The rising sun bathes the world in warm orange. Through the glassless window Chanyeol watches the Flesh Eaters, who shuffle about a few stories below as they scramble to their hiding places. Others refer to these creatures as monsters or beasts or abominations even. Chanyeol doesn’t. Just like him they are human beings or at least they used to be. The blast has wiped their minds clean and left them completely hairless with their eyes as well as their skin bleached and sensitive to sunlight, which is why they only come out at night and seek cover during the day.

For months Chanyeol has stayed in this place, hiding from the Flesh Eaters at night, gathering supplies by day, supplies he has hauled all the way to the third floor of this building. It's the only building in his home town that is more than just a pile of rubble by now. Miraculously this one is still standing, tall and dead-looking against the grey horizon.

Baekhyun is a newcomer. He had stumbled into town one day close to the hour of nightfall, filthy and scrawny and visibly exhausted from days of pacing the bleak, barren surroundings that was everywhere but this place, and for some reason Chanyeol had taken pity on this small boy in too big clothing, who, as it turned out to both of their surprise, is older than him by some months. They've stuck together ever since they met. It's safer that way.

Behind him he can hear Baekhyun emerge from the room they have sparsely furnished with the necessities to make it a makeshift bedroom. The shorter male approaches him slowly and leans over with his forearms resting on the windowsill. Together they watch the last of the Flesh Eaters disappear into their caves and after that things are silent. "Do you even know how to use that?" Baekhyun asks. He's referring to the weapon that rests heavy in Chanyeol's hands.

Chanyeol clutches it a little tighter. "With the way things are right now I have to know."

"Have you ever shot a person?" His voice is low as if he feels the need to speak in confidence even though there is no one around to hear them. They're probably miles and miles away from the nearest survivor. If there even are any. They haven't seen any human beings in weeks and even then it was just a young couple passing through on their way to the nearest city.

"Once," he answers after a beat of silence.

"How did it feel?"

"I don’t know. I just did it to protect myself." He hadn't felt anything at the time. As he watched the bullet dig its way into the pale, hairless flesh of the creature standing just a couple of feet away from him, he was most of all focused on the way its dead body fell heavily to the ground and the way the blood of the rotting corpse sprayed on the walls and his own face. He can still feel phantom-stains scattered on his skin. He feels a little nauseous.

"Would you shoot me?" Baekhyun asks.

"If it was necessary, I would."

Motionless, Chanyeol watches as the other directs the gun towards himself so it's aimed at his throat. "Will you shoot me?" he rephrases his question, knuckles white around the weapon he's clutching. "I have nothing to live for anymore and I'd much rather go quickly than be torn to pieces and eaten alive, so do it." He pulls the gun up and lets the double-barrel slide past his lips until the metal rests heavy against his tongue and impairs his speech when he repeats: "Do it."

Chanyeol's fingers twitch on the stock. There isn't even as much as a hint of fear in Baekhyun's eyes as they stare straight into his, only slight desperation and a whole lot of recklessness and it makes Chanyeol feel sick to his stomach. If anything he thought he could be a reason for Baekhyun to stay alive, but apparently he was wrong about that.

Chanyeol pulls the gun from Baekhyun's mouth and shoves it into his open arms instead, taking the shorter male by surprise. "You'll have to do it yourself," he hisses. "I don't want your death on my hands for stupid reasons." He stalks out of the room to leave the other on his own.

When he returns a few hours later Baekhyun shoves him up against the nearest wall and there is apology in his eyes. "I take it back, I take it back, I'll stay," he whispers urgently. "I'll stay here with you, I'm not ready to give up yet."

"Good," is all Chanyeol can say in response. He tries to keep the elation out of his voice, but he doesn't think it's a very successful attempt. Honestly he would probably take his own life if he came back to find that Baekhyun had taken his, he would feel lonely without the other. Not until he can taste the gunpowder on Baekhyun's tongue does he realize that he accidentally said this out loud.

~*~

A/N: for wushustatue who wanted a baekyeol apocalypse fic.
uhhh. yeah. I guess this is more post-apocalyptic than apocalyptic, but I hope it's still acceptable and... meeghan, I love you and  stuff and I'm sorry, I... I don't even know what I'm doing, man. OTL then again, I don't know what I'm doing half the time and still you guys seem to be pretty happy about it so I must be doing something right, right?
oh, and by the way, I'm sure most of you are aware of my love for the breakfast couple. I love them to death. ♥
here, have some cute to make up for the sadness of this fic (just look at these preciousesssss HAHAH):