“Junhong!”

A pair of hands tapped his cheeks lightly, and then proceeded into grabbing him by the shoulder, shaking him with a hint of urgency. Junhong didn’t want to open his eyes. He was dead beat after spending the whole day at school. He’d been tied up with school activities at the beginning of the year and everyone was expecting him to join the soccer team since he was the best player in his school. He didn’t wish to disappoint his friends so he joined the team, which resulted to aching legs and lack of sleep—it didn’t really bother him though because he loved playing soccer.

“Junhong, wake up!”

The owner of the hands kept on calling his name and shaking him like someone would shake a tree when they’re angry at someone or something. It irritated Junhong but he decided to keep his eyes closed for he wished to stay in dreamland, everything serene and relaxing.

“Junhong, we have to go now!”

A piercing scream jolted Junhong out of dreamland. His eyes fluttered open and when he’d finally adjusted to the darkness of the night, he could see Himchan, the one whom he’d always looked up to as his big brother staring back at him with a petrified look on his face. The way Himchan looked was quite anomalous to Junhong because Junhong had never seen him all tensed up and scared—the last time he acted that way was when Junhong almost got hit by a car when they were playing by the road when they were little.

Junhong placed his hand on Himchan’s sleeve, trying to calm him down when Junhong realized that his brother was breathing heavily, beads of sweat gleaming on his terrified face. Himchan grabbed the younger boy’s arm and started dragging him out of his cozy bed. Confused, Junhong held himself in a firm position and demanded for explanation from Himchan. Himchan tried pulling him towards the door but Junhong was stronger so it didn’t do Himchan any good to keep on trying.

“Hyung, what’s wrong? Why do you look so jumpy and where did the scream come from?”

“The orphanage is not safe,” Himchan said hastily, his voice quivering. “We have to run now. Everyone has lost their minds!”

“What do you mean hyung? I don’t understand,” Junhong blinked repeatedly and rubbed his sleepy eyes. His head was muzzy and a part of him was still in sleeping mode.

“The warden,” Himchan said in a harsh whisper. “ I just got back from the convenience store and I saw him strolling around the hall…he didn’t look like his usual self…his eyes were all red and when I tried to greet him, he lunged at me! He tried biting me, Junhong! I ran away and when I reached the lobby, I saw the other kids gathering around a boy. That boy was screaming for help. I thought the kids were trying to help him but when I looked closer, I saw them feasting on him. They were eating him!”

“What? Is this some kind of joke hyung?” Junhong backed away, staring at Himchan bewilderedly. He knew that Himchan was not a joker but he just couldn’t believe what he just heard.    

It was absurd. Too absurd to be true.

“We have to escape now, Junhong,” Himchan pulled him by the wrist and both of them scurried down the hall, glancing at every corner and crouching against the wall whenever they heard a scream or moan.

“What’s that sound?” with furrowed eyebrows, Junhong looked at Himchan curiously.

A loud moan came from the lobby. It sounded like someone was in pain but when Junhong listened carefully; it sounded more like someone was crying.

“I don’t know…” Himchan shrugged, mirroring Junhong’s expression.

Both of them walked stealthily towards the lobby, approaching the source of the haunting moan. Being the protective brother he was, Himchan stepped forward to inspect the lobby, signaling to Junhong to stay hidden behind the wall.

While Himchan was walking around the lobby, Junhong leaned against the wall, his heart beating violently when he heard another scream filling the intense atmosphere. It wasn’t Himchan’s voice so he felt a bit relieved. The scream died away in seconds. Maybe the owner of the voice got eaten by the kids— just like what Himchan had told him, Junhong thought.

But they were humans too. Himchan had told him that the kids had eaten the poor boy—he saw it with his own eyes. Why would they eat him? Were they too hungry? No, the orphanage had never run out of food supplies. But what had caused the cannibalism?

For a moment, no noise could be heard. In the silence Junhong could hear the clock ticking, each tick echoed in his head like a gong. He peeked over the wall. He couldn’t see Himchan. He was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go?

Perturbed, Junhong came out from his hiding and took nervous steps towards the lobby, casting uneasy glances around the place. He could see bloody fingerprints smudged on the walls of the lobby. Whilst walking around, he almost got tripped by something that was lying on the floor. When he looked down, he realized that he was staring at a lifeless body. Startled by the sudden encounter, Junhong jumped in fear and fell down to the floor, covering his mouth to prevent himself from letting out a scream. He recognized the person. It was his friend—the friend he used to play soccer with whenever they were bored. His eyes were opened and he lay sprawled on the floor with his left arm torn from the socket. His body was covered with blood and Junhong could smell the fresh scent of blood. Grimacing at the horrendous sight, Junhong got up to his feet and distanced himself from the boy who was once his soccer mate.

