"What do you mean they need Alpha`s help?" Kikwang shrieked, "Alpha only...? Then... what about us?"

Junhyung lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, "Yifan said you guys will stay here while we will go out to some... facility... He did say that you guys will be alright as long as you don`t get out there"

"You saw how dangerous it is right to be out there? What if the infected touch you, you die then? There is no way I let you guys go" Kikwang said, shaking his head. 

"We don`t really in any position to say anything in this matter, Kikwang-ah" Hyunseung sighed dejectedly, "Yifan said that we will go to the destination on foot, acting like we are people at the outside, try to blend in. We don`t want people at the outside get to know where we come from"

Dongwoon  frowned at the statement, "They already know this place actually... Didn`t they saw us when we get here?"

"Those gate already being shut and Yifan said, people at the outside thought, it`s the only way in. So, we are going to use other exit to get out. That`s why we have to keep it secret" Junhyung mumbled.  

Doojoon stayed silent the whole time the others discussed the matter. He watched Yoseop who also stayed silent, listening to what Junhyung and Hyunseung were saying and then, he turned to look at Doojoon with eyes glistening with fear and doubt, something Doojoon had never see before. 

"When will you guys go?" Yoseop asked slowly almost whispering. 

"The day after tomorrow" Doojoon answered. 

"What will you guys do at the facility?" 

Doojoon take a seat beside Yoseop on the bed, "Yifan said that there`s a doctor that can create the cure for Highlight. We need to bring the doctor here"

Dongwoon raised his eyebrows, "Don`t they have military force for this kind of thing? You guys are just fireman, architect and a teacher. We might be a soldier before but-"

"That`s exactly why Yifan ask for us" Junhyung butted in, "We are the best soldiers before and their soldier need to protect this safe zone. They only left with 2 squad full of Alpha and so they need as many Alpha as they can"

"Don`t you guys understand?" Kikwang sighed, "That was before... 1000 years back. We can`t possibly be the best anymore. You guys especially. I don`t know what were you thinking, agreeing to what they want but... this is too dangerous. Once infected, you won`t see either of us anymore"

"Let`s not think about that" Hyunseung said, "Yifan said we need all man power to find the cure to this. We saw what had happened to the outside land, what if the virus spread to the inside? We have to find the cure. Don`t you think so?" He asked, looking at Kikwang.

The other man sighed again, can`t simply argue with the beautiful man, "Fine. If that`s what you were thinking, I can say anything anymore but please take care of yourself. We just met months ago and I don`t want to lose you guys again, not again..."

Hyunseung looked at Junhyung who almost in dreamland already. He simply nodded at Kikwang and proceed to lay beside Junhyung to take a nap with his boyfriend, hoping that once he woke up, all these are just a dream and they are still at the waterfall. 

While at the other bed, Doojoon and Yoseop were both quiet. None of them knew what to say to each other. Doojoon felt kind of quilty for not asking some time for them to discuss about the matter before agreeing to Yifan`s request. They were the only one that need to be separated with each other compared to the others. 

"Be careful when you go out there" Yoseop said softly. He looked at the fireman beside him and smiled his infamous small twitch of the side lips, "Just hurry up and get back here... to me... okay?"

Doojoon breath in deeply before nodded, "Are you sure you will be okay?"

"I will be okay as long as I stayed inside here, right?"

"Yeah" He chuckled and then slowly lay down on the bed, pulling the other man with him, hugging him tightly, "This bed is quite narrow for both of us"

"Of course it is. It`s a single bed. I should be laying down at the bed upstairs" Yoseop slapped Doojoon`s toned stomach. "Don`t you have any abs? Even I have them..."

"I have toned stomach and that`s fine with me. I don`t even have abs 1000 years back" Doojoon said, "And don`t you dare move to the other bed. This way, we can cuddle even more tightly... isn`t it?"  

Yoseop rolled his eyes and relaxed his body against the other man, "Yeah... this is nice..." Closing his eyes and prayed that the sleep comes quickly, by then, he didn`t have to think much about other things. 

_____*****_____

The 6 friends were having their dinner at the hall provided when Yifan came with several other men, standing at the front, gaining attention from everybody in the hall. They stopped chatting and looked at the man with anticipation. 

Yifan cleared his throat, "As you already know, tomorrow morning, few of my men and also few of your people will be doing a mission at the outside land to retrieve a doctor that can possibly help us fight Highlight" 

Most of the people cheer out as they heard the news. All of them had been waiting for the time they can finally step outside again, to their house, possibly meet with the family members and friends who has been trapped at the outside, having their normal life back. 

Well, if Doojoon, Junhyung and Hyunseung didn`t have to be sent outside, they would have been cheering too like the others. But the night has been quite gloomy for the friends, considering it can be their last night together if things go out wrong. 

"We do hope that all of you stay at the inside, live your normal life just like any other day so that the people at the outside didn`t suspect anything. And we will be short in military manpower so if anything goes wrong, we can`t promise that we can protect all of you" Yifan continued. 

"The thing that we can promise is that the team that will go out first thing tomorrow morning, will do their best to get to the doctor and bring him here to this safe zone, so that we can work on our next step into peace again. He is our only hope here"

"You all have seen what Highlight can do to people. This virus is dangerous and so we need to find the cure as quickly as we can and we are doing as best as we can. So, we will also need your help in maintaining this as they are in here and cause no problem to the military manpower that will stay"

"And for those who willingly help us tomorrow, I humbly bow in front of you for your generous offer and help. Humankind can`t possibly ask for more" Yifan said, looking at the table of the 6 friends, "And so, please enjoy your dinner, I will continue to deliver news about this mission tomorrow" 

As the man left the hall, Kikwang shook his head dejectedly. Time flies so fast and soon, three of his friend will risk their life once again for humanity. Enough of this . They have been dealing with the same thing for 1000 years already, "You guys sure about this?" He asked, munching on his scrambled eggs. 

