Purple Scent

Ch. 12: Dad

We walked inside in full awareness and alert, our weapons kept in our hands. It was an old laboratory. I've never seen something like this. Compared to the lab we had, this looked more like a vintage type of laboratory. I glanced to my right side at Soobok who had rummaged through the glass cabinets and took some sealed flasks, and some sample tubes that had some liquid on it.

He gathered all of it carefully in a box filled with small styrofoam balls inside so it wouldn't break inside. He looked around and rummaged again, but he looked like he's looking for something else.

"What are you looking for?", I asked him and looked around.

He then answered without looking, "Ah, the drugs my grandfather had stored here before. It was placed on some small ancient vase. It's just small, like, a thumb.", he said as he kept looking for it. Doyun, Jaehwa and I helped him look for it so we won't waste much time.

"Is this it?", Jaehwa took  a small vase wrapped in cling plastic wrap, as he stood up and gave it to Soobok. I walked over to him, peeked over his shoulder to see the small vase with engraved ancient drawings I don't quite know. Besides, it was too small. He carefully unwrapped it and took the lid off of it, which revealed micro crystals inside it. It really is drugs.

"My grandfather had hid this on his lab when I was a kid, so I don't really remember where did he place this. He said this is some expensive drug he took home from America as a souvenir.", he explained as we walked out of the lab immediately with the things we needed for the experiment.

No Violet Harpies had appeared throughout our way back to the gymnasium. It was suspicious, but I tried to be rather alert than to let my guard down.

When we arrived at the gymnasium, Jaehwa had knocked the big door of the entrance inside the arena, Soobok was carefully carrying the things he gathered from the lab.

Soljun and Jaewook appeared by the door and opened for us, before they carefully closed it after we got inside. Some of the guys were cooking something, and since we don't have any appliances to cook, like those that I had at my basement, they had to cook on the fire with the left over scrap of woods from the bonfire.

"Did you get the things we will need?", Heeshik had approached us with a paper cup on his hand, and a pair of wooden chopsticks. The hot vapor from the cup oozed up, making me curious to whatever they cooked. I peeked up to his cup and it was a nice cup of hot ramen.

"You guys eat there, we cooked some for lunch.", he said and we nodded before we joined the small feast they prepared. Well, except Soobok. Soobok went to another empty table with the corners of the box fitted perfectly at those of the table.

I was really hungry, since we didn't have a decent meal since last night. I stood up and took two empty cups and filled it with some noodles for Soobok and me. I just realized there's no time for me to hold grudge against him. After all, we can't do anything about it, it’s all left in the past.

I took two pairs of wooden chopsticks and took the cup of noodles before I brought it towards him. He didn't notice my presence first when I had looked over his shoulder to see what was he doing. I offered him the cup of noodles, which he noticed and accepted, along with the pair of chopstick. He was mixing some liquid from the glass beaker.

"Eat first.", I said and let out a small smile before I patted his shoulder and left to finish my own food. Heeshik went to Soobok and helped him with whatever they were planning to do—the cure, if that's how we should call it—a possible solution they thought of. I didn't try to meddle with their experiment, neither Kahee.  Since they both thought about that experiment and excluded us.

Well, they are better scientists than Kahee and I. How do I say this, they were more professional and they had more experience than us.

We just ate there while talking about random things, while I think of plan if ever we have to evacuate the gymnasium, like when we're at my fallout shelter. We better get out of here and go somewhere far away from here, somewhere I was sure the Violet Harpies will never find.

"Where's Coco?", I asked either Jaewook or Yul, since I haven't seen their puppy since the early morning. Yul and Jaewook looked surprise to my question like they were not really aware that Coco wasn't around.

I gulped down the broth of the ramen and placed the empty cup on the table, before I stood up and looked for him. While I was looking for him, my feet brought me towards the storage room, and found Coco there, sleeping. I patted the small creature and it just wagged his tail and stood up for it to welcome me.

"What are you doing here?", I asked him as if I'll get an answer and immediately brought him towards the guys to share some food he could eat. Just as I was about to get a cup of water to completely wash down the food I had eaten, a loud thud echoed through the gymnasium.

The guys had stop everything they were doing, as I immediately took the crossbow and arrows I had sit at out of the empty chairs scattered around the gymnasium.

I carefully went towards the entrance of the gymnasium and looked at the guys who had took other weapons to the possibility of an attack.

I didn't have to bother and open the door, since someone had managed to open it outside. My heart was fluttering at that moment, as I waited for it to open gradually. Rather, it opened inward slowly with much care.

I held my crossbow up, ready for whatever, or whoever to appear when it had opened enough to confirm their identification.

Rather than feeling shocked, I was surprised, and I know everyone else were, too.

"Dad?"