#triple h in the distance with a rifle

[holographic-chogi]

Protector pt.5/?

Author: holographic-chogi

Pairing: fem!reader x stray kids

Warnings: guns, swearing, and violence. Please let me know if I missed any!

A/N: Part 5 is finally here! My computer survived the war! All is well! Thank you to everyone who deals with my random upload schedule, I promise it’ll get better soon. Also! Appearances from Triple H. I know they aren’t technically a group anymore BUT CUBE CAN PRY THEM FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS. Also I wrote Hyuna with such intense dom vibes lmao, but like, anyone who’s seen Roll Deep will get it.

Summary: a virus has wiped out most of humanity, and society has collapsed. People survive in groups where they live in constant fear and a struggle to survive. Women were the primary victim of the virus, leaving few behind. You are one of the few, kept in secret since the beginning. However, you’ve just been caught.

Masterlist

The day had finally come. The day of the monthly meeting with Jaebum and his crew had finally arrived. Everyone had spent the morning loading and prepping the truck, some more quickly than others. While Felix had spent what felt like hours hauling sacks of produce onto the truck bed, Hyunjin simply dropped off the the skins and meat in one solid trip. The group had the uncanny ability to make you feel calm in nervous situations, but you could still feel anticipation growing beneath your skin.

Moments later, Hyunjin is setting up targets near the fence. It became a ritual for you to watch as he practices his aim. Usually you sit nearby, keeping him company or complimenting his shots. He usually did this much later in the day, so you figured he must be trying to fit it in while you’re here.

You head over and plop down beside him, sitting in the grass as he stood beside you, crossbow in hand. “Hey Jinnie.”

He shoots, hitting the first can in amongst eight others. “Hey. You feeling okay?”

You nod, keeping an eye on the next can. “I’m doing good. Thanks for keeping me occupied.”

He hits the second can and smirks, “It’s for me too. I got all used to you keeping me company during practice.” He shoots again, hitting the target. “It’ll pretty boring without you now.”

You could feel heat rushing to your cheeks, “You could just ask one of the other guys. I’m sure Jisung will have tons of free time while I’m gone.”

He looks at you from the corner of his eye. “He isn’t you, trust me.”

Your breath hitched. These hints of subtle intimacy were not uncommon for Hyunjin, but you had yet to get used to them.

He lowered the crossbow and looked at you. “Why don’t you give it a shot? Wanna try the crossbow?”

You smiled from ear to ear, you’d been waiting for that offer for quite awhile. You shook your head no, before answering, “I’d rather use the bow.”

He cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, before leaning over to pick one of his bows from the pile beside him. “Are you sure? The crossbow would be easier.”

You shook your head again. “Not for me.”

You stood beside him, and slid an arrow into place, inhaling as you closed one eye, lining up your shot. Little did he, or anyone here for that matter, know, your mother was a survivalist. She was paranoid about the apocalypse long before it reared it’s ugly head. By extension, you were truly a skilled marksman, with a few other skills up your sleeve. It’s been a minute since you’ve had access to a bow, so you’ve had your eyes on Hyunjin’s collection for awhile.

As you exhaled, you released the arrow, hitting the can at the center of it’s label. Hyunjin placed his hands on your shoulder to turn you towards him. Once your gaze met, you could see his eyes, wide from excitement. “That was great! Hitting on your first try? You could probably learn to shoot in no time!”

You hadn’t seen this much enthusiasm from the man since you’ve been here, and you wanted more. Not to mention, that comment about “Learning to shoot” had sparked something in you. Bold of him to assume you weren’t better at it than he was.

You pulled out of his grasp and faced the targets again. A smirk crept onto your face as you readied the next arrow between your fingertips. Showtime.

You shot four arrows in quick succession, knocking the remaining cans down, before turning back to Hyunjin. His eyes were wide, and his mouth had fallen open from surprise. Gathering himself, he turned to you. He spoke in his signature, calm tone.

“You’re gonna start hunting with me after you get back. There’s no way this talent is going to waste.”

You shrugged. “Good luck convincing the others.”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “Doesn’t matter what they think. They don’t control you.” He paused for a moment, before leaning back down to rummage through the pile. “Can you handle a firearm?”

You nodded. “I know my way around one.”

He sat back up, a silver revolver with a reddish brown handle in his palm. “Take this with you. You’re more than capable of protecting yourself, don’t let those idiots out there tell you otherwise.”

You smiled softly at him, “Thanks Hyunjin. I’ll see you in a couple days.”

In the distance, you heard a truck starting, and the sound of Chan calling you name. With his eyes still on you, Hyunjin placed a hand on your shoulder. “See ya in a couple days.”

It took a moment for you to get used to the wind, as you’ve never ridden in the back of a truck before. Amongst the several sacks of food and supplies, a little area had been cleared out, with a few blankets and pillows laid out. It was just you and Felix in the back, the two of you huddled under the blankets surrounded in a few books and your respective backpacks. You’d made sure to keep yours out of the way, since it contained the secret revolver that Hyunjin had given you. You hadn’t told the others because you already knew what their reaction would be.

