TW// there's going to be lots of violence in the beginning and some injuries, but nothing too serious.

The screeching of tires echoed throughout the abandoned city as fleets of cars and motorcycles pursued after them. It was difficult to navigate between driving at night and dealing with trash littered streets. Constant honking from the bounty hunters grew more obnoxious as Soeun tried numerous different routes to evade them. It worked only for a moment, as the hunters would soon find the girls again. At this point, it turned into an all out witch hunt. Soojin yelped whenever Soeun took a sharp turn while Jihan and Jaehee in the back were hanging onto each other while practically screaming for their lives. This served as some type of sick humor for the psychopaths as their hoarse laughter rang through the night. They brandished their guns out like playful toys to shoot at the girls, but kept missing as Soeun managed to dodge them. The group couldn’t do anything because the moment they gathered themselves, they’d fly out like a piece of paper due to the speed the Volkswagen was going. Thankfully, Soojin had one idea up her sleeve. Seeing bricks and trash cans laying around, she turned to the side, then opened her palms before shouting out to Jihan.

“I have a plan! Let’s try and distract them!”

“O-ok!”

Doing as suggested, Jihan glanced over, collecting the bricks and pieces of sharp from some old buildings before shooting them at the pursuers. They broke their windows, causing some of the chasing trucks to crash into poles or drive into another direction. This now left at least eight or so still after them. Soojin threw several metal trash bins at the motorcyclists, getting caught in the engines and making them explode. With this all of them were easily taken out, which now only left five buses. Soeun warned her friends she was going to make another sharp turn, doing so after a few seconds, causing the older girl to grasp onto her arm while the two kids held each other once more. This helped them as two buses couldn’t keep up and both crashed into a building after failing to keep up. However, it seemed like the other three were just as good drivers as Soeun. Soojin then turned back to get rid of them as well, until one of them pulled out a machine gun to fire multiple rounds, grazing her shoulder. Soeun pulled her back inside ducking down as Jihan and Jaehee screamed at the top of their lungs, then took refuge below the seats together. When the shooting finally stopped, Soeun stepped on the gas pedal even harder, but the Volkswagen had already reached its maximum velocity. 

As a result of zooming throughout the city, it began to run out of fuel, thus the girls were slowing down, allowing the buses to get closer and closer until they were side by side with them. Right before these maniacs could fire off their machine guns, Soojin glared at them as her eyes turned bright blue, shoving the entire vehicle away. It got hurled into a building, which exploded on impact. Afterwards, on Soeun’s side, she rammed the Volkswagen into the other bus, pushing it into some houses, which tore at it’s left side. Then, the driver lost control before crashing into a tree, leaving just one pursuer who gave them the most difficult time. Soeun didn’t stagger too much, but it would’ve been a close call had she not turned away on time before right hitting a fire hydrant. 

Soon enough, another round of gunshots were fired at the girls as they all screamed and ducked down. Soeun’s adrenaline was amped up to an 11 by this point, so she continued to speed off. Jihan and Jaehee were too frightened to help, but no one could really blame them. This was a life or death situation after all. Soojin wasn’t going to give up so easily, wanting nothing more than to end this, even if it meant risking her own life to save her friends. Reading this, Soeun’s heart dropped and eyes grew wide. There was no way in hell she was going to let that happen because those scumbags weren’t worth risking anything, much less a human life. Before Soojin could sit up, she pulled her back down.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’m gonna stop them! What are you doing?!” She tried to tug away, but the younger girl only held her sweater tighter. 

“Stopping you from doing something really stupid!! Take the wheel!”

“But—”

“Take the wheel!”

