"That was some performance back there," Chanyeol mentions nonchalantly, giving Baekhyun a slow clap with the deck of cards still in his hands. He occupies himself shuffling the cards mindlessly, looking up to meet Baekhyun's eyes - a mix of both darkness and playfulness. A deadly combination really. "Talk," he orders, though coming from Chanyeol it sounds more of a request.

"What's to talk about?" Baekhyun chimes. "I have nothing to say."

"Baekhyunnie," Chanyeol sings the affectionate nickname, smiling as he approaches Baekhyun. "I know you, and you're definitely up to something. Spill it," Chanyeol matches Baekhyun's mischevious look, running a hand through the smaller's hair, hand stopping to cradle the back of his head. A sly smirk paints a picture of curiosity and intrigue on Chanyeol's face. "Maybe I want in."

"Ah, you're so dangerous, Chanyeol," Baekhyun pauses for a moment to look at Chanyeol's handsome face, the splitting image of a daredevil himself. Baekhyun's teeth pull at his lower lip, as a means of taming his attraction. To distract himself, Baekhyun peers behind Chanyeol, eyeing Sehun, who was now curled up on the ground and sleeping. The worry was still evident on his face, and he didn't look at all comfortable, but Baekhyun could tell he was definitely unconscious. He returns his attention to Chanyeol, observing his soft features. "Dangerous and y," Baekhyun says, biting his lip yet again. "That's why I love you."

"I love you too," Chanyeol replies in haste. "Now enough with the sweet talk. I want the good stuff."

"Geez Chanyeol, you're so not romantic."

Chanyeol merely shrugs at the remark, Baekhyun sighing playfully and taking Chanyeol's hand into his own, playing with it idly.

"What do you see in him anyway?" Chanyeol asks, notioning at Sehun with a motion of his head. He looks at Baekhyun with a bit of a serious tone, but his handsomeness softens the stare. "He's honestly kinda dumb. Why not Luhan?"

"No way," Baekhyun refutes. "Besides, Sehun is kinda cute. Luhan is too... rigid. He'll get in the way and you know it."

"So... what? You wanna keep Sehun as some kind of pet?"

"Mm, something like that... but I'd like to think of him more as insurance," Baekhyun says the last word slowly, drawing out the syllables. He looks up at Chanyeol, the smirk on his face even more dramatic from that angle.

"Insurance?" Chanyeol repeats.

"Yeah, come on Chanyeol, think about it. He's dumb and impressionable. I mean, he believed my story for crying out loud. Just give him some time to get over Luhan, and he'll be right there with us. He'll prove pretty useful I think. And I mean why not? I like this kid. I want him."

"Geez Baek, what am I gonna do with you? You know you have me right?" Chanyeol jabs playfully.

"But Chanyeollieee pleaseee can we keep him?" Baekhyun taunts, as if Sehun were a lost little puppy.

"Oh alright," Chanyeol agrees. "Just one problem."

"What? No problem."

"Yes problem," Chanyeol says, grabbing Baekhyun's wrist a little forcefully. "What are we gonna do when Sehun finds out about us? Like who we really are?"

"Please Yeol," Baekhyun replies, pulling his wrist back. "If he does, it'll go one of two ways: he'll choose to stick with us, in which case no problem, or," Baekhyun looks up at Chanyeol's face to gauge the reaction at his next phrase. "He'll resist. But it's two against one, Chanyeollie. And in our business, it's useful to have a hostage," Baekhyun practically chuckles at his suggestion, proud of himself for thinking of it.

"Wow."

"I know."

"You're evil... but you're pretty smart, Byunbaek," Chanyeol compliments.

"Thanks, babe," Baekhyun replies with a bow, obviously pleased with himself. "Sehun may be dumb... but I think he's smart enough not to cross us."

"Such a shame though," Chanyeol sighs. "I kind of liked Luhan."

"You'll get over it," Baekhyun shoots. "It's for your own good."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Luhan snoozes again in the lobby of an abandoned apartment complex, snuggling up with his lumpy backpack. It's not exactly comfortable, but it's all he can manage right now, and so he makes do. Luhan feels unbearably exhausted despite having slept a bit earlier, but in all honesty, it was a pretty restless sleep, and it only added to his sore discomfort. Before Luhan could count to ten, he was out like a light, his light snoring filling the empty room and seeping through the abundant cracks. Apart from the slow rising and sinking of his stomach, Luhan lays still, sleeping relatively soundly.

