[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Nine[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Brutal cold enveloped Seri’s entire body when she plunged into the water. The ensuing pain was merciless—she yielded under its intensity and became petrified with shock and horror. Darkness welcomed her. A thousand needles pricked her skin. She had never felt such absolute coldness and agony, and she was convinced she would die. Fear invaded her mind—the idea of dying here evoked unimaginable terror in her. It was too soon, she couldn’t die yet, she had barely even started living, 27 years were far from enough, there was so much left to do, so many things to discover—her thoughts turned into a storm, fueling her panic. 

Suddenly, her boots touched the ground of the lake, giving her new hope. The water was not as deep as she had feared and the image of a bright hole in the ice above her was blurry—but it was reachable. Seri used the last of her strength and forced her limbs to move with sheer willpower. She wouldn’t die here, not like this. It was all she could think of. Survive, survive, survive! Her feet kicked the ground, arms reaching for the light above her, and she shot up. Her body broke through the surface, and she instinctively searched for something to hold on to, however, she was surrounded by slippery ice and snow. The added cold only aggravated her pain. She cried out.

“Seri, grab this!” Dizzy and disoriented, she needed a moment to understand what was happening. She couldn’t tell who this voice belonged to, but right now it hardly mattered. Her eyes fell on the end of a leather belt that lay in front of her on the ice. Sehun and Baekhyun held the other end, careful not to step on the unstable ice. They were pale with worry since they must have feared she would drown or freeze to death.

Seri’s fingers were shaking badly, her skin turning purple and blue. Her teeth clacked as violent shivers racked her body. She howled in pain when she grabbed the belt, but she didn’t let go. This was her lifeline. Her body jolted when they pulled her out of the water and onto the volatile ice. More cracks formed under her.

“Come on, Seri. We almost got you,” Baekhyun said through gritted teeth. With one last pull, she landed on solid ground, shivering terribly. Her strength faded, stealing her consciousness. It was almost impossible to stay awake. She couldn’t move, was numb and unaware of what was going on.

Baekhyun hastily removed his winter jacket and Sehun held her up while Chanyeol took off her icy coat. They wrapped her in Baekhyun’s dry jacket since it was warmed up by his body heat.

“, she’s so cold,” Sehun mumbled. His throat tightened in fear for her life.

Baekhyun blinked, holding back the tears that pricked at his eyes. It physically hurt him to see her suffer. His heart constricted in his chest. He needed to save her, she couldn’t die like this after such a sad accident. Baekhyun took her from Sehun’s arms and got up, cradling her body to his chest in hopes of shielding her from the biting cold and the unforgiving wind.

“Don’t fall asleep, Seri. Stay with me,” he ordered. His eyes darted from the snowy path to her ashen face. Her head drooped—was she unconscious already? “Seri! Please don’t fall asleep,” he pleaded and picked up his pace.

Chanyeol was in front of him, Sehun behind him. They were cautious and covered him in case of another sudden zombie attack. Although they were running, the way home was unbearably long. Baekhyun was scared to death. Out of all the things that could have happened to her, why would it have to be this? He didn’t want her to die. A soft moan left her, the pitiful sound causing his stomach to roll on its head.

“It’s not far anymore, we’re almost home. Just a little longer,” he panted, but he didn’t know if she heard him. The group left the forest and reached the street leading up to their home. Luckily, no more zombies were around, so they crossed the distance without further setbacks and entered the property. Sehun ran ahead and unlocked the door, letting Baekhyun and Chanyeol pass. 

The three soldiers didn’t waste their breath with words. Each of them ran in a different direction in the hopes of helping her recover from the cold. Chanyeol lit a fire in the fireplace of the living room and fetched warm fluffy blankets. Then, he joined Sehun in the kitchen, planning to make hot tea.

In the meantime, Baekhyun let her down in front of the fireplace where it was cozy. She was half-conscious and too weak to hold herself up, so she fell against him. He felt nothing but blind terror and hurried to remove her wet and icy clothes. The sight of her body covered in blue and purple hues was another shock, another reason for his panic to grow.

“Stay awake,” he whispered. “We’ll warm you up in no time, do you hear me? You’ll be fine.”

