Chapter Text
Boom had been driving for hours as the car pushed forward on the desolate and endless road, the only sound inside the cabin was the relentless rhythm of the raindrops beating against the windshield and the irritating, monotonous squeak of the wiper blades.
There wasn't the slightest trace of human existence anywhere around the road. For hours, neither a single car had passed nor had a solitary headlight appeared from the opposite direction. He had checked his phone a few times, but every single time, the screen threw the same brutal reality right back in his face: No Service.
The GPS device on the front console had long since surrendered, too; while searching for a signal, the cursor spinning endlessly on the screen had just frozen dead in the middle of the map. His connection to civilization was completely severed, and the nearest settlement was at least 300 kilometers away.
The rain was getting heavier by the minute, as if the heavens had literally ripped open. The wiper blades could no longer keep up with clearing away the water, and the windshield kept getting blanketed by momentary sheets of water. The massive trees along the roadside were bending in both directions under the fury of the rabid wind, leaning toward the asphalt like terrifying silhouettes in the yellowish glow of the headlights.
Boom pressed his hands a little harder against the steering wheel. His knuckles had turned completely white. His field of vision had dropped almost to zero, and he knew he had nothing else to hold onto except that tiny stretch of wet asphalt illuminated by the headlights.
The cold lump stuck in Boom’s throat had been growing larger and larger for minutes his heart was thrashing inside his chest like a wild bird battering against its ribcage as fear climbed up his spine with icy fingers, his hands began to tremble involuntarily on the wheel. The hammer like blows of the rain crashing onto the car's roof mixed seamlessly with the roaring buzz inside his brain. He was completely alone; utterly alone in the middle of a dark, bottomless forest, to the extent that even if he screamed at the top of his lungs, the only thing that would swallow his voice would be this raging storm.
The gnawing panic inside him immediately gave way to a scorching fury. He clenched his teeth in frustration. Damn your mind, Boom! he thought to himself, striking the steering wheel once in pure anger. What on earth possessed you to take that shortcut exit?
Every time he remembered the moment he veered off onto that cursed dirt road which didn't even have a single signpost instead of trusting the map, he felt a deep, burning resentment toward himself. If he had just stayed on the main highway, he would have been casually sipping his coffee in some cozy cafe right now. But now? That emptiness of holding a dead phone screen in his hand, the frozen cursor of the GPS, and a civilization 300 kilometers away... It was all the masterpiece of his own sheer stupidity.
Stupid, moronic brain! he scolded himself. Amidst the darkness and the torrential downpour, right there on that dangerous curve illuminated only by the car's headlights, he was both shivering uncontrollably and internally tearing himself apart for having to pay the price of his own mistake.
The exact moment the yellowish, weak light of the headlights pierced through the curtain of rain and illuminated a sudden silhouette, Boom’s heart leapt straight up into his throat. The very second he spotted that ghostly figure standing right in the middle of the asphalt, he slammed his foot down on the brake pedal the tires screeched painfully and slid across the wet surface; in a panic, Boom jerked the steering wheel to the right. The car swerved, plowed through a pile of mud on the side of the road, and managed to stop mere inches away from crashing into the rocky cliffs.
Breathless and with his hands shaking uncontrollably, he killed the engine. For a few seconds, the only things he could hear were his own heavy breathing and the relentless sound of the rain beating against the glass.
When he pushed the door open and stepped outside, the storm slammed right into his face with full force while the rain soaked him through to the skin in a matter of seconds, he cautiously walked toward the spot illuminated by the car's headlights. The sight that met his eyes made his blood run cold. The black SUV, having smashed violently into the massive boulders in the middle of the road, had literally turned into a twisted heap of scrap metal. Its front hood was completely caved in, and the engine compartment was unrecognizable.
They're definitely dead, Boom thought to himself, feeling a heavy, wrenching pain sink deep into his stomach. The sheer force of that impact... None of them could possibly have survived.
But right at that moment, muffled groans and the agonizing screech of strained metal echoed from inside the crushed vehicle. Boom rushed over instantly. He grabbed the driver's side door and pulled it toward himself with all his might; the rusted hinges gave way with a painful, piercing shriek.
There were five people inside. They were piled on top of one another in a state of shock and excruciating pain it was immediately obvious from the professional climbing gear they were wearing, their muddy jackets, and the ropes and carabiners scattered around their feet that they were coming back from a major mountain route.
They were a mountaineering team.
Those five bodies, which he had initially assumed were lifeless, began to stir at the sound of Boom’s voice. Fortunately, none of them were dead. Most of them had escaped with minor scratches and deep cuts brought on by the shock, but their condition was still critical without wasting a single second, Boom jumped right into rescue mode. Carefully, one by one, he pulled the young guy from the driver's seat and then the ones from the back out of the wreckage. He carried each of them to a relatively safe spot by the roadside right at the base of the rocky cliff, which blocked at least a little bit of the howling wind.
While the general condition of the team members seemed to have gotten off lightly, Aou who was clearly the group leader was in a completely different state compared to the others. Aou’s left arm had taken a brutal beating, trapped tightly between the crushed door panel and the front console; his jacket was torn, and the dark blood seeping from his arm mixed with the rainwater and dripped onto the soil his face had turned completely white from the pain, but his consciousness was fully intact.
As Boom carefully pulled Aou out of the wreckage and laid him down beside the others, he looked at them completely clueless about what to do next. What on earth was he going to do with these five injured mountaineers out here in the middle of absolute nowhere?
While the torrential downpour poured down relentlessly over their heads, he crouched down among the group, completely out of breath. The shockwave that had paralyzed them was slowly dissipating, leaving its bitter place to the stinging ache of the cold and the pain as the other four mountaineers shivered, holding onto one another, Boom immediately knelt down beside the guy who appeared to be in the worst shape.
"Are you guys okay? Are you all okay?" Boom asked, the panic in his voice getting completely lost in the roaring howl of the storm.
One of the team members tried to wipe the blood off his face and nodded weakly. "I think... I think we're alive," he said with a trembling voice. "The brakes... they slipped on the curve, we lost control and crashed right into the boulders lying on the road."
