Trigger ↬ [ P.JS ]

Chapter 27:

They were being chased, again.

Mark had forgotten the fact that there could be a wide spread of hoards distributed in the route they were planning to take.

They've been walking for the past 30 minutes, all with sore bodies and empty stomachs. They wanted to save food as much as possible so they only ate whenever they almost collapsed in hunger. That didn't affect them that much - Astrid had said, except for the throbbing headaches, limping feet, occasional hallucinations, the list could go on. Okay, it did indeed affect them.

They were hiding in an alley, cornered by a bunch of walkers. Fortunately, the runners had left them alone when they heard a loud blast from far away, either them didn't have a clue of what it was, and was now left with walkers.

Donghyuck had suggested to just voluntarily stain his hands with the indigo-like blood of the creatures but Mark disagreed. He was sulking but he also knew that they were too many of them, the walkers, to kill each.

They're behind large bins, almost the same size as them, maybe only a head smaller, and it covered their bodies, along with their smell. The unpleasant stink it gave was so powerful that the walkers can't recognize their smell.

Astrid somehow managed to get close to Hwayoung in the midst of all the scrambling they've done. The two of them hid in one bin, Astrid holding the kid close to her.

Hwayoung didn't know why, but she was having a hard time breathing. She was almost grasping and hugging Astrid, and it strangely didn't calm her down. She opened her mouth to say something to Astrid, but no voice came out of her throat. She had just let out a pained croak, but that was enough to alarm the other.

Astrid turned to her so quick, the bin they were hiding at almost flew and they could've been discovered. "Hwa? What's wrong, baby?" she held her even closer if it was possible. She noticed the little girl having trouble breathing so she immediately loosened her grip on her but it still didn't help her.

Hwayoung was feeling dizzy and she can't say something, it was sending panic to her brain. She can't tell what she was feeling nor thinking. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't speak. She was just making sounds of pure terror and the panic state she was in.

She closed her eyes and she tried to stabilize herself.

All the others noticed Astrid's shift in energy so they all turned to her, concerned to what may be causing her stress. When she pointed to the girl in her arms, Rina almost jumped to her but Renjun smacked her arm to stop her.

Hwayoung was turning paler and her skin was draining color. Though her body temperature remained the same, her complexion was almost making her look like a vampire. She had her eyes closed but she's still breathing. Breathing a bit heavier than usual.

Hwayoung felt her surroundings like a blur. When she opened her eyes, she was in a different alley, it was somehow similar and it gave her a sense of familiarness. The walkers were gone. Astrid was gone. All the others were gone.

She's all alone.

She felt a shuffle behind her. She looked to her back and she saw herself. She was hiding behind a much smaller bin than what they were hiding from before. She saw herself cover her nose and she said something to the trashcan but she didn't hear it completely, it just sounded like an incoherent mumble.

A man appeared from the alleyway, he was walking towards her. She noticed that behind the man, there's another man. Okay, maybe two men, and they were talking.

She still couldn't hear what they were saying.

The alleyman stopped right infront of her. He made a sudden move, removing the bin her other self was hiding in, and she was captured. She felt confused when she felt the man go through her. He didn't touch her at all. She saw how she struggled and she was thrown into a vehicle of some sort.

She wanted to run to them, but she couldn't move. Right, she couldn't move and... she couldn't breathe.

She inhaled sharply, suddenly aware of Astrid's gentle hands. The older was relieved when she saw Hwayoung open her eyes again and her breathing was now more stable.

Hwayoung didn't know what just happened but she decided that she's just going to tell Astrid or Rina later. Maybe Donghyuck too.

When Astrid suddenly pulled her upfront, she turned to look at her and all Astrid gave was a look of reassurance, she trusted her. She let her body follow where she was guiding her. She realized that the boys were forming a circle around them, killing ever zombie that came in their way.

She also realized that Donghyuck is now in a car with Chenle, he's sitting shotgun. Are they trying to get to them? How did they even- ok nevermind. She hushed herself and just followed Astrid. She identified the car as a pick-up truck. Are we even going to fit in there?

When they got close enough, Astrid passed her to Rina and she was pushed inside the car with her, along with two of the guys, Mark and Renjun.

"Where's the others gone to?" she tried to look outside the window but it was a bit of a struggle since they were sited in the middle. She ended up in Mark's lap, gazing out in the right window.

"They're outside in the- I don't know what it's called part of the van. It's my first time riding this." Chenle pointed to the others sitting in the truck bed floor.

Donghyuck just scoffed at his friend, wanting to smack the back of his head but he needed to drive fast. He started the car and the engine roared loudly. He pressed his foot against the accelerator and sped off.

"Why are they there?" Hwayoung asked once again.

Renjun smiled half-heartedly. "You think we'll fit in here?" he pinched the kid's cheek.

"Where's Hayoon then?"

"Oh fuck!" Chenle cursed.

"Don't worry, he's with Astrid. They're the ones out because they've got better reflexes than we do, except for Mark, we need him for the directions so he's here, and I'm sure they'll protect your brother." Donghyuck hummed, checking the situation behind him in the rear-view mirror.

Hwayoung didn't bother listening after the part where he said that Hayoon's with Astrid. She's gotten enough context. She leaned into Mark's arms. "Can I sleep here?" she whispered to him, subconsciously tensing up waiting for the answer.

Mark didn't answer and he just pulled her in deeper in his grasp, grabbing her head gently and placing it in his chest. He rested his head above hers, and she immediately relaxed.

Jisung had been peeking inside the truck's window, rear panel he guessed it's called.

"How are they doing?" Jeno asked, trying to peek too. He squinted his eyes a bit, making them turn into little cresents. "I can't see.." he grumbled.

Jaemin pulled the other's hair and just shook his head.

Jeno, confused, just didn't ask and slumped against the area between the wheel tub and the tailgate. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest.

The speed of the car was going incredibly fast, it's quite expected because Donghyuck's the one driving but also because they needed to avoid anymore encounters with zombies or infected people.

Donghyuck suggested a plan earlier, to find a decent vehicle and just quicken the pace of their travels. He spotted a not so huge gap between the alleywall corner, but not so small either. It was enough to make him fit, though he had trouble fitting his butt in.

Chenle had followed him and they found the truck they're currently in and they drove around to get to the alley again, and pick up the others.

The state of the vehicle was still good. It was enough for them to take a quick trip and arrive to the Neo place they planned to go to.

........................................................................

we get to see hwayoung's first povsisuosshishss yayyy

what do u think happened there? t'was kinda trippy ain't it? hohoho u can take it as a little tease for her part of the story ( though we won't see that anytime soon, maybe in the next books ;] )