PRESTIGE: Exo Civil Resistance Force

CHAPTER 1 - A NEW BEGINNING

[co-author: plaincanvas / chapter poster: plaincanvas]

Jongin breathes heavily. 

Pant pant.

He shivered. His body trembles. Quivers. Shudders. 

There was a cold breeze. But where was it coming from? There were no windows, no doors, and certainly no way out. It was pitch black, and isolated. No sounds were heard and his inhales/exhales are echoed through the unknown chamber.

Coughs.

Jongin collapses. 

Thud.

Unconscious.

☯☯☯☯☯

Jongin smiled at Yubin. 

"Quit looking at me that way." Yubin declared.

 Kai found it cute whenever Yubin would complain whether it was a joke or not. It was surgery day for Yubin. Specifically, Lasik Eye Surgery. Her vision was critical even as a child. Growing up, she had even worse difficulties facing the world with terrible vision. 

"Don't be nervous." Jongin proposed.

"I'm not. You know I've been waiting 10 years for this day to come." Yubin pointed out.

Yubin smiled at the thought. She figured that today is the day her life will change. And so, it did. 

"Yoon Yubin?" Called the nurse. 

Yubin stood up and took a glance at Jongin. "You're waiting for me, right?" 

"Of course."

"You should both exchange a hug before the surgery. It will take a while." The nurse politely suggested while smiling. 

Jongin and Yubin looked at each other and reached in for a hug. 

"I love you, Yubin." Jongin said those words as if it was his last. 

Yubin smiled. "You better wait!" 

Jongin waved while the nurse escorted Yubin into the operating room. He sat down and leaned his arms against his thighs. This will take a while, he thought. Though, if it was Yubin, it didn't matter how long it takes. He would take the extra mile for her.

☯☯☯☯☯

"Sir, you need to wake up now!" A man with a suit shook Jongin repeatedly. 

"Huh.." Jongin's tired voice arose.

He had fallen asleep from the wait. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a dark hospital hallway ahead of him. Broken lights, scratched walls. 

"Are you awake? We need you to be quiet and follow me." 

"Hey, no. You don't tell me what to do. I'm here waiting for my-." 

The man slapped Jongin across the face. 

"Follow me!" He took Jongin's arm and pulled him towards the nearest door. Jongin's eyes widened when he saw creatures, or demons, in the room flying with crimson red wings. A crimson red demon with pitch black eyes snarled. 

"Don't be obnoxious and listen to my orders if you want to get out of here alive." he demanded.

Before Jongin could speak, a demon flew towards the direction of the two. It made slurping and slithery noises. 

"Run!" The man screamed. 

Jongin followed the man and recalled why he shouldn't be. Yoon Yubin. 

"I need to find my significant other!" 

"Listen you hard nut, you stay here; you die! What's it going to be?!" 

"Leave first." Jongin mumbled.

He shook his head and raged. "You're going to get yourself killed!" 

The demon caught up between them and screamed in high pitches. 

"Go!!" Jongin yelled.

The man ran towards a different way, leaving Jongin behind. The demon cried and shouted. It's claws were longer than a foot and sharper than a blade. It swung it's claws and Jongin ducked underneath it's inhumane lower body. He took a run and swung open every door he passed by, hoping to see Yubin.

"Crap!" He shouted while spreading out his arms filled with fists, kneeling on the floor. 

Demons heard the noise from afar and flew towards him. He grabbed a cart near him and rolled it towards a creature he's never seen before. He couldn't define what it was but it had looked like a slimy, wet goblin with human clothes worn. He ran towards the right corridor and heard noises of a female. Yubin! He slammed the door open and saw Yubin on a medical table, shivering and shaking. However, she looked different. Her hands were becoming into claws like the demons had. 

"YUBIN!" 

Yubin burst into tears. "Get out of here, Jongin. I'll be fine.. just promise me this won't happen to you.." 

A demon snarled at a distance and crawled through the door. Snarl.

Jongin quickly held up Yubin and ran towards the window. Through the transparency, he could see different creatures that filled the street- the whole city in general. 

Jongin smiled at her, while tearing. His smile had genuine love.

"Don't smile, Jongin."

Jongin carressed her hair and placed a few pieces behind her hair.

"Leave me here, Jongin.. please." Yubin was feeble. She barely had the energy to talk. 

"I'm NOT leaving you anywhere! So quit it!" He slid to the side while carrying Yubin and dodged the demon's attack. He ran towards another corridor and saw a flock of creatures.

"Damn it!" he yelled. The same demon from before was chasing after his runs. He made it to the exit of the hospital and saw the same man from before inside a car. 