Boom didn't give them a chance to talk any longer he sprinted back to his own car parked right behind the mountaineering crew, tore through the glove compartment and the trunk, and finally found that one life-saving item: a fully-equipped first aid kit.
He grabbed the kit and rushed right back to the injured man. The young guy was pressing his left arm against his chest, biting his lips so hard out of pain that he had drawn blood his arm had already started turning purple, and the dark blood oozing from a deep gash completely soaked right through his soaking-wet jacket.
"Look at me" Boom said, trying to force himself to stay calm even though his hands were still shaking. "Let me introduce myself first. I'm Boom... I'm an emergency medical nurse."
The injured man winced heavily in agony and nodded. He was struggling to speak, but he didn't forget to state his name: "I'm... I'm Aou. And this is my team... We were coming back from the summit route."
"Nice to meet you, Aou," Boom said, instantly snapping right back into his professional reflexes. "Now, I pulled your arm out of where it was wedged, but I need to see if there's a fracture in the bone. I'm going to have to cut your jacket open."
Aou groaned in approval. With a pair of sharp medical scissors pulled straight from the first aid kit, Boom carefully cut open the sleeve of the jacket when he pulled the fabric apart, he immediately saw that the scenery wasn't looking pretty at all; there was a deep, jagged cut running right between the wrist and the elbow, and the flesh was swelling up like a massive lump. The suspicion of a fracture was extremely high.
"Hang in there, Aou," Boom said, pulling the antiseptic solution and sterile gauze pads out of the kit. "This is gonna sting a bit, but I have to clean this wound."
The moment the antiseptic-soaked cotton touched the wound, Aou clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw muscles strained tightly, and a muffled groan spilled past his lips. The other mountaineers had gathered around them with deep worry written all over their faces; it was obvious from every single detail that Aou was the group's guide, the one who knew the route like the back of his hand and led the team through this brutal mountain. And now, their leader was severely injured.
With quick yet meticulous movements, Boom cleaned the wound and then applied heavy pressure with a gauze pad to stop the bleeding. Next up came the task of stabilizing the arm he grabbed the rigid splint material and the elastic bandage he had pulled out of the bag.
"Aou, we need to get your arm into a position where I can lift it very gently. Are you ready?"
Aou squeezed his eyes shut tightly and nodded. Boom carefully positioned the man's arm onto the splint and wrapped it tightly with the elastic bandage just enough to restrict movement without cutting off his blood circulation. Finally, as he tied off the knot, he let out a long, deep sigh of relief.
"That's it," Boom said, wiping the sweat and raindrops stuck to his forehead away with the back of his wrist. "There's definitely a fracture or a crack, but for now, we've stopped the bleeding and stabilized it. Try not to move it."
Breathing heavily, Aou looked up at the nurse with eyes full of deep gratitude yet still caught in lingering shock. "Thanks, Boom..." he whispered. "If it weren't for you... we would have died out here from freezing or bleeding to death."
Boom stood up and pushed his soaked hair straight back. He looked around at the four mountaineers and the utterly wrecked vehicle the phones had no service whatsoever, and the weather conditions resembled an absolute hellscape and on top of all that, they had a total of five injured people on their hands.
"We can't stay out here," Boom said with a determined yet tense tone of voice. "The storm is only getting worse. We need to get inside my car."
Far from dying down, the storm continued to roar like an absolute monster while Boom quickly shoved the four injured mountaineers into the backseat of his own car, he helped Aou climb into the front passenger seat. Leaning heavily on his good arm for support, Aou collapsed into the seat, completely out of breath.
"Wait" Aou said, turning around to face the others despite the agonizing pain he was enduring, his voice maintained its natural authority. "Grab the bags... The red and green ones. They've got the first aid supplies, energy bars, and our water inside. Just in case."
One of the team members in the backseat a tall guy with broad shoulders and a slightly dark complexion nodded instantly and sprinted back toward their wrecked vehicle. Struggling and thrashing through the heavy mud and violent rain, he grabbed the two requested bags and ran back to the car. Soaking wet, he squeezed back into the backseat alongside the other three people, and the inside of the car suddenly flooded with the heavy scent of damp soil and sweat.
Boom turned the ignition. He cranked the heater up to maximum, threw the car into reverse, and carefully maneuvered to head back the exact way they had come.
"I'm Boom, by the way," he said, gripping the steering wheel tightly as his eyes scanned the wet road illuminated by the headlights in the pitch blackness. "Talk about a forced introduction. You guys are all alright, right?"
The tall guy in the back cleared his throat with a cough. "I'm Krit," he said, pointing right next to him at a short-haired, petite girl. "And this is my sister, Nida. We just have a few minor scrapes."
Nida chimed in with a trembling voice, "Thank you so much, Boom. Seriously... We would have frozen to death in that wreckage if it wasn't for you."
Sitting right next to Krit, a young man with a look of sheer panic stamped all over his face took a deep breath. "And I'm Tay," he said, shivering as he hugged the dark-haired, quiet guy sitting next to him and rested his head gently on his shoulder. "This is my boyfriend Win. Win's leg is hurting quite a bit, but I think he can tough it out."
Win silently nodded and squeezed Tay’s hand. "It's fine. I'm good," he murmured, even though his face was tightly strained from the pain.
In the front seat, trying hard to protect his splinted arm, Aou turned around toward the back. "Krit, check the bags. Is the water inside intact?"
"It's safe, Aou, don't worry," Krit replied. "Just worry about your arm."
Despite the tense yet relatively calm atmosphere inside the car, Boom couldn't shake off the gnawing restlessness deep inside his chest. "It's going to take us about four hours to get back to the nearest town from here. Do any of your phones have a signal?"
There was a brief moment of silence inside the car. All five phones delivered the exact same hopeless answer: No service.
"My GPS died a long time ago, too," Boom muttered under his breath. "Looks like we're going to have to drive this road completely blind."
They had driven forward for about three kilometers accompanied by the rhythmic swishing of the wiper blades and the deep hum of the engine. The rain continued to batter the roof of the car, and despite the heater blasting, the cold inside was getting sharper by the minute.
