31: Stitches in Silence

   It wasn’t meant to be like this.

   Chanyeol stared at his fallen friends, his gaze settling on each one for a few seconds before moving onto the next. This was all wrong, he wasn’t meant to be the last one standing. Not when he had friends as strong as these guys, but there they were lying on the ground, unconscious and unmoving. In his arms was Kyungsoo, silent and eyes closed, skin pale as snow. Chanyeol gripped tightly onto Kyungsoo’s sweater as a deep sense of anguish that he hadn’t experienced in over a decade soared through his body. He couldn’t contain his emotions any longer.

   “Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol roared, the tears welling up in his eyes.

   Chanyeol pleaded to the gods for a response, but it never came. He didn’t know what else to do but to shake Kyungsoo roughly, willing him to show some sign of life.

   “Come on, Kyungsoo! Don’t leave me like this! Kyungsoo!!”

   But still, there was no reply from him. The only comfort Chanyeol had was the stead rising and falling of Kyungsoo’s chest, his weak breathing that showed he was still alive. Tears blurring his vision, Chanyeol rested Kyungsoo on the ground and ran his hands through his own dishevelled hair. Tightly, he wound the tufts through his fingers and pulled hard, shouting in exasperation. Why did it have to end up like this? Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Jeongri; they were meant to be the strong ones. They had the superpowers, the magic and all the other stuff that Chanyeol didn’t have. Chanyeol punched the ground in anger, denting the earth.

   He should have been the one who got hurt.

   He should be the one lying on the ground, and not them.

   There was a deep rumble from the sky as the heavens opened up, smattering Chanyeol’s face with the pitter-patter of raindrops. He closed his eyes, letting himself slowly get drenched as his wallowed in his negative thoughts. The last time that Chanyeol was alone like this was after the demon’s attacked his family and his home. He had been so terrified, so lost, without anyone to turn to. It was one of the worst moments in Chanyeol’s life, and now he was forced to relive it again.

   “Baekhyun,” he cried, “What do I do?”

   Chanyeol turned and dropped to his knees beside the crumpled heap that was his partner.

   “I don’t know what to do…” Chanyeol stammered, “I don’t want to be alone, please…”

   He shook Baekhyun on the shoulders, harder than he did with Kyungsoo.

   “Please, wake up. I’m begging you, please.”

   The rain was now coming down fast, the storm grew stronger.

   “You gotta wake up, Baekhyun… You can’t leave me like this,” he pleaded, “Come on!!”

   Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the entire area in all its bloody glory. Piles of roamer carcasses littered the field, painting the once luscious green landscape with rough swatches of red and brown. Kyungsoo’s Minotaur had torn up the ground so that the area was practically unrecognisable. It was a macabre sight, one that even Chanyeol flinched from. Still, Baekhyun did not wake up, and neither did Jeongri.

   Chanyeol was on his own.

   “What can I do…” he mumbled, staring at his surroundings.

   The rain was beginning to soak in the sprawled bodies of his unconscious friends, washing away the blood that smeared their faces. The only thing he knew was that he needed to find help.

   Reaching deep into Baekhyun’s discarded jacket, Chanyeol pulled out his partner’s notebook and fumbled with it until he found what he was looking for. Black and blue ink ran down his fingers, smudging Luhan’s business card in large, blotchy fingerprints. Chanyeol squinted at the address. He didn’t know the geography around Greyfleur in the slightest, but he had to start doing something before any of his friends took a turn for the worse. They couldn’t stay out here any longer.

   Chanyeol grew numb, his body moving automatically. Scooping his hands under Baekhyun’s form, Chanyeol picked up his partner in one fell swoop and ran in large strides towards the abandoned car. It unnerved him to see Baekhyun like this. In the entirety of their friendship, Baekhyun had been to the hospital less than five times. That’s just the type of person he was; cautious and capable, which was why Chanyeol felt so frightened seeing Baekhyun get hurt like this. Carefully, Chanyeol placed Baekhyun in the front seat and ran back to pick up Kyungsoo.

   Despite having his eyes closed, Kyungsoo was still shaking. His lips were so pale, and sweat continued to pour from his head. It was clear that even though he was unconscious, he was still in a lot of pain, suffering silently. Chanyeol didn’t know what was wrong with Kyungsoo. He’d never seen anyone act like this. Kyungsoo was supposed to be the most powerful one here, but what was wrong with him to make him look so frail. Again, with care, Chanyeol placed Kyungsoo in the back of the car before running back for Jeongri.

   But there was a moment of hesitation.

   Chanyeol stared at Jeongri with difficulty before finally picking her up too. After everything he had said to Kyungsoo earlier, Chanyeol wished he could take some of his words back. His angry feelings seemed so petty now. Jeongri was the most physically injured, what with a large, gaping wound in her shoulder that was still bleeding down her clothes. She looked just as pale as Kyungsoo, but unlike him, she was deathly silent and unmoving. If it wasn’t for her faint breathing, Chanyeol would have thought she was dead. Memories of all the good times they shared together flashed through his mind as he carried Jeongri to the car, and Chanyeol realised he didn’t want to see Jeongri die.

   He didn’t want to see any of them die.

   With shaky hands, Chanyeol jumped into the front seat and turned the ignition, bringing the engine to life with a loud splutter. Another flash of lightning followed by a deep rumble of thunder set the macabre tone as Chanyeol began driving away, trying to remember what Baekhyun had earlier. Something about Luhan’s address being on the fringes of Greyfleur. Chanyeol paused for a moment, thinking hard. At least, that’s what he thought he heard Baekhyun say earlier. He couldn’t really remember. He was too preoccupied with ignoring Jeongri that he ended up thinking about his family again, and hadn’t been listening properly.

