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Lael and TheFantasy14



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Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:50 pm
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Europa says...



@Lael

Link to Writerfeed Pad http://europa.writerfeedpad.com/3
Last edited by Europa on Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.





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Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:57 am
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Europa says...



Synopsis
When the world fell apart, Gyeoung and her brother Jae-Young lost everything. For years they wandered from place to place, just them and the ruptured world that used to be their home. Then they met Evan.





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Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:33 am
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Lael says...



When his life is snatched away from him, Evan Kim has no goal left but to survive and fulfill his mother's seemingly impossible dying wish: to find his father in South Korea. Along his travels across America, he learns that the Korean Peninsula was miraculously nearly unscathed by the disaster and is now the base of operations for the United Nations, which is launching search missions all over the world to find anyone who is alive amid the rubble of ruined countries. This is Evan's only hope for a chance to be reunited with his remaining family. When he meets Gi and Jae, two people just like him, despite all he has faced, he cannot help but ask them to come with him to find passage to South Korea, which has become paradise in the eyes of the world.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7





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Tue Nov 08, 2016 2:31 am
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Europa says...



Now the three survivors must band together to reach this fabled promise land. They survived the quake, but now they must brave the aftermath, both outside, and in.





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Mon Dec 12, 2016 12:30 am
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Europa says...



Jae-Young Hwang

It was raining. The clouds overhead were dark and made the broken world around us darker. I wrap my arm tighter around my sister's waist, half carrying, half dragging her through the oil-slicked puddles.

"Why do you have to be so reckless all the time?" I could still hear the baying of a few straggling dogs behind us. I sped up. My leg gave a twinge of pain and I leaned more heavily on my metal pole. My guess would be it used to make up part of a fence. It may have even surrounded a school once, but that would have been a long time ago Before the whole world fell apart. Whatever it may have been, it was my crutch now. Besides Gi it has been my only companion for these last six months. Gyeoung didn't give any reply to my question. I looked down to make sure she hadn't passed out. She was still glaring ahead, wide awake. The rain streaming down her body made the blood run down down her face and arms, giving her a slightly demented look. She scowled at me through the blood and water obscuring her vision.

"Your welcome."

"You could have died." I pushed on.

"But I didn't." She pointed out.

"No," I agreed. "But you darn well came close to it! If it hadn't been for me, you would have been ripped to shreds. And what if I hadn't gotten there in time?" I couldn't help glancing down at my twisted leg. "What do you think I would have done if I lost you?"

Gi's mouth was set in a grim line. "Survived."

I sighed. "You're losing blood fast. are you sure you don't want to stop for a bit?"

"We're almost there." She replied. It might have been my imagination but as she said it the dark circles under her eyes grew darker. "I can make it."
I stared down at her, and she glared back up at me as if warning me to not even try.

I tried.

"We're still a half an hour away and you know it. Some of those bites are really bad, and this rain definitely won't help with keeping them clean." I started to turn toward a building. Once upon a time, it may have been some sort of skyscraper, maybe an office building, but it had long since been toppled over. It lay on its side, half crushing a smaller structure and offering a small patch of dry sidewalk underneath where it lay.

"I'm telling you its not that bad!"

"And I'm telling you that you aren't the one with a master's degree in medical science. Just, please. Let me take a look and patch you up a bit, okay?"

Gi nodded reluctantly. "Alright."

We limped our way over to the shelter and ducked under the slant of concrete. After hours of trekking through the rain, the sudden dryness and warmth seemed almost unreal to me. I helped Gi settle down, and then slowly lowered myself down to crouch in front of her, leaning on my pole for support.Slinging the backpack off my shoulders, I unzipped it and began rifling through its contents for the materials I knew I'd need. A thin roll of gauze, a nearly empty bottle of liquid iodine, and a slowly depleting bag of cotton balls. "Which one hurts the worst?"
Gi wordlessly pulled down the top of her shirt to expose her shoulder. I could already tell the dogs teeth had gone deep. They may even have scraped the bone. From a side pocket in the pack I withdrew a small, stained rag. Gi sat stone faced, staring ahead of her as I cleaned as much of the visible dirt and grime as I could away from the wound without using our precious supply of clean water bottles. I threw the rag aside and poured iodine onto a cotton ball. Gi winced a bit when I dabbed at the wound the first time, then distracted herself by picking up the roll of gauze and slowly winding and unwinding a small loose scrap around her finger. I held my hand out. Gi gave me the gauze and I began wrapping her shoulder.
"That's the best I can do." I sighed once I finished. "As long as you don't do anything crazy and let me clean it every once in a while, it should heal fast. What about the rest of them."

"They don't really hurt that much."

I treated them anyway. Just in case she was lying to me. The slight furrow that darkened her brow as she watched told me she probably had been. I glanced up at the sky. Night was approaching. It was still pouring.

"well, it looks like we're staying here tonight." I noted. Gi mumbled her agreement.

"I can take first watch."

