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"To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not,
to think one knows what one does not know.
No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of all blessings for a man,
yet men fear it as if they knew that it is the greatest of all evils."
― Socrates

“How are we going to do this? There’s an incoming storm too,” Jin asked, staring down at the horde of Erratics. He watched as the two objects of their interest became smaller and smaller in the distance.

“If we want our two people, we’re going to need to get closer but that will attract the Erratics either way,” Hoseok reminded. Jimin clucked his tongue in annoyance. “Then what can we do? We have to do this quick enough to avoid both the Erratics and the storm.”

“I can shoot down the Erratics while one of us climbs down to take down the two,” Yoongi said, adjusting his controls.

“I’ll go down,” Hoseok said, tightening the straps on his bag. A hand held him back and he turned around in question.

“I’ll go down. Your body might still be recovering from the recent injuries,” Taehyung said, suddenly grinning. “Plus, my upper body strength is better than yours so it’ll be easier for me to stay on the ladder.”

Hoseok rolled his eyes, letting him step by him to stand near the door.

“Open fire in 3,” Yoongi counted.

“2.” Taehyung pulled open the door to the helicopter, staggering back at the impact of the wind.

“1.” He threw the ladder down and watched it unfurl itself in the air before taking his first step out, hearing the sounds of the turrets ring by his ears. He looked down and watched as the Erratics fell to the ground one by one.

With one arm hooked securely hooked onto the last rung of the ladder, he took his handgun out of his thigh holster with the other to shoot down the few stray Erratics who were reaching for him. He swayed back and forth with the wind, struggling to get a clear shot at the two figures in front of him.

Once he saw their figures clearly in his view, he tilted his head, seeing that one of them was a girl. The wind blew off her cap, and his eyes rounded when he saw her pink hair.

It felt like a tremor ran through his head and the grip he had on his pistol slipped, dropping it metres below him. He groaned, not understanding why it felt like his head was splitting apart and he could barely hear both s shouting at him, the Erratics, and the whirring of both the turret and the helicopter blades.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jungkook asked, peering down. “Pull him up!” Jin shouted.

Suddenly, the helicopter shifted to the side and the members who were not strapped down, stumbled over.

“What the ?” Yoongi asked, looking up at the looming clouds. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the swirling orange and yellow colours off in the distance.

“The storm is getting closer,” Namjoon said, struggling to stabilize the airborne vehicle.

“Taehyung, can you hear me?” Hoseok asked, pressing his finger into the earpiece. There was another gust of wind, and he had no choice but to close the door to the helicopter for now.

Jungkook looked out the window, but all that he could see underneath was dust and sand, blocking his view from anything below the towering trees.

“Pull it up! Pull it up!” Jin shouted, signalling for Jimin to help him turn the lever faster. They opened the door when the ladder clicked against the side and their mouths fell open.

Taehyung wasn’t on it.

Nari coughed when the dust infiltrated her lungs and she reached for the dust mask hanging off the side of her bag to put it on Baekhyun. She pulled her sweater up higher above her nose. The two of them stopped running, however, when they heard the gunshots from behind again.

“They’re not gone?” Baekhyun asked, turning around to see what was going on. Nari squinted her eyes. “There’s no way the helicopter would be able to fly properly with the storm incoming.”

“Then what are the gunshots coming from?” Baekhyun asked, stepping back. Nari frowned, letting go of his arm to step into the swirling dust. His eyes rounded, seeing her move and he pulled her back.

“What are you doing?” he hissed. She shook her head. “I’m going to check it out. Something doesn’t feel right.” She gave him her gun, and he gripped onto it.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, hooking a rope from her bag to his waistband to make sure they didn’t lose each other in the sand.

He watched her disappear further into the sand and he felt his chest heave up and down in worry.

Nari held out another handgun in front of her, making sure that there were no Erratics. She blinked, finally realizing that the gunshots had stopped. Now, she had no idea where to go and she turned around in all directions to see if she could hear anything else.

