"Wooyoung, water?"

Wooyoung stirred. Although the distress about Jongho's predicament put him under constant strain, his had exhaustion caught up with him. While the jeep rushed through the dead landscape, he dozed against the car frame despite its constant bumping and vibrating. When he lifted his head, he met San's eyes through the rearview mirror. The severity of their situation made his stare grim, but there was a twinkle in there that hoped Wooyoung got in some rest.

Laboriously, Wooyoung sat up. Yunho held a bottle of water across Mingi's lap and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry for waking you, but we should be almost there. Figured you want to get your bearings first."

Charmed by the beautiful character of his partner, Wooyoung took the bottle. Yunho beamed at him and sunk back into his seat.

Wooyoung was glad they didn't continue their debate so he could get some rest. Back awake, the silence felt stifling, but he was glad to find that Jongho's tears had dried and Yeosang busied himself in the back, cutting bandaids into various sizes.

Mingi still held Jongho's hand in a loose grip. His shoulder must be terribly stiff.

Wooyoung refreshed his throat with the water. So clean and delightful, it washed down his body, but the gloom lingered. Without it, would they have noticed Jongho was turning? Or would he have attacked them one day and left them with no other chance to shoot him down?

In the case of an emergency, whose side would Mingi be on?

Wooyoung didn't want to think about it too much. 

"Is it noon yet?" Wooyoung asked once he capped the bottle shut and handed it back to Yunho. From the front seat, Seonghwa chirped his reply, and he sounded far more determined than earlier. Glad their fire returned, Wooyoung listened to him. The perpetual dread might be fitting, but it would hold them back from doing what they pledged to do. Jongho was still here and he would see the mission come to fruition. 

"We are almost there. From here, it's a straight road."

Wooyoung looked out of the window, but the landscape hadn't changed yet. It didn't seem like the CRC would be among city ruins, as he initially expected. It was tucked into the forest, almost hidden away. Perhaps for a better signal?

"A road that won't be accessible to us for much longer," San sighed and reached for the gear stick. Curious, Wooyoung peered past him. He expected a horde of fouls ready to be run over, but their problem was much more unspectacular.

A massive tree had fallen across the road, offering no space to wind under or around. Some smaller ones, they could lug out of the way, but this one would resist both the might of their car and their human abilities.

San slowed down while everyone else assessed the situation. Once Jongho sluggishly lifted Seonghwa to see, he made a disappointed noise.

"Sorry, everyone, but we can't brute force that one. We will have to walk the last stretch."

As San pulled them to a stop near the obstacle, Yeosang fumbled to gather the bandaids back into their metal tin and shoved them into his bag. Wooyoung should offer him some words of comfort later. Even more than before, he was skittish and mindful of every little move. Mingi could be scary when he was angry, so Wooyoung wanted to assure their latest addition that he wasn't hated. He just had to resist a few glares.

"How long will it take?" Mingi asked, and his voice was rough from all the yelling today. While San opened his door to step outside, the others watched with bated breath.

The raider kicked the stem of the tree with all his might, but it didn't crumble. 

Definitely no getting across with the car.

San grimaced back at them, and Wooyoung opened his door to clamber outside.

"An hour, give or take. It's not too far. If we need a quick escape, the car is in range," Seonghwa assured them. He waited on the seat while everyone else figured out what they needed to take along. The fuel could stay inside the car but they should take its keys so no one stole it. Weapons, ammunition, food. Seonghwa sounded as if the effort at the CRC would be resolved relatively quickly, but they made sure to bring enough water. 

Wooyoung slung his rifle over his chest for better stability. Mingi shrugged his coat over his shoulders.

In Yeosang's bag amassed their bandages and bandaids in case the place was inhabited. Whatever dangers might lurk, Wooyoung was confident this big of a group could deal with it. Especially with their secret weapon of an absolutely rabid Mingi. 

"We can do an hour," Wooyoung complied. They hit all the doors shut and assembled next to the car. Jongho's shoulders hunched under the weight of his woes and he cowered by Mingi's side, not meeting any of their eyes.

Wooyoung was so sorry for him, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to him.

"Let's hurry and get to it, then." San beckoned them to follow, and Yunho swooped in to carry Seonghwa and his instructions along. Mingi kept Jongho in the middle, shielded from all sides. They didn't talk, but the tall trader was in tune with Jongho's wishes.

Not that he had any. He trudged along like a ghost, no longer the ridiculous joy bringing their expedition forward. 

Wooyoung hated seeing him like this, but he hoped they could give him something back for once. That their presence eased his stress, if just a little. 

They rounded the tree, and Wooyoung naturally fell into step with Yeosang. He wasn't too nosy about their surroundings since they were an entire hour away still. Once the forest cleared for their destination, San and Yunho would say so.

"Hey," he addressed their new medic. When Yeosang whipped around, startled, Wooyoung sent him a smile that hopefully looked soothing. He wasn't the best at this and his rare moments of vulnerability had been for Yunho's eyes only not too long ago. Though it still felt foreign to him to be kind to anyone aside from his partner, Wooyoung was improving. Other people out there deserved his trust just as much.

His smile was awkward enough that Yeosang stayed in his ducked position. Although he was such a broad fellow and they got to know each other in the fighting ring where he constantly beat people into bloody pulps, he wasn't used to speaking for himself. Especially not among a group he felt he owed something.