Felix was curled up next to you, his head resting on your chest and his limbs tangled with yours. He claimed it was for “warmth”, but you knew he was just in a cuddly mood. Behind the wheel was Chan, and Changbin was in the passenger’s seat. The truck couldn’t fit much else, so it was just the four of you going. Besides, they needed as many people as possible to manage things back at the farmhouse. Jisung had originally wanted to go with you, but he had to stay back to cover Changbin’s guard shift. Better believe he threw the biggest fit about it too.

A soft snore escaped Felix’s lips, pulling you from your thoughts. His faded, orange hair was messily sprawled across his face, due to a bump you’d recently hit in the road. You stared at him with a smile and leaned down, moving the strands from behind his face and tucking it behind his ear. Your smile grew as his face was revealed, he had been smiling slightly in his sleep. He was undoubtedly the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen. He was wearing an oversized, fleece sweatshirt, that when wrapped around you felt like you were being held by a cloud, and even though you’d found the warmth excuse he’d made earlier to be quite amusing, you couldn’t deny that he kept you warm.

Without much thought, you looked up at the front of the truck. Chan was focused on the road, whistling something under his breath. Your gaze moved to the right, and you spotted Changbin staring down at Felix, a scowl on his lips. His gaze flitted up, and you locked eyes for a moment. You just stared in curiosity and Changbin blinked in shock, before whirling back around his seat, pretending to pay attention to the road.

Eventually, it began to grow dark. You had first noticed this while reading to Felix (who was still fused to you), when the words got harder and harder to see. Felix insisted you stop, upon noticing you squint.

“You can finish reading me the chapter later, I don’t wanna hurt your eyes.”

You ruffled his hair. “I’m fine Felix, but sure. We’ll finish it later.”

Felix grinned, “Promise?”

Chan shushed him from the front. Felix looked annoyed, but when the two of you looked up, his annoyance faded into worry. Chan and Chanbin were looking out the window anxiously, trying to get a better view of something. You squirmed from Felix’s grasp and looked over the edge of the trunk. You didn’t see much, besides an abandoned shack a little far off. You looked back at Chan to make sure you were seeing the same thing.

Felix sat up too, worry lacing his tone. “Chan, what’s wrong?”

In response, Chan turned off the headlights and stopped the car, taking a deep breath. “Changbin saw lights on in that building a bit ago. They just turned off.”

Changbin added, “This is JYP territory. We’d know if someone was staying there.”

Chan looked back at you, clearly trying to seem calm. “They could just be squatters.”

“That’s the best case scenario. Be ready for anything.” Murmured Changbin.

Felix and you sat next to each other, simply watching as Chan and Chanbin continue their hushed conversation. Wordlessly, Felix took your hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

You looked up at him, and he murmured, “Everything’s gonna be fine. Those two are badasses. Nothing bad is gonna happen to you while they’re here.”

You squeeze his hand back, grateful for the reassurance. You sneak a glance at your backpack, planning silently on how to get it out if you need it. Truthfully, you were worried about Felix. In his mind, he was a protector. In reality, he had very little combat experience, and was actually the one in need of protection. You knew he was rusty.

Chan leaned back and looked at Felix, “You come with me. Changbin’s gonna stay with Y/N.”

He nodded before letting go of your hand, replacing it with a pistol, and hopping over the side of the truck. Changbin simply pulled a rifle from his lap and positioned it out the window. The two of you watched as Felix and Chan disappeared towards the shack.

It had been a few minutes, and you anxiously tapped your feet, willing them to come back soon and safe. The grump with the rifle sighed, “Stop it. You’re distracting me.”

You huff. “We should be in there, helping.”

He opened his mouth, about to argue back, when the sound of a gunshot blasted in the distance. You both jump at the sound, and dread seeps into you. Who just shot that? Who was on the receiving end? You scramble over to your bag and begin to fish around for the revolver. You cursed yourself for hiding it at the bottom. Upon finding it, you tuck it in your pants and leap over the side of the truck, ready to bolt towards the house. Before you can move a foot, you feel a hand grasp your forearm, keeping you in place. You whip your head back to face Changbin, ready to snap, but stop when you see genuine concern in his eyes.

“Y/N. Do you have the gun that Hyunjin gave you?”

Your eyes narrow, “How do you know about that?”

“I just do.” He pauses, “You shouldn’t go in there. I don’t want you to go in there.”

You were growing frustrated, every second you wasted here was another that Chan or Felix could be bleeding out. You shot back with venom in your tone, “Why do you care?”

His gaze faltered for a moment, and you weren’t sure, but for that moment he looked almost...hurt. But then he narrowed his eyes, becoming as cold as before. He dropped your arm and spoke in a low tone. “I don’t. Go ahead.”

You froze for a second, staring at him. He had distracted you for only a few moments before you whip around, and begin tearing towards the shack.

