Two
Phoenix[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]Chapter Two[/CONTENTID2]
[CONTENTID3]
A hand touched the wooden door and pushed it open further from the other side. The silhouette of a man appeared in the dark hotel lobby, swaying and barely able to stand. Seri met the brown eyes of a soldier she knew all too well. Her breath hitched when she saw him from up close—he looked worse than she had expected and he was in dire need of help.
“Are you infected?” Seri whispered and walked closer. He grimaced, pressing his palm on his stomach. Red stained his uniform.
“No,” he answered hoarsely, shutting his eyes for a moment.
She decided to believe him and bridged the distance between them, wrapping her arm around his back and thus supporting his upper body. He put some of his weight on her, aggravating her fear for his wellbeing. If he needed so much support to walk, his wound had to be severe…
“Can you hold out for a bit longer? I have a safe place just across the street,” she told him and he nodded wordlessly.
“Good. It’s not far. And when we’re there, I’ll treat your injury. You can trust me.”
He didn’t answer, biting his lip hard to hold in a groan. They made it to the entrance at a very slow pace. She glanced outside and didn’t see the people from before. They must have left to search a different area. Seri continued to mumble soft reassurances to her injured companion because she had the impression they calmed him.
Her hands became sweaty with fear as they crossed the street. Now they were out in the open and could be spotted from far away. It was a very vulnerable position. Seri wanted to leave it behind quickly.
When he staggered, she held him more securely. “You’re doing great. It’s not far anymore,” she whispered. “Just a little longer. I promise it will be alright.”
He exhaled, gathering his remaining strength to make it into the building. Getting up the stairs was another difficult task that required time, but once they reached the first floor without encountering a zombie, she let out a sigh of relief. The loud noise the group had caused earlier must have lured the undead away.
Seri opened the door to her temporary home and promptly locked it from the inside. It was a student apartment with one room that served as a bedroom and kitchen. A door led to a small bathroom. It wasn’t fancy or spacious, but having a roof above their heads was more than enough given their circumstances.
“We made it,” she exhaled, “Please lie down on the bed, I need to take a look at your injury.”
Her voice was level and the professional way she handled the situation didn’t stay unnoticed by him. She helped him settle himself down and then ran to get her medical supplies and a bottle of water. When she was back at his side, he was watching her with hazy eyes. His complexion was pale and his forehead covered in sweat. His black fringe stuck to his skin.
Seri sent him a faint smile before she opened his green jacket, carefully peeling the fabric off his stomach. Although she was cautious, she couldn’t prevent a slight stinging when removing the blood-soaked fabric. He grimaced but didn’t complain, biting his tongue. The tight black shirt he wore underneath his jacket was in the way as well.
“I’ll cut this,” she mumbled, getting a knife and cutting open the front of the shirt, revealing a slash wound that ran diagonally over his abdomen. He had sustained dark bruises, stemming from a fistfight. Her hand touched the areas gently as she wondered whether he had suffered internal bleeding, but she concluded this was not the case. The bruises seemed to be superficial.
“Y-You’re… awfully eager to take… my clothes off,” he whispered with a strained grin and earned a stern look from the young surgeon.
“Save your strength, Byun.”
“F-Fine, doctor.”
She wasn’t used to this attitude from a patient, but she didn’t let it distract her and continued to work diligently while his eyes were on her. The laceration had stopped bleeding, so she cleaned it and determined that it would need stitches. They would allow it to heal faster and reduced the likelihood of an infection. She frowned, not liking the unsterile conditions she was faced with, but she had no choice. A sterile hospital was a luxury they no longer had at their disposal.
“You need stitches,” she told him gently. He looked like he had bitten into a sour lemon.
“Ah, ,” he groaned.
“I’ll do it quickly, it’s not a big deal. And afterward, you can rest as much as you want,” she said, doing her best to keep him calm. The more relaxed he was, the easier it would be for her to do her work. “You’ll be fine, trust me. I performed countless heart surgeries up until now, and this small procedure is nothing in comparison.”