"Get in!" He yelled while waving his arm. 

Jongin held Yubin tighter and ran towards the car while kicking creatures off his legs. He opened the car door and quickly laid down Yubin in the backseat before closing the door. He then walked to the passengers seat and before he could open the door, a demon clawed the back of his shirt. Jongin retaliated. Luckily, it hadn't got on his skin since it was a light cut.

"Go with her first! Where are the others!?" Jongin questioned.

"You have to come along! There is no way you can get to the border of North Korea alone!" the man claimed.

North Korea it was. 

"I'll meet you there! Take care of Yubin for me! I'm Jongin." Jongin shouted and ran towards a direction that creatures weren't surrounded in. 

"You can call me T!" The car drove off. 

He paced towards a telephone booth and closed the door quickly. He panted and shivered.

"What has come." He was agitated at this point.  

At the same time, he was confused yet so aggravated from the tense.

Jongin knocked out.

☯☯☯☯☯

 

Jongin jolted from his sleep. His dark, coffee-colored hair motioned side to side as the wind blew. He was being carried by someone with a round face and milky brown hair that curled in various directions.

 

“Kai. Are you conscious now?” Kyung Soo asked. Kai blinked numerous times and saw a familiar figure.
 

“It’s me, D.O.” he added. Kai jumped.

“Okay, I’ll let you down. You’re heavy!” Kyung Soo slowly put Jongin down. Jongin retained his memory; they were in the same geography class. He’s known Kyung Soo for being a brainless humorist. “When will you talk?”
Jongin snapped back into reality and shook his head.

 

“How did you find me?” He flinched at a pint of pain, his lip was busted open.

 

“Oh god, I thought you were mute.” Kyung Soo retorted.

 

Jongin glowered, he expected an answer.

 

“Okay, okay. You were lying right there- on a telephone booth. I mean, I couldn’t just leave you there..?” Kyung Soo faked a wide smile.  

 

“Tell me what’s going on.” Jongin interjected.
 

“I-I don’t know either!” Kyung Soo said with fear whilst lifting his arms in the air.

 

“You, stay here. Don’t think about moving.” Jongin pointed at Kyung Soo while speaking.

 

He continued with a glare and looked around him. He sighed and lifted his head after placing his hands over his eyes.

 

“Ughhh!” he shouted with an agonized voice.

 

Demons growled from afar and crawled towards Jongin and Kyung Soo.

 

“Kai!! We have to run!” Kyung Soo was frightened as they speak.

 

They both turned around and ran towards a back street, walls filled with graffiti. Black garbage bags were piled high, but shredded open. The bricks were covered in splatters of blood, almost as if someone played with red paint. The alley was blocked with metal gates and they were surrounded by a crimson red demon with eyes as black as coal. The skin looked burned and cracked with dried blood inside of it. It displayed it’s long, sharp claws at them while giving a piercing look. If looks could kill. Jongin and Kyung Soo were glaring at the creature while trembling in trepidation. The demon snarled and crawled closer, it was ready for a feast.

 

“Quick! Lend me a hand.” Jongin snapped.

 

Kyung Soo jerked around and immediately let out his hands. Jongin placed his left foot over his hands and his right foot on a gap of the metal gates. He jolted up and placed his left foot over the gate, leading him to the other side of it.

 

“Kai!” Kyung Soo yelped. Jongin reached out his hand for him to grab. Kyung Soo instantly held onto it and joggled up the gate, placing his foot on each pocket-sized, diamond shaped gap. The demon was furious. It spread out its’ wings and hovered in contact with Kyung Soo.

 

“Jump over!” Jongin warned.

 

Kyung Soo jerked himself up and over. The demon striked its’ claws against Kyung Soo’s right ankle. He grunted and Jongin pulled him from below.

 

“Can you run?” Jongin asked.

 

Kyung Soo gulped and nodded while frowning. Kai exhaled slowly. He grabbed Kyung Soo’s arm and planted it over his shoulder and left Kyung Soo stunned by his deed. Jongin supported him while he tried to jump with one leg, trying his best to walk with the other. The demon heard noise from afar and flew out of the vicinity. Kyung Soo’s ankle was incapacitated. Jongin gave a nod at him and slowly placed him down at the corner of the brick walls. He lifted up his thick royal blue jeans drenched in fresh blood and saw a gaping wound with tissue damage. Blood was oozing from the gash and Kyung Soo shrieked from the insufferable pain. Jongin took off his bright New Balance sneakers and socks.

 

“My socks never smell.” he assured.

 

He then proceeded to wrap his left sock around the wound and tied it tightly.

