[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Three[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

A knock on the front door and the soft call of his name alerted Baekhyun to Seri’s return. The past three hours had felt endless to him. He had lingered at the window for a while, hoping to spot her, but all he saw were a few zombies that searched the streets for their next meal. Baekhyun was relieved she had made it back and unlocked the door for her. When he saw her, however, he drew in a sharp breath and quickly let her enter their small flat. He closed and locked the door behind her.

“What happened?” was his immediate question, voice rough with urgency and concern. Red sprinkles covered her cheek. Her jacket was soiled with blood and the weapon in her hand was dirty as well. What stood out the most was her expression. She held her emotions at bay, but the profound misery in her eyes spoke volumes to him.

“Nothing, I just encountered a few zombies,” she answered and walked past him faster than necessary. She set her heavy backpack down, stretching her aching limbs.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m not infected.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She turned around and stared at him. Pain flickered over her face. “Then what do you want to hear?”

“You look like you went through hell. If you don’t want to talk about it, fine, but at least sit down and rest for a moment.”

His commanding tone didn’t make her feel better, and the soiled clothes she wore just added to her nausea. Thus, she ignored his implied order and searched the wardrobe for clean clothes. The woman who used to live here wore a similar size, so it wasn’t hard to find a pair of sweat pants and a shirt that fit her. Seri avoided Baekhyun’s steely eyes and went into the bathroom to change.

She took a moment to compose herself, meeting her glossy eyes in the mirror. Her hand reached for a towel and wiped the half-dried blood on her cheek away. If she wasn’t used to seeing the red fluid, maybe she would have thrown up. Her old clothes were completely ruined, so she might as well throw them away. The bloodstains wouldn’t disappear even if she tried to wash them.

She breathed in and out, concentrating on calming down. Her pulse slowed eventually, but she still felt unsettled. Seri grabbed a comb and used it to untangle her messy brown hair. It reached her shoulders and was long enough to wear in a ponytail. Her eyes darted over the make-up utensils the former owner of the flat had left behind. Seri used to wear some lipstick and mascara in her daily life, but now she could care less about what she looked like.

Sighing softly, she left the bathroom and padded back to the other room where Baekhyun sat on a kitchen chair. She realized that he must have changed his clothes while she had been gone. Now he wore a pair of sweatpants and a black shirt. His identification tag from the military hung on a chain around his neck—he never took it off.

“Sit down and drink,” he said and nodded to a glass of water he had prepared for her. She appreciated the gesture and joined him, taking a sip of the water. The fluid felt heavenly on her parched throat. The last three hours had drained her mentally and physically. She gazed at the empty glass for a long time without speaking. Baekhyun remained quiet as well and gave her time to collect her thoughts.

“I killed one of them,” she suddenly said, raising her head to meet his eyes. He furrowed his brows, finding the same guilt in her gaze he had seen in many soldiers’ eyes as well.

“You did what was necessary to survive,” he corrected and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “As long as we don’t have a cure for the disease, there’s nothing we can do to save them. And to be frank, I'm not sure if they could be saved… It depends on how much their bodies have decayed. In some cases, the disease is all that keeps them alive, and without it, they would die anyway.”

He had a logical and realistic outlook, keeping his emotions out of the equation. In his line of work, he couldn’t afford to get emotional whenever something bad happened. Normally, Seri would stay calm as well, but the past month had worn her down. Every time she had to kill a zombie, she wondered what kind of person this creature had once been, and if they could have been saved somehow. Killing someone intentionally instead of trying to save them felt wrong. No matter how many times she went through this, it stayed a struggle.

“What you said is true,” she began. Her voice was heavy and laden with guilt. “But I’ve been trained to preserve life at all cost, no matter how bad the odds for survival are. I never gave up on my patients even if their chances were slim. And now I’m forced to do the exact opposite. It’s hard.”

Baekhyun leaned forward in his chair. He reached out his hand and covered hers, offering comfort. She could have sworn his steely eyes softened. “I understand. This is not easy for either of us, but you will learn to accept it. You have to.”

“It would be easier to give up,” she swallowed hard. “Sometimes I wonder why I try so hard to survive. There’s nothing left to live for.”

“Don’t say that, Seri. You don’t know what the future holds. It might look bleak at the moment, but I’m sure it will change. Humanity always finds a way.” He squeezed her hand. “Besides, you’re not alone anymore. You can depend on me.”

Her brown eyes came to rest on their connected hands. His was slightly larger than hers, feeling rough yet reassuring. Her heavy heart lightened a bit. “I will,” she whispered. “Thank you, Baekhyun.”