"You did the first shift last night." I pointed out. "I'll take it now." To my surprise, Gyeoung laid down without a word of argument. Within a few short minutes her breathing turned steady and deep. She was sleeping peacefully. I stared out at the rain drenched world outside. The gentle hiss of water made my eyelids seem heavier. I yawned a little, exhaustion seeping into my bones. I shook my head as if I could just fling the drowsiness out of me, and watched the horizon intently for signs of life. An odd flick of shadow, a strange noise, or worse, one of those dogs again. Hours passed. The rain continued to fall. The moon slowly began to sink closer to the horizon. I glanced back a Gi. She was still asleep. Normally, she would have been up and about hours before. I reached out to shake her awake, then paused and drew my hand away. I laid down next to her.
Just for a little bit. Then I'll wake her. My eyes slid closed, and for what felt like only an instant, I slept. What woke me was the sound of Gi shouting questions. I sat up and quickly snatched my pole from the floor. The sun was already glaring in the sky. Gi had one of her arms locked around a young Asian boy's neck. Her other hand was clasped on his wrist, holding his hand to where the gun he was holding was pointing at his own head. Her finger was wrapped around his. Over the trigger. He wasn't struggling. Clutching my pole for support, I levered myself into a standing position and limped over, pole clashing against the concrete floor, to face the stranger. I bent down to where Gi had him stooped, and stared unblinkingly into his dark eyes.
"I think it would be in your best interest," I murmured steadily "to explain yourself.





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Sat Dec 17, 2016 1:27 am
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Lael says...



Evan Kim

I hadn't expected anyone to be under this building. All I needed was a dry place to rest for a bit, after walking all day and hurrying through the rain all night, making sure to avoid the sounds of dogs barking.

And I needed to find my cat, Rina, frivolous as the thought may have seemed.

I paused before the dim opening. Who knew what could be in there? Wild animals, desperate people . . . With only a brief moment's thought, I pulled my handheld gun out of my pack before soundlessly putting one foot in front of the other.

My Uncle Do-Yang had always advised me to use all of my senses, and not to disregard my instincts, whenever I was in danger. Now, I ducked down, inching forward with my gun before me, ears listening for any odd noises, nose searching for smells of toxins or other life forms. My eyes roved over the shadows and the wet concrete giving in to the dry as I got farther into the shelter.

But I could also feel exhaustion weighing at my limbs, dulling my senses and causing my eyes to flicker open and shut. I decided that the area should be safe, since nothing had shown itself yet.

I lowered the gun.

An arm locked around my neck and I tumbled to my knees as a body collided into my back. A small, cool hand with a viselike grip constricted my gun hand and brought the barrel to my temple.

If I hadn't allowed myself to relax, I would have noticed someone else was here.

"Okay, talk!" a feminine yell blasted my ear. I could feel her breath on my neck. "Who are you, and what are you doing in here?"

I didn't move, and I didn't speak.

Almost seconds later, I heard a hollow, ringing sound and a young Asian man--older than me, most likely--limped before me, holding a metal pole. He knelt (with considerable effort) in front of me.

"I think it would be in your best interest to explain yourself," he said quietly, staring unwaveringly into my eyes.

I stared back at him, searching his face for signs of hostility. I blinked slowly at him, trying to quickly think of what to say, and I swallowed. I could feel my throat against my captor's arm.

"I don't want to cause any trouble," I began. "I was just looking for a place to rest."

"Oh, really," muttered the person behind me, but the man nodded, expressionless.

"Go on."

"If you don't mind me asking, would you have your friend let me go first?" I asked. "Then we can talk things out."

The cold barrel of my gun was shoved even more forcefully against my head, and I tensed as the girl's finger over mine on the trigger did too.

"Oh, so just because I'm female you think I'm an idiot?" she retorted.

(That was not my thought process at all.)

"You come creeping around with a gun and you expect us to just let you go. Not unless you're unarmed." The girl's grip tightened even more.

In a world where only the fittest survived, giving up your weapons meant death.

Though I couldn't see her, I could see her companion, the limping one. My eyes locked on his. In them I saw a person who only wanted to live. There was also, perhaps . . . kindness. A voice in my head whispered, Trust them.

"Okay," I said, loosening my hold on the handheld. "I have a knife as well as my gun." I dug it out of my pocket and dropped it into my backpack.

The girl held the gun and snatched my pack from me as soon as I'd slipped it off my shoulders. I stood and held out a hand for the man to take, but the girl slapped it away with a killer glare.

"Put your hands on your head. And keep them to yourself," she ordered, pointing my own gun at me.

I dipped my head, complying. "Yes, ma'am."

The girl--who, surprisingly for the occasion, struck me as pretty--scowled at my words, while the man glanced at her, then gave me a curious look. Perhaps they came from a part of the country that took offense at what really were, to me and others who had lived in the South, just basic manners.

I studied her, a nagging sense in my mind telling me that I had seen her somewhere before. She seemed so familiar, yet I couldn't quite remember.