 

“This should help.” he smiled.

 

Kyung Soo’s eyes lit up and the corners of his lips curled upwards. “Thank you.”
 

Jongin jerked to the side and sat down beside him.

 

“Have you found anyone else who’s normal?” he asked.

 

Kyung Soo shook his head. “You’re the first one.”

 

Jongin nodded.

 

“What about you?” Kyung Soo asked.

 

“I met a guy. It was before I was at the telephone booth. He offered to take me to North Korea; said I’ll be safe. I told him to leave me behind, he has my girlfriend. Hopefully she’s aided.” Jongin spouted.

 

Kyung Soo slowly nodded. “How about we go to North Korea too?”

 

Jongin let out a chuckle. “North Korea? We’ll die before we even get to the border. We can’t get there with just us. We need more people, and I mean a lot. We aren’t even armed.” he preached.

 

“That’s what we should do, no?” Kyung Soo looked at Jongin with raised eyebrows.

 

Jongin ruffled his hair and chortled.

 

“So you only met one guy, that’s all?” Kyung Soo asked.

 

“Unfortunately.” Jongin signed.

 

Kyung Soo followed a sigh after Jongin's.

 

“It seems like an apocalypse. Something that would only happen in movies.” Jongin stated his guess.

 

“My parents died. So.. You’re right.” Kyung Soo cowered his head.

 

“My parents are up there as well.”

 

“From demons?”

 

“No, ever since I was five.” Jongin confessed.

 

“They attacked my parents’ house. Kyung Soo explained the scene to Jongin while reminiscing the crucial memory.

 

“Appa! Omma!” he cried. He saw his parents stabbed to death, or rather clawed. The walls were painted in blood. The interior design was crushed. Gold embellishments hung around the ceilings were also drenched in blood. Kyung Soo kneeled on the floor while bawling his eyes out. His hands were trembling and he shuddered from the atmosphere.

 

“We gotta keep moving. First, we need to find more people to join us. I say about five or six times more than us combined.” Jongin  insisted.

 

“Do you have anyone else in your family?” Kyung Soo asked.

 

“I have an older sister. Ah! I should check the house.” Jongin clapped from the remarkable idea.

 

Kyung Soo nodded while smiling. Jongin stood up, using his hands to support him. He offered his hand to help Kyung Soo get up. Kyung Soo held onto it tightly and jerked up as Jongin pulled him with force. Just like before, Jongin placed his arm over his right shoulder and assisted Kyung Soo from walking. Kyung Soo hopped on his left leg whilst lifting the right one in the air.

 

“If we have to run, you go first and I’ll take care of it.” Jongin ordered. Kyung Soo nodded, but was worried.

 

“Will you be fine alone?” Kyung Soo was worried.

 

“I’m ranked the highest in judo and I used to wrestle back in high school.” Jongin bragged.

 

“These are non-human creatures that we are talking about.. They have abilities that we don’t have.” Kyung Soo cautioned.

 

“Let’s go.” Jongin declared.

 

Kyung Soo hopped with his left leg, keeping the same motions as they practiced. They were going slower than usual. Kyung Soo was in fatigue. The extra distance was making him weary. Both Kai and Kyungsoo watched the crowd of faunas, surrounding one particular area.  They were busy chewing a human body.

 

“This is our chance.” Jongin whispered.

 

Kyung Soo gave a thumbs up. He attempted to leap in bigger distances to get to the destination in haste. With Jongin’s assistance, they were able to get there halfway.

 

“We’re halfway there.”

 

Kyung Soo sighed, “Halfway..?”

 

“We have to get there quietly. If even one of those lays their eyes on us, we’re done for.” Kai warned.

 

Kyung Soo shuddered. Unfortunately, they were in a different province already. The faunas had no meals to munch on. All the attention had laid on the folks.

 

“Damn it.” Jongin hissed.

 

The demons came snarling towards them, crawling and drooling. Jongin quickly pointed to a house only 4 meters away from them.

 

“Get in there. Now.”

 

Kyung Soo nodded rapidly and struggled to hop with no assistance. Jongin reached into his right pocket and took out his home keys. Attached, there was a pocket knife: Swiss Gear. He jerked open the blade and looked back at the living dead.

 

“Come at me, es.” He signaled them to come closer. A demon snarled and spread out it’s crimson red wings.

“Yeah . Come!” Jongin shouted.  

 

The creature flew right onto him and Jongin struggled to get it out of contact and closed his eyes tight. He attempted to stab the demon with the knife.

 

Jongin subsided. "Save me.." he grunted.

 

“Agh!” a passerby screamed.

