I'll eat you up, I love you so 1/?
I’ll eat you up, I love you so 1/?
Tao/Kris, Chanyeol/Baekhyun, one sided!Luhan/Sehun, more pairings in future chapters; AU, horror, zombies; PG13; 6,405
Outside the fence lies what nightmares are made of. When calamity strikes life becomes about nothing but surviving till the next sunrise.
There was nothing in the world worse than a breach of the fences. The fences are what keep everyone safe, most of the time at least. Whenever there was a breach chaos would break out. People would panic and sometimes people would die. It was a rare occurrence but it happened. The fences were the line between life and death, keeping life, love and happiness inside all the while keeping death, despair and sorrow outside. To be more precise the fence kept them out.
They used to be human, or so some people say. Since most people who live in the village now were born after the virus spread like wild fire throughout the world. Most of the people in the village bitten don’t turn, they die. The virus was merciless when it was first unleashed, it tore families apart, killed people, turned humans, killed animals, turned animals, the history on the matter is a little unclear to the specifics but one thing is known for sure. The people and animals that are outside the fence are infected with the virus. They are killing machines and will stop at nothing until you take your final breath.
Life inside the fence isn’t as bad as you would think it would be. Life went on the same as it did before the fences, almost. Everyone had a job they had to get done, whether it be farming, medicines, or something else equally important someone had to do them. The village had come up with a system, one that made sure everyone got a chance to do everything they wanted to try and then they got to decide what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. The village leaders didn’t mind too much if you suddenly changed your mind from something and did something else. Job changes were allowed. It was fine just as long as you pitched in and earned your keep.
Tao wasn’t too thrilled about his job in farming. He wanted to do a job with his best friend Kris. Kris was part of the military that patrolled the fence and sometimes they even went outside the fence. Tao would always bug him about the missions outside the fence but no matter how hard he tried Kris wouldn’t crack. Kris was very serious about his job, he would never tell Tao about any of the missions, even the simple ones. It drove Tao insane with curiosity but there was nothing he could do. Kris was never going to give him even the slightest details.
The only job in the whole entire village that you couldn’t decide to do yourself was being part of the military. They had to seek you out and choose you themselves. Tao really, really thought they would choose him, he is good in combat and even did the whole training course with Kris, but they didn’t choose him. He went to the military leader and asked him why but there was no answer for him. The older man just shrugged and said “You just didn’t get picked.”
Tao was furious for days after he talked to the man. He didn’t talk to Kris because he was so upset. Being part of the military had been his dream since he was a small child; he had given up countless hours of his life to training. He was angry and bitter, more so than he had been in all his twenty years of existence. It wasn’t fair, Kris didn’t want it as much as Tao did; It was Tao’s dream and always had been. Tao couldn’t help but be bitter towards Kris. Especially now when Kris wouldn’t even tell him anything about it at all. He could at least tell Tao what kind of weapons they have. But he didn’t and Tao was slowly giving up trying to find out. Their friendship was becoming fragile, threatening to break apart at any given moment.
The birds chirping outside woke Tao up. He stretched his arms over his head and let a lazy smile play at his lips. Whenever the birds chirping woke him up he knew it was going to be a great day, it always was. Tao let the smile stay on his face as he got up and dressed for work. He ate a quick breakfast wishing Joonmyun a good morning as he sped out the front door. He walked down the narrow, yet worn out path the led towards the outskirts of the village to the farms.
The land inside the fence was set up haphazardly since the more the population increased they needed to build more houses, and expand work. Most of the buildings were built wherever the people wanted them with no real layout. There are houses all over along with other work buildings, schools, etc. placed randomly throughout the village. If you weren’t used to the setup you would get lost quiet easily inside the village.
The farms were easiest to find because they made up the outskirts of the village. The farms were the first things that were places inside the fences. All along the fences you would find the fields filled with food to keep the population alive. Since Tao, Joonmyun, and Sehun lived only a short walk away from the largest farm, Tao settled on a job in farming. Joonmyun had scolded him for settling on such a tedious job for weeks after Tao took it. Joonmyun had known Tao since he was practically born and he knew Tao was not cut out for the life of a farmer. Tao needed to be in the military, it almost seemed like it was his fate to be part of it. Joonmyun just couldn’t understand why they didn’t take him in. He had been almost sure that Tao was going to get recruited by the military.
Tao walks along the path for a short time before he climbs the small hill right before the farm. He stops when he gets to the top and just gazes at the field before him. Something gnaws at him, something unfamiliar. Regret. It’s strong and unrelenting as it attacks him as he looks at the rest of his life.
Tao doesn’t want to do this. He doesn’t want to be a farmer. He just wants to curl into himself and go numb. This isn’t the way things were supposed to be. Things were supposed to be completely different, more exciting, but things didn’t turn out that way and it’s too late for Tao to go back now. So, he walks down the hill and enters the field getting right to work.
Lunchtime rolls around a few hours later. Tao wipes the sweat from his brow and makes his way to the small building near the barn. Kyungsoo is already there waiting for him when he arrives.
“It’s hot today.” Kyungsoo states.
Tao nods entering the building with Kyungsoo right behind him. “I was thinking of going down to the river to get some water, you want to come? We can take a swim while were down there.” Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows.
Tao sits down one of the many bales of hay in the small room. “I’m not really in the mood.” Tao finally answers Kyungsoo after a few minutes of silence. “I just want to get done with work today and go home and sleep.”
Kyungsoo nods in understanding. He opens his mouth to speak but then immediately shuts it. Tao stares at him curiously. “What were you going to say?” He asks.
Kyungsoo shakes his head. “It was nothing.”
“No, tell me.”
“I was just going to ask you about something.” Kyungsoo averts his gaze to the wall behind Tao.
“Go ahead and ask then.” Tao reaches down to tie his boot which must’ve come untied as he was working. He is trying not to act too curious but he really wants to know what Kyungsoo was going to ask him.
“Isn’t Kris supposed to be coming back today?” Kyungsoo says almost too fast for Tao to understand.
Tao drops the laces in his hand. He grabs them back up and quickly ties his boot laces in a tight knot that he will surely regret doing later tonight when he goes to take the boots off.
Tao opens his mouth to answer but Kyungsoo cuts him off. “If you don’t want to talk about I you don’t have to. I was just wondering, I don’t want to upset you or anything.” Kyungsoo says sheepishly.
“Why would it upset me?” Tao asks. It’s a lie and Kyungsoo can most likely tell. Of course anything to do with Kris is going to upset Tao. They aren’t on the greatest terms as of right now and Tao isn’t sure they ever will be again. “But, uh, yeah, I think that the military is returning later tonight.” Tao tries to steady his shaking voice but it’s hard. All his pent up anger is centered right on the military and every one in it. Tao doesn’t even care how petty his anger and jealousy runs.
“Will you be meeting him at the gate?”
Tao scoffs. “Not in his wildest dreams.”
They go silent, it’s an awkward silence but Tao doesn't know what to say. He wants to start a new conversation about something, anything lighter than military talk but he can’t find words.
They both get back to their work in separate fields. Tao is a little sad that him and Kyungsoo can’t seem to find anything to talk about other than the military. It’s the only thing they have in common. Kyungsoo has family and friends that are part of the military and he is always worried about them. Kyungsoo doesn’t seem to have as much information about his family and friends, he doesn’t even know the basics so he always comes to Tao.
