The vodka smelled terrible and Minsoo grimaced as he regarded Byunghyun with a tense expression.  “It’s not the best but it will help to disinfect it,” he exhaled, holding the injured male’s eyes.

                “,” Byunghyun laughed harshly, hands balling into fists where he lay.

                “Soo,” Jonghyun called with a tense look on his face.  “Those are puncture wounds,” he reminded as if it was supposed to mean something.

                “I know,” Minsoo grumbled, scrunching his face like he wanted to rub the irritation right off it, but with a candle in one hand and the vodka in the other, that wasn’t an option.

                “What’s that supposed to mean?” Daniel asked in bafflement, easing the rest of the way inside quietly as he held his candle close with one hand and the golf club with the other.

                Minsoo made another face and answered, “Disinfection might not be enough.”

                “Can you guys just do whatever you’re going to and get it over with?” Byunghyun asked in a tight voice, well aware whatever was coming was going to hurt like hell.  He glanced at Changhyun who shifted closer to offer whatever support and comfort he could, his expression creasing in worry.

                Chanhee gave Byunghyun a sympathetic smile and stood up to whisper into Minsoo’s ear.  “I hate to even suggest it but the coals are still hot,” he spoke, dropping his head as he held onto the taller man’s shoulder.

                “Here,” Minsoo urged as he handed the candle to Chanhee and shifted over to Byunghyun who glared between the two suspiciously.  “Drink,” he instructed while he handed the bottle of vodka to the injured male.

                “Why?” Byunghyun asked though he didn’t reject the offer and held the glass container uncertainly.

                “Because we need to cauterize-“

                “ no!” Byunghyun growled immediately in a knee-jerk reaction.

                “-your wound or there’s a greater risk of another infection,” Minsoo calmly finished, his visage pale in the flickering light as he watched Byunghun partially sit up before grimacing and lay back down.  He laughed brokenly and worked his jaw in wordless disbelief before he took a hasty swig, coughing as the liquid hit the back of his throat harshly.

                “I’ll go see what I can find,” Chanhee explained while he handed the candle off to Changhyun who looked undeniably shaken.  “Come on Daniel.  I need your light,” he urged as he stepped out, careful not to look at Byunghyun.

                “Go help keep watch,” Minsoo urged his younger brother who grimaced but nodded, snagging another candle to take with him as he did so.  “Come on, Byunghyun.  We’ve gotta move you out there,” he explained with a quick gesture at Changhyun who scrambled to hop to his feet.

                “I hate you so much right now,” Byunghyun mumbled, growling in the back of his throat, though he eased up just a hair when Changhyun slipped under his other arm for support.

                “It’s okay,” the young boy promised with a supportive grip on his forearm.  It was an empty assurance but Minsoo could tell it helped slightly.  For whatever reason, he seemed to ease his guard just a touch around the youngest member of their band and Minsoo wasn’t about to question it.

                To be fair, Byunghyun was handling it fairly well, all things considered.  He didn’t know anybody that wanted to be burned but he was tough.  They all knew that, even if he didn’t give them much else to go on.  And he’d much rather see him in pain than dead if it came down to it.  Damn, that was a bastard thing to think…

                Carefully, they made their way near the fireplace where Chanhee was poking the coals back to life with Daniel watching over him, worrying his bottom lip fiercely.  Jonghyun prowled around the exterior with sharp eyes darting everywhere, including the damn hole in the floor.  They were only partially able to cover it up but the side nearest the fireplace was at least closed off, giving him plenty of room to set Byunghyun down.  “Take another shot,” he instructed, leaving him to Changhyun’s care while he wandered over to speak with Jonghyun.

                “Is he gonna be alright?” Jonghyun asked when Minsoo got close enough, keeping his voice low and his right hand hovering near the bowie knife at his hip.

                Minsoo clapped him on the shoulder confidently and gave a crooked grin.  “It’s Byunghyun.  Of course he is.”  His grin faded as he leaned closer still.  “Just keep watch.  You never know what we’ll attract,” he sighed and Jonghyun understood what he meant almost immediately, shivering at the thought.  Normal sounds didn’t attract a lot of attention but if he screamed much, which was likely, he was bound to catch something’s ear.

                “We’re ready,” Chanhee announced solemnly, his voice holding the hint of a tremor.

                “I’m not,” Byunghyun muttered darkly, the sentence followed by the sound of liquid sloshing in the bottle and another cough.

