57: Scorched Black

   It was taking them longer than expected to reach Merehua. Whether it was nerves or just being overloaded with stress, Baekhyun could not shake the uncomfortable feeling that was clawing away inside him. The road to Merehua had been littered with abandoned cars and at one point, it looked like the entire road was covered in ashes and dragon scales. He couldn't fathom how the fight had spread so far away from the city. Chanyeol had to take a detour through the mountain range to the west of Merehua and when the city finally came into view, a multitude of curses escaped his mouth. Baekhyun looked up only to wish that he never did.

   The van slowed to a halt and Baekhyun got out, his steps slow and deliberate. He didn't care that he was getting soaked from the rain. It was nothing when Merehua was covered in a blanket of hell. He could feel his own breathing becoming staggered as he tried to register what he was seeing. Large swathes of the city was on fire and there was an empty space in the heart of the city where the Human Liberation Vanguard headquarters once stood, replaced by a plume of thick black smoke.

   "Minseok hyung…" he said, his voice shaking.

   All sorts of horrific images were running through his mind. Surely Minseok couldn't have been at the headquarters this late at night but if not, where? His gaze shifted to the East District where Minseok's apartment was but the fires were even worse in that area. Merehua didn't stand a chance. There was no way the HLV would have had enough people to defend an attack of this scale.

   Chanyeol stood next to him, equally distraught.

   "We were too late…" he uttered, "All those people… We couldn't do anything…"

   But even if they had gotten their early, Baekhyun wasn't sure there was anything they could do in their current state. Luhan and Jeongri couldn't fight and the rest of them were still bruised and battered from Greyfleur. Lightning flashed across the skies and Baekhyun felt himself flinch out of instinct. It appeared that even the gods were angry - it's thunder booming out like war drums.

   "Baekhyun?" said Chanyeol. He was quiet, much quieter than he usually was.

   "Yeah?"

   "I think I'm done."

   "Huh?"

   Defeat radiated from Chanyeol, colouring his presence dark.

   "I can't do this anymore," he muttered as he ran his hands from through hair, clawing at his scalp, "I can't watch another place burn down. How did we ever expect to fight the Demon King when he can just go and pull something like this? We're so in over our heads. It's just impossible."

   Baekhyun shook his head, "Chanyeol, come on, don't be like this…"

   "Don't be like what? Be realistic? Aren't we looking at the same thing?" Chanyeol snapped suddenly, "Minseok hyung is probably dead. Everyone I knew, everyone I grew up with. They're all dead."

   Instead of arguing back, Baekhyun replied in a quiet voice, "I'm not dead yet."

   He knew that the stress was getting to Chanyeol. He was scared, they all were, even Baekhyun too. They had been through so much especially in the last twenty four hours that maybe it was easier to give up. To just run away and hide somewhere, pretending to be happy until the world ended. But Baekhyun knew he could not admit this out loud. He was a leader, he always had been and right now, he didn't want to feed into Chanyeol's fears.

   "I just want to go home," said Chanyeol, "I don't want to fight anymore…"

   "Look I know it's hard," Baekhyun said, feigning confidence so that his partner would believe him, "But we have to keep fighting. I'm still here with you, Chanyeol. Don't give up on me now. We need you. I need you."

   Chanyeol shrugged as he shook his head, "But what can I do really? Demons, dragons, vampires… Baekhyun, I'm just a human. "

   "No, you're not just a human. You're Park Chanyeol, the world's first bionic human and the strongest person I know," said Baekhyun, desperately trying to boost Chanyeol's morale, "I've seen you fight. I don't think you realise how much of a threat you are. Even without magic to guide you, you trust in your brute strength and frontline every battle we've fought together. Watching you makes me realise how much I rely on my powers and I hope that if I ever lose them, I can still be half as strong as you. I believe in you Chanyeol, so please don't give up."

   He could see the anxiety riddled across Chanyeol's face but he was slowly calming down. It seemed his words were having an effect.

   "Come on, let's get back inside," Baekhyun said, peering at the skies, "The last thing we want is for either of us to get ill from this rain."

   Baekhyun climbed back into the back of the van and rifled through the bags for something to dry themselves off with. There was only one towel though. Without a second thought, he gave it at Chanyeol and grabbed a spare t-shirt to dry himself. Rivets of rain poured down the windscreen, blurring Merehua so that it was just an orange and blue glow. Sehun turned to him, concerned about what had happened.

   "Is it bad?" he asked. He had remained behind to watch over Luhan and Jeongri.