After a few moments' silence, as though he had noticed my sudden attention to the girl, the man cleared his throat. "It would be best if you . . . introduced yourself," he said.

"Evan," I said. "I'm Evan. What about y'all?"

"I'm Jae," said the man. "And this is Gi."

Gi glared. "Not a pleasure to meet you. Country guy," she muttered.

"Gi," murmured Jae warningly.

"What?" She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. "He probably wanted to steal from us. Didn't you, cowboy?"

I could feel my cheeks warming at her obvious insult. "W-what? I--no! I wouldn't steal from anyone!"

"He's probably going to murder us in our sleep if we give him the chance." Gi paced about. "I say we take his supplies and leave him to fend for himself. I'm sure the dogs would love to have a new friend."

"We can't just do something like that!" argued Jae.

The two began to argue, as though they forgot my presence entirely. A thought crept into my mind to sneak away while they were occupied, but almost everything I owned was in that backpack, now in the hands of Gi. I touched my chest instinctively, and sighed with relief even though I knew that the round shape would be there beneath my shirt, hanging from a chain.

"We can't trust him!" Gi snapped, throwing my backpack down on the ground. She winced. My eyes focused on her arm, and I gasped.

"Is that blood on your arm? Are you okay?" I stepped forward quickly, but Gi pointed the gun at me again, grimacing.

"Who gave you permission to ask questions?" She shifted her shoulder away from me to block my view of the blood running from underneath her sleeve.

Oh, Umma. What am I going to do?
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7





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Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:44 am
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Europa says...



Gyeoung Hwang

I stared down the barrel at him. His eyes met mine, and he held my gaze with only a bit of his nerves showing. Jae casually manuvered himself into the path of the barrel and I lowered the gun. "Answers now."
His eyes flicked from me to Jae and then back to me, His eyes then styed trained on mine. "What do you want to know?" He said it slowly, cautiously as if a missed word could cause some sort of disaster.

I narrowed my eyes. "How about why you were creeping around here waving a gun? What are you doing here?"

His eyes didsn't leave mine. "Well, I dont suppose you wouldnt use your gun, if you had one. These are dangerous times. And . . . "

I scowled. "And?"

"and...I was looking for...My cat."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your cat."

He nodded. "Yes. My cat. Her name is Rina. She likes to...wander off sometimes."

Spoiler! :
For the sake of getting something up and getting this rolling again, I'll stop here. Maybe you could write out the rest of this exchange, stop when he goes after Rina, and I could write at least part of the highwaymen?





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Sat Jan 28, 2017 8:27 pm
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Lael says...



Evan

Gi rolled her eyes. "Well, she's obviously not here."

How rude could this girl get? Either way, she probably didn't believe me.

"Yes, I can see that," I said with gritted teeth. "I would like to leave right now, if you guys would let me."

Jae nodded. "We're not going to stop you."

Gi smirked. "Agreed."

"I'm glad you think that way," I said, pulling my waterproof jacket closer around myself. "I don't mean any harm to anyone. If y'all would give me back my stuff, I'll get out of here."

Gi tossed my bag over, and it landed with a loud thud. "So long, cowboy."

I said on impulse, "If we had actually gotten a chance to get acquainted, before the earthquake, I would have asked you to not call me that, but since I'll probably never see y'all again, I suppose it's okay." I flashed a small smile at them.

Jae nodded again and said, "Good luck," while Gi blinked stoically.

"Thanks. Good luck to you too." I furrowed my eyebrows for a moment as I looked at them. "You know, it's really strange, but I feel like I've seen you before, Gi."

The girl sighed. "First of all, you're not allowed to call me that. Just call me Gyeoung. Second, you probably have, just not in person. But it doesn't really matter now. Fame doesn't help you survive. Now are you leaving or do I have to use this?" She pointed the gun at me.

Gyeoung? Her real name is Gyeoung? "Gyeoung . . . Hwang? The actress?" I could barely keep my mouth from falling open.

"That's my name. Thankfully, it isn't worth near as much as it was." Gyeoung lifted her chin, a challenge in her eyes.

I took a step back and realized that she was still holding my gun. Though I was actually shocked that I had met one of the celebrities I had liked -- mostly because she was Korean, like me -- my survival instincts overrode any trace of excitement I would have felt if things were still normal. "Wait . . . you're not going to keep my gun, are you? I could die without it!"

She sniffed. "As for the gun . . ." She turned it over in her hands and unloaded it. "I'm keeping the ammo." She tossed the gun and pulled out her knife. "Go."

I caught my weapon with one hand, as I was still holding my backpack in the other. "A-all right . . ." I turned and began to leave the shelter.

What a pathetic way to end a meeting with your favorite Hollywood actress, but I guess I can't be picky. I grinned to myself at the thought. I never knew she was so rude, though. But maybe it's just because we all have to do what we can to survive. And I would never blame anyone for that.

