The storm came in the form of a scream that stabbed through the disconcerting silence.
Kihyun wasn't sure which one was scarier, the high-pitched scream that penetrates the silence, or the fact that it made his skin crawl. It was probably the latter seeing how it felt like a thousand ants colonized on every inch of exposed skin.
The scream definitely came from a male's voice. The thought of the person being one of the missing contestants didn't necessarily calm Kihyun, although it did mean that they were still in the same building, and not exactly missing. Not yet, anyways. There was no way of telling what was happening to that person, but it did create some sort of relief knowing the screech sounded it was released out of shock more than out of terror or agony.
Kihyun's first instinct was to run out the door, towards the source of the sound, towards the person who needed help, the person who was very likely to be either Jooheon or Wonho. But it was no use, his body was frozen in place, too tensed up to make any kind of action.
Another scream ripped through the air. This time it sounded deeper, like a howl, but it was no less terrifying from the previous one. Whatever was happening to the first person was happening again to another victim. They jolted, stumbled, as if a mini earthquake was set off. But Kihyun stayed unmoving, paralyzed.
Shownu was the first to move. It was hard to focus with fear blinding his senses, but Kihyun saw a moving figure right in front of him. Shownu had eyebrows so furrowed it must've turned sore from the exertion. He turned around and said something to Hyungwon, sending him off running down the corridor. Then he entered the room and gradually everyone snapped of their initial shock and joined Hyungwon, chasing away their fears and running towards where they thought the sound came from.
Kihyun felt people sped past him, and he tried to shove away the terror inside so he too could do some help. It took him a moment to realize his trembling legs weren't going to do anything useful. No matter how hard he tried, waves and waves of despair and fear crashed down onto him every time he had just dried himself of the water. It was swallowing him whole. He was drowning in terror.
Despite the overwhelming amount of pressure in him, he couldn't stop hating himself. As he stared at everyone hurrying through the opened door, he couldn't stop wondering why he was the one staying here. Why he was the one too scared to move. Why he always needed more time to recover. He remembered how long it took for him to recover from his headache. He remembered how much time he wasted trying to convince him he was fine. He remembered how long it took him to venture into the darkness of this building and join the game. Nothing could change the past. It had always been like this.
And yet he still jumped when all Shownu did was tap his shoulder.
"Kihyun, are you ok?" Kihyun looked up at Shownu's sincere eyes and responded with a tremulous smile.
"It's fine, we're going to find them. Whoever screamed...they are going to be okay. You can stay here if you want. If you need me, I can stay here with you. Everything will be fine." The way Shownu said it made it seem whatever he said was going to be the truth. Kihyun appreciated the effort, but his heart didn't think it was reassuring enough. But when he looked closely at Shownu's dark eyes, he could see the warmth and care dedicated for himself. He saw understanding. While it wasn't really the time to think of such things, Kihyun wondered silently whether that meant anything.
Just less than two days ago, the same pair of black eyes had been staring at him with hatred and bitterness. It was an exact replica from one year ago when the most heart breaking moment of his life happened. But now those eyes had transformed. The compassion in those orbs was telling something to Kihyun. It was the same pair of eyes that had looked at him whenever he made a mistake, whenever he was doing worse than everyone else. It was the same pair of eyes that he saw everyday when they were together.
The conclusion he made did nothing other than increase his uncertainty. Had Shownu forgiven him? Had the problems been fixed finally?
It was the light squeeze on his shoulder that reminded Kihyun someone was still waiting for his respond. Instead of replying with words, he shrugged off Shownu's grip and wrapped his arms around the firm body, burying his face into the warm chest.
"Everything will be fine, we will go through this together. All seven of us." Because of the height difference, Shownu was able to rest his chin on Kihyun's head, burying the small one even further into his embrace.
Kihyun smiled against the familiar chest and allowed tears to streak down his cheeks, realizing how much he missed the feeling.
They only broke away when someone came running back, a desperate edge in his trembling voice. "Shownu, Kihyun, w-we found t-them...J-Jooheon and Wonho." Kihyun wiped away his tears and saw Changkyun gulp. He was struggling to breathe, let alone talk.
Unsurprisingly, Shownu managed to stay calm. "Slow down Changkyun, bring us to them. Tell us what happened." Shownu said, taking the lead and placing a hand on Changkyun's back once he got close enough. Kihyun followed, shoving away the emotional events moments ago and tried to focus on the task at hands.
