Act 8 “Mission”

“Hurry up!” Yunho shouted as he could feel the ground behind him shook in tremor. The horrified screaming of a few people following him didn’t make the situation any better at all. He cursed as a boy slipped down. Yunho told the others to keep marching forward as he shot bunch of zombies and saved the boy. They ran again, this time Yunho was on the back, covering.

“Get into that safe room, now!” Yunho shouted as those in front of him flooded the bank safe room and Yunho locked the door fast. They could hear bumping sound from the other side but they knew the door would hold. It was made by thick metal and no way could the zombies break it. Talking about keeping your dirty secret from the whole world; Yunho smashed the safety boxes till they cracked open; there’s some of them contained classified document of people’s live, some gold and silver, some money,  and weapon of course. Yunho came in well prepared after all; like he always did.

“Take this and protect yourself, don’t shoot your friend, okay?” Yunho distributed the guns to five men in the room and a woman, old enough to handle it. He looked at the boy he saved; he was so scared and Yunho knew the view of his parents turning to zombies and wanting to kill him would never been erased from the poor boy’s memory.

“Come here,” Yunho bent down to the boy,” Your parents didn’t mean to hurt you; they just wanted to scare you so you could run from the zombies. They’re worried about you.”

“So will I see them again?” the boy finally spoke.

“You can’t,” Yunho paused as he continued,” But they’ll always watch over you.”

“Really?” the boy finally cried.

“Of course, because they love you,” Yunho smiled as he pated the boy’s head. He couldn’t help but to think the boy resembled him in his past, except there’s no one was there for Yunho, no one saved him.

Yunho stood up as he looked around him. He noticed most of them were terrified; well, that’s a human-like responds. Yet, he needed to get them ready because he knew they eventually had to get out and headed for the exit.

“Yunho,” a voice echoed through a receiver on his ears,” We have just received six survivors. They all will be fine now. Where are you?”

“Stuck in the safe room with seven survivors, Changmin ah,” Yunho answered,” I know it’s not really appropriate but can you send him to cover my here? We’re kind of outnumbered.”

“You’re always outnumbered, hyung. Don’t worry, help is on way,” Changmin stopped talking as Yunho knew the younger man had to make some statement to their superior. It’s hard to admit that Changmin had become their strategy specialist in fighting these monsters; he basically made plan for saving survivors.

“Help is on way,” Yoochun’s voice echoed through the receiver.

“Is there anyone of you bitten?” Junsu’s worried voice echoed now,” You’re fine right, hyung?”

“No one bitten so far and I’m fine, thank you,” Yunho smiled a little at himself as he laughed silently deep inside. He never knew their encounter could change everything a year ago. Yoochun and Junsu weren’t working in hospital anymore; both of them decided to pursue the way to fight SMV. They had developed stronger antidote and temporary vaccine that Yunho could bring in mission. This vaccine didn’t need to be frozen at all so Yunho could use it to buy sometime for the infected survivor before being treated by the real antidote.

“Take a quick rest,” Yunho announced to the people around him,” We’ll be running to the exit in five minutes and then the nightmare will end.”

The people sighed in half relief as they were still so scared and frightened. Yunho sat, leaning on the wall, as he reloaded his guns. His thought went back to how it started. Yunho first encounter with the monsters was ten years ago; he was a normal happy boy that lived with his parents. He’s the only son and child in the family; he had to admit he got a little bit spoiled.

It was Christmas and Yunho was about to open his present in the living room when suddenly his mother screamed from the kicthen. Yunho and his father rushed there; just to find his mother dead and a zombie was there. Yunho’s father tried to fight back but only to get bitten and hurt. Yunho ran at his father’s signal as he kept running and running.

He eventually hit the street and realized his neighbors had turn into the same monster. Little Yunho screamed as he ran fast, yet, he slipped. A zombie got him and bit him on his arm. Yunho kicked the zombie as he managed to hide himself for the rest of the day. He was in his favorite playground in that small town. He curled up like a ball in a tunnel made from broken barrels as he kept shivering. He prayed he would soon wake up from the nightmare but sadly, there’s no nightmare. The things were real happening to him.

Then, the pain started to attack him endlessly, causing him to scream till he lost his consciousness. Yet, the pain didn’t stop tearing him apart. He didn’t know how much time had passed and how much pain he had endured. All he knew as the sun was blinding him as he opened his eyes. The smell around him made him puked the next second. He was on the top of dead bodies and all of them were zombies. Terrified, Yunho cried out in horror.

A soldier ran to him, ready to shoot him, but eventually helped him to get up as the soldier realized he was a human being. The government took him and studied him; he suffered more pain but he didn’t refuse the experiment; because in exchange, the government would allow him to hunt those zombies. It’s like revenging his parents’ death, his friends’ death, and the nightmare he would never forget. He found himself delighted to know he was the uninfected one, the broken one.