                “See, Byungie,” Daniel murmured in a tight voice.  “This is why you should get better at dodging,” he laughed in a weak attempt at some sort of humor.  Byunghyun didn’t respond though he did send a rather nasty glare towards the taller boy who flinched at the look.

                “Alright,” Minsoo spoke with a hand reaching for the bottle.  Byunghyun jerked it out of reach to take one more sip, his eyes already starting to get a little blurry, before he finally handed it back in silence.  “Here’s what’s going to happen.  I’m going to douse your wound in vodka to disinfect it.  Yes, it’s going to hurt like hell,” he confirmed, weathering the scathing glare he received in return.  “We’re going to wipe it off and then Chanhee’s going to cauterize the holes.  Understand?” he asked tensely.

                “God you ,” Byunghyun shook his head with a bitter laugh, though he did close his eyes and nod in mute agreement.

                “What should I do?” Changhyun asked uncertainly, looking a shade on the queasy side.

                “Why don’t you go get the sheet in the room?” Chanhee offered with a glance at Minsoo.

                “O-okay,” he stammered, getting to his feet hesitantly before he hurried off.

                Minsoo watched him go and nodded at Byunghyun.  “Brace yourself.”

                “Just do it,” Byunghyun hissed, accepting Minsoo’s hand when he offered something to hold onto.  He actually looked scared as Daniel hurried over to take the other hand wordlessly, gripping the limb to his chest.

                Taking a breath, Minsoo poured the contents of the clear bottle over Byunghyun’s wounds and held tight when his friend immediately arched off the ground with a gut-wrenching cry that escaped though his clenched teeth.  He set the bottle aside and held onto the shaking hand with both of his while he counted backwards, giving the stuff time to work as he watched their companion writhe uselessly on the floor.

                “!” Daniel gasped as he held his own, shaken by the sight though he didn’t look away.

                Minsoo heard Changhyun run up behind them and drop to his side where Chanhee quickly pulled the sheet from him and made quick work of it, turning the fabric into manageable chunks and waiting for the signal.  Another few seconds was an eternity of misery that Minsoo endured with Byunghyun before he nodded at Chanhee to move.  Immediately, the slender male leaned forward to wipe off the residue as efficiently as possible, his face a mask of tension and discomfit when each ministration hurt as much as the last, if Byunghyun’s reaction was any indication.

                “Ah!” Byunghyun growled, kicking his heels against the wooden floor as he gasped for breath with tears streaming down the sides of his face.  “No more!” he croaked as he leaned his head back against the floor with his eyes clenched shut tight, his arms shaking from holding onto Minsoo and Daniel’s hands as tight as he was.

                “Halfway there,” Minsoo replied, swallowing harshly when Byunghyun choked back a sob and ignoring the crushing ache in his hand.  “Chanhee,” he called, noticing the pale young man looking between their injured friend and the metal spoons they’d found resting in the coals.  The wan male nodded hesitantly and picked up the first one with shaky hands.

                “Sorry Byungie,” he apologized quickly before he leaned forward to place the glowing metal against his inflamed skin.

                Minsoo had thought the reaction from disinfecting the wound was bad; cauterizing it proved to be even worse by far.  The first attempt was botched when Byunghyun reacted violently, burning himself further as he tore free from Daniel’s grasp to yank the spoon away, freaking Chanhee out in the process as the metal seared through the partial glove and into Byunghyun’s palm.

                “Easy, easy,” Minsoo soothed, surging forward to pin Byunghyun’s shoulders to the floor until he stopped thrashing and was able to meet his eyes.  “We’ve got you, Byungie.”

                “I can’t do this,” he whimpered with watery eyes, his attention having a hard time focusing as his teeth chattered and he gasped for breath raggedly.

                “Yes you can,” Minsoo responded with no hesitation, shifting to nod at Daniel who hesitantly moved to resume his position, looking very unconfident.  Chanhee looked like he wanted to be sick and Changhyun was hiding his face behind his hands, though the candle was resting in front of him.  A glance at Jonghyun showed he was uncertain about the whole thing though he remained vigilant and aware.

                “Ready,” Chanhee whimpered, trying for another spoon with a shaky breath.

                Minsoo nodded and returned his attention to keeping Byunghyun still while they as good as tortured him.  It was an experience he never wanted to go through again.  The smell of burning, human flesh was nauseating and the only mercy they were granted was that after the third hole was cauterized, Byunghyun started to pass out between attempts.  Each new press would rouse him with a tortured cry as he begged them to stop and all Minsoo could be grateful for was the knowledge there were only seven puncture wounds to deal with.