△▽△
“God Luhan can’t you do this right just once?” The disappointment in the doctors eyes kills Luhan inside. He has been trying his hardest to get the medicine made right but something goes wrong every single time. Maybe Luhan isn’t doing the right thing with his life. He thinks that maybe, just maybe he should quit trying to become a doctor and settle on something he can actually do right.
“I did exactly what you told me to do!” Luhan argues.
The doctor shakes his head. “You said that last time too. Luhan, you need to take your time and make sure everything is measured exactly the way I wrote it down. You are clearly not doing something right.” The doctor sighs and runs his hand through his grey hair. “If you don’t get this right soon I’m afraid I will have to let you go.”
Luhan can feel the disappointment rolling off the doctor in waves. The doctor had chosen him out of all the promising young people who wanted to become his apprentice. Luhan was sure that Yixing was going to get the job instead of him.
The doctor apparently saw something in Luhan that he didn’t see in the other young adults. Luhan really wanted this job, he wanted to become just like the doctor but he didn’t see that happening any longer. He is not made out for this. He doesn’t have what it takes to save countless lives.
The doctor sees the look on Luhan’s face. He sees that Luhan is trying his hardest to not let any of his emotion show. “Luhan listen. This is a hard job and I want you to excel but you have to try harder.” His voice is soft and soothing but Luhan doesn’t feel any comfort at all.
“I’m trying as hard as I can.” Luhan whispers. He can feel the prick of tears ready to spill from behind his eyes. He blinks them away as best he can but still one manages to escape.
“Luhan, you have what it takes to do this, I know it. I wouldn’t have chosen you if I didn’t think you were capable.” The doctor sits down behind his desk watching Luhan as he struggles to keep the rest of his tears in. “Take a few days to think about things. When you come back we’ll pick up where we left off.”
Luhan nods shamefully and leaves the doctor’s small office closing the door behind him with a light click. Luhan rushes out of the hospital building and doesn’t let his tears fall until he is on the path to his home.
He lets everything he’s been holding in for weeks out. He doesn’t even care when some small children playing with a ball see him and laugh at his tears. He couldn’t care less about anything right now. He just wants to make it home, fall into a pile of blankets with a cup of hot tea and read a book until sleep overtakes him.
When he bursts through his front door he is immediately assaulted with the smell of apple pie. His mouth waters from the smell alone and he finds himself following the scent into the small kitchen. “You’re home early!” Baekhyun exclaims as he spots Luhan come through the kitchen door. “What happened today? Did you mess up again?”
Luhan shoots Baekhyun a glare. “No, the doctor just decided to give me a few days off. He says I’ve been working hard lately.” Luhan lies.
Baekhyun scoffs. “Yeah sure Luhan, whatever you say but I know that’s not true.”
Luhan continues to glare at Baekhyun as he moves further into the kitchen. The pie sits on the counter untouched just waiting for someone to devour it.
Baekhyun notices Luhan staring at the pie with hunger filled eyes. “No, Luhan I made that for Chanyeol and Jongin for when they get back tonight.”
“Why can’t we eat it now?” Luhan whines still staring at the pie.
“It’s not for us, that’s why.” Baekhyun is irritated now and Luhan knows he needs to flee the room before Baekhyun starts to lecture him.
Luhan leaves the kitchen without another word to Baekhyun and goes to his small room. He doesn’t mind how small it is, at least he doesn’t have to share it with anyone, unlike Baekhyun who has to share his room with Minseok. Luhan lies down on his bed and stares at the wood ceiling. There’s a question, one that has been nagging him since he started to work at the hospital, one that no one can seem to answer.
When did life become so tiring?
Luhan is sick of living inside the fence. Sick of doing the same thing every day of his short life. He wants to be something more, to do something more with himself. He wishes he could have been picked for the military, they get to do things, they get to leave this place and see what has become of the rest of the world. Everyone else is sheltered from the outside world, trapped like rats in a cage just living out their lives waiting for the end to come.
Luhan doesn’t want to be like them. He sighs and rolls over onto his side. Is anyone in this village content with their life the way it is now? Or is Luhan the only one who feels like everything is a cycle of pointless nothings.
△▽△
Tao takes his sweet time walking towards the gates later that evening. He doesn’t even know why he is going down there to meet Kris and the other military men in the first place. He hates most of them now, he doesn’t want to see them all and feel like he is missing out on something.
As he is about half way to the gates he hears the telltale sign the military has arrived. The alarm sounds once, and is quickly shut off. Even though he knows that when a breach happens the alarm keeps droning on and on, Tao still flinches every time he hears the alarm even if it’s for half a second.
“The military is back!” A small child yells happily as him and his mother pass Tao quickly moving ahead. “Daddy is home!”
Tao stops walking suddenly. A strange feeling bubbles up within him.
He hears the first screams a second later. Tao doesn’t think twice about it his next actions, all the training he has had comes right back to the surface. He takes off running in the direction of the scream. It had come right from the gates.
Tao runs hard and just prays that the scream wasn’t caused by something unfixable, if the infected get inside the fence, life as everyone knows it is over.
Deep down Tao knew it was something serious even before the scream sounded he had sensed something was going to happen. His intuition is almost always right. As soon as Tao sees the gate he sees the military and the blood.
All the hope he had built up is suddenly depleted.
There is blood so much blood, it soaks the clothes of the military men and the ground outside the gates. Tao stops moving as he sees the source of the blood and also the source of the scream.
The military led back a whole horde of infected. This has happened once before but the horde wasn’t even half as large as the one now clinging to the fence. As Tao watches in disbelief, thousands or more infected surge against the fence testing its strength. The fence will not hold them back long for there are too many.
The military are trying to keep the calm and make everyone get away from the fence, but most of the people within the fence have never seen one of the infected. They are being driven by their curiosity and it is likely to get them killed. Tao watches as some people draw nearer to the fence, reaching out their hand towards the fence trying to do what, Tao isn’t sure.
Tao regains control of his legs and he starts running closer to the crowd. The military is slowly losing control and the fence is slowly starting to curve inward.
Time slows down.
Tao watches as a young boy reaches the fence and touches one of the infected on the other side. The infected grabs the boys small wrist and presses it against his mouth. The infected mans teeth sink into the milky skin of the boys wrist, blood spurts out, the boy screams loudly for his mother, but it’s too late. The infected has already claimed him, the damage is already done. His blood is now poisoned with the virus and he will either die, or turn into one of them.
No one in the village has ever been bitten, at least not since Tao was born, if they had been bitten they died and didn’t turn.
Tao hears the groaning noise and then chaos to the highest extreme ensues. The alarms blares overhead loud enough for people miles and miles away to hear it. Tao covers his ear and watches in utter horror as the fence breaks and the infected begin to flood into the village.
Tao glances around at the fearful faces of the military men until he locks eyes with Kris. Tao has never seen Kris look scared like this in all his existence. His eyes are wide and his mouth is hanging open, he stares back at Tao then yells. Even throughout the chaos Tao can somehow make out Kris’s voice.
“RUN!”
△▽△
Luhan wakes up to the sound of the alarm blaring. It takes him way too long before he realizes what it means. His mind doesn’t catch up until Baekhyun practically kicks his door in. “Luhan we have to hide!” Baekhyun grabs Luhan by the arm and rips him off his bed and towards the door.
“What’s going on?” Luhan asks still groggy from sleep.
Baekhyun shakes his head. “A breach? I don’t know for sure, but it’s bad Luhan.” Luhan finds that he doesn’t need to be dragged down to the basement after Baekhyun tells him this.
They are going down the stairs when Luhan remembers. “Minseok?” He asks.
