Trusting In the Name
His gaze narrowed momentarily, before he reached out and grabbed the granola bar from his grip.
He blinked a moment, before he pouted and whined, "Hyung~!"
Chan frowned at him, even as he turned and set the bar back into the backpack he'd been packing, "Don't "hyung" me, Changbin. I told you three times now, we need to conserve our food. Without mass production of food, we have to be conservative of what we eat and how much." Changbin pouted as he crossed his arms. Chan rolled his eyes at his dramatics, "Bin, it's either we conserve what we got and get our hands on, or we starve to death. Or become too slow and let those things eat us instead."
Changbin huffed, "You're a dictator, Chan."
Chan watched him with an unimpressed frown marring his face, "I am not a dictator, Binnie. I am doing what I can to keep you alive." He spoke softly, "You're my best friend, Changbin. I'm not losing you to either hunger, or those zombies."
Changbin watched him, before his shoulders sagged in silent surrender, "It, will take me some time to adjust to a diet."
Chan watched him. Pupils darting about as he read Changbin like a book. His face in its minutest details, before he spoke softly, "And you will. If you can trust me to get you there."
Changbin sighed softly, eyes now leaving Chan's in complete surrender and submission to an older and stronger alpha, "Okay. So, you're in charge."
Chan gave him a soft smirk and spoke, "I'll have to take the lessons my father taught me to ensure we can survive this new undead world. We can start, with packing things up. We're going to be walking a lot. I am not sure where we can settle down and try to rebuild. But we'll know once we get there."
Changbin blinked and shifted a little, truly curious, "You've not spoken much of your father since we met."
Chan sighed as he turned away, already regretting bringing up the subject.
After a moment, he spoke, "He has served a lot in the Australian Army. He was hardly home, even as I grew up. He was practically married to the military life. But when he was home, he would run me as if I were a soldier in training. Always. He wasn't too thrilled when I informed him I was leaving for Korea. And a career vastly different from what he wanted. I think he was a general by the time I left. I cannot be too sure. He was never hard on Hannah. And I'm not sure how he was with Lucas. I just know he expected a lot from me. Maybe because I presented as an alpha. I was everything he wanted me to be. Until the end. I haven't spoken much with him since I touched down in Korea. I have been fine with that. I guess I have to channel some of the Bahng name energy. It's the only way I know of to see to it we survive this."
Changbin watched him a moment. Saw how tense he was, before he spoke, "I'm sorry. We can drop the subject, if it is truly making you unhappy."
Chan sighed and spoke, "In a way, he did me a favor. But he was never a father figure to me. Just my drill sergeant." He turned to Changbin and offered him a soft smile, "As long as I don't have to think about it too much, I'll be alright."
Changbin nodded slowly. He did feel for Chan. Even if Korea had had a mandatory military service for all alphas, their sires never pushed them like that. Deciding to grant Chan's wishes, he asked, "So what do we do now, head alpha?"
Chan gave a small smirk as he spoke, "We pack what we can into our backpacks. Thank the gods we have big ones. And we have the strength to carry so much. Mostly food and medical supplies. And see if there are any weapons we can take. We can't walk out defenseless. A sword, or bat. Anything, really. Blunt force trauma weapons."
Changbin nodded and after taking a moment to let everything sink in, he got up to do as Chan suggested.
//
Of course Chan would be in charge of the food.
Anything to keep Changbin from wolfing it all down in his constant hungry state. This left Changbin in charge of hauling around their medical supplies. As like any smart survivor, they cleared out their apartment first. As they had, they had done all they could to find a decent blunt force trauma weapon they could use on the zombies. Chan had given Changbin a disappointed look, when the younger attempted to use the dumbbells as a weapon. While ideal in retrospect, they made dumb weapons.
Even to Chan.
When searching their apartment yielded no results for a weapon, they had to brave the hallways and the zombies lurking in them. And the other units. Only long enough to find said weapons. Taking out the zombies between them and their exit from the building and city was not an easy task. But they managed it by working together. They were a pack of two. They had to prevail. Especially as both were alphas. And especially, as Chan looked within himself for some of his father's teachings.
He did wonder a little on how his father was taking the apocalypse. If he had survived, Chan had to wonder if he'd even bother coming to find Chan in Korea. Did he suspect Chan to survive? If they managed to reconnect, would his father try and come and take him back to Australia? And here, Chan's feelings on the matter were mixed. He missed Australia, and his family. Always had, and always would. Especially now, with communications thoroughly cut off to the rest of the world. But he'd made a name and career for himself in Korea. He was very much at home in Korea. He's met his best friend and packmate here. And he had had a decent career here. And he had hoped to find his mate here as well.
