[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Seri sat in the shade of a tree and watched the others sparring from afar. Her injuries didn’t allow her to join them yet, so she continued to take it easy. Yeji received her first self-defense lesson today, which had led to some shenanigans with Jongin and Sehun when they had discussed who would become her teacher. It had ended with a triumphant Jongin and a flustered Yeji.

They started out slowly, Jongin teaching her a few simple jabs and kicks. He also demonstrated how she should clench her fists in order not to hurt herself when attacking. The poor woman had trouble concentrating and her red cheeks certainly weren’t related to the bright sunlight… Seri found the duo very adorable, and she could see how gentle he was with her. There was a stark difference compared to his rowdy attitude with his friends.

Chanyeol soon joined Seri and sat next to her on the grass to observe the others. “Do you think Jongin likes doing this?”

“Of course,” Seri giggled, keeping her voice down. “He’s interested in her, isn’t he? You’ve known him for longer than I, what do you think?”

He grinned mischievously and dipped his head. “It’s true… Jongin is shy but when he’s interested in a woman, he’ll get over it.”

Seri’s eyes wandered from Yeji and Jongin to Baekhyun and Sehun who were on an entirely different level of prowess. After warming up for ten minutes, they had switched to hand to hand combat and used kicks, punches and throwing techniques to defeat their opponent. She found it intriguing to watch them and to see the different strategies they used. No doubt, they were incredibly skilled and not many people would stand a chance against one of them. Each move was delivered with accuracy and intensity. Sweat gathered on their foreheads and their hair stuck to their skin. Eventually, Baekhyun took off his shirt and threw it on the grass. Seri’s throat went dry—she couldn’t stop staring. Not that this view was new to her, but this didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it.

“Look at that,” Chanyeol cackled evilly. “Baekhyun’s showing off because he knows his future wife is watching.”

She blushed and tore her eyes away from him, pretending she hadn’t just been staring at him. “No, it’s probably hot in the sun.”

“Don’t be naïve, he’s clearly showing off. Don’t you know how male peacocks impress their significant other? They use a similar strategy.”

Seri cracked up, laughter shaking her body. “Did you just… compare Baekhyun to a peacock?”

“I did.”And he was dead serious about it. Chanyeol’s expression didn’t budge.

“What the hell,” she giggled. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I mean, his strategy is working. You’ve been staring at him like a hypnotized, lovesick—”

“No!”

“Yes. I saw it! You’re a lost cause.”

“Stop it, Chanyeol.”

“So that  you can admire him in peace? Okay, I’ll leave you alone,” he chuckled and decided to bother Jongin and Yeji instead.

“Do you think he will propose soon?!”

“I really don’t kno w, Yeji. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking,” Seri whispered. Her eyes followed a small butterfly that landed on a spring flower in their garden. They were sitting on a blanket, basking in the warm sun rays. The soldiers had retreated into the house and none of them overheard what they were talking about.

“He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either when Sehun asked, so maybe he’s considering it? Or he wants it to be a surprise for you!”

“Baekhyun isn’t the romantic type of person. Chanyeol and Sehun are the ones who keep bringing it up, not Baekhyun. I don’t know if he cares about marriage at all.”

“But you care,” Yeji remarked with a knowing smile. She only needed to see Seri’s expression to understand her feelings—it was filled with longing and an ounce of hope.

“I’ve always dreamed about having one of these cliché weddings involving a small chapel, a white dress, and a fancy dinner. Silly, right?” Seri laughed embarrassedly and made a dismissive gesture. “But it’s okay, this is no longer possible, and besides, we’ve got other things to worry about. Baekhyun is my partner now, and whether we’re married or not, I know he loves me.”

“Awww, Seri, that’s cute,” Yeji gushed. “Those kinds of weddings are so romantic! I’ve seen one in a drama ages ago and it made my heart flutter! If you ever get married, I want to be your bridesmaid.”

Imagining it ignited a smile on Seri’s lips. “Yes, and you’ll wear a beautiful dress in your favorite color… maybe Jongin will be flustered when he sees you?”

“Maybe.” Yeji’s fingers played with the soft blanket they were sitting on. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and imagined what it would be like to dress up, perhaps even for a date.

“How I wish we could turn back time and make it so this mess never happens,” Seri mumbled. “I can’t imagine what our future will be like.”

“Have you thought about starting a family?”

