(E) Chapter 3                                                                                                                                                                                                              The car sped on the tracks, its wheels screeching against the road while the speed meter slowly rose from normal driving to what seemed like a race car track. Luhan was humming a song, seeming as if he had nothing to worry about, a smile just pasted on his lips. He had a mischievous demeanor that was as comforting as it was annoying. How could someone seem so calm and happy while the world was being invaded by dead creatures? Baekhyun let out a small breath. He had to thank Luhan though; the boy was kind enough to save their lives despite the dangerous incidents that could have happened. But it all ended when-   “I’m heading north, where should I drop you off?” Luhan asked, turning to the older brother in the passenger seat who was taken by surprise. He thought they would now continue on their journey together, since they did need the car. As grateful as he was, he could not believe this feminine faced dude would regard them as people he could just “drop off” especially in a situation like this where they couldn’t even step down from the car without risking being eaten alive, or even worse; bitten. The thought of being turned and knowing you were going to lose your memory and bite someone else was worse than a rapid death of having your brains getting chewed out. Baekyoung cleared his throat despite being taken aback as Luhan began to whistle a tune that he thought was cheerful but all it did was serve his passengers as annoying. “We... Uh, we were thinking of going to the elderly home where the people were-“   The car braked suddenly and swerved when Luhan, who heard where they were thinking of going, stopped the car. He looked at Baekyoung with his eyes wide open, a look of disbelief on his fairy like features. The two hands that were gripping the handle were in the air as if he was shocked that they were planning to go to where they were going and his voice raised an octave. “Elderly home?!” Luhan asked, his eyes growing bigger by the minute. “You mean the one by the American Embassy?” Chen and Baekhyun exchanged glances, not understanding the change of expression of their so-called driver who looked so shocked that they were heading that way. However, it was his reaction that made Baekhyun feel uncomfortable. The young boy had a hunch that something happened there, and deep down he hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was. “Yeah, that one. Are there other elderly homes around here?” Baekyoung asked back, his forehead creasing. He, himself, felt that the sudden change of facial expression of Luhan was a sign that something bad happened. His eyes moved to the view mirror and saw Baekhyun’s ears perk up as if he was listening. For some reason he didn’t want Baekhyun to comprehend what was going on. Baekyoung knew his brother well and he knew that when Baekhyun goes under pressure, he could not function. Luhan, however, just seemed happy-go-lucky with the situation, shrugging as he started to drive again. “The elderly place caught fire.” He answered, “But if you want to go there, sure. I’ll drop you off at the end of the street and you can walk in because I’m not going anywhere near that place. It’s infested.”   There you go.   Baekhyun's jaw dropped and he could not register it in his mind just yet. Fire… Did that mean their parents? The young boy leaned forward and grabbed his older brother’s shoulder as if to ask if what he heard was real or not. Baekyoung bit his lip, trying to remain calm. Maybe... Maybe it’s not true. “H-How did you know?” Baekyoung's voice trembled and he cleared his throat, his hand gripping the seatbelt so hard his fists turned red. “It was all over the news.” Luhan answered. “I was watching it on the first day of the break out, was thinking of going there too but…” The fairy boy shrugged. “In the end, it turned out that people inside were getting themselves bitten without knowing that it would turn them into zombies. By the 4th hour, they decided to get rid of the people inside by just burning the whole building.” Baekhyun’s eyes darkened. “That’s ridiculous… Even when there might be survivors inside?”   No! No! No! The sense of denial was strong on the young boy and he could not help but lean back forcefully, blinking his eyes rapidly to keep back the tears. However, it spilled out just the same and the small hand rose up to brush it away. Luhan looked up at the mirror and saw it just in time before looking down and sighing. Why he felt sad for the little one, he did not know why. “They did it because they knew there were no survivors inside.” His answer was simple but it made Baekhyun’s tears fall harder, his eyes filling up with the salty water that ran down his face.   The parents that brought him up all his life… The mother who would embrace him before bed, tucking him in and calling him her “little puppy”, the father who would throw him in the air but only to catch him. Two of the people he could trust with his life were now gone and inside him was a battle that he could not handle. He now regretted pushing his mother away when she asked what was wrong or locking himself up in his room when he knew she had food for him to eat. The sudden pain he felt in his chest were like pins stabbing him repeatedly and all he could do was tremble and bury his face in his hands with a silent cry. Baekyoung was numb. The older brother did not stay with his parents when he was younger; rather so, he stayed with his aunt in California. The past 3 years were the years he came back to Seoul to attend university and lived with them. He was not close with them and everything between his own biological parents was very formal and respected. They did not meddle with him, nor did he meddle with them. But for some reason, the aching was still there. The feeling of his heart squeezing and his eyes burning…   So this was sadness.   