Minho was frozen with surprise, unmoving as Jeongin cried inconsolably into his shirt, staining his shoulder with abundant tears. The older boy was baffled, the outburst entirely unlike Jeongin.
"J-jeongin," Minho stuttered, taking hold of the boy's shoulders and stepping away from the hug, peering into his eyes with concern. "Are you saying... "
"He's gone," Jeongin reaffirmed, his teeth starting to chatter, the weightiness of the situation causing his hands to shake.
At a loss, Minho looked at Chan, seeking some form of guidance in the situation. Their leader seemed just as stumped, eyes heavy as he considered leaving without the eldest.
"Please," Jeongin pleaded, tears welling as he recognized Chan's hesitancy. "We need to go, please."
His words, full of desperation, yet so full of certainty too, convinced Hyunjin. It had been tickling the back of his mind after what Nari had said, but now he was sure. Something was wrong, and they needed to leave.
"He's right," Hyunjin agreed, the surprised gazes of his members falling on him. "Nari said something similar. Maybe they're right, maybe he isn't here."
Lips pursed, Chan brought a hand to his mouth, rubbing his chin in thought. The mere thought of leaving before all of their members were out of danger absolutely terrified him, and he wanted to do the exact opposite of that. But something in Jeongin's eyes, and the way Hyunjin spoke about Nari's words... Chan could sense it too. Something wasn't right.
He sighed harshly, dragging a hand through his tangled locks. "Okay... okay. Let's move out. Once we reach the tunnel, tell the others to retreat," Chan mentioned to Taeyong, who nodded and tapped his fingers nervously on his phone.
Everyone made sure their weapons were accessible, pulling themselves up and preparing to begin their escape. Chan glanced at Nari, who was immobile against Hyunjin's chest.
"Are you okay with carrying her?" he asked, noting that Taeyong was also watching for Hyunjin's response.
In answer, the boy tightened his grip on the girl, causing her to mutter unconscious nonsense and curl her hand around one of Hyunjin's fingers like a baby.
Taeyong nodded his approval and slipped a gun out, checking the mag quickly as Mark grasped the doorknob, eyes darting around the room.
"Ready?" he whispered, fingers twisting the door open. When no one said any different, he swung the door open, checking behind his back and then his front, the barrel of his gun at the ready. "All clear."
Chan exited second, waving the others out as he and Mark kept watch. Hyunjin made sure not to jostle Nari, her slumber becoming fitful as they started to move.
"Okay, we need to go down from this hall and - "
The harsh squeak of a shoe made them all freeze, the boys' weapons shooting up as they faced the threat. But Chan dropped his almost immediately, gasping in confusion as he saw who was standing there.
Woojin's eyes were wide, flitting across their group as he stood awkwardly in mid-step. His mouth gaped, attempting to form some kind of sound but failing. Face faltering, Chan stepped closer to the older boy.
"Woojin? What... "
His voice fizzled out as he spotted a card in Woojin's hand, one meant to be used for accessing certain buildings and doors. As his eyes landed on the card's insignia, they shut tightly, hands fisting as he realized what Nari and Jeongin had meant.
"You did this."
It was a statement. Woojin knew that. His footing shifted, causing Mark and Minho to go tense, expecting an attack.
" ... I did."
Even though he was expecting this answer, Chan's expression crumpled, his heart shattering as he faced the truth. He raised a shaky finger to point at Jeongin, his wounds and bruises, his easily triggered state.
"You did that," he accused in a low voice, neck turning red as his anger threatened to spill over. Woojin swallowed, blinking rapidly to calm himself.
"I- I did."
Their gazes met, the air between them dangerously charged with energy. Chan bit his lip, hard, trying to stay quiet.
"Why?"
Inhaling slowly, Woojin opened his mouth, ready to explain, explain why this had happened, and why he would have done it again and again if he needed to in order to accomplish his goal. To finish what he had started.
But he couldn't, because the alarms overhead went off again, the earsplitting sound causing Woojin's heart to jump. He jerked his head towards the group, expression suddenly intense.
"Leave!" he screamed, eyes getting damp as they stared at him.
Minho lowered his gun for a moment, genuine confusion written all over his face. "What?"
"Go, now! They know! You need to leave," the oldest pleaded, peering around the hallway corner, mind racing. After a split second of thought, Woojin gripped his sleeve determinedly and tore it off in a clean strip, stuffing it into his mouth and biting down as hard as he could.
"Woojin, what... "
Chan's objection was ignored as Woojin pulled out his own gun, Minho swiftly training his scope on the boy out of instinctive caution. He was shocked when Woojin pointed the weapon not at them, but at his own thigh, brows creasing as he placed his finger on the trigger.
"Wait - "
Bang.
The alarms and his gag barely muffled the sound of his scream as he fell to the floor, gun spinning away as he clutched his injured leg, blood leaking onto the ground beside him in a resplendent puddle.
Woojin spat the fabric out, eyes expressing the excruciating pain he was in. He gritted his teeth together and hissed, head tilting as he tried to speak through the throbbing agony.
"Leave... now! Go!"
He couldn't say any more, the burn of his wound taking too much of his concentration away. The other were still baffled by his actions; making it look like they had attacked him and letting them escape instead of turning them in. What on earth was he doing?
But Hyunjin wasn't questioning it, the first and most important thought on his mind being Nari and Jeongin.
"Chan!" he yelled over the noise. "We need to go!"
Tearing his eyes from Woojin, Chan nodded, chest lurching as he made himself agree. "O-okay. Move!"
Hyunjin forced himself not look back as he began to run, forced himself to ignore Jeongin's loud sobs as Chan supported and dragged him away. His own eyes became wet, but there was no time to think about what had happened. They needed to focus on survival.
The group dashed through the maze of the bottom floor, the alarms continuing and shouts beginning to rise up behind them.
When they reached the tunnel room, Chenle's hand landed on the knob first, and he held it open for his comrades, craning his neck to make sure they were in the clear.
As Taeyong's feet cleared the frame, an ammunition clip from his belt slipped loose, and, not noticing it, he continued on towards the tunnel. Taken by surprise, Chenle bent to pick it up, holding it out with innocent eyes.
"Taeyong, wait! You - "
The boy's words stopped short as a loud crack registered in his ears. He went to reach for his gun, but couldn't, suddenly wondering why he couldn't feel his right arm. As he glanced down, a trickle of blood seeped down across his sleeve, staining his uniform with it's dark tint.
His body fell forward as yet another strange bang sounded, and his leg began to ache as he sank down to the floor, curious eyes still trained on the surreal reality of his shot arm.
"Guys... I think I've been shot."
all i want to do is sleep tbh
shortish chapter, cliffhanger, nothing new.
hope you guys liked it ♡︎