That night, Seri didn’t sleep well. Occasional growls, distant gunfire, and distorted screams echoed through the city. The noises ignited unease within Seri who was curled up on the sofa. She clutched a pillow in her arms and hid under her warm blanket as if it would shield her from the dangers that lurked outside.

Her heartbeat roared in her ears and she was restless, but she didn’t get up because she didn’t want to disturb Baekhyun. It seemed as though he was fast asleep which was good since he needed as much rest as he could get. Seri had been worried about his state in the beginning, but his injury healed as it should. There were no complications and no inflammation. He would be fine. Even if everything else had gone down the drain, at least her surgical skills remained as trustworthy as ever.

It was hard to find rest under the current circumstances, but since she was exhausted and the stress had taken a toll on her, Seri eventually fell asleep. But when morning arrived, she felt as though she hadn't slept at all, and the only reason she got up was Baekhyun. It was time to dress his wound with new bandages and check the recovery process. So she begrudgingly freshened up and prepared a measly breakfast for them. She shivered as she took a sip of cold water. Temperatures had dropped again overnight. It was currently raining buckets outside, so she was grateful for the roof over her head.

After they had breakfast together, Seri asked Baekhyun to sit on the bed since she wanted to take care of his injury. Already used to the procedure, he pulled up his shirt and exposed the white bandage over his abs. Seri disinfected her hands and used small scissors to cut them open. She uncovered the laceration she had sewed up a few days prior. Seri felt his eyes on her while she inspected it, but she didn’t let it faze her. Under different circumstances, she would have blushed since she was touching his (impressive) abs, but now wasn’t the time to get distracted.

When she rewrapped his torso, she had to get close to him. He took note of the slight awkwardness between them when she almost hugged him to wrap the bandage around his back. Fortunately for her, he didn’t mention it.

“That’s it for now,” she said and put the medical supplies back where they belonged. “Have you felt any pain today?”

“No, I’m just a bit sore, but it doesn’t bother me.”

“Perfect,” she smiled. “That means I can remove the stitches soon! We’ll be able to leave this place within the week.”

“Finally! I’m starting to go crazy being stuck here for so long. It’s boring.”

“Hey, captain!” She playfully tossed a piece of bandage in his direction. “Are you telling me I’m bad company?”

“Not at all, doctor. You’re the reason I’m staying sane.”

Her cheeks warmed. The ghost of a smirk appeared on his lips.

They spent the day talking as there was not much else to do. Seri was grateful for the distraction since the strange sounds she heard within the walls of the building unsettled her. Their hideout wasn’t as safe as it seemed. Zombies had claimed it for themselves, walking through hallways and lingering in the stairways. Some of the infected residents were locked inside their flats and unable to get out, screeching angrily and clawing at walls and doors. The growling and screaming from outside was scary enough, but having to hear these dreadful noises from within the house was even worse. Seri often checked the lock on the door and ultimately moved a shelf in front of it, just in case…

The torrential rain outside that began later in the afternoon thankfully drowned the sounds of the undead out, shrouding the city in ominous fog. It was another cold October day, and Baekhyun and Seri were wrapped in blankets to stay warm. When night fell and after they had a small dinner, they decided to plan their trip to Sokcho.

Baekhyun had found an old map in the flat. It was outdated but better than nothing. He spread it on the table and searched for the most convenient route.

“I suggest heading to the outskirts of town on foot. Since most of the streets are blocked by debris and crashed vehicles, it makes little sense to use a car within the city. When we leave Seoul behind, we’ll steal a suitable car and take this street,” he explained and circled a line on the map that indicated a road. “Over here is a gas station where we can stock up on fuel… Then we’re moving straight towards Sokcho.”

Seri’s eyes moved from his serious expression to the map under their noses. “Do you always sound so commanding, captain?” she teased lightly.

He paused. A look of realization crossed his face. “Oh… I’m sorry. If you have any other ideas I’ll take them into account, of course.”

“No, it’s fine. Go on. You’re the expert here.”

He fiddled with the pen in his hand and redirected his gaze to the map where he showed her a route that would lead them through the countryside. “I’m hoping we won’t encounter too many zombies if we head this way. We’ll probably need to stop somewhere and spend the night in the car. I want us to be well-rested when we reach Sokcho since we don’t know what awaits us.”

“Do you have a rough idea of where your friends are staying? Or do we have to search the city?”

“The military owns apartment buildings in this town that are used by soldiers. It’s where they should be…” He trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air.

Seri nodded. She hoped he would find the two friends he was looking for. Given their profession, they had better chances at survival than other people, so it wasn’t unlikely they were still alive. Baekhyun seemed to trust them, so she assumed they were safe to be around. She couldn’t be careful enough…

“What happens if we find