So soundly in fact, that he doesn't notice when strange hands pad his body, nor does he wake up when those same hands rifle through his make-shift pillow. A tall boy, skin tinted with a slight shadow of brown, huffs in exasperation, puffing out his chest as a precaution (so as not to wake the stranger he so easily violated.) "Nothing.." Jongin whispers in disappointment, clicking his tongue against his teeth and standing back up. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and glances up the stairs he descended from a few moments ago. His gaze holds a sense of longing, anxiety and fear swirling in his silky black eyes. He removes a hand from one pocket, brushing his hair off his forehead and sweeping it up. It stays swept there, the strands feathery wisps of chocolate brown, resting atop his head. With a slight glance to the sleeping stranger, Jongin decides to leave him be, making his way out the door and across the street.

Jongin muddles through broken glass and other forgotten debris, searching for something, anything, to keep his family alive. Or, at least as alive as possible. The pharmacy just down the street from his home, once bright and welcoming, now was dull and dreary, shelves knocked over and technicians long gone. Jongin would work here part time after school, doing simple things like restocking and working the check out counter. Usually he would speak with the pharmacy technicians when he would restock the shelves. Often they'd give him advice and encouragement to study hard and stay determined, Jongin expressing his dreams of one day being a pharmacist himself. The technicians would push him to take the next steps further, praising him as a potential doctor or something of the sort, but Jongin was a bit more reserved, the luxury of staying behind a counter comforting him and his social awkwardness while still allowing him to make a difference in someone's life appealing. 

Though those dreams meant nothing to him now, his family his top and only priority. If Jongin wanted to make a difference in a person's life, now would be the time to do it. Although he always imagined himself helping strangers, unprepared for the demise of his parents and two sisters. Jongin likes to study on his own, surpassing the limited medical knowledge available to him at his school, though he'd never learned anything even remotely close to the kind of virus sweeping over Korea now. He couldn't even rack his brain for a relevant comment from one of the technicians. 

Tired of trying to materialize some sort of knowledge just to make him feel better, Jongin casts his efforts away, busying himself with the scanning of what few shelves still stood upright. He finds some tricylic antidepressants, deeming them worthy enough and shoving them into some left over plastic bags. Maybe the pills would be effective, possibly stirring up their emotions once again or at the very least, bringing them back from the dead. Jongin hopes they could muster up enough reaction to snap his family out of it. Because in all honesty, they don't really show any signs of illness, they're just... mentally checked out.

The drugs rattle in the bottle as Jongin carries them along. For a brief moment, he wonders how he'll get his family to take them, considering merely talking to them is a task in itself. Jongin really thinks of it more as talking AT them, and he can't even remember the last time they had an actual conversation that didn't consist of weak grunts from the other party. "Stupid EX-0..." Jongin sighs to himself, casting away the discerning thoughts and deciding he'll cross that bridge when he gets there.

Before he can escape the thoughts of the virus completely, Jongin marvels at the fact that he's the only one left standing - in his family of course. Well, he can't be entirely sure about the city, seeing as he hardly goes out anymore due to his sudden rise to primary caretaker. Though he never really went out much anyway, preferring to keep to himself, save for hanging out with his best friend Taemin every now and then. Though Taemin left for Seoul immediately after graduation in order to continue his studies. Jongin hasn't heard from him since news of the EX-0 virus broke out, but he can only hope that Taemin was keeping safe and quarantined.