Changkyun led both of them down the corridor; turning right twice and entering a room that seemed too out of place, to say the least.
The walls were white, the floor was white, the ceiling was white, the chairs were white, and the lights were white. Everything was white. And the room was brightly lit.
Kihyun had to blink multiple times and rub them a good amount before he was ready to take in the surroundings. There were two huge TV screens on the wall to the left of the entrance, currently turned off. Next to those TVs were two white doors with white handles and white frames, directly opposite of each other. If the screens were the front of the room the doors would be on the left and right of the room. On the back of the room was a huge couch, and right in front of it were five chairs arranged in a circle. The only thing that seemed out of place in the room was the slightly off-white box rested next to the entrance.
Kihyun cursed as he almost tripped over the box, stumbling and catching himself before making a fool of himself. Despite all the places to sit on, everyone was standing right in front of the couch. Kihyun understood how they felt. It wasn't the time to sit and relax.
"Where are they?" Shownu asked, grabbing everyone's attention, which was previously on the TV screens.
"In the rooms." Changkyun replied quietly. As if to confirm, more shouts came from the other side of the doors. They weren't as loud as the first ones, but it was enough to send shivers down everyone's spine.
From the way they were standing, Kihyun could tell that Hyungwon and Minhyuk were affected the most. Visibly shuddering, it was clear the amount of effort trying to fight their weakened demeanours. Their faces were paler than anyone else in the room, maybe even pale enough to camouflage with the walls. Their eyes were filled with urgency, despair, and anxiety. But the one that stuck out most was anger. From the fists that kept clenching and unclenching, Kihyun could tell they were ready to punch the screens if they didn't turn on and tell them what was going on soon.
Luckily, damages and violent acts could be spared as the screens flickered on, revealing the familiar yellow mask. That was now ripped in half. Not that they cared what he looked like anyway. Kihyun wondered why the mask was broken, and how. That mask looked like plastic. He could be wrong, but the TV could only hide so much. Could plastic get ripped off solely by human hands? He thought the owner himself might've done it, but it didn't sound right in his mind. The familiar cackling of the speakers turning on reminded Kihyun the mask wasn't the most important thing right now. And neither were the host's mediocre facial features.
Before Smiley got to say anything, Hyungwon shouted, not caring if they could actually be heard. "What did you do to Wonho and Jooheon?" Hyungwon tightened his jaw, clenching his teeth. He stood closest to the screen and was edging closer with every passing moment, only stopping when the chairs became an obstacle.
Everyone had to cover at least one of their ears when Smiley started speaking. The static noises were stinging their ears, but everyone struggled and strained to hear whatever Smiley had to say. They couldn't afford to miss out even a single word. Not if they wanted to do this correctly and preferably, quickly as well.
The noise got even worse when Smiley started talking. For all they knew Smiley probably "broke" the speakers on purpose. "Good morning contestants! I am sorry that there would be no time for breakfast, but I guarantee this game will be so exciting that you forget about your hunger." Smiley stopped, giving a bit of mercy to their ears. Kihyun himself was having a hard time swallowing back words, afraid that he would cover over important information if he did. He glanced at Hyungwon and Minhyuk and couldn't imagine how hard it must be for them to stay quiet.
"As promised, this is the bonus game I talked about yesterday. I'm sure you are all smart enough to figure out who are in the rooms to your left and right. Don't worry, they are not in danger. Not really, anyways." Smiley laughed as he fumbled with the controls loudly and switched the screens to live footage of two cameras.
Gasps filled the room, but they were afraid and too petrified to make any more noise. Smiley stopped talking, giving time for the contestants to look at the screens clearly. With uncertain legs, they trod on the white floor covered in soft carpet, each step getting harder the closer they get to the black TV screens.
It took them a while to realize that it was not a good sight.
Hyungwon's eyes were glued to the screen on the right. At first glance all he saw was the colour of clue skies with white clouds dotting all over the place. Then he noticed the grey structure protruding from the bottom of the screen, all the way towards the centre. There was nothing there, not one sign that told him the approximate location of whatever he was shown. He wasn't sure what he was looking at.