Wooyoung didn't want to revisit his past. After all, it had been their very reason to drag Yeosang away from there. 

It was a win that Yeosang didn't glance right away. Wooyoung continued, voice low so they wouldn't disturb the others or set off Mingi. He appreciated the casual walk after so much time squeezed into the car and though the air was ever so gloomy; it was refreshing out here. Less sand in their clothing.

"Are you okay? I wanted to check in with you."

"I'm okay," Yeosang muttered automatically. He glanced away, but not before throwing Mingi a fearful gaze. The trader marched ahead unbothered, so Yeosang allowed himself to take a breath.

"You don't look okay," Wooyoung pointed out, not one to see the purpose of lies for the sake of upholding peace. If they started fighting each other because of suppressed anger, no one would profit.

Exasperated, Yeosang sent him a flat look. It made Wooyoung giggle since it reminded him of the threatening gaze Yeosang gave people in the ring, but at least it had some personality.

"We were harsh on you earlier. I wanted to apologize. Everyone is tense right now, and we didn't expect anyone with the fungus to be among us. Apart from San," Wooyoung added. He felt weird talking about him with others. As if San was his precious little secret and they only ever giggled in the shadows while no one else knew about them. It made him tingle with silliness. It was stupid, but it was also fun.

Perhaps there was more to life after all. Not that companionship would fix the world, but trusting others and sharing laughter made things less gloomy. Day by day, Wooyoung understood better why the old civilization was so tight-knit.

"I was told San is a special case, and I didn't need to concern myself with him," Yeosang muttered as he cast his face to the ground. "It was difficult to ignore his marks, but I got used to him when he always talked like a person. When I saw the fungus on Jongho's leg, I-"

Wooyoung looked into the forest, thumbing on the strap of his gun.

"You did nothing wrong. You spotted a danger and alerted us to it. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known he was turning. But Jongho is very dear to us, so it's difficult to end his life on the spot. Mingi can be coarse, but he means well."

After all, Wooyoung had to warm up to him, too. The encounter of the knife to his neck was branded into his mind. Usually, he fought bumbling fouls and snapping coyotes. Getting attacked by a human was something else.

Yeosang was used to it. Had he wanted, he could have attained the upper hand. But in his hesitation, he showed he was loyal to the team.

"Mingi knows you didn't betray us. He might not apologize, but give him some time. This news hits him worst," Wooyoung muttered as he stared at Mingi's squared back.

For a while, Yeosang was silent and pondered that information. Then he gave in.

"I understand. Thank you, Wooyoung."

Wooyoung flashed him another grin, and this one looked better. Proud of himself for managing social interaction, he accepted Yeosang's tentative smile back.

"No problem."

They went back to their brooding and marching, and soon the forest lightened around the road. Since no new nature sprouted after the holocaust, the landscape remained as the humans left it. A large clearing spread between the trees, offering space to park cars and the crumbled leftovers of a concrete wall. The facility was larger than Wooyoung expected, reaching far into the woods. Large cable towers emerged from it as if wanting to copy the trees and empty windows peeled from the combined grey of the sky and the walls.

The massive gate was shut, but the protective wall caved in under enough fallen trees to offer space to clamber in. 

As Seonghwa said, the ruins of Anda weren't as pitiful as the places they were used to. This facility could make an excellent shelter and it seemed to hold up. 

They came to a slow stop before the gates. Cameras towered between barbed wire, but their lenses were void of life. Though no sound came from the inside, this was undoubtedly what they searched for.

"Here it is," Seonghwa confirmed. "Back in the day, it would have been open for visitors, but they built walls everywhere when the war started."

"We will find our way inside," San uttered, awed by the building. He kept glancing back down the road, missing the jeep that accompanied them for so long.

"What do we expect? No fouls if the walls hold them back, right?" Mingi brought up, loading his firearms to make sure every one was ready for the fast draw.

The others checked their items as well, making sure they wouldn't get caught with their pants down. 

"Skeletons, I assume. Unless the wall caved in the back, it should be empty of the usual loiterers," Seonghwa replied. Out here, few raiders would find this place and build a shelter.

If they were lucky, it would be easy. Go in, plug Seonghwa into whatever socket he needed to go to, and then run back out to bring Jongho to San's people and pray they found another cure while he was gone.

"Then let's go," Mingi grunted. They packed Seonghwa in their bags, tentative to carry him in front when they entered unknown territory. Wooyoung climbed across a fallen tree behind Jongho. It had flattened the barbed wire and allowed access across the torn wall. Wooyoung gave Yeosang his hand as they made it over and found themselves in the empty parking lot. Ahead, a doorless entrance granted access to the facility.

"Find the primary computer system and we will figure out the rest from there," Seonghwa instructed, muffled by their bags. He knew to stay quiet in an emergency.

They had their weapons drawn and shielded the group in all directions as they slowly made their way in.

Seonghwa's whisper lost itself in the confinements of the darkness he was doused in.

"Don't worry. I will fix everything."

********

Aaaand part 2 is over! Part 3 will be the last one, so I hope you are prepared for the grand finale!

As of now, I will disappear for a few days to prepare my mammoth project for in between. I have a hybrid teez one shot coming up, so make sure to check it out in my one shot book once it drops! As usual, my twitter Susimau_s will update you on new uploads ^^

I hope to see everyone soon for part three! Until then, take care and thank you for cheering for Mission Bluebird with me~