You tunnel-vision towards the door, barely noticing your surroundings as your legs carry you as fast as they can towards the front. You skid to a halt, and you find your speed from before is gone. You’re terrified. Not knowing what’s behind the door, your hands shake as you reach for the handle, then you take a breath and push it open.

Directly in front of you, completely oblivious to your presence, is a man hastily throwing things into a suitcase. You can see the panic on his face as he trembles, scrambling to find various necessities for some unknown, urgent reason. Was the gunshot his?

You take a step forward, and a large creak sounds from the wooden floor. He spins to face you, his straight, blond hair sticking to parts of his tear-soaked face. At first glance, he didn’t seem too intimidating. He was certainly more scared than you were, and his freckles and messy hair reminded you of Felix. You spoke in the most intimidating voice you could manage.

“Where are they?”

He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, “I d-don’t know.”

You took another step forward, hand resting on the handle of the gun still tucked away. You may not even need it. “Tell me where they are!”

His eyes shot open and he put his hands in front of him in surrender, “I don’t know w-what’s happening. P-please don’t hurt me.”

You gaze softened. There’s no way he did anything. He’s terrified and clueless. There must be other people here. You began to move your hand away from the handle when you felt a click next to your temple.

“Don’t. Move.”

You heart sunk, and you held your breath, body frozen in place. You were so focused on the scared, blond guy that you hadn’t noticed someone else enter. You could feel the metal from the tip of the gun press into the skin on your forehead, sending a chill throughout your body.

The person spoke again, it was a woman’s voice. “Put the gun on the floor. Nice and slow.”

You moved your hand back to the gun and slowly took it out, leaning down to set it on the floor before standing back up. You gaze flickered back to the guy. The fear didn’t seem like an act, but relief was clear in his face. He hiccuped, still recovering from his previous crying fit. “H-hyuna...I’m sorry, I didn’t know there was anyone else…”

You heard her voice from beside you, “Shh...Hyojong, it’s okay. Get behind me.”

As quickly as she spoke, he scampered behind her, leaving you to stare at the wall. You tried to push it away, but you could feel the panic rising. Your knees were weak, and your hands shook at your sides. The woman named Hyuna spoke again.

“Turn around so I can see you.”

Slowly, you turned towards her, praying that she wouldn’t shoot you. When you finally stood to face her, you could see brilliant orange curls framing her face and shoulders. Her large brown eyes stared into your soul, and everything about them screamed “Danger”. Despite this, you gathered the courage you had, and stared her down. “Where are my friends?”

She narrowed her eyes at you, pulling the gun away slightly, though it was still pointed at your head. “I was gonna ask you the same thing.” and without taking her eyes off you, she addresses the frightened man behind her, “Hyojong, did Hoetaek come inside at all?”

He shook his head, “I haven’t seen him. She’s the only one to come in before you. She doesn’t know anything either.”

Your eyes widen as she cocks the gun, her gaze growing dark, “She’s no help then. No point in keeping her alive.”

You squeeze your eyes shut and bite your lip, bracing for impact. Many faces flash through your head, faces of family, new and old friends, the group you were growing to love….and Jiho.

You could feel tears begin to gather at the corners of your eyes as the realization hit you. If you die now, that prison was the last time you’d ever see him.

And for a reason you can’t explain, the image of Changbin staring at you with that hurt expression, just before he released your arm, was stronger than all the others. Why him? Why should you give a shit about him?

And then you heard a bang...but you felt nothing. You heard Hyuna shrieking in front of you, and your eyes fluttered open in confusion. Hyuna laid crumpled on the ground, clutching her calf as she hissed in pain. Hyojong had his arms around her, muttering nonsensically in a reignited sense of panic, tears bubbling in his eyes and running down his face.

In slight shock, you look around quickly, only to see Changbin standing a few feet away, with your revolver in his hand, still pointed at Hyuna.

#skz #stray kids #stray kids fanfiction #stray kids reactions #stray kids scenarios #protector #stray kids apocalypse au #triple h #hyuna #e’dawn #hyojong

[actingdeep]