My smile faded as another thought came to my head: Umma would have loved to meet her.

A flash of brown broke me out of my reverie. It was a cat running past the entrance. I gasped and shouted, "Rina!"

I ran, giving chase. I couldn't risk losing her. She was all I had left.

But in my haste to catch my feline friend, I didn't realize that I had dropped all of my possessions, gun and pack and all.
Last edited by Lael on Sun Jan 29, 2017 4:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7





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Sun Jan 29, 2017 2:49 am
Europa says...



Gyeoung Hwang

I stared down at the pack, then back up at the intruder's receding back.
"All that fuss over this backpack and he just leaves it?"

Jae shrugged. "He must really like that cat. Come on, we'd better get this back to him."

I glanced back down at the pack. It bulged slightly at the edges. When I had picked it up, it had felt so heavy. Whatever he had in there, it would have been useful to us.
And to him. my conscience whispered. I sighed. "I guess you're right. Here." I tossed him our backpack, heart sinking slightly at how easily it swung in the air. Not a hint of weight or resistance. Jae caught it and I hefted the intruder's onto my shoulders. It pressed down on them with that attractive weight if the supplies inside. We crept out into the sunlight and started heading in the direction we had saw him go.

"We better get rid of this fast." I grunted. "Carting around something this full paints a target on our back."
Jae murmured in agreement.
"Come back!" a familiar voice shouted.

"There he is." I sighed. we began to run in the direction of the sound. A vaguely human-shaped shadow flitted breifly in and out of sight. I slowed down a few steps. The shadow's footsteps continued at the same speed for only a second before slowing down to match mine. I pulled the gun out and snapped the magazine back into the bottom. Jae glanced over his shoulder at me. I motioned for him to go on, so of course, he stops as well. I point the gon toward the footsteps.

"Come out here where we can see you!"

The shadow sighed. "Looks like you caught us."
My gut twisted. us?
The shadow I was pointing my gun at stepped into the light. A larger female with matted brown hair that made her look like a sheepdog. I hate dogs. She grinned. "Nice pack you have there." I tightened my grip on the gun, finger clenching around the trigger. My eyes darted around the street. I saw no other shadows. Nothing moved. Where are they?
"Alright." The sheepdog called. "Hide and seek is over, boys. Come on out." Out of seemingly nowhere, at least ten other people dropped into the street. The sheepdog smiled, baring her yellow canines. "Now, how about another game?" I backed up closer to Jae as the other bandits closed in, swinging the gun to point at each of them in turn. The sheepdog snarled.
"Chase."

Spoiler! :
Sorry for any typos. Writing this while very tired. Hope you like!





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Sun Feb 05, 2017 11:40 pm
Lael says...



Evan

"Rina! Stop!" I shouted in Korean. Honestly, all thoughts of caution just flew out the window of my mind when it came down to the very depths of my relationship with this cat. I ran through the open road, keeping my eyes solely focused on the cat racing ahead.

She looked back, once, with a rather smug, taunting expression. That is, if cats can really have smug, taunting expressions.

Finally, my speed enabled me to catch up to her and I snatched her up before she could escape again. "Gotcha!"

Rina squirmed in my grasp, claws unsheathed. I was so happy, though, that I almost didn't mind the stings in my forearms that followed.

"As sharp as ever, eh, Rina?" I laughed, cuddling the irritated feline close, but turned serious. "Really, though, don't run away on me again. I honestly don't know if I'm crazy or what, for talking to a cat all the time, but I need you here with me. Okay?"

My cat gave a sort of half-growl, half-meow in response. I smiled. "Good. I'm going to put you down, now, all right?" Cautiously, I set her on the ground again, ready to grab her if she bolted. But she merely flicked her tail dismissively and sat, preparing to wash her paw.

It was at that moment that something hit me.

"Oh my--Evan!" I groaned and slapped my forehead. How could I have left my pack after just getting it back?

Well, it couldn't be helped. I would have to go back and make sure Gyeoung Hwang and Jae--probably her boyfriend, now that I thought about it--hadn't decided they would take the whole thing after all.

I sighed. "Come on, Rina."

As I headed back, this time sticking closer to the side of the road and the shadows, definitely more alert, I heard shouts ahead. Chills went up my spine. It almost seemed that there was some sort of animosity in the air.

Like someone was out for blood.

I drew closer to the shadowed buildings, listening. There had to be a lot of people, wherever they were. Better not get close, my common sense whispered.

But when I heard one female voice above the others, yelling defiantly, I knew I had to go back.

Gyeoung and Jae must have my backpack. They must have been ambushed. An image of Jae's twisted leg and limp filled my mind, though, and crowded out my other thoughts.

"Let's go, Rina," I said, breaking into a run. "I've gotta help somebody out. Stay hidden when we get there." (Thankfully, she followed. And perhaps she did understand me, after all.)

I just hoped that the situation wasn't as bad as my inner self was telling me.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7





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Thu Mar 09, 2017 2:31 am
Europa says...



