chenbaekxi aka CBX
g
in which they find themselves on a deserted island

title: the others

note: if anyone is reading this...this is a little side thing for a longer fic i'm writing, so it might not make much sense.  sorry about that!

Washed up on the beach, Jongdae opens his eyes.  There's grit in his mouth and his skin burns like he's on a fiery grill.  The gentle waves lap against his cheek a few times before he musters the energy to sit up.  His eyes sting and he's mouth tastes of too much salt water.  He looks around and through his blurry vision, he can see a line of greenery a few meters behind the beach.

There is not a person in sight.

Jongdae gets up, stumbling along the blindingly white sand until he sees a pile of rocks, where the waves are breaking.   It's there he spies some broken planks of wood, waterlogged and bumping against the shoreline.  There's a tattered stretch of faded canvas with some heavy rope attached, speared on one of the sharper outcroppings of rock.  Jongdae reaches out and pulls as hard as he can.  A piece comes off in his hand and Jongdae can just make out the words "Property of Ex. D.".

Confused, Jongdae keeps the canvas in his pocket.  He looks down for the first time to see what he's wearing.  There is a white gauzy sort of material that wraps his body into a body suit that fits his form perfectly.  Dripping with sea water, the fabric is nearly see through.

But where are his regular clothes?  Jongdae wonders.  He racks his brain to remember the last thing he wore.  A boxy white shirt and some khaki slacks.  He'd been a little chilly, so he had thrown on a flannel over top.  While he's trying his best to recall how he's ended up here, Jongdae hears a faint cough.

Further down the beach, he sees another body.  Jongdae runs across the sand, not cognizant of the fact he doesn't have any shoes on.  He slides on the sand, knees first and immediately checks the young man on the beach.  The man is in the same garb as Jongdae is with only slight differences.  He spies something on the man's left arm, above his deltoid.

[ID: 05041-992B]

But that's not important to him right now.  Jongdae shakes the man, gripping his shoulder.  There's no response.  He puts his ear on the man's chest.  There's a weak heartbeat and Jongdae racks his mind to remember CPR protocol.

100 beats per minute.  One breath after thirty compressions.

The man doesn't open his eyes until sweat is dripping from Jongdae's forehead.  The man coughs again before jolting up.  Jongdae stares at him, wide eyed and searching.

"Are you okay?" Jongdae tries to say, but his throat hurts and he can barely get a sound out.

"Where the hell am I?" the man says.  "And who are you?"

"Jongdae" he tries to say again, but ends up wincing instead.

"Are you hurt?" the man says this time.  "You hurt your throat?"

Hesitating, Jongdae nods.  He's not sure himself, but that must be the reason for the gauzey fabric extending all the way up to his chin. 

"I'm Baekhyun" the man says.  "Byun Baekhyun."

In the sand, Jongdae spells out his name with his finger.

"Kim Jongdae" Baekhyun reads.  "Kim Jongdae?"

Jongdae nods and offers a smile.  Baekhyun too tries to smile, but his lips are dry and the skin cracks.

"Ow" he exclaims, rubbing the spot where he's bleeding.  "Let's get out of the sun" he tells Jongdae.  "I have a feeling I've been out here for a long time."

They walk inland and as they walk, Jongdae feels his left arm and feels the raised numbers of something similar to what Baekhyun has.

[ID: 09211-992C]

And while Jongdae's tracing the last letter embroidered on his suit, he hears Baekhyun cry out.  Alarmed, Jongdae rushes to his side, not six meters away.  He tilts his head and questions with his eyes since he can't say what he wants.

What's wrong?

Baekhyun lifts a shaking hand to point at something ahead of them.  In the heavy foliage, there's a small beam of sunlight coming through the jungle canopy.  Jongdae follows with his eyes until he sees something glint in the sun.

It's something that looks like a knife.  And holding on to that knife, sprung like a tightly coiled spring, is a hand that belongs to a pale man with shortly buzzed black hair.

"Which are you?!" the man yells.  His eyes are bloodshot and he looks grimy, as if he hasn't showered in days.

"Which?" Baekhyun repeats, confused.  "We just got washed up on the beach here.  We don't mean harm.  We just want to find help."

The man narrows his eyes, but lowers his weapon.

"What's your letter assignment?" the man asks, carefully stepping toward them.

"Letter?" Baekhyun asks again.

But a lightbulb flashes in Jongdae's mind.  He nudges Baekhyun pointing to his left arm.  Baekhyun looks down and reads his ID number aloud.

"Beta" the man sighs.  "You're a Beta."  The man looks over at Jongdae, causing Jongdae to flinch.  "And what are you?"

Jongdae makes a 'C' with his hands before patting his throat area.

"He can't speak" Baekhyun tells the man.  "He says there's a C at the end of his number."

"Charlie" the man tells them, sighing.  "You're the third one."

Setting himself down on a rock, the man sighs as the sky suddenly turns dark.  Despite his belligerent attitude prior, the man seems tired and weary. 

"My name is Minseok.  Kim Minseok" the man tells them.  "I'm the twenty fourth.  An 'X'."

Thunder rumbles in the distance before the man named Minseok can say any more.  Minseok shakes his head.

"We'd better get inside.  You guys have a lot to catch up on."