“Yes, but…” Seri frowned deeply. “I don’t want to have children. I couldn’t offer them a good life—they would grow up isolated and in constant fear of a zombie attack. They would have no friends of their age either. Doesn’t sound like a happy childhood if you ask me.”

The smile was wiped off Yeji’s face and she nodded slowly. “I haven’t looked at it from this perspective, but you’re right. It would be irresponsible to have children,” she paused and inclined her head. “But we don’t know what the future will bring! It’s only been half a year since all of this started.”

Her optimism never failed to impress Seri—it was refreshing and she appreciated it since her own thoughts tended to spiral into a dark abyss sometimes, especially when she pondered about the future.

“We have to wait and see,” Seri said.

“What if the zombies rot away in summer? They’ve held up well throughout the winter months, but if it gets warmer, won’t they decompose faster?”

“That’s a good point, but I’ve seen mutated zombies before—they could be resistant to the summer heat.”

Yeji pursed her lips as she thought about this. “Okay, I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens…”

They heard the patio door behind them slide open and Seri threw a glance over her shoulder, spotting Baekhyun. He left the house and approached the women, appearing bored and looking for entertainment.

“What are you up to?” he asked and sat next to Seri, resting his arms on his thighs. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt that suited the warm weather and showed off his biceps.

“Discussing important things,” Yeji smirked.

“Like what?”

Seri elbowed her and threw her a look that screamed, “Don’t say it.”

Yeji winked and twirled her braided pigtail around her finger. “A man wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“Well… we were talking about—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Seri cut her off.

Baekhyun raised his eyebrow. “Now I’m curious.”

“We were talking about… um… tampons!” Seri blurted, knowing that this would deter him and she was right. Baekhyun froze, red creeping up his ears, and he promptly looked straight ahead, gaze focused on the valley spread out in front of them.

“I see,” he muttered and scratched his neck. “What a delightful topic.”

Yeji snorted and shook her head, remembering something Seri had told her—a story featuring her boyfriend and tampons. “Tampons are amazing, did you know there are different sizes?”

“…I’ve heard of it.” Facing the most challenging adversary of his life, Baekhyun had no chance but to retreat. He got up abruptly, mumbling something about looking for Jongin, and hurried back into the house. His shoulders were tense and his neck looked red—at least from a distance.

“Wow,” was all Yeji said.

“He was terrified! Did you see his face?! I never knew he could look so awkward and panicked at the same time. Damn, if only I could have taken a picture…”

“Do you even have a camera film left? You took so many flower photos this morning, I would be surprised.”

A sheepish laugh escaped Seri and she nodded. “I have one left. After that, I need to find a new one and batteries too. I couldn’t stop myself this morning! The flowers are so pretty here, and now I got plenty of beautiful polaroids for my journal.”

“You grew up in the city, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Is it that obvious?”

“Kind of,” Yeji replied. “These flowers are common where I used to live.”

“You grew up in a beautiful place then.”

“I did,” she whispered and gazed at the plants with melancholy and yearning—they were a small remnant of her past, one of the few things that had endured until now.

The days became longer as spring progressed, blessing the group with sunnier weather and less rain. Seri slowly recovered from her injuries under Baekyhun’s watchful eyes—he helped her change the bandage every day and was immensely relieved to see the bite healing. However, the slash wound was deeper and needed more time to fade.

Baekhyun cherished every day he spent with her. He didn’t take her presence for granted, not after what she had gone through. A week had passed since Seri’s ordeal—and Baekhyun decided that it was time for a change. He didn’t know how much time they had together, so he needed to make the most of every second. With his mind made up, Baekhyun searched for Chanyeol one early morning when Seri was still asleep and asked him for a favor.

“There’s something I need to do and I need your help.”

The sincerity and urgency his friend displayed intrigued Chanyeol. He nodded and waited for him to elaborate.

“I have to go into town, and I need backup,” Baekhyun explained. He carried his gun in its holster, wore heavy boots, and cargo pants with several knives hidden in their pockets.

“It seems important,” Chanyeol said. “Okay, I will join you. Tell me more when we’re on the way.” He trusted his friend so much that he didn’t even ask questions about his request. If it was important to Baekhyun, then it had to be worth the risk.

Chanyeol fetched his weapons of choice and put on suitable clothes for their little mission before they headed out together. The sun was rising and the town nestled into the valley shrouded in fog which gradually dissipated. If they were lucky, they could avoid drawing attention from the zombies roaming the city center. The smaller the group, the easier it was to hide from them.

Oblivious to all of this, Seri was awoken hours later by the sun rays tickling her face