Baekhyun shakes his head. “He left a half hour ago to bring the pie to Chanyeol and Jongin’s house. He’s a lost cause now.”
Luhan doesn’t believe that Minseok is a lost cause but he can’t go search for him, not if the infected are inside the village.
Just as they reach the bottom of the stairs the door bursts open, lights floods into the basement. “Chanyeol?” Baekhyun stares up at the top of the stares. The figure in the doorway is tall but the shadows are cast over his face.
The alarm stops blaring and everything goes into silence. Luhan can hear screams from somewhere in the village. It sends shivers up his spine. Things are bad, he can already tell.
“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol’s deep voice vibrates the walls. Chanyeol runs down the stairs closing the door behind him.
As soon as he reaches him, Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun into his arms and hugs him tightly. “I am so glad you’re safe.” Chanyeol says into Baekhyun’s hair.
“I thought-you-“ Chanyeol silences Baekhyun’s words with a chaste kiss to his lips.
“Sorry to interrupt but shouldn’t we get into the bunker now?” Luhan says breaking the moment.
Chanyeol lets go of Baekhyun and nods. He moves past Luhan to the other side of the basement and bends down. He lifts the metal hatch on the door open and gestures for Baekhyun and Luhan to go down into the earth.
△▽△
Tao makes it home without seeing any infected, or anyone else for that matter. He throws the door open, it slams against the wall but it doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is him getting his friends and himself into the bunker until it’s safe to leave.
“Joonmyun! Sehun!” Tao yells.
Joonmyun comes around the corner out of their bedroom. “What’s wrong Tao?”
“They’re inside.”
Joonmyun’s eyes widen. “Sehun!” He yells already knowing exactly what Tao is talking about.
Sehun’s door swings open and a sleepy looking Sehun walks out into the hall. “What’s with all the noise?”
Tao stares at him. How could these two not have heard the alarm? Then Tao realizes, the alarms has stopped, it only stayed on for a few minutes, they may have thought it was just the military returning alarm.
“We have to get into the bunker, they’re inside.” Tao says.
Sehun looks wide awake at the words. “What?” He asks dumbly. Then he shakes his head. “No, I have to find Luhan.” Sehun starts moving for the front door.
Tao grabs him and slams him against the wall. “Don’t be an idiot Sehun, if you go out there you die.”
Sehun glares at Tao. “Luhan could need my help.”
Tao scoffs. “You’re willing to risk your life for some silly crush, Luhan doesn’t even know you exist Sehun. He doesn’t care whether you live or you die. Get in the fucking bunker.” Tao shoves Sehun towards the basement door.
Tao will probably end up regretting the words he just spit in Sehun’s face but right now he will do anything to make sure his friends are safe, even if it means hurting them.
Joonmyun grabs Sehun’s hand and gently leads him into the basement. Tao takes a deep breath and a second to compose himself before he follows after them.
They descend the stairs and then descend even further into the bunker. Luckily Joonmyun has the bunker very well stocked, he was always afraid a breach would happen and therefore he was prepared. Tao feels stupid for calling Joonmyun stupid right about now. Who knew that Joonmyun’s paranoia would eventually pay off?
Sehun sits in the corner not looking at Tao.
Tao only feels slightly bad for hitting Sehun where it hurts but he had no other choices. Sehun is young, not much younger than Tao but he would stupidly give his life over a childhood crush. Tao doesn’t know Luhan anymore than Sehun does but he knows one thing, if Luhan is as smart as Sehun claims he is, he will be in his own bunker hiding and safe. Tao doesn’t tell Sehun that, he wouldn’t believe it anyway. Sehun’s on the edge of hysteria.
The three of them sit in different corners of the bunker. Not one of them speaks. Joonmyun looks afraid, like at any moment the infected will break down the door and devour them all. Sehun looks hurt, like he is either about to have a breakdown or just run away from the bunker. Tao though, he is the calmest out of the three. He knows how safe the bunker is and with the supplies Joonmyun has down here they could survive for a little over a week before they would be forced to leave. The real problem is staying down here until it’s safe.
The bunker’s are in all the homes in the village and sound proofed. They won’t know when it’s safe to go back out. They won’t know if the whole village is dead or if they managed to drive the infected out. The normal procedure that they have been told to do all their lives is to stay inside the bunker for as long as they can. They are supposed to come out when they run out of food and are desperate. That means that the three of them are supposed to stay down here for a week or longer. Tao doesn’t think that’s what he should do. Sehun and Joonmyun should be down here but he, he should be up there with the military fighting off the infected and saving the village.
That’s obviously not where he is, he can’t leave the bunker now, it’s too late. If he leaves and the infected are inside the house he could put Sehun and Joonmyun in danger. He’s stuck here powerless to do anything to help out.
△▽△
Luhan sits next to Baekhyun silently, Chanyeol on the other side of Baekhyun. They all want to say it but no one is brave enough to actually speak the words out loud. Luhan wants to throw the blame on someone but he knows that he can’t do that. He is to blame just as much as Baekhyun or Minseok is.
As soon as the bunker door shut above them and Baekhyun got the lanterns lit they all saw what they wished they hadn’t. The whole bunker was empty save for a few jars of food that would most likely only last two days, if that. Luhan and Baekhyun shared a look of panic before sitting down quietly without a word.
They were unprepared for anything to happen and now that something has happened the chances of them surviving are slim.
Luhan wishes he spent more time stocking the bunker and being paranoid like Joonmyun who Luhan had looked up to all throughout his school years. Luhan had always thought Joonmyun was a little weird, he was always concerned with a breach and always waiting for it to happen. Right now Luhan wishes he was with Joonmyun, whoever is with him is probably a lot better off than him, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are right now.
The silence breaks a few minutes later. Chanyeol is the one to break it. “Are you all stupid?” he doesn’t say it loud or angrily, just like he is let down by the actions, or lack of actions, of Luhan, Baekhyun and Minseok. “You guys didn’t stock anything? I mean I didn’t expect it to be filled but it’s completely empty.” He drops his head into his hands. “You’re supposed to have at least four day’s supply down here.”
“We didn’t think anything would happen.” Baekhyun whispers. “We thought we were safe.”
Chanyeol lifts his head and locks eyes with Baekhyun. “As long as the infected exist none of us are ever going to be safe.”
They are plunged into an awkward silence.
Chanyeol’s words play over and over inside Luhan’s head. Chanyeol is right. They won’t be safe until every single last one of the infected is killed. The impossibility of it all makes Luhan lose all the hope he had left, there wasn’t much to begin with and now his hope has been drained completely. They will never live without fear as long as they have to live within the fences. They are trapped just waiting to be slaughtered.
△▽△
Hours go by and still no one speaks. Sehun is still upset over what Tao said to him and Joonmyun just looks too frightened to speak at all. Tao sits there staring at his two friends trying to decide what they should do. Do they actually stay down here until they run out of food? Or do they risk going outside in twenty four hours or even less than that?
Tao doesn’t know. Tao saw firsthand how many infected were pressing themselves against the fence. If they all got in, if the military wasn’t able to fight most of them off, then chances are it’s nowhere near safe out there.
The weight of the whole situation settles on Tao’s shoulders. It’s heavy and he has no idea how to cope with it. He hopes that this is all a tragic nightmare that he will eventually wake up from.
Another hour passes in complete silence before anything happens.
“Joonmyun can I ask you something?” Sehun says out of the blue startling Tao.
Joonmyun looks to the younger boy and nods.
“Does Luhan even know who I am?”