The car was filled with nothing but Baekhyun's sobs and the sound of the engine. Chen stared at the boy beside him and before he knew it, he had reached over to pat Baekhyun on the shoulder before pulling him to give him a swift hug. However, the hug was not swift and Baekhyun ended up bawling his eyes out, his crying becoming wails of a child. He must be hurting, Chen thought as he patted his… was it friend? Friend, of course, friend. Chen patted Baekhyun's shoulder and the boys tense sniffles were the only thing that kept everyone in the car sane.   So this is what it is like outside.   Chen and Baekyoung were looking out the window and it seemed that the past three days took a toll on the city. The once beautiful streets of Seoul now looked abandoned as if it was after war. The gray concrete on the side walk and the smooth road was now a mix of dark red and maroon, the blood of the infected and bitten drying. The sun of was starting to rise up and Luhan turned the car to a small street and parked it at the side. In front was the so-called Embassy and Baekyoung did not want to turn his head to look but he did, and when he did he regretted it. The building was totally burned down, and the amount of bodies piled up at the front was evidence that the people that were once there were now all dead. Chen looked down at Baekhyun who was completely still, his head on the blonde guys lap with his eyes closed. All that crying must have been tiring and Chen did not want to wake him up. There was no use; it would just make him feel worse. Baekyoung glanced at the back seat to double check on Baekhyun and was relieved to see his younger brother sleeping. He did not want to deal with comforting the boy at a time like this. “Can’t… Can’t you bring us somewhere else? We’ll get off your back once we find some place safe.” Baekyoung whispered to Luhan who took a moment to think. It was not that he did not like people with him, but to him, it was easier to move and travel around with just himself. However, looking at the place around him, he had no choice. Luhan nodded, his fingers turning the car keys and starting it up once more before turning the wheel and speeding away.   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________     Thirty minutes had passed and Baekhyun was now awake. Halfway through, the boy woke up groggily asking where they were and whether they had reached the elderly place. Everyone was silent for a while until Baekyoung explained that they went there when he fell asleep and the situation was just as Luhan said so they didn’t wake him up. Baekyoung blinked and looked down silently. Luhan who kept on driving also did not have a destination, and the streets of Seoul remained visually hopeless to the 3 day old survivors. It was then when passing by a small clothing shop did the car gave a creak. Everyone’s facial expression changed; a gulp from Chen, a taken aback look from the two who sat in front and the look of fear from Baekhyun. “W-What… What happened?” Baekhyun inquired, his hand holding the front seat that was in front of him, his fingers turning white. Without a car, they had nothing… Their only form of transportation could simply not just break down at a moment like this, not when they were hungry with their stomachs growling and their strength wearing down every moment. “The car….” Luhan mumbled under his breath, trying to step on the accelerator but it was no use. Suddenly a pop could be heard from the car itself and Baekyoung closed his eyes. He knew that sound, and it was the sound of the car machine giving way. The wires must have come undone because 30 seconds after that, the whole car went dim including the lights. “Dammnit!” Luhan cursed, his hand slamming against the wheel with intense frustration. He wanted to get out of here by himself, as selfish as it sounded. But here he was, stuck with a non-functioning car and three people he did not trust and knew nothing about. If they didn’t stop by the elderly home, he would already be halfway to the countryside where he heard about the survivor camps.   “We have to get out of this car then get food and regain our strength until the next night.” Baekyoung said rationally seeing how famine the two were behind him. Chen’s cheekbones were pointing out and Baekhyuns usual chubby cheeks were starting to deflate making his face look sunken. “Next night?” Luhan asked, his eyebrows raising. “And then what? What will we do next without a car?” His voice rose and Baekyoung turned to look at him, not happy with the tone he was using but tried to remain as composed as possible. “We will have to think of it as we go by. At the moment, we have to find means to survive and that is food. All three of us had not had a proper meal so we have to-“ “We? There is no “We” in this. If I had not drove you to that damn elderly place I would already have been halfway to Busan!” Luhan exclaimed, his hand slamming down once again on the wheels.   That was when Baekyoung was halfway to losing it. Even him and his kind self could cave under exhaustion, this was it. “We are all struggling to survive! Are you saying that it’s our fault? If you have headed to Busan, true. You would be halfway there without us, but this car would have broken down half way. Where would you be? In the middle of the road alone!” Baekyoung’s fists shook and it took him all of his self control to not punch the boy in front of him, taking big deep breaths