Outside of bustling cities, it's noticeable that the air seems clearer. Away from heavy pollution and constant movement, there's peace floating in even the faintest of breezes. Maybe it's what makes these green luscious trees towering as high as buildings grow and flourish. With the window rolled down, Changkyun can feel the fresh gust of wind whipping against his face, rustling his bangs side to side. The touch feels like faint caress, trying to soothe away troubled thoughts embroiled in his mind.

They drive along along a smooth paved road, winding through a parting of surrounding dense forests. As he stares at the greenery with such concentration, his eyesight begins to grow blurry coupled with dizziness sprouting at the forefront of his mind. Even then, he refuses to turn away from the window and instead closes his eyes. 

The ride is silent bar the radio humming with some unfamiliar tune. It helps alleviate some of the overbearing tension, if only for the trip's duration. 

He sighs, letting his head lag against the door frame, ignoring the way his neck rests uncomfortably at this angle. He doesn't want to be here, cramped in a small space with these specific six people. The blowout two days ago still stings somewhere beneath his skin, those sharp traded words gnawing any bit of confidence he still had in this relationship. He can only count it a blessing that Kihyun was the one to take the middle seat beside him; anyone else and this road trip would have been even more unbearable. 

As he watches the rare glimpse of nature uninhibited beauty pass by, i t's regrettable to think that just last spring, he would have said this excursion is unbelievable chance to escape idol life just to spend with his beloved hyungs, the guys he shares an intimate and intense bond with behind closed doors. But now...he doesn't know what's left.

He can feel eyes watching him on occasion, either Jooheon or Shownu taking peeks from the rearview mirror. He pretends he doesn't know, it's easier that way.

A tired sigh is exhaled from the back, Hyungwon stretching out his tingling limbs. "How much further, hyung?"

Their leader clears his throat. "I'd say about an hour or so left. Not much longer."

At that everyone else shifts, the relief palpable that the 5 hour journey will be over soon. Perhaps the car is as stifling to them as it is to Changkyun. He sits up straight again, takes a peek out the front window to glimpse at the road. The hot sun is starting to lower in the sky, signaling nearly half the day is gone. 'Almost there,' he thinks. But then again, what awaits them when they finally do arrive?

As the occupants in the car settle again in their seats, the truck rounds the bend and in an instant it takes too long to realize what's in front of them. An entire pile up of skewed cars awaiting. Changkyun's hand clenches hard on the door in fright.

"Look out!" Jooheon shouts, but even as Shownu swerves to try and avoid hitting the last car in the lineup, it's too little too late. Their right side catches the rear of the minivan and at nearly 70 miles per hour, they go spinning in the air and hurtling off the road. Someone shouts, maybe they all do as their young lives flash before their very eyes. All they can do is brace themselves for the painful impact to come.

The first time the truck hits the ground on it's side, it rattles nearly every bone in Changkyun's body and he swears at the nasty whip lash. The whole truck swings to flip over and Changkyun doesn't even think as he braces an arm across Kihyun to keep him in place because the only thing that pops into his head is that the black haired singer didn't wear his seatbelt. He feels soft fingers touch his hand as if to reassure him.

Sadly, he just forgets that he too has no seatbelt on.

And in doing the move, it means his flimsy hold on the door handle is easily overpowered by the momentum. He smacks his temple on the ceiling and before he can blink, he's thrown out and onto toward the grassy slope, landing on his back and hitting the base of his skull with a dull thud. But his left leg has not cleared the car and as the car tips, the edge of the hood smashes down on the space above his knee, causing him to shout in agony before the window frame underneath his calve pushes up and tosses him full out like a rag doll. He's hurtling down the slope, body colliding against the terrain with each uncontrollable turn, until he reaches the flat bottom and finally lands in a crumbled state in the thickest brush near the gathering trees. 

The first thing he notices is the fact that he's wheezing, the wind knocked- or better yet beaten out of him. It takes what feels like an hour to get his breath back, but when he does, he wished it had taken longer. Because now comes the pain. Despite the trauma, he doesn't pass out which means he can't escape the all encompassing pain that radiates from his whole body like being trapped in a cage that made completely of hot metal. It leaves him immobilized on his back, fearful if he moves he'll be sick. He can still hear the awful smashing of metal of the truck still rolling, away from wherever he landed until it finally goes silent.

Then comes the screams, the horrified shouts as people make their way down the slope to help. Except, their voices aren't getting any closer, in fact they seem to be getting further from him. He turns his head, a spike of pain causing him to in a few deep breaths with eyes squinted before it gradually dissipates. The brush surrounding him is tall, at least two feet high and coarse. He can barely see out of the sparse edge, but it's enough to get a look at the truck.

From where he's at, he thinks it looks god awful. The car is flipped upside down, gashes and dents scattered all over like a crappy paint job. The crowd of volunteers is surrounding it, pulling his bandmates from the wreck while others are gathered to watch helplessly. Someone near the car is shouting something that causes a panic, but Changkyun can't make it out, his head hurts too much. 