Tao cringes as soon as the words hit his ears. He knows that the question Sehun is asking is all his fault. Regret fills Tao, he wishes he would have swallowed his tongue and said something else to get Sehun into the bunker. He knew he would regret the words just not so soon.
Joonmyun looks sad. “Luhan and you have never spoken and as far as I know he has no idea who you are. I’m sorry Sehun, I know how much you’re infatuated with him but I don’t think he has even the slightest idea about you.”
Tao can see the hurt clear as day on Sehun’s face.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Sehun sniffs.
Tao looks away not wanting to see the tears that trickle from his friends eyes. It’s all his fault and it hurts him to see his friend so hurt.
△▽△
“We need to stay calm.” Chanyeol says pacing back and forth in front of Luhan and Baekhyun. Luhan has no idea why he is saying that, they are both calm, a lot calmer than Chanyeol who is slowly starting to unravel.
“Chanyeol sit down and take a deep breath.” Baekhyun says.
Chanyeol turns to Baekhyun and glares. “Baekhyun you don’t understand. I went AWOL and one top of that I have claustrophobia. I can’t be down here much longer.”
Baekhyun stands up and moves towards Chanyeol. He stops a foot away from the taller man. “Chanyeol I know everything you are afraid of. Right now you need to sit down, take a deep breath and just try to relax. We will stay here until morning and then we can leave.”
Chanyeol nods. “I’m going to try and get some shut eye. It might help.”
Chanyeol manages to fall asleep on the hard dirt floor much to Luhan’s surprise. But then again, Chanyeol is part of the military, they probably sleep wherever they can whenever they can.
Baekhyun turns to Luhan a little while after Chanyeol falls asleep. Panic fills his eyes. Luhan knows that whatever he is going to say isn’t going to be good.
“Chanyeol is in deep shit.” Baekhyun closes his eyes for a moment. “He went AWOL and you know what the punishment for that is.”
Luhan nods. The punishment for going AWOL is harsh, almost too harsh. They don’t give you a fair trial, they just toss you outside the fence and expect you to leave the village behind. They tell you that if you can survive one week outside the fence alone then you are worthy to be let back in. Not many people have ever gone AWOL because it’s near impossible to survive outside the fence or a few hours let alone a whole week. The infected can smell human flesh from miles away, they seem to be able to smell fear too though that’s just a theory.
“If it’s bad enough then I don’t think they will mind too much.” Luhan lies.
Baekhyun shakes his head vigorously. “No Luhan. The worse it is out there the harsher they are going to be on him. I’m scared for him, for us.”
Luhan sighs. Baekhyun knows the military rules a lot better than him. He may even know the rules better than Chanyeol. “I don’t know how to make you feel better, this whole situation is hopeless.” Luhan sighs audibly for the millionth time since waking up this morning.
Baekhyun nods. “I just want to keep him safe.” He whispers.
Luhan watches his friend slowly start to come undone. Baekhyun’s face screws up as he tries in vain to hold back his tears. He lets himself go a few seconds later knowing he can’t hold the flood of tears back any longer.
He cries and Luhan holds him as he lets everything out.
Baekhyun cries for a while and Luhan comforts him until his tears finally dry up. “Everything will work out in the end.” Luhan whispers.
Baekhyun nods. Luhan can tell he doesn’t believe what he said but Luhan doesn’t know what else to say to him.
Chanyeol wakes up an hour later. Luhan watches the panic on his face as his eyes open up to the small room they are all trapped. Chanyeol takes a deep breath and closes his eyes trying to calm himself down. When he is composed enough to reopen his eyes he sighs. “I had been hoping everything was just a nightmare.” He runs a hand through his unkempt hair.
“Sorry this is reality.” Luhan answers.
“Did anything happen while I was out?” Chanyeol looks back and forth between Luhan and Baekhyun.
They both shake their heads.
A few more hours pass in silence. Somehow Luhan nods off sitting up. He only catches a few minutes of rest before Chanyeol’s deep voice pulls him back to the present.
“I’m going out there.”
Baekhyun jumps to his feet. “No you’re not.”
“Yes, I am Baekhyun.” Chanyeol stands up and crosses the space to Baekhyun. “I need to do this and plus there might not even be an infected inside any longer. We either sit down here and wait to die or I go out and check.”
Baekhyun shakes his head. “No Chanyeol, you are staying down here where it’s safe. You’re staying here with me.”
Chanyeol’s eyes are filled with fire. Luhan can already tell that arguing with him isn’t going to change his mind. Chanyeol is dead set on going back above ground and probably killing himself in the process. “Baekhyun, I’m going and there is nothing you can say or do that will stop me.”
Baekhyun turns his back on Chanyeol. “If you really do this, really leave, I won’t forgive you.”
Luhan feels awkward sitting there watching this whole thing play out. He wants to interject and tell Baekhyun that maybe Chanyeol is right but instead he stays quiet. He doesn’t want to create even more problems. Luhan doesn’t want to interfere with the two of them.
“Baekhyun, you won’t survive long down here, I am doing this to save you. Someone has to go out there and it certainly can’t be you or Luhan.”
Baekhyun scoffs and turns around to face Chanyeol with a sneer on his face. “You’re doing this to save me? I can save my fucking self Chanyeol. You don’t need to kill yourself to regain your honor.” Baekhyun turns back around and takes a deep breath. “If you’re really going to leave me down here then just go and don’t come back. I won’t be able to forgive you for this.”
Luhan stifles his gasp. He has never heard Baekhyun’s voice full of so much scorn in all his time with him.
“Don’t act like this Baek. You know that this is something I have to do.” Chanyeol’s voice shakes. “I’m leaving.”
Baekhyun doesn’t say anything, doesn’t turn around.
Chanyeol looks torn but in the end he leaves Baekhyun and Luhan in the bunker to go out and get himself killed.
△▽△
Time is something that is fleeting as you live a normal life, it’s even more fleeting when you are trapped underground waiting for something, anything to happen.
Right about now Tao thinks he is going to go insane.
“I’m going out there.” Tao breaks the silence.
Joonmyun’s eyes widen. “No fucking way. You’ll die out there Tao, or worse you’ll turn into one of them.”
Tao shakes his head. “Going out there and doing something is better than sitting here wasting away.”
Sehun clears his throat. “Joonmyun, I have to agree with Tao on this one.” Sehun doesn’t look at Tao, he’s still upset with him. “I think that at least one of us should go out there but I think it should be me, not Tao.”
Joonmyun scoffs loudly. “Sehun you think you can handle going out there? At least Tao knows what he will be getting into. You have no idea, you’re young and naïve.”
Sehun stares down Joonmyun. “Fuck you and Fuck you too.” He says turning from Joonmyun to Tao. “I wish I was trapped down here with anyone but you two.”
Joonmyun and Tao look at each other for a moment. They are both thinking the same thing. It’s only been a few hours now and they are starting to fight. It won’t be long now till they all turn on each other. Friendships could be ripped apart easily down here with the tension rising and rising.
“I’m going.” Tao says. “Sehun you stay here with Joonmyun.”
Sehun glares at Tao but stays silent.
“I’ll come back as soon as I can. Tao walks slowly towards the small ladder leading up to the ceiling. “Don’t say I never did anything heroic.” Tao says and opens the bunker door.
