They Came Back

Chapter 1

A terrible storm struck Seoul, South Korea. People frantically rushed into stores and fought over necessities, such as bottled water, canned foods, batteries, flashlights, and first aid kits. People who lived near the Han River were advised to evacuate to their nearest shelter.

It was December. Winter. The weather was already cold enough without the storm making things worse.

Kingsley Kwan and his parents were forced to evacuate due to living too close to the Han River. At the shelter, Kingsley bumped into Jake Ji, who had also evacuated with his family. 

Large screens on the walls broadcasted the current news. The storm was extremely bad right now, but it would finish passing by morning. The news showcased live footage from some street cameras, and it showed how much the Han River had risen and how wild the waterflow was. The Han River flooded the streets surrounding it and broke down some windows and doors of the first floors of nearby buildings.

The camera switched to another area of Seoul. Lightning flashed across the dark storm clouds. Thunder boomed loudly throughout the area. Some of the buildings shook due to the intense winds.

It didn't take long for the cameras to lose power or be destroyed. The channel changed back to the news anchors in the studio. They continued to inform the viewers of all the information they currently had.

Kingsley—if he was going to be honest—did not care about the news. After the death of his boyfriend, Donald Na, he had fallen into a depression. He attempted to continue Donald's legacy and kept the Union going, but he was unable to recover it from the damage it had suffered prior to Donald's death.

His life had lost all of its color after Donald's death. He no longer had a purpose. His life went back to being a repetitive routine of going to school and returning home. Once he got home, he did his homework and then just laid down on his bed. He'd stare up at his ceiling until his parents called him for dinner. After dinner, he'd return to bed and go to sleep.

Kingsley didn't want to evacuate. He didn't have the strength to have self-preservation. He would've been fine with just being swept away by the storm. The only reason he did evacuate was due to his parents.

Kingsley decided that he'd go back to sleep until the storm was over.

~They Came Back~

The storm came to an end by morning. Kingsley woke up, and he saw the news was back on. Currently, reporters were at the scenes of various locations, and they showed the extensive damage to some buildings.

At first, Kingsley paid no mind to the news. It was only when he heard the reporter say the word "columbarium" did his head snap up quickly. He felt his heart stop when he heard the news.

The storm had destroyed the columbarium. It had destroyed the columbarium where Donald's ashes were. The only thing he had left of his boyfriend had been destroyed by a storm. His urn was most likely shattered, and his ashes were most likely spread and mixed in with the dirt, rubble, and other people's ashes.

Kingsley couldn't breathe. He needed to go to the columbarium. He needed to salvage what he could, even if it was just a piece of Donald's urn.

"Breathe, Kingsley!" Jake shook Kingsley's shoulder. "Kingsley, you're hyperventilating!"

"Hey," Kenny said, "I think you guys should continue watching the news."

"There are people trapped in the rubble of the columbarium!"

The cameraman and reporter rushed closer to the scene. Several people groaned and limbs could be seen trapped buried beneath the rubble.

Kingsley, Jake, Kenny, and most of the high schoolers in the shelter recognized one of the hands with its distinct paleness, signature tattoos, and expensive rings. That hand was Donald Na's hand.