Soeun, of course, wasn’t going to repeat herself again as Soojin relented as they switched spots for her to climb towards the backseat. She made sure not to step on Jihan and Jaehee, then put her leg between them for some space. One of them grasped onto it like a lifeline, which indirectly helped Soeun not fly out of the car. The girl then turned around, glaring at the machine gun shooter through the rear window with bright orange eyes. With ease, Soeun made him kill the driver and everyone else inside the bus, gut wrenching screams getting drowned out by the firing of the weapon. It stopped as she made the man turn the gun on himself for a finishing blow. Afterwards, Soojin made a sharp turn to avoid crashing into a wall, and since the bus’s driver was slumped on the wheel, the large vehicle kept going straight until it plowed through a brick building, exploding upon impact. Sighing in relief, Soeun climbed into the passenger seat and leaned back as her eyes closed.

“You guys can get up now, we’re safe.” Referring to Jihan and Jaehee who hesitantly did so, frantically looking in all directions. This event would serve as the birth of a new traumatic experience for them. 

“A-a-are you s-sure?” The younger girl stuttered, unable to form comprehensive sentences.

“Yes. It’s ok, don’t worry.” Soeun’s voice suddenly dimmed, growing quiet by the time they reached the highways again, which concerned Soojin. She stopped when it was a safe distance from the city, before glancing over, only to be horrified upon seeing a bullet wound on her left shoulder. 

“You’re hurt!” 

“Yeah—didn’t realize till now.”

The girl groaned painfully as Soojin quickly rushed over to her side, opening the door and pulling out a first aid kit, then wasted no time patching her shoulder up. Jaehee shakily got out to help while Jihan remained inside, still shell shocked by everything. They could only hope there wouldn’t be another crazy encounter on the road back like this again. Soojin made sure Soeun drank plenty of water and ate some snacks to replenish the blood loss, before scanning the area around them, hoping to find another car that could perhaps still have some fuel to spare. Jaehee helped look as well, but unfortunately, none of them could find any, thus, the girls only had to use what they had left. Reluctantly, Soojin started up the Volkswagen again and drove off, feeling uncertain with how long they had left until gas ran out. The younger kids pulled out their map again, helping her navigate through the highway to go back home. After a half an hour, Soeun soon fell into a much deserved sleep, as well as the kids while Soojin thoroughly focused on driving and protecting her friends. Thankfully, she remembered where they’d first entered this path, then took an exit back to the familiar desert scenery. By then, it was the middle of the night, which surprisingly enough, she didn’t seem tired one bit. Perhaps due to constantly being wary of the surroundings. Soojin checked the meter once more, only to be shocked that it didn’t have much time left before the gas tank was completely gone right about…now. 

Everyone jolted awake after being jerked forward due to lack of fuel, which they instantly realized before collectively groaning. Despite being greatly irritated, Soeun had to thank the Volkswagen for taking so many attacks at once and still lasting long to this point. Jihan and Jaehee were too tired to even think about anything as the younger suggested they should sleep in the car for tonight, then walk the rest of the way tomorrow. No one had the energy to refute and so, the older girls leaned on each other in the front seats, as well as the kids in the back, slipping off into dreamland.

Learning just how far of a walk it would take to get back home was a terrible way to start the morning. Seeing the four hour mark on Jaehee’s phone screen really stirred up their frustrations upon waking up, but the girls were really determined to make it home no matter what it took. Or well, aside from their energy and persistence along the way, which didn’t really last long as they only walked a mere mile before calling it quits. At this point, they wouldn’t hesitate stealing whatever cars came their way. Soojin spawned a large wall for shade and allowed the girls to take a much needed snack break. Though, on the other hand, she tried to get some signal on her phone, waving the device around and about in hopes of gaining at least one bar to contact Zoa. She groaned everytime this didn’t work, before sitting back down to eat oreos with Soeun. After a while, they resumed walking more and actually continued for two hours after Jaehee had made the announcement. Now, the girls were just halfway there. 

But shortly, another break was decided as they rested under a large tree. The kids took a quick nap on Jaehee’s blanket and pillow while Soojin continued finding some signal. Soeun would’ve laughed a little if it weren’t for the burning heat right now, watching the older girl stray about five feet away from the tree. With both hands, she held her phone up into the air, knowing full well the girls might , especially Soeun.