Pressing through the doors once more, Jongin spies the sleeping man from before, having shifted to his side, and curling up with his backpack now. He tosses a bottle of acetaminophen in his general direction, having snagged it earlier for the stranger's sake. Jongin doesn't really know if it'll even be useful, but he figured he'd help a guy out. Stealing one last glance, Jongin treks up the staircase, taking two steps at a time. The hall light buzzes softly, sounds reminiscent of a flatlined heart monitor. Jongin's learned to ignore it, and he jangles his keys instead to muffle it out. He doesn't actually need his keys, since he hardly bothers to lock the door anymore. What's the point with the whole town left and deserted? But Jongin pressed his luck a little too much this time around, returning to a wide open entrance - definitely not how he left it. Furthermore, a small but adamant figure haunts his being, feet planted in the ground. But it's the gun the man brandishes that shakes Jongin to the core even more, and the staunch look in his eyes makes him someone not to be messed with. Though Jongin is no one to be messed with either.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Through hazy vision, Luhan gazes out ahead of him as far as he can see, a tall and slender figure coming into focus. Luhan reaches out to him and opens his mouth to speak, but he can only muster a silent yell, his vocal cords constricting in his throat. Running toward, him, Luhan recognizes the boy's features well, matching Sehun's all too conspicuously. Even from afar Luhan could tell, and from afar, Luhan could also tell that the boy was in pain from the way he laid there, sprawled out and weak. To no avail, Luhan keeps yelling, trudging toward Sehun as best as he can. Though his feet were lead weights, becoming harder and harder to move with each step Luhan takes. With glassy eyes, Sehun looks up and locks eyes with Luhan.

Whispering, Sehun utters, "Help..." Luhan's ears are sharp though, not missing his boyfriend's desperate cry. "Help..." Sehun calls again, this time a little louder. The pain on Sehun's face translates to a million needles piercing Luhan's heart as he watches helplessly, the distance never seeming to close. "Help!" Sehun screams, louder and louder, repeatedly. Luhan feels a tear in the corner of his eye glisten, as if the shine taunts him before rolling down his hot cheek.

"HELP!" Sehun begs, and Luhan all but loses it.

The jerk awake is like the shock of ice cold water, and Luhan gets a small taste of the freeze through the thin layer of cold sweat coating his body. His breath is short and his heart is pounding. Luhan sits up a little too quickly, the material of his shirt over his heart, trying to calm down. Though his recovery time is cut short by a deep voice yelling from the upper level. "HELP!" the voice cries, just as Sehun had been. Thoughts of Sehun still fresh on his mind, Luhan darts up, grabbing his backpack hastily and dashing up the stairs, despite having no idea who or where the yells were coming from.

Of all the doors Luhan sees, only one is wide open, and so Luhan picks that one, running to it quickly. When he reaches the entrance, he practically slides on his soles, grabbing the door frame for stability. He gasps at the sight of a tall, tan-skinned boy wrestling a much smaller though twice as feisty guy. The two are a tangled mess of limbs, fists of fury raining punches upon the other one moment, the next moment flat palms pounding the surface aimlessly, as if searching for something that isn't there. Luhan notices the smaller man dons a police uniform, and if it weren't for the look of indignation on his face, he would've thought the authoritative look was unsuited for him. Though when his full, heart shaped lips screamed curses and commands and when his wide, white eyes burned with anger, perhaps this man was authoritative after all.

"Hey!!" Luhan shouts, trying to gain their attention. Even at the top of his lungs, Luhan isn't loud enough to distract the two wrestling on the floor (and honestly, he really should have expected that.) The loud banging noises of hands on the floor draw Luhan's attention inadvertently when he realizes the two are fighting for the lone handgun sitting in the middle of the floor.

Springing from his position like a stone leaving a slingshot, Luhan leaps toward the weapon, swiping it up with one quick motion. Swiftly sliding his pointer finger through the trigger guard, the pad of his finger tip brushes the trigger itself. With a tight squeeze, Luhan lifts the gun and presses down firmly, firing a warning shot, embedding the bullet into the ceiling. A few small shards of the ceiling sprinkle down on Luhan's head, but he stands firmly, staring down the two entangled men. From the corner of his eye, he sees something reflecting; it's small and dark. He allows his eyes to flicker over to the source when he realizes it's not one but eight black beady eyes staring at him blankly, housed by pallid faces. Only then does he understand they have a bit more company than he thought, and his skin crawls a bit.

"Yah!" the smaller guy shouts, stealing back Luhan's attention. "That's police property! Give that back!"