Jae-Young Hwang

My leg was flaming with pain, but I only pushed harder. If I fell behind, If I stopped even for a second, Gi would go back. It would be the dogs all over again, and this time I might not be fast enough to save her.
We made a sharp turn just as someone behind us fired a gun. The bullet exploded against the wall right next to my ear.
That was when my leg decided to give out. It didn't even need to be shot or hit, it just seemed to cave in. With a final flare of pain my knee buckled and I tumbled to the ground. Gyeoung skidded to a stop and yanked the knife out of its sheath. She knealt down to pick me up just as the pack of bandits rounded the corner. Some from the street we had come in from, and the rest from behind. There was nowhere to run now. Gi glanced down at me, then back up at the bandits. Her eyes hardened the way they always did when she made a decision she knew I would berate her for later. One she no doubt thought was the only way to ensure I was safe.
A white hot wave of pure emotion--not any specific feeling, just raw feeling--crashed over me. I was the older one. I was supposed to be the one protecting us. Instead I'm on the ground. Useless.
As she dashed past me, I reached out and grabbed her ankle. She fell, and the knife flew from her fingers. Still gripping her ankle in one hand, I grabbed my pole and levered myself onto my knees. The bandits were close enough that I could make out the leader's flashing eyes. The rest of her gang had formed a loose circle around us. I let Gi pull out of my grip and hauled myself to my feet.

"Drop the gun." The leader ordered, casually scooping up her knife from the ground. Gi snarled silently and gripped it tighter. She had just swung it up to firing position when something seemed to catch her eye.
She lowered it slightly, and without taking her eyes off whatever she had seen, flung it over the ring of bandits' heads. The leader glowered as if contemplating shooting her right then, but seemed to decide against it. She began pacing slowly closer to us.

"Its probably useless to ask you to just hand the pack over. I know you both aren't idiots." The leader smirked. "So we'll just kill you instead. Quick, painless business."
Gi grabbed my hand and I squeezed it. The leader raised her gun, and Gi suddenly dropped to the ground. Her sudden dead weight yanked me down with her, causing me to lose my grip on the pole, which rolled to the edge of the ring.
A gun went off. Someone wailed in pain, the same kind of noise an injured animal would make. Gi stood and quickly pulled me to my feet. The pack of bandits was staring dumbly at their leader, who was sprawled on the ground clutching her leg. Blood was seeping through her fingers to pool on the street. It didn't take a doctor to figure out what had happened.

Someone jumped down from a windowsill, kicking a bandit in the head on his way down. "Behind you!" He shouted.
Right as they said it, Something struck the back of my head and white hot pain raced though my skull. My vision shocked to black. From what seemed to be a great distance, I could hear Gi shouting. My consciousness began to ebb away, but I forced my eyes to open. Through the haze I saw an only slightly familiar face. Evan. The intruder.

"Hold on." He grunted, roping an arm around my chest and heaving me upright. His other hand held the gun Gi had thrown. He swung it easily, aiming it quickly at our enemies. He shot at their legs, their knees, their arms, but never anywhere lethal.
Ahead of us was Gi, my pole clutched in one hand while slashing and stabbing with her knife in the other and showing no such mercy to her victims.
The three of us pressed forward, fighting our way through the horde. The air was thick with the sound of gunshots and shouting, as well as the stench of blood.

"Gyeoung!" I shouted. She kicked away the bandit she had finished cutting open, and turned to me. I held out my hand. She nodded and tossed my pole toward Evan and I. I caught it and planted it firmly on the ground. With its help I set my feet steadily under me. "I think I can make it on my own for now. "Make sure my sister doesn't get herself killed."

Evan hesitated for a moment. Stared him dead in the eye "I'll be fine." I worked a bit of steel into my otherwise soft voice. A trick I'd learned to get inconsolable family members to wait in the lobby when the doctors had delivered bad news. Evan nodded and rushed after Gi.
I limped after them as quickly as I could. The horde of bandits was beginning to retreat now. One stopped to pick of their leader, who shouted angry threats heavy with profanity of her shoulder. I handed Evan the backpack.
"Here. You left this."





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Sat Apr 01, 2017 9:25 pm
Lael says...



Evan Kim
I could feel heat coming into my face as I accepted my backpack.

"Thanks," I said, "didn't mean to leave it behind." I forced out a laugh.

As we stood there, Rina popped out of nowhere and sat on my feet.

Gyeoung looked at her in distaste. "That's your cat, isn't it?"

I laughed. "Yeah, this is Rina."

Rina glared at the actress, who turned her gaze away with a sniff.

"Wait, you're hurt!" exclaimed Jae, gesturing at my arm. I glanced down to see blood coming from a long wound on my upper arm. A sudden wave of pain hit me.

"Oh man," I breathed, gritting my teeth. "How did I not notice this?"