Jean & Cat

Give me your hand. Only give 'yes' or 'no' answers for now. We will go back later at the end. Close your eyes. I'm going to start by saying the Lord's Prayer.        "Okay."        That was all Lorraine could say these days. She would eat oatmeal when we set a bowl for her and she would smile. We put a red cigarette in her fingers and told her to inhale. She would cough twice in an elderly way, with sunken eyes staring straight forward, and she would smile.        We shifted our intimate yet quaint and twisted car songs and dialogues to the back porch around 6 a.m., after tiptoeing past conked couple Jean and Ryan crashing on their living room floorbed, making coffee, using the restroom and watering the silly-looking dog. There is a very alien type of relaxation that comes with being the last ones alive from a late night civil war on your own good health, with everyone else defenseless and asleep like regrettable casualties.        The horizon stretched and yawned. Past our feet, in the dew-covered grass, layed the sheepdoglike Lily, with her green bone flinging around her teeth. Cat had abilities within her revealing dormant truths and hidden pasts in others. I had amphetamines within me releasing all boring skepticism and reason. By the end of the night, she had given me a personal palm reading. The accuracy was daunting at first (and still is). It was a superstitious and almost laughable act, yes; but it was pinnacle altruism--and at that moment, after all these years, it was finally clear to me that she was my friend.        I was feeling a little effete as a hidden star burnished the scale of an overripe and infirm world. Cat and I had inadvertently stayed up all night. We were either still drunk, or low-key tweaking, or probably both. Our eager spirits were about to be given another boost out of their usual pockets of time and space. We lounged with sleepless energy in squat gray outdoor chairs on the small back porch, with blowing trees and birds singing in the early summer morning. Jean had already long fallen asleep on her living room floorbed, and now that I finally had Cat out of the car, I could let my blood cool between easy nature and cheap science.        The dome of the pipe we were smoking Annie from caught some outside debris from the wind that was blowing and made a slight brownish blemish on the inside, which made the taste of the rolling smoke a little less clean than the previous hits. Many a time when Jean and I were gulping down cherry-flavored vodka around this time six or seven years ago, in the bedroom right behind Cat's, when they still had their old house, I had never fathomed a table could turn so drastically: the table being my relationship with these two women--mother and daughter--over time frames scattered and separated by intermittent spaces of buildup and decay. The days when talking to Cat filled me with dread seemed like false memories when I looked at her now. I almost liked her more than Jean these days--a funny thought, indeed.        "Are you still hungry?"        "Okay."        At 4 a.m. we were back from the bar, and pulled in the driveway of Jean's grandparent's house. She struggled to shut her car door and sauntered inside. I followed, but before I made it in the house, I heard my name called back from behind me from the driveway. I turned to see Cat gesturing for me under the dim car light. She was looking around in the car for something I don't remember what. I got back in to help her search for something likely of the highest unimportance. As we began to talk more, we ended up being in the car for at least an hour. When Cat begins to chatter with you, an angel should come down from Headache Heaven to give you a Valium and a bucket of popcorn. We hadn't talked very much all night, only because once she dropped off Jean and I at the bar, she didn't come in to join us finally until around the last half hour we were there, where I would eventually start a scene that would close the entire bar for the night.        We laughed about that, and caught up with one another in general about the changes and differences in our respective current lives. Her overall pleasantness caught me off-guard, somewhat. As conversations in parked vehicles usually go, especially with our current bodily chemical states, we eventually graduated from serious discussion, to banter, to no words--just full duet performances to bands like The Violent Femmes and Fleetwood Mac, stridulate and true.        This is nothing like using Tarot cards. Those things are complete bull shit. I am going to try to knock something loose here.        They're screaming again: this time, passively-aggressively around the edges of the room, little hash symbols and asterisks and ampersands tunneling in the air and in and out of Lorraine's smiling ears. At first, the day was calm: quiet snores, with the T.V. playing The Price is Right, as some were still laid out on the floor asleep, some in chairs with coffee and paper, awake. The small house seemed much more open than it should have been. I watched the game show and sat on the couch next to Brenda, Cat's girlfriend, as she was scrolling her finger on a phone screen and grimacing a little. Jean's disheveled head was zzzing right next to my left foot. I put back large gulps of the coffee Brenda made me to put off my ineludible crash, and had cigarettes on the bright, thin clean carpet.        Brenda started it; it was around 11:30 a.m. Grunting, she staggered over to Cat's floorbed to lean down, and WHUP!, smack her on her overturned body, making her yelp in a terrible way, like a little, running dog that pivoted wrong and twisted it's paw. Some moments you don't want to ever remember--that is--until you really can't. She had only been asleep for about twenty minutes, and immediately:        "Fuck! What is...what is wrong with you?" cried Cat, still stridulate.        "Who's all these motherfuckers in yer phone messagin' ya? Always fuckin' around on me, ain't ya? Don't give a rat's ass about me."        "I don't talk to anyone, Brenda. I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"        "Ah, bull shit," waved Brenda, turning away like a troll.        "Fuck you!"        "Fuck you right back, bitch."        "I haven't gotten any sleep all night, Brenda. I was up talking to Derek all night, and I just fucking fell asleep."        "Well, good morning bitch!"        And so on. This match lasted hours; piercing echoes branching off into littler sub-arguments (but just as loud) over other things they thought would be good also brought up, neither showing mercy, except to make a jeer and cackle at the other's expense. Dan had already taken Ryan to his morning college class and hadn't gotten back yet, so between sleeping Jean, contented Lorraine, and highly tired I, no one was attempting to dampen the vicious quarrel in any way. I was sitting quietly, looking down at my feet and Jean's stirring hair ball, not from lack of sleep, but from the plain child greenness of these two women.        I knew Cat as a married woman to a husband, once. But no surprise came to me when I met her current girlfriend (womanfriend). I knew this was more of an emotionally-hinged relationship and sexually less so; only the emotions in use were nothing but petulant combativeness, desperation, and cold resentment; they were fools together. After a while, crash impending, I would simply walk outside, away from it all, until the screams muffled themselves in the distance.        "Okay."        Dan was the man of the house, and also Cat's dad. He was a few years shy of sixty years. Although I had never met him before, having stayed the night at his house, he was quite jolly and approachable. He smoked cigarettes with the front door open. His wife Lorraine sat by him in a low-back rocking chair, onlooking. The rooms of the house were typical in the grandparently sense: white-gold ceiling fan, porcelain figurines behind glass cases, mini fish tank, placemats on multiple kitchen tables, a smiling woman sitting in a smiling rocking chair, big television. The only thing out of place was the smoking; it was a subtle invasion of a seemingly innocent atmosphere, akin to squeezing your girlfriend's ass at church service. I couldn't believe I was smoking a square on a davenport.        Did you know the dead see the future?        Back in school, when Jean and I dated as teenagers, her mother Cat was in a seriously disobliging state--dependent on drugs like Xanax and methadone. She would stay in her room twenty-four seven and roar at us to turn the music down. She only left the house when absolutely necessary, and had a round, evil scorn forever in her floating eyes. She was ponderous, choleric and painstakingly contrary, instigating daily screaming matches with her husband, or daughter, or both. She was always in carping pain, and loved to spite her old pasts to herself in drugged, futile insanity. When she would bring her mom her dinner trays, Jean usually took accusation and insult as gratuity. On the occasions she was in good spirits (which usually implied she was unusually zapped), she would talk to you for what seemed like long hours about things like ghosts or glory days if you weren't careful to sneak past her bedroom door, which was permanently ajar, with a low, rambling sound leaking out of it always. I loved being in Jean's room more than anywhere in those days. I remember a pink sheet covering an overhead window making every movement and shadow a cotton candy daydream, sitting on a stack of two single mattresses, with us both leaning against a wall with blanketed legs and her kitten, soft and white between us, with secret, window eyes.        And there would be Jean: beautiful and youthful in blonde and black and pink and brown eyes. She was in the school's color guard and I would watch her practice double and triple rifle spins in her backyard for hours, smoking dirt weed to her music playlists. We were underage drinkers; but she always had a guy to buy alcohol for us (to them, just her), and once he would drop it off, she would cutely thank him and send him away, bringing it into her room where I waited, and we would drink from the bottle, giggling; or, we would just stay in her room for hours to avoid Cat by playing music, taking pictures, or just making each other laugh hysterically in various ways. I hope I never forget that laugh.        "Okay, honey."        We carried our drinks over to a rounded booth in the corner and talked for a while, saying hello to the barkeep Stephen as we walked in, and to all the other puffy, smiling faces we recognized, but didn't know. It was just Jean and I right now, talking like we always could, no matter where or when we ever were. Apparently, Cat was sticking around the parking lot for a while to connect to the internet on her phone for something rather (or was she?), and selling soupcons of various pills here and there to her bar regular buddies, amiably, with wrinkled eye corners.        Something is coming through. A man with a flattop military haircut. I also see an older man sitting in an easy chair. How well do you remember your childhood? Does the name Tom mean anything to you?        Jean and I sat near the DJ booth, which wasn't really a booth inasmuch as it was a large man sitting in a folding chair with a laptop. We laughed, but were loving what he was playing. Her and I have always been able to listen to music together comfortably for long periods of time, often with naps and cool silences. In the moment, I felt that we were actually a good couple when we were seventeen, even though it only lasted a couple weeks, tops; but being friends was barely different, and easy to do. She had many boyfriends, one at a time, in constant replicating sequences--one, and another, and another. I never minded that--it is a task for most people to be alone. Ryan was her current boyfriend, but she didn't bring him to the bar--and not just because he was underage. She used men like a body pillow or an aspirin; leave them at the house and use them for comfort as needed (and they were always young). She was dull now. I had to entertain her because she was dull, and I loved her; but of course, in loving her, I was dull, also. After some rounds, we would smile more easily.        