△▽△
A/N: This fic is loosely based on the book The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. It’s dedicated to a very special friend of mine who is going through a really tough time. kodeetrent, I hope you enjoy this. This is unbeta'd but if you would like to beta for me just get in touch xD Sorry for any mistakes, I didn't want to over edit and over analyze this so I only went through once.
next⇉
Tao/Kris, Chanyeol/Baekhyun, one sided!Luhan/Sehun, more pairings in future chapters; AU, horror, zombies; PG13; 6,405
Outside the fence lies what nightmares are made of. When calamity strikes life becomes about nothing but surviving till the next sunrise.
There was nothing in the world worse than a breach of the fences. The fences are what keep everyone safe, most of the time at least. Whenever there was a breach chaos would break out. People would panic and sometimes people would die. It was a rare occurrence but it happened. The fences were the line between life and death, keeping life, love and happiness inside all the while keeping death, despair and sorrow outside. To be more precise the fence kept them out.
They used to be human, or so some people say. Since most people who live in the village now were born after the virus spread like wild fire throughout the world. Most of the people in the village bitten don’t turn, they die. The virus was merciless when it was first unleashed, it tore families apart, killed people, turned humans, killed animals, turned animals, the history on the matter is a little unclear to the specifics but one thing is known for sure. The people and animals that are outside the fence are infected with the virus. They are killing machines and will stop at nothing until you take your final breath.
Life inside the fence isn’t as bad as you would think it would be. Life went on the same as it did before the fences, almost. Everyone had a job they had to get done, whether it be farming, medicines, or something else equally important someone had to do them. The village had come up with a system, one that made sure everyone got a chance to do everything they wanted to try and then they got to decide what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. The village leaders didn’t mind too much if you suddenly changed your mind from something and did something else. Job changes were allowed. It was fine just as long as you pitched in and earned your keep.
Tao wasn’t too thrilled about his job in farming. He wanted to do a job with his best friend Kris. Kris was part of the military that patrolled the fence and sometimes they even went outside the fence. Tao would always bug him about the missions outside the fence but no matter how hard he tried Kris wouldn’t crack. Kris was very serious about his job, he would never tell Tao about any of the missions, even the simple ones. It drove Tao insane with curiosity but there was nothing he could do. Kris was never going to give him even the slightest details.
The only job in the whole entire village that you couldn’t decide to do yourself was being part of the military. They had to seek you out and choose you themselves. Tao really, really thought they would choose him, he is good in combat and even did the whole training course with Kris, but they didn’t choose him. He went to the military leader and asked him why but there was no answer for him. The older man just shrugged and said “You just didn’t get picked.”
Tao was furious for days after he talked to the man. He didn’t talk to Kris because he was so upset. Being part of the military had been his dream since he was a small child; he had given up countless hours of his life to training. He was angry and bitter, more so than he had been in all his twenty years of existence. It wasn’t fair, Kris didn’t want it as much as Tao did; It was Tao’s dream and always had been. Tao couldn’t help but be bitter towards Kris. Especially now when Kris wouldn’t even tell him anything about it at all. He could at least tell Tao what kind of weapons they have. But he didn’t and Tao was slowly giving up trying to find out. Their friendship was becoming fragile, threatening to break apart at any given moment.
The birds chirping outside woke Tao up. He stretched his arms over his head and let a lazy smile play at his lips. Whenever the birds chirping woke him up he knew it was going to be a great day, it always was. Tao let the smile stay on his face as he got up and dressed for work. He ate a quick breakfast wishing Joonmyun a good morning as he sped out the front door. He walked down the narrow, yet worn out path the led towards the outskirts of the village to the farms.
The land inside the fence was set up haphazardly since the more the population increased they needed to build more houses, and expand work. Most of the buildings were built wherever the people wanted them with no real layout. There are houses all over along with other work buildings, schools, etc. placed randomly throughout the village. If you weren’t used to the setup you would get lost quiet easily inside the village.
The farms were easiest to find because they made up the outskirts of the village. The farms were the first things that were places inside the fences. All along the fences you would find the fields filled with food to keep the population alive. Since Tao, Joonmyun, and Sehun lived only a short walk away from the largest farm, Tao settled on a job in farming. Joonmyun had scolded him for settling on such a tedious job for weeks after Tao took it. Joonmyun had known Tao since he was practically born and he knew Tao was not cut out for the life of a farmer. Tao needed to be in the military, it almost seemed like it was his fate to be part of it. Joonmyun just couldn’t understand why they didn’t take him in. He had been almost sure that Tao was going to get recruited by the military.
Tao walks along the path for a short time before he climbs the small hill right before the farm. He stops when he gets to the top and just gazes at the field before him. Something gnaws at him, something unfamiliar. Regret. It’s strong and unrelenting as it attacks him as he looks at the rest of his life.
Tao doesn’t want to do this. He doesn’t want to be a farmer. He just wants to curl into himself and go numb. This isn’t the way things were supposed to be. Things were supposed to be completely different, more exciting, but things didn’t turn out that way and it’s too late for Tao to go back now. So, he walks down the hill and enters the field getting right to work.
Lunchtime rolls around a few hours later. Tao wipes the sweat from his brow and makes his way to the small building near the barn. Kyungsoo is already there waiting for him when he arrives.
“It’s hot today.” Kyungsoo states.
Tao nods entering the building with Kyungsoo right behind him. “I was thinking of going down to the river to get some water, you want to come? We can take a swim while were down there.” Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows.
Tao sits down one of the many bales of hay in the small room. “I’m not really in the mood.” Tao finally answers Kyungsoo after a few minutes of silence. “I just want to get done with work today and go home and sleep.”
Kyungsoo nods in understanding. He opens his mouth to speak but then immediately shuts it. Tao stares at him curiously. “What were you going to say?” He asks.
Kyungsoo shakes his head. “It was nothing.”
“No, tell me.”
“I was just going to ask you about something.” Kyungsoo averts his gaze to the wall behind Tao.
“Go ahead and ask then.” Tao reaches down to tie his boot which must’ve come untied as he was working. He is trying not to act too curious but he really wants to know what Kyungsoo was going to ask him.
“Isn’t Kris supposed to be coming back today?” Kyungsoo says almost too fast for Tao to understand.
Tao drops the laces in his hand. He grabs them back up and quickly ties his boot laces in a tight knot that he will surely regret doing later tonight when he goes to take the boots off.
Tao opens his mouth to answer but Kyungsoo cuts him off. “If you don’t want to talk about I you don’t have to. I was just wondering, I don’t want to upset you or anything.” Kyungsoo says sheepishly.
“Why would it upset me?” Tao asks. It’s a lie and Kyungsoo can most likely tell. Of course anything to do with Kris is going to upset Tao. They aren’t on the greatest terms as of right now and Tao isn’t sure they ever will be again. “But, uh, yeah, I think that the military is returning later tonight.” Tao tries to steady his shaking voice but it’s hard. All his pent up anger is centered right on the military and every one in it. Tao doesn’t even care how petty his anger and jealousy runs.
“Will you be meeting him at the gate?”
Tao scoffs. “Not in his wildest dreams.”
They go silent, it’s an awkward silence but Tao doesn't know what to say. He wants to start a new conversation about something, anything lighter than military talk but he can’t find words.
They both get back to their work in separate fields. Tao is a little sad that him and Kyungsoo can’t seem to find anything to talk about other than the military. It’s the only thing they have in common. Kyungsoo has family and friends that are part of the military and he is always worried about them. Kyungsoo doesn’t seem to have as much information about his family and friends, he doesn’t even know the basics so he always comes to Tao.
△▽△
“God Luhan can’t you do this right just once?” The disappointment in the doctors eyes kills Luhan inside. He has been trying his hardest to get the medicine made right but something goes wrong every single time. Maybe Luhan isn’t doing the right thing with his life. He thinks that maybe, just maybe he should quit trying to become a doctor and settle on something he can actually do right.