"NO!" the tanned boy protests. "He's going to kill my family!" Luhan again steals a glance at the four figures standing a short distance away, gathering that these... zombies of people are the boy's so called family.

"I have no ch -!" the police officer is interrupted by an angry fist to the jaw and another negative cry, from the other boy. With a free hand, the cop rubs his throbbing jaw meticulously. "You rotten kid! I oughta -!" The cop is again interrupted, though this time by Luhan, firing another shot. "Do you want to die? I'll say it one last time, that is police. property!"

"'Police property'," the other boy says with a sarcastic tone. "Shouldn't be used to kill innocent people!"

"They're infected!" the cop defends. "They're a danger to society!"

"What society?! There's nothing left here!"

"STOP!" Luhan screams. "I'm not afraid to fire this thing again!"

"You better not!" the policeman threatens.

"Just.. Stop," Luhan commands, lowering the gun. "Get up!" The two comply, scowling at one another. Though the taller boy wastes no time on the cop who looks up at him fiercely. He bends down to collect the dropped drugs and rushes to the four lifeless shells left of his family, desperately trying to get them to take the pills.

"Please," the boy begs with a quiet and broken voice, completely opposite of the menacing persona he had adapted just moments ago. Failing to find any progress with who Luhan presumes to be the boy's father, the boy approaches one of the girls, who's shorter than him but looks much older - must be the mother. "Umma..." The boy speaks softly and affectionately, carefully bringing the drugs to . He tries to knock them back for her with gentle hands but finds it quite difficult with the lack of cooperation. It pains Luhan to watch, but he chooses not to do anything, considering the volatile state the boy is in.

Instead, Luhan looks away from the heart breaking scene, eyes falling on one of the sisters instead. She convulses, but nothing violent. In fact, the disturbances are very subtle, but still a little discomforting. Though Luhan can't look away, watching the poor girl as she raises her head slowly. She looks in the boy's and their mother's general direction, taking steps toward them. Expressionless before, suddenly her eyebrows are stitched with a bit of rage, and the look on her face falls just slightly short of a violent one. Luhan's gut feeling tells him something is about to go horribly wrong, but before he can act, the cop snatches the gun away from Luhan's lazy hand. He snaps to action while the cop fumbles with it momentarily, aiming straight at the hostile girl.

"No!" Luhan yells, going for the cop's arm. Lagged a little too long, Luhan can't stop him from pulling the trigger, but he acts fast enough to ruin his aim, the bullet ending up grazing the back of the girl's ankle instead. Her cry of pain screeched in the boy's ears, who jerked around to see his sister on the floor, growling at him. Suprised, he looks over at the cop and Luhan, who's now coming at him at full speed. "Let's go!" Luhan commands, grabbing the boy and dragging him out of the house. Luhan's already shoved the cop out the door to keep him from harming any more family members and he grabs him too on the way out, ensuring the family would be safe.

"No wait! I can't leave them!" the boy cries, to which Luhan responds with a tighter grip around his wrist. "Let go!" he demands, but Luhan just can't comply.

"Please, trust me!" and Luhan feels a spike of déjà vu, evocative of a once skeptical Sehun. Luhan sighs, hoping that when he finally meets his beloved Sehun again, things won't be so rocky between them. But he knows that that's really wishful thinking and so he pushes the thought aside, to be dealt with later.

When Luhan finally reaches a safe place, enough of a distance away, he releases the two wrists, a ring of sweat left by Luhan's hot hands. The cop briskly rubs his wrist on his pants, shedding the moisture but retaining an uncomfortable stickiness.

"Who are you and why did you bring us here?" the boy glowers, angry that Luhan dragged him away from his family. "I have to go back!" he turns around to leave, but Luhan calls out for him to wait.

"You can't go back," Luhan advises.

"Why not?"

"Because... your sister was about to attack you," Luhan says it solemnly, biting his lower lip to brace for the boy's reaction.

"No! She would never!"

"You're right, I'm sure your sister would never hurt you," Luhan consoles. "But that girl... That wasn't your real sister. It was someone who's been taken over by this... this virus. Trust me!"

The boy huffs, but doesn't know how to respond. He gravitates back to Luhan reluctantly, but decides maybe the sleeping stranger had a point.

