insomnia | stray kids ff

lvl 39: soul

Seungmin's POV

When night arrived, Chaeyoung and I set up camp near the main road. I wake up the next morning to see Chaeyoung still sleeping. I smile as I watch her sleep. I hear a rustle outside and freeze up. I grab a gun from one of our bags and quietly open our tent. I look around outside and then see a squirrel eating an acorn nearby our camp. I let out a sigh of relief and shook my head.

Another rustle is heard and I point my gun again in preparation. Chaeyoung gets out of our tent and sees me pointing a gun at her. She rubs her eyes and tilts her head.

"What are you doing?" Chaeyoung asks. I slowly lower my gun in embarrassment and smile guiltily.

"Uh, I thought there was someone outside," I glanced at the squirrel still eating the acorn. I clear my throat. "We're safe, you can come out," I gesture Chaeyoung to come out. She shakes her head in disbelief of my excuse.

"Mhm," She teases me and crosses her arms.

She steps on something as she walks towards me and almost trips. I catch her and grab her by the waist. She falls into my arms and slowly looks up at me with her big, brown eyes. After staring at her for what seemed like forever, I clear my throat and look away, letting her stand up straight and step away from me. The awkward tension is broken when I notice what Chaeyoung tripped on was something interesting.

"It looks like a lab coat?" Chaeyoung questions and then tilts her head as she analyzes it. "It looks like it's been there for weeks," She sees a card in the front pocket and pulls it out. "Hospital card?" Her eyes widen as she shakes her head. Chaeyoung looks up at me with a shocked face. I already knew where the lab coat came from and could feel the tension.

"Do you think we're nearby?" I ask.

"I think we're pretty close but how did the lab coat get all the way over here?" Chaeyoung asks.

"We couldn't have traveled that far," I say and then look around. "Or maybe we did," I say and then point to the left of us.

In the distance stands a tall building hovering over the trees. The red cross sign stands on the top of the tall building. I shake my head and look at Chaeyoung who looks speechless.

"Do you think Sungjin is inside there?" I ask her and notice how silent she is. "Are you okay?" I asked her and put my hand on her shoulder. She blinks out of her unconscious state of mind.

"Uh, yeah sorry, it's just... I never thought we would be going back there," Chaeyoung says and signs. "I was at JYP most of my life after this all started. Finding out his true colors after you guys showed up really opened up my eyes," I stare at how scared Chaeyoung looks and feel my heart begin to sink and my throat start to swell up.

"I won't let anything happen to you," I say and put my hand on her shoulder. "We're doing it for Sungjin."

Chaeyoung slowly looks up at me and once we meet eyes, I felt like it was just us two in this wretched world. I stare at her ethereal face and feel my hand on her shoulder get hot and sweaty from nervousness.

"Okay," She breaks the silence with her soft-spoken voice. "Let's go," I blink out of my daze and return to reality. I try to recollect my thoughts by clearing my throat. I help her up and we start making our way to JYP's sanctuary.

[even if we lose to failure,

spit on giving up]

Sana's POV

It's been too long since I've seen my sister. Just thinking about her being lost and alone makes me scared. I made it this far with her by my side, I can't let her go now.

I stick by Changbin and Hyunjin as we travel together in silence. Wonpil and Felix slaying any zombies in our way as we travel.

I shiver from the freezing temperature outside. I hold my arms close to my stomach as I walk.

Jisung notices and takes off his jacket. Suddenly, a leather jacket is wrapped around my arms and over my shoulders. I look behind me and see Jisung quietly nodding. I smile at him and mouth thank you.

Felix stops in his tracks, making the rest of the group behind him stop as well. He starts to sniff the air and then looks around curiously.

"What do you smell?" Changbin asks. Felix continues walking from side to side as he tries to decode the odor.

"It's familiar," He states and then we all look around as well in fear.

"Did you hear that?" Wonpil asks and then he looks at Hyunjin and Felix. They both nod.

Felix is about to throw a knife into where he believes the noise is coming from but is stopped once he sees two familiar figures. Out of the darkness, Yeji and Young K emerge with frightful faces. They notice Felix's aim towards them and they quickly shriek. Felix looks at his hand and chuckles softly as he lowers his arm.

"Oh, sorry," Felix laughs a little.

"Yeji!" I say cheerfully and hug her. She smiles and looks surprised by my reaction.

"Young K!" Wonpil cheers and then hugs Young K making him uncomfortable. Yeji giggles a little at how Young K reacts.

"Hyunjin," Yeji says once they meet eyes. Her happy face slowly fades. "What's wrong with your face? You look weak. Are you okay?" She runs up to him and examines his face and circulation.

"It's Hana's blood transfusion that is counteracting his normal blood. It's something with his bite," Changbin explains.

"Will he be okay?" Yeji asks worriedly.

"I'm fine," Hyunjin says softly to reassure his sister. He smiles a little, making Yeji a little less worried.

"You were fine hours ago though," Young K says. "When you were with us and Hana at the trailer, you were healthy."

When Young K mentions Hana, a lightbulb pops in my head. My eyes light up from my thoughts.

"Wait," I say as I try to form my idea in words. "Ever since Hyunjin was bit and had Hana's blood transferred into his bloodstream, he never left Hana's side, right?" I look at Hyunjin and he nods slowly. "What if, Hyunjin is only weak when Hana is not with him. It's like they're soulmates but more like blood mates?" I question my statement.

"Yeah, I was always perfectly fine whenever I was around her," Hyunjin says softly.

"How is that scientifically correct though?" Wonpil asks.

"There is a bond now between Hyunjin and Hana," Felix explains. "It's like they're tied together now."

"If Hyunjin is linked to Hana and vice versa," Yeji says slowly. "What would happen if one of them died?"