“I did exactly what you told me to do!” Luhan argues.
The doctor shakes his head. “You said that last time too. Luhan, you need to take your time and make sure everything is measured exactly the way I wrote it down. You are clearly not doing something right.” The doctor sighs and runs his hand through his grey hair. “If you don’t get this right soon I’m afraid I will have to let you go.”
Luhan can feel the disappointment rolling off the doctor in waves. The doctor had chosen him out of all the promising young people who wanted to become his apprentice. Luhan was sure that Yixing was going to get the job instead of him.
The doctor apparently saw something in Luhan that he didn’t see in the other young adults. Luhan really wanted this job, he wanted to become just like the doctor but he didn’t see that happening any longer. He is not made out for this. He doesn’t have what it takes to save countless lives.
The doctor sees the look on Luhan’s face. He sees that Luhan is trying his hardest to not let any of his emotion show. “Luhan listen. This is a hard job and I want you to excel but you have to try harder.” His voice is soft and soothing but Luhan doesn’t feel any comfort at all.
“I’m trying as hard as I can.” Luhan whispers. He can feel the prick of tears ready to spill from behind his eyes. He blinks them away as best he can but still one manages to escape.
“Luhan, you have what it takes to do this, I know it. I wouldn’t have chosen you if I didn’t think you were capable.” The doctor sits down behind his desk watching Luhan as he struggles to keep the rest of his tears in. “Take a few days to think about things. When you come back we’ll pick up where we left off.”
Luhan nods shamefully and leaves the doctor’s small office closing the door behind him with a light click. Luhan rushes out of the hospital building and doesn’t let his tears fall until he is on the path to his home.
He lets everything he’s been holding in for weeks out. He doesn’t even care when some small children playing with a ball see him and laugh at his tears. He couldn’t care less about anything right now. He just wants to make it home, fall into a pile of blankets with a cup of hot tea and read a book until sleep overtakes him.
When he bursts through his front door he is immediately assaulted with the smell of apple pie. His mouth waters from the smell alone and he finds himself following the scent into the small kitchen. “You’re home early!” Baekhyun exclaims as he spots Luhan come through the kitchen door. “What happened today? Did you mess up again?”
Luhan shoots Baekhyun a glare. “No, the doctor just decided to give me a few days off. He says I’ve been working hard lately.” Luhan lies.
Baekhyun scoffs. “Yeah sure Luhan, whatever you say but I know that’s not true.”
Luhan continues to glare at Baekhyun as he moves further into the kitchen. The pie sits on the counter untouched just waiting for someone to devour it.
Baekhyun notices Luhan staring at the pie with hunger filled eyes. “No, Luhan I made that for Chanyeol and Jongin for when they get back tonight.”
“Why can’t we eat it now?” Luhan whines still staring at the pie.
“It’s not for us, that’s why.” Baekhyun is irritated now and Luhan knows he needs to flee the room before Baekhyun starts to lecture him.
Luhan leaves the kitchen without another word to Baekhyun and goes to his small room. He doesn’t mind how small it is, at least he doesn’t have to share it with anyone, unlike Baekhyun who has to share his room with Minseok. Luhan lies down on his bed and stares at the wood ceiling. There’s a question, one that has been nagging him since he started to work at the hospital, one that no one can seem to answer.
When did life become so tiring?
Luhan is sick of living inside the fence. Sick of doing the same thing every day of his short life. He wants to be something more, to do something more with himself. He wishes he could have been picked for the military, they get to do things, they get to leave this place and see what has become of the rest of the world. Everyone else is sheltered from the outside world, trapped like rats in a cage just living out their lives waiting for the end to come.
Luhan doesn’t want to be like them. He sighs and rolls over onto his side. Is anyone in this village content with their life the way it is now? Or is Luhan the only one who feels like everything is a cycle of pointless nothings.
△▽△
Tao takes his sweet time walking towards the gates later that evening. He doesn’t even know why he is going down there to meet Kris and the other military men in the first place. He hates most of them now, he doesn’t want to see them all and feel like he is missing out on something.
As he is about half way to the gates he hears the telltale sign the military has arrived. The alarm sounds once, and is quickly shut off. Even though he knows that when a breach happens the alarm keeps droning on and on, Tao still flinches every time he hears the alarm even if it’s for half a second.
“The military is back!” A small child yells happily as him and his mother pass Tao quickly moving ahead. “Daddy is home!”
Tao stops walking suddenly. A strange feeling bubbles up within him.
He hears the first screams a second later. Tao doesn’t think twice about it his next actions, all the training he has had comes right back to the surface. He takes off running in the direction of the scream. It had come right from the gates.
Tao runs hard and just prays that the scream wasn’t caused by something unfixable, if the infected get inside the fence, life as everyone knows it is over.
Deep down Tao knew it was something serious even before the scream sounded he had sensed something was going to happen. His intuition is almost always right. As soon as Tao sees the gate he sees the military and the blood.
All the hope he had built up is suddenly depleted.
There is blood so much blood, it soaks the clothes of the military men and the ground outside the gates. Tao stops moving as he sees the source of the blood and also the source of the scream.
The military led back a whole horde of infected. This has happened once before but the horde wasn’t even half as large as the one now clinging to the fence. As Tao watches in disbelief, thousands or more infected surge against the fence testing its strength. The fence will not hold them back long for there are too many.
The military are trying to keep the calm and make everyone get away from the fence, but most of the people within the fence have never seen one of the infected. They are being driven by their curiosity and it is likely to get them killed. Tao watches as some people draw nearer to the fence, reaching out their hand towards the fence trying to do what, Tao isn’t sure.
Tao regains control of his legs and he starts running closer to the crowd. The military is slowly losing control and the fence is slowly starting to curve inward.
Time slows down.
Tao watches as a young boy reaches the fence and touches one of the infected on the other side. The infected grabs the boys small wrist and presses it against his mouth. The infected mans teeth sink into the milky skin of the boys wrist, blood spurts out, the boy screams loudly for his mother, but it’s too late. The infected has already claimed him, the damage is already done. His blood is now poisoned with the virus and he will either die, or turn into one of them.
No one in the village has ever been bitten, at least not since Tao was born, if they had been bitten they died and didn’t turn.
Tao hears the groaning noise and then chaos to the highest extreme ensues. The alarms blares overhead loud enough for people miles and miles away to hear it. Tao covers his ear and watches in utter horror as the fence breaks and the infected begin to flood into the village.
Tao glances around at the fearful faces of the military men until he locks eyes with Kris. Tao has never seen Kris look scared like this in all his existence. His eyes are wide and his mouth is hanging open, he stares back at Tao then yells. Even throughout the chaos Tao can somehow make out Kris’s voice.
“RUN!”
△▽△
Luhan wakes up to the sound of the alarm blaring. It takes him way too long before he realizes what it means. His mind doesn’t catch up until Baekhyun practically kicks his door in. “Luhan we have to hide!” Baekhyun grabs Luhan by the arm and rips him off his bed and towards the door.
“What’s going on?” Luhan asks still groggy from sleep.
Baekhyun shakes his head. “A breach? I don’t know for sure, but it’s bad Luhan.” Luhan finds that he doesn’t need to be dragged down to the basement after Baekhyun tells him this.
They are going down the stairs when Luhan remembers. “Minseok?” He asks.