"I could've taken care of them.." the cop mumbles, to which the boy doesn't take to lightly.

"Stop," Luhan commands again, looking at the name plate of the officer's uniform. "Kyungsoo," he says out loud to acknowledge that that is indeed his name. Kyungsoo's lips twitch and he acknowledges with a curt nod of the head. "There's... another reason why I brought you both here," Luhan confesses, and the two others perk their ears up. "I need your help too."

"Why should I help you?" the other kid snarls, still heated from the attack.

"Shut up, kid," Kyungsoo spits, also wound a little too tightly.

"I'm not a kid!" he replies, holding up a fist threateningly.

"I should arrest you for attacking a police officer on duty," Kyungsoo retaliates, reaching for his handcuffs.

"What duty?!" the not-a-kid challenges. "Do you consider murder 'official duty'?"

"I'm only acting on headquarter's orders!" Kyungsoo says in exasperation, throwing his arms up. "Make rounds and shoot on sight - I'm doing my job."

"Enough!" Luhan interjects. "Let's make peace, alright? Everyone is obviously in a bad situation, so everyone should just chill okay?" Kyungsoo and the boy huff simultaneously, bringing their hands down to their sides and turning away from each other, but they quit fighting nonetheless.

"I still don't see why I should help you," the boy mutters while looking away.

"Because I saved your family, that's why," Luhan says firmly. "And you've already helped once so I see it's in your nature." Luhan presents the bottle of medicine the boy threw to him earlier, shaking the pills against the plastic walls for effect. "So why don't you tell me your name so we can get better acquainted, hm? I'm Luhan," Luhan offers, now with a more calm voice. The three are a bit more settled now, which is a much better change of pace for Luhan. He really doesn't enjoy volatile people.

"It's Jongin."

Kyungsoo interrupts introductions with a serious question. He at least has the courtesy to nod at Jongin slightly, acknowledging his introduction, before speaking. "So Luhan, what do you need our help for anyway?" the way he asks is sharp and cutting, but he persists.

"I'm looking for someone," Luhan says vaguely.

"Who?"

"It's not like you'd know."

"Are you refusing a cop?" Kyungsoo disputes, his hands gravitating toward his cuffs once again.

Luhan decides Kyungsoo means serious business, and if he hadn't figured it out via the mix up with Jongin, he's sure figured it out now. Kyungsoo didn't seem like the type to be bothered by arresting him. Never mind he already has Jongin to deal with, Luhan has no doubts that Kyungsoo could handle them both.

"My boyfriend... Oh Sehun," Luhan says a little timidly. "He's with a couple of other guys.. Ah, I don't know their last names. Chanyeol and Baekhyun... I think... B-Byun Baekhyun?" Luhan sounds out Baekhyun's potential last name with some uncertainty, as he's only heard Chanyeol call him that maybe once. Or was he just making that up?

"Byun Baekhyun???" Kyungsoo exclaims at the name, his eyes growing even wider, if that was possible. The huge whiteness kind of creeped Luhan out a bit, but he slowly nods, thinking that sounds about right. "And Park Chanyeol?"

"Um, yeah I guess so?" Luhan responds, surprised that Kyungsoo even had any idea what he was talking about because Luhan sure doesn't. "What's the big deal?"

"Both black haired, one super tall, one about this high?" Kyungsoo makes his hand flat, slicing the air at Baekhyun's approximate height. "They wear black all the time right?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's them..." Luhan remains confused at Kyungsoo's eagerness.

"Oh this can't be good," he mutters, both Jongin and Luhan staring at Kyungsoo.

"Um, care to explain?" Luhan requests. Kyungsoo's eyes flick between Jongin and Luhan, still drowning in pools of white.

"If your Sehun is with them, we should probably get him back as soon as possible. Those two are dangerous; they're wanted criminals in Korea," Kyungsoo explains, causing Luhan's mouth to drop.

"But... They seemed pretty okay? I mean, Chanyeol at least... Baekhyun..." Luhan scowls at the mention of Baekhyun's name, clenching his fists as he silently vows to punch that kid because he sure would love to.

