[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Four[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Baekhyun stopped the car in the middle of a large forest. He was convinced it was safe to spend the night in this spot. The car was hidden from view since he had parked it on a deserted hiking trail. Bushes and trees separated it from the nearby street.

“You want to stop here?” Seri asked, staring into the darkness with worry swimming in her eyes.

“Yes. Our supplies will last until tomorrow and then we’ll arrive in Sokcho anyway.”

He appeared tired and not in the mood for discussions, so Seri bit her lip and kept her concerns to herself. Baekhyun had proved his capability and experience while they had fought themselves through Seoul. If he thought it was better to continue their journey tomorrow, then so be it. She no longer had any reasons not to trust him. Baekhyun was on her side, considering her safety. He wasn’t like the people in her former group. Not in the slightest.

They shared a small dinner in the car and then Baekhyun fetched two blankets from his backpack. He handed one to her, and after locking the car doors, they transformed the backseat into a makeshift bed, reclining it. They awkwardly lay next to each other without touching, struggling to find a comfortable position. Their legs were too long to fit on the reclined seats, but they had to make this work somehow—it was only for one night. Seri rolled on her side and watched Baekhyun’s outline in the darkness. The sounds of the nightly forest were unnerving. Constant rustling, the howling of the wind, and noises she couldn’t identify reached her ears. What if zombies roamed this forest? They hadn’t seen any so far, and the next town was far away, but…

Maybe she shouldn’t think about this.

Seri pulled the blanket up to her ears, still wearing her jacket. A shiver shook her body. “It’s so cold,” she whispered and blew hot air on her freezing fingers to warm them up. “Do we have an extra blanket in the trunk?” she asked hopefully.

“No, unfortunately not,” he answered and watched her as he contemplated something. “Come closer. It’ll help.” He raised his blanket a little and motioned for her to lie right next to him, but she hesitated because it was hard to shake off her old habits.

“Is this appropriate?” she blurted out.

“Who cares? Don’t tell me you would rather freeze. This isn’t the time to act proper, doctor.”

He was right. Moreover, they had slept in one bed before, maybe not as close as now, but still. She avoided his gaze as she crawled under his blanket and put hers on top of it. His body heat surrounded her once they were huddled up to one another under the blankets. He draped his arm around her back, hugging her. It was awkward at first for both of them. Baekhyun wasn’t sure how to hold her and ended up putting his hand on her shoulder blade while her face was pressed to his collarbones, head tucked under his chin. She breathed in his scent and felt the firmness of his well-trained body. He was tense like her, and for a while, neither of them spoke a word.

Until she broke the silence because she sure as hell couldn’t sleep while surrounded by this heavy and thick tension that had manifested.

“It feels better like this,” she told him.

“You stopped shivering. Do you think you can sleep now?”

“Yes, I’m exhausted after the long walk today. Goodnight, Baekhyun. Get some rest, we’ll need it tomorrow,” she smiled and let her eyes fall shut. Once he relaxed, she became more comfortable and gave in to the sinking tiredness that weighed on her limbs.

“Sleep well,” she heard him say moments before sleep claimed her.

Seri felt warm when she awoke the following morning. Her eyes remained closed for another while as she basked in this delightful feeling of belonging and safety that had become a rare treat in this cruel world. Her nose was pressed against the collar of Baekhyun’s jacket, hands resting on his chest. Their legs were linked as well. Seri couldn’t remember the last time she had allowed someone to get so close to her. He had earned and deserved her trust. Moving away never crossed her mind—if it weren’t for their plan to head to Sokcho, she would have no qualms about staying like this all day.

Her lashes fluttered. The first rays of the sun broke through the treetops and reached through the car windows, tickling her skin. It seemed like the rain had ceased—hopefully, the weather would stay warm for another while before winter arrived… Seri shifted and propped herself up on her elbow, gazing at Baekhyun’s sleeping face. His arm lay on her waist and prevented her from getting up. It didn’t matter; she was just fine where she was and used the opportunity to take a closer look at her new companion. The soldier looked oddly vulnerable. While asleep, the harsh lines of his features softened. The dark shadows underlining his eyes had disappeared. For a moment, she considered touching his silky black hair but discarded the idea. It was better not to overstep any boundaries. He probably wouldn’t appreciate being touched like that while asleep. She wouldn’t either.

Seri caught movement from the corner of her eye and stiffened. Her blood froze in her veins as she slowly raised her head and gazed through the rear window. They were not alone. Absolute terror overcame her. Standing right there, on the other side of the glass, was a person. He stared at her with an odd glimmer in his eyes—how long had he been waiting there, watching them? Had they locked the doors? The trunk? Where did he come from? They were in the middle of nowhere!

She gasped. The stranger’s jacket was torn and on his shoulder, he sported teeth marks covered with dried blood. The area surrounding the bite was blackened… The disease was festering. To her horror, he still seemed sane enough to understand what was happening to him. His hand touched the window, leaving a bloody smear. Opening his mouth, he rasped a quiet, “Help me.”

Her eyes watered in sheer horror. The disease took over rapidly. It ate away at his sanity and stole the last pieces of his humanity. She couldn’t stop it, she couldn’t help him. Never had she felt so utterly useless. Her panic rose when a terrifying hungry sneer stretched over his lips. Finally, she broke out of her frozen state and grabbed Baekhyun’s arm, waking him up.