His stomach lurched and he could feel a big lump traveling up his throat. He clamped his mouth shut, fighting back the urge to throw up his dinner over the blood stained floor.

As he turned around to go back to his hiding place, he came face to face with Jongup, his best friend. Jongup was staring at him with a dazed look. Up close, Junhong realized that his eyes were bloodshot. When he tried asking him what was wrong, Jongup only responded with a low moan. Confused, Junhong stepped closer, grabbing his friend by the shoulder and repeating the same question.

Before Junhong could repeat the question for the third time, Jongup leaned forward and opened his mouth widely, revealing his bloodied teeth. Junhong screamed in terror and shoved him away as he stumbled to the floor.

Jongup looked different. His brown eyes were replaced with bloodshot eyes. His face contorted in a bizarre way. Even his skin was paler than Junhong remembered. He wasn’t the best friend Junhong used to know. He had turned into a monster.

Letting out a loud moan, the monster lunged at Junhong.

Junhong shut his eyes, holding up his hands before him and bracing himself for what was coming.

He thought that the monster would sink its teeth into his flesh but he could feel nothing. Instead, he heard a gunshot. When he opened his eyes, he saw the monster slowly limping to the ground. It tried grabbing his foot but Junhong kicked its hand away and scrambled to his feet, huffing and puffing.

When Junhong looked up, he saw Himchan. The latter had a gun in his trembling hands. Before the monster could crawl towards Junhong, Himchan kicked it away and shot it straight to its head. The monster had stopped moving by then but Himchan kept on kicking it, uttering a stream of profanities.

“Don’t you dare hurt my brother! Go to hell, freaking monster!”

“Hyung, stop!” Junhong cried as he pulled him away. “It’s Jongup! He’s not moving anymore. He’s…dead.”

Both of them stared at each other solemnly. They were shocked. Everything was happening so fast. Junhong felt like he was dreaming all of this but as he blinked several times, he realized that he was wide awake.

“I know…but I didn’t have other choice. I have to kill him before he could kill you…he’s not Jongup anymore, Junhong.” Himchan placed his hands on the younger boy’s shoulders and studied him from head to toe. “Are you okay? Did it bite you?”

“I’m fine hyung,” Junhong nodded, tears forming in his eyes. “Hyung, where did you get the gun?”

“It’s in the warden’s office,” Himchan answered with a heavy breath. It seemed like he had been running around for a long time before he was reunited with Junhong.

“Hyung, what’s happening? Why’s everyone acting differently? What happened to Jongup?”

“I don’t know,” Himchan shook his head, trying hard to fight back the tears. “Junhong, everyone’s dead… our brothers are dead and some have turned into one of them. We need to get out of this hellhole.”

Junhong grabbed Himchan’s hand and nodded determinedly.

“Then let’s go hyung.”

Both of them sprinted towards the entrance and were greeted by a few monsters. They succeeded in fighting them back for the monsters were slow but when they tried opening the doors of the entrance, they realized that the doors were sealed shut. Someone had blocked the doors. Both of them tried kicking the doors open but they wouldn’t budge.

Panic took over them.

They were desperate to escape but they couldn’t find the way out of the orphanage. The moans that were produced by the monsters became louder. They were nearing the last two survivors.

“Hyung, we can’t get out of this place,” Junhong cried, his shoulders sagged in defeat.

“Yaa, we’re not giving up yet Junhong,” Himchan told him. “I’ll find a way for us to escape. We’ll get out of this nightmare together. It’s alright, Junhong. You believe me, right?”

Junhong stared at his brother in the eyes and pursed his lips, nodding slowly.

He’d always put his faith on Himchan. He was his big brother. He was the one who had always taken care of him when he was little. He was the one who had always stood up for him whenever he got bullied by the other kids when he was little. He was the only person whom he ever opened up to since his parents died in the burning house. He was the most important person Junhong ever had in his life.

They were brothers for sure.

If Junhong were to be granted a wish, he would wish for Himchan to be his real brother.

Nothing more. That was all he needed.

But now that they were trapped in the orphanage, Junhong could only wish for one thing.

He wished he could escape together with Himchan.

“We can try jumping from the rooftop,” Himchan suggested.

Junhong followed him towards the staircase with faltering steps. His legs were still sore from the soccer practice. Every step he took resulted in numbing pain. Junhong refused to stop though because he knew he had to get out of the place as soon as he could.

When they reached the door to the rooftop, Himchan turned the knob but found the door locked. They should’ve known it would be locked because the warden had always warned them about coming up to the rooftop to smoke. Himchan tried slamming his shoulder to the door but it didn’t budge. Knowing that Himchan alone couldn’t pry the door open, Junhong joined him.

With a count of three, the two of them gathered their strengths and rammed their shoulders into the door.

The door broke and both of them stumbled forward.