She heard snarling to her right and she stepped forward. Her eyes were burning from the dust and she felt the tears forming.

Her eyes finally adjusted, seeing an Erratic hovered over something on the ground. Her eyes widened and she aimed the gun, watching the Erratic fall over to the ground before she ran over to the figure lying on the ground.

She tapped on his helmet, but there was no response. She wiped the dust coating his helmet and her eyes widened.

“Taehyung?”

They found shelter within the suburbs outside of the city, and Nari made sure to board up the windows and open areas to the house. They would have to stay here at least until the storm passed.

Baekhyun watched as Nari tended to the wounds on the soldier. He felt lost, seeing her concerned expression that she only wore when he, himself, was injured.

“Is he okay?” he asked, seeing Nari remove his helmet. She nodded. “He twisted his ankle from the fall and the Erratic managed to claw through the reinforced fabric so he has some cuts here and there.”

“Who is he?” Baekhyun asked. Nari turned to him and let out a small sigh. “He’s someone I knew from the Cover.”

His eyes rounded. “So you two know each other?” Nari shook her head. “Soohyuk’s been messing with his memories lately. I don’t think he remembers me, which would be for the better anyway.”

“If he only sustained a few injuries, why is he not waking up?” Baekhyun frowned. He was going to ask more when he suddenly started coughing. He clutched onto his chest, feeling it burn. Nari rushed to him and her eyes widened when she saw the blood that he coughed up splatter onto the floor.

“Baek,” she whispered, worriedly. She grabbed a cloth from her bag and wiped his mouth. He looked up at her and all she could see was the yellow eyes staring back at her.

“I don’t feel so good, Nari,” he confessed, leaning back against the couch. Nari grabbed a flask and handed it to him, watching him drink some of the water down.

“You said that you didn’t know what would happen to me with the serum since I didn’t have cancerous cells, right?” he asked quietly. Nari nodded, sitting down beside him. He threw an arm over his eyes and let out a laugh.

“I read about this. I’m a Typic. The humans who don’t survive the serum because my body won’t be able to take the drugs pumped inside of me,” he said. “My organs will fail, and soon, death.”

Her eyes widened and she stared at him. He opened his eyes and was not surprised to see her reflection.

He placed his palm against her cheek. “I saw it, Nari. I saw the yellow eyes staring back at you every time you looked me in the eye. You knew about it all along, didn’t you?”

Nari looked down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you.”

He let out a sigh, but he felt no anger or resentment towards her. Rather, he felt sad, realizing he would leave her up here all alone soon.

“You didn’t have to. Why do you think I got exiled? I read the research notes I wasn’t supposed to,” he said. She looked up, her eyes unreadable for a moment.

“Then, do you know the whole story?”

He nodded, seeing her expression fall. “I do. I know about the world before the drug. I know the people behind it. I know where you played your part.”

She pulled back from him. “Then why did you stay with me all this time? You knew.” He reached out for her but she shook her head, standing up.

“You’re not destructive, Nari. You’re trying your best to fix this, aren’t you?” he reasoned. She shook her head, running her hands through her hair. She fell to the floor with a cry.

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want this to happen.” she whispered. He saw her shoulders heaving up and down and knew she was having another panic attack. He pushed himself off the couch and went to crouch down beside her. He pulled her into his arms.

“Nari, it’s okay. What’s done is done. It was never your fault.”

Baekhyun had been staring up at the dark ceiling in silence when he felt another coughing fit form. He clutched onto his chest, wrinkling up the fabric of his shirt as he tried to keep it down, not wanting to wake up the two people sleeping in the same room.

He reached down to pick up the candle and he lit it with one of the matches. He saw Nari’s sleeping face, with her head on the opposite end of the couch, and he set himself down onto the ground beside her.

After she tired herself out from crying earlier, she had fallen asleep. He had stayed there after putting her to sleep, thinking to himself in silence.