 

He slayed the demon with a 3 foot long blade. Jongin opened one eye, while still tightly closing the other. His vision failed on him though he saw a tall figure with a flat chin and almond-shaped eyes. The man lifted the demon off of Jongin and threw it to the side. He then reached out his hand to assist him. Jongin held onto it and attempted to get up as the stranger pulled him up.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

 

“Y-yeah. I’m good.” Jongin shook his head and tried to fall back into reality. He fixed his hair by tossing it side to side.

 

“I’m Jong Dae. Call me Chen if you want.” he held out his hand for a handshake or at least a dap.

 

“Jongin. Or Kai. Whatever you prefer.” Jongin smiled and shook Jong Dae’s hand.

 

“Meet my hyungs.” He turned Jongin’s head to the right and pointed at two men.

 

“That’s Lu Han, and that’s Xiumin.” They were slaying the faunas. To Jongin’s eyes, they looked experienced and highly trained.

 

“We’ve been training since dawn.” Jongin bobbed his head up and down, signaling that he got it.

 

“Kyung Soo!” Jongin remembered.

 

“What?” Jong Dae was puzzled.

 

“My friend! He’s out there- in that house!” he panicked while pointing at a small white family house with paint chipped off.

 

“Stay here. Stay close to Luhan and Xiumin.” he ordered.

 

Kai nodded and sprinted towards the two men. Jong Dae reached for his blade and dashed in direction of the house. Luhan and Xiumin finished off the last flock of demons. Jongin watched them in surprise.

 

“Hey. Jongin.” he greeted them.

 

“I’m Xiumin, he’s Luhan.” said the one with the chubby face. His eyes slanted upwards, giving him that cunning face.

 

They shook hands and Jongin glanced at Luhan. Luhan shyly smiled and shook his hands with Jongin as well. He was a flower boy with woman features. Bright, round eyes with a flat-bridged nose. Wavy, light golden blonde hair with a sharp chin. His features stood out.

 

“Is there something on my face?” Luhan blushed.

 

Jongin’s face jerked to the side and he looked up at Luhan in the eyes. “Huh-oh. No, not at all.” He smiled.

 

 

“Oh, another survivor?” Xiumin asked while his face is lit up, causing Jongin to turn around and see who he was referring to.

 

He saw Jong Dae assisting Kyung Soo from walking.

 

“Kyung Soo!” Jongin grinned.

 

“Kai!!” Kyung Soo chortled.

 

“He’s with Kai.” Jong Dae answered while lifting his head; pointing towards me.

 

“Great! We can be a team.” Luhan beamed while clapping. Xiumin and Jong Dae smiled. They all looked polite. Kyung Soo coughed to bring the attention towards him.

 

“Have you guys found shelter?” he asked.

 

Luhan nodded. “But.. it’s shabby at the moment. It’s the only place that demons refuse to enter.”

 

Xiumin pat Jongin’s back. “Let’s go!” he smirked.

 

Jongin nodded and took a glance at Kyung Soo. Kyung Soo gave a goofy smile.

 

☯☯☯☯☯

“Told you it’s shabby.” Luhan laughed.

They were underground, in an abandoned hideout. The cement walls were covered in spray paint, with graffiti and paintings. Tables and chairs were piled everywhere.

“How come those things don’t come down here?” Jongin asked.

“We don’t know that yet, but this place has saved us for the time being.” Jong Dae informed.

"Thanks for bringing us in." Jongin sighed in relief.

"It's our pleasure." Xiumin smiled.

Jong Dae proceeded to assist Kyung Soo, to sit down on a couch. It was a deep burgundy color, ripped and worn out. However, it still works.

"Thanks." Kyung Soo said.

Jong Dae smiled.

"Do any of you guys know what's really happening?" Jongin asked while looking at all three boys.

They all shook their head. They were as clueless as him.

"I only know a way out of this." he continued.

Luhan's eyes widened. Xiumin and Jong Dae raised their eyebrows and refused to take their eyes off of Jongin.

"I met a man-- he rescued me. He told me to gather people and go to North Korea. Said there will be a way to put a end to this crisis." Jongin added.

"Hm.. North Korea. Are you sure?" Jong Dae asked to be sure.

"I'm positive," Jongin inhaled. "However, I will need to lead the group. That's how it'll work."

Xiumin, Jong Dae, and Luhan all looked at each other and nodded.

"We're fine with that."

"Anything to stop this."

"Yes, leader Kai!" Luhan giggled.

Kyung Soo was listening to the conversation while smiling.

"So what's our agenda, lead?" Jong Dae grinned.