Junhong could hear a siren wailing in the cold air. Someone could rescue them. Smiling with relief, both of them walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. The distance of the rooftop and the ground below was fairly safe for them to jump down without hurting themselves.

“We can escape now,” Himchan smiled, his eyes showing how content he was to know that they were finally safe. “Junhong, it’ll be okay. We’ll get through this. We’ll-”

Out of the blue, a monster pounced on Himchan.

Junhong stared in horror as the monster tried to bite his brother but then shifted his gaze to the gun that was lying a few meters away from him. He rushed towards the gun and held it firmly in his hands. Then he aimed it towards the monster.

“Junhong, shoot it!” Himchan cried, struggling with the man-eating creature desperately. “Now, Junhong!”

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Junhong pulled the trigger with his forefinger.

The sound of the gunshot echoed throughout the night sky. Junhong could feel his ears ringing in respond.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Himchan lying on the ground with the monster. None moved. His lips parted slowly, Junhong approached his brother with hesitant steps.

“Hyung?” he called out. “Himchannie hyung…”

There was a minute of silence. Junhong could hear nothing but the sound of his heartbeat.

No.

He didn’t make a mistake. He didn’t just…

“Junhong…” Himchan croaked; his hand moving about as he tried to get the lifeless monster off him.

“Hyung!” Junhong knelt down on the ground and freed Himchan away from getting crushed. By now, he was sobbing uncontrollably. Tears streamed down his cheeks and relief painted over his face. “Hyung, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Himchan let out a weak chuckle, embracing the younger one tightly. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to open my eyes again. You saved my life, Junhong.”

“Let’s go now, hyung. We can’t waste more time,” Junhong told him, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. “Let’s jump down now or else they’ll come to us.”

 The two of them shuffled towards the edge of the rooftop. Junhong stared at Himchan anxiously, feeling a bit hesitant about jumping down although he was pretty confident earlier. Himchan gave his hand a comfort squeeze and smiled. Desperate screams could be heard in the background but they had no time to waste. They had to escape now.

Taking a deep breath, both of them took a step backward and as they exhaled, both of them charged forward and lifted their legs from the ground, making their way down the building.

They made it.

The fall hurt Junhong’s legs but he could still manage to walk.

The siren became louder. Rescue was nearby. Junhong perked up in excitement as red and blue lights illuminated the dark street. Running towards the lights, Junhong turned around and waved happily at Himchan.

“Hyung, we’re safe now! Come on,” he smiled.

Himchan smiled back, making his way slowly towards Junhong.

Then he dropped to his knees, coughing profusely. Junhong creased his forehead and rushed towards Himchan, draping an arm around him for support. Himchan coughed again, clutching his shoulder as he grimaced.

“Hyung…”

“It’s alright, Junhong,” Himchan smiled again. His smile was surprisingly warm and for a moment, it made Junhong feel calm. “It’s alright…”

Junhong nodded obediently, holding back the tears as he led Himchan down the street. They staggered further into the distance. The siren was louder than ever and they could hear someone talking through a megaphone, calling for survivors. The street was hectic. Some buildings were on fire and a few car alarms wailed like a terrified banshee.

“We’re almost there hyung,” Junhong said, trying hard to quicken their pace but Himchan’s legs gave away.

Junhong grabbed Himchan by the arm and pulled him up. He lost his footing but then managed to compose himself when he had a firm grip on his brother.

“Hyung, just wait, we’ll be there shortly,” Junhong told his brother as he sniffed back his tears.

Himchan didn’t respond.

“It’s alright now hyung…we’re safe.”

Himchan’s eyes were closed.

“There’s a police officer, hyung. I can see him from here. ”

Himchan’s face was pale under the dim moonlight.

“Himchannie hyung, it’s alright.”

The pain in Junhong’s legs was excruciating. His legs turned numb without warning and so he stumbled to the ground together with Himchan. Propping himself up with one elbow, Junhong gazed at his brother’s face and whimpered, shaking his shoulders gently just the way Himchan would do whenever he would wake Junhong up every morning.

“Hyung, I believed in you and you were right. We’re safe now…we’ve escaped. You said everything would be alright.”

Himchan lay still in his brother’s arms.

“Himchannie hyung,” Junhong shifted his gaze towards the gun that was lying beside him and then back to Himchan.

Himchan opened his eyes slightly.

He stared at Junhong without a word.

A rictus smile appeared on his face.

Junhong smiled back at him and let out a faint chuckle.

With a trembling hand, Himchan reached out for Junhong.

“It’s alright.”

A/N: The story didn't turn out that well. keke

I was planning on writing an angst but yeah, my freakish mind wouldn't let me. The ending is a bit vague, I'd say but it's up to the readers to assume how the story ends. keke.

Gahh, I really love this two! (I don't ship them as a pairing!)

They're like siblings~ really cute<3

Let's love himlo aye?

Too cute that you feel like eating him. keke