Oblivion (Happy Place Sequel) || BTS

Attempt #3

A/N

WARNING: Long Chapter Ahead!

Note: Just to clarify, this 3rd attempt is what happened during Happy Place. So, it'll be the same storyline, but you'll get to see mostly from Yoongi's POV.

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"Do we really have to go?"

"Yes. We do."

Yoongi was packing both his and Taehyung's suitcases. Taehyung was never one for labor. He would rather stare at his boyfriend all day. In a split second, Yoongi took a double-take.

Why ... Why am I packing things? I don't ... I don't remember anything before this. What the hell is going on? Okay, Yoongi, don't panic. Everything's going to be fine. Just ... Just ask Tae later.

"Where are we going anyway?" Taehyung had pouted his lips. He was always up for an adventure but not one like this. He didn't even know the guy they were about to meet, only knowing that the man and Yoongi had been friends in the past.

"He gave me directions to his place. Although after looking at the GPS, it seems to be in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah. Not spooky at all." Taehyung made sure his voice was close to a whisper.

"Are you ... scared?" The smirk Yoongi held made Taehyung infuriated but love him all at the same time. Even though Yoongi wasn't exactly sure how he got here, he tried to make the best of the situation.

"Of – Of course not."

Taehyung crossed his arms and pouted even harder than before, if that was even possible. He turned his back towards Yoongi, completely forgetting to help him pack. Yoongi had stopped packing, setting the shirt he was holding back in the suitcase before moving slightly closer to his boyfriend.

"Come here baby." Yoongi grabbed at one of Taehyung's arms, having Taehyung face him. Taehyung's face was still pointed to the ground, so Yoongi used one of his fingers to gently guide Taehyung's face to his.

"Everything is going to be okay. I promise. We're not the only ones going either. You'll have plenty of company." Throughout this small speech, Taehyung remained quiet.

"And plenty of kisses." Yoongi was slightly shorter than the younger boy, putting his arms around Taehyung's neck to pull him down for a gentle kiss.

It ended much faster than Taehyung would have wanted. Even so, he knew his boyfriend would be with him throughout the whole trip. Once Yoongi let go, Taehyung started grabbing his stuff and packing his own suitcase, a smile now playing on his lips.

"Love you, hyung."

"Love you too, Tae."

Yoongi let out one of his gummy smiles, one of the main reasons Taehyung fell for him in the first place. Yoongi still had an unsteady feeling about the situation, but he knew that, with Taehyung, he'd be safe. After looking up, Yoongi could sense that Taehyung was also a little tense. Just as he was about to approach the younger, he decided against it, focusing back on the almost-packed suitcase.

Once they were done packing, they were on their way to Yoongi's old friend's place. Taehyung was interested but worried for some unknown reason to Yoongi. He let the feeling melt as Yoongi held his hand as they drove. It was going to be an hour ride, so Teahyung fell asleep with Yoongi running soothing circles into the back of his hand.

---------------------------------------------------

"Suga! It's been too long." Hoseok had a large smile on his face, happy to see his old friend again.

"Yeah it has, hasn't it?" Yoongi always had a calm, deep voice, another one of his trademarks. It had a sort of soothing effect on Hoseok. "You remember Taehyung, right?"

"You mean the cutie that took you way too long to ask out. Yeah, I remember him!"

Yoongi blushed slightly, remembering the moment he met Taehyung for the first time. Before he could dwell in his memories, Taehyung came strolling from behind their car with his suitcase. Yoongi had noticed Hoseok going from such a serious expression to one where his smile shined as bright as the sun itself.

That was ... weird. Why was he so serious before? Come on now. I'm probably just imagining it. I must have really gotten no sleep last night. From not remembering how I got to packing the suitcases to now overanalyzing everyone's movements, I really could use a nap.

"Speak of the devil. Taehyung!" Hoseok waved at Taehyung as he started climbing the stairs. Taehyung stopped and waved back excitedly.

"Hey hyung! Nice to finally meet you."

Yoongi had known Taehyung for years, and something was definitely off. It was almost as if there was fear behind Taehyung's eyes, as if the two had met before. Yoongi decided to let it go, believing he was just overanalyzing the situation once again. Besides, he believed there was no way for Taehyung to have met Hoseok beforehand.

"Same here! I was just telling your boyfriend about how he was such a cowar ..." Hoseok was quickly cut off my Yoongi's hand over his mouth, frantically trying to stop his friend from finishing his sentence.

