[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty-Three[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

“We can’t keep this up,” Jongin panted. The soldier let his weight fall against the rust-covered metal door of a warehouse. Chanyeol and Baekhyun stopped and looked back at the rest of the group. Sheer exhaustion was reflected in all of their faces, their postures hunched, equipment damaged and soiled. They had experienced hell at the docks but lived through it somehow. However, their search for the young woman had only just begun. Night had fallen and the city was almost pitch black. Without street lamps and other sources of artificial light, they were blind, and their flashlights didn't make a big difference.

“He’s right,” Junmyeon said. His gaze was stern, and Baekhyun knew what he was about to say. “We will stay the night in one of these buildings and resume the search when the sun rises. What we’re doing right now is too risky. We’re all tired and no longer capable of fighting at our full strength.”

“You take a break, but I’ll—”

“No, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon cut him off. “I’m not letting you off the hook again. You’re going to listen to me now and follow my orders just like everyone else. This operation will only be successful if we work together as a team. You won’t save this woman’s life on your own. You can’t search an entire town on your own.”

He challenged Baekhyun’s dull albeit desperate gaze with the strictness of a leader who refused to let one of his team members die in a hopeless endeavor.

“Baekhyun, Seri would tell you the exact same thing, are you aware of that?” Sehun chimed in. He, too, was so exhausted that he could barely stand on his legs. Blood coated his temple where he had been struck by a zombie.

“If you get yourself killed before we find her, you’re not doing her a favor,” Chanyeol said.

Baekhyun bit his lip so hard his teeth drew blood. This was excruciatingly difficult. The adrenaline flooding his veins was slowly disappearing and allowed him to feel the same exhaustion everyone else had succumbed to.

“I… I understand,” he breathed and lowered his head.

Junmyeon nodded and put his hand on his shoulder while he passed him. “We’ll find her. Don’t lose hope.”

Seri hummed a calming tune as she sat at Minhee’s bedside. She had stayed near the window for hours, surveying the street below and hoping for a sign of Baekhyun, but it never came, and now it was dark outside.

It was hard to fall asleep for her young companion, but Seri did what she could to provide comfort. The melody she hummed belonged to a song her favorite singer had performed long before the pandemic, and though she hadn’t heard it in many months, she remembered it well. Minhee’s tiny hand was curled around Seri’s fingers. She leaned into Seri’s touch when she the back of her head. Gradually, the young girl gave in to her exhaustion and fell asleep. Her tight expression relaxed and her breaths evened.

Seri sighed in relief, carefully untangling her hand from the girl’s. She readjusted the blanket and pulled it up to her shoulders. For her young age, Minhee had experienced unspeakable things—her apprehension towards the zombies was evident and Seri assumed that it originated from a terrible incident in the past months. Frowning bitterly, Seri got up. She would join her in a moment, but first, she needed to make sure they were safe. Taking the candle, she tiptoed to the front door of the apartment and listened for suspicious noises outside but heard none. Then she checked the lock and—to be absolutely safe—she pushed furniture in front of the door.

She found her way back through the darkness thanks to the candle’s shy glow and climbed into bed next to Minhee. Crushing exhaustion and the knowledge of being safe allowed her to let down her guard. Seri was fast asleep within minutes.

Seri helped Minhee tie her shoelaces with a double knot and pulled up the zipper of the girl’s blue jacket. The sun was up and they were about to leave the apartment for good—Seri had reached this decision shortly after waking up.

Baekhyun only had a slim chance of finding them if they stayed inside the apartment. They needed to reach a spot that provided a better view of their surroundings—the roof was their best bet. It wasn’t far and protected by a sturdy metal door. From up there, she would spot him more easily if he passed by somewhere in the vicinity.

The hallway leading to the apartment had been quiet so far, but Seri knew the zombies were still in the building. They were only waiting for their next prey to appear. She was prepared to fight, grabbing her baseball bat. Minhee looked up at her with fearful eyes, her bottom lip quivering. Seri smiled encouragingly and ruffled her black hair.

“Remember what I told you?”

Minhee nodded. “Stay quiet, follow Seri… and… um… be brave,” she counted on her fingers.

“Perfect, Min. We can do this! Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

The courageous expression on the girl’s face made Seri proud as if she were her mother. Minhee only had to hold out for a little longer until they made it out of this town… Soon, she would live a normal life. Seri didn’t dare to think about any other outcome.

With the little girl hiding behind her legs, Seri cracked open the door and peered into the hallway. It was empty—the way to the staircase was deserted, but she heard the muffled footsteps of the undead somewhere inside the building. Seri decided to check the stairway first and told Minhee to wait until she confirmed that the way to the roof was safe. As Seri had assumed, the undead were still prowling the floors below them and hadn’t noticed her presence, so she sneaked back to the apartment and got Minhee.

They walked slowly so as not to make any loud noises and reached the stairway, both sweating with nervousness. Seri wished she didn’t have to put the girl through this, but staying in the apartment was not ideal, considering the soldiers would have a harder time finding them.

The groans coming from below scared Minhee, but Seri could hardly stop to comfort her, so she climbed the stairs with her, holding her baseball bat in one hand and the girl’s hand in the other. It all went well until a zombie let out a sudden snarl and caused Minhee to whimper in fear. She pressed her hand on , but it was too late. The small sound caused a stampede below them as the zombies howled and scrambled up the stairs.  

