Chapter 2: Save Our City

    Flash forward millions of years, to the year 4765. A young man sprints up the steps of city hall, passing up little camps of families who are waiting behind the line of soldiers fighting in front of them. Children cry, others are silent due to the absolute fear that runs through their veins. The young man pushes the large double doors open with difficulty, slipping his lithe body through, the doors slamming behind him once he no longer holds onto them. His messenger bag is filled with handwritten copies of a hymn, and he keeps his hand on the top of the bag as if the pages inside were holy relics.
 

Darting up the stairs, he breathes heavily and his muscles ache. He opens another set of double doors, not as extravagant or nearly as heavy as the previous set at the entrance. Like the rest of the building- like the rest of the city, there are no lights. No candles lit out of fear of being spotted by the undead monsters that walk the streets, as well as the Dragon that creeps in the depths of the forest. His eyes adjusting to the lack of lighting, the young man squints and scans the room until his eyes fall upon an older man sitting at his desk. Sensing the presence of the other, he looks up.

“Can I help you?” he asks coldly. Not that the young man expected anything different. Everyone was cold now.

“My name is Taemin, sir- Lee Taemin,” he introduces himself, bowing respectfully despite the circumstances of death just outside.

“And?” the man says, clearly not one for pointless chatting.

“And...Mister Mayor, sir. Mister Lee Soo Man, I come with a message,” he says, his voice meek and worried.

“From the King?”

“No, sir. The people.”

“Then I’m not interested.”

“Mister Mayor!” Taemin’s mouth is agape.

“Fine, fine,” Soo Man says impatiently, getting up from his desk to look outside his window.

Taemin takes a deep breath before speaking,“Mister Mayor, the mission is burning. The world outside your window pane is dying, and you sit here and look upon it as if it were a simple fly on the glass of that forsaken window! There are families along the steps of city hall, all hiding behind soldiers that sag in the mud under a moon that’s the equivalent of blood! Do you not see them? Do you not see their lives dangling by a string? Or do you choose to disregard such horrifics so you may sleep soundly in your safe haven here? You think we do not see the size of this place? There is more than enough room for us here, and yet you keep us kicked on the zombie infested stre-”

“I did not ask for poetics, boy. Give me the gist,” Soo Man interrupts him. His voice is monotone, which proves to be more horrifying than any level of shouting.

“But of course,” Taemin says, looking as if he was ready to spit in the eye of the other man. “The soldiers sent from Babylon are not helping. Seoul is falling, and you sit aside and watch. The people want an answer, Soo Man. They want to know why you do not help them in their time of need. Give them what they want, or a revolt shall be held! The soldiers and the police are against you as well; they will not stop us from overthrowing you if you do not comply. You’re alone and corners, Lee Soo Man. Give up and help in our struggle, or be imprisoned for your crimes against us, your crimes of neglect.”

The mayor shakes his head and turns to look at Taemin. “Foolish, little boy... I’m just a man. What can I possibly do? Even if I were to allow the people to fall back and come inside here, it would not be of any benefit. Don’t you see? The King is the only one who can save us now...”

“The King is dead!!” Taemin cries, tears forming in his eyes in realization of his own leader’s insanity. “The King died- eaten by the Dragon when it first came! You’re delusio-”

“Silence!” the mayor snaps. “Do not underestimate the King! He’s alive, and simply staying quiet until the right time comes. But if you all are planning a revolt...”

“M-Mister Mayor?” Taemin steps back as he watches the older man pull a gun from the drawer in his desk. “Mister Mayor, please...please don’t do this...”

“What? Oh no. I do not plan on killing you,” he says, a sly grin forming on his face. “No, I think your end would be fitting out there, among all those who dare doubt his majesty, the King. This bullet is for me. I can clearly no longer control the people in this area, and so my time has come. Let the King know that I died a noble death.”

He brings the gun to his lips, his finger on the trigger.

“Please, stop! The King is dead! The King is-”

And with a blast like the sun, blood is splattered across the room and his lips are unwrapped from the barrel of his gun. Taemin stands frozen, looking at the corpse of Soo Man with a look of shock and relief in his eyes. ‘Perhaps it’s best...’ he thinks. ‘Perhaps...that’s what it takes to cure someone of such madness...’

He gathers himself, then looks at his beaten up watch. It’s time. He walks out of the dead Mayor’s office, searching rooms until he finds what he’s looking for. He walks into the large, overly decadent bedroom and opens the glass doors to the balcony. Stepping out, he looks down at the people below. He spots his lover among the camps on the steps, passing out copies of the same hymn. The soldiers continue to fight, but they seem hyper aware of the events going on around them. After some time, Taemin’s lover, Minho, looks up to the balcony and gives him a nod. Taemin clears his throat and then begins to sing.

“Save our city

Keep our souls, Lord.

Through the rapture of this world.”

He starts quietly at first, but picks up his volume as he throws the copies in his bag down from the balcony, watching as they’re caught by people below. The zombies advance, intent on their slaughter of the innocents ahead of them. The soldiers hold them back with all their might, and when the little hymn is sung, they groan, singing along to the best of their abilities. The people on the steps sing much clearer, some standing up and looking to the balcony to the source of the song. They catch on, and soon a chorus of the remnants of a city begins, sonorous and determined.

As they sing, Taemin goes into the next verse, accompanied by Minho and some others who follow along.

“There’s a time to pray,

and there’s a time to fight!

Anything can be a weapon

if you’re holding it right!

Defend what is yours;

they will not take our souls!

It’s time now to rise and fight...

Save our City!

Keep our souls, Lord!

Rise now, and fight!”

Some who are disabled or elderly continue to sing, while others, the more youthful and ready, grab whatever they can. Taemin watches as they charge out to the front line with the soldiers, aiding them. Slowly, the zombies are pushed back. In a matter of a few hours, though not all killed, a barricade is being made to keep the remaining ones out. Taemin turns to leave the balcony, and is met by the embrace of Minho instead.

“You did very well, Tae,” he says lovingly. “Let’s see a smile now, eh?”

Taemin grins triumphantly, making his lover smile as well. “We did it....for now.”

“Don’t think like that, Tae. Now...now the people are more united than they have ever been. We’re going to make it through this. Together,” Minho insists, and then kisses Taemin.

‘Together,’ Taemin thinks. ‘Always...’

A/N: With "Save Our City" being my favorite song on the EP, I really loved writing this chapter. The hymn is from the actual song, so credit to Ludo for that one.

What do you think so far? We'll be flashing back to the Jurassic Period and watching Jinki again in the next chapter.

Love,

Minnie

Save Our City: