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PRESTIGE: Exo Civil Resistance Force

CHAPTER 3 - ENIGMATIC

[co-author: plaincanvas]

"AGHHH!" "Save me!" "Kyung Soo..."

 

---

 

“Is there any other powers you possess, horseman?” Xiumin grinned.

 

“Don’t call me that!” Tao snapped.

 

“Horseman? I like it!”

 

Tao raised an eyebrow. “You like weird things.”

 

“Tao, behind you!---” Jongin alerted. Though, Tao was a second earlier than Jongin.

 

Tao had stabbed the creature from a quick reflex.

 

Jongin dropped his mouth while Xiumin widened his eyes. Jong Dae crossed his arms.

 

“You guys are slow. If I hadn’t known, I almost died.” Tao pointed out.

 

Jongin shrugged.

 

“You guys are looking for more people, if I’m not mistaken?” Tao asks.

 

“That is correct.” Jongin answers.

 

“We need more horsemen..” Xiumin mumbled.

 

Tao squinted at Xiumin. “Stop it, will ya?”

 

“Why do you ask?” Jong Dae questions Tao.

 

“I’ve seen another survivor in the forest, estimated about 2 miles away. He’s highly experienced and it seems as if he’s good at avoiding the creatures.” Tao informed.

 

“How can you guarantee he’s still there? Two miles goes from 30 to 40 minutes depending on how fast we move.” Jong Dae argued.

 

“He’s been there for three hours already.”

 

“Three hours is a long time. He could have been tired of the place already.” Jong Dae continued.

 

“Jong Dae.” Jongin glared.

 

“I’m not telling you guys to go, I’m just informing you guys that he’s there. One more bird in the nest would help, wouldn’t it?” Tao smirked.

 

“Take us there.” Jongin demanded.

 

Tao crossed his arms and nodded.

 

“Leader!” Jong Dae did not like the idea.

 

“Leader?” Tao scoffed.

 

“He’s our leader” Xiumin smiled. “And you’re the horseman.” he continued.

 

Jongin secretly smiled at Xiumin’s comment.

 

“Let’s just go before it gets late!” Tao exhaled air to continue, “Right, Leader?” he mumbled.

 

“Right.” Jongin chuckled.

 

Jong Dae crossed his arms.

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

The group has been walking for twenty minutes. Xiumin runs after them. “Wait up!” He grabbed Jongin’s shirt from the back then grasps for some air, he panted.

 

“How are you already out of breath?” Tao scoffed.

 

“How are you not out of breath?” Xiumin questioned back.

 

“Did you forget? I’m a horseman. I have lots of power.” Tao smirked.

 

“Is that why you look feminine?” Xiumin laughed and Tao’s face shape. “I love your face shape.” he squealed.

 

Tao raised an eyebrow and slapped Xiumin’s hand off. “Keep your hands off.”

 

Xiumin frowned.

 

“How much longer?” Jongin asks Tao.

 

“We’re halfway.”

 

Jong Dae coughs uncontrollably. “W- *cough* Wat- *cough* Water!” he gasps while coughing.

 

Jongin pats his back, trying to relieve the cough. “Who has water!” He stares at Xiumin and Tao with furrowed eyebrows.

 

Tao reaches for his back pocket and pulls out a travel sized water bottle. “This is all I have.” Jongin blinks repeatedly and immediately grasps the water bottle. He hands it to Jong Dae and Jong Dae chugs it down.

 

“Hey!” Tao complains.

 

“He was coughing.” Jongin glared.

 

“That’s all I had, I told you that.” Tao frowned.

 

“After we find that guy you were talking about, we will need to go and find water supply.” Jongin insisted.

 

“I saw a lake nearby it as well.”

 

“Clean water supply.” Jongin emphasized.

 

Tao scrunches his lips together.

 

Jong Dae let out a few coughs and breathes in and out. Xiumin holds Jong Dae’s hands.

 

“Are you okay Chen??”

 

“Yes, I’m fine now.” Jong Dae answers.

 

“We have to get going.” Tao suggests.

 

They begin walking and see a group of short creatures that Jongin, Xiumin, and Jong Dae never seen before. However, Tao has battled them a number of times.

 

Xiumin gasps.

 

“These are nothing.” Tao brags while extending a long blade and slashing through all five of them. “They’re everywhere around here.”

 

“It’s that simple?” Xiumin raises an eyebrow.

 

“It’s that simple.” Tao smirks.

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

“Don’t do that!” Luhan laughs while Kyung Soo tickles him.

 

“My sister used to tickle me all the time.” Luhan stops smiling, and frowns.

 

“She.. didn’t survive?” Kyung Soo asks with empathy.

 

Luhan sighs and bites his lower lip.

 

“It’s okay. My parents died too.”

 

Luhan leaves a gap at his mouth. He felt the pain.

 

“Did you bury them?” Luhan asks.

 

“No..? We had no time.”

 

“We?”

 

“Kai and I.”

 

“Oh.” Luhan was hurt to hear that.

 

“Gahh! D.O-ssi! Your--- your ankle!” Luhan shrieked.

 

Kyung Soo looks down at his ankle and widens his eyes.

 

“What the hell is that!” Kyung Soo shouts.

 

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

 

Xiumin wipes off his sweat with a hand cloth after he stabbed an infected pigeon.

 

“We take a left.” Tao points.

 

Jongin nods and lands his arm on Xiumin’s back. “Almost there.” he encourages.

 

Jong Dae checks his compass. “I believe we took a wrong turn.”

 

“What do you mean?” Tao scowls.

 

“Taking a left will take us back to where we were. We--- have to take a right.” he explains while pointing at his compass.

 

Jongin looks at them both.

 

“What would you know? I was there.” Tao argues.

 

“I know because I know the way back.”

 

“Can we settle down? We can separate if you have a lot of suspicions.” Jongin tells Jong Dae.

 

“Sounds fair.” Jong Dae agrees.

 

Xiumin pouts. “I want Jong Dae with us!” he runs over to him.

 

Jong Dae pushes Xiumin away with his finger and crosses his arms. “I’m going alone.”

 

“We have to stick together, that was our plan.” Jongin protests.

 

“You were allowing me to go separately just a second ago.” Jong Dae furrows his eyebrows.

 

“The last thing we need is to get separated.” Jongin objects.

 

Xiumin frowns. “Jong Dae~ Let’s go together, hm?”

 

Jong Dae rubs his forehead. “We must take a right then.”

 

Tao glares at him. Jong Dae rubs the nape of his neck and raises his eyebrows. He then points towards the right of the intersection in the forest. Jongin looks at Tao and nods. Tao sighs and nods back.

They take a right and encounter a group of creatures with discretion. No one could define that they were. They looked like wraiths and Xiumin shuddered the moment he saw them. They had pitch black drapes on them to overshadow their face and held gigantic axes. They floated in the air about 2 feet away from the ground.

 

“Watch out!” Tao reaches into his fanny pack and throws shurikens towards the wraiths while Jongin, Xiumin and Jong Dae backs away. The wraiths dodge the ninja stars and glows their crimson red eyes.

 

“Uh oh. You got them mad..” Xiumin cries.

 

Jong Dae extends his long blade and stances in a fighting position. Jongin holds onto his blade tight and puts on a strong glare. Xiumin trembles from fear and hides behind Jongin.

 

“Run!” Tao yells. The group follows Tao while the wraiths chase after them.

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

Luhan continues to shriek. Worms were infested into Kyung Soo’s ankle. It was contaminated.

 

“We need our leader!” Kyung Soo cries.

 

“Does it hurt D.O-ssi?” Luhan gasps.

 

“I don’t even know!” Kyung Soo raises a brow.

 

Luhan raises a brow as well. “So.. It doesn’t hurt, is what you’re saying?”

 

“I don’t know..”

 

“You’re stupid.” Luhan giggles.

 

“I am? Thank you.” Kyung Soo blushes.

 

“Why are you saying thank you?” Luhan smacks Kyung Soo’s head playfully.

 

“Don’t hurt a patient who’s hurt!” Kyung Soo was taken aback.

 

“You said you don’t even know if it hurts.” Luhan was puzzled.

 

“Shut up.” Kyung Soo glares.

 

“Sorry.. D.O-ssi.” Luhan frowns.

 

“Don’t be sad lulu.” Kyung Soo grins.

 

“Hey! Only Xiumin calls me lulu..” Luhan furrows his eyebrows.

 

“That’s not the issue here Luhannie..” Kyung Soo points at his ankle and they both shriek when they see black worms squirming their way out of his ankle.

“AHHHH!” they both scream.

 

“QUICK! GET SOMETHING TO PICK THEM OUT.”

 

Luhan stands up and trembles. “Like what!?”

 

“I dont know! A tweezer!?”

 

“Ah!” Luhan digs through his pants pocket and pulls out an eyebrow tweezer.

 

Kyung Soo raises a brow. “Why would you have that?”

 

“It’s useful.” Luhan shrugs.

 

“Hurry, hurry!” Kyung Soo points at the infestation.

 

Luhan gulps.

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

“We lost them.” Jongin pants.

 

Jong Dae leans his head onto Jongin’s shoulder. Everyone was agitated. Xiumin takes out his hand cloth again. This time, Tao snatches it from his hands and wipes his forehead. Then he throws it back at Xiumin and he catches it like a bimbo.

 

“That was mine!” he cries.

 

“Oops.” Tao mocks.

 

Xiumin furrows his eyebrows and crosses his arms with a pout.

 

“Where the hell are we now?” Jongin sighs.

 

Jong Dae pulls out his compass and glares at it. “We’re back at square one.”

 

“What do you mean?” Jongin asks.

 

“Back at the intersection.”

 

Jongin rolls his eyes. “Maybe right wasn’t the right way, JONG Dae.”

 

“I’m sorry, leader. I have assumed far too much.”

 

Tao smirks.

 

“Guys, it’s dark now!! I doubt that guy will still be there.” Xiumin theorizes.

 

“What’s the hurry?” Tao raises an eyebrow.

 

“What if Kyung Soo needs us?” Xiumin asks Jongin.

 

Jongin widens his eyes. “Kyung Soo..”

 

“Kyung Soo?” Tao asks.

 

“He’s the injured member.” Jong Dae informs Tao.

 

“It’s alright. If we lose one, we gain one.” Tao smirks.

 

Jongin glares at Tao and charges towards him. He grabs Tao’s collar and pulls on it with his fists. “Lose one? We’re not losing anyone!” he yells.

 

Tao leans his head away from Jongin and surrenders. “I got it! Now let me go!” he pleads.

 

Jongin throws Tao on the floor and spits. “People like you aren’t welcome. If you only think about your survival, we don’t need you!”

 

Xiumin holds out his hand to grab Tao. Tao scoffs and slaps Xiumin’s hand off. He gets up on his own and stands close to Jongin’s face. “I could leave if I want. Anytime I want.”

 

“Let’s stop this nonsense. If we pull it out any longer, we will never find the guy and might even lose Kyung Soo.” Jong Dae states.

 

Jongin sighs. Tao smirks again.

 

“Where do we go now?” Xiumin breaks the silence.

 

“I know the way.” Tao squints his eyes at Jong Dae.

 

Jong Dae shrugs.

 

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

 

“They won't stay on the tweezer!” Luhan cries.

 

“What do we do Luhannie?!” Kyung Soo frowns while trembling.

 

“I think all we can do is wait.. I’m not a doctor!”