Baekhyun shakes his head. “He left a half hour ago to bring the pie to Chanyeol and Jongin’s house. He’s a lost cause now.”
Luhan doesn’t believe that Minseok is a lost cause but he can’t go search for him, not if the infected are inside the village.
Just as they reach the bottom of the stairs the door bursts open, lights floods into the basement. “Chanyeol?” Baekhyun stares up at the top of the stares. The figure in the doorway is tall but the shadows are cast over his face.
The alarm stops blaring and everything goes into silence. Luhan can hear screams from somewhere in the village. It sends shivers up his spine. Things are bad, he can already tell.
“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol’s deep voice vibrates the walls. Chanyeol runs down the stairs closing the door behind him.
As soon as he reaches him, Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun into his arms and hugs him tightly. “I am so glad you’re safe.” Chanyeol says into Baekhyun’s hair.
“I thought-you-“ Chanyeol silences Baekhyun’s words with a chaste kiss to his lips.
“Sorry to interrupt but shouldn’t we get into the bunker now?” Luhan says breaking the moment.
Chanyeol lets go of Baekhyun and nods. He moves past Luhan to the other side of the basement and bends down. He lifts the metal hatch on the door open and gestures for Baekhyun and Luhan to go down into the earth.
△▽△
Tao makes it home without seeing any infected, or anyone else for that matter. He throws the door open, it slams against the wall but it doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is him getting his friends and himself into the bunker until it’s safe to leave.
“Joonmyun! Sehun!” Tao yells.
Joonmyun comes around the corner out of their bedroom. “What’s wrong Tao?”
“They’re inside.”
Joonmyun’s eyes widen. “Sehun!” He yells already knowing exactly what Tao is talking about.
Sehun’s door swings open and a sleepy looking Sehun walks out into the hall. “What’s with all the noise?”
Tao stares at him. How could these two not have heard the alarm? Then Tao realizes, the alarms has stopped, it only stayed on for a few minutes, they may have thought it was just the military returning alarm.
“We have to get into the bunker, they’re inside.” Tao says.
Sehun looks wide awake at the words. “What?” He asks dumbly. Then he shakes his head. “No, I have to find Luhan.” Sehun starts moving for the front door.
Tao grabs him and slams him against the wall. “Don’t be an idiot Sehun, if you go out there you die.”
Sehun glares at Tao. “Luhan could need my help.”
Tao scoffs. “You’re willing to risk your life for some silly crush, Luhan doesn’t even know you exist Sehun. He doesn’t care whether you live or you die. Get in the fucking bunker.” Tao shoves Sehun towards the basement door.
Tao will probably end up regretting the words he just spit in Sehun’s face but right now he will do anything to make sure his friends are safe, even if it means hurting them.
Joonmyun grabs Sehun’s hand and gently leads him into the basement. Tao takes a deep breath and a second to compose himself before he follows after them.
They descend the stairs and then descend even further into the bunker. Luckily Joonmyun has the bunker very well stocked, he was always afraid a breach would happen and therefore he was prepared. Tao feels stupid for calling Joonmyun stupid right about now. Who knew that Joonmyun’s paranoia would eventually pay off?
Sehun sits in the corner not looking at Tao.
Tao only feels slightly bad for hitting Sehun where it hurts but he had no other choices. Sehun is young, not much younger than Tao but he would stupidly give his life over a childhood crush. Tao doesn’t know Luhan anymore than Sehun does but he knows one thing, if Luhan is as smart as Sehun claims he is, he will be in his own bunker hiding and safe. Tao doesn’t tell Sehun that, he wouldn’t believe it anyway. Sehun’s on the edge of hysteria.
The three of them sit in different corners of the bunker. Not one of them speaks. Joonmyun looks afraid, like at any moment the infected will break down the door and devour them all. Sehun looks hurt, like he is either about to have a breakdown or just run away from the bunker. Tao though, he is the calmest out of the three. He knows how safe the bunker is and with the supplies Joonmyun has down here they could survive for a little over a week before they would be forced to leave. The real problem is staying down here until it’s safe.
The bunker’s are in all the homes in the village and sound proofed. They won’t know when it’s safe to go back out. They won’t know if the whole village is dead or if they managed to drive the infected out. The normal procedure that they have been told to do all their lives is to stay inside the bunker for as long as they can. They are supposed to come out when they run out of food and are desperate. That means that the three of them are supposed to stay down here for a week or longer. Tao doesn’t think that’s what he should do. Sehun and Joonmyun should be down here but he, he should be up there with the military fighting off the infected and saving the village.
That’s obviously not where he is, he can’t leave the bunker now, it’s too late. If he leaves and the infected are inside the house he could put Sehun and Joonmyun in danger. He’s stuck here powerless to do anything to help out.
△▽△
Luhan sits next to Baekhyun silently, Chanyeol on the other side of Baekhyun. They all want to say it but no one is brave enough to actually speak the words out loud. Luhan wants to throw the blame on someone but he knows that he can’t do that. He is to blame just as much as Baekhyun or Minseok is.
As soon as the bunker door shut above them and Baekhyun got the lanterns lit they all saw what they wished they hadn’t. The whole bunker was empty save for a few jars of food that would most likely only last two days, if that. Luhan and Baekhyun shared a look of panic before sitting down quietly without a word.
They were unprepared for anything to happen and now that something has happened the chances of them surviving are slim.
Luhan wishes he spent more time stocking the bunker and being paranoid like Joonmyun who Luhan had looked up to all throughout his school years. Luhan had always thought Joonmyun was a little weird, he was always concerned with a breach and always waiting for it to happen. Right now Luhan wishes he was with Joonmyun, whoever is with him is probably a lot better off than him, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are right now.
The silence breaks a few minutes later. Chanyeol is the one to break it. “Are you all stupid?” he doesn’t say it loud or angrily, just like he is let down by the actions, or lack of actions, of Luhan, Baekhyun and Minseok. “You guys didn’t stock anything? I mean I didn’t expect it to be filled but it’s completely empty.” He drops his head into his hands. “You’re supposed to have at least four day’s supply down here.”
“We didn’t think anything would happen.” Baekhyun whispers. “We thought we were safe.”
Chanyeol lifts his head and locks eyes with Baekhyun. “As long as the infected exist none of us are ever going to be safe.”
They are plunged into an awkward silence.
Chanyeol’s words play over and over inside Luhan’s head. Chanyeol is right. They won’t be safe until every single last one of the infected is killed. The impossibility of it all makes Luhan lose all the hope he had left, there wasn’t much to begin with and now his hope has been drained completely. They will never live without fear as long as they have to live within the fences. They are trapped just waiting to be slaughtered.
△▽△
Hours go by and still no one speaks. Sehun is still upset over what Tao said to him and Joonmyun just looks too frightened to speak at all. Tao sits there staring at his two friends trying to decide what they should do. Do they actually stay down here until they run out of food? Or do they risk going outside in twenty four hours or even less than that?
Tao doesn’t know. Tao saw firsthand how many infected were pressing themselves against the fence. If they all got in, if the military wasn’t able to fight most of them off, then chances are it’s nowhere near safe out there.
The weight of the whole situation settles on Tao’s shoulders. It’s heavy and he has no idea how to cope with it. He hopes that this is all a tragic nightmare that he will eventually wake up from.
Another hour passes in complete silence before anything happens.
“Joonmyun can I ask you something?” Sehun says out of the blue startling Tao.
Joonmyun looks to the younger boy and nods.
“Does Luhan even know who I am?”