“Baekhyun, we have to leave! Hurry, please!” she spluttered, causing him to shoot up. He flinched away from the window, automatically reaching for the baseball bat they had stashed behind the seat.

“, where did he come from?!”

“I don’t know!”

He muttered another curse when the monster violently banged its fists against the window. Unfortunately, the ensuing noise lured in five more zombies who emerged from the forest. Their teeth clacked when they found their prey, and they started to run. Adrenaline rushed through Baekhyun’s veins as he processed the situation. He acted fast. Jumping over the gear shift, he sat in the driver’s seat and the engine.

Meanwhile, Seri couldn’t move at all—she was petrified in fear. The zombies reached the car, pounding against the windows, trying to break them. They were strong enough to accomplish it. Cracks formed on the rear window. Soon, it would give in.

The car lurched, and she fell on her side. Baekhyun accelerated without warning. They shot over the hiking trail, the zombies wailing as they followed the car. Their faces appeared like those of rabid animals, void of reason and identity.

Baekhyun steered the car back on the tarred road where he accelerated further, leaving the terrifying scene behind. When they rounded a corner and trees obscured the view, Seri tore her gaze away from the window, collapsing on the backseat. The loud roaring of the engine drowned out any other sound. She gazed at the blankets under her hand and tried not to think about the moment that had scared her half to death. The blue fibers blurred. A salty drop rolled down her cheek.

She didn’t know why she cried now of all times. Maybe it was reasonable after what she had been through. She had held the tears in for weeks, and now she burst like a water balloon. The outbreak drove her to the edge of what she could take, and her pent-up frustration was set free. She had become a stranger in a world she was supposed to know. Every morning, she woke up to a new terrifying predicament, but this one had outdone everything… They weren’t safe anywhere, and letting down their guard could be fatal. This wasn’t how she wanted to live. This wasn’t how she could live.

She rubbed her eyes. Her lower lip didn’t stop quaking, and her face flushed. After a few minutes, the blurry outline of Baekhyun’s face came into focus. The car had stopped and they had left the forest and their pursuers behind.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked. Hidden somewhere under his expressionless façade were insecurity and hesitancy. He sat next to her slouched form, reaching out his hand and touching her shoulder. The unexpected gesture spurred her to move. She sat up and scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his mid. Her face was squished against his chest, tears wetting the fabric of his jacket. The initial stiffness of his body remained unnoticed by her as she sniffled quietly. After a second of hesitation, he reciprocated her embrace and placed his hands on her back and head.

This was the kind of human connection she needed to stay sane. She was so grateful she didn’t have to be alone anymore. How rare was it to find someone like him in this world? She closed her eye. One last tear slid down her cheek. Then, she lay in his arms and just breathed.

“You’re safe. They’re nowhere near us,” he murmured. She nodded but did not budge. Her head stayed on his chest. It moved with every breath he took, and she found it easier to relax by adapting to his breathing pattern.

“When I woke up, this guy stood behind the car and stared at us through the window. He asked for help,” she explained. “But the transformation happened so fast... I’ve never seen it myself.”

“I have, and it’s disturbing. RABV-12 is insanely aggressive, it turns people into monsters from one second to the next,” he scowled. Bitterness and regret dyed his voice as his eyes stared into the far distance. A memory of the past resurfaced. His lips curled in response.

“We shouldn’t have stayed the night here. I misjudged the situation, and for that, I’m sorry. I should have known better,” he added after a long pause.

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t expect anything to happen either. It’s not like we’re close to a town,” she answered softly. Her voice was muffled by his jacket.

“I hope things will look brighter when we reach Sokcho.”

“Me too. We should move on now,” she said and untangled himself from him. Her hand brushed her messy hair in an attempt to make herself look more presentable.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

She cracked a smile. “Actually, no. But talking to you always makes me feel better, so thank you for listening.”

“Anytime, Seri.”

It was late afternoon when the tall buildings of Sokcho appeared on the horizon. The sky was gray and cloudy, giving the city an ominous appearance. The closer they got to it, the harder it was to dodge obstacles on the street. Cars had been left behind, large trucks raided and some vehicles seemed to have burned out after accidents. Baekhyun needed to avoid them which slowed them down. They saw zombies too, and Seri freaked out a little every time one managed to reach the car.

She gazed out the windows and took in the scenery, looking out for threats. While this town wasn’t as large as Seoul, it was still big enough to get lost if you didn’t know your way around. Thankfully, Baekhyun had a good idea of where his friends might be, so he followed the street signs as they drove through Sokcho.

They passed apartment buildings, companies, and stores. The latter had been ransacked, windows destroyed and doors kicked in. It reminded her of Seoul. She’d hoped that this place wasn’t as affected by the outbreak, but she had been wrong. It was just the same. Chances were high all cities in South Korea looked like this…

When they passed the city center, the sound of the engine drew zombies out of their hiding spots. They chased after the car, forcing Baekhyun to accelerate.

“. If I still had my gun, this would be so much easier,” he cursed, eyes narrowing at a zombie who jumped out of an alley right in front of them. Baekhyun tried to dodge, but the car was too fast and collided with it. The zombie hit the windshield and was flung over the car. The vehicle swerved dangerously. Seri didn’t turn to look at what had happened to the zombie. She just clutched the car door and prayed they would lose their pursuers.

“Do you know where we are?” she asked, clenching her teeth.

“Yes. Our destination is only one street away,” Baekhyun said and glanced in the rearview mirror. “But these ers just don’t give up.”

“What do you suggest we do?”