All in the past, now.
If Chan could get Bin out of the city and into the greater wilds, they stood a chance. And he'd do things his way. He would use the Bahng name to help him make the tough military style decisions for those that came to him for protection and guidance. But he could not repeat the mistakes of his father. He'd be as involved as he could be.
He was pulled from his inner musings, to Changbin on the ground. Grunting and struggling, attempting to keep a snapping zombie from taking a nice chunk out of him and turning him. Or straight up eat him entirely. Chan blinked from the scene, before he turned and found a metal pipe. Ah yes, this apartment looked like it had been going through some maintenance before the outbreak occurred. A lot of things were out in the open. So the metal pipe was within reach. Once he had a firm grip on it, he turned. And with his own grunt of effort, he brought the pipe down onto the zombie's head.
It stalled long enough, for Bin to escape.
As Changbin scurried out from beneath the zombie, Chan gripped the pipe a little more with both hands. Finding stability as he spread his feet apart for balance. And then, he struck the zombie with it again. Repeating the downward strokes until the zombie no longer moved. It lay there in a quickly gathering pool of its own blood, and mushed in rotten brains. Chan looked to Changbin, and asked on a panting breath from the effort of killing the zombie, "You alright, Bin?"
Changbin nodded, "Yeah."
He checked himself thoroughly. Nothing, really. Blood maybe, but no bite wound. Chan inspected Changbin thoroughly himself. Satisfied, Chan turned to see if the maintenance had anymore weapons they could take. He smiled softly, before he reached out. Then turned, and handed another pipe to Changbin, "It's a start. For now."
Changbin nodded in agreement, even as he accepted the pipe. With weapons now in hand, they continued their raid of the building. Taking out the zombies between them and their spoils.
Guess all their time at the gym between classes and the studio paid off well.
//
This was it.
This was their leaving for the wilds beyond the city. Into the rest of Korea. As Changbin adjusted the straps of his backpack, he inquired, "So what's the plan, Chan?"
Chan watched him, both standing in the lobby of their old complex building. He took him in, trying to read him a bit. Before he finally answered, "We leave the city. It's too crowded and dangerous to stay here. More zombies than we can handle. Even with two of us." He hummed as he went into thought, "Let's stay off the main roads and walkways. Too out in the open. We'll head for the alleyways, and stick to them. We'll make for the fastest route out of the city."
Changbin nodded, "Sounds like a sound plan to me."
Chan nodded. And once they were ready, they carefully made their way from the apartment complex they'd called home until this day. As Chan opened the door, Changbin carefully peered out and about. Checking to see if the coast was clear. After seeing the coast was clear of zombies and other survivors, he nodded. Signal enough for Chan. With that, they left the building. And hurried for one of the alleyways nearby.
Once in the alleyways, they made to head for the edges of the city. And the rest of Korea beyond. It was a very uncertain time. Especially for Chan. But he would do all he could to protect Changbin. He was his family, now. And Changbin had similar thoughts. He would not see Chan lose himself trying to keep them both alive. And any others they came across.
Once in the alleyway, Chan guided Changbin on their route out of the city. As they walked, they held very quiet and stilted conversation, "You think we'll run into any other wolves?"
"More than likely. How we'll keep from falling prey to their tactics, I don't know yet. We'll have to be very critical of any and everyone we meet. What their real motivations are. Are they of sound enough mind, or have they let the lawlessness of the zombie apocalypse change them entirely? Whoever we meet, we will discuss it first. Together. We're pack, it's what we do."
Changbin nodded. They were silent a few blocks, before he asked a new question, "Think we'll ever find mates?"
Chan sighed. Not because he was tired of Changbin's inquiries or his lack of willingness to be silent. But at the question. He shrugged, "I don't know, Bin. Maybe, if we're lucky. If nature says so, I guess."
Changbin nodded and sighed softly, "I hope we can. We both will need and want someone to hold close. Someone worth fighting hard for."
Chan gave a brief and small smile, nodding in agreement, "I'm sure we will. If we just keep going. Now, we should be reaching the edge of the city soon. Once we get there, we'll see where the winds take us."
Changbin nodded in agreement. Silence slowly began to consume them. They could hear zombies now and then, but they were of no real immediate threat. Not yet, anyway. Soon, they emerged from the shadows of the last buildings of the city. They were now in the greater country of Korea. They were on their own together. With their metal pipes resting on their shoulders and backpacks filled with their current supplies, they wandered into Korea. But no matter where they went, they'd always have one another's back.
Always.