[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Eleven[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Today, it was Seri’s turn to cook, and due to their limited variety of ingredients, she didn’t have many options. In the end, she chose to make a simple noodle soup for the group. She placed the steaming pot on the table and called for her housemates. Sehun was the first to arrive, his eyes lighting up once he smelled the food. He plopped down on his usual seat and filled his bowl with soup.

“I’m starving,” he groaned, contemplating whether he should wait for the others before he started to eat. Thankfully, Chanyeol appeared not long after him and took a seat as well. Seri sat opposite him and tapped her fingers on the table. A certain someone was taking his time, causing Sehun to get impatient.

“Where the hell is that slowpoke?” he complained. “It’ll get cold!”

“Just start eating, it’s fine,” Chanyeol said. “He’s checking our weapon and ammunition supply.”

Seri sighed and gazed at her soup. She had hoped he would be a bit more enthusiastic about lunch when she had prepared it, but apparently, he didn’t care, making her wait for another five minutes until he finally appeared.

“How nice of you to join us, Baekhyunnie,” Seri greeted him sarcastically. Chanyeol choked on his soup, coughing until he could breathe again.

“Baekhyunnie,” Sehun cackled and hit his thigh. “Baekhyunnie.”

Baekhyun glared at Sehun, sitting down and clutching his spoon in agitation. “I was busy, otherwise I would have joined you earlier.”

“What a fitting nickname. I’m borrowing it, Seri.” Chanyeol’s smirk was pure evil, causing Baekhyun’s expression to sour.

“Don’t you dare!” Baekhyun growled.

“It was my idea, so you can’t use it,” Seri insisted. “Baekhyunnie is mine.”

“Oh, is he?” Sehun’s grin was dripping with mischief and amusement. He waggled his eyebrows, and that’s when Seri realized he had misinterpreted her words on purpose. Her cheeks flushed in mortification—it was very hard to look at Baekhyun.

“Not like that,” she grumbled. “I meant the nickname.”

“Please invite me to your wedding.”

“Stop embarrassing me with your silly comments all the time.”

“The captain doesn’t mind.”

Seri reluctantly threw a glance at the soldier and discovered an amused glow in his eyes. He propped up his chin on the palm of his hand, watching her.

“What are you looking at?” With other people, she never blushed this easily, but Baekhyun had an outstanding talent for provoking her.

“My doctor,” he said nonchalantly without breaking eye contact. His expression was unreadable. It made her feel like he could read her every thought and didn’t help with calming her racing pulse.

“Stop staring,” she pouted and looked down at her bowl instead. Before he realized what kind of influence he had on her stuttering heart. Because Byun Baekhyun would never let her hear the end of it if he found out about her feelings.

“I don’t take orders from you,” he proclaimed, irritating her with his arrogant tone.

“You always listen to my orders, Baekhyunnie,” she shot back. When had he ever said no to her? She couldn’t recall.

“In your dreams.”

“You’re in denial.”

“At least I don’t talk in my sleep,” he smirked. The unexpected change of topic threw her off. She prayed she hadn’t said anything incriminating. Maybe sleeping in his bed wasn’t such a good idea after all…

“Ugh… If you don’t shut up, I’ll shut you up, Byun.”

“Go ahead,” he provoked and raised his eyebrow at her. Seri huffed.

“I feel like you don’t take me seriously at all.”

“Well, it’s hard when you pout like that. I’ve never seen a doctor pout in my whole life.”

“You’re more entertaining than a TV show,” Sehun chimed in.

“Hey, you weren’t supposed to hear this!” Her fingers massaged her temples. Had she been so engrossed in her discussion with Baekhyun that she had forgotten about Sehun and Chanyeol? What was wrong with her?

“Did Baekhyunnie steal your attention?” Chanyeol snickered, receiving a drawn-out groan from her.

Although the day had been uneventful—safe for the banter during lunch—Seri wasn’t granted a calm sleep. She lay tucked under Baekhyun’s arm and fought the clutches of a particularly vicious nightmare. The images it forced her to see were frightening, filled with ravenous faceless monsters, and the deaths of her parents.

Her bad dream ended abruptly when Seri regained consciousness. Tears burned in her eyes. The deeply painful sensation of loss overcame her, riddling her heart with invisible holes. It had been months since she had last seen her parents. She didn’t even have a picture left of them, no memento; only her memories and those would fade with time. She hadn’t been able to grieve properly since she couldn’t even bury them. It was hard to find peace at this rate, but her new companions were a tremendous help. She cherished them. Their presence kept the loneliness away, and it gave her a reason to survive. Softly exhaling, she wiped the tears and gazed at Baekhyun’s motionless silhouette. His head lay on the pillow they shared, so close their noses almost touched. A wistful smile curled her lips as the tips of her fingers brushed a lock of his hair out of his eyes. The darkness couldn’t hide the elegant shape of his lips, high cheekbones, and defined jawline. Had he noticed her enchanted gaze, he surely would have about it… The thought eased her melancholia and elicited a smile from her. She wondered whether her feelings for him were easy to notice. Sehun and Chanyeol had an inkling about them, considering their comments during lunch.

