Day 1,096

Nightmares still plagued Chanyeol’s mind no matter how much time had passed.

Sleep was essential if he was to function properly but he had grown to be light sleeper, just getting enough hours so his body wouldn’t break down.  So it was normal he woke up at dawn.

It was dark enough that it didn’t seem like morning but it was and Chanyeol took a quick look to see Jinae and Minseok were still in a slumber.

Immediately he stood up, grabbing his things as he did so and strapping them to himself.

He reached the middle of the room before he stopped.

The image of Minseok appeared in his mind, of how the young boy insisted and begged.

Angrily, he ran his hand through his hair and with a few steps he collapsed onto the chair that Jinae was sitting on last night in defeat.

Waiting patiently, it took a while before Jinae stirred awake, causing Minseok to wake up as well. When the young boy opened his eyes though, seeing that Chanyeol wasn’t in his usual spot, he sat up quickly and scanned the room. When he spotted Chanyeol at the chair, he visibly relaxed and focused on his sister.

Chanyeol ignored them and got up, pushing the cabin door open.

“You’re not leaving are you?” the young boy asked him, his voice still riddled with sleep.

Without looking at him, Chanyeol shook his head. “No.”

Then he stepped outside and onto the porch. Taking in a breath of the cold and fresh mountain air, he pondered the choices he was making.

He knew at that point, he was no longer following his brain but his heart and he was still human, in spite of everything.

“So, what happens now?” Minseok asked him once Chanyeol stepped back into the cabin.

The tall male crossed his arms and leaned against a wall, his eyes were narrowed at the boy’s tone. Minseok at the least looked apologetic to be speaking to him bluntly like that. “There’s a city in the east, there’s bound to be some place that people have overlooked there and hopefully you’ll find the things you’re looking for.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Jinae questioned, having already taken her usual seat on the chair.

“At most, I’ll lead you to the main road which you’ll follow for a few days. It should easily take you there.”

“The main road—aren’t we supposed to avoid those types of places? That’s where they are.”

“It’s been years. They’re around but some have gone into hiding.”

“Doesn’t mean that it’s safe,” Minseok butted in.

“Is anything safe anymore? Do you two have weapons?” Chanyeol asked.

Jinae gestured to Minseok who grabbed the backpack that had all the clothes and fabric they were sleeping on, stuffed inside. Tucked in one of the pockets was a machete wrapped in a sheet and Minseok handed it to his sister who took the weapon.

“Just this,” Jinae answered.

“Have you killed any of them?”

There was a pause, and then Jinae shook her head while Minseok settled against leaning behind his sister’s chair.

Chanyeol raised his eyebrow. “Do you know how to kill them?”

“Through their heart,” Minseok said with ease.

The tall male nodded. “You can also kill them by severing their heads.”

Jinae got up then, her brother standing by to help her instantly as she limped towards the door. She turned to Chanyeol just before she went out, where he was standing and beckoned with her head for him to come along.

Once the two exited, he followed.

Their trip was silent, in case any talk would attract unwanted attention.

Despite the fact that Jinae slowed him down significantly, he travelled at a pace that they could follow without overexerting themselves, especially since the trip down the mountain was a bit of a rough one since they didn’t take to the trails but through the dense forest.

Grunts were heard every once in a while from the girl, probably from tripping over the odd root and even though Minseok was helping her it soon became obvious that they were struggling.

Chanyeol let out a sigh and he slowed to a stop, waiting for them to catch up to him. They did a few seconds later, and Minseok led Jinae to a tree so she could lean against it for support.

At the same time the older male took the bag carrying the squirrel he caught the day before and walked towards them.

He handed it to Minseok without a word. The young boy peeked into it quickly and looked up surprised but didn’t dare say anything only opting to tuck it in the backpack they had.

Jinae appeared confused when Chanyeol stopped in front of her but let out a shout when he suddenly scooped her up in his arms.

“What the hell?” she cried.

Carrying her bridal style, he was able lock eyes with her.

“You’re a liability right now with the pace we’re going,” he responded.

“I am not weak.”

Chanyeol started walking with Minseok following close behind. “I’m not saying you are.”

“Good. Because I won’t hesitate to kick your ,” Jinae responded.

The male nodded, acknowledging her threat.

They ended their conversation after that, seeing as they were getting near to the main road and as soon as they broke through the tree line, the three of them paused and eyed their surroundings.

Since they were on the outskirts of any nearby town, the roads were empty as expected but it seemed like no one had used the routes in a long time. Cracks had already appeared splitting the smooth pavement as the markings that signified opposite lanes had faded away.  

Among their surroundings was a silence that Chanyeol didn’t enjoy and once he placed Jinae on her feet, he turned to Minseok.

“If you follow down the road for most of the day, you’ll find the city at some point,” Chanyeol said.

