick on the draw with her sword but she would never resort to violence unless prompted.”
Minseok nods in Luhan’s direction. “My wife can shoot a fly from a distance of 30 feet, and we all count on her to keep the compound safe.”

Luhan’s cheeks turn pink at the compliment, and she sends a wink at her husband, clearly pleased.
“30 feet? Wow,” Sehun whispers, looking at Luhan with decidedly less fear and more admiration.
Kris lets his grip on his son’s arm go slack.
“Let Luhan look after Sehun’s clothes, Kris – I still want to talk to you about what you know of the situation in the east,” Minseok says.
Sehun turns to Kris, gently pulling his arm free. “I’ll be fine, dad.” He turns around and follows Luhan through the other door, Kris’ eyes firmly fixated on his back.

Minseok stands up, walking over to the door Luhan and Sehun just disappeared through and closes it behind them.
“Now that we’re alone,” he says as he turns back to Kris, “I need you to tell me everything you know about the situation in the east. Every detail matters.” He sits down again on the chair opposite Kris.

“Actually Sehun and I have only been trying to head North-West,” Kris starts, but Minseok interrupts him with shake of his head.

“People from our own group left us to travel towards Camp Mujuk. We’d heard it was the largest safe zone left, and that there were… options. Ways to get off the peninsula. Ships leaving for Australia and New Zealand every day.”

“That’s…” Kris hesistates. “That’s not what I heard.”

Minseok swallows visibly. “I feared as much. It’s been two months and we haven’t heard from them.”

“They told you they would come back for you?” Kris asks, surprised.

“They went to look for help. Someone from our group fell ill, they were hoping to find medical help – a doctor, anything. Or, if the rumors were true, we could try to make the journey, all of us. Tao and Jongdae volunteered to go first because we knew the hike could be fatal for Yixing, and we had no idea what they would find once they got to Mujuk.”

“I - I’m sorry,” Kris says.

“Tell me what you know.”

“I don’t know much, Sehun and I mostly avoided contact with other people. I’d heard the same things about the camp first, but a woman in Daegu told me Mujuk had fallen. Largest horde of Walkers in the country, she said. It’s why we left and decided to head north instead.”

Minseok takes a deep breath, dropping his head in his hands.

“That’s all I know, really,” Kris says lamely. 

Minseok’s voice sounds quiet and muffled when he starts speaking again. “You’d think you’d get used to it at some point, losing people. Many of my friends have passed away since this thing started, but it’s the ones who have disappeared, their fate unknown, that haunt me in my dreams at night.” He sits up again, and Kris sees Minseok must be older than he originally thought. He looks worn, exhausted.

“What um, happened to your other friend? Yixing?” Kris asks carefully, even though he fears the answer.

Minseok avoids Kris’ eyes, standing up again and walking towards the door they all came through earlier. “We buried him.” He finally looks at Kris, spotting his shocked look.
“Yixing didn’t turn. A fever took him.” Minseok opens the door, holding it open and beckoning Kris over. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

(¬º-°)¬

 One hour later, the whole group minus Luhan convenes for dinner in the kitchen, a small room with different old chairs gathered around an old, heavy looking dining table. It’s the old mess of the factory, judging by the variety of kitchen appliances thrown on a pile in the corner of the room. All electric – and therefor, all useless. Kyungsoo uses a small gas stove for her cooking. Minseok had shown him the large supply of gas canisters in the storage unit – “we haven’t been able to figure out any use for it so far, but at least we get a hot meal out of it.” Before they entered the kitchen, Baekhyun had pulled Kris aside, warning him - don’t criticize Kyungsoo’s cooking- in a hurried whisper.

They eat the hares with a berry sauce and rice. It doesn’t taste good, but it’s the first real, nutritiou