Lu Han felt the rattling of the train under him, gently calming his excitement.

It had been his first time in Busan and it had been great, amazing even. The weather had played along nicely and although he was on his own he had not felt lonely at all. Somehow Busan had a safe, a familiar, feel to it, perfect for single tourists.

Now, on his way back, he could not wait to arrange some other travel plans for South Korea, there were still so many places he wanted to see. Maybe he should get off at the next stop, Daegu, and have a look around there? After all, no boring summer classes or jobs were waiting for him this year. Glancing down at his backpack though dulled his sudden rush of anticipation. Knowing about the amount (or non-existent-amount) of money inside, and about how much he had spent in Busan already, Lu Han decided on a maybe better next time.

Not knowing about the consequences, it was an easy decision for him to make.

Hiding behind a row of seats, Lu Han heard screams and gunshots again and again, not sure if they were new or old ones still stuck in his head. He also did not know how he came here without earning one or two bullets himself, or without losing his mind due to the red that, no matter where he looked (or tried not to look) sprinkled every corner of his eyes. After the first few gunshots had missed him and that insane guy had advanced, changing to the next waggon, Lu Han had just run to one of the last rows, as far away as possible, struck by fear and the will to survive.

And now he cowered here, trying to come up with a plan on how to put this train to a halt, on how to escape, without knowing if the criminal had come here alone or with accomplices. He certainly hoped the latter was not the case.

Next to him sat a young man, eyes wide and face paler than natural. Lu Han had tried to talk to him, but he had not reacted. Still, knowing that he could need a little help, Lu Han tried again. This time not addressing the current incident they were in. He aimed for a simple introduction instead, hoping to calm the other down.

“I’m Lu Han, what’s your name?”

The other’s eyes nervously darted from him to the blood in his hands. As far as Lu Han could see, it was not the boy’s own, but he was not too sure, if the boy himself was aware of that.

“What’s your name?” He asked again.

“S-Sehun.” The answer was low and shaky but Lu Han knew he had his attention now.

“How old are you, Sehun?”

“T-Twenty.”

Too young. That was far too young to die. Lu Han felt a strange tugging inside of him, an urge he could not find a name for.

“Ok Sehun, do you have your phone with you?”

The other shyly negated. . Lu Han had left his behind as well and it was too dangerous to go back now, he could be seen too easily, his seat too near to the door at the other end of the waggon. He could only hope that some others had the chance to call for help. Where there any other survivors in here? Lu Han felt sick thinking about all the motionless bodies he had not dared to count on his way back here.

The train came to an abrupt halt, causing Lu Han and Sehun to collide with each other. Lu Han was surprised to notice, that despite his own sweaty hands, Sehun’s were warm and nice to hold on to. But when he looked at the boy, he could see the fear in his eyes and how much he struggled, tears slowly forming in these deep eyes. He appeared to be much younger, now, that Lu Han could see him so close. Under other circumstances, Lu Han would have given himself a few more seconds to linger in this moment, to keep looking at the other. But something stirred in him and he understood, that the seconds they had were too precious to simply waste like this.

He had to get him out of here, Sehun would not be able to hold on for that much longer. And when he lost control over his nerves, over his feelings then…well, Lu Han didn’t want to think about what he would do then yet.

The train stood still, but Lu Han had not heard the doors open. That meant, they needed to be opened, although that required standing up and risking things – things such as his life. But what other chance did they have? Waiting for this guy to come back was definitely not a good option.

Sehun’s eyes went wide when he told him he had to get up and help him to open the door, that wherever they were now did not matter, they had to get out of here. After a few seconds the younger took a deep breath and nodded, and Lu Han prayed to whatever Gods that where there above.

But the answer he got from them was not a direct way to freedom. As Lu Han took a few steps toward the exit he saw him coming from the other side, tumbling inside their waggon, looking as he himself wanted to escape, his red cheeks flaming with panic. When he noticed the two boys standing a few metres in front of him, his expression relaxed. Hope rose inside of Lu Han, hope that help was finally here, that this guy accepted that he had to give up now.

But it died as soon as he saw the man pointing his gun at Sehun, the sharp grin on his face telling Lu Han that he was not yet done with what he had started.

He could see people approaching from the other waggon, policemen probably, but he knew they would be too late.

Forced to choose between life and death, Lu Han did not listen to his head, but reacted according to what his heart told him.

Sehun’s name on his lips, he rushed to him as a gunshot echoed through the train, then another one, and another one.

His dark blue converse, covered in his own ruby coloured blood, where the last thing Lu Han saw, before he gave in to the pain and everything went black around him.

The next time he opened his eyes, he found himself on a street, in the middle of sparkling lights and various sounds. With an emptied mind, he met Oh Sehun a second time, unknowingly mixing the other’s reveries with his own.

Seeing himself lying in a hospital bed, he was forced to choose between life and death again.

And just like the first time, he hesitated no moment too long.

It's doooooonnneeee.

I admit, I quite struggled with writing this story (in fact, it was one of the most difficult stories I've ever written, although it's not even long OTL), but I really wanted to finish it and I'm proud I did.

Thank you for sticking with me and maybe?hopefully? until next time!

XXX, RaiCo