Escape - Stray Kids || completed

Thirteen

I was sat on top of the warehouse again. Staring at the sky and it made me realise once again how small we all are.

"You shouldn't be sitting here when it's night. You'll catch a cold and we aren't taking any medicine with us" A voice says from behind me and a blanket is draped across my shoulders.

Chan sat down next to me with two mugs in his hands. Steam rose from the mugs and I took one letting the heat spread through my hands.

"We're all set to leave in a few days. I have the bus ready, we don't have to worry about the barrier electrocuting us, we should be all good" he sighed contently and I looked at him from the side. His side profile shining in the moonlight.

"What will happen to our families?" I ask looking back to the city.

"They'll mourn us for a bit, thinking we went on a suicide mission. Then they'll carry on." He says nodding to himself as he does so.

"Can I tell you something?" I ask and look at him.

"Yeah of course you can" He says looking back at me. I suddenly became flustered as he often acts cold towards me when we're with the guys but alone he seems like a different person.

"I'm scared. What if we get caught? What if we run out of food? Or catch the virus? What would we do then?" I say and he looks back off into the distance.

"It won't. And I need you not to be scared for me okay? When we did that test together I realised you're smart, like really smart. You're a lot stronger than you think, you solved that test pretty much by yourself. In comparison I think sitting in the back of a bus while I ram it through a barrier isn't too stressful" he chuckles and I smile back at him.

We sat there and watched the city together without saying a single word. I liked it though. I found comfort in the silence that he brung.

A line of three or four government vehicles speed through the streets and we watched them like hawks. They pulled up outside the warehouse and a swat team climbed out of each vehicle.

"Go get the boys and run" Chan said standing up but I caught his wrist.

"No you run. I'll use my engagement with Sunwoo as an escape if need be" I say standing up and racing down the ladder.

A series of loud bangs echoed through the warehouse along with bellowing shouts. "Government officials let us in now or we will break in!" The boys all congregated towards Chan and I each of them with fear in their eyes.

"All of you come with me. Jeongin you have to stay here okay. Ash will keep you safe" Chan said and ran out with the other boys.

The bangs on the doors got louder and I jumped at the noise.

"Go hide in the storage unit" I pointed to a large metal locker like unit and Jeongin ran to it closing himself in.

I rushed to the large metal door and opened it with a shaky breath.

"May I help you?" I say trying my best to remain calm.

"Miss Court we have received an anonymous tip saying that Yang Jeongin is being held here illegally" a man says removing his face shield to talk to me.

My heart dropped. They know. They know he's here. Dammit could they have waited a few days. Then we'd be gone.

"I'm sorry sir but he's not here," I say going to close the door but the man slams a firm hand onto the door.

"You would mind if we looked around then?" He says an evil smirk plastered across his face.

I look back at the warehouse. The back door is closed the boys should be long gone by now. My only worry is Jeongin.

"Okay" I accept. I don't have a choice.

The men file into the warehouse. They lift rugs and don't place them back. They move furniture and don't put it back to its original position.

Suddenly a soldier makes their way to the unit where Jeongin was hiding and I hold my breath. He opens the door to the container and I almost start crying there and then. But when he looks inside there is no one there.

I become nervous of where he may be but focus on the dozens of soldiers currently searching around.

After a pain staking twenty minutes the man I met at the door walks towards me. "We've concluded our search. We're sorry to have interrupted you at this hour. Please forgive us" he says the words like they're programmed into his brain before they all file out of the door way and their vehicles drive off back to where ever they came from.

I wait for a few moments before I sprint to the unit.

"Jeongin! Jeongin where are you?!" I shout in a hushed tone worried for the boy's well-being.

Suddenly a hatch in the middle of the warehouse lifts up.

"Chan has installed escape routes all over the place. Good thing there was one in there" he giggled climbing out of the hatch and standing up.

I run towards him and give him a hug. "I was so worried darn it" I say and laugh before closing the hatch and replacing the rug over top of it.

I lay down on the sofa exhausted from the short but intense ordeal.

"Can you wake me up when the others get back?" I ask Jeongin who was taking a sip of some water.

"Yep don't worry. Sleep you must be tired" he says and pats my shoulder as he walks past.

Then it hit me. This will be my last night sleeping under the dome. Under this city and their stupid rules. But it might be my last night ever. If we're caught there is no doubt in the fact that we'll be murdered. But, it is a risk we're willing to take.

A risk I'm willing to take.