   In the driver's seat, Chanyeol dried himself off quietly, holding the towel to his eyes for longer than was needed. A sadness spread in through Baekhyun's heart. It was rare to see Chanyeol feel so down. Pretending he hadn't seen anything, Baekhyun forced himself to focus on Sehun.

   "Yeah, it's pretty bad," he said, "But at least the demons are gone for now."

   Chanyeol discarded the towel to one side and moments later, the engine roared to life.

   "What now?" he asked.

   Thinking for a bit, Baekhyun replied, "Let's keep driving."

   "To Merehua?"

   "Yeah…" said Baekhyun. There were still areas of Merehua that had been spared in the attacks and being in the city was better than being out in the wilderness, "We can't run forever. We need help. Don't worry guys, we'll be okay."

   Chanyeol didn't look convinced but he started to drive, "Where do we go then?"

   "Home, Chanyeol," said Baekhyun with a weak smile, "If it's still there, let's go home."

   They crossed the border of Merehua with no resistance. The gates and the area beyond that were like a warzone, all silent save for the crackling of the fires. Sirens blared out in the distance. They found a public payphone but sadly, Minseok's number would only go to answer phone.

   Chanyeol drove slowly through the streets allowing Baekhyun to take in the destruction firsthand. Summoners and Mages from the Human Liberation Vanguard flew across the skies, directing the Healers to different parts of the city. He watched them silently, hoping that Minseok was out there somewhere too. Large areas had been scorched black and ash fell from the skies like grey snowflakes. It reminded him of that mission he had recently. What was that district called again? He scrunched his eyebrows in memory. Nuenamore? Nuenamire?

   In that moment, the image of Kim Jongdae entered his mind - his partner during that mission at Nuenamire. Though Baekhyun wasn't particularly fond of their time together, he found himself wondering where Jongdae was in all of this. Was he in Merehua when the attacks happened? And if he was, where was he now? Jongdae wasn't the only person he thought about. There was Park Hana too, the child survivor of the Nuenamire. His thoughts deviated to the orphanage and he found himself growing more anxious as time went by.

   Thankfully, the North District where there apartment was had been spared mostly during the attack. A sense of relief spread through Baekhyun as the roads eased up and the sirens grew quieter. The orphanage was not far from here, perhaps he could check it out later when they'd settled in. As they pulled up outside of the apartment building, a strange sense of nostalgia crept up on him. He hadn't expected to return here, if ever. Chanyeol left the vehicle first to check that the coast was clear and moments later, he returned with a comforting nod. It was still raining though. Opening the door, he hauled Luhan onto his back. Sehun followed quickly, shielding them from the rain with his jacket leaving Baekhyun to bring up the rear with Jeongri in his arms.

   A musty smell of unwashed laundry and stale air hit Baekhyun as soon as he stepped inside. Everything was just as he left it a month ago; his discarded shoes littering the hallway and his half eaten breakfast left to grow mould on the coffee table. Chanyeol glanced at him, his eyebrows furrowed at the overflowing bins making Baekhyun feel embarrassed. Cleaning had always been Chanyeol's thing but ever since he was in hospital, the apartment fell into neglect. Thankfully though, Chanyeol said nothing and went straight to his bedroom. He put Luhan in his own bed and Sehun disappeared into the kitchen, muttering something about water.

   Baekhyun continued on, making his way to his own bedroom, pushing open the door with his shoulder. The curtains were drawn and it was dark save for street lights outside. With his foot, he pushed a pile of crumpled clothes off his bed and carefully lay Jeongri down, pulling his duvet over her so that she was covered. Baekhyun sat down besides her, wondering if there was anything else he could do when there was a small cough behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Chanyeol standing at the door.

   "Oh, Chanyeol," he said, a little distracted, "How are you feeling now?"

   Chanyeol shrugged, "Better I guess but I don't really want to talk about it. Let's pretend it never happened, okay?" He looked at Jeongri, "How is she?"

   Baekhyun bit his lip, "I don't know yet."

   He placed his palm on her forehead, relieved to see that she didn't have a fever but he still didn't like to see her like this. It reminded him of when they first came to Greyfleur after getting attacked by those roamers. However this time around, there was no Mag Stone to heal her. Baekhyun sighed, he hated feeling so helpless. Suddenly, he stood up and marched towards his wardrobe. He needed a distraction, something so that he wouldn't feel this way anymore. In one swift move, he pulled off his clothes despite Chanyeol being in the room. He discarded them into a pile on the ground and pulled on some dry clothes. A bloody red mark appeared down the front of his shirt and he frowned, running his fingers through his hair until his fingertips ran across a wound he