Tao cringes as soon as the words hit his ears. He knows that the question Sehun is asking is all his fault. Regret fills Tao, he wishes he would have swallowed his tongue and said something else to get Sehun into the bunker. He knew he would regret the words just not so soon.
Joonmyun looks sad. “Luhan and you have never spoken and as far as I know he has no idea who you are. I’m sorry Sehun, I know how much you’re infatuated with him but I don’t think he has even the slightest idea about you.”
Tao can see the hurt clear as day on Sehun’s face.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Sehun sniffs.
Tao looks away not wanting to see the tears that trickle from his friends eyes. It’s all his fault and it hurts him to see his friend so hurt.
△▽△
“We need to stay calm.” Chanyeol says pacing back and forth in front of Luhan and Baekhyun. Luhan has no idea why he is saying that, they are both calm, a lot calmer than Chanyeol who is slowly starting to unravel.
“Chanyeol sit down and take a deep breath.” Baekhyun says.
Chanyeol turns to Baekhyun and glares. “Baekhyun you don’t understand. I went AWOL and one top of that I have claustrophobia. I can’t be down here much longer.”
Baekhyun stands up and moves towards Chanyeol. He stops a foot away from the taller man. “Chanyeol I know everything you are afraid of. Right now you need to sit down, take a deep breath and just try to relax. We will stay here until morning and then we can leave.”
Chanyeol nods. “I’m going to try and get some shut eye. It might help.”
Chanyeol manages to fall asleep on the hard dirt floor much to Luhan’s surprise. But then again, Chanyeol is part of the military, they probably sleep wherever they can whenever they can.
Baekhyun turns to Luhan a little while after Chanyeol falls asleep. Panic fills his eyes. Luhan knows that whatever he is going to say isn’t going to be good.
“Chanyeol is in deep shit.” Baekhyun closes his eyes for a moment. “He went AWOL and you know what the punishment for that is.”
Luhan nods. The punishment for going AWOL is harsh, almost too harsh. They don’t give you a fair trial, they just toss you outside the fence and expect you to leave the village behind. They tell you that if you can survive one week outside the fence alone then you are worthy to be let back in. Not many people have ever gone AWOL because it’s near impossible to survive outside the fence or a few hours let alone a whole week. The infected can smell human flesh from miles away, they seem to be able to smell fear too though that’s just a theory.
“If it’s bad enough then I don’t think they will mind too much.” Luhan lies.
Baekhyun shakes his head vigorously. “No Luhan. The worse it is out there the harsher they are going to be on him. I’m scared for him, for us.”
Luhan sighs. Baekhyun knows the military rules a lot better than him. He may even know the rules better than Chanyeol. “I don’t know how to make you feel better, this whole situation is hopeless.” Luhan sighs audibly for the millionth time since waking up this morning.
Baekhyun nods. “I just want to keep him safe.” He whispers.
Luhan watches his friend slowly start to come undone. Baekhyun’s face screws up as he tries in vain to hold back his tears. He lets himself go a few seconds later knowing he can’t hold the flood of tears back any longer.
He cries and Luhan holds him as he lets everything out.
Baekhyun cries for a while and Luhan comforts him until his tears finally dry up. “Everything will work out in the end.” Luhan whispers.
Baekhyun nods. Luhan can tell he doesn’t believe what he said but Luhan doesn’t know what else to say to him.
Chanyeol wakes up an hour later. Luhan watches the panic on his face as his eyes open up to the small room they are all trapped. Chanyeol takes a deep breath and closes his eyes trying to calm himself down. When he is composed enough to reopen his eyes he sighs. “I had been hoping everything was just a nightmare.” He runs a hand through his unkempt hair.
“Sorry this is reality.” Luhan answers.
“Did anything happen while I was out?” Chanyeol looks back and forth between Luhan and Baekhyun.
They both shake their heads.
A few more hours pass in silence. Somehow Luhan nods off sitting up. He only catches a few minutes of rest before Chanyeol’s deep voice pulls him back to the present.
“I’m going out there.”
Baekhyun jumps to his feet. “No you’re not.”
“Yes, I am Baekhyun.” Chanyeol stands up and crosses the space to Baekhyun. “I need to do this and plus there might not even be an infected inside any longer. We either sit down here and wait to die or I go out and check.”
Baekhyun shakes his head. “No Chanyeol, you are staying down here where it’s safe. You’re staying here with me.”
Chanyeol’s eyes are filled with fire. Luhan can already tell that arguing with him isn’t going to change his mind. Chanyeol is dead set on going back above ground and probably killing himself in the process. “Baekhyun, I’m going and there is nothing you can say or do that will stop me.”
Baekhyun turns his back on Chanyeol. “If you really do this, really leave, I won’t forgive you.”
Luhan feels awkward sitting there watching this whole thing play out. He wants to interject and tell Baekhyun that maybe Chanyeol is right but instead he stays quiet. He doesn’t want to create even more problems. Luhan doesn’t want to interfere with the two of them.
“Baekhyun, you won’t survive long down here, I am doing this to save you. Someone has to go out there and it certainly can’t be you or Luhan.”
Baekhyun scoffs and turns around to face Chanyeol with a sneer on his face. “You’re doing this to save me? I can save my fucking self Chanyeol. You don’t need to kill yourself to regain your honor.” Baekhyun turns back around and takes a deep breath. “If you’re really going to leave me down here then just go and don’t come back. I won’t be able to forgive you for this.”
Luhan stifles his gasp. He has never heard Baekhyun’s voice full of so much scorn in all his time with him.
“Don’t act like this Baek. You know that this is something I have to do.” Chanyeol’s voice shakes. “I’m leaving.”
Baekhyun doesn’t say anything, doesn’t turn around.
Chanyeol looks torn but in the end he leaves Baekhyun and Luhan in the bunker to go out and get himself killed.
△▽△
Time is something that is fleeting as you live a normal life, it’s even more fleeting when you are trapped underground waiting for something, anything to happen.
Right about now Tao thinks he is going to go insane.
“I’m going out there.” Tao breaks the silence.
Joonmyun’s eyes widen. “No fucking way. You’ll die out there Tao, or worse you’ll turn into one of them.”
Tao shakes his head. “Going out there and doing something is better than sitting here wasting away.”
Sehun clears his throat. “Joonmyun, I have to agree with Tao on this one.” Sehun doesn’t look at Tao, he’s still upset with him. “I think that at least one of us should go out there but I think it should be me, not Tao.”
Joonmyun scoffs loudly. “Sehun you think you can handle going out there? At least Tao knows what he will be getting into. You have no idea, you’re young and naïve.”
Sehun stares down Joonmyun. “Fuck you and Fuck you too.” He says turning from Joonmyun to Tao. “I wish I was trapped down here with anyone but you two.”
Joonmyun and Tao look at each other for a moment. They are both thinking the same thing. It’s only been a few hours now and they are starting to fight. It won’t be long now till they all turn on each other. Friendships could be ripped apart easily down here with the tension rising and rising.
“I’m going.” Tao says. “Sehun you stay here with Joonmyun.”
Sehun glares at Tao but stays silent.
“I’ll come back as soon as I can. Tao walks slowly towards the small ladder leading up to the ceiling. “Don’t say I never did anything heroic.” Tao says and opens the bunker door.
△▽△
A/N: This fic is loosely based on the book The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. It’s dedicated to a very special friend of mine who is going through a really tough time. kodeetrent, I hope you enjoy this. This is unbeta'd but if you would like to beta for me just get in touch xD Sorry for any mistakes, I didn't want to over edit and over analyze this so I only went through once.
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