Boom's eyes were locked onto the dark void ahead illuminated by the headlights suddenly, right where the road should have continued, he spotted a strange, massive mass blocking the way. Out of pure reflex, he slammed on the brakes; as the car slid slightly on the wet surface and came to a halt, the glare of the headlights laid out the landscape in front of them in all its brutal clarity.
A deep, ice-cold silence fell over the inside of the car.
"Shit..." Tay whispered, leaning forward from the backseat.
The road had ended or more accurately, there was no longer any road there at all. A massive landslide that had broken away from the mountain slope had completely swallowed the road, bringing down hundreds of tons of mud, rocks, and uprooted trees. The debris pile had reached the height of an apartment building it was completely impossible to drive past it. Trying to cross it on foot in this darkness, in this storm, and with five injured people was pure suicide.
"It's blocked," Boom said, his voice sounding as though it were hanging hollowly in empty space. "Completely blocked."
Aou leaned forward, stared out the window at the obstacle, and clenched his teeth. "We can't turn back. Our wrecked car is behind us, and that road isn't exactly stable in this storm either."
"Isn't there another way?" Nida asked, her voice sounding on the verge of tears.
"No," Boom said, striking the steering wheel in sheer despair. "This is a single-lane, dead-end mountain road that I only took because I thought it was a shortcut."
Outside, the wind howled as if it were mocking them. Even though the heater was running on its highest setting, the freezing cold from the outside was starting to seep right through the glass, cutting straight to their bones.
No phones. No GPS. No road.
In front of them lay an impassable ocean of mud, behind them an impassable wall of darkness, and inside them a growing, ice-cold sense of utter helplessness.
Boom pulled his hands away from the frozen steering wheel and took a deep breath. His eyes were glued to the massive pile of dirt illuminated by the headlights. Trying to forcefully suppress the wave of panic rising inside him, he turned around to face the people in the back.
"We can wait right here inside the car," Boom said, keeping his voice as calm as humanly possible. "We've got a heater, and the fuel will last us for a while. When daylight breaks in the morning and the storm calms down just a little bit, maybe we can figure out a way to hike out of here or find some help."
For a split second, everyone in the car seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the comfort of that idea.
However, shaking his head firmly, Aou immediately intervened.
"No, Boom. We cannot stay here inside this car," Aou said, his voice carrying a harsh and sharp tone.
Tay leaned forward with a look of worry. "Why not, Aou? It's absolute hell out there, we'll freeze."
Trying to protect his aching arm, Aou looked back toward the rear and then out the dark hillside outside. "This isn't just an ordinary road; it's a steep mountain ridge. We learned a lot about these types of terrains while mountaineering. If it's raining this continuously and violently, it means the soil has reached full saturation. The spot where that debris broke off is still unstable."
As soon as Krit understood what Aou was getting at, he swallowed hard. "A second landslide..."
"Yes," Aou confirmed, his face tightly drawn with anxiety. "Mountains aren't just silent giants like we think. When water seeps deep underground, those invisible bonds holding the rock masses together suddenly dissolve. Without even giving a warning, tons of weight can slide right on top of us in a single second. If we're inside the car, they'll crush us like a tin can and sweep us right down this cliff. We won't even have time to run."
Aou's words instantly turned the air inside the car ice cold. Nida shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, while Win silently snuggled a bit closer to Tay.
"Then what are we going to do?" Boom asked, furrowing his brows. "It's a raging storm outside, all five of us are injured, and we can't even walk properly."
With a resolute gaze, Aou looked out the windshield into the darkness, focusing on the steep yet wooded rocky alcoves located just off the edge of the road, which sat a bit higher up. "We have to get away from the road. We're going to climb up and take shelter in a safe place."
Aou’s words were enough to extinguish the very last spark of hope left inside the car. "He's right," Boom said, casting his hesitation aside and pulling his hands off the steering wheel. "We don't have the luxury of waiting here. We're getting out."
The moment the doors were pushed open, the freezing cold and the rabidly howling wind rushed into the car. The rain greeted them with a downpour that stung like needles.
Krit and Win immediately sprang into action to sling the red and green climbing bags over their shoulders. Even though Win's face winced in agony from the pain in his leg, he gritted his teeth and managed to hoist the pack onto his back. With trembling hands, Nida rushed to help them.
Just as Boom was about to step out of his own car, Aou’s voice cut through the noise of the storm "Boom! Stop!"
Pressing his injured left arm against his body, Aou grabbed onto the car door and leaned inside.
"We need to take whatever we might find useful from the car," Aou said in a fast, authoritative voice. "The lighter, the flashlights, the blankets, that first aid kit in the glove compartment... Grab whatever you can. We're going to need the basic mountaineering gear and dry stuff from those bags up there, but what's in the car could save our lives."
Boom nodded he reached right into the back, yanked the glove compartment wide open, and grabbed the large first aid kit, the lighter, and a flashlight reaching into the trunk, he scooped up an old blanket and a few dry rags he managed to find.
"Alright, I've got everything!" Boom yelled, trying his best to shout over the roar of the wind.
"We're heading backward, away from the road!" Aou commanded, gathering the team behind him. "We're going to climb up the steep path right by the roadside. Hurry up!"
Amidst the darkness, the thick mud, and the brutal rain, five injured people and an emergency medical nurse began climbing straight up that steep hillside, fighting desperately for their lives.
The exact moment they started climbing the steep slope beside the road, all the fury of nature came crashing down upon them the rain fell from the sky like bullets, turning the earth into a slippery, muddy quagmire the darkness was so thick you could practically grab it with your hands; there wasn't a single drop of moonlight in the sky. Their only guides were the faint, trembling beams of flashlights held in shaking hands.
Even for a team of seasoned mountaineers, this climb was a complete nightmare, but they were at least accustomed to harsh conditions. On top of that, they were wearing professional thermal gear left over from their summit climb; the fabric repelled water to a certain degree and helped maintain their core body temperatures.
However, for Boom, this was far beyond a mere survival struggle it was absolute torture.
