Chapter One
Baekhyun

The days tick by slower and slower as another body coils into a tight ball in the corner of the dim lit underground shelter. The boy is scrawny, scrawnier than anybody, even a down-and-out orphan is a plump turkey compared to the emaciated skeleton with its thin covering of skin that’s as white as snow - if I can even remember what color snow is exactly.

      My fingers clench tightly as I turn my gaze away from the boy, who no longer trembles or wails a haunting moan that chills the bones. Another one gone… A hundred and fifty seven left to waste with hunger, tears, and hide in horror of them.

      “Baekhyun.” The soft murmur breaks the ominous and saddening silence that hangs heavily in the air. I turn my eyes toward the thin silhouette sprawled beside me on the straw mat in the darkness. The small boy’s ribcage juts out beneath his skin, signifying how little food he’s had in the last four months since the massacre occurred. The heartbreaking look in his sapphire eyes reveals the horrors and nightmares that torment and torture the boy twenty four seven.

      “Another nightmare?” I guess, knowing all too well of every aspect in both of our nightmares. I wince as I notice how much strength it takes for Hyuk to just nod his head a centimeter. He can’t end up like the others. Motionless and silent. Not in this ghastly place. I won’t allow it to happen. Never.

      “I miss them.” Hyuk croaks out. My eyes close, forcing back the tears that come whenever the two of us have this conversation.
“I know.” I whisper in a volume even softer than a breeze.
“I do too.” I miss them so badly that I’ve even thought about returning to the surface in search of them. Somewhere deep within me I know our parents are still alive up there, doing their best to not get caught by them.

      They’re still alive. I can feel it. They’re not dead. I’m positive their not.

      “We just have to stay strong Hyuk.” I sigh, lightly embracing his bony fingers in my palm.
“We’ll survive this.” I add. The words are meant for Hyuk but they’re more for me.
“Do you really think so?” Hyuk rasps out the question. I lock eyes with Hyuk.

      Do I honestly really believe that? There was once more than four million people occupying this underground shelter, now, only four months later, there’s only a hundred and fifty seven of us left. Some perished of famishment and others went senseless and did the mistake of returning to the surface just to be slaughtered and consumed by them. Can we survive this horrendous period of time that has been placed upon the human race?

      “There’s always a chance for everything.” I mumble out, but the moment I notice Hyuk’s reaction, I realize the response given wasn’t exactly the right one to say to a seven year old boy.
“Listen Hyuk,” I wrap both of my hands over his and somehow manage to set a soft smile on my lips even when all I want to do is cry.
“We can never give up on anything, even if we feel like we can’t go on, because no matter what, you can always keep on moving forward, you have to.” My words hover in the air as the two of us sit there, letting the statement be absorbed into our minds.

      I glance up, forcing myself to take my eyes off of the sleeping Hyuk, and toward the silhouette that strides in my direction. I see the wild glint in Chanyeol’s brown eyes first. Immediately, I sense the feeling of something big that’s going to occur.
“What’s the matter Chanyeol?” The bewildered expression on Chanyeol’s face assures me that something is definitely wrong.

      “Chanyeol,” I repeat his name, gripping his shoulders tightly, knowing that whatever needs to be said is crucial for me to know about. Chanyeol stares at me as if this entire world is just a hallucination.
“What is it?” I demand, a bit piqued that he won’t even utter a single word to me.
“She’s here.” Chanyeol sputters out. His eyes skim around the faintly lit sleeping room, still with that out-of-focus bafflement in his eyes.

      “Who’s here?” I ask, feeling my heart racing even quicker than a fighter jet.
“Who’s here Chanyeol!?” my hands drop from his shoulders as he just stands and blinks. My teeth drudge hard against each other.
“Don’t fool around with me Chanyeol. If you’re going to act like a brainless then go back to wherever you just came from.” I growl, not in the mood to be messed with after having talked with Hyuk about our circumstances.

      “Baekhyun.” Chanyeol reaches out, grasping my wrist and wrenching me back to my feet before I can even get halfway to the floor.
“What is it!?” I demand with a laser beaming from my eyes.
“She’s here. In The Compound.” I in an impatient lungful of air, tired of hearing the same words spewing out from Chanyeol’s mouth, only wanting to hear who’s here.

      “Just tell me who’s here dimwit! Stop repeating the same things. Who is it?” I exclaim. Chanyeol nods his head sharply and clears his throat.

“It’s your mom.”

First chapter!
Alright, so it may be boring for the first couple chapters, but it gets better when our hero and heroine meet, I swear!
I'll be updating every Wednesday.
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