Act 7 “Broken”

“Where’s he?” Yunho asked, wanting fast answer,” And give me his infected blood.”

“He’s right there,” a woman in white cape pointed to a bed near the window,” Yunho, wait. Are you sure about the blood?”

“I’m sure,” Yunho gave definite answer,” It’s the only way I can get my strength back. I’m the broken one anyway; it’s my only way to survive those zombies.”

The woman wanted to protest but she forced a nod and opened a cabinet. Meanwhile as she searched a bottle full of Yoochun’s blood, which contained SMV, Yunho moved toward Yoochun’s bed. He could see an IV full of antidote being injected to Yoochun’s arm. He knew the man would be fine. Just before he turned to the woman, a faint whisper caught his ears.

“Jaejoong hyung…” Yoochun’s eyes were closed but his mouth moved as Yunho came closer to listen clearly,” Jaejoong hyung is also…infected because he saved me…”

“What?!” Yunho gasped as he asked in horror,” What do you mean?”

“He…exchanged our blood so he could…buy some time for both of us,” Yoochun barely spoke as Yunho cursed and took the blood from the woman’s grips. He opened the content and drank them fast. He took another bottle from the woman and kept it on his bag, just in case.

“Take care of him and the other man,” Yunho ordered the woman,” I’ll be back soon enough.”

“Please be careful,” the woman spoke as Yunho’s figure disappeared. The man hasted his pace as he used his mask of oxygen and jumped into the tunnel. The water was mixed with dead blood but Yunho could care less as he used his eyes behind the goggles to look for the way. Using the flashlight, Yunho moved his legs and hands fast to fight the water. He swam fast as all of the sudden his sight got better and better and his stamina went back. The blood had to work out, Yunho thought.

Kicking the water, Yunho finally got the last place he fought zombies and spotted few zombies were having hard time to swim. Yunho knew it wouldn’t last long till the virus in their dead brain learnt to swim; it had amazing evolutionary power after all. That one thing Yunho amazed but hated.

Breathing through his supplied oxygen, Yunho shot one of zombies that blocked his way; he’s lucky to get advance technology for waterproof guns. Going deeper and deeper, Yunho felt it was like forever till he was finally in the junction. He was about to go to the passage Changmin took but then he noticed higher ground than the others. It’s another passage that led to the obvious dead end and the one they didn’t really examine. Yunho swam toward it as he lifted his head, breathing normally with the air around him.

Getting up, Yunho stood on the ground as he moved in caution. He spotted some barrels as he pointed his gun behind the barrel but there’s nothing. Still moving forward, his sight began to shine his way as he felt his awareness of his surrounding rose high; another effect of the blood he’s taken before from Yoochun.

“Who’s there?!” a scared yet stern voice caught Yunho’s ears as he realized the voice.

“Changmin?” Yunho called,” It’s me. Yunho.”

“Hyung!” Changmin cried out as Yunho rushed toward the man he spotted crawling like a ball, leaning on the wall as he closed his ears with his both hands.

“What’s wrong? Where’s Jaejoong?” Yunho bombed the question as he regretted when he saw Changmin’s face. The younger man looked terrified to bits and he realized Changmin was blocking a door behind him. It was supposed to be a door leaded to small maintenance room or something. Yunho wanted to open it, just to get stopped by the younger one.

“Don’t! I beg you to not open the door,” Changmin cried as Yunho realized some cuts and bruise all over the younger one’s body.

“Changmin, please calm down and tell me what’s going on?” Yunho demanded softly as some flashback came to Changmin’s mind.

[FLASHBACK]

“Hyung! Hurry!” Changmin shouted his lungs as he kept shooting the zombies; preventing them to get any closer to Jaejoong, who’s running toward the pipe. His struggle to cover Jaejoong wasn’t going as planned as a zombie hit Jaejoong. Changmin rushed to the oncologist’s side, just to get block by more zombies.

“Damn you!” Jaejoong’s curse echoed as Changmin realized he ran out of bullet. Few meters away, Changmin saw Jaejoong kicked the zombie and pressed the bomb timer before throwing it to the pipe. Just when the machine made contact to the pipe, it exploded, causing huge impact to anything or even anyone in the big round room. The storm of hot air locked in the room because the round shape and hit them over and over again till the water flooded, making them drown.

“Hyung!” Changmin managed to swim up to the surface and shouted, yet, he got no answer. He couldn’t help but to think Jaejoong had burnt injuries because the oncologist wouldn’t have time to make safe distance from the explosion.

More water pressed him down as he struggled to breath. Every turn the flood made him turn hurt his body; whether being hit by the wall, ground, ceiling, or maybe some pipe. Changmin surfaced up few times to get some air but he couldn’t fight the flow. He thought he would be dead drowning but he was wrong. He hit the ground hard with his bare body as he realized he landed on higher ground. He moved fast as he climbed to higher place. At least, he was safe from the flood for now. He sighed in relief until he saw Jaejoong’s body, laying lifeless on the cold ground.