 

“Figure out something! What if I die.. Like my parents.”

 

“Don’t say that D.O-ssi! You must live.”

 

Kyung Soo nods.

 

Luhan picks up the tweezer again and attempts to grab the black worms with it.

 

“It keeps sliding off.” Luhan throws fists in the air.

 

“You can use your teeth I think.” Kyung Soo suggests.

 

“Are you a crazy man??” Luhan does the “crazy” motion with his finger.

 

“I see it in movies..” Kyung Soo mumbles.

 

“This isn’t a movie! This is reality.” Luhan sighs.

 

Kyung Soo adjusts his position. “This is really uncomfortable.”

 

“Oh my goshie D.O-ssi.. They ate the other half of your ankle..” Luhan cries.

 

Kyung Soo gasps. “Figure out something quick!”

 

“I don’t know!!” Luhan begins to tear.

 

They both start to cry.

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

The group stop their tracks when they see two wraiths.

 

“Ah . Not these again.” Jongin rolls his eyes.

 

Jong Dae goes into stance again as Tao reaches in for his shurikens.

 

“We can’t run this time.” Xiumin insists.

 

The rest of the group looked at Xiumin with a bored face. Xiumin shouldn’t be the one to talk.

 

Xiumin shrugged and shyly laughed.

 

The wraiths charged towards the group when they were distracted and Xiumin was the first to scream.

 

The rest shrieked and suddenly the wraiths fainted and vanished. They looked up altogether at once and saw a man in blonde, medium-length permed hair. He looked deceiving; he looked friendly yet enigmatic. Jongin estimated his height to be 179 cm. Just when Tao was about to speak, the man wandered off.

 

“We lost him!” Tao yells.

 

“Why didn’t you get ahold of him?” Jongin grieves.

 

“You should be asking yourself, leader!” Tao growls.

 

“He went that way.” Jong Dae points northwest.

 

They all run towards the direction and see the man from afar.

 

“Damn he’s pretty quick.” Jong Dae gasps.

 

“I’ve noticed that too, way before.” Tao remarks.

 

“Should have told us beforehand.” Jongin scoffs.

 

“Guys, can we please go back now.” Xiumin cries.

 

“He’s there!” Jong Dae points at the mysterious blonde.

 

“Hey!! Stop there! Right now!” Jongin hollers.

 

The man didn’t dare to turn around and he continued to walk, minding his own buisness. The group caught up to him and turned him around.

 

“Hey! We told you to stop!” Jongin yells.

 

“Do I have to follow your orders?” Yixing said with his soft voice. It looked as if he wanted to sound meaner, but his voice wasn’t deep enough.

 

“Not necessarily.” Jongin cleared his throat.

 

“Oooh I like your blonde hair!” Xiumin grabbed a lock of Yixing’s hair and twirled it.

 

“Quit it!” Yixing snapped.

 

Xiumin frowned.

 

“What’s the purpose of stopping me?” Yixing asked Jongin.

 

Tao laid his hand on Yixing’s shoulder. “We need more people. There’s..”

 

“Seven of us, so far.” Jong Dae finished the sentence.

 

Yixing sighed. “Go back to what you guys were doing. I have no intentions in joining you guys.” He began to walk away until Jongin pulled him back.

 

“We have shelter, weapons, we have things that you may need!” he pleads.

 

“I don’t need any of that. Leave me alone. Please.” Yixing pushed Jongin’s hand off.

 

Xiumin frowned with a sad puppy face. “Please join us. We really need more people.”

 

“No.” Yixing walked over to an infected deer and stabbed it near the heart. It fell to the ground and Yixing put the knife back in his waist pocket.

 

They needed him, especially since he was experienced.

 

“Blondie..” Xiumin whined. He grabbed onto Yixing’s arm and clung onto it.

 

“It would be wise to not touch me!” Yixing pushed Xiumin to a tree and placed his knife right on top of his skin.

