32: Mag Stone

   Morning crept into the quiet town of Greyfleur with no signs of the chaos that had occurred the day before. The rain had subsided, but it brought along a dense and chilled fog that encompassed the small hamlet in its wispy grasp. The only thing out of place was a small beaten-up car with an Outskirts number plate, parked haphazardly outside a house on the fringes of Greyfleur.

   Baekhyun shuffled uncomfortably on the floor, curling his strained body into a foetal position as he began to wake up, scrunching his eyes at the morning light streaming in from the windows. Thick droplets of condensation ran down each window pane, blurring the outside world in a swirl of white and grey. He groaned out loud and opened one eye to look around. He was still in the infirmary, and for some reason, he had fallen asleep on the floor, something he did not remember doing. Someone had wrapped a thick, warm blanket around him and his HLV jacket had been folded into a makeshift pillow. Vague memories of helping Luhan with Jeongri and Kyungsoo just a few hours ago crossed his tired mind.

   Baekhyun shook his head, he must have fallen asleep without realising.

   He sat up and stretched his body, yawning without restraint before leaning back and resting his head on the wall beside him. Scanning the room, his eyes fell on Kyungsoo first and then Jeongri. They both had similar blankets wrapped around their bodies, keeping them warm in this cold infirmary. Baekhyun wrapped his fingers around the edge of his blanket, pulling it closer towards him and sighed.

   A small part of him felt sorry. He already felt like a burden to Luhan, barging in on his home in the early hours of the morning. And now, knowing that Luhan must have been the one to take care of him after he’d fallen asleep, even after he’d taken care of Jeongri and Kyungsoo, made him feel very small.

   Opening and closing his mouth a couple of times, Baekhyun coaxed his tired voice to say something.

   “Jeongri…”

   Her name escaped his lips, and before he knew it, he was standing up. Baekhyun shuffled with much discomfort to Jeongri’s bedside and sat down at the empty chair beside her. Jeongri’s face had been cleansed, and she would have looked like she was just sleeping if it wasn’t for how pale she was. Her shoulder and neck were covered in clean bandages, and her hair had been washed. Baekhyun turned to look at Kyungsoo, noting that he had received the same treatment and was no longer shaking. He seemed at peace.

   Feeling solemn, Baekhyun turned away and his gaze caught sight of Chanyeol’s discarded boots just by the entrance of the infirmary. That’s right, Chanyeol had disappeared the night before. Baekhyun’s feet moved automatically, and before he knew it, he found himself standing up again, on the lookout for this partner.

   “Chanyeol…” Baekhyun called out, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper. He looked around, scanning the infirmary for his partner, “Chanyeol, where are you?”

   From the hallway, the sound of footsteps pulled on Baekhyun’s attention. A few moments later, the door opened, and Luhan stepped in, fresh-faced with two hot mugs of coffee in his hands and a plate of buttered toast balanced precariously on his forearm.

   “Good morning,” Luhan said, smiling brightly at Baekhyun, “Hungry?”

   Baekhyun was surprised. Luhan looked remarkably awake, given how late he must have slept last night. Stepping past him, Luhan went and placed the plate and cups down on the infirmary worktop. Baekhyun felt his stomach grumble at the smell of food. It was only then that he realised he hadn’t eaten since yesterday at the hospital, just before Chanyeol was forcibly discharged for Operation Leviathan. So much had happened since then that all those events felt like a lifetime ago. With a feeble nod of his head, he shuffled over and took a seat beside Luhan.

   “Thanks,” said Baekhyun, “Good morning, hyung.”

   “Good morning!” replied Luhan. He grinned cheerfully and pushed the plate of food towards Baekhyun, “Eat up, we’ve got things to do today.”

   Baekhyun grabbed a piece of toast but only nibbled at the edge. He glanced at the clock on the wall noting that it was close to noon now, they’d probably slept a few hours at the most.

   “Kyungsoo looks like he’s doing better,” remarked Baekhyun.

   “He stopped shaking a little bit after you fell asleep,” said Luhan.

   He stood up and walked over to Kyungsoo. With one hand, he rested it on Kyungsoo’s forehead and shook his head.

   “But he still has a high fever. Can you grab a clean towel from the cabinet beside you, wring it under some cold water and bring it to me?”

   Baekhyun did as he was told and handed the towel over to Luhan who folded it and placed it across Kyungsoo’s forehead.

   “Aren’t you tired?” asked Baekhyun.

   Luhan shook his head, eyes crinkling as he smiled.

   “I’m a morning person.”

   Baekhyun felt himself reminisce a little. Luhan had always been a morning person, he should have remembered. Chanyeol was a morning person too, but he wasn’t here in the infirmary.

   “Do you know where Chanyeol is?” Baekhyun asked.

   Luhan nodded as he walked back over, sitting himself back at the table.

   “He’s sleeping soundly in the living room,” he said, “Don’t worry, he looks fine. I gave him a couple of blankets and a bottle of water.”