“Havin’ fun there, damsel in distress?” Soojin jokingly scoffed as her teasing made her feel more at ease. 

“Haha, very funny, Soeun.”

“You don’t have to worry so much, we’re almost there anyways.”

“I’m getting signal so I can tell Zoa that we’re on our way back. I haven’t texted her since—” She gasped softly, forgetting that Jihan and Jaehee were still there with them. But thank god they both had completely passed out already, thus didn’t hear anything they were saying. 

Soeun quickly noticed the change in mood and instantly frowned, before getting up on her feet to walk towards the older girl. “What’s wrong?” She asked softly, placing her hand on Soojin’s arm. 

“I-I…I—thought about last night…” then whispered, “when I…saw the bodies….”

Wait. There were four, right?

Upon receiving a small nod, Soeun shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. This couldn’t have gotten any worse. “That’s also why I’m trying to get a signal…to tell Zoa, Monday and Jiyoon….”

“Yeah—no, I totally understand, um….” Glancing around, she tried to find some place where they could walk to while the kids slept. “I’ll help you.”

Soojin smiled softly at the offer. “Thank you.”

The two crossed the street together and since Soeun is taller, she waved the phone around while running in circles, nearly tripping over a rock. They both laughed together as their small mission for one measly signal bar progressed a bit further away from the kids. Both of them made sure not to stray too far away before walking along. Soon enough, it reached a point where they were now standing on a mini mountain, Soojin holding onto Soeun’s arm tight, though not enough to hurt her shoulder. However, just a few steps closer to the cliff finally did the trick as Soojin saw one bar on her phone. Gasping, she immediately took it before texting Zoa a message, only to have second thoughts right then and there. Soeun knew what she was feeling and of course, comforted the older girl by saying it was fine and rubbing her arms. After one deep breath, Soojin could only hope this didn’t shock their friends too much.

“There. I-I clicked send…let’s hope it’ll actually get to them.” 

“They will definitely receive it, don’t worry.”

Without wasting any more time, the two carefully make their way down from the mountain and head back to the kids, who were still very much asleep. Waking them up again, the group continued trekking the last two hours home, though occasionally made a few breaks like always. Pretty soon, their backpacks were empty of snacks, barely any water and legs felt they were going to snap upon taking one more step. But with only thirty more minutes, the girls continued pushing forward and what helped even more was that they didn’t think about the time, because the moment the large stone wall was in view, everyone screamed in happiness. Of course, this startled Zoa, Monday and Jiyoon, who were in the middle of forging a sword. The three quickly recognized the voices as Soojin blasted an opening with telekinesis, tugging Soeun inside with Jihan and Jaehee sprinting close behind. Afterwards, they all collapsed to the ground, utterly tired from the long journey. Zoa questioned what in god’s sake happened to them which Soeun filled in on everything and how they lost the Volkswagen. Jiyoon helped the kids into the RV to rest while the youngest girl stayed behind.

Did you get the message?  

Zoa slowly nodded. Yeah.

“What do we do?” Soojin asked, hoping her sister knew what to do. 

But unfortunately, “I-I don’t know, I’m just as speechless as you guys.” 

“Damn…this .” Monday groaned and rubbed her temples. “We have to tell them somehow.” Soeun nodded before commenting. 

“I agree. They deserve to know eventually.” 

“Maybe when they bring up their parents again, uh…we’ll just—all sit down with them and talk.”

“I’m scared about how they’re going to react….” Soojin pondered while looking at the ground. 

“Well whatever happens, happens. If the two get angry with us, then that’s fair.” This was what settled the conversation as everyone nodded. “Anywho, Monday, Jiyoon and I made this while you guys were away.” Zoa held up a sword, earning a gasp from her older sister. 

“How long did that take??”

“Since last night.” She giggled. 