He was wearing nothing more than casual everyday clothes and a delicate, thin jacket. In a matter of seconds, the rain soaked that thin fabric right down to his bones, sticking to his skin and turning into a freezing suit of armor his teeth chattered uncontrollably, and his ice-cold fingers struggled just to grip the flashlight and the bags.
While the team pushed forward with slow yet determined steps, Boom had fallen way behind at the very tail end of the group. With every single step, his legs sank deep into the mud, and his breath hitched tightly in his throat his physical conditioning was simply no match for this harsh, steep mountain slope; his muscles burned, and the freezing air hitting his chest cut right through his lungs.
Climbing ahead of the pack, Aou noticed that the sounds coming from behind had slowed down and looked back over his shoulder. The beam of his flashlight illuminated Boom, who was struggling to push forward through the thick mud while panting heavily. Stepping onto a slippery tree root, Boom lost his footing completely and collapsed right down onto his knees.
Without wasting a single second, Aou slowed his pace, let the rest of the group get ahead, and climbed back down to Boom’s level catching Boom by the arm with his good hand, he helped pull him back up to his feet.
"Get up, Boom, we can't stop!" Aou yelled, his voice echoing loudly through the storm. "If you stop here, hypothermia will take you in a matter of minutes!"
"I... I can't do it," Boom panted, his lips turning a bruised purple. "It's too steep... my feet keep slipping."
Aou saw that absolute expression of panic and total exhaustion shining in Boom’s eyes without wasting any time, he let his professional coolness take over.
"Look at me!" Aou said with an authoritative yet deeply reassuring voice. "Don't climb with your legs; lock your steps right behind rock ledges and tree roots. Throw all your weight forward if you lean back, you'll slip. Match my pace, don't break the rhythm!"
Aou decided to stay right in front of Boom; he didn't go too fast, nor did he leave him behind matching Boom's exact pace, he continued climbing the slope while showing him exactly where to place his foot at every single step. Pointing out safe spots on the ground with his flashlight, he practically carried him step by step, saying, "Now wedge your left foot behind that stone... Good, now lean on my support."
Thanks to Aou's guidance, Boom despite being frozen to the core and utterly spent summoned the very last drop of energy he had left to keep climbing that steep slope so he wouldn't get left behind.
Despite Aou's guidance, the terrain kept getting steeper and steeper, and the mud felt like it was trying to swallow their feet whole. Struggling just to catch his breath, Boom tried to take his next step, but his ice cold fingers and trembling legs could no longer support him.
Right at that moment, his left foot caught on a slippery root.
Completely losing his balance, Boom fell hard, crashing violently toward the rocks and mud as his face and hands collided with sharp stones, the first aid kit and the flashlight he was holding slipped from his grip and rolled away into the darkness.
"Boom!"
The scream of the group cut straight through the roar of the storm. Krit, Nida, Tay, and Win froze dead in their tracks. While Nida brought her hands to her mouth in sheer horror, Win tried to lunge forward immediately, completely ignoring his injured leg.
Aou immediately shone his flashlight right onto the spot where Boom had fallen and scrambled up to his side without wasting a single second.
"Boom! Are you okay? Don't move!" he called out, dropping down to his knees beside him.
Boom groaned in pain the thin jacket he wore was smeared with thick mud, and his hands and knees were bleeding, but the real danger wasn't his physical wounds it was that freezing cold taking over his body his teeth chattered uncontrollably against each other, and his breathing came in short, ragged gasps.
"I... I can't do this, Aou..." Boom whispered, his voice trembling as tears mixed freely with the rainwater. "I'm so tired... My whole body is going numb. I can't feel anything... I think this is it for me."
Aou took Boom's ice cold hands between his own and squeezed them tightly. "Look at me! Don't take your eyes off me!" he said, his voice carrying both a resolute authority and a deep, profound tenderness. "There's no giving up here, do you hear me? Aren't you that brave nurse who pulled us out of that wreckage one by one? Now it's your turn, you're going to hold on just a little bit longer."
"I'm cold... I'm so cold, Aou..." Boom’s eyelids were growing unbearably heavy; that dangerous, soporific state of hypothermia was seizing complete control of his body.
The moment Aou noticed this, he grew even firmer, yet he slipped his arms around him to motivate him "I know, the damn weather is freezing and you're exhausted but it's almost over, I swear it's almost over! We must be getting close to the ridge. If you close your eyes here, you'll never open them again, Boom. You can't leave me alone, you understand me? We're going to get up, and we're going to get out of here together."
The others had gathered around them in deep anxiety. Krit immediately bent down, picked up the flashlight that had rolled away, and handed it to Aou. Win and Tay also stretched out their hands to offer support from Boom's other side.
Grabbing Boom by the back, Aou forced him back up to his feet. "Come on... One more step. Come with me."
With the support of Aou and the others, Boom willed his numb legs to obey one last time and stood right back up.
Fueled by the support in Aou’s shoulders and words, they continued climbing that steep, slippery slope together as a group of five. Every single step felt to Boom like lifting tons of weight; his consciousness was blurring, and the cold was sinking straight to his bones he was now moving purely mechanically, driven solely by Aou's commands of "One more step, come on, Boom."
Right at that moment, Krit, who was leading the pack, swept the flashlight he was holding into the darkness and shouted out of breath "Hey! Hey, look over here! There's something!"
When they looked in the direction Krit was pointing, tucked right into the steep rocky cliffs of the mountain, they spotted a natural cavity a small cave that largely blocked the wind. Pitch black on the inside, the howling of the wild storm outside and the bullet like rain couldn't reach them here.
"A cave... We can fit inside!" Nida murmured, completely out of breath.
Griping Boom tightly, Aou said, "That's it! We've made it," and together with the team, they pulled the semi-conscious Boom inside.
The exact moment their feet touched the relatively dry, wind free floor of the cave, it felt as though they had broken away from the hellish world outside and stepped right into a small, safe sanctuary. While Win collapsed onto the ground because of his injured leg, Tay sat right down beside him. Krit and Nida dropped the packs off their shoulders and tried to catch their breath.
Aou carefully sat Boom down with his back leaning against the stone wall of the cave. Boom’s eyes were half-closed, and his teeth were still chattering violently.
