Inside Park Manor • SKZ horror au

Chapter 24

Everyone's heads snapped in the direction of the volunteer, surprised at how quickly they had accepted the burden. Their expressions turned slightly pained when they saw who it was.

    "I don't know," Hyunjin said, not bothering to sugar-coat his words. "You're not the most...stable right now."

    "You and the others aren't either. Don't forget that," Felix snapped, clearly determined to take on the task.

    "Let's not argue," Chan said weakly, propping himself up against the doorframe. "Does anyone else want to go?"

    Chan looked around the room, met with nothing but nervous glances.

    "Felix it is then," Chan sighed, as reluctant to let him go as the others were. As a matter of fact, he didn't want anyone but himself to go. Sadly, he didn't have that option at the moment.

    "Can I go too then?" Jeongin asked, braver than he had been a few moments ago. "He might need back-up."

    "You know what it's like out there," Minho said before Chan could open his mouth. "We can't risk sending two people out there and end up possibly losing one or both of them."

    Chan nodded in agreement, shooting down Jeongin's hopes of tagging along. "So the plan is that Felix will find the ingredients, come back here, and then we'll meet the twin out back and save Changbin, Seungmin, and Jisung."

    "Also, you'll need this," Chan added, handing Felix his handgun. "We have a shotgun so we're well protected."   

    With that being said, Felix turned and left without another word. No one said goodbye or any parting words. Doing so would make it feel like Felix was never returning. The possibility of that happening was quite high, but they wanted him to leave with hopes that he would return successful.
   
    Felix held the handgun outstretched in front of him at the ready. After days of relative safety, being thrust back into the danger that lay beyond their safe sport made him feel more vulnerable than before.

    It was difficult for him to concentrate on the task at hand with the boy constantly reminding him of what was happening to Seungmin, Changbin, and Jisung, just outside the manor. They were so close and yet barely out of reach. It was driving him insane.

    He walked by countless doors that he knew led to empty, unfurnished rooms, reminding himself that going was the correct choice. If he had stayed behind, the constant visions of Changbin slowly and painfully turning into one of those awful creatures, and Seungmin near-death would have driven him out of his mind. Now, he had something to distract himself from that horrifying reality.

    Left, right, straight, right, left. The twists and turns of the hallways never seemed to end. Copies of paintings made him wonder if he had already been there before and made using landmarks impossible. One painting in particular, he chose to ignore. Jisung, in a handsome black suit, his eyes staring vacantly ahead, his expression emotionless.

    He found himself walking down a long hallway that led to a semi-boarded window. Felix knew the windows were boarded not to protect the family from violent weather, but to keep the people they had brought into the family from escaping.

    He froze at the bottom of the staircase leading to the third floor. The ascent was dimly lit and steep, the stairs ending at a bright yellow door. If Mother wanted to keep them out, she should have chosen a less vibrant color for the door. The violent yellow was sure to attract curious eyes.

    With shaking hands, he double-checked his gun to make sure he had a decent amount of ammo and that it was already loaded. Satisfied that it would be able to serve its purpose if needed, he began climbing the steep ascent of the stairs to the bright yellow door ahead. All he needed to do was pop in, grab the arm and leg, and leave. Easy.

    The rusted, silver door knob was just out of reach when the side window near the door burst open. Glass shards sprayed everywhere with an ear-splitting crash as Mother launched herself through, limbs elongated to three times their normal length, ending in long, sharp claws.

    Mother guarded the door, limbs supporting her body like a spider. If only he could sneak under her and to the door. It would have been too great a risk to even attempt.

    "Nosy little shits, all of you! No wonder Minseok wanted you all so bad!" Mother yelled, her eyes filled with pure rage. "I've been more than lenient with all of you, but this is the last straw. Don't. Touch. My. Stuff!"

    With the swoop of one unnaturally long arm, she pierced through Felix's chest before sending him tumbling down the stairs to meet his inevitable fate.