She prepared everything she would need, glad she had raided an ambulance a week ago. Baekhyun was composed while she did her work and didn’t complain. Seri finished the stitches quickly since he didn’t require many. Then, she covered the wound and helped him sit up so she could wrap his abdomen with a bandage. She used the opportunity to get rid of the remnants of his shirt. Lastly, she handed him a bottle of water and a pain reliever.
“Drink this. The pain will disappear soon.”
He did as he was told and let her support him as he lay back down. Seri took the cover and spread it over his body. He let out a breath, exhausted but also very relieved since the pain was fading.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “You saved my life.”
Seri’s lips quirked up. “You should sleep and give your body some rest. Don’t worry about anything, I’ll stay here and keep watch.”
She had gained his trust with her actions—he didn’t hesitate to close his eyes and let his guard down for the first time in weeks. His features relaxed. With the promise of safety, he allowed himself to sleep.
The sky darkened and the temperatures dropped. October nights were chilly, and since the heating system was out of order, Seri opened the wardrobe and searched for more blankets. She found a particularly fluffy one and spread it over Baekhyun who was fast asleep. She also discovered candles and a lighter. They didn’t provide much light, but it was better than nothing at all. In order to keep herself busy, she searched through the kitchen cabinets and collected useful items on the counter.
It was about nine o’clock when Baekhyun awoke. She heard the rustling of blankets and approached the bed, checking in on him. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m sore, but I’ve had worse,” he answered and yawned. “What time is it?”
“Past nine o’clock. You slept for most of the day. Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
Seri was surprised at how well he took all of this. After a little bit of sleep, he seemed to be in a better state than before. His brown eyes rested on her while she went through her food supply—the one she had received from him.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t heat their dinner up since the stove didn’t work without electricity, so Seri had to be creative. She thought of a solution to the problem, and when her gaze fell on the candles on the table, she found it. She held a pot with soup over the candles’ flames for a while. In the end, the soup wasn’t boiling, but at least it was warm, and she considered this a small luxury.
She told Baekhyun not to strain himself and put his food on a tray so he could stay on the bed to eat. Seri felt his eyes on herself while they ate in silence. The flickering candlelight painted an orange glow on his skin, making it appear less pale. His midnight-black hair merged with the darkness.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said after a while. “Why did you risk your life to save me? We don’t know each other, and you’re a civilian.”
She raised her head and glanced at him, pursing her lips. “When I’m in the position to save a life, that’s what I’m going to do. I took the Hippocratic Oath.”
Baekhyun’s expression remained unreadable—Seri couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Oaths can be broken easily. People do it all the time when their life is at stake.” His tone cooled, eyes drifting to the window. The stars were visible tonight, appearing more vibrant than normal since the city was veiled in utter darkness.
“What do you want to hear? You helped me first, I merely returned the favor. It’s not a big deal.”
“You make it sound so simple,” he snorted, shaking his head in disbelief.
“It is simple. I patched you up, and in a week or so you’ll be as good as new. Until then, I’ll stay.”
“And after that, you’ll leave again?” he asked. A peculiar glimmer shone in his dark eyes. It made her feel like he knew her most secret fears and worries, her loneliness. She bit her tongue and didn’t answer him.
“You don’t have to be on your own anymore. We could stick together and help each other. I know a lot about survival in the wilderness, and you know how to treat injuries. Both are crucial to making it through this alive.”
He had a point. She needed a helping hand, especially when it came to living self-sufficiently. And against her first impression of him, he wasn’t a bad person.
To be fair, it wasn’t his fault she hesitated. Her reluctance stemmed from the people who had betrayed her in the past. She was afraid of being hurt again. However, Seri knew there was only one option she could take in order to survive. Having a trained soldier on her side seemed like a smart deci
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