“HYUNG!” Changmin screamed as he got to Jaejoong’s side; examined the oncologist’s condition. The man got some burnt wound on his left shoulder and some bruises and cuts. Changmin shook Jaejoong’s body over and over again till the man opened his eyes slowly.

“Hyung! Are you okay?” Changmin asked as he only got lifeless stare from Jaejoong. That was when he realized Jaejoong was as cold as ice and his face was so pale, like living corpse, like zombies.

“Hyung?” Changmin called again. Jaejoong didn’t move as the man suddenly indicated some pain by his trembling and face. Changmin was dead worried and didn’t know what to do. It didn’t take long till Jaejoong was in deep pain and screamed his lungs. Changmin cried, scared as he held Jaejoong’s palm. Changmin felt his sanity left him as he tried anything to stop the pain. Then, he saw a door.

Changmin got Jaejoong up, still screaming, as they entered the small maintenance room. He locked the door and eventually made the scream only visible to both of them in the room. Changmin couldn’t risk encountering anymore zombies. Crying and praying, he kept holding Jaejoong as he begged the pain to go away. Changmin got no idea how Jaejoong could be like this. He tried to search for biting mark but he found none.

Frustrated, Changmin finally couldn’t take it anymore. He got up, opened the door and let himself out from the nightmare. He cried as he still could hear Jaejoong’s scream faintly from the other side of the door. He cried and cried, drowning in his barrier, trying to protect the sanity he had left. He curled up like bowl till Yunho found him.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

“Jaejoong hyung just…wouldn’t stop screaming in pain,” Changmin cried as Yunho pulled the younger one away and opened the door, got into the room. He spotted Jaejoong was laying unconsciously on the floor, sweating all over his body.

“Jaejoong ah! Please don’t turn to them, please tell me you’re okay!” Yunho called almost shouting as he got Jaejoong up. He examined the heartbeat first; it was weak. Then the temperature, it’s a bit cold but still normal. Judging from the time Jaejoong exchanged his blood with Yoochun, Yunho knew it’d been over an hour. Jaejoong should be a zombie now, yet, the oncologist seemed to be a human being with slow pulse.

“Hyung?” Changmin dared to peek inside as he sighed in relief that Jaejoong wasn’t in pain anymore. He got inside the room as he locked the door, making sure the zombies wouldn’t find them. He asked Yunho whether Jaejoong was okay or not but he got no answer. His curiosity kicked back as Changmin examined Jaejoong closer; he realized the burnt wound almost healed magically.

“Yunho hyung, the wound on Jaejoong’s shoulder looks better,” Changmin stated,” No, it’s far better than before!”

Yunho couldn’t believe it at all; he checked Jaejoong’s broken leg and found out that the bone somehow reconnected, like they had never been broken in the first place. There’s only one explanation on Yunho’s mind and he certainly didn’t like the idea at all. Yet, he needed to make decision or he would let Jaejoong died. Well, he might also killing Jaejoong by trying to save him but he chose to try than not doing anything.

“Changmin, get a bottle from my bag,” Yunho ordered as Changmin searched the bag and swore at the content of the bottle.

“Is this blood?” Changmin asked.

“Yes, Yoochun’s blood,” Yunho answered fast as he opened the bottle and made Jaejoong drank the content till nothing left. Changmin only watched in horror as he was frozen to do anything. It took him almost one minute to finally ask an explanation.

“What’s going on?!” Changmin asked almost shouting. Yunho took a deep breath before he got Jaejoong up, leaning on his shoulder. He stared back at Changmin as the three of them divided the remaining space of the small room.

“I can only think of one explanation how Jaejoong’s wound got better even though he’s effected,” Yunho explained,” For most people infected by SMV, they would be so weak and turn into a zombie in about one hour but Jaejoong didn’t. He’s different from most people, he’s like me. The virus makes us stronger and stronger without changing us into zombies.”

“We even have better sight, hearing, and more sensitive of our surrounding than ever. It’s like a magical power. That’s why I’m the only one that they sent in to save survivor. Because I can never be infected so it will minimize the victim.”

“So, what are you, really, Yunho hyung?” Changmin dared to ask.

“The broken one,” Yunho answered,” Or you can call me the uninfected one.”

“So, Jaejoong hyung will turn like you?” Changmin asked as he demanded,” Just tell me, he’s going to be okay, right?”

Yunho paused as Changmin shivered; he couldn’t wait more for the answer.

“I don’t know,” Yunho finally spoke,” The only risk we, broken one, has is when we’re first bitten. We will in so much pain and it’s up to our will and strength to overcome the pain. If we succeed, we live. If not, we die.”

“But Jaejoong hyung has overcome the pain, right?” Changmin referred to the nightmare he had before.

“That’s just part of it,” Yunho answered in broken voice,” The real fight for him to survive is now…”

Changmin felt his heartbeats betrayed him as they kept going faster. Soon Jaejoong, who’s still unconscious, growled in pain, screaming again. Changmin curled like a ball, closing his ears once again. As Yunho, he kept his best to keep holding Jaejoong. The nightmare just wouldn’t leave them that fast, would it?