Purple Scent

Ch. 7: Forgive and Believe

"Are you alright?", Yul asked, and I just looked at him, flustered. I glared at him and he just pursed his lips before apologizing, "Sorry. That was a stupid question.", he said then his word never followed another one. The atmosphere went silent for almost a minute then he spoke, "I don't know what had happened, but I guess you should give them a chance.", he said then added, "I’m not trying to meddle with your decisions but, I just think they mean their apology.", it had fallen quiet again.

I guess I wasn’t on the mood to talk or I just lost my strength to speak. The truth was, I was just upset, and I didn’t know where to put the blame. I admit it’s kinda my fault, too. I should’ve been more careful.

"I was in a bus on the way to my work, and the road that the bus took was jammed with other vehicles. It was a massive traffic. That time, I knew it was impossible for me to arrive early on my work.", he suddenly spoke and stopped to clear his throat. I realized he was telling a story of his.

"Suddenly, there were lane of police cars to stop the vehicle, asking people to go around and go back home.", he scratched his neck a bit and continued, "I thought it was some terrorist attack, but it was more than that, I thought. They asked people to go back and to stay in the house, and when they told us that in no circumstance we should go out, I knew something was up.” He paused to collect some air.

He continued, “I was like, ‘So it’s happening; it’s the apocalypse.’.” He chuckled at himself and sighed, “So when the driver of the bus stopped, I ran off the bus along with the other passengers, to find people going back to their home. It was chaotic, but I was more thinking of my family that was left on our house."

"I felt so much fear for the first time. Then I saw this monster truck parked on the side. The owner of it even dropped the keys on the road. I didn't know what to do that time, so I took it without thinking. I drove home with it, which I managed to since there hasn't been too much traffic at the back. My heart was fluttering like crazy. I was so worried about my family.", I was silent, I wasn't able to speak any word. After all, it wasn’t just me who was hurting. His eyes told me he was, too. I let him tell what he wanted to tell.

"When I came back home, it wasn't the home I last remembered I went out from. The windows were broken. Even the door. So I got the hint that something happened while I was minutes gone. But then when I was about to go out of the monster truck, I saw this gun at the backseat. So I took it for protection. That time, I was in shock I felt like I was about to pass out, to see blood inside the house at our carpeted floor. I had lost all my hopes, when I heard barks. It was Coco's parents, they were still small back then. When I walked towards where the bark sound came from, it led me towards Jaewook's room.", he said and laughed, although his laughter wasn’t even accurate to the mood of his story. Maybe it was the attempt to dismiss the heaviness of the story.

He continued further, "I had a slight hope that they were there. And there they were. Jaewook was crying silently in a corner with Coco's parents, while our parents were lying on the floor, lifeless. Shocked, I cried, too⁠—I cried quite a lot.”

“Jaewook and I decided to go find a more better place to stay, and left our parents there. It's sad to leave them there like that, but we have to.", Yul said and looked at me, "So all I got now was Jaewook and Coco. Coco who lost his parents like us.", he said and looked at his hands then glanced up at me.

"Then you found us, and saved us. If it weren't for you, we would’ve been killed. By that day, you became someone whom I would want to save and protect. It’s not because it’s my way to pay you back, there’s actually no other reason. I just want to.", he said and smiled, which comforted me. For a while, I forgot I was mad; that I was raging.

The atmosphere felt silent again for some seconds but I found myself admiring at how much brave and courage he had that he had survived it all.

I looked at the sky and reflected. It all started with my accidental discovery. If it weren't for my accidental discovery, we were still living normally, with our loved ones. But we couldn't go back now. It all happened without our control. I was lucky, my parents might still be alive. I stared at his side profile as he silently stared at the sky.

I knew how hard it was to lose your loved ones. It’s sad and hurting. The people living today, we are few now. We don't have anything else but each other. I stood up and dusted my pants.

"Shall we go back inside?", I smiled at him. He stood up and nodded with understanding.

---

"What cure have you discovered?", I asked Soobok. I decided to think possible ways to survive, and I think one is helping those Violet Harpies go back to their normal state—their human state.

"After we've survived form the Violet Harpies—like how you called them—Kahee and I worked on possible ways to make those creatures back to normal one.", he said.

I interrupted him, "But that would be impossible. We knew that those Violet Harpies, their brains have mutated along with their bodies. Those mutated brain didn't develop much for the cognitive capabilities of the brain, instead they upgraded to just mainly control their mutated bodies. They don’t know how to speak, understand or form any emotion. Their survival instinct is just find their prey and go back to their lair. So, they were totally different from how they used to be when they’re normal.", I said and then added,

"Plus, their blood brain barrier—a functioning mechanism of the brain that filtrates what substances should flow through the brain—had mutated, too. It was impossible to bypass that.", I explained and he felt silent for a while.

"I hate science now.", Doyun joked all of a sudden. I looked at them and they laughed. I chuckled. I was like that before, too, when I was still a noob for science. But I know they would understand. I looked at Soobok who had fell silent still, looking for the words he should say.

Soobok smiled and took this small white opaque box behind him, as small as a tictac’s plastic box. Is that drugs? My mouth was agape, "You didn't—", he cut me off.

He then nodded, "Yes, I did."

"But would it be possible?", Heeshik asked. I looked at him and agreed. I know drugs could bypass blood brain barrier, but I don't think the cure he has been calling, will bypass it. By now, my brain cells were tangled.

"I have tested it once.", Soobok said, and before he could make clear of himself, Yowoo gasped too loudly and interrupted

"You take drugs?", before Dokhun chimed, "Man, you high.", he joked, and everybody else laughed at their silly jokes.

I ignored them and asked Soobok, "How did you test, and to whom?"

"One of the Violet Harpies, or whatever you call that mutated humans.", he said.

I jumped from the table and walked towards them, "Did it work?", I asked.

"It did. The subject came back to normal, but their ability as human—to think or speak, or comprehend—it's all gone. But their appearance came back to normal. Like a flower, all the excess parts that they got from mutating into a Violet Harpy, it withered and fell from their skins", he added, "I have made few samples, and if we're able to reproduce many, it'll be enough to make a lot of people back to normal.", he said and I stared at him for a while to think. He gulped and looked at me nervously.

At that point, I made the decision to believe him. I had no more time to suspect him or anything.

"What could be your plan?", after I said that, Loud continuous bang was heard coming from the metal cover of the fallout shelter.

I immediately took my crossbow and crossbow bolts.