Wooyoung was enthusiastic to try out the car, and he wasn't the only one. By the time he woke and came stumbling from his room, Jongho was already hunched over the jeep's hind wheel, making the last adjustments. He flashed Wooyoung a greeting smile.

"Seonghwa asked me about you. He was ecstatic to hear that you want to come along." He perched in an odd position to accommodate his leg and Wooyoung marveled at its angle as he leaned against the wall. His gun was strapped to his leg, and he wore his sturdy vest. Wherever Mingi would take them for this raid, he was ready.

"It's all thanks to him," Wooyoung replied. He was in an exceptional mood today. Though nervous that something might go wrong with the car, he needed the time in after his long period of hiding in the shadows. As fascinating and safe as this place was, sitting idle triggered his survival instincts.

"Yes, yes, he is the light. You should see him soon and tell him about it. He is always curious to hear from us. Something about human emotion having so many facets." Chuckling, Jongho jammed the tools into his belt and used the car as leverage to pull himself up. He leaned into its side, patting the hood with a proud hand.

"The same goes for him," Wooyoung commented. Then he stepped closer with a shine in his eyes. "Is she finished?"

"Best I can do," Jongho grinned. "If she doesn't drive now, I don't think she ever will." He was about to ask Wooyoung to find San and though Wooyoung would have loved to refuse, he would have had to comply since Jongho was hurt, but the matter resolved itself. Mingi and San joined them together after they lugged away a few boxes that blocked the tunnel leading to the cave entrance. When Jongho flicked the keys at him, San's bandaged arm caught them in the air.

"Be gentle with her as if she were your child. If anything sounds off, tell me so I can make sure she runs smoothly once Seonghwa is aboard."

Wooyoung was nervous about how they would transport something as brittle as a laptop, but Jongho seemed confident. Perhaps he designed a safe basket for Seonghwa and his battery to travel in.

San nodded at the back door when Mingi pulled it open.

"You should accept the honors of her first ride. We'll take you along to the cave entrance."

Jongho's eyes sparkled.

"Yes, please."

Together, they helped Jongho and his leg into the car. Wooyoung sat by his side while Mingi took a seat at the front next to San to direct him. Though it was claustrophobic to sit in a tiny box of metal and plastic, the seats were comfortable and Jongho cleaned everything before the assembly.

San rested one hand on the wheel while the other one twisted the key. Though he clutched to his seat at the rattle that shook the entire car, Wooyoung was giddy with excitement. The engine grumbled in an ongoing noise as San figured out the gearstick in the middle of his and Mingi's space. He moved it and his knees shifted when he pressed below. Then they rolled forward.

"Success!" Jongho cheered while Wooyoung was still entranced. San's arms maneuvered the wheel carefully, steering them through the dark tunnel. At another testing flick, two lights at the front flashed on and lit up the cave brighter than any lantern. Even Mingi, who knew his way around and had seen a lot, gaped in awe.

San's grip was tight around the wheel as he steered them around the corner, but they didn't bump into anything. Wooyoung clutched to Mingi's seat as he and Jongho stared out of the glass front in mutual tension. They went slowly, but they should be able to go much faster outside.

Once they arrived in the entrance area, San figured out the car anew. He kicked at something below again, then tugged on a lever behind the gear stick. The car halted and Mingi whistled.

"Oh, let me get the door for you!" Jongho cheered. He scrambled outside as if he weren't hurt and limped past their beams of light. In passing, he stared in marvel at the humming car.

Mingi handed his bag to Wooyoung, and he put it on the empty seat next to him. He was glued to Mingi's seat as the heavy door rolled open under Jongho's cranking. The desert greeted them, bleak as ever with its cloudy skies. Yet it seemed so much more intriguing from this change of perspective.

"We're going!" San called, and Jongho waved an enthusiastic hand at them.

"Be safe! I will await you!" Giddy with joy, he saw them off as San switched his pedals. A moment later, they rolled out onto the sandy ground. Lizards and coyotes scrambled from their loitering nearby, spooked by the sound of the engine. Mingi giggled in delight.

"It's actually driving," he noted as San curved them around, getting used to his freedom. Behind them, Jongho shut the gate to keep the sand outside.

"I didn't think it was possible that any other of the rusty things out here could still drive. I thought ours was one of a kind," San hummed. He shifted the gear stick, pressed down his knee, and suddenly, Wooyoung was launched back into his seat. They went fast, chasing alongside the cliffs until the landscape blurred into a stripe of brown. San frowned in concentration, but his dimples permanently dug into his cheeks.

"It usually takes hours to get to that cave. It's an old storage unit that may have belonged to our current shelter. With the car, it will only be a couple of minutes," Mingi hummed. He clung to the door handle, pale with their speed, but all three of them were too thrilled to even think about slowing down. With the minutes, San relaxed behind the wheel and sunk into his seat as they chased through the desert.

A car would garner a lot of attention, more than they might want with Seonghwa. Many people out there would profit from a working vehicle. But as long as San and Wooyoung were there, they could defend the car from the inside. Wooyoung pictured bracing his new rifle on its windowsill to hail bullets onto the fouls. What would happen if they rammed into them? Surely, no organic body could withstand such an impact?