“What made you forge this?” Soeun questioned curiously, then Monday answered. 

“Because I wanted to see if I could be like Thor and channel some electricity in it.”

“But Thor has a hammer.” Soojin frowned slightly and pointed out. 

“So? A sword is cooler.”

“Touché.” 

“Does it work?” 

“I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ll seize my moment when a rainstorm comes.” 

“Ooooh then you’ll actually be like Thor.” The oldest girl playfully smirked before holding the heavy weapon in her hands. “Wow, where did you even get the metals for this?” 

“We found tons of scraps around town and gathered them all together for Jiyoon to burn.” Zoa answered as Soeun complimented. 

“Pretty cool design.” 

“Thanks!”

For the rest of their afternoon, the girls focused on revamping some stores and life back to this old town. Luckily, there was still a hotel full of beds inside, thus Monday parked their RV right next to it before they all got to work cleaning the whole interior. Night settled pretty fast as the girls showered, then exited the building for dinner. Soojin and Jiyoon decided to cook this time while everyone got out their camping chairs. For some music, Zoa grabbed her ukulele and began playing some familiar pieces that the girls could recognize while singing along to it. Eventually, it was time for bed, or as they would say and then stay up for till the middle of the night. Jihan and Jaehee were already in a room, while the rest were still choosing theirs. Soojin had also picked one prior to dinner and Soeun saw her sitting by the window while passing, only abruptly stopping to admire. One crucial thing she forgot to do was make sure she was alone in the hallway, therefore, Monday just so happened to see this before ‘accidentally’ shoving her into the room with Soojin.

“Oops, my bad.” She sarcastically apologized with a -eating grin, then closed the door on Soeun. 

The girl was about to cuss back, until a soft voice from behind interrupted her. “Hey.” 

“H-hi, uh—sorry, if you want me to leave, I can—”

“No, it’s fine. Please stay.”

Slightly raising an eyebrow, she continued staring before sighing and setting her backpack down before laying on a bed. Soeun wasn’t sure how to feel, but didn’t really mind it too much, in fact, she’d preferred sharing a room with Soojin anyways. “How are you feeling?” 

“Kind of…anxious all day.”

Hearing this, the younger girl walked over to the window and sat down with her. “Thinking about that again?” 

“Mhm.”

“Hey…it’s going to be ok. We have to mentally prepare.” Her gaze softened as she held Soojin’s hands to comfort. 

“N-not just that either. Other things have been on my mind, too.”

“Like what?” 

“Um…well…my own parents.” 

“What do you mean?” There was a brief silence. 

I’m wondering if they’re still alive. And…even if they are, I’m scared they’ll forget about me and Zoa. I-I don’t know what I’d do if they just abandoned us and—

Stop. Don’t ever say that. If you know your parents well enough, then they would never, ever do that. But what makes you so concerned? Soojin stayed quiet, which made Soeun be more gentle. You can tell me, it’s alright. 

The older girl shakily took a deep breath. After hearing Monday’s story and…and last night…I’ve been having doubts for a while. A-and I know, that’s terrible to think about, but I can’t help it…

Those feelings are valid, Soojin. She then looked up, a bit surprised since that was the first time Soeun had ever said her name.

“Thank you, really. I didn’t think I needed to talk about it this much, but you really helped me, Soeun-ah.” 

“No need to thank me. It’s what friends should do.”

Soojin immediately smiled afterwards before wrapping her arms around Soeun’s neck, embracing her tightly as gratitude. On the other hand, she hesitantly returned the hug just as much and they both stayed like that for several minutes, until finally separating to lay on their beds. Though instead of sleeping immediately, the two stayed up for another hour and quietly giggled together while taking turns cracking jokes to ease the anxiety and tension. This worked out pretty well as Soojin was able to peacefully fall asleep. Sighing once more, Soeun sat up to turn off the lamp before draping the blanket over and closing her eyes.