Through peaks of the brush, he can see Hyungwon shouldering Minhyuk as they stumble towards the road. People guide them along the way, mindful of their injuries.

He tries to call out weakly, the sound soft and hoarse. "Help...me..."

Shownu is stumbling to the road, followed by Jooheon who is leaning against an older man for help. 

His head is beginning to throb, and he can feel something wet sliding down his temple."Come...back," his hoarse voice says as wetness gathers in the corner of his right eye.

Wonho is being shuffled up the slope by a few women, his face scrunched as if he's crying while he points towards at a group who is carrying an unconscious Kihyun. 

And the crowd is hurrying away from the totaled car, many inaudible words yelled as they rush to the road. No one comes towards him, no one looks around for him. The wind is blowing through the brush, soft bristles caressing his skin as if to comfort him in his abandoned state. 

"Please..." both eyes are wet and blurring his vision. "Please don't leave me..."

And then the world explodes in fire-

He startles out of lucid dreams, chest heaving as sweat gathers near his temple. His breath gushes in and out of his mouth in stuttering gasps, his lungs throbbing in his chest. He can almost feel the ghost of heat scorching his face, making it all seem to real. It's when he starts to somewhat regain composure does he realize that the surface he is laying upon is no longer uneven nor does it bristle beneath his palm. It is soft and warm, but the room itself is not bright in the way hospitals are; there's only one faint light coming from the lone candle on the wooden table near him.

Still dazed and lost from the dream and new surroundings, he sits up and tries to move as a voice suddenly yells, "WAIT!"

But it's too late, as sickening pain explodes from left leg causing a short gasp before he screams, hoarse and sobbing as he slams back into the bed, arching against the horrid sensation. He tries to thrash, but suddenly there's hands hold him in place, keeping him stuck in this atrocious state.

"Shh, shh. It's ok. It's ok," a soft voice tries to calm him. "Just stop moving and the pain recede. Shh. I promise." 

He's choking on sobs with his eyes clenched shut, the noises he's making pitiful and gritty. But he still tries to stay still and prays the pain to fade like promised. 

The hands retract slowly as if worried he start moving again. "I'm just gonna give you something for the pain, it should help a lot." There's the sound of shuffling feet followed by a rustle of something near him.

He keeps his eyes closed, willing himself to not move a muscle until after a few minutes, the pain in his leg gradually dies down enough to be bearable. After letting out shaky uneven breaths, he relaxes back into the bed and opens his eyes. He looks towards the other person in the room, and sees it's a woman dressed in a dark sweater and jeans.

After a moment of watching her, he gathers the courage to speak his thoughts. "Who are you? Where am I?" he asks, the tear tracks still drying on his face.

She drags a wooden chair close to the bed, sitting down closer to the light. Now he can see she's older, maybe late 40s as there are a few lines on her face. The woman places her hand on his, patting it kindly. "My name is Jaeun and you're in my home."

He looks around the room, walls constructed of rich brown wood with a high ceiling of interwoven beams. The room is sparse, with nothing more than a bed, side table, and small fireplace in the far corner. He frowns, ignoring his head beginning to feel off balanced. "But...the car accident?"

She nods, making an affirming sound. "You were in a bad wreck on the highway. It's a few miles from here."

He closes his eyes and tries to rub the pressure in his head away with the heel of his free hand. He doesn't understand. "Why am I not in a hospital?"

"We're out in the rural areas and the hospital is at least 100 miles away. I was worried that traveling so far would be terrible in your state so we-I brought you here."

 His attention is drawn to the hand she's holding, realizing there's an IV line hooked up to him. "You're a doctor?"

"A nurse, though this would be the first house call," she says lightly.

He reaches down when he feels a shallow throb above his knee. "My leg-"

She quickly grabs his hand, pulling them away from the area and placing them on his chest. "It's better if you don't touch your leg right now, or look it at it."

The statement sits like lead in his gut, but he's feeling too tired to argue or even ask. He swallows lethargically, his tongue starting to feel thick in his mouth and his thoughts beginning to jumble. "I'm feeling-"

"I know," she pats his shoulder, getting up to cover him in a soft blanket. "The medication I gave you not just to take away pain, but also to help you rest. That's the best thing you can do for yourself now."

"But..." there's so many things he wants to ask, so many confusing things he doesn't understand. Answers he needs to know. Why did this happen? Where is everyone?  Where are his hyungs? "Are...are the boys here?"

Confusion colors her expression. "The boys?"

He nods, the movement slow and sluggish. "Yeah...my hyungs," he blinks and tries to keep his eyes open. "They...they were there...too."

There's unease and trouble clear in her eyes. She cradles his hand and answers gently, like his mother used to do when she knew he was going to be disappointed by her answer. "No I'm sorry. When I arrived at the crash site, there was no one else there."

His eyelids are too heavy to hold up as the pain becomes numb and distant, but the words are nonetheless crushing as he's dragged down into the dreamless sleep.