"We did it, Boom," Aou said, shining the weak beam of the flashlight onto the young man's face. "Now it's time to make it out of here and survive."
Even though the inside of the cave blocked the wind compared to the outside, the temperature was plummeting rapidly toward sub-zero all of them were soaking wet, and the threat of hypothermia hung over their heads like the Sword of Damocles. Having received mountaineering training, Aou knew there was no time to panic; he immediately put into practice whatever was necessary to survive in moments of crisis like this.
"Krit, Nida, hurry up," Aou said with an authoritative and calm tone of voice. "We can't light a fire in here because the outside and everything else is soaking wet, there's not a single piece of dry wood. We have to keep the heat inside. First, we're going to huddle together sharing body heat saves lives."
The team immediately followed Aou's directive. Krit and Nida pulled the dry thermal sheets and blankets out of the climbing bags they had brought along. While Tay and Win huddled together and retreated to a corner, Krit and Nida settled right next to them.
Aou pulled out a small, emergency metal camp ration tin found in one of the bags. With hands trembling from the severe cold, he popped open the lid it was a high calorie mountaineering ration with very little left inside.
Taking the spoon, he made sure everyone took a turn reaching for it. "Everyone takes just one spoonful. We have to preserve our energy and keep our metabolism alive," he said.
When it was Aou's turn, he took the last bite on the spoon in his hand and offered it to Boom, who was breathing with great difficulty.
"Eat this, Boom," Aou said with a resolute gaze. "You pulled us out of that wreckage, you carried me on your back on this mountain. You need the energy way more than I do."
Boom opened his eyes, weakly shook his head from side to side, and gently pushed Aou’s wrist away with a trembling hand.
"No... I won't take it" Boom said, forcing the words out through his chattering teeth. "Your... your left arm is injured, you're in pain, and you're a mountaineer... This team is going to need you tomorrow and the days after. I... I'm fine."
"Boom, this is no time to argue—" Aou insisted.
"Aou, don't drag it out," Boom said, closing his eyes with a resolute yet exhausted voice. "I ate my share. Eat yours."
Faced with this stubborn yet self-sacrificing attitude from the young nurse, Aou couldn't resist any longer; with a deep sigh, he took that last spoonful himself.
Afterward, he carefully draped one of the dry climbing blankets pulled from the bag over Boom's shoulders, covering himself and the others with the remaining one in the dim darkness of the cave, they began their struggle for survival by hugging each other tight against the howling roar of the storm outside.
Amidst a profound silence and that ice cold moisture clinging to their skin, Aou swallowed with great difficulty and turned his eyes toward the men in the group. Knowing full well that the only way to survive was to stay awake and take precautions against the danger of freezing, he gathered every ounce of authority and resolve in his voice and spoke: "Except for Boom, everyone else stay awake and watch over each other."
Then, he cast a meaningful look at Boom, who already knew very well what to do from his first aid training. Both of them understood the vital importance of this situation with a decisive movement, Aou began stripping off his soaking wet clothes; Boom joined him in doing the exact same thing. When they finally shook off the freezing weight of those wet fabrics, the wave of cold air hitting their bare skin caused an involuntary, shuddering shiver in the first few moments.
However, they had no intention of wasting time. Aou moved right behind Boom and wrapped one arm tightly around his body to rapidly equalize their body temperatures and keep each other alive although that bare skin to skin contact started out feeling as cold as ice, it slowly gave way to a deep warmth fueled by the shared life heat they transmitted to one another.
This moment was far beyond a mere physical struggle for warmth; it was the most intense expression of that fragile yet unbreakable bond forged by survival, fear, and a silent sense of belonging as the pair's breaths mingled together in the dark, every single second they shared in that cramped space became the most powerful beacon of hope, holding onto each other right on the razor-thin line between life and death.
While the storm outside continued to batter the mouth of the cave, the silence inside was broken only by trembling breaths and the howling wind outside. Aou tightened his arms just a bit more to protect the lightly shivering body of Boom, whom he held wrapped in his embrace he could feel the tension in Boom’s shoulders slowly dissolving and his muscles beginning to relax.
Aou lowered his head slightly and whispered softly right into Boom’s ear, just loud enough for the two of them to hear "It's over... You're going to be fine, Boom. I'm right here, don't be afraid. We're safe now."
These words acted like a seal for Boom, who was carrying the terrible exhaustion of the day, the pain, and all that weight of survival resting on his shoulders. The young nurse could fight no longer; his eyelids closed under an unbearable weight. As his mind surrendered to that dark and peaceful void, he drifted off into a deep sleep right where he rested his head against Aou’s chest.
Aou looked down at this stranger who had grown quiet in his arms and was now sleeping with steady breaths in the dim cave, illuminated by the faint reflection of the flashlight, he traced the contours of Boom's face. He thought back to the moment hours ago when they had first crossed paths on that desolate, damned road while all of them were standing on the edge of death in that horrific accident, this guy had run straight over to the wrecked vehicle without a single hesitation, pulling them out of that hell one by one. This man who had risked his own life to save them, and who was now sheltering in his arms between life and death...
A strange and profound warmth spread deep inside Aou’s heart a warmth that stood in complete contrast to the freezing cold outside he completely forgot about the aching pain in his left arm. He thought of Boom sleeping peacefully in his arms, the steep slope they had climbed, and this relentless struggle they waged just to stay alive. The unwavering protective instinct burning inside him to keep him safe and bring him out by morning safe and sound grew even stronger.
No matter how violently the storm raged outside, Aou stayed awake in that dark corner in absolute silence, as if he had sworn an oath to protect this self-sacrificing man resting in his arms.
As the dim, hazy air inside the cave slowly transitioned into morning, the night had been successfully survived thanks to taking turns standing watch. Thanks to the steady heat radiating from Aou's body and the thermal blanket wrapped around his shoulders, Boom had slowly come to life throughout the night, and his shivering had finally stopped.
When the first grey light of morning leaked into the entrance of the cave, Boom fluttered his eyes open. Though it hadn't been deep and restorative, he had slept just enough to clear his mind. When he lifted his head, he locked eyes with Krit, who was sitting in the corner of the cave with his knees pulled to his chest, quietly keeping watch. Having taken over the final watch, Krit offered him a faint, tired smile with eyes reddened from fatigue and nodded silently.