He continued to ramble, hoping to keep her awake and to calm her—and himself as well. Her eyelids fluttered and her face was scrunched up in pain. It was essential not to warm her up too fast. On the other hand, being too slow wasn’t good either.

He wrapped her in a soft blanket and sat close to the flames, keeping her between his legs. Her back leaned against his chest, and her head was on his shoulder. Although she was enveloped in warmth, she continued to shiver like a leaf in a storm. He took her icy hands and held them, kneading them to increase blood circulation. The heat of the flames caused her face to flush and helped chase the cold away. From time to time, he heard sighs from , but she never spoke.

Chanyeol and Sehun returned to the living room with a tray. Sehun set it down next to Baekhyun. “We made tea. She should drink it soon.”

“Thank you,” Baekhyun rasped tiredly. His fingers touched her cheek, tapping it. “Seri, are you awake?”

His composure began to crumble, showing his innermost thoughts. She didn’t answer and he was about to lose his mind. He had done all he could to warm her up—but had it been too late? Falling into the lake must have been torturous. Would her body withstand this harrowing experience? She looked frail and vulnerable like he had never seen her before. Wet hair framed her pale complexion, its darkness contrasting with her ashen skin.

“Seri, please,” he tried again, and this time, his voice shook. He cradled her, wrapped his arms around her stomach.

“She opened her eyes!” Chanyeol suddenly exclaimed, moving closer. He and Sehun kneeled next to the fireplace, grateful for the warmth it provided. Chanyeol promptly filled a cup with some tea. Not too much—they didn’t want her to burn herself by accident.

Baekhyun supported her head and kept her upright so she was able to drink. Very slowly and carefully, Chanyeol guided the cup to her lips. She took two little gulps of the liquid, a shudder running through her entire body when warmth spread in and stomach.

Since she turned her head away, Chanyeol put the cup down. “This is all we can do for her,” he muttered. He threaded his hand through his black hair, lowering his head. The shock of what had happened ran deep—he, like his two friends, couldn’t believe she had nearly drowned today. Seeing the otherwise vivacious woman become a husk of her old self was troubling.

The aftermath of her accident left a noticeable impact on the group, and Chanyeol came to realize how much she normally kept up the mood with friendly conversations and smiles. There was something comforting about her presence—it was reassuring to have a doctor around in these dangerous times. Moreover, her bickering and shenanigans with Baekhyun were endearing to watch. He had reverted to his old playful self which reminded Chanyeol of the time when they’d attended the military academy together.

When she was suffering, things were not the same. Chanyeol gnawed on his lower lip, studying her form curled up in Baekhyun’s protective embrace. He didn’t want to unsettle his friend any further since Baekhyun already worried enough, but Chanyeol had the nagging suspicion she might fall gravely ill. Sinking into ice-cold water in winter wasn’t something the average person could handle. If she got pneumonia or a high fever, what could they do to help her? None of them had studied medicine and there was no hospital nearby where they could get antibiotics for her…

He kept his mouth shut and didn’t share his pessimistic thoughts. Neither Baekhyun nor Sehun could handle this right now. If Chanyeol was blunt, his friends both looked like . The youngest of the soldiers was unable to sit still and fidgeted with the sleeve of his hoodie, rolling its fabric in between his fingers. His foot tapped on the ground as if he was waiting for something to happen and Baekhyun stared into the flames, wearing a dull expression.

“Is she asleep now?” Sehun whispered and leaned closer.

“It looks like it,” Chanyeol confirmed. “Do you want to move her to the sofa?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, we’ll stay close to the fire for a while longer. Just to be safe.”

The night was endless. The group agreed to sleep in different shifts. One of them would always watch over her in case anything was wrong. At about three o’clock, after many hours had passed, she awoke. Sweating and shivering, she groaned in delirium, pushing the blanket that covered her away. She was wearing a shirt and sweatpants that Baekhyun had helped her put on before he had gone to sleep. Chanyeol, who was currently watching over her, was worried about her health. He put his hand on her forehead and flinched—she was boiling and he had no doubts she suffered from a fever. Her breathing pattern was irregular, accompanied by little gasps, aggravating Chanyeol’s unease.

He lit more candles to better illuminate the room and took one of them when he left the living room, stopping in front of Baekhyun’s door to knock on it. The soldier ripped it