                In the short time it took to take care of them, it honestly felt like seven too many and he knew all of them were exhausted by the time Chanhee threw the spoon to the side and turned away so he could be sick without risking hurting Byunghyun more.  He wasn’t the only one as Changhyun had already done as much during the process and was currently curled up behind Minsoo with his face hidden in his knees.  Daniel looked like he was stuck between being ill and just passing out while Jonghyun hesitantly made his way over and squatted next to his brother with a pained look at Byunghyun.

                “I heard a couple howls but nothing too close yet,” he whispered in a dry throat, his voice strained and harsh.

                Minsoo nodded and took a small breath, wincing against the smell of burnt flesh still lingering in the air.  “Chanhee,” he called, leaning over to nudge the slender male with a nod towards Changhyun.

                “Right,” he gasped with a nod, placing the back of his hand against his mouth as he woozily got to his feet.  “Come on, Changhyun.  Let’s go back to the room,” he urged while he helped the younger boy to stand up.  Wordlessly, Changhyun turned in Chanhee’s arms and buried his face in his chest, crying brokenly as he hugged him tight.  “Shh.  It’s alright, little one.  Shh,” he murmured, the shivering back while he carefully walked them out of the room.

                “Soo?” Daniel asked as he reached across Byunghyun’s resting body to touch the older man’s arm uncertainly.

                “I’m alright,” he exhaled softly, reaching for the cloth that Chanhee had torn up so he could at least loosely cover Byunghyun’s cauterized chest.  They had to make sure the wound was covered but could still breathe or things could end up even worse and none of them wanted that.  He could feel his brother’s eyes on him and he steadfastly refused to look while he carefully maneuvered their companion’s unconscious body to care for it as best he could.

                “What do we do now?” Jonghyun asked with a hand on Minsoo’s shoulder.

                The older male took another breath and sat back, placing his palm against Byunghyun’s head.  He was sticky and damp from sweating but he was at least resting easy, even if it was exhaustion, pain, and alcohol induced.  “We can’t travel with him like this so we’ll be here for at least a little while.  All we can do now is see if he wakes up,” he admitted, his dry lips.

                “Should we move him back in the other room?” Daniel asked, obviously worried about him as he continued to worry at his bottom lip, though he didn’t seem to notice.

                “Yeah,” Minsoo nodded, shifting as if to get up.

                “I can get him,” Daniel offered unexpectedly in a quiet voice.  “Even I can handle his scrawny self,” he forced a laugh with an awkward shrug at their raised brows.

                Minsoo nodded and watched as Daniel carefully hefted Byunghyun’s sleeping form into his arms, cradling him close before he followed after where Chanhee and Changhyun had already gone.  “Come on.  We’ve gotta make sure the place is secure,” Minsoo urged before he got to his feet stiffly, feeling his world spin for just a moment as he rose.

                “Easy, Soo,” Jonghyun breathed, stepping close to support the equally tall male with a strong arm around his waist.

                “It’s okay,” Minsoo assured him with a nod, the dizziness passing quickly.  Jonghyun gave him a skeptical look and he snorted.  “I’m supposed to be worrying about you, remember?”

                “You worry about everybody.  Except yourself,” he added matter of factly.  Minsoo simply shrugged and didn’t even bother to argue as he started to move about, making sure the windows were closed and as blocked off as possible.

                Together, the two brothers tended to all the doors they could find and did their best to secure the house as well as they could given the poor light and even poorer equipment.  They’d have better chances to do more at first light but it would be enough for now.  It had to be.  Neither missed the curious howls in the distance and they exchanged nervous glances in the flickering candle light.

                “I’ll keep watch,” Minsoo urged with a clap on his brother’s shoulder when they were done for the most part.

                “Then I’ll stay with you,” Jonghyun promised in turn, settling beside the door before his brother could argue, peering up at him determinedly.

                “You are a stubborn brat, you know that?” Minsoo chuckled, just shaking his head while he took his seat as well, setting the dwindling candle beside him as he held his machete at his side.

                “No more than you,” Jonghyun teased, though he leaned against Minsoo’s arm slightly, the contact revealing a slight tremor in his frame.

                “You did good tonight.  We all did,” Minsoo murmured softly as he slung his arm about his brother’s shoulders and pulled him close.