I asked when her mom was going to join us, because, to this point, I really had no clue as to what Cat was even doing, us having sat there drinking, unjoined for an hour or two now.        "She's in the car, smoking speed. That's her drug of choice now." After I gave off a questioning look, she continued: "I really don't mind it. I mean, at least she can function."        Hmmm.        I rounded my eyes, and curled my wet lips. I excused myself, and bolted outside towards the car. I knew Cat would share; greed a moral hit-man. The dim car light was on across the street.        After twenty minutes or so, I sat back down in the booth and readjusted my eyes, feeling fresh. Jean was standing by the DJ booth.        "Do you take requests?"        "I take donations."        An older woman with a strained gait and a proud, pauper air waddled up to our booth and gave a friendly hello-how-are-you to Jean, but not to me. Jean had a subtle knack for being pleasurable and forebearing to humdrum dishwater persons, the subjective soul inside me under a spell of well whiskey, and also Cat's treat, slowly making my thoughts increasingly insubordinate here.        "Aye! A Jeanie in a bottle!"        "Hi, it's good to see you."        (No it isn't. She's foul!)        "Been missin' ya round this place. Where ya been, girly?"        "Just working, and taking care of grandma."        "Oh, bless your heart! How is she?        (She's okay.)        "Y'know--good days and bad days."        (Too bad this Jeanie can't grant wishes; she'd make it no days.)        At one point, I reached over and took a sip out of Jean's beer bottle. The woman slowly straightened her mouth and furrowed her brow, glaring at me.        "You're disrespectful."        "I bought this. I've bought all her drinks." A cheap maneuver. She turned to Jean:        "You should find better friends."        I saw Jean's mouth twitch a little, then turn up again. "This is my oldest friend," she defended me cooly, with an undertone of hate only I could detect. I smiled at the woman as if to say, "How about that?" She had a countenance that was one part protectiveness for Jean, another part antipathy for me, and a third part, something I couldn't place, but that was definitely for herself.        "It's okay, honey, he's really okay," said Jean sedatively. Jean looked more allayed than I was once the woman had eventually returned to her table.        The front door was slowly staving off tottering bodies as the night bloomed into day. As she passed by them, coming back in from a cigarette, Jean looked up and noticed an old school friend of hers, who was talking to a man that happened to be sitting right next to me, at the far end of the bar. This made her face light right up, I noticed, which contented me quite well, as Jean in general wasn't particularly boisterous. She skipped up to the old friend and gave a kind and delighted hello. But this girl was obviously completely disinterested in her, and gave her a lowbred, patronizing sneer.        "Okay."        Freshly cold-shouldered, Jean rubbed her arms, and became specially downcast, then: this was not okay. Seeing her so depreciated so abruptly sparked a most tender agony within me that would prod my heart, even under the many obtunding whiskeys I had imbibed over the night. I called the insipid girl's attention, and seconds later, she looked up at me, and when she looked up at me, I vengefully, and without restriction, said:        "What kind of rude, phony, fucking bitch are you?" Her body didn't move, but her fingers and face started to contort as she glared at me. She dropped her jaw a little, and then clenched it, and widened her thick, black eyes as a fire rose in them. Jean stood back a little, and the girl began to defend herself in belligerent fury, while I held my own ground in the meantime. Every sentence she spoke bumbled over the next; she was clearly plastered, and in rage. I continued to fuel that rage as I rebounded spurring insults like "Fuck you!" and "What do you know?" with gibes like "I can't! I'm outta cash!" and "Fish swim, birds fly, and you're a cunt!"        This soon started a mini-uproar on that end of the bar, and very quickly had all the remaining bar-goers perking up from their glasses. Some people began to hover nearby us gingerly, in case of the possibility that things could get physical, as her and I continued to altercate, teams now forming behind us.        After about three more minutes of her drunkenly calling me names and I relentlessly making fun of her for being fake and angry, the bartender Stephen kicked her out. He was good friends with Jean (a regular there), and had saw us together all night, and must have been partial. He told the friends of the girl I accosted, now a tornado of nails and hair and fury, body still unmoved, to take her outside, and so they did. He locked the doors, then turned to give me a face of exhausted vitriol. I still sat there at the long bar next to my friend Cat, the medium, and her deservedly defended daughter, one of my most nascent and esteemed loves from years and years ago. Because of our mutual friend Jean, he would only give me a little hell for causing such a row, and I gave him a most disingenuous apology.        We reset and regrouped, and were soon out the door. What a perfect pleasure it is to mislay all complacency and trepidation, and to actuate defiance in the face of all of our false, permeable cordialities, and to see just how easily it can all fall away. To feel what I did to be an imperative as to glorify a strayed memory of a forgotten devotion only moreover authenticates my conviction that the ways we go, and the happenings in our lives, occur for no reason at all but for our own attempts at nullifying an unavoidable and steadfast state of lifelong suffering. Jean thanked me for standing up for her, and gifted me an old look and smile that, so many years ago, I would have never believed I had forgotten.        "Okay."

