void

Part One

It was hard for the boys to remember their old lives - a time before the world burned, before the bodies around them stopped looking like humans and more like rotting flesh - to imagine the memories they shared, the places they had seen, or even the things they had done together. It was hard, yes, but it wasn't impossible.

Therein lies the problem.

It was hard for them to not be reminiscent of the past, to not be swayed by the memories of their old lives. And it is what haunted them everyday, constantly dragging them down when the only thing they had to do was keep moving.

Sometimes life has a funny way of reminding you that you can't always get what you want.

-

12 hours down.

The younger boys in the car were starting to get impatient. Not only because the ride was painstakingly long, but because they were in charge of directions, and not one could read a map to save their lives.

"How much longer?" The youngest asks, picking at his nails in boredom.

"Yeah, where even are we?" The boy near him chimes in, peeking expectedly over the seat at the eldest, who's now driving.

"Utah?" The blonde smashed in between the two of them asks, looking at the other boy in the passenger's seat. He opens his mouth to answer, but Yeonjun cuts him off swiftly.

"Idaho," He corrects him. "Don't you know how to read a map?"

"He's too young for them, the only map he's ever read is Google Maps." Soobin jokes from beside Yeonjun, legs kicked up onto the dashboard as he sits in the passenger seat.

Everyone but Beomgyu laughs, and then the second youngest next to him is speaking up. "Jun, why did we head North and not East to begin with?"

"Because, child," Yeonjun says wistfully, "Idaho's filled with forests, Utah and Arizona have lots of flat land. We'll have lots of cover here to sleep and make our way East, it's just easier this way."

The car is silent as the rest of the boys ponder this, and then one of the youngest speaks up.

"Who made you the boss?" Taehyun grumbles, turning towards the window again.

"He's the oldest." Soobin replies, reclining his chair back so he can get comfortable, "He's also the one driving, so I wouldn't complain too much."

The small talk quiets down as the younger boys all decide to sleep, and the second eldest opts for gazing at the green scenery passing by just outside the jeep. It's not long before soft snores can be heard throughout the car, and the only two left awake are the oldest boys.

When the quietness becomes deafening, only then does Soobin speak.

"Know where you're goin' Jun?" He still faces the window. His voice is low - soft.

"A gas station, hopefully. We're running on a quarter of a tank and if we don't fill up soon we won't make it far."

Soobin breaths out a bitter laugh, and then shakes his head. "That's not what I meant."

Yeonjun's gaze flicks over to his friend, but their eyes don't meet. He looks back to the winding road and his grip on the wheel loosens just slightly, his shoulders slouching as well. He knows what he means, he just doesn't really want to talk about it.

"Just East, Bin. You know there was talk of help there. Groups - they could help us."

Soobin's already nodding, because he's heard this speech dozens of times now. Go East, get help. It was his mantra, the thing that kept him going everyday. Problem was, he wasn't so sure it was possible.