                Jonghyun huddled close and took another breath, swallowing loudly in the silence.  “Do you think we did right by Byunghyun?”

                Minsoo sighed slowly at the thought and chewed his lip before he answered.  “Chanhee was right about cauterizing the wounds.  I hate to say it, but it’s his best chance.”

                “He learned that from his mom, didn’t he?” the younger boy asked in a whisper, his thoughts clearly troubled.

                “Yeah,” Minsoo agreed with a nod.  “Remember he told us how she used to be a field nurse in the armed forces before she had him.  I bet she taught him all sorts of useful tricks,” he added with a thoughtful sigh.  None of them spoke much about their lives before everyone had died but he’d at least told them his mother was a single parent.  Chanhee honestly didn’t know what happened to his father but it definitely explained why he had a tendency to mother their group half the time, given his history.

                “Do you think mom and dad would be proud of us?”  The question caught Minsoo off guard but he only hesitated for a moment before he responded.

                Minsoo’s mouth quirked into a smile and he nodded slowly.  “Very much so.  All those camping trips finally paid off, aye?” he chuckled, feeling a gentle rumble from his sibling in response.  “Remember how mom used to get so mad at dad for dragging us all into the middle of nowhere for a weekend, just to give us a taste of living off the land?”

                “Yeah,” Jonghyun laughed in a low tone, nodding along.  “And he’d always get mad at her for figuring out how to track or catch anything before him.”

                “You know she was the better hunter,” Minsoo snorted hugging his brother tighter.  “She just liked to pretend otherwise so dad wouldn’t get his feelings hurt.”  He sighed and nodded again.  “Really, her knives suit you better anyway.”  Minsoo had never felt much affinity for them but his brother was fascinated by the weapons.  He’d taken after their father in terms of interests but their mom had been a closet fanatic about fine crafted, melee hand weapons.

                “Thanks,” Jonghyun whispered after a brief moment of silence, leaning harder into his sibling’s side.

                “Any time,” he murmured in response, letting his eyes trail through the darkness.  It had taken some getting used to really: the almost perpetual gloom they now lived in.  There were plenty of things that could kill a man in the dark at almost all times but you got used to it eventually.  You had to or you’d go mad with paranoia and fear.  And with his brother, it had been much more manageable.  Even back when things first started falling apart.

                Like everybody else, their parents had tried to find a cure or some way to combat it but when they finally realized there was no solution for them, they’d taken one final camping trip for an indefinite period of time.  They had loaded the car with as much nonperishable foodstuffs and survival gear as they could pack and set out.  Glancing down at his brother who was fighting sleep and failing, Minsoo was grateful that he at least had been spared.  There was a time after watching his parents pass away in their sleep that he’d hated them for making him be the one to bury their lifeless corpses in the middle of nowhere but he understood later they’d saved him and Jonghyun from the madness of humanity.

                Returning to civilization had shown them a world that was vastly changed and it had really only degraded further since then.  Finding Daniel and Chanhee had been pretty much a of luck.  While others might have passed them up, in a world of survivors, it had never made sense to him to leave a potential ally behind so when he’d found them holed up in a car that was out of fuel, cowering away from a pack of those damn wolf things, he and Jonghyun had acted.  And gained two brothers in the process.

                Daniel himself was an orphan, having lost his younger brother and sister along with his parents at the same time.  He was only too glad to have more people around him.  It helped to make the silence bearable.  With the addition of Byunghyun a couple months later, they made an odd, ragtag bunch.  Personally, Minsoo thought they acted like siblings and he wasn’t sure if Byunghyun realized how much Daniel appreciated him.  Especially since they were always needling each other.  At least he was a tough little bastard.  It always seemed like he had something to prove.

                Of all of them, he probably had the best chance of surviving alone, considering he’d done it long enough before Minsoo had found him, but he could tell from the relatively short time they’d been together that Byunghyun didn’t want to be by himself.  Until Changhyun came along, none of them even knew he had a sister that didn’t make it.  It was frustrating when he was always so guarded; that for some reason he felt he couldn’t trust them.  Minsoo sighed heavily at the thought.  He’d made a fair bit of progress with him but it was a far cry from tight knit.

                If he made it through this though… there shouldn’t be a question anymore.  On either side.  Minsoo closed his eyes tightly and let his head fall back to rest against the door as he took another shaky breath.  He would be alright.  He had to be.