RESILIENT | ENHYPEN

PROLOGUE (First Encounter)

It was beautiful. A short moment. A nostalgic feeling of happiness and contentment which you wish would never end. And a memory which you recall too vividly that would always usher you to a state of remorse and grief. How it was tattooed deep down in your beating yet ceased heart. Howbeit, would you ever bring back that moment again.

You lift your eyelids damped with salty fluids to only come across glittering crystals in the night sky. You turn to your side as you feel your back going numb, bringing your knees to your chest and hugging them loosely.

How did everything turn out this way?
Wondering about the unfairness of the world and how the gods had set up their lives like some puppet show.

What did you do to deserve this?
A whimper left your lips and you found yourself crying again. Impelling yourself to go to sleep, you ignore all the downhearted thoughts.

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You open your eyes and sit up welcomed by the birds chirping and the running water of the nearby waterfall. The only source of melody to keep you sane. Incandescent beams of sun ray hit your iris contracting your pupils.

You cross your legs and stretch before setting your feet on the cold hard tiles. Taking a few steps, you walk inside the bedroom. As soon as you enter, your eyes land on a photo that brings all the waves of dejection. You feel heartbroken. Your fingers caress the small frame and you tear up.
'I'm sorry.' is all you could say and you hate that you couldn't do anything back then.

After washing up, you take slow steps down the creaking stairs towards the kitchen. Hands reaching for the metal door only to come across an empty cabinet. That time only do you realise not filling in your fridge a few days ago when you knew foods were running out.

Jogging back up the fleet of stairs, you
grab your pistol and a few bullets to reload if needed. These days, the neighborhood is quite clear and quiet for you to wield your only protection.

You put on the tall boots you found from the garage the other day which surprisingly fit you perfectly.
You stroll down the street, listening to the rhythm of your boots acting on the cement beneath. Nothing could be heard except leaves shuffling from above you.

Half an hour later, a mini-convenience store comes in view making your lips curl up into a smile. The door slides open automatically as the censor sensed your body approaching it. You are quite amazed at how it still works after no one has taken care of it.

Your eyes scan the insides of the store grinning immediately after sighting enough food for at least a couple of weeks. Canned foods, beverages, light snacks and matches. After the world has come to being a chaos, food became free or so that's what happened to be.

You grab the things essential for daily uses and some portable batteries.
Canned foods are a must and some alchohol to release stress during those disconsolated days. Shoving toothpastes and a dozen of matches.

You remembered they keep towels in the drawers of the counter and swiftly walk to full your bag with some. Unfortunately, the drawers are locked. You have no choice but to draw out your bobby pin and try picking on the locks. You bend down and sit your backpack down. A few twists and turns and as if god is with you, the lock turns.

Woosh!

To your sheer reflex, your hands reach to your pistol at the back of your jeans ready for attack. You wonder what could be coming for you. Only then you remember the entrance is censorized and that anyone could come in and you could be harmed anytime.

The automatic slide door opens another
time. This time followed with a few grunts and groans. You assume that it is what you are thinking and slowly lift your head to check on it.

Your assumptions were right when your eyes capture a lifeless man in his late forties limping towards the sanitary section. He has drips of blood dripping down his gums and dark purplish veins visible all over his body.

The man disappears behind the shelves and you took it as an advantage to run back to your safe house. Tiptoeing quickly, you almost reach the door when you feel someone's presence behind you.

Snapping your head back, you released a soft yelp seeing a stranger tugging on the hem of your hoodie.

"W-who are you?" Your voice unintentionally loud and shaky due to complete shock catching the attention of the soulless body emerging from behind the shelves approaching you and the only other living person in the store clamping its disgusting teeth at you.

You try to flee but the unknown person's fingers won't let go of you. You had no other choice but to grasp his hand and ran out of the convenience store swinging the unexpectedly weighty bag over your right shoulder.

The constantly stumbling living yet dead man behind you screeched unpleasantly loud as in to express its anger for not being able to reach you attracting some more of the kind to join him.

"Come on. Keep up with my pace!" You pull the stranger and speed up by the thought of reaching the house.

You guys ran a couple of miles and got away from the horde. Jogging a few more kilometers, you were relieved to the sight of your safe house. You opened the front door and moved away to let the stranger in.

He was hesitating to enter at first but decided to when he knew he got no other choice. The horde will be approaching any minute and he'll be nothing but a morning snack for them either rotting away the next day or joining their community.

You slam the door shut and release a heavy breath. You could hear heavy footsteps nearing and you take a quick look through the dusty transparent window after lifting the mucky pale curtains. The meat eating horde are now all scattered messily around your house trying to locate the meal they just missed.

Feeling relief rushing over you, you walk to the worn out sofa plopping down and sinking your head in the cushion. The sofa shakes slightly and you turn your head to the direction, lifting your eyes to come across the man you saved earlier on the other side of the sofa. You furrow your eyebrows and ask.

"So, who are you?"