"We talked about this already, Kikwang" Junhyung grunted. He felt tired for saying the same thing over and over again to Kikwang. The man had been most vocal in showing his disagreement compared to the other, "We will go tomorrow and that`s the end of it" 

"I was just worried. You remember what happened to us before in this same kind of mission? Seung lost his legs. Seob had to blow himself up. What if the same thing happen again?" 

Yoseop scoffed, "I can`t possibly blow myself up anymore, Kikwang-ah"

"That`s not the point here. What I am trying to say is that I don`t want to lose you guys again" He said, desperately trying to make his friend stay, "I love this bond that we have. We have the bond greater than any other people. I don`t want to lose it. It`s too dangerous out there" 

"Why don`t you stay in here and pray for us, Kikwang-ah" Hyunseung said, looking at the slightly younger man in front of him, "We will be fine if we`re careful enough and I am sure none of us want anything to go wrong. So we will be extra careful out there. Yifan said that we will wear extra layer of clothes just to make sure if we get in contact with the infected, the virus won`t get to our skin" 

Dongwoon looked at his boyfriend and rubbed the man`s slump shoulder, "They will be okay, Kiki" He cooed, "We will pray hard for them and before you know it, they already back here with us. Yifan said that the mission last for most one week and one week past like a blink of an eye. Trust me, okay" 

Kikwang sighed and dejectedly continue to eat silently. 

"Just please be careful guys. You never know what kind of people you will encounter out there, isn`t it?" Dongwoon said, smiling softly, "And don`t worry about Kikwang. He will be fine. I will make sure he will be okay until you guys come back safe and sound" 

"Yeah, please take care of him, Woon-ah" Doojoon said, watching Kikwang helplessly toss around his food. "And we promise to come back as fast as we can. We will just be taking the doctor with us here. It should not be long, I think"

Junhyung nodded, "I doubt the soldier that go out with us want to be outside for a longer time. No one want to stay out there" 

"Just make sure to be very careful" Yoseop said softly as he winced when the bread he swallowed somehow taste like sand paper inside his throat.

_____*****_____ 

Yoseop sighed, in the middle of calming himself. His hand busy folding the already neat clothes belong to Doojoon, stuffing things needed into the single bagpack given by Yifan. He stuffed everything he can into it, clothes, water bottles, some food, torchlight, small medical kit and many other unnecessary things.

The said man was getting ready for his mission. Quietly getting dress, not wanting to break the uncomfortable silent between him and Yoseop. As he fasten his shoes, he slowly take a seat in front of Yoseop on their bed. He looked at the smaller man, noticing how hard Yoseop try not to look at him. 

"Seop..."

Yoseop`s shoulder jolted a little. His hands slow down and apparently stopped after finish zipping the bagpack. 

"I will come back"

"I`ll kill myself if you don`t" Yoseop said, whispering. 

Doojoon`s eyes widened but then he softly smile, "Yeah... I`ll do the same if you were to be sent out there" He said and then they fell into another deep silent. He sneakily take Yoseop`s hands and clasp it into his, "I love you, Seop... You know that, right?"

"I know..." Yoseop looked up, burning the handsome face into his brain, "Promise me you will be careful, okay? I can`t lose you... just when we just want to build our life together. Not now..."

"Seop..." The other man pulled Yoseop into a tight embrace, "I can`t lose you too. That`s why, I promise that I will come back to you. Just give us... let see... 2 weeks top? If I am not back in 2 weeks, you go ask Yifan about it, can you?"

"Sure... I`ll go and ask him and if he didn`t have the answer, I`ll personally sneak out and look for you"

_____*****_____

"My heart seriously going to burst out of my chest" Hyunseung said, timing his breathing slowly. He was getting really nervous as it was getting nearer for them to go out. 

Junhyung rubbed the back of his boyfriend`s tense shoulder, "It`s okay. Just act like there`s nothing going wrong and follow the plan. We will just going to places we used to go before. It`s just that this time, there are lots of blood" He shrugged. 

Doojoon snorted at the comment, "Let`s just remember how we face Line7, 1000 years back. It far worst than this, isn`t it?" He looked at the front of the vehicle they currently in and soon, he can see the other side of the border. 

The vehicle stopped few hundred metres from the border and all of them went out. One of the soldiers ask them to squat down while he checked the perimeter for any outsider. When it`s clear, he slowly speak so that no one other than the group can hear him. 

"Okay gentlemen... it`s show time" He whispered, "Let`s stick to the plan. Three in one group and if you can, act tired and lifeless. Slowly walked, follow the group in front of you but make sure to have at leasr 35 metres distance from each other and also, most importantly, look out for infected and don`t get in contact with any of the outsider. Remember, once you get infected, I will have to either abandon you or kill you so if you want to see your love ones again, do be very careful until we reach the destination" 

The three former soldiers listen very carefully and once in a while, looked around them for any sign of outsider. The soldier finished his last speech and asked for all of them to pray for their safety. 

"If nothing goes wrong, we will only stay at the outside for 2 weeks top and God help us fight this Highlight!" He nodded, very much to himself before standing up and signalling that they are about to go now. 

But then, of course, things can`t be going smoothly. 

_____*****_____