It’s all start with revenge motive but eventually he forgot it and began to save people because he wanted to; he never wanted to let any of them suffered like he did. Even now, Yunho and their superior still didn’t know who’s responsible for SMV. They could only try to find more clues and fight the spread of SMV in minimal cost. He was lucky enough to find some friends those wanted to fight back like he did one year ago. He was more than thankful to have Changmin, Yoochun, Jun----

“Yun, I’m almost there,” a voice echoed through his ear as he woke up from his thought. Yunho stood up as he told the others to get ready. He walked through the metal door and opened it when he heard loud noise from the outside.

Blood splashed all over the figure’s face but Yunho knew he’s not the enemy at the first glance. He joined the battle as he shot the remaining zombies. Yunho shouted to the survivor to follow him as he took the back counter attack.

“You’re late,” Yunho managed to utter between the shots.

“Can’t help it when zombies got your ,” the figure replied as he leaded on. They marched toward the lobby as they killed every monster they met. It took few minutes till they reached the front door. Yunho took the survivor out one by one from the half crushed entrance. Soon, the paramedics treated them as Yunho went back to the entrance.

“Hurry up,” he called the figure as he gave his hands. Still shooting, they connected their hands together as Yunho pulled him outside. But then he stopped as he felt strong force pulled the man on the opposite direction. A zombie screamed and wouldn’t let go of the man’s legs even though they kept firing. Yet, the brain stopped working after few more bullets on them. Before lost its balance, the zombie managed to bite the legs.

“Jae!” Yunho screamed the name in horror as the other soldier shut the entrance. Yunho examined the man on his arms fast as he almost did inject the vaccine through the man’s vein.

“Yun, don’t worry. I’ll fine,” Jaejoong gave his reassuring smile,” Remember I’m like you…”

Yunho forced a nod as he helped Jaejoong got up. He supported the man till they reached a tent, where some paramedics treated Jaejoong’s legs. Yunho knew the man would be fine and the wound would heal by itself but he still thought the wound needed to be treated.

“Yun, you also need to get treated,” Jaejoong spoke as he wiped Yunho’s forehead; there’s cut wound. Yunho didn’t want to leave Jaejoong but he ended up nodding and following a nurse to another side. After finished the warp, Yunho told Jaejoong he would patrol around and wouldn’t let Jaejoong join him because Jaejoong’s wounded legs. Silly reason, Jaejoong thought.

Going out from the tent, Yunho skipped to the ground around them; his comrade reported no trouble for the time being and Yunho decided to go to the survivor tent. He spotted the yellow tent from far away; he couldn’t help but to think of the poor boy he saved.

Just before he reached the tents in few more steps, people stormed out from the tent. Yunho immediately went inside and saw the heartbreaking scene. A man he saved before was lying dead on the pool of blood as the boy stood next to it; mouth covered with fresh blood.

Yunho froze as the boy stared at him in cold eyes and moved forward. Yunho couldn’t believe he missed it; he didn’t even realize the boys had been bitten an infected. He blamed himself as the boy jumped to him. Taken back, Yunho knew he wouldn’t make it to shot the boys; he was too late to take his weapon up and he couldn’t bring himself to shot the boy. For the first time Yunho still thought a zombie as a human being and he knew he just deceived himself. Nonetheless, he knew nothing would happen to him even if the boy bit him; maybe he deserved some punishment.

Before the boy could touch him; he landed on the ground with a bullet on his head. Yunho was startled as he looked to the tent entrance and he spotted Jaejoong.

“Seriously, what’re you doing, Yunho?!” Jaejoong was mad and Yunho knew it.

“I…I---“ before Yunho could explain, Jaejoong hugged him, securing him. Yunho couldn’t help but to slip a tear, which he wiped immediately.

“It’s not your fault…”

It’s like magic how Jaejoong could read him and said the words he wanted to hear the most. Yunho wanted to nod and agree but he couldn’t. Breaking out from the warm hug, Yunho forced a smile as he walked away, leaving Jaejoong alone in the tent.

Jaejoong sighed as he went out too and told some soldiers to clean the mess. He already told the paramedic to bring the survivors to his tent for emergency treatment; some of them were wounded.

Sighing again, Jaejoong stared at the cold grey clouds. He never regretted to join Yunho on the forces and fought those zombies but he regretted to not fast enough to get to the tent before Yunho. He knew he barely knew the man but somehow wished he could help Yunho. At least, after Yunho saved him two times in the past.

“Jaejoong hyung!” Changmin’s voice echoed through the air as he spotted the younger man few meters away. He knew their superior probably would ask some explanation from him because he knew Yunho would hide somewhere and wouldn’t want to speak a thing of the incident.

Finally, Jaejoong knew what he could do for Yunho; doing the explanation. He knew it’s less than he expected to do for the man but he could only do so in the meantime. He just hoped Yunho would be fine.