 

Xiumin panted.

 

“It would be wise to join us; if you’re going to join us anyway.” Jong Dae smirked at Tao.

 

Tao scoffed.

 

“I said n-”

 

“I know a way to end this contamination.” Jongin cut Yixing off.

 

“What?” Yixing was interested to listen. He let go of Xiumin.

 

“I need to gather at least 5 more people.”

 

“Tell me first.”

 

“I can’t just blow off my secret that way. That’s not how it works.”

 

“So what is it that you want?”

 

“We need you to join the force.”

 

Yixing gave Jongin a strong glare. “What’s your conditions?”

 

“You have to help us. You’ll be considered our healer. Since you’re fast and quick to act; you need to protect the group.” Tao spoke for Jongin.

 

“Guys.. he did the opposite to me.” Xiumin cried.

 

“I never intended to kill you. But I wouldn’t mind if you died.” Yixing glared at Xiumin.

 

Xiumin shyly laughed. “What’s wrong Blondie? You know, someday. We’re all gonna look back at this as best friends and just laugh.. and laugh.. and..”

 

Everyone looked at Xiumin while furrowing their eyebrows. “And I’ll shut up.”

 

“I don’t want to ruin the moment here, but I believe that we should get back to Luhan and Kyung Soo.” Jong Dae reminded.

 

Jongin snapped. “Jong Dae’s right.”

 

“My Lulu..” Xiumin sniffled.

 

Tao raised an eyebrow at Xiumin. “What in the world?”

 

☯☯☯☯☯

 

Luhan and Kyung Soo have been crying for an hour. They were clueless on how to fix the infestation.

 

“If I die.. Just know that during this time that we met; I cherished it.” Kyung Soo sniffled.

 

“I.. love you.. D.O-ssi.. after Xiuminnie” Luhan sniffled.

 

“At least I’m after and not last.” he winked.

 

Luhan looked at the ankle again. Anyone could  see the flesh and bones.

 

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t help..” Luhan wiped off his tears.

 

Kyung Soo began to lost conscious. He was at a severely weak state.

 

“Don’t give up. I’m sure they’ll come soon. They’re coming. I promise.” Luhan assured Kyung Soo.

 

Luhan’s words worked like magic.

 

The group ran down the long flight of stairs. It was too dark to see and Xiumin tripped on Yixing.

 

“Guys!”

 

“Aghh!”

 

“Move it!”

 

“Get outta my way!”

 

“Get off of my leg!!”

 

They were all on top of each other.

 

“Sorry that was my fault.” Xiumin pouted.

 

“Just someone open the door already!” Jong Dae complains.

 

Jongin was the first to get up. He struggled to pushed the large plants out of the way.

 

Tao pushed him aside and opened the door. “You’re way too slow to be considered a leader.”

 

Jongin glared at him and Jong Dae blocked him with his arm. “No use of arguing.” he whispered.

 

“AGHHH” Kyung Soo yelped.

 

Jongin heard Kyung Soo and quickly ran inside, only to see the sofa drowned in blood.

 

“Kyung Soo!”

 

Yixing pushed him aside and looked at Kyung Soo’s ankle. He studied it and pushed against it.

 

“AGHHHHH!” Kyung Soo yelled from the excruciating pain.

 

“Stay still.” Yixing said.

 

“Stay still? Can’t you see the gash!?” Jongin yelled at Yixing.

 

“HE HAS TO STAY STILL SO THAT I DON’T ACCIDENTALLY CUT A VEIN INCORRECTLY.” Yixing yelled back.

 

Everyone stared.

 

He took out his knife and pointed it at the wound.

 

“What the hell are you doing?!” Kyung Soo screamed.

 

“D.O-ssi!!” Luhan cried.

 

“Oh my god that looks like it’ll hurt.” Xiumin winced.

 

Jong Dae carefully watched while Tao did the same.

