Harmless || Stray Kids ✔️

28

Day four. I'm still alone. Why am I still alone? This can't be happening. Why is it doing this to me? I'm not afraid anymore. I'm just annoyed and upset. The loneliness is pricking at my fingers, forcing me outside everyday so I'm not reminded of my members.

It's getting dark by the time I reach the stadium again. I like going there because it helps me breathe. I'm tired of running laps and breaking into convenience stores.

For some reason, the lights are always on when it starts to get dark. I don't know if they were automatic or what, but it was weird. I get almost to the top before sitting down. I don't know if I can take much more of this. I just want my family back. I just want them back.

As I sit there, a light pops off. I jump, startled by the suddenness. What the fuck is going on now? Another pops off, leaving a solid area in darkness. Okay, fuck this.

I race down the steps, not wanting to get caught in the dark. It was only a slight fear. Everyone gets scared of the dark sometimes.

The sidewalk touches my feet and instantly sends relief through me. Maybe it's time to get home. Sleep sounds really good right now. I want this to be over with.

I stick my hands in my pockets, trudging back toward the dorm. I wish I had been scared of something easier to deal with. Fish or balloons. It wouldn't be so lonely.

"Yeah, it wouldn't, right?"

I trip over my feet, landing on the ground with a soft thud. Looking behind me, I see... me. No, no, it couldn't be. No. Stop this.

"Poor, poor Changbin. All alone. No one to talk to. No one to laugh with. All alone, like you should be."

His chuckle echos off of the buildings surrounding us. Each step he takes, I scoot back. I'm too caught up in this impossibility to think about standing.

"This is your future. Maybe not as... unrealistic, but it's close enough. Always in the shadows. Always the last one. You will be alone. People you love will leave you. People won't want to be around you. It's you and you only. I guess we should start getting along now. Just you and your shadow. Just us."

Scrambling to my feet, I sprint back to the dorms. He's a fucking liar. He's lying, yet his voice follows me. My shadow. Darkness is falling into place behind me, the streetlights flicking off.

I messily type in our code, flinging the door open. My heart jumps out of my chest when I run into something hard, my world tilting sideways. I gasp, looking up quickly.

"Oh, god, are you okay?" Chan gets up quickly, kneeling beside me.

Relief floods my bones. I sigh, taking in a shaky breath. "Y-yeah. I'm okay. Are you?"

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who's been missing all day. Why are you so pale? Did it happen?"

I frown, looking at him with confusion. "You don't remember? Wait, wait a minute. All day? What's the date? You're kidding."

I pull my phone out, checking the date. It's the same day as it had been when everyone disappeared. They didn't experience the days they were gone. It's like it didn't happen.

"Why? What's wrong? What happened?"

"I was, I was left alone for the past four days. This- you seriously don't know?"

He helps me up from the floor, steadying me and walking us over to the couch. He calls in the guys, all six of them piling out from the different rooms.

"Hyung, you're back!" Felix smiles, bouncing over to me. He pulls me into a hug, unaware of anything that happened. "Where'd ya go?"

"No one remembers..." I mutter to myself, tightening my grip on him. "It's... it's not hard to explain, but it's odd. It's been four days since I last saw you all."

They all practically tilt their heads. "We saw you this morning."

"Yeah, you left after breakfast without saying anything to us."

"For me, it's been four days. It's been four days. I'm not going crazy. You guys disappeared into thin air. I've been alone the entire time. No one was here. It was like everyone had died. There were no photos of you on my phone. Chan, your things went missing. It was like I had been living by myself. There weren't even fucking birds! I was all alone. A-and then he showed up and was taunting me at the stadium. Outside of it. I ran, I was running and..." I stop, taking in a deep breath. It was frustrating, overwhelming. My heart was pounding against my chest.

"That sounds really scary. We're here now. That's all that matters. You made it through. You were the last one. It'll be okay now," Jisung smiles, yet there was no reassurance settled. I shake it off. I was just paranoid.

Smiling back, I nod. "Yeah, it's okay now."