Come Morning Light

Six

It was early the next morning when they found an exit advertising fast food. Jooheon glanced out the window and winced when his stomach growled. There was no more food and barely any water left. He hadn’t eaten much since their trip started but the peaches had been enough to calm his hunger a little bit.

“I’m not sure which exit has a grocery store,” Hoseok said. “We’ll just have to take our chances with the next exit coming up.”

“That’s fine, hyung,” Kihyun said from the passenger seat. “I’m sure we’ll find something.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jooheon pulled his face from the window and looked at Yoonho. The younger boy sat next to Hyungwon, eyes focused on the ground. Since they met Yoonho, the younger teen hadn’t said too much. Jooheon hoped the boy didn’t feel scared around them anymore.

“Why are you sorry?” Changkyun asked, looking at him.

“I ate the rest of the food.”

Jooheon’s heart broke in two. They had freely given Yoonho the food they had left. Yet, the younger boy couldn’t understand it. It made him wonder what kind of horrors he had seen. Yoonho must have experienced the worst to think so poorly.

“No, Yoonho,” Hoseok said. “Please don’t apologize. I’m glad we were able to provide you with something to eat. We wanted you to have the food.”

Yoonho nodded softly.

“We’ll find more food along the way,” Kihyun said, turning in the passenger’s seat to look at the younger boy. “Our hyung is right. Please don’t apologize. And please don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Jooheon reached out, giving the other boy a gentle pat on the back. Yoonho flinched from the sudden contact. Jooheon frowned, feeling guilty. He had hoped his gesture would be comforting.

“I’m sorry,” Jooheon said. “I was just giving you a pat on the back. Sorry if I scared you.”

Yoonho turned in his seat, eyes focused on Jooheon.

“No, I’m fine.”

Jooheon wanted to tell him he wasn’t fine but decided to keep the comment to himself. He could tell Yoonho was still getting used to them and he was fine with it. Either way he was happy they were able to help the boy.Jooheon hoped Yoonho would become more comfortable around them eventually.

On his left Changkyun looked out the window even though Kihyun warned them about it. He sighed heavily. There was really no way to escape reality. Jooheon looked ahead, watching Hoseok drive down the deserted road. He hoped they would find food soon.
*****
Jooheon reached for the last dark green basket located on the stand. He analyzed the condition of the grocery store. The place had seen better days. On his right a make-up stand lay on the ground destroyed, possibly trampled by desperate feet. In front, several smashed cereal boxes rested on the floor.

“Okay everyone,” Hoseok said, holding a basket of his own. “Here are the rules. We are going to stick together at all times.”

“Wouldn’t this go by faster if we split up?” Changkyun asked, eyes searching the place. “We’ll take forever if we go together.”

“We need to stay together at all times,” Hoseok said. “We’ll still get a lot done, and we’ll stay safe. We are going to go down each aisle. One group will look on the left side of the aisle while the other focuses on the right. We’ll be able to pick out more that way and we won’t miss anything important. Any questions?”

No one responded.

“Good,” Hoseok said. “The most important thing about this trip is to focus on the necessities. Don’t pick up anything that isn’t useful, okay? Let’s start first with the bread aisle and make our way to the pharmacy area. Be as quick as you can.”