Photo: https://66.media.tumblr.com/dec2cbfbd4aae133e9840ea633e56519/tumblr_pxanitVHA91rnngelo1_1280.jpg

The most overwhelming moment in Chansung’s 15-year life was to see his own father crying. Situation was even worse because Chansung knew he was the reason for this. Father had come so weak, and only because of him.

“What I’ve done for you to deserve this?” dad cried holding his side. He was afraid of his son.

“I just try to guarantee great future for you! Chansung, saranghae!”

“Chansung, don’t...” his mother said somewhere behind.

Chansung hit once again.

A feeling like electric shock startled Chansung awake. He was really confused. Where am I? What happened? What...

Chansung slumped from his side to back allowing hot tears run from his eyes trough cheecks and chin ending to chest and pillow. New couch found from forest felt like nothing, air felt heavy around him. He heard noise from downstairs, but didn’t stood up.

I never would hit him...I mean I never would had hit...He is my appa! My beloved appa! Appa saranghae!, Chansung thought crying. Agony burned inside him. It drowned him like an ocean, where human was as small as grain of sand. Waves wrenched him back and forth. There were moments he felt easier, but suddenly he was under the surface.

Swirling in sadness, Chansung startled loud bang so much that he almost fell from sofa.

“Chansung, come down.”

Chansung wanted to roar Taec to go to Hell, but Taecyeon’s gaze was so serious that he kept his mouth shut. Taecyeon, for his part, startled seeing Chansung’s face being in tears.

“Is everything all right?”

“Nightmare.”

“We have another one down there. Nichkhun found bones. Too much.”

“What?!”

When Chansung, more or less puzzled, got to upstairs corridor, Taecyeon was just carrying someone to the bedroom.

“Go to get Minjun”, he asked. Chansung glanced to downstairs over stair railing seeing Minjun sitting on a stair. Little by little Chansung realized Taecyeon hadn’t carried Minjun, but Khun. Chansung made a way to Junho, who dragged to upstairs eyes staring on emptiness. Chansung sighed and went to get Minjun.

“It’s so great that your pain allows carrying now.”

“You don’t know how much I wanted to got out from that room”, Minjun sighed.

“What is it?” Chansung asked nodding his head towards upstairs.

“Khun dashed in with awful rumble and his legs collapsed right away, I saw it. All he was able to say was he found flesh, bones and tissue from the forest, and it looked like it wasn’t from animal. And now he is in that condition.”

Chansung didn’t say a word. At the bedroom he took Minjun to huyng’s own bed. After it, he turned around like moving on to the next project.

Taecyeon had sit on the bedside of Khun’s bed. Khun gasped air loud squeezing his chest. Junho sat holding Khun’s torso in his laps aiding Thai to half-sitting position. However, Junho sat still like a statue, eyes staring somewhere far.

 ”What are we going to do now?”

Taecyeon glimpsed up to Chansung, who stood in front of him serious.

“We have to go there”, Taecyeon said.

“Yeah yeah, but for Khun.”

“You tell me” Taecyeon asked, “I can’t think properly right now.”

Million possibilities of origins of remains were spinning in Taecyeon’s head. Nichkhun’s health worried him: what if Thai would get an heart attack? In that case they were able to do nothing than bury him after death. Also Junho made Taecyeon worried, but in different way than Khun, and bit less. Taecyeon never would got used to Junho’s empty look and to see how humanity rushed out of this brother. When Junho got panic attack or shocked, he ended up to be just a crust who acted monotonously and only by order. It was hard to get him to react. Taecyeon didn’t want to leave, at least not yet.

Taecyeon awaked when Chansung handed him a pill with glass of water.

“Give these to Khun” maknae said, “It’s aspirin.”

“Thank God you are able to think in this situation!” Taecyeon praised him relieved.  

”Do you believe it could be him?”

Taecyeon and Chansung trekked in forest having a oppressive mood. Their rifle was hanging on Taec’s back. It had been taken with them just in case. If “it” would be carcass, its owner might return to dinner just by then.

“How I wish it would be just some carcass...”

Chansung sighed, once again.

”Are you freezing?” Minjun asked from Khun. He was sitting on armchair for being able to help during Chantaec’s absence. Khun shook his head. He had duvet on him just because of this. There were glass pot of water and rest of aspirin pills.

“Remember you are now safe at home, and with us. Taec and Chan will go there and figure out what is this.”

Nichkhun inhaled heavily, letting out long exhale. Hold on chest had easen little bit. In Minjun’s opinion, Khun seemed feeling much better than at the beginning.

”Salt.”

”Eh?”

”Salt and water.”

Minjun had to think for a moment what did Khun mean. Thai’s speaking were still bit weak due to his breathing. Pretty quickly Minjun understood. If someone drank much water, person had to have salt as well. Otherwise one’s metabolism suffered, and that was dangerous. It had been great cause to eat chips back then.

“Junho, could you get us salt from kitchen, please?” Minjun asked. It took couple seconds before Junho stood up. His gaze was as empty as earlier.

“Help Khun to lean on bed end”, Minjun instructed. Junho’s anxiety- and panic attacks were well known for everyone. Junho helped pillow and Nichkhun lean to bed end monotonously. Nichkhun didn’t complain. He knew.

When Junho returned with salt, Minjun asked him to take pillows from other beds and place them under Khun’s torso instead of Junho himself. Junho did everything like a robot and sat then to the back-left. Minjun looked him for a moment thinking what he should do now. Usually Taecyeon would take care Junho from this on.

Well, boys are not gone for a long, Minjun thought.

Even Chansung had long legs, he had difficulties to keep up on Taecyeon’s speed. It was wet, humid and dim at the forest. Hills, big rocks and rhizomes were really slippery. When smell of rotten got stronger, they knew they were going to the right direction. Chansung stayed behind leaning to tree trunk feeling very nauseous, but Taecyeon continued on swallowing and grunting quietly. After getting rid of nauseaenough to continue, Chansung catched his brother up. Beastie had stopped to the small path, which led trough bushes.  

They had arrived to small meadow. There was creepy silence. Nature around them was cold, wet, humid and chilly. This area was covered with sphagnum. Formless stack of flesh, tissue and blood layed there, flies buzzing around it. Blood had spread everywhere.

Neither of two brothers were able to say something.

Taecyeon’s mind become blank. He heard voices talking in his ears, and saw pictures flashing in front of his eyes.

SLASH

- Akh - UMPH! -

”Don’t you have manners, you bastard?!”

SLASH

Incisive pain in head got Taecyeon collapse to the rainy street. He knew people were staring, and that hurted even more.

SLASH

Camera! Where is it? Taecyeon turned around and around on his knees panicking. He had to destroy it. But he saw nothing than darkness. He was feeling sick and dizzy.

SLASH

Taecyeon heard nothing, but trough little foggy curtain he saw how nurses treated his wounds. Door was open, and air condition was too powerful. Taecyeon freezed even more. He had pain or ache all over his body. Hospital bed went past at the corridor machines beeping. Suddenly there was another bed. For him.

SLASH

Somebody shook his world. It was hitting. It made him feel like he’d throw up. His heart was racing. Every place was full of red and blue lights. They caused pain for him. Somebody made him to walk, but suddenly he hit his chin to asphalt.

SLASH

Crack.

SLASH

Chansung went from behind to next to Taecyeon. He looked his huyng. Brother’s gaze was tough and his eyes were wet. Chansung himself started to feel numb, no matter how hard he tried to fight against it. He didn’t even know if there was reason for it. That stack just was size of Wooyoung’s.