Baekhyun pulls on the scarf covering his mouth and exhales deeply as the sun comes up.

"You're gonna regret it" Kyungsoo remarks from under his own scarf.  "They're coming."

A bizarre mixture of slate and amber coats the landscape ahead of them.  The air is stagnant, hanging like a heavy velvet curtain before the final act.  As Kyungsoo stands on the edge of the precipice, his eyes search the seemingly endless panorama of sand dunes.  Behind them, lies the Old Sea where they had just come from.  Now called the Murky Marshes, the Old Sea is one of the last remaining places where the sun doesn't scorch everything it touches.  The Marshaldn is where they often forage for the meager flora scattered in the area.  Today, their bounty doesn't amount to much and the Crow Men had chased them away as soon as it became the last hour before sunrise.

Kyungsoo looks down at his wrist watch as Baekhyun quietly hums under his breath.

"Is it bright where you are" Baekhyun sings.  "Have the people changed."

Kyungsoo grimaces, undoing the buckles on his jacket to help the stifled feeling he's starting to get in his chest.  His eyes flicker to the waterskins hanging from the side of his motorbike.  Smacking his lips and forcing his eyes away, Kyungsoo supresses his thirst and instead, reaches for his binoculars.  Tossing it to Baekhyun, he swallows dryly before opening his mouth.

"Keep watch.  They said they'd be leaving as soon as the sun was up."

Baekhyun nods but starts to cough before he can raise the binoculars to his eyes.  The violent coughs rack his entire body and he bends down clutching his knees for support.

"I told you to keep your scarf on" Kyungsoo tells him, but he grimaces as if he can feel Baekhyun's pain.

"It's too suffocating" Baekhyun complains once he stops coughing.  "And it's getting hotter."

Kyungsoo choses not to answer.  It's not like he doesn't know the feeling.  Instead, he points at the binoculars again and his brow, suggesting to Baekhyun that he should focus on keeping watch.  As Baekhyun lies flat on his stomach, tossing a hood over his head and getting into position for surveillance, Kyungsoo moves over to their bikes to tune them up, peeling off his jacket in the process.

The two metal machines are in desperate need of oil.  McGyver-ed together with various machine parts and a steel rib cage to protect the cylinders, Baekhyun's bike looks like a skeleton and though speedy, it's unable to hold as much weight as Kyungsoo's bike.  Kyungsoo takes out a small travel sized oil can from his utility belt.  Screwing in the braided hose, Kyungsoo carefully oils Baekhyun's motorcycle.  There isn't enough to properly maintain the machine, but the amount he applies will get them to the Citadel.   

Next, he considers his own bike.  Made of mostly Bavarian parts, Kyungsoo's frankenbike is of a heftier build.  The burlap sacks hanging off the sides not only contain their harvest from the Marshlands, but also various parts they've scavenged along the way.

When Kyungsoo's done with maintenance of his own motorbike, he undoes his utility belt, draping it over the seat of his machine.  He joins Baekhyun quietly, crouching at the edge of their cliff.  The clothes they wear are not only saturated with dust, but the terracotta dye helps them blend in with the sandstone crags.  Even without his belt and jacket, however, Kyungsoo feels weighed down.  His body feels heavy, not only with dust and fabric, but with exhaustion and the overwhelming accumulation of Energy swirling inside of him.

Baekhyun eyes him from the corner of his eye, only slightly separating from his binoculars.  

"You must be backed up.  All that Energy" Baekhyun remarks.  "You haven't let loose in four days, right?"

Kyungsoo sighs.  His feet tingle, being so close to solid ground and he balls his fists unconsciously at the reminder.  "I'm fine" he tells Baekhyun.  "I'll have ample opportunity soon."

"As for me" Baekhyun continues.  "I'm forced to use my Light nearly every night.  I'm almost never backed up."  

Smiling cheekily, Baekhyun sticks out the end of his tongue in Kyungsoo's direction.  Immediately, he regrets it, grimacing when the dust in the air coats his tongue.  He spits, trying to remove the bitter particles from inside his mouth.  Kyungsoo lets out a weary chuckle.  As annoying as Baekhyun could be, Kyungsoo respected him for staying so bright, even while facing the end of the world.