"You need medical attention now," said Jae. "Come with us. I can treat you when we get to--"

"Jae!" cried Gyeoung. "Are you just going to trust him?"

Jae glanced at me, then back at her. "An injured person is an injured person. I can't just leave him. He could get an infection and die."

"But what if he really is a bad person?" argued Gyeoung. "What if he threatens us later?"

Suddenly, I realized they had been speaking in Korean. The switch in my mind had been so automatic that I had not even noticed at first. They must have believed I wasn't a Korean like them.

I pretended that I didn't understand what they were saying. "Hey, I'm still here, you know. What are you talking about?"

"Nothing you need to know," said Gyeoung with a scowl.

"Gi," said Jae, giving her a look. "Evan, we have a U-Haul nearby. You are welcome to stay with us while you are recovering."

I could barely keep the smile from growing on my face. "Thank you." Finally. Other humans to be around.

***

"Sung Min-ah," gasped Umma, calling my Korean name. Her hand reached out for me, and I grabbed it tightly.

"Umma, I'm here," I said in Korean.

My mother's eyes were unfocused and her skin was so pale. Like a ghost. Or a dead person.

No. I couldn't let that happen.


"Sung Min, you have to find Abuji*--"

There was a river nearby. It was so clean, strangely, even though most water they had encountered was stagnant and toxic. But I wasn't going to complain. Umma was dehydrated and feverish. I had to help her.

"Umma, just wait here. I'm going to get some water. You're burning up." I stood and ran.

"Sung Min . . . Aga** . . ."

Suddenly, my mom's labored breathing stopped.

I halted dead in my tracks. Though my being screamed at me that it could not be possible, I heart knew she was dead.

"Umma!" I screamed and ran back to her, throwing myself down next to her. "No! Please!"

My mom was dead. My mom was dead. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have left her.

"Don't leave me," I begged, feeling tears in my eyes. "Umma . . . Umma . . ."

She was already so cold.


***

My eyes snapped open. I sat up, my chest heaving. I could feel the sweat all over my body and the tears on my face.

"Hey." Gi's voice came softly from somewhere over to my right.

I jumped. I couldn't look at her. I didn't want her to see my tears. I had only been staying with them for about a week or so. "Hey."

After a long silence, in which I could almost feel her eyes boring into me, Gi said,"
Umma . . . that's the Korean word for 'mom.'"

I let out a long breath. "Yeah. It is."

"You're Korean."

". . . Yeah."

"Glad you told us before." The sarcasm oozed from Gyeoung's words. Then, in a more serious tone, she said, "You lost her, didn't you?"

I swallowed. What would I say? That she died, but she could have lived if I had taken care of her better?

Gyeoung mistook my silence. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I get it."

"I did . . ." I whispered hoarsely. "I lost her." More tears welled in my eyes, and I kept my face down. I couldn't show her any weakness.

"Well...it looks like we have something in common after all."

What? I looked up reluctantly.

Gyeoung let out a long breath. "Jae and I . . . we lost pretty much everyone. Our parents, our brother . . . he was only five years old." Her face was expressionless.

I blinked rapidly. "That sounds . . . tough."

"Yeah," replied Gyeoung. "It was. But we're still alive. That's what matters."

I shook my head. ". . . Is it? My mom was . . . almost everything to me. I would have no reason to live if she hadn't told me to find--" Stop. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I averted my gaze.

"What?"

But I want to tell her. I have to tell someone.

"Um . . ." I began. "Well . . . You see, the only family I had in America was my mom. If you don't count Rina."

Gyeoung nodded. "I don't."

I frowned. Talk about putting someone down. "Anyways, my family is in South Korea. I don't know what happened to them."

The former actress rolled over, wincing. "Well, if they aren't dead already, my guess would be they're in the same situation as us."

I hesitated. It was true that I didn't know exactly what happened to my family, but I did find out that Korea was still there. The UN was looking for people stranded elsewhere to take there for refuge. "I guess."

Should I tell them? No, it's not good to trust them too much, Evan. You just never know.

Gyeoung stared at me for a long time in suspicion. "I get the feeling you won't tell me anything more."

I sighed. It was probably best to end the conversation. "I just want to sleep. We can talk later."

"It's alright," said Gyeoung.

I laid back down and turned away.

"You know, you're a lot stronger than you look."

In the moments of silence after her words, my heartbeat quickened slightly. What did that mean?

"And by the way, you snore. Try not to keep me awake this time."

My imagination crashed down around me.

"I don't snore," I said. "Good night."

"How would you know? You can't hear yourself in your sleep. You sound like a tractor. With a head cold. Good night."

Umma, a light sleeper, would have had so much fun teasing me if I really snored. But she never said anything.

I sat up and looked over at her back, turned to me. "I can't believe how rude you are. Do you have something against me? It's like I only stayed with y'all because of Jae. Who's actually a nice person."

"How sad for you," she retorted.

"Look, I don't like conflict," I said. I could feel my voice rising. I must have been getting disgustingly hysterical. "I don't even know why I told you about my mom. Maybe I shouldn't have."