 

Jongin grabbed Yixing’s shoulder though Yixing shrugged it off. He made an incision and Kyung Soo began to scream helplessly again.

 

“Someone cover his mouth!” Yixing demanded.

 

Luhan immediately covered Kyung Soo’s mouth with a cloth. (His hands were dirty).

 

Yixing shoved the knife, 2 inches above the wound and cut off the infected ankle.

 

Everyone gasped and Kyung Soo cried from pain. He put the body part aside.

 

Blood was squirting out unconditionally.

 

“Someone hand me a large cloth or anything to stop the blood!” Yixing demanded while taking off his shirt.

 

Tao took off his large cashmere scarf and handed it to Yixing. Yixing wrapped it around the wound after wiping off most of the blood with his shirt.

 

Kyung Soo scrunched his face, he was still in a great demand of pain.

 

“He’ll get better within the next week.” Yixing announced.

 

Kyung Soo fainted.

 

“KYUNG SOO!”

 

“D.O-SSI!”

 

“WEIRD GUY!”

 

Everyone gasped again, except Yixing. He cleared his throat. “He’s alive, don’t worry. He just fainted from shock. He’ll wake up when he wants to.”

 

“Are you a doctor?” Luhan asked while taking the cloth off of Kyung Soo’s mouth.

 

“I’m an intern at a hospital I worked in.” Yixing responded while wiping blood off his arms.

 

“Why did you cut off his ankle!” Xiumin cried.

 

“I had to. He’s infected. If you guys hadn’t come earlier, he would become one of those things! He was bitten or clawed, wasn’t he?”

 

“He was clawed by a demon.” Jongin informs.

 

“There are high chances he would become a demon as well.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Experience. I’ve had many losses in the past few days.”

 

Everyone had lost someone special.

 

“Someone please throw that away..” Luhan cringed while pointing at the ankle that was cut off.

 

Yixing wrapped in in his shirt. “We have to burn this. So that it doesn’t spread.” he exhaled. “Who has a lighter?”

 

Jong Dae looked at Tao.

 

“Why are you looking at me!?” he plead for innocence.

 

“I’ve seen you hold one when we encountered the two wraiths.” Jong Dae squinted his eyes at Tao like Tao normally would.

 

Tao cleared his throat. He reached into his pocket and took out a zippo lighter and handed it to Yixing.

 

“Not now.” Yixing said. “We need to do it somewhere where we won’t cause a ruckus. We don’t want to start a fire--- especially a forest fire.”

 

Everyone nodded at Yixing.

 

“It’s late. We should all sleep.” Xiumin smiled.

 

“Xiumin is right for the first time. We need to get up early, first thing in the morning tomorrow.” Jongin proclaimed. Xiumin pouted from Jongin’s negative remark.

 

Everyone stretched out their arms, getting ready to sleep.

 

Luhan laid down on the sofa adjacent to the one Kyung Soo's in. “Good night leader.” He smiled.

 

Xiumin looked at Luhan.

 

“Lulu!” he beamed.

 

They were too distracted by the gash from Kyung Soo, they couldn’t even say ‘hi’ to each other.

 

“Xuiminnie!” Luhan grinned.

 

“Let’s sleep and stop with the lovey dovey nonsense, hm?” Tao grilled at them.

 

They both pouted and Xiumin signaled Luhan to move aside so that they could share the same sofa.

 

Tao walked over to a corner and laid his head on the concrete wall.

 

Jongin rested on the side of the sofa and uses the hand rest to lay his head on there.

 

Jong Dae pulled out his weapons and placed them on the table. Then he used his fanny pack as a pillow after placing his jacket on top of it for comfort.

 

Yixing saw a rug and a blanket hung on a defected clothes hanger and placed it on the floor. He rested on his hands while laying down on it, trying to fall asleep.

 

It was a tough day for them. But definitely not the toughest. There will be more to come.

 

---

- plaincanvas (co-author)