After ascending the barren hill for over half an hour, Yongguk placed a gentle hand on Himchan’s shoulder. The latter who had his hair matted to his forehead turned to raise a brow at him, out of breath from the journey to the top. Yongguk dropped himself to the ground, close to the dead, leafless tree and signalled his companion to do the same. They were exhausted from running away from the chaos of the world. It was time to rest. Yongguk figured that they could continue their journey tomorrow if it wasn’t going to rain. He looked up at the crimson colored sky and sat still as he listened to the rumble of the thunder.

No, not now. Please. I beg of you. Don’t let it rain just yet.

Yongguk prayed with closed eyes. From afar, the sky had turned dark, bringing the strong wind with it. How far away was the storm from them? Could they make their escape before it caught up with them?

Himchan leaned back against the tree with his brown orbs casted upon the sky. He too, seemed like he was praying for the sky to not cry at the moment. His scrawny fingers tangled with each other like the roots of a tree, the lips that were used to be rosy now all chapped and pale. His cheeks were hollow and there were dirt all over his face. Yongguk frowned at the poor state his partner was in. He couldn’t imagine looking at himself right now. He was afraid to do so. There was no mirror in sight anyway. He hadn’t seen one since the start of Chaos.

How long had it been? Months? Years? Yongguk tried to remember but the memories were distant. He could only remember the big blast coming from the sky and how the electricity suddenly went off in the entire city. The others thought that it was a temporary occurrence but they were proven wrong when the sky changed into a darker color, the clouds stirring in pure wrath and the thunders growling like starving beasts. It happened fast—the Chaos. The sky exploded ceaselessly and people started worrying when the earth shook beneath their feet.

Some thought that the military had caused the explosions but some believed that this was the end of the world. No one could set a bomb in the sky. It was only logical to think that the world had come to end with how the sky had turned red and the tides disappearing into thin air. Water became scarce and crops died from the tragic weather. Soon enough, food became gold and money was nothing but paper. People of all status were brought to the same level. The world became a place where the strongest survive and the weakest perish in vain. Humans weren’t humans anymore. Mercy was considered a weakness.  Spilling blood was considered strength. The land of the earth had become a battlefield where people fought to survive.

There was no longer the brighter side of life. Life itself had given up on the world. It no longer spread its wings to embrace the humanity, for the humanity had been buried deep down below. There was only death now but wishing for something luxurious would be considered blasphemy.

An explosion set off in the sky, yet again, bringing Yongguk out of his trance. The young man looked at the sky and watched as the fire erupted in a shape of a flower—beautiful beyond horror. He then took out the pocket watch his grandfather had given him when he was a little boy out of his knapsack and listened to the ticking of the needle. The glass surface of the watch had cracked, giving him no vision of the time but the device was still working perfectly. Yongguk lifted his head to see Himchan staring at his pocket watch. The latter kept on staring, as if he was planning to smash it into smithereens. Yongguk returned the pocket watch to its original place and scooted closer to his partner, hand eclipsing the back of Himchan’s. This time, Himchan’s eyes trained themselves on Yongguk’s face.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

Himchan hesitated but then he nodded with a stutter.

“Hey,” Yongguk placed a palm on Himchan’s cheek and gazed into his eyes. He could almost see his own reflection in them. “We’re not gonna stop, okay?”

Himchan dropped his gaze down to his lap, the trace of hope leaving him like the august wind. Yongguk yearned to see him smile but Himchan wouldn’t offer him the bliss. He would never give Yongguk what he wanted after what he did to him. He was tired and he was thinking of nothing but to just end everything here and then. He’d been suggesting such plan since the day they ran away from home. Yongguk could still remember the desperation painting his pale face during the unfortunate winter. Himchan’s lips were red back then and his skin was soft under Yongguk’s touch, a huge contrast to his present state.

Let us just end this please, Yongguk. I am not strong enough for this.

Yongguk had given him a slap on his face when he said that. He also screamed at him, telling him that he was being foolish. How could he spend his life with such thoughts and trying to end it with a shameless suicide? Himchan truly was a fool back then. Yongguk had to forcefully drag him away from the dark thoughts no matter how much Himchan had cried for him to stop. He even knelt down and prostrated to him to let him go. Just to set him free.

But was freedom ever in existence?

A bead of tear rolled down Himchan’s cheek and Yongguk quickly wiped it off his face, accidentally smearing the dirt on his face. Yongguk used the sleeve of his fading beige coat to clean the dirt on Himchan’s face. Himchan kept on crying silently. Yongguk didn’t offer him any word of consolation. They stayed silent as they listened to the voices of the sky.

It started raining. Yongguk pulled out the plastic tarp from his knapsack and huddled closer to Himchan, an arm slung around the latter’s waist before he covered both of their heads with the material. Himchan held out his palms to the rain and cupped the water to his mouth, planning to drink it when Yongguk held onto his wrist and shook his head. The rain water was poisonous. Yongguk found out about it after he’d seen people around him drinking the water when it rained for the first time since the start of Chaos. Soon after they drank the water, their felt pain in their throat and stomach and they ended up dead the next day. It had something to do with the explosions in the sky, Yongguk figured. Right now the only source for water they could count on was the river. Surprisingly the water from the river was not contaminated by the explosions.