   “!” said Chanyeol, filling the car’s silence with his booming voice.

   He punched hard at the steering wheel in frustration.

   “The ! How the am I meant to save everyone? I can’t even ing listen properly.”

   Suddenly, Baekhyun groaned out loud. Like a light at the end of the tunnel, Chanyeol’s fears faded at the sound of his partner’s voice.

   “Baekhyun?!” Chanyeol yelled.

   “What the fu…” came Baekhyun’s pained reply.

   Chanyeol glanced over briefly to see Baekhyun clutching his chest, face contorted in agony. His eyes were still closed, but he was moving. A wave of relief washed over Chanyeol, and he couldn’t stop his tears from falling. Baekhyun was okay, and he was here now, Chanyeol didn’t need to be alone anymore. Hysterical, Chanyeol started cheering, beeping his horn loudly into the night.

   Beside him, Baekhyun continued to groan. His wet hair lay plastered across his forehead, and he was drenched to the skin from the rain. His shirt lay in tatters across his chest, shredded from the claws of the roamer, and there was a large rip in his trousers where his thigh was, revealing his blood-soaked leg. Kyungsoo’s healing had stopped the bleeding, but the wounds were still there.

   “How much does it hurt? Can you hold on?” asked Chanyeol, calming down.

   He wanted to stop and check on Baekhyun, but he knew that they didn’t have time to waste. The storm was growing heavier, and he wasn’t sure how much longer this car would last. Kyungsoo and Jeongri still showed no signs of waking.

   “It hurts everywhere…” groaned Baekhyun, “My head is pounding…”

   He grimaced before opening his eyes slightly.

   “Where are we? What’s going on?”

   The car thundered down the main road out of the capital, there were no other cars on the road.

   “I don’t really know where we are,” said Chanyeol, “The sign said it was this way to Greyfleur. I didn’t know what else to do. You, Kyungsoo and Jeongri. You were all out.”

   “I’m sorry, Chanyeol,” said Baekhyun, grimacing once again as he sat up, “I’m sorry I left you alone. I shouldn’t have out, I don’t know what came over me.”

   Baekhyun groaned loudly, clutching the door handle for support.

   “I don’t remember much… Kyungsoo was healing me, and then suddenly I was lying on the floor next to Jeongri…” he mumbled with difficulty, “I don’t know what happened, I just remember being angry…”

   Chanyeol frowned visibly, not understanding how Baekhyun couldn’t remember what happened. Before Chanyeol could answer, Baekhyun turned in his seat to look at Jeongri, and let out an audible gasp.

   “Chanyeol, what happened to her?” Baekhyun said, his eyes fixated on the open wound in her shoulder.

   “There was a roamer, the last one,” said Chanyeol quietly, “It attacked Jeongri from behind, and you… You got up and saved her.”

   “I- what?”

   “You saved her. Both me and Kyungsoo were too far, she would have died if it wasn’t for you.”

   Baekhyun did not reply. Instead, he let his gaze trail over to Kyungsoo, looking just as horrified as he did when he first saw Jeongri.

   “And Kyungsoo?” asked Baekhyun, “Why don’t I remember any of this…”

   Chanyeol shook his head, just as confused as his partner was. How could Baekhyun not remember standing up, and obliterating that last roamer? Was that moment of saving Jeongri pure instinct?

   “Kyungsoo tried to heal her but… I- I don’t know what happened. He just fell down.”

   Baekhyun sat back in disbelief, unable to tear his gaze away from the pair. A dark silence filled the car as they both contemplated the day’s events. The headlights flashed onto a passing road sign, telling them that the road to Greyfleur was to the east for a couple more miles. Instinctively, Chanyeol pressed down harder on the accelerator, feeling the car whine as it was pushed against its limits. To his side, Baekhyun kept turning in his seat to look at Kyungsoo and Jeongri, eyes scanning both of them. A heavy frown settled on his face at the sight of them both.

   “Drive as fast as you can, Chanyeol…” Baekhyun said.

   Chanyeol didn’t need telling twice, but a small doubtful voice kept chiming at the back of his mind. They were encroaching onto Luhan’s home in the middle of the night, a friend that he hadn’t seen in a decade since he was already out when they showed up on that ceremony day. Ten years was a long time for things to change. After what Baekhyun had said about their last meeting, would Luhan even care to help them?

   “What if…” Chanyeol began, but he stopped abruptly.

   “‘What if’ what?” asked Baekhyun.

   Chanyeol was unwilling to finish his question because he was afraid to hear the answer, but Baekhyun was staring at him now, repeating his question. Baekhyun knew what Chanyeol wanted to ask, he wanted Chanyeol to say the words, to confront their fears.

   “What if Luhan isn’t there?” Chanyeol said, “What if he is, but he doesn’t want to help us?”

   His voice was so quiet, a stark contrast from his usual self. Another silence fell across the car, punctuated by the torrential downpour that was raining down above them. Thunder and lightning continued to roar across the sky, drenching the earth to its core.

   “He will be there,” stated Baekhyun.

   “But what if, Baekhyun? Where do we go then?”

   “There isn’t anywhere else to go, Chanyeol. He has to be there,” answered Baekhyun. He paused, staring blankly into the distance, “Otherwise, it’ll all over before we even started.”