CHECKMATE → SVT

9/13

"It's weird how the monster hasn't come to visit us yet," Vernon hummed as he entered the kitchen.

"Don't say it like that," Jeonghan grimaced and handed Vernon a bowl of cereal.

"Thanks, hyung. Where's Seungcheol hyung?"

"He's in the storage room putting," Jeonghan cut himself off. "You know."

It seemed creepy to leave the dead bodies of their friends around the house, so Seungcheol carried them all to the storage room in the basement of the villa. The boys honestly wanted to bury the bodies, but leaving the villa meant death.

"Hey, I think you should apologize to Jihoon," Jeonghan whispered as he looked around carefully.

"For yesterday?" Vernon spoke with his mouth full, only to swallow when he saw Jeonghan's expression. "What do I have to apologize for? I did nothing wrong."

"Regardless, we have to stick together and win against this monster. You heard what it said. This is a game to him, so we need to fight back. If we fight amongst ourselves, we're only helping the monster win."

"Still," Vernon sulked at his cereal. "I don't want to."

"Now is not the time to be acting like a child, Hansol. Go upstairs, knock on Jihoon's door, and apologize," Jeonghan pointed to the stairs with a stern expression.

"Okay fine, let me just finish my cereal first," Vernon grumbled.

Jisoo got downstairs and sat next to Vernon at the countertop. "I cannot believe you guys are acting normally after all this."

"You are too," Jeonghan placed the milk in front of Jisoo as Jisoo grabbed the cereal box and a bowl.

"I'm not," Jisoo whispered. "I'm trembling. I'm terrified right now."

Sure enough, Jeonghan could see a slight tremor in Jisoo's hand. He held Jisoo's hand and said, "It's daytime. The murderer only strikes at night, and the monster only comes after a murder."

"Again," Vernon started. "It's still weird how we haven't seen the monster after Wonwoo."

Jisoo shivered and said, "Don't even start."

Seungcheol came up from the basement and shortly after, Minghao, Junhui, Soonyoung, and Chan all came down for breakfast.

"Where's Mingyu and Jihoon?" Seungcheol asked as he looked around the kitchen.

"I'll go upstairs and check on Mingyu," Vernon offered.

He got up and was about to go upstairs, but Jeonghan held onto his collar and stopped Vernon before he could escape. "You are going to apologize to Jihoon first."

"Fine," Vernon sighed and slinked upstairs, his shoulders heavy.

Vernon did feel bad for what he did, it was just that apologies did not come easily to him. He made his way upstairs slowly while thinking about how to apologize to Jihoon. He got to the room and hesitantly knocked on the door.

"Hyung?" Vernon asked.

"What's happening?" Mingyu, who was on his way downstairs, tapped on Vernon's shoulder when he saw the boy's paled expression.

"Hyung isn't responding," Vernon started pulling at the doorknob and screaming frantically. "Jihoon hyung! Hyung!"

"Stand aside," Mingyu moved Vernon away and took several steps back before running into the door.

The door knocked down and Vernon ran into the room to see Jihoon holding a noose and standing on a chair. He ran over to the boy and hugged his legs while weeping, "Hyung, hyung! I'm sorry hyung! You aren't the murderer! I believe you!"

"What's going on?" Jeonghan, Seungcheol, and Jisoo ran into the room.

"Hyung, don't do it!" Vernon wailed as Jihoon got down from the chair and hugged the younger back.

Mingyu, Jeonghan, Seungcheol, and Jisoo entered the hug as well, Jihoon crying against Vernon's shoulder.

Jihoon was later forced downstairs under the supervision of Vernon and Mingyu. Junhui fed Jihoon as the shorter boy was too absentminded to do anything else.

"Hyung," Vernon held Jihoon's hand. "I'm sorry."

Jihoon didn't respond.

After the incidents of that morning, the day progressed slowly, and the boys did other things to pass the time. The hyung line and performance unit played a board game while Jihoon, Vernon, and Mingyu all sat in the living room. Jihoon was curled up on the sofa in a little ball as Mingyu rubbed Jihoon's back. Vernon sat across from the two of them, his mind reeling. He wanted to know who the murderer was, but everyone refused to talk about it. Wonwoo was right; anyone who talked or accused would be killed. Wonwoo talked and now he was no longer there.

Vernon couldn't help but still doubt Jihoon. His actions were weird. Was he planning on killing himself with that noose, or was he planning the death of someone else? Vernon looked up to check on Jihoon, only to see the figure near the window. It was back, the monster and his glowing red eyes. Vernon paled again that day, and pointed a silent finger at the window, Mingyu turning to see what it was.

"Hyung!" Mingyu called. "Jeonghan hyung!"

"What?" Jeonghan raced downstairs and looked out the window. "No..."

Jihoon sat up and turned to look out the window too. He frantically got up and raced around the house. Screams and shouts from Jihoon resonated through the house as he ran upstairs and got back to his room. The noose and chair were removed from his room, so he had no choice. With a running start, Jihoon jumped out the window. A crash and a thud came from the patio as Jeonghan saw Jihoon's limp body lay on the deck.

"That's so funny," the monster grinned, all his sets of teeth flashing in the dark. "Your friend tried to escape his death by killing himself. It is such a shame that your killer didn't get to him first."

All the color drained from Vernon's face as he just stared at the monster and thought about his accusations.

'Jihoon hyung wasn't the murderer?' Vernon thought.

The monster's throaty chuckle echoed in Vernon's ear, the monster's red eyes glaring through Vernon's soul.

"The murderer is still within."

The monster retreated into the darkness, his dark laughter continuing to ring in Vernon's ears. Although the monster had left, Vernon could still see it's red, glowing eyes in the darkness. Mingyu laid a reassuring hand on Vernon's shoulder, but it was of no use. Vernon cried harder for Jihoon than he did for Seungkwan because it was his fault.

It was all Vernon's fault.