"Well, I don't like conflict either," scoffed Gyeoung. "It was your choice to tell me. Didn't you just want to sleep a couple of seconds ago?"

Before I lost my head, I snapped, "You know what, let's just stop talking. I won't talk to you until both of us have just . . . cooled off. Good night." I slumped back down and turned away from her.

"Great," said Gyeoung. I could hear her standing up. "I'll try to stay hot as long as I can then." She stalked out.

As I laid there in the dark, guilt and one thought started reeling in my mind: What is happening to me?
Spoiler! :
*abuji - father
**aga - baby
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7





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Sun Jun 04, 2017 4:40 pm
Europa says...





Jae-young Hwang

I felt Gi’s hand rest on my shoulder and looked up. “You should get some rest.” She said “I’ll keep watch.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “You haven’t slept.” Gi sat down next to me.
“I’m sure I’ll be more ready to sleep later. You’ve been at this for hours.” She inclined her hear to the back of the U-Haul. “Go rest. I’ll be okay.”
I gave her one last piercing look, which she met calmly. The heaviness in my own eyelids drove me to nod. “But don’t think I’ll let you pull an all night shift again.” I stood up slowly, gripping my pole for support, and limping to the back of the truck. All the excitement and movement of the day had left it stiff and aching. Every step sent a dull throb through it. I sat down next to Evan with a grunt. A grumbly meow flowed out from behind his backpack and a cat slipped out into the open. Her tan body was riddled with black spots and stripes.
“You must be Rina.” I smiled at the animal and reached out to scratch it behind the ears. It hissed and batted irritably at my hand. I shrugged. “All right then, whatever makes you comfortable.”
Evan sat up. “Hey there.” Rina rubbed against his arm, demanding his attention. Evan stroked her absently and she looked over at me smugly. I gave her a kindly smile before meeting Evan’s sleepy gaze.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
Evan shook his head. “No, I couldn’t sleep.”
I nodded. “It seems to be common problem tonight.”
Evan’s eyes flicked to Gyeoung, no quite able to mask all of his irritation. “You’re a good guy, Jae. How did you start dating someone like her?”
I blinked in confusion. “Dating? No, no. Gi’s my younger sister.”
Evan’s eyes widened and he blushed. “What. Oh! Sorry, I didn’t know!”
I chuckled a little. “That’s alright. I can see where you got that impression from.”
“I don’t really see the similarity between you guys”
I raise an eyebrow. “I assume you’re talking about personality?”
Evan blushed again, suddenly becoming shy. “Um…yeah.” Rina shoved her head more instantly against his hand and Evan started stroking her again. Her back arched and she purred contentedly, though she kept the same bored expression on her face. I sighed a little. Gi was leaning against the doorway with her back to us. So still I would have thought she was sleeping if I didn’t know her better.
“She’s doing it on purpose, you know. She feels safer that way, I think.” With an ache I remembered her before the quake. I remembered her wide grin and how she would wave at people on the street.
“I shouldn’t have acted that way.” Evan tweaked Rina’s ear and she nipped at his hand, obviously displeased. He muttered an apology before continuing. “I almost never let people bother me that way before”
I shook my head, regret biting deeper into me. “Nothing’s the same anymore, Evan. Whoever’s here now after everything that’s happened. They aren’t who they used to be. Gi can be a bit…much sometimes, I know. But she’s only doing what she thinks is necessary. She doesn’t trust easily.” I fixed him with a cold stare. “I’m still not completely sure we can trust you myself.”
Evan sighed. “I guess that’s fair.” Rina, seeming to have gotten tired of attention, twisted away from Evan’s hand and stalked haughtily behind a stack of boxes.
“How’s your arm?” I tapped the unbandaged part of his arm lightly with my pole. Evan shrugged.
“It doesn’t hurt as much as it did.”
“That’s good.” I felt his bicep gingerly “Any stiffness? Swelling?”
Evan moved his arm experimentally. “It’s a little stiff, I guess.”
I frowned. “Well…it seems to be healing okay, but I’ll check it again tomorrow just in case. In the meantime, you should try to get some rest. We have to get going early next morning.”
Evan nodded and laid back down. I leaned against the wall, listening as Evan’s breath grew deep and steady and let the sound pull me into sleep.





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Sun Jul 02, 2017 7:43 pm
Lael says...



Evan Kim

"And then I was like, 'Whoa!' This one's so tough!" I said, grinning and moving my hands about animatedly. "Next thing I knew, the kitten had latched on to me and wouldn't let go. Umma and I decided that she was the one. And that's how we got Rina." I sat back and let out a breath as I finished my tale.

"Wow," said Jae-Young, chuckling a little. "That was interesting. You seem to have a lot of stories to tell, Evan."

I shrugged, feeling heat creep up my neck. "I usually don't tell people that many stories. But . . . this is an exception, of course." After traveling with the Hwangs for a week or two, I had found myself becoming comfortable with Jae and at a wary truce with Gyeoung.