There's the faraway rumbling of engines behind them and Kyungsoo whips his head around.  Clapping a protective hand on Baekhyun's shoulder, he speaks in a low voice.

"Stay here.  I'll go check it out.  Keep your eyes on the horizon."

Kyungsoo gets up, body still low, to look down the other end of the mountain.  He pulls up his googles, cranking the side dial so he can zoom in on the dust cloud in the distance.  His body only relaxes when he sees the familiar elongated boom sticks of Jongdae's motorcycle spouting out exhaust.  Alongside Jongdae is Minseok, riding on his high suspension street bike, stripped down from its fenders, weaving in and out of Jongdae's rear dust cloud.   A few yards behind the two rides Chanyeol in his old Triumph rat bike.

Pulling his googles off, Kyungsoo fails in hiding a little smirk.  Rushing to follow up with Baekhyun, his stiffened expression is much more relaxed than before.

"It's them.  They'll be here in about ten minutes" he tells Baekhyun.  Finally, he unhooks the waterskin on his bike.  Before taking a sip himself, he hands it to Baekhyun.  "Drink."

Baekhyun grabs at the bag eagerly, sitting up and lowering the binoculars to wet his parched mouth.  "Right on time too.  Ah, I miss Minseok hyung being around."

Kyungsoo grins before taking his turn with the water.  He empties the rest of the waterskin easily.  "Junmyeon hyung too.  Do you see anything yet?"

Baekhyun shakes his head, frowning just slightly.  "Nothing."

 

Soon, the rumbles of the bikes grow closer and Kyungsoo instinctively closes his eyes at the dust cloud they kick up.  When the engines are turned off and kickstands in place, Kyungsoo jogs up to the other three in haste.  He clasps Minseok in a hug first, then Jongdae.  A few seconds later, Chanyeol arrives.

Taking off his helmet and titan tinted goggles, Chanyeol stomps over to Kyungsoo.  "Where's my hug?"

Kyungsoo glares before snorting in amusement.  "Come here you big oaf" he says before crashing their bodies together in a bone crushing embrace.

Minseok and Jongdae walk over first to where Baekhyun lies, still holding his binoculars.  When they all reconvene, Minseok taking Baekhyun's place to let him rest, Jongdae catches them up on the reconaissance they'd done on the land beyond the Marshes.  Kyungsoo listens intently about news of the Bullet Farm, where he'd originally come from.

"No one we've talked to knows about the Green Place.  But it wasn't a total bust.  At the bottom of the canyon next to the Bullet Farm, we found some more metal we can use.  We couldn't bring back all of it.  No space.  Too much weight."

"I hope the other guys are able to get some tar from Oil Town" Minseok murmurs.  "Our bikes are shot."

"I can take a look at them" Kyungsoo says, moving to stand and fetching his utility belt.

"I'll help" Chanyeol says, joining him.

 

While Baekhyun and Jongdae are lying alongside Minseok, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol survey the bikes in silence.  Once in a while, Chanyeol remarks on the customizations he's planning on making to his ride, but it goes in one ear and out the other to Kyungsoo.  The sun beats down hard.  They've been sitting ducks without cover, but height is what they need to look out for Junmyeon's group.  Minutes seem like hours and though Kyungsoo's happy to be back with Chanyeol, his mind wanders and he finds his eyelids drooping involuntarily.

"-soo...  Kyungsoo!"

Kyungsoo feels himself being shaken roughly.  He opens his eyes wide, looking up at a semi-panicked Chanyeol who's somehow, suddenly on his feet.  Sighing in relief, Chanyeol drags a hand down his own chest.  Reaching out with one hand, Chanyeol solicits Kyungsoo to his feet.

"Come on" Chanyeol says, brows furrowed.  "You need more water and food."  Kyungsoo opens his mouth to protest, but Chanyeol is quicker.  "Besides, Minseok says that he sees Junmyeon hyung's team in the distance.  ETA of thirty minutes."

Kyungsoo scrambles to get up, clasping Chanyeol's hand.  He runs a hand down his face, wincing at the rough and chapped texture he feels.  "The bikes?" he asks, looking behind them.

"I took care of them" Chanyeol replies.  "Don't worry."