   Instinctively, Baekhyun pulled at the edges of his blanket.

   “Thank you, by the way, for this. I’m sorry that I fell asleep. I should have helped more.”

   “No, don’t be stupid,” said Luhan, waving his hands in protest.

   But still, Baekhyun felt sorry.

   “When did I fall asleep?”

   “A little bit after you told me about everything that happened,” said Luhan, “I don’t blame you, it sounded like a long day… to say the least. I hope you didn’t mind sleeping on the floor. I didn’t want to move you.”

   “No, it’s fine,” Baekhyun said, feeling his cheeks warm from being a burden, “I’m just sorry I couldn’t help more. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that you would help us, after the way we left things back in the capital.”

   Luhan gave him a curious look, as memories of their last encounter ran fresh in his mind. But eventually, he smiled.

   “I will always be here to help my friends,” he answered, “No matter how long it’s been.”

   Baekhyun smiled in return. A nostalgic sense of familiarity radiated from Luhan that made him feel comfortable in his presence. It felt like they’d travelled a decade into the past, with no war, no fighting, just the two of them eating breakfast in this small infirmary.

   “Besides,” remarked Luhan, “I wasn’t going to leave you sprawled across the table. You would have woken up with the worst backache in your life. Trust me, I know,” he laughed, “Now eat before it gets cold.”

   Baekhyun surveyed his plate.

   “Don’t we need to leave anything for Chanyeol or Sehun?”

   There was a pause before Luhan replied.

   “Sehun went out earlier,” he said, “I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”

   For the first time, the bright and cheery expression on Luhan’s face faltered for a second before reverting back to his cheerful demeanour. It was only then that Baekhyun noticed that perhaps things weren’t as happy as they seemed. Luhan shook his head and smiled again.

   “I left some food for them both in the kitchen, just in case they were hungry when we go out,” Luhan turned to Baekhyun and noted that he still hadn’t touched his food, “Come on, eat something. You must be starving!”

   Baekhyun nibbled on the edge of his toast before getting distracted again. Thinking back to the night before, he remembered that Sehun had stormed out last night in a bad mood. In fact, Sehun seemed to be in a bad mood the entire time.

   “Where did Sehun go?” Baekhyun asked.

   Again Luhan took a few moments to reply.

   “I don’t know,” he said finally, “He’ll come round soon.”

   Baekhyun nodded silently and turned away, staring at the table before glancing over at Jeongri. He felt curiosity rise from deep within his tired mind, and now that he could finally stop and think, he took in his surroundings.

   From the cold tiled walls to the crimson tiled floor, stainless steel cabinets and general clinical feel, Baekhyun couldn’t help but begin to wonder. Why did they have an infirmary in their home? Why did Luhan look so calm last night in the face of surgery?

   “Are you a doctor or something, hyung?” he asked, his curiosity piquing.

   “Oh god no,” Luhan said, laughing as he shook his head, “Nothing like that. I’m a bounty hunter with Sehun.”

   Baekhyun felt his eyebrows rise sharply in surprise, “Seriously?”

   “Yes,” said Luhan.

   There was a knowing smile on his face.

   “Isn’t bounty hunting dangerous?” Baekhyun asked.

   He had heard of the profession, but it was uncommon in Merehua and mostly associated with the dark underworld. Never in a million years did he think Luhan would be a part of that lifestyle.

   “Of course. That’s why we have this,” said Luhan, beaming proudly as he spread his arms at the infirmary, “This is what happens when no human hospital in a ten-mile radius will admit a vampire.”

   “You were just so skilled at taking care of Jeongri and Kyungsoo,” said Baekhyun, gesturing at their two unconscious friends, “I just figured you had to be a doctor or something.”

   “It boils down to a lot of unwilling practice…” remarked Luhan, “To be honest, I think I’ve spent more nights in here than in my own bed. Sehun too.”

   “Then why do it at all?” asked Baekhyun frowning, “The bounty hunting.”

   “Tell me, what kind of a job should I be in?” asked Luhan, tilting his head in expectation, “What else can a vampire do in the world after the great war?”

   Baekhyun fell silent, not knowing the answer. Vampires didn’t really live in Merehua or the capital, so they had never been a priority target for the HLV. The majority of the vampire race had slinked their way up north to secluded communities, refusing to communicate with the outside world. It was only recently that trouble seemed to be stirring in one of the cities, the City of Ell’ris, because of some pureblood vampire. That vampire’s name eluded Baekhyun’s memories, but they were supposed to be powerful.

   “This world belongs to the demons and humans,” Luhan stated, “There isn’t a place for us anymore except for the underworld, Baekhyun.”

   “Aren’t there vampire cities up north?” asked Baekhyun, “Couldn’t you have lived a normal life in there?”

   All of a sudden, the bright and curious expression on Luhan’s face faded away into coldness at the mention of the vampire cities. He turned away and cleared his throat, avoiding Baekhyun’s eyes.

   “No,” Luhan said, his voice had gone quiet, “I’d never live there again.”