Careful not to slip out of Aou’s arms, Boom slowly sat up. Right beside him, Aou was still fast asleep; those harsh, tense lines on his face had softened just a bit under the peace of sleep.
Boom shifted his gaze toward the rest of the group. Tay and Win were fast asleep, still wrapped in each other's arms, while Nida was sleeping right beside them wrapped in a blanket, her face exhausted and drained. The fatigue and scars stamped across the faces of these five people who had managed to escape that hell alive last night laid bare just how real and heavy those events had been.
Taking care not to make any noise, he stood up quietly. He picked up the climbing bag they had tossed into a corner in the dark last night and carefully unzipped it he pulled out a clean gauze pad and antiseptic solution.
He knelt down beside Aou to check the condition of the splint and bandage on his left arm.
The exact moment his fingers lightly brushed against the bandage, Aou let out a restless sound and opened his eyes.
"Boom..." Aou said with a hoarse and sleepy voice. Blinking, he looked up at the young nurse. "What are you doing?"
"Morning," Boom whispered, trying to offer a gentle smile. "Didn't mean to wake you up. I was just going to check your arm and the bandage; I need to see if there's any drainage after all the excitement last night."
As Aou slowly sat upright, his face winced slightly in pain, but he didn't put up any argument. Carefully parting the bandage, Boom examined the wound luckily, it hadn't gotten infected, and the bleeding had stopped completely.
From outside the cave, a monotonous sound could still be heard the rain was still falling, but that monster-like howling storm from last night had given way to a calmer, stubborn, yet weakened drizzle.
Aou looked at Boom’s tired face, which looked much more alive than it had yesterday. "How's your condition?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes drifting toward the grey morning outside the cave.
In response to Aou’s question, Boom smiled faintly, tucking the gauze pad back into the bag with care, and answered in a tone designed to put him at ease
"After the apocalypse we went through last night, we're still breathing, Aou. What more could we ask for? Your arm is in pretty good shape, too, it hasn't infected. We just need a little more rest."
Slowly sitting up straight and leaning his back against the damp stone wall of the cave, Aou let his grateful gaze wander across Boom’s tired face. "I'm just glad you were here, Boom," he said with a hoarse yet sincere voice. "Last night in that darkness... I don't know what state my arm would be in or how we would have broken out of that shock if you hadn't been around. You saved my life, thank you."
Blushing slightly at his friend's heartfelt words, Boom shook his head. "Don't talk nonsense, Aou, we all saved each other's lives. Last night in that cold and dark, you kept me from freezing with that thermal blanket and the heat radiating from your shoulders. I actually owe you the thanks, otherwise I wouldn't have made it to morning."
Their conversation, which had started out as a whisper, was interrupted by the murmurs of the others beginning to wake up in the far corner of the cave. As Tay and Win sat up from their embrace, Nida joined them, rubbing her eyes with a deep yawn.
When Krit stood up, relieved to be handing off the watch, and walked over to them, the fatigue on his face had given way to a faint smile. "Morning, folks," he said, taking care to keep his voice low. "Looks like we're all here and in one piece. This is a miracle."
Stretching his arms out, Win stood up and took a step toward Aou and Boom. "Beyond a miracle," he said, pointing with his eyes at the drizzling rain outside. "Last night in the middle of that storm, I thought we were going to die. Thank you all so much, especially everyone who helped us find our way in the dark and watched out for each other... If we hadn't shown that kind of solidarity at that moment, we wouldn't be here right now."
Nida adjusted the blanket draped over her shoulders, joined them, and nodded in agreement. "I completely agree with Win. Tay, if you and Krit hadn't stayed awake all night keeping watch, I don't even want to think about what would have happened in that wild environment outside. Thank you all, you're lifesavers."
With an embarrassed smile, Tay shoved his hands into his pockets. "No need to thank me, we were all in the same boat or rather, the same cave," he said with a touch of humor, trying to break the lingering tension of the environment just a bit. "The important thing is that all of us woke up to this morning safe and sound. Now here's our real question: The rain has eased up, but outside is still an ocean of mud. What do we do from here?"
The group looked at one another; even though the fear of last night was still fresh on them, that determination and desire to survive shining in their eyes told them they could leave everything behind.
In response to Tay’s question, Aou nodded slightly and turned his attention back to the bag. Taking care not to strain his injured left arm, he unzipped the mountaineering pack and meticulously inspected the remaining supplies inside.
"Tay is right" Aou said with a firm yet tired voice. "Before we plan how to get out of here, it's essential that we gather our energy. We got by with one ration tin last night, now we need to share what we have left wisely."
Aou pulled three high-calorie mountaineering ration tins and the remaining water canteen out of the bag. Since there were six of them in total, the math was simple: one tin for every two people.
He handed one of the tins to Krit. "Krit, you and Nida share this." Handing another one to Tay, he added, "And this is for you two, and this one for Boom," trying to keep his own share down to an absolute minimum.
Win stepped forward slightly, objecting, "Aou, you're injured and you were one of the ones who exerted the most effort last night. You need that ration tin, too."
However, with a decisive shake of his head, Aou shut him down. "I'm fine, Win. The first rule in mountaineering is to feed the team first. I won't take any objections, everyone eat your share."
While Krit and Nida opened the ration tin and carefully shared it with small spoons, Tay and Win started eating from the other tin. Boom took a few small bites from the ration tin he shared with Aou, forcing it down his throat. Then, the water canteen passed around from hand to hand; everyone drank a small, careful sip of water just enough to banish the dryness in their throats.
Even though that tiny bite of food and sip of water didn't completely fill the emptiness in their stomachs, it made them feel as though the blood in their veins was warming back up and their bodies were slowly coming back to life.
After closing the canteen and putting it back in the bag, Aou tried to stand up, using his good arm for support against the wall of the cave. As he listened to the sound of the drizzling rain outside, he swept his gaze across the determined faces of the group.