 

At Minseok's cue, Kyungsoo mounts his bike.  When Baekhyun hands Kyungsoo the binoculars, he gestures to the scarf around Baekhyun's neck.

"Put it on" Kyungsoo tells him.  "Don't make me nag.  It's gonna be worse with Sehun around, you know it."

Chuckling, Baekhyun complies, pulling the thick linen fabric over his nose and tightening the knot behind his neck.   Baekhyun swings a leg over his bike, waiting for the others.  And when Minseok revs up his engine, Kyungsoo puts his own bike into gear before squeezing the clutch lever.  They make their way down the hill with Minseok leading and Chanyeol bringing up the rear.  When they reach a little recess at the foot of the mountain, they stop.  Watching as three blurry entities approach closer and closer, Kyungsoo starts to finger his belt impatiently.

Despite the fact that Sehun's riding a trimmed bobber of a bike, he's riding off on the side, unable to gain speed.  Baekhyun laughs at the slight of the huge dust cloud that Sehun brings with him, but the sound is muffled by his scarf and then phased out completely by his coughing.  Junmyeon and Jongin ride nearly side by side, but their machines are distinctly different.  Junmyeon's huge front wheel can't be mistaken and Minseok muses aloud about Junmyeon's saddle bags.

"Do they look full to you?" Minseok asks Kyungsoo.  "I can't tell."

Kyungsoo cranks the side dial on his googles again, zooming in on Junmyeon's motorcycle.  Judging by the speed they're going, Junmyeon's bike seems weighed down, but the hardtopped saddle bags make it difficult to gauge the fullness.

Kyungsoo shrugs and focuses on Jongin's bike, the newest of the bunch.  It doesn't look like the machine is slowing due to mechanical problems.  Instead, it seems that Jongin is matching Junmyeon's pace.  The sports bike is streaked with dust and grease, blending Jongin in with the sandy terrain as he tucks his upper body flush against the machine.

Waiting in the sparse shade, Minseok dispenses small piles of ice chips to the others.  Baekhyun puts the whole handful in his mouth in one go underneath his scarf, jumping up and down when the icy temperature numbs the inside of his mouth.

"Slowly, slowly!" Minseok chastises, lightly slapping Baekhyun on the back.  

Chanyeol chews on the ice with a loud crunch, eyes never leaving the three in the distance.  And as Minseok tosses his head back, crushing ice directly into his mouth, the others slowly congregate around the smaller man.  The air around them drops a few degrees and Kyungsoo takes a deep breath.  It finally feels like he can breathe normally again.

 

Ten minutes later, Junmyeon, Jongin, and Sehun arrive.  Sehun nearly falls off, pulling an end-over-end with his ride, rear wheel spinning high in the air.   In his anger and embarrassment, he drops the bike without propping the kickstand, causing a huge crashing noise.  Baekhyun and Jongdae clutch their stomachs laughing at Sehun, but Junmyeon sighs wearily.

"Sehun-ah.  That's your second bike this month.  Let's not trash it already, okay?  We don't have time to rebuild."

"Hyung!" Jongin comes flying right toward Minseok, flinging his helmet and scarf to the ground.  "You're okay, right?  I couldn't find you for a whole day!"

Referring to the recent excursion to the land beyond the marshes, Jongin fusses, recalling how he'd teleported in and out of each group's location.  To reach Minseok's group, he'd zoned in on Minseok's Energy.  But because they had been so far and because Jongin's Energy had been so expended, Jongin had had trouble locating the group furtherest away.  

"We were fine" Jongdae replies instead.  "Both Chanyeol and I were on the same team as Minseok hyung, you know?"

Jongin ignores him, making sad puppy dog eyes at Minseok who just laughs, Jongin's hair before pulling down his scarf and handing him ice chips.

Junmyeon too walks up to Minseok, holding out a waterskin plump with water.  "Cool it for me?" he asks sluggishly.  "I missed you, Minseok-ah.  I feel like I've not had a proper adult conversation for the past week."

Minseok complies with a touch of his hand, chuckling at Junmyeon's grievances against the group's youngest guys.  Though it's only been a few hours since sunrise, the sun is already scorching hot.  The ones who've just arrived are understandably imoody, sweaty, and out of breath.

