AUTUMN || Stray Kids × Apocalypse AU

9

"I am sure no one will mind you." Chan hoped that it will help with the uneasiness that Aera was feeling about going with them. Aera nodded timidly.

"Woah!" Changbin cooed once they hit the deserted, empty road that would ultimately led to the house they were supposed to be in. "This place is really isolated."

"But what if we run out of food though?" Aera asked. "I didn't see any convenience store nearby on our way."

"We can grow crops!" Minho suggested.

"But we need to know how to farm for that and it will take some time for them to grow." Chan replied.

"On top of that we don't have pesticides and things like that with us either." Changbin added.

"I know how to farm!" Aera said happily. She wanted to help them out as much as possible to return their favor of letting her stay with them.

"Me too." Minho said. "I used to spend majority of my time with my grandparents and they were farmers so I helped them out a lot."

"organic farming doesn't require any chemicals and we can plant vegetables that grows the fastest." Aera said.

"Till then we have to carefully ration our food then.." Changbin mumbled. "What can you grow the fastest?"

"Radishes, Spinach and Turnips." Minho replied. " They typically take 3-4 weeks are don't need much effort. We can plant some from the vegetables we already have."

"I think we are here." Chan said, stopping the car once he saw the other car .

"This.." Changbin struggled to find the right words.

Everyone was speechless. What stood infront of them were a few truck-size intermodal containers, the ones that Post-Suezmax ships have to transfer large quantities of goods.

"Doesn't look like a house to me." Minho stared at Chan.

"What?" Chan defended himself. "The kid's car- the fuck?"

Chan noticed the passenger side door broken and glass completely shattered, suddenly panic kicked in their system.

Chan ran and knocked on what seemed like the main door among the series of containers.

The doors opened slightly and then fully once Seungmin saw Chan.

"Hyung, you are here!"

Seungmin pulled Chan into a hug and started crying, holding on to the older.

"Seungmin, what happened?" Chan asked worriedly.

"Seungmin, let them in first." Hyunjin said.

"What happened?" Minho asked as soon as the four of them made it inside.

"Our car got flat tired and-" Chan interrupted a sobbing Felix.

"Where is Jisung?"

"I also don't see Haru." Changbin frowned.

"Hannie..he got out to fix the car but our doors jammed.." Jeongin whimpered.

"You didn't.." Minho's heart sank.

"We couldn't do anything Haru drove us here ..we tried to stop him but.." Hyunjin cried.

"Where is he then?" Minho asked angrily. He could kill for Jisung.

Aera stood at a corner, trying to understand everything. She felt alienated, like she was invading their privacy, like she shouldn't be here at all.

"He left as soon as he dropped us here." Seungmin said. "He said he needed to try and reach his family. We couldn't stop him."

"Did anyone try calling Han?" Changbin asked. He realized how dumb his question was as soon as it left his mouth.

There was no service.

"Did..did you guys see him turn?" Minho asked even though he was scared of the answer.

"No.." Jeongin replied. "He kicked down the one Infected and ran. I am sure hannie Hyung will survive."

It somehow gave hope to the others that they might not lose one of their eight stars.

"Should we go back and search for Jisung?" Changbin looked at others.

"We have no idea what area that was and it's dark outside." Felix reasoned.

"Even if we try, I don't think we can find him right now and it will only put us all in danger." Hyunjin added.

"Are we supposed to sit back and do nothing then?" Minho was growing more and more frustrated with each passing second.

"I am not saying that but if we all die how will that help finding Jisung?" Felix replied back.

Minho took a deep breath and nodded.
"Sorry, I was just frustrated and let my emotions took over. "

After everything settled down a bit, Aera was introduced to the rest of them and contrary to Aera's worries, she was received well within the boys.

.

"Daeun, I don't think we should trust Taesuk anymore." Hyunwoo whispered to Daeun as they both washed the dishes after dinner.

"Are you being serious?" Daeun asked, tired of everything that has been going on.

Their life was turned upside down so quickly without giving them a chance to adjust to it.

Hyunwoo nodded.

"Isn't it weird that Aera would fall behind?"

"I mean yeah but we can't say for sure." Daeun said. "How will we keep Taesuk away, anyway?"

"Should I just kick him out?"

"Woo, I know we are in an Apocalypse but what if he decides to break in later and take revenge on you later?" Daeun asked.

"I don't know..I just really find him suspicious unlike Han Jisung, he seemed like a good guy." Hyunwoo sighed.

"That's because he is a good guy.." Daeun mumbled. "Atleast his persona on camera was..I might be biased but stray kids seemed genuinely nice."

"Not you meeting one of them at circumstances like this..Aera would be so happy.." Hyunwoo's eyes teared up. "I miss her."

Daeun caressed Hyunwoo's hand.
"I wish it was one of us with her.."

"We should survive for her, right?"

Daeun nodded.

"What do we do next?"

"I will think something tonight." Daeun assured Hyunwoo.

Once they were done cleaning everything, they went to their living room and saw the other two men, in their own corners, thinking about something or staring into the oblivion.

Daeun's face automatically changed expressions when she noticed that Jisung was actually crying.

"Are you okay?" She asked cautiously, to not intimidate him.

She knew it was hard for him to interact with new people and he knew no one here, it must have made him so anxious.

"Yes."

Not wanting to push him anymore, Daeun decided to talk about her original reason of coming here.

"For tonight, I will sleep on the couch. You guys can settle yourself on the bed ."

"I will sleep on the floor of the bedroom, I don't want to cramp us three on that one bed." Hyunwoo stated.

"Good night." Daeun mumbled to them as the three of them shut the bedroom door.

Daeun laid down on the couch and switched off the lights. Hours passed away as she continued to stare at the dark ceiling above her.

Her heart pained for her bestfriend and the world they were in as tears rolled down her face in the dark, invisible to everything else.

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