"Don't be fooled," Kyungsoo advises. "They look and seem that way, yes," he agrees. "But they're wanted for a lot of things - hacking, cyber stalking, identity theft - along with normal theft, and now, apparently, kidnapping."

"Whoa," Luhan breathes. He scolds himself internally. Gee, what should've given it away? The black clothes? The nonchalance for the law? Oh wait, maybe the ing hotwiring? "Damn," Luhan says under his breath.

"Well, okay, so these guys are criminals," Jongin finally speaks. "But what can I do to help you?"

"You're gonna need a lot more help than just this kid," Kyungsoo butts in.

"I'm not a kid..." Jongin whispers, though in vain, Kyungsoo missing the comment completely. Too occupied with Luhan, Kyungsoo promises Luhan his help, fantasizing of the glory that will come with being the cop who takes down Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol. It's lucky he has two civilians on his side as they're obviously a bit smart for the police. Once they managed to escape a surrounded warehouse, or so Kyungsoo heard. According to the story, they definitely should've been doomed that time, but it was as if they magically disappeared, the sweetnesss of victory thrown out the window.

"Okay," Luhan exhales. "Looks like we need ourselves a plan then... including how to locate them."

"I think we can help with that," Kyungsoo offers. "I don't think that'll be the hard part," he warns. "It'll be actually capturing them. Especially if your Sehun is there..." Luhan feels uncomfortable with the way Kyungsoo assigns Sehun as his. Not that Luhan rejects it because it is true after all. But the way Kyungsoo says it just makes him almost cringe, as if the fact is burdensome and will jeopardize whatever plan they come up with. Luhan plays it off as overthinking things though and tries to focus on coming up with a plan instead.

"So Jongin, what do you say?" Luhan asks, looking toward the dejected boy. "I think I can help with your family. I have a friend studying this virus... Hopefully he'll have a break through soon. If you help me, I can help them too."

"But I can't just leave them..." Jongin protests softly. The pain in his eyes intensifies with the thought of abandoning his family.

"You can," Kyungsoo interrupts, hands in pockets. He's obviously calmed down since Luhan evacuated the two males, and now he looks over to Jongin with a hint of endearment; though that's just Luhan's opinion.

"Why? So you can get some of your cop friends to 'take care of them'?" Jongin snarls, missing the caring glance from the officer. He's still got some heat swelling in his head, and looking at Jongin, Luhan swears he can see steam coming out of his ears. What a cartoonish image for such a solemn situation, Luhan thinks.

"No," Kyungsoo answers curtly, forgoing the aggression in Jongin's tone. "But I can report to headquarters that I had a clean sweep and that the area is secure. I can assure your family will be left alone."

"Would you really?" Luhan asks incredulously, surprised that this is the same Kyungsoo who twenty minutes ago would have killed said family. "But you...?"

Luhan didn't have to finish his question for Kyungsoo to know where he was going with it. "Yes, I was going to shoot them," he states bluntly. "But I've never met a kid as... dedicated and honorable as Jongin." Kyungsoo's gaze is still strong, but nowhere near as intimidating, and both Luhan and Jongin can see the sincerity in Kyungsoo's words. "So, I'll help the kid out. Besides, if your friend can cure them... Well, may as well give it a chance. But don't get used to it."

Looking at Jongin expectantly, Luhan bites his lip awaiting the answer. Jongin locks eyes with Luhan, noticing his slight desperation and he can't bear to look at it - especially not when Luhan had such an attractive face and the stare was almost cute and puppy-like. He averts his gaze over to Kyungsoo, realizing just how attractive the cop was himself. Jongin stuffs his hands in his back pockets and he drops his head, staring at the ground (because staring at the other two wasn't helping one bit.) He felt torn between leaving his family and going with Luhan. Taking a deep breath, he decides on the latter, solely for the sake of his family. He doesn't think he can do anything as productive as meeting a doctor by staying here.

"Alright," Jongin consents. "I'll help."

"Great," Luhan smiles gratefully. "Let's get to thinking of a plan then."

//Yay new chapter.. Actually I wrote this and then rewrote it so... hope it's good now! Also, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments ^^ it feels lonely.. ahah. thank you for keeping up with me!