"Hyung, me too" Sehun joins, ungloving his hand and holding it out for ice.  He pulls down his studded leather face mask enthusiastically.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes to and fro worriedly.  Despite Minseok's stamina, at this rate, Kyungsoo estimates that he will run out of Energy.  As if reading his mind, Chanyeol speaks up.

"Before we do anything else, let's eat something" Chanyeol suggests.  "Kyungsoo's looking a little pale and we could all use some nutrients."

Kyungsoo frowns, but he can't deny it.  He finishes the last of his ice and turns apologetically to Minseok.  "We didn't find too much in the Marshlands."

Reaching into their pack, he produces the handful of edible plants he'd harvested along with Baekhyun.  Junmyeon sifts through them quickly, running water from his hand over them.  Jongdae reaches into his own pack and pulls out a transparent bag filled with dried lizard meat.

"We managed to get this over at the Bullet Farm."

Sehun grabs at it eagerly, opening the bag to sniff it.  "God, it's been months since we've had meat" he moans.

"Don't drool over all of it" Baekhyun yells, snatching it.  "Share the scent!"

Sehun and Baekhyun take turns sniffing the bag before Jongdae wrenches it back, handing it to Junmyeon.  Chanyeol takes out a large bowl in which Junmyeon deposits the leaves of washed plants.  Kyungsoo grabs a handful of the vines and chews on one of them.  He snatches another and puts it in Junmyeon's mouth.  A third vine goes into Minseok's mouth and he chews on the bittersweet greens thoughtfully while looking into the distance.  

"Maybe we should wait until sundown" Minseok muses.

Junmyeon looks up from rationing out the dried meat.  "What makes you say that?"

"The heat waves" Minseok says, pointing on the horizon.  "Or is that just me?"

"Ah..." Chanyeol lets out a sound of agreement.  "You're right, hyung.  Might attract scavengers."

"First let's eat" Jongdae whines.  "Let's not stress before we really have to."

"And before we set out, there's another thing we have to settle" Sehun adds, speaking up between bites of the dried lizard.  

They fall silent.  It's a decision they've all been pushing off - The Citadel or The Green Place.  Since Yixing's disappearance, the question has always caused a division.  

"We have to live before we can save Yixing" Junmyeon had said repeatedly.  

Breaking the silence now, Junmyeon repeats his sentiments more or less.  "We're on the last stretch.  There's no more leisure for excursions.  We go to the Citadel.  We regain the fortress.  Then... Then..."

Junmyeon doesn't finish.  Jongin and Sehun both chew their food in silence.  Baekhyun slides a hand up Minseok's back soothingly while Jongdae squeezes Junmyeon's shoulder.  Chanyeol plops down on the ground with a sigh as Kyungsoo turns his head. 

He's learned over the past year not to hope; something like that was dangerous.  He tries to focus on the present and with that kind of thinking, he's swayed to agree with Junmyeon. 

Just press onward.

And yet. 

Kyungsoo watches the heat waves roll in the distance.  The shiny apparitions almost look like they're trying to tell him something, trying to spell something out.  Kyungsoo frowns, squinting until he can almost see the outlines of Yixing's smiling face.  His heart reaches out, longing to see Yixing again, longing to embrace his lost brother.

 

"Isn't this great, Kyungsoo-yah?" Yixing had said the night before he'd disappeared.  "We're the last ones at the show.  We're the only ones who can see the world being devoured by its own greed."

"And that's great?" Kyungsoo had asked back, scowling.  "Isn't this sort of like torture?"

"Strange" Yixing had mused.  "I see it like this - no one can separate us as long we we're under the same sky.  We're nearly all that is left and that-  Well, that seems very cool to me."

 

But this is the end of the world.  This is the post-apocolyptic nightmare that everyone had been so worried about.  Ironically, their worries had been for nothing since the vast majority were gone now.  The only survivors were ones who possessed Energy. 

No, at this point, hope was a kind of disease, Kyungsoo decides - infecting actions, thoughts, and emotions until one was forced to behave irrationally.  The only true ending was imbued with pain and sorrow.

 

"To the Citadel then" Kyungsoo agrees aloud - perhaps one final nail in the coffin.

There was no longer any room nor anyone left to hate.  There was only room for hope.