Wooyoung was almost tempted to ask San to run them into the nearest rock to see if it would burst to bits.

However, as Mingi announced, they made it to their destination faster than expected. Wooyoung just got used to the car and its speed when Mingi directed San to slow down and pull to the rocks lining their left flank. San complied, and they rolled to a stuttering stop near a gaping hole in the cliff. The exhilarating feeling evaporated and Wooyoung wanted to stay put and ride again.

Mindful of their fuel, they left the adventure for their way back. When Wooyoung jumped from the towering car, his legs shook more than he thought. He struggled to find his footing, but Mingi was none the better. They gathered at the back of the car to discuss. Wooyoung checked his full gun cartilage.

"Usually, Jongho and I go together, but I don't trust the car alone," Mingi opened with a glance at the nearby water orb. Its gatherers had turned their heads obscured by the hoods of long trench coats. Even from a distance, their stare made Wooyoung shudder.

"You stay out here and watch it. Death and I can go," San offered, diplomatic.

Wooyoung was about to protest that Mingi knew the way best, but the trader already nodded.

"We need ammunition and provisions. Guns if you find any. Just grab however much you can." He retrieved his bag and offered it to Wooyoung. Huffing, he slung it over his shoulder. No need to be petty now. He and San would need to team up a lot and if he had a problem now, the journey north would be a pain in the ass.

Though he hoped to blame it solely on their recent developments.

Mingi happily stayed outside for a smoke while the other two went in. It was the wasted potential of a fighter against the one who knew his way around, but as soon as San lit a lantern to penetrate the dark, Wooyoung realized it was unnecessary.

This cave was a treasury.

Stacks upon stacks of boxes piled everywhere. The top ones were broken open to expose the innards, offering more fabrics, paper and medical equipment than they could imagine. It was a huge stock, able to support a large team for a long period of time.

Once more, Wooyoung questioned what those scientists had researched out there.

San looked around with a similar expression of awe. They bagged some bandages and painkillers, quickly moving on to find the rest. Some items were largely sourced away already, others entirely untouched. Perhaps with the help of the car, they could lug larger amounts of food and necessities to the shelter.

The cave had a few tunnels branching further inside, much like Jongho's hideout. San and Wooyoung roamed together to find the armory. The light of their lantern danced over the walls.

"Is this anything like your village? These shelters?" Wooyoung whispered. He learned so many new things in such a short time. In all their lives, Yunho and he never expected such grand, sweeping halls of luxury, as unassuming as the natural stone made them look.

San shook his head.

"Ours is much humbler," he muttered back.

They made it into the next cave and filled their duffels with ammunition until the weight dragged them down. If they brought a crate to the car, food was their best bet. They would need to walk twice. The large plastic containers were loaded to the brim with nonperishable cans.

They were about to turn around when a scraping noise from a branching tunnel made them halt. At the same moment, they held their breaths and reached for their guns. Wooyoung's was cocked first as they stared into the darkness.

It couldn't be Mingi from this direction, but if some animal crittered around, it was no concern either.

Instead of either, a slow, bumbling figure peeled from the darkness. Their posture was hunched and lazy, as if they had no interest in dragging all of their limbs along. The light exposed the ghostly green of their skin. Its patterns were unmistakable.

"Fuck," Wooyoung cursed. His finger curled around the trigger, but San caught his arm at the last moment before the shot could echo in the cavern. His eyes were wide when more and more fouls came trudging forth, disturbed from their slumber.

"Too many," he whispered as he hastily clicked the flashlight off. In the dark, every noise seemed dangerously close.

"What about Mingi?!" Wooyoung hissed as they backed away. They prayed the fouls would choose the other direction or that the scent from the desert distracted them.

"He can take the car in an emergency. We are trapped." In the dark, he felt for Wooyoung's hand and took him along. They hastened down the path leading further into the cave, passing more boxes looming in the dark. Behind them, the fouls slowly shuffled along to find their trail.

San's fingers felt along the wall, trying to find a door or anywhere to hide. The stone was bare and offered no more secret passage to sneak away.

With no time to spare, they slipped behind a pile of crates.

"Help me," San asked as he picked up the ones stacking nearby to barricade the corner they tucked into. They sorted the crates around them, creating a tall wall that would hopefully mask their sight and smell.

Wooyoung's heart hammered in his chest as he stood with his back pressed against San's chest. Their space was tiny, but easier to defend in case the fouls broke through. Every breath seemed loud as they listened to the trudging steps with their guns drawn.

"How will we know if they left?"

"They will lie down if they find nothing. Wait," San muttered and Wooyoung shivered when his hot breath caressed his neck.

Hopefully, none got out to Mingi. As much as waiting here would be torment, Wooyoung preferred it over a full-out fight.

Leaning into each other and with every sense strained, Wooyoung and San properly worked together as they listened to the fouls searching around the room to find them and rip their flesh from their bones.