Seri’s heart jumped into —they wouldn’t make it to the roof before the undead would reach them! There was only one way to handle this. “Run!” she shouted at Minhee and let go of her hand. “Run to the roof!”

Minhee was torn. Dread flickered through her eyes and her hand reached out for Seri. “C-Come with me!”

“No, you have to go first! I promise I’ll be right behind you.”

Seri glanced over her shoulder, using her bat against the first zombie who reached them, striking it straight into its jaw. It got dislocated and the creature fell into a sea of monsters. Minhee took off, while Seri was in a desperate struggle to keep the zombies at bay. Her muscles burned every time she swung her bat, using all of her strength. She didn’t consider escaping until she finally heard the creaking of the door upstairs when Minhee reached the roof. Now everything depended on Seri’s next actions.

She fought off two more zombies who lunged for her, kicking them down the stairs. They landed on the approaching undead and momentarily blocked their way. Seri used the chance and made a run for it, sprinting up the stairs. She was out of breath and clutched the railing as she pushed herself past her limit. Unfortunately, the zombies behind her weren’t giving up. Their growls haunted Seri—all of them were too close, claws ripping at her jacket. She tripped, and then it happened.

A zombie caught her foot and held her back. Seri lost her balance and cried as she went down. Her knees hit the edge of the stairs. Momentarily stunned, she screamed when searing pain exploded in her left calf. Her head snapped around and she was met with a horrific sight. A zombie had clamped its mouth into her calf, teeth digging into her flesh, and the other zombies were about to descend upon her too.

Her pulse raced. The next seconds would decide whether she would live or die. The pain faded into the background as a burst of adrenaline spurred her to move, to get the away. She rammed her bat into the skull of her assailant. The creature slumped, and she used her other leg to kick it right into the crowd of hungry zombies that were trampling over each other as they tried to reach her. With an inhuman amount of perseverance, Seri grabbed the railing, pulled herself up, and escaped. She rounded a corner, reached the last few steps, and jumped through the door. Smelling her blood, the zombies pursued her, clamoring for her.

She grabbed the door handle and slammed it shut. Thumping was heard when her pursuers crashed against it from the other side, madly pounding against the door, lost in their bloody rage. Seri locked the door and prayed it would hold. Luckily, it was heavy and sturdy, not giving in to the zombies’ attacks.

Once that was done, Seri’s next priority was Minhee, so her searching gaze traveled over the roof. She discovered Minhee huddled in the corner, kneeling on the ground with her eyes shut. Seri staggered forward. The agony in her leg was excruciating, but even so, she took a step and another,  and another until she had reached the girl.

“Minhee, we’re safe.” She didn’t recognize her own voice anymore. It was distorted as if she had put wool in her ears. The silhouette of her small companion quivered and became unrecognizable. Seri succumbed to the pain. She sank to the ground with a groan and leaned her back against the waist-high concrete wall enclosing the roof.

The doctor put her backpack next to her, knowing she had to treat her wound, but she didn’t move. The unrelenting pain in her calf gave life to exhaustion and desperation. She faced the danger of dying without ever reuniting with Baekhyun. Even worse, if she perished here, then Minhee would be doomed. The little girl had nowhere to go and nobody else to depend on. Seri gritted her teeth. In this condition, she was no longer able to protect Minhee. Hell, she could barely walk. If any zombies managed to break through the door to the roof, they would… She brushed her sleeve over her eyes, wiping at a wet spot.

“S-Seri,” Minhee whispered and tugged at her hand. “You got a big ouchie on your leg.”

“I know, honey,” she whispered and patted her head. “Seri is a doctor, she can fix it in no time. Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Seri lied, and fortunately, Minhee didn’t question it. “I will clean it up and wrap it with a bandage, then it’ll be fine. Please don’t look at it, okay?”

“O-Okay,” Minhee whispered and instead gazed up at the sky, watching a seagull flying its rounds over the building.  

Seri forced herself to pull herself together—no matter how hard it was to stay focused, she needed to treat the wound, or else she might lose too much blood. Already, her ripped jeans were dark red instead of blue and soaked with her blood. The zombie’s teeth had damaged her calf severely. Had she not been used to seeing blood and injuries as a surgeon, she would have vomited at the sight that greeted her when she ripped the lower part of the pant leg open.

Breathe in, breathe out. Water, antiseptic, gauze. Her mind was on autopilot, her hands moving on their own. The antiseptic stung terribly, but Seri didn’t bat an eye. The area that had been in contact with the zombie’s saliva had to be disinfected properly since it carried the virus. After the injury was thoroughly cleaned, Seri used a gauze pad and wrapped a bandage around it, hiding the horrific bite mark from Minhee’s eyes.

“I’m finished,” Seri sighed. She was too tired to put the first aid kit in her backpack, so she left it where it was.

“Is Seri safe?” Minhee asked and took a glance at Seri’s leg. It looked perfectly fine now. 

“She is,” Seri smiled tensely. She felt bad for lying to her again, but what else could she do? Keeping Minhee calm was essential. As Seri observed her, checking for injuries, the girl’s face blurred. Seri touched her temple and frowned—her nausea was concerningly strong. It seemed as though the blood loss was getting to her. She couldn’t stay awake for much longer; the exhaustion was simply too great.

“Minhee, I… I have to rest for a bit. Remember, we’re here to wait for Baekhyunnie and his friends. If you