"Alright" Aou said, raising his voice slightly. "Our bellies are somewhat full, we've gathered our strength. Now we need to head outside and figure out a way to hike down toward the main road the rain has eased up, but the ground is still slippery. We're going to move together, nobody is breaking away from the group. Put on your thermal sweaters from last night even if they're damp, they'll keep the heat inside and protect you" Aou said, before turning to Boom, who was still wrapped in the thermal blanket. "Boom, you take mine, I'll manage."
But before he could even finish his sentence, Boom rejected him, pulling his own wet sweater straight over his head. "No, Aou, you're the injured one here, so you should wear it, I'll manage with this one" he said. Seeing the expression of absolute determination shining in Boom's eyes, Aou didn't say another word and slipped the garment on.
Just as Aou was about to take a step toward the muddy slope outside, Tay suddenly pulled his phone out of his pocket even though there was no cell service, offline maps and compass apps had been pre installed. Lighting up the screen, his finger quickly searched for a point on the map.
"Wait, stop!" Tay called out, stepping right in front of Aou in a hurry. "We can't go down to the main road. The landslide completely blocked that road, and the risk of dirt sliding continues down in the lower sections of the mountain. But look... look at this spot I marked on the map."
Everyone gathered around Tay with intense curiosity. With a trembling finger on the digital map displayed on the phone screen, Tay pointed to a small, isolated spot.
"This is an old mining camp or an abandoned former settlement area" Tay explained, a tiny glimmer of hope sparking in his eyes. "It's completely abandoned, but maybe we can find a few stone structures that are still standing or an old shelter."
Aou carefully studied the map on the screen. Furrowing his brows, he weighed the distance and the route. "Instead of heading down to the main road and taking risks, continuing along the mountain ridge might make sense. So, how far is it?"
Tay swallowed hard, trying to calculate the topographic lines along the route. "Not too far, a few kilometers as the crow flies, but in these conditions... Hiking along the mountain path through this mud and with injured people, it'll take at least a full day. If we set off in the morning, we can only reach it before nightfall."
The members of the group silently looked at one another. Hiking along the mountain ridge for an entire day while soaking wet and exhausted meant pushing their physical limits to the absolute breaking point. Yet, there was no alternative; either they would fall victim to a new landslide down below, or they would brave the mountain to reach this old settlement.
Nodding, Krit was the first to give his approval. "It's better than heading down into that uncertainty below. I'm in."
Taking a deep breath, Nida also gave her approval. "At least we have a destination."
After checking the splint on his left arm one last time, Aou cast a resolute gaze at Boom and then at the others. "Alright," he said, the authority in his voice crystal clear. "The plan changes. Instead of the main road, we're hiking from the mountain ridge toward that old settlement. Get ready, we're moving out."
The exact moment they left the cave and started climbing toward the mountain ridge, that brief intermission nature had granted them came to a complete end. The rain had turned into a fine, needle like drizzle falling from the sky, but the wind was blowing much harder and more ruthlessly up on the ridge. With every single step, the mud dragged their feet downward, and hidden rocks popped up in front of them like traps.
Out of sheer necessity, the team began advancing in pairs. Bracing himself against the pain in his leg, Win held onto Tay, while Krit and his sister Nida watched out for each other and took the lead.
Right at the back of the group were Aou and Boom.
Having already failed to get a proper night's sleep on top of yesterday's utter exhaustion, Boom started falling behind again after walking just a few kilometers. His breaths came out in short, ragged gasps, and the weight bearing down on his legs felt as though it weighed tons. While climbing a slippery slope, his foot slipped and he lost his balance.
Acting instantly out of reflex, Aou tried to protect his injured left arm and reached out with his right hand to grab a firm hold of Boom’s wrist. Pulling him upward, he kept him upright.
"Don't let go, Boom," Aou said, out of breath but with a resolute tone. "It's almost over, hang in there."
Boom nodded and offered a faint smile as if to say thank you, but he didn't have a single ounce of energy left to speak. Without a moment's hesitation, Aou didn't let go of Boom’s hand; he interlaced his fingers tightly with his. Together, right in the middle of that cold wind and slippery trail, they continued walking hand in hand. The warmth radiating from Aou’s hand gave Boom just a bit more of the energy that was about to run out inside him.
However, after a while, something strange began to happen amid the desolate and massive silence of the mountain.
During the quietest moment of the walk, Aou suddenly slowed his pace. He looked back over his shoulder toward that foggy and dark path they had just walked up.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end; he was gripped by the sensation that someone was following them, a shadow stalking them from behind, or eyes watching them. It felt as though a pair of eyes was counting their steps.
When Aou stopped, Boom stopped too. Seeing the tense expression on Aou’s face, his heart began to pound rapidly.
"Aou? What is it?" Boom whispered, unable to hide the worry in his voice.
Aou put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Shh... Listen."
For a few seconds, nothing could be heard except the howling of the wind and the sound of rushing water far off in the distance. But immediately afterward, a faint rustling came from among the bushes, the sound of a leaf being crushed in the wet soil. Someone or something was standing right behind that curtain of fog directly behind them.
Boom felt that same chilling sensation down to his bones, too. A cold sweat trickled down his spine; there was someone behind them. Most definitely a human or an animal...
Walking ahead, Krit and Tay noticed that the people in the back had stopped and turned around.
"Hey, what happened? Why did you stop?" Krit called out, taking care to keep his voice low.
Without taking his eyes off the foggy darkness behind them, Aou whispered, "There's someone back there. Or something..."
Tay looked around tensely. "Someone? Don't be ridiculous up here on top of a mountain... It's probably just wildlife. A wolf or some wild mountain goat, something like that. They caught our scent and started trailing us."
"A wolf?" Nida murmured, hugging her brother a little closer out of fear. "Are there wolves up here, too?"
"Most likely," Win said, scanning the surroundings anxiously. "We're pretty close to the forested area. They might have picked up our scent and are looking for food."
Without letting go of Boom’s hand for even a second, Aou felt for the hard object in his pocket with his other hand and fixed his gaze firmly on the dark bushes. "A wild animal or something else... Whoever or whatever it is, we don't have the luxury of stopping and waiting. We need to walk faster."