He read all about his condition in the files. He was lucky to have lasted this long already. It was just a matter of time before his eyes would go blind and he would become paralyzed. His internal organs would fail and the coughing would only make him lose more blood.

He stood up, walking over towards her bag. He grabbed her notebook, tore off a page from the book and pulled out the dining chair. He set the candle down beside him so that he could see the page.

Then, he began writing.

Once he finished, he pushed the page away before his tears stained the paper and he folded it up, sticking the note into her hand. He ran his fingers through her hair and he looked away, feeling his chest tighten up.

He looked back at her face, seeing her furrowed eyebrows in her sleep. Baekhyun lowered his body so that he could kiss her on the lips. He lingered there for a few seconds, wanting to remember this moment.

He finally pulled back and he stepped away. He took the necklace out from under his shirt and he placed it into her hands as well. He grabbed the crowbar beside her bag and walked towards the front door to pry open the wooden boards.

Once they were off, he hammered the nails back in from the other side and with one last look at the house, he began walking down the empty roads.

Alone.

Nari woke up and she blinked her eyes a few times to clear up the drowsiness. She blinked, not seeing Baekhyun with her. She looked over and saw Taehyung still sleeping but she was confused as to where Baekhyun could have gone.

“Baek?” she called out, getting up. She felt something fall out from her hands when she got up and she bent down to pick it up. She frowned, confused to see the rolled up piece of paper and Baekhyun’s necklace dangling in her fingers.

Her eyes rounded as she read and she fell back onto the couch, her legs shaking.

Hey,

First of all, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I left you alone. I’m sorry that I had to go. I’m sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to protect you like I said I would. Before you run out the door to try and find me, just hear me out first.

After being exiled, I honestly thought that was the end of my life. I figured I would run out of supplies or fresh water and would either starve myself to death, be ripped apart by an Erratic, or be caught up in the ed up weather patterns.

But then I met you. The girl who ran through that city with nothing else left to lose. You may have thought this whole time that I was the one who saved you but you are the one who saved me. You kept me going for all these years and I would have never imagined that I would be able to live on the Surface for so long.

I’d like to believe that we were in love and even to the last few minutes of my life, I’ll cling onto that hope. I’ve never seen someone so strong, so beautiful, and so full of light. You were the reason I stayed alive.

I’m sorry that I never told you what I knew. I figured you already knew all of it already. I know of the drug’s origins, and I know its creators. I know what it was meant to do and I know where it went wrong. I know how many it killed and who survived. I’m sorry that you had to be a part of this.

I wasn’t going to live long, Nari. I was never supposed to. I was just a dispensable soldier. I would say that I am surprised he decided to end my life this way, but I really am not.

I’m thankful for him, in a way. At least I can die without being torn apart by the Erratics or without turning into one of them. That was always my greatest fear.

I know you’ll hate me right now. You’re going to hate me for leaving you. There is no cure for the Typics, Nari. We’ve researched this for years. The only ones you can save are the Erratics. So, please, complete the research in my stead.

I’m running out of room to write but I just wanted you to know that I love you. You were a pillar of hope, and you always will be. Stay strong and complete what we were trying to do. Don’t falter and don’t give in.

Please don’t come looking for me. I want you to remember me as the man who was strong enough to stand by you and be your partner all these years. I don’t want you to see me become weak. I don’t want you to see my body fail me even more. I don’t want you to go through this pain with me.

I feel a bit better knowing I didn’t leave you completely alone, you have a soldier from the Cover with you.

Free them, Nari. Free all of them. Show them the Surface isn’t to be feared. Show him you aren’t afraid of him.

I’ll be watching you from above.

Signed, Baek.

a u t h o r 's    n o t e 

      Well, there's that. Poor Baek. I'm going to miss him. 

      I also can't thank you guys enough for the comments, subscriptions  and upvotes. It means so much to me that someone takes the time to write a comment after reading and as usual, I'll always reply. And to those who upvote, you're the bestest. Thank you for making my day that much better.