With a defeated sigh, Himchan clenched his fists and brought them to his chest, closing his eyes as he laid his head against Yongguk’s shoulder.

They fell asleep to the sound of thunders and peltering of the rain against the tarp.

Came morning and the sky hadn’t changed a bit. It was still painted in crimson hue. It had stopped raining however. Yongguk opened his eyes to see Himchan’s sleeping face an inch away from his, body curled under his arm, making him seem smaller than he was—just like a little boy. He held a finger under his nose, trying to feel his breathing and he let out a relieved sigh when he got what he wanted. He leaned his forehead against Himchan’s and shut his eyes for a moment, recollecting himself for that day.

You can do this. You can survive. You have to save him. Don’t let him leave just yet.

He patted Himchan on the cheek gently, coaxing him to open his eyes. Himchan did but then he whined and shut them again, stubborn. Yongguk whispered into his ear. He told him to wake up. Himchan wouldn’t listen to him.

“Please, Himchan.” He added. “We have to go.”

Himchan’s eyes fluttered open and he solemnly stared at Yongguk for a while before he spoke.

“What if I plan to stay here?”

“You know you can’t.” Himchan made an attempt to turn away from him but Yongguk held onto his arm and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Please do it for me, Himchan.” He leaned away slightly and gave him a questioning look. “Okay?”

Himchan finally nodded. “Okay.” He whispered.

Both of them got off the ground and Yongguk stuffed the plastic tarp into his knapsack before they continued their journey down the hill. It wasn’t that cold anymore. The temperature seemed to rise the further they went down the hill. Yongguk had to take off his coat. He could feel himself sweating underneath the thin layer of his t-shirt. Himchan stopped walking and turned to him. He raised a brow at the young man.

“Where’s the map?”

Yongguk took out the map from his knapsack and handed it to Himchan. The latter studied the map attentively, bottom lip trapped between his teeth. His sharp brows furrowed in confusion for a fraction of second but then he nodded to himself and pointed ahead.

“I think we’re close, yeah?”

He gave Yongguk the map and Yongguk examined it for him. He too, nodded.

“Yeah. It’s not that far.”

Himchan’s steps quickened after listening to Yongguk’s assuring answer. He went on ahead and didn’t even turn back to wait for Yongguk to catch up with him. Yongguk could feel the end of his lips twitching for a smile at the sight of an eager Himchan. He kept his eyes on the young man walking in front of him the entire time. When they finally reached their destination, Himchan stopped and stared ahead, silent and unmoving. Yongguk too stared at the place and his lips turned into a frown.

“What happened here?” Himchan muttered more to himself as he took a step forward, walking under the big arch that once held the sign for the name of the theme park. Yongguk couldn’t remember the name. “Where’s the Ferris Wheel?”

Himchan marched towards the center of the ruined theme park and looked around, sad eyes studying the remains of his childhood memories. Only a few parts of the rides were still standing, ripped by the Chaos until they were only left with their skeletons. Yongguk figured that the explosions must have hit the place, just like how it had hit his family’s house and turned it into ashes.

With his shoulders slumped from disappointment, Himchan squatted on the ground and wrapped his arms around his body, as if he was trying to console himself. Yongguk left him alone to sulk.

After looking around and poking at the rubbles, Yongguk found a packet of gums under a dusty plank. He removed the plank and grabbed the packet, bringing it close to his eyes to examine its content. He tore the plastic open and took a piece of gum that was in a shape of a ball after he’d wiped the dirt off his fingers. It seemed edible to him.

“Hey, look what I found.” He told his sulking companion.

Himchan craned his neck to look at Yongguk. When he saw the packet of gums, he stood up and approached Yongguk slowly, eyes transfixed on the rare treasure. Yongguk held the packet to him, offering him the candy. He hesitantly took it from him and stared at the bubble gum he’d pulled out from the packet.

“Is it okay to eat it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think so.”

“If I die after eating this you’ll bury me here, right?”

“You’re not gonna die, Himchan. I won’t let you.”

Himchan gnawed at his bottom lip, staring at the gum in his hand. He then popped it into his mouth and chewed at it. His face contorted to a somewhat disgusted expression but then he broke into a smile after the fifth chew.

“It’s really sour.”

“Really?”

When Himchan nodded, Yongguk too started chewing on the gum.

“Yeah. Wow.”

“I haven’t eaten this for a long time. It was maybe back when I was in high school.”

Yongguk chuckled. When he saw Himchan smiling, he smiled too.

Both of them spent the rest of the day chewing the gums and staring at the crimson sky exploding into different colors. The packet of gums went empty after Himchan took the last one. Yongguk threw the plastic away and stood up from where they were sitting; which was the chair from the Ferris wheel that had plunged to the ground after the explosion. Himchan followed him as he walked out of the theme park. He even held onto Yongguk’s hand when they walked down the road.

“Where are we going next?”

“To the sea.”