His confusion only grew further when he saw another, separate screen at the top left corner. The red blinking dot told Hyungwon it was live footage, probably from the room right next to him. On that screen he had to squint and focus hard to see the dark figure huddled at the corner of the room. He recognized the muscular figure and realized it was Wonho. The sight of Wonho being in no immediate danger made Hyungwon sigh with relief.
"Hey everyone, Wonho is in the room on the right, and it looks like he's safe." Hyungwon turned around and pointed towards the screen, letting everyone see better. Minhyuk joined the crowd too, learning nothing from the blackness on his screen. "I don't understand what's this though...oh it's touch screen?" Hyungwon accidentally touched the screen when explaining, switching the cameras around. Now the live footage of Wonho's room was taking up most of the screen.
"What is this game anyways? Are we supposed to rescue them from the rooms?" Changkyun, trying the white handles on the white door closest to him. He didn't know what he expected, but it was locked. He was about to try the other one when Shownu almost knocked him over while rushing towards the screen.
Changkyun balanced himself and waited for Shownu to explain his hurried actions.
"What's wrong?" Hyungwon asked, who was also pushed aside by Shownu.
Shownu pointed towards the screen with a trembling finger. Kihyun eyed him nervously, pupils quivering as if he could already sense the severity of Shownu's upcoming words. "He's not safe. Something's wrong."
Hyungwon frowned and walked even closer to the screen, trying to understand what Shownu said. "What do you mean?"
Anyone standing next to Shownu would see his jaw tighten. Kihyun saw it too, knowing that it meant he was struggling to talk, afraid to say whatever was in his mind. He knew something was indeed wrong. Despite the dread in him, Kihyun wished Shownu could hurry up and explain so the tension could be lifted.
Finally Shownu raised his finger again and pointed at Wonho specifically this time. He started with a calm and steady tone, but the underlying anxiety resurfaced as he explained. "He's trembling. And he's mouth is moving. We can't hear whatever he's saying. If not words, than the noise he's making." Hyungwon had to stare for a few seconds before he was able to confirm Shownu's words. It was remarkable how Shownu made out the details since the room was almost pitch black and the camera wasn't in night vision mode.
"Is he scared of something?" Kihyun stood farthest away but trusted what Shownu said. "Or is he cold? Is there something in the dark room that's scaring him?"
Kihyun didn't like how he talked just now. His habit was to voice out any speculations he had as quickly as possible as an attempt to cover up his fear. Maybe his brain thought saying those thoughts out would make them true.
Rattling noises broke the deadly silence as Changkyun returned to the door handle, anxiety gnawing at him. Minhyuk paced back and forth the screens, trying desperately to decipher whatever was on the other screen. A live footage of the other room was also shown, but he couldn't even find Jooheon because of the dark clothes he wore. He realized it was all a futile attempt after three rounds and stopped. He needed Shownu's help, but two problems at once would be way too much to handle.
"Wait, he's wearing something." Hyungwon said almost excitedly, stomach coiling at the new discovery. He had no idea what the discovery meant. "I think it's covering his eyes. It's above his mouth." Hyungwon moved aside to let everyone else analyse whatever he saw. He didn't realize how hard a task it was with his trembling legs and the strong desire to stay close and monitor Wonho's movement in case he needed help. He wanted to look after the person he believed was his first love. Or at least the person that was closest to fitting that description.
Running over Hyungwon's words, something clicked into Changkyun's mind. The rattling of the door handle finally ended. He knew those words sounded familiar.
"I know what he's wearing." Changkyun said loudly. "He's playing virtual reality."
Realization and understanding flashed across some faces, but others looked even more confused. "I have one at home and I played on it sometimes."
"I've heard of it. It makes the user feel like they are in the actual game. But how does that explain what's happening on the screen? Is he playing a horror game? And why don't he just take it off if he's scared?" Kihyun asked, moving towards the screen. Everything looked sinister. He wanted to make sure what Changkyun said was right, but there was no way of knowing for sure. No one knew if it was actually a virtual reality headset to begin with.
The puzzle pieces clicked together as everyone was still trying to figure everything out. Changkyun almost broke his finger turning the screen back to the original format. The blue sky and grey structure returned. "This has to be what Wonho is looking at. Maybe he's on the grey tower thing."
Shownu raised his eyebrows, weighing the possibility of Changkyun's predictions.