Jae nodded. "I get it."

Just then, the U-Haul stopped and Gyeoung turned off the engine. (I had still not earned enough trust from her to be allowed to drive for them.)

"I guess it's time for a break?" I questioned, puzzled. At my words, Rina popped out from behind my backpack.

Jae frowned. "But we only took a break a couple of hours ago. We shouldn't be stopping here."

We stood and got out, Rina scampering between our legs to run ahead. Gyeoung slipped down from the driver's seat without closing the door, her hand at her hip, where she kept her knife.

"Gi, what's going on?" called Jae, limping forward to join her. I myself put my hand on my gun as I followed him.

But his question was quickly answered when several men stepped into view, wielding weapons from pistols to rifles to knives and clubs made of thick tree branches.

Rina hissed and darted back to my side with her ears flattened to her head.

"Put your weapons down and your hands in the air!" barked one of the strangers, a young African American man.

When the three of us hesitated, the man, obviously the leader, stepped closer, aiming his handgun at Jae. "Now!"

"Hyung!" cried Gyeoung, pointing her knife at the man, and I leveled my gun at him, only for his lackeys to focus on us, ready to attack.

But Jae stared at the man as if he had seen a ghost. His knuckles, gripping his pole tightly, were deathly white.

"Linc?"

"Linc?" repeated Gyeoung, casting a confused glance at her brother before turning back to the leader. Her eyes lit up with some sort of recognition.

At the same time, the stranger lowered his weapon, his eyebrows drawing together as he looked at my friend. "Jae? Jae-Young Hwang?"

Jae smiled. "It's so good to see you!"

Gyeoung and I exchanged glances as the guys clapped each other on the back and the stranger--Linc--exclaimed, "Dude, what happened to your leg?" His companions were as clueless as I was, but they lowered their weapons at his signal.

"That's a story for another time," answered Jae, shaking his head. He turned to Gyeoung and me. "I want you to meet my sister Gyeoung and our friend, Evan."

Linc sure wasn't someone whose bad side I wanted to get on. He was tall, at least six feet, and had a face that seemed to have the capability of looking either terrifying or extremely kind, but I stared at his muscles. He looked like he could snap a thick branch in half. Or someone's hand, I thought as his hand seemed to swallow Gyeoung's when they shook hands.

"You can call me Gi," said Gyeoung to Linc.

What? And I can't?

When Linc turned to me next, I extended my hand. "Evan Kim."

"Linc McClain," said Linc as he shook it. "Jae and I were in school together."

"So what are you doing out here, Linc?" questioned Gyeoung, looking suddenly friendly.

I felt a strange twinge in my gut.

"I run a little refugee camp," replied Linc, smiling down at her. He treated her as if she were just his friend's younger sister, not a famous movie star. "You came at a good time, in fact. We could use some help. Come on, I'll show you the way. Do you mind if we hitch a ride with you guys to get there?"

"Sure," said Jae and Gyeoung at the same time, and everyone started for the U-Haul. Gyeoung climbed back into the driver's seat, while Linc got into the passenger's side beside her. I had to force myself to head to the back, instead of staring at them, and help Jae up while monitoring the refugee camp members as they got in.

Am I jealous? How is that even possible? I don't even like Gyeoung.

"Is something wrong, Evan?" asked Jae with a concerned expression. "Is your arm hurting again?"

"No, I'm okay," I replied, smiling, but I dropped it when he looked away.

Rina crawled under my arm. I petted her absentmindedly as questions whirled around in my mind as fast as the scenery around us went by.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7





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Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:09 pm
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Europa says...



Geyoung[i/] [i]Hwang

With Linc's direction, we reached his camp in a matter of five minutes. A cluster of boxes and dirty tents packed into the recesses of a mostly collapsed house.

"Impressive." I commented. Linc shrugged modestly

"it's not much."

"But you managed to find a mostly-intact building to put it in." I pointed out. "That's not easy."

"True." Linc admitted. "I'm lucky I stumbled on it. Protects us from most of the rain." He opened the his door and jumped out, waiting until I too had exited the vehicle to circle around the back and join his friends. I pulled Jae aside.

"You're sure this is actually him?"

Jae nodded "Positive."

I glanced over at Linc, who was back with the rest of his patrol, smiling and talking with them. "I hope you're right."

Linc looked over at us. "This way. Follow me." He looked over at Evan "You can come too if you want."

"That's alright." Evan replied. I could have sworn his eyes flicked to mine for a split second. "I think I'll explore on my own if that's alright."

Linc nodded. "That's fine."

Evan wandered off and we followed Linc to a small corner of the house walled off by a torn curtain. Jay ducked in first and Linc held the curtain aside for me as I followed. He came in last and we sat down facing him.
Linc let out a long breath.

"We need to talk."








Obsessing over what you regret won't get you anywhere.
— Steggy