Minseok blinked at him, his lips turned into a frown. “Does that mean you’re leaving now?”

Chanyeol nodded, but he didn’t say anything else.

The boy was about to find a way to convince him to come along with them probably, but then was stopped when Jinae put her hand on his shoulder and then shook her head.

“Okay,” Jinae stated simply. “Thank you for what you’ve done.”

The male inclined his head in answer and watched the sibling duo soon hobble down the road together and after a few metres he walked the opposite direction of the both of them.

He ignored the way his chest tightened as he travelled farther away and just when he was about to walk back into the forest once more, he paused for a moment.

They were capable people. After all, they lasted this long in the world so Chanyeol shouldn’t be worried of what would happen to them next, if they lived or if they died shouldn’t matter to him.

He survived because he formed no attachments over the years.

What made them different?

Nothing did.

So that was why when he thought he heard something, he continued on and ignored it.

When he heard a scream, he ignored that also, finally entering into the tree line but found himself rooted at the spot, grasping at the trunk of a tree tightly as he felt the fear in that scream.

Seconds of turmoil surrounded him until finally Chanyeol shook his head roughly, and he ran as fast as he could back to where he left them.

All he could think about was the fact that he wasn’t too late.

Everything else that came after was muscle memory.

Unsheathing his sword, he charged right in. His sword stabbed a middle aged man in the chest and as he crumbled into dust, Chanyeol was quick to move on to his next target. He was trying to get to Minseok who was fighting against two opponents larger than him, blocking them with swings of his backpack.

Jinae on the other hand was using her machete, and despite her ankle deterring certain moves and also the fact she hadn’t killed them before, she was able to hold her own well enough.

By the time Chanyeol reached Minseok, the boy had already killed one of them with a branch but the other had pushed him onto the ground and Minseok was struggling, using the stick as a buffer between them.

Quickly while the person was distracted, Chanyeol was able to execute a clean cut through their neck and instantly they disintegrated into ash onto Minseok who sputtered in answer.

The boy pushed himself up and accepted Chanyeol’s helping hand as he brushed off the remains. When the two turned to Jinae, she had already dispatched her own opponents.

“Told you we didn’t need help,” Jinae said with a grin when she saw Chanyeol standing there with her brother.

It dawned on Minseok that the tall male was back and he glanced at the older man with wide and eager eyes.

“Are you coming with us?” Minseok asked.

Chanyeol put his sword back in its stealth with a heavy sigh, whatever he said next would determine what path he would go on. The siblings kept quiet waiting for his answer and when Chanyeol finally shook his head with a silent no, he heard the moans of the darkness.

A herd? Out here?

Chanyeol swore venomously.

They weren’t going to survive that, not with the amount of people they had. It was suicide to stay where they were.

Chanyeol went into action, lifting Jinae by her waist and then grasping Minseok’s hand, tugging it until they were running down the road. Shrieks were heard and Chanyeol felt the oppressive atmosphere creep up on him. Veering to the left, the trio entered into the forest, running along the side.

Finally he slowed them to a stop, and let go of Minseok’s hand to signal the both of them to keep silent. Hiding behind a large tree truck, they heard the herd within metres of where they were and Chanyeol watched their heads turn, skulls flashing upon skin showcasing the fact they were too far gone to act human anymore. At that point, they were monsters.

Alive but dead inside.

It was for the best the herd was like that because it meant they wouldn’t spot the trio so easily and Chanyeol was right.

After a few seconds, the herd moved on heading down the road.

Jinae let out an audible sigh of relief, having tensed up in Chanyeol’s arms just moments before.

“They’re gone?” she whispered.

Chanyeol nodded. “We’re good. Now we just have to follow the road by the forest for a while in case there happens to be more.”

The siblings let out affirmations and as Minseok trekked ahead of them, Chanyeol resigned to carrying Jinae once more.

Maybe it was the silence but after a while Jinae started to hum under her breath and Chanyeol glanced at her confused. But seeing as she wasn’t looking at him, he focused on the backpack on Minseok instead, his head bobbing almost unconsciously to the tune that Jinae was humming.

When the song came to a close, Chanyeol spoke.

“What was that?”

Jinae turned her head to lock eyes and she shrugged.

“I don’t know anymore. Maybe it was a song I heard somewhere or a lullaby from when I was young, but it’s a song I’ve remembered for some time.”

Chanyeol studied her. “Do you remember anything?”

“From before?” Jinae added. When Chanyeol nodded, the girl shook her head. “Not really. I mean, with each day that has passed I realize I’m forgetting what my past life was like. It’s sort of disappearing from me…”

Chanyeol didn’t say anything; he didn’t need to because he knew what she was talking about.

Jinae glanced around as if distracting herself from the way their conversation was going. Finally she