Prompted by Aou’s warning, the group resumed their march, gripped by an ice cold wave of unease. Without daring to look back for fear of whatever danger might emerge from the fog behind them, they began climbing upward toward the steep slope once more.
The terrain had grown even steeper now. The soil softened by the rain slipped out from under their feet with every step they took, dragging them one step forward only to throw them two steps back. Win's injured leg had finally started rebelling; Tay offered his shoulder at every step, practically carrying his friend upward. Up front, Krit and Nida used hardened tree branches like walking sticks to test the ground and lead the way for the team.
Right at the back was the duo of Aou and Boom.
Aou had completely blocked out the pain and fatigue from the bandage on his left arm. While holding onto the climbing rope or rock ledges with one hand, he continued to firmly grasp Boom’s hand with the other. Boom’s breaths now wheezed loudly out of his chest, and every single new step turned into an endless, unyielding torture for him.
"Hang in there, Boom," Aou said, out of breath but with unshakable determination. "Not to the summit, but just to the top of this ridge, it's almost time. Once we reach it, we'll have the wind at our backs."
Boom was too exhausted to lift his head off the ground; holding onto the warmth of Aou’s hand, he dragged his feet forward like a mechanical robot. No other sounds had come from behind them since that moment; no rustling, no further feeling of being stalked... Either that hidden presence had moved away, or the physical exertion of the climb had temporarily buried the fear in their minds.
Finally, when they left the hardest leg of that steep climb along the mountain ridge behind them, the incline ahead eased up just a bit. The wind blew much harder here, freezing the damp clothes on their backs, but at least they had found a harder, rockier terrain to step on.
Seeing that the group had stopped, Aou placed his hands on his knees, took a deep breath, and cast one last careful look behind him toward that dark and foggy cliff they had just climbed. The fog had swallowed everything; there were no tracks left behind, nor any movement.
"Good job, folks," Aou said, raising his voice slightly so it could carry over the wind. "We're taking a short breathing break. Then we need to maintain our pace to reach that old settlement."
When they reached the very peak of that steep climb along the mountain ridge, the wind hit them head on like a solid wall. As they stood there out of breath, looking as though they were about to collapse flat onto the ground, they were utterly frozen by the landscape laid out before their eyes.
In front of them lay neither a road nor any trail; just a vast, wild ocean of forest wrapped in fog, stretching away in rolling waves down the mountain slope. The trees were massive in size, and with their dense foliage, they effectively severed the very last connection they had with the outside world.
Krit let out a deep breath and collapsed onto a stone. "Brilliant... Now we're completely in the middle of nature."
The grueling climb had left all their throats bone-dry. The last drops of water in their canteens had run out last night, and there wasn't a single stream or spring in sight. The mountaineering rations from yesterday were completely gone, too. There wasn't a single bite of food or drop of water left.
The rain finally seemed to take pity on them and stopped completely, and the clouds slowly began to part. However, this only made the air feel even more freezing. Physically exhausted, the six of them collapsed in soaking wet clothes at the base of a massive, ancient pine tree in an isolated spot that at least slightly blocked the wind.
While Win and Tay leaned their backs against the tree, completely out of breath, Krit and Nida sat down silently beside them.
Aou spotted Boom sitting right next to him, shivering uncontrollably. The young nurse's lips had turned a pale, freezing purple without wasting a single second, Aou pulled Boom toward himself, pressing his body tightly against his own. Wrapping his arms around him, he hugged him with all his might to banish that freezing cold and shivering, desperately trying to transfer his own body heat to him.
Boom paused for a fraction of a second in the face of Aou’s protective and warm embrace. While the others looked away due to their own exhaustion or rested their eyes, Boom hesitantly turned slightly toward Aou.
With his face flushing slightly out of embarrassment and necessity, Boom leaned in close to Aou’s ear when his warm, ragged breath brushed directly against Aou’s neck and skin, Aou flinched involuntarily; that sudden wave of skin to skin contact and the breath grazing his ear sent a shiver straight through him.
"Aou..." Boom whispered, unable to hide the bashfulness in his voice. "Um... I need to go to the bathroom. I'm so embarrassed, but... I can't hold it anymore."
Aou held his breath for a split second, struck by the sudden shock of Boom's breath brushing his ear and that sudden intimacy. His heart began beating in a strange, rapid rhythm unlike even the dangerous moments up on the mountain. Forcing himself to calm down, he smiled faintly and gently stroked Boom’s back to reassure him.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Boom" Aou whispered, his voice sounding much softer and huskier than it had yesterday. "It's completely normal... Go on, there's a secluded spot right behind those rocks over there, I'm right here waiting for you."
Even though Aou's understanding and reassuring words made Boom feel a bit better, he hesitated to wander off alone in the middle of this desolate forest he was already so exhausted he could barely stand on his feet anyway.
Aou immediately noticed his indecisiveness and the look of worry in his eyes the others had closed their eyes out of exhaustion and slipped into a deep silence; anyway, at this stage of the survival struggle, nobody had the energy to question every single step anyone took or care about where they were going.
Quietly, Aou stood up and offered support by taking Boom’s arm. "I won't leave you alone" he whispered, taking care not to draw the attention of the others. "Let's go together."
They started walking toward a dim recess hidden behind thick pine trees and massive boulders. The ground was soaking wet and slippery; Boom felt as though the earth were swallowing him whole out of embarrassment, and his steps slowed down significantly. Factoring in his injured left arm, Aou shifted all his weight onto his right side, held Boom tightly, and acted as a shield to prevent him from slipping on the rugged, slippery terrain.
When they reached a secluded spot completely out of sight where the wind was blocked, Aou stopped. Gently releasing Boom’s hand, he said, "I'll wait right over here with my back turned," turning his gaze in the opposite direction so as not to hurt the young nurse's pride.
As Aou stood waiting with his back pressed against the rock, his skin still tingled from the warmth of Boom's breath that had just grazed him moments ago. Right in the middle of this wild wilderness and the life and death struggle, this silent and fragile intimacy blooming between them felt like it was growing deeper by the second, defying all the freezing cold outside.