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07th & 8th June Current affairs Daily News Analysis

World oceans day is being celebrated on June 8, 2020 under the theme "Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean" About: The United Nations celebrates World Oceans Day every year on 8 June. In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, as of 2009, 8 June would be designated by the United Nations as “World Oceans Day”. World Oceans Day is uniting conservation action to grow the global movement calling on world leaders to protect 30% of our blue planet by 2030. This critical need is called 30x30.  Source : United Nations (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Coal India Subsidiary Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) opened 3 new coal mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh having combined annual production capacity of 2.9 million tonnes (MT) About: The three mines which WCL has opened, areAdasa Mine, an underground to open cast mine, in Nagpur Area of Maharashtra, Sharda underground Mine in Kanhan Area and Dhankasa underground mine in Pench Area of Madhya Pradesh. The company launched a surveillance System named ‘WCL EYE’ to monitor operations of 15 major mines of the company round the clock. It will also help monitor coal stocks. It also launched an App named SAMVAAD to connect with its employees and stakeholders on this occasion.  Source : PIB (Economy) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy A group of senior lawmakers from eight democracies including the US have launched the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China to counter China About: It is a new cross-parliamentary alliance to help counter what the threat posed by China’s growing influence to global trade, security and human rights. The group aims to “construct appropriate and coordinated responses, and to help craft a proactive and strategic approach on issues related to China.” The list of participating nations includes the US, Germany, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, as well as members of the European parliament. Source : Times of India (International Relations) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar asserted that India’s overall objective during the fresh tenure in the UN Security Council will be the achievement of “N.O.R.M.S. , New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System” About: He said this at the launch event of a brochure outlining India’s priorities for its forthcoming campaign to secure an elected seat in the UN Security Council. India is guaranteed a place in the UNSC as it is the sole candidate for Asia-Pacific Group, but needs two-thirds of the 193-member General Assembly to vote in its favour in a secret ballot scheduled for June 17 in New York. This will be the eighth time India will occupy a non-permanent UNSC seat, with its last stint in 2011-2012. Source : All India Radio (International Relations) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy The State of India’s Environment, 2020 report was released by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a research and advocacy organisation. CSE also publishes the environment magazine Down to Earth Key findings:  19 major extreme weather events claimed 1,357 lives last year. Internal displacement:There were more than 50 lakh internal displacements in India in 2019, the highest in the world. India had one in five of all internal displacements caused by disasters across the world in 2019, mostly caused by floods, cyclones and drought. Flooding caused by the southwest monsoon led to 26 lakh displacements, while Cyclone Fani alone led to 18 lakh displacements, followed by cyclones Vayu and Bulbul. On the other hand, drought conditions in 19 States led to another 63,000 displacements. Migrants: The report also broke down 2011 census data on migrant populations.There were over 45 crore migrants in the country at the time, with the vast majority migrating within their own State. In 2011, over 1.7 crore new migrants had moved for employment purposes, mostly from rural to urban areas.  Source : The Hindu (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched three advisories on the occasion of World Environment Day About: These advisories are: (1) Advisory on Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), (2) Advisory on Landfill Reclamation and (3) a Draft advisory on On-site and Off-site Sewage Management Practices. These advisories have been prepared by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO) under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). The documents released are part of an effort to find and facilitate sustainable solutions to some of the key problems hindering holistic sanitation and solid waste management. He said, when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi On the occasion a toolkit for a communication campaign on faecal sludge management titled ‘Malasur- The Demon of Defeca’ was also released. It aims at heightening the risk perception of faecal sludge. Important Info : Due to the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) in 2014, scientific processing of solid waste, which stood at a mere 18 per cent in 2014 , has more than tripled and now stands at 65 per cent. Source : All India Radio (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy NASA has announced that 163348 (2002 NN4), a giant asteroid is expected to pass Earth (at a safe distance) in June. The asteroid is a Near-Earth Object (NEO) and is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) NASA defines NEOs as comets and asteroids nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits which allows them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood. NEOs occasionally approach close to the Earth as they orbit the Sun. These objects are composed mostly of water ice with embedded dust particles. The scientific interest in comets and asteroids is largely due to their status as relatively unchanged remnant debris from the solar system formation process over 4.6 billion years ago. Significantly, among all the causes that will eventually cause the extinction of life on Earth, an asteroid hit is widely acknowledged as one of the likeliest.  Important Info : Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) This asteroid 163348 (2002 NN4) is classified as a PHA, which means the asteroid has the potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.Asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of about 0.05 (AU is the distance between the Earth and the Sun and is roughly 150 million km), which is about 7,480,000 km or less and an absolute magnitude (H) of 22 (smaller than about 150 m or 500 feet in diameter) or less are considered PHAs.  Source : Indian Express (Science & Technology) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Thousands defied a police ban to gather with candles in Hong Kong to mark China’s bloody Tiananmen Square democracy crackdown in 1989 and accuse China of stifling freedoms too on their semi-autonomous territory About: The Tiananmen Square protests were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing during 1989 calling for democracy, free speech and a free press in China. Background to protests:The protests were set off by the death of pro-reform Communist general secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989, amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social changes in post-Mao China. Common grievances at the time included inflation, corruption, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy, and restrictions on political participation. Tiananmen Square Massacre:The protests started on April 15 and were forcibly suppressed in a bloody crackdown, known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, by the Chinese government on June 4 and 5, 1989. On June 4, the government declared martial law and sent the military to occupy central parts of Beijing. Troops with assault rifles and tanks fired at the demonstrators. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded. Source : The Hindu (History) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy The second World Food Safety Day (WFSD) is being celebrated on 7 June 2020 under the theme “Food safety, everyone’s business” About: Background: WFSD was first celebrated in 2019, to strengthen commitment to scale up food safety made by the Addis Ababa Conference and the Geneva Forum in 2019 under the umbrella of “The Future of Food Safety”. Objective of the day: Through the World Food Safety Day, WHO in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) pursues its efforts to mainstream food safety in the public agenda and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally. Date of observance: Every year on 7 June.  Source : United Nations (Health) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy PM Modi condoled the demise of Ved Marwah, former Police Commissioner of Delhi and former Governor of Manipur, Mizoram and Jharkhand About: Ved Prakash Marwah (1934 – 2020) was an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. He served as the Commissioner of Police (1985-88), Delhi; and Director General of the National Security Guard (1988-90). After retirement, he served as governor of Manipur, Mizoram and Jharkhand. In 1995, Marwah authored the book ‘Uncivil Wars: Pathology of Terrorism in India’. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1989.  Source : Indian Express (Polity & Governance) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari launched the UNDP national awareness campaign on ‘Prevention of Human and Animal Mortality on Highways’ About: It aims at generating awareness and education for the masses at large towards reducing or eliminating mortality on the roads. The country witnesses nearly five lakh road accidents every year, in which about 1.5 lakh lives are lost. Aim of the government under the campaign is to bring down these figures by 20 to 25 per cent by March next year. Over 5000 black spots have been identified, and the process for their rectification including temporary and permanent measures is being carried out on urgent basis. Source : All India Radio (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has created a Rs 500-crore Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) to encourage acquirers to deploy Points of Sale (PoS) infrastructure — both physical and digital modes — in tier-3 to tier-6 centres and north eastern states About: Governance: The PIDF will be governed through an Advisory Council and managed and administered by RBI. Funding:RBI will make an initial contribution of ₹250 crore to the PIDF, covering half of the fund, while the remaining contribution will be from card-issuing banks and card networks operating in the country. The PIDF will also receive recurring contributions to cover operational expenses from card-issuing banks and card networks. RBI will also contribute to yearly shortfalls, if necessary. Background: The setting up of this fund is in line with the recommendations of the report of the committee on deepening of digital payments, chaired by Nandan Nilekani. Need of PIDF: Given the high cost of merchant acquisition and merchant terminalisation, most of the POS terminals in the country are concentrated in tier 1 and 2 cities and towns and other regions have been left out. Source : Indian Express (Economy) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy On occasion of World Environment Day, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) MAITREE program, launched the “Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings” initiative to make workplaces healthier and greener About: “Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings” Initiative will address the challenges of retrofitting existing buildings and air conditioning systems so that they are both healthy and energy efficient. The Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency (MAITREE), under which this initiative has been launched, is a part of the US-India bilateral Partnership between the Ministry of Power and USAID. It is aimed at accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency as a standard practice within buildings, and specifically focuses on cooling. Important Info : Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the administration of Ministry of Power, is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the country. Source : PIB (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Power Minister launched the ‘#iCommit’ initiative on the occasion of World Environment Day About: The initiative is a clarion call to all stakeholders and individuals to continue moving towards energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability to create a robust and resilient energy system in the future. The ‘#iCommit’ initiative, driven by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the administration of Ministry of Power is uniting a diverse set of players such as Governments, Corporates, Multilateral and Bilateral Organisations, Think Tanks and Individuals. The initiative will also promote key undertakings of Government of India such as National Electric Mobility Mission 2020, FAME 1 and 2,Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana etc. Source : PIB (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Environment Minister launched the Urban Forest program (Nagar Van scheme) on the occasion of World Environment Day About: In the initial phase, under this program, forests will be developed in 200 corporations and cities in the country across the country over the next five years. The scheme will be, in part, paid for by the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016) funds. The forests were to come up either on existing forest land or on any other vacant land offered by urban local bodies. The Environment Minister highlighted the success of Wajre Urban forest in the city of Pune, Maharashtra which has been developed on a 40 acre degraded land area.  Source : Indian Express (Environment) Union Government has promulgated an ordinance to amend Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) About: Under it, fresh insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) will not be initiated against companies for defaults due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Default on repayments from 25th of March, the day when the nationwide lockdown began to curb Corona virus infections, will not be considered for initiating insolvency proceedings for a period of six months, which could be extended to one year. It suspends sections 7,9 and 10 of the IBC for a period of 6 months with an enabling provision allowing for it to be extended upto 1 year. Important Info : Under the IBC, an entity can seek insolvency proceedings against a company even if the default is only one day. This is subject to the minimum threshold of Rs 1 crore. Earlier, the threshold was Rs 1 lakh. Source : All India Radio (Economy) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Daily Current affairs and News Analysis Best IAS Coaching institutes in Bangalore Vignan IAS Academy Contact Vignan IAS Academy Enroll For IAS Foundation Course from Best IAS / IPS Training Academy in Bangalore Latest Current Affairs Read the full article

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