It was far too early to get up, but after her nightmare, she didn’t feel like sleeping, so she left the bed without waking him. She readjusted the blanket over him so he would stay warm since the room was chilly. Seri leaned against the wall next to the window, observing the nightly scenery. Her eyes moved to the abandoned house across the street and took in the area that separated the woods from the small town. The forest was about 100 meters away, and ever since they had been ambushed by zombies, she no longer wanted to return there. The trees were dense and painted long shadows over the grass as the moon hovered above them. She stared at the darkness in between their massive trunks. Something moved. She squinted her eyes and blinked. What was that? She was sure she had not imagined it.

Cold fear crawled into her limbs. Her hand reached for the curtain and pulled, hiding herself in its shadow. What in the world was that? Something was lurking in the forest, contrasting with the darker color of its surroundings. It looked like the face of a person, and it was staring right at her. The longer she gazed at it, the more she freaked out. She wasn’t imagining it. That thing—whatever the hell it was—had seen her. It moved forward. A thin, spider-like arm emerged from the darkness.

Her shriek ripped through the room. She stumbled away from the window, frantic and scared. The noise woke Baekhyun up who lunged for his gun, expecting the worst. His eyes scanned the dark room and found Seri. Faster than should be possible for someone who had been sleeping a second ago, he ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” he asked hoarsely.

“Something’s out there,” she whispered, her limbs shaking. Baekhyun’s features hardened as he turned to the window and looked outside, trying to see what was wrong.

“Where?”

“In the forest!”

Baekhyun stared at the treeline, squinting his eyes. He frowned when he looked back at her. “Seri, nothing’s there.”

“What? But that can’t be…” She gathered her courage and stood next to him. Her eyes searched the treeline for the creature she had seen, but it was no longer there. She was hysteric, and for good reason.

“Seri,” he interrupted her. He had put the gun away and again held her shoulders. His cool brown eyes held worry, but it was directed at her and not at the thing she had seen. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for what you saw. Maybe it was the snow.”

Her face twisted in anguish. Was she going nuts? Could she have mistaken what she saw? This creature… had looked real… but at the same time, its proportions had been odd and deformed. Seri’s fear simmered down as her confusion grew. Maybe her nightmare had caused her to imagine things that weren’t really there. Baekhyun’s doubtful reaction was understandable.

“Hey, are you okay?” His tone softened. He let go of her shoulders, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. He embraced her and her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt.

“Sorry about this. It was probably just my imagination. I had a nightmare and… and I wasn’t feeling well. I didn’t want to wake you up… you should go back to sleep.”

“Only if you join me,” he murmured in her hair and patted her back.

“I will.”

A hint of a smile spread over his face, but his worry remained stronger, giving his expression a tinge of sadness. He took her hand and guided her to their bed. She lay down first and waited for him to join her. The moment he was under the cover, she inched closer and put her head on his chest, hugging his upper body. His familiar scent filled her nostrils. It was soothing—he was her biggest comfort, a source of strength. She could goof around with him, challenge him, bicker, and even flirt to her heart’s content. And when she needed a shoulder to lean on, he was there for her. He listened, and he never mocked her when she cried. That’s why it was easy to trust him.

Their ever-changing relationship had many different facets, much like a colorful kaleidoscope when it caught the light. The once bleak days of the pandemic had become vibrant thanks to him.

“I’m glad you’re here, Baekhyun,” she whispered.

He hummed. His warm palm touched the back of her head and caressed it, prompting her to close her eyes. “Same to you, angel.”

Perhaps she was dreaming, but she could have sworn she felt his lips on her forehead. Butterflies swarmed her stomach. Had he noticed her pink cheeks, he might have smiled at the sight. He made her feel like she was back in high school, talking to her crush. This happiness filling her every time they talked was addicting. She floated to cloud nine and slowly fell asleep in his safe embrace.

“Sweet dreams,” he murmured in her hair. It smelled of apples, just like the shampoo she preferred to use. Her breaths were even, her body warm as she melted in his embrace.

Seri was still asleep when Baekhyun got up in the morning. He was quiet and careful not to wake her. The latter was difficult since she held on to him even when asleep, and removing her tight grip on his shirt was anything but easy without waking her up. She was like a little koala when she slept. Soft, adorable, cuddly.

He could have stayed with her for another while, but he already heard Sehun and Chanyeol rummaging through the kitchen cabinets, so he decided to help them prepare breakfast. They would appreciate it. Thanks to his patience, he managed to sneak outside without waking Seri up. He stopped by the bathroom to freshen up and change his clothes before he moved on to the kitchen.

“Morning,” he said.

“Oh, hey. Did we wake you up?” Chanyeol asked. He had put on the gas stove and boiled water to make tea.

“No, I woke up on my own. Had a bit of a scare tonight.”

“Huh, what happened?” Sehun’s head snapped around, eyes fixating on his older friend.

“Seri thought she saw something weird outside. Her scream woke me up and scared the out of me.”

“What did she see?” Sehun asked.

“I’m not sure… when I looked, nothing was there. So I assume she only imagined it.”

Chanyeol wasn’t convinced. His unease wa