"Fuck, I wish he would just tell us what we're supposed to do. This is the last game and yet we don't even know what is happening." Minhyuk finally spoke, spitting out words through gritted teeth. He didn't like the minutes ticking away while they were trying to make sense of the whole situation. But it was the only way to make any progress. He had to wait, even if Jooheon and Wonho were in locked rooms and no one knew what might happen to them.
He decided to try opening the box right next to the entrance, even though he had tried it when he first came in. It was locked, which also meant important things were inside. Maybe the instructions were in there. At one point it got so frustrating he tried to lift the whole box so he could throw it across the room and hopefully break it. However, of course the box weighed a thousand tons. Or maybe it was just permanently attached to the floor. Either way, Minhyuk didn't think he was strong enough to throw it a significant distance across.
Changkyun scratched his head, trying to remember anything that could possibly explain what the screens showed them. It seemed like a joke to him that this was the only room without the same vending machine they saw in every other room they entered before this. He couldn't get even a sip water when he needed it the most.
Changkyun looked at Hyungwon's pale face, his shoulders sagged as if he was shouldering a heavy weight. Probably the anxiety that built up into invisible stress and burden, transformed into actual weight he was forced to carry. It was a huge contrast to the Hyungwon he met two days ago. And it was definitely not the same as the person he talked to in game 4 when he tried to "guess the relationship". Nor the person that helped him when he felt lost and confused.
Changkyun almost shouted when a memory flashed across his mind. But he gasped instead, feeling a lump starting to form in his throat.
"Can you believe Wonho is afraid of heights?" Hyungwon had said. Changkyun remembered Wonho punching him playfully like really close friends hanging out on a normal day.
"Really?" He remembered himself asking, grinning when Wonho looked away in embarrassment.
He surely didn't forget the joke he made to comfort Wonho. "I guess you're safe then, unless this building can fly."
"You're lucky that's impossible."
Hyungwon said that last line, ending the memory there.
Changkyun felt dizzy realizing how wrong they were back then. The building still couldn't fly, but it didn't have to fly after all. And Wonho definitely wasn't safe. Not if he had serious acrophobia. He had a friend that had the same diagnosis, and things didn't really end well for him whenever they went up a tower and looked out the window. He still remembered the wailing sirens of an ambulance stopping right in front of him.
Bile rose up his throat as he fully comprehended what everything meant, the truth behind those screens. He scanned the room at the worried faces and quivering eyes, anxiety eating them up. He didn't blame them. The blinding whiteness of this room was starting to mess with his brain.
Slowly he dragged himself to the room to the left, where Jooheon was supposed to be. He gulped and pressed himself towards the white door, wanting to know how Jooheon was doing. There were no whimpers or shouts or muttering of prayers. But Changkyun knew that what he heard now meant nothing at all. Jooheon could be farther into the room, not close enough to be heard. Or he could be lying on the floor unconscious from the shock of whatever he was shown or told through the headset. Due to the lack of information, the latter was very unlikely. But it didn't mean it wasn't possible.
An idea that surfaced into his mind urged his legs to move back towards the entrance where Minhyuk was. He was sitting on the floor staring at the box. He didn't know whether the idea he had was going to make any difference. The only way to find out was to actually carry out the plan. And he knew what the first step would be. He needed help. And If anyone were going to understand immediately, it would be Minhyuk.
"What is Jooheon most scared of?" Changkyun whispered to Minhyuk. He should be explaining everything first, but the dizziness was messing up his logical thinking. It didn't matter anyways because Minhyuk read his face and understood.
Minhyuk looked up, examining Changkyun's eyes, which had became dark, endless pools. Narrowing his eyes, he placed his hands on the locked box as leverage and stood up. "You know something."
Changkyun looked around fervently before nodding timidly. "I know what's happening. What the screens mean. I still don't know what to do, but I don't want to tell everyone about what I know yet. I don't want to scare them, we are all sensitive as it is."
Changkyun took a deep breath, forcing the rising bile back down with an audible gulp. He didn't know what to do, other than sharing the burden of the truth to someone whom he trusted. Telling Minhyuk everything was all he could think of to do.
After that it was all on Minhyuk.
>>>>>>>>>>
Just FYI, Changkyun is becoming an important character in the following few chapters ;)
Also, I realized I still have a paper to sit tomorrow (ICT theory) because we only did the Practical one during assessment week. *Sigh* 😩