Taehyung finally reached Yoongi and Hoseok but noticed someone else he didn't recognize. He quickly bowed. "Hello! I don't think we've met."

Hoseok followed his line of site to Sana standing next to him. She seemed stunned at first but then continued smiling and bowed as well. "Pleasure to meet you both. May I take your coats?"

At that, Hoseok guided both Yoongi and Taehyung inside, while Sana took their coats. The first thing both Yoongi and Taehyung noticed was the immense size of the house. Yoongi knew his friend's house was large, but he had no idea it was this big.

"Well, this is the place. Sana can take you both to your rooms, so you can settle in. Jimin and Jungkook arrived shortly before you, so no worries."

Before Hoseok could finish, he noticed another car enter the driveway.

"And that must be Namjoon and his guest. It seems like everyone made it in one piece."

"That's surprising considering Namjoon breaks everything. I'm surprised they didn't get a flat tire or something."

At that, everyone laughed except for Sana. Sana just continued smiling, awaiting Jin and Namjoon's arrival into the house. Yoongi and Taehyung were excited to see their friend as well. It took a couple minutes and what seemed like a struggle with the trunk of the car before Jin and Namjoon reached the door.

"Hello everyone!" Jin waved at Taehyung and then Yoongi. Namjoon stood by Jin's side with his suitcase, looking exhausted for some reason. Taehyung seemed to have noticed.

"Tired much, Namjoon-hyung?"

"A little. I just had an epic battle with the car trunk, but I'll recover."

Everyone laughed a bit before Sana spoke up.

"May I take your coats?"

"Of course, thank you!"

Jin and Namjoon handed over their coats, while Hoseok brought them further into the house. When Sana was done hanging their coats, she bowed at Hoseok before speaking up.

"I can show you all to your rooms if you wish."

Yoongi didn't remember much after entering the house. He kept looking around the different rooms as if something felt familiar. He could hear someone in the group talking, but it was drowned out by his own thoughts.

I feel like I've been here before, but I know that's impossible. I just ... I must be having an off day or something. But ... these rooms, these stairs ... I've seen them all before. I feel like I've run through them before and could recall most of the details about them. I must be going crazy! But, no need to worry about it now. It's probably just all in my head.

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"This will your room, Yoongi and Taehyung."

The two bowed as they entered. The room was larger than they had imagined, also having a bathroom and closet to themselves. The roomed seemed to look like a sunset, yellow at the top slowly merging to red at the bottom.

"If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!"

Yoongi nodded as Sana went to show Namjoon and Jin to their room. Yoongi waited until they all left before he slowly closed the door. Taehyung was beginning to unpack some things when he looked towards Yoongi.

"I don't know where you want to put everything."

"Are you okay?"

Yoongi didn't miss a beat, noticing that his boyfriend was acting weird since they entered their car to get here. The invisible tension was building, and Yoongi didn't want to wait until it burst. Yoongi moved next to Taehyung, placing his right hand on top of Taehyung's left. Taehyung looked at Yoongi for a couple seconds before taking more things out of the suitcase.

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine. What's wrong?"

Yoongi slid his body between Taehyung and the suitcase, his body pushed slightly against the bed. Yoongi's hands were placed behind him on the edge of the bed to keep his balance. They both stared at each other for awhile before Taehyung reached for Yoongi's hands, holding them both in front of him.

"I promise that nothing's wrong. I'm probably just tired from the drive."

"Are you sure?"

Yoongi's eyes were wide, showing slight concern. He wanted to be sure his boyfriend was okay before the weekend activities started. Taehyung smiled at him, bringing their hands down with the pull of gravity.

"I promise."

"We can always leave now if you're not feeling good. Hoseok would understand."

"No!"

Yoongi was shocked by the sudden raise in Taehyung's voice, the sudden panic seeping into his bones. It was as if the thought of leaving was out of the question. Just by observing his boyfriend, it was obvious that Taehyung had gotten really tense. Yoongi decided to drop it for the moment, not wanting to stress Tehyung out any more than he already was.

"Okay. Okay. We don't have to leave."

Yoongi smiled before pulling Taehyung into a hug. While Yoongi wasn't typically the one to show outward affection, he wanted to do everything he could to calm Taehyung down. Taehyung seemed to recognize his efforts, smiling before embracing Yoongi as well.

"I love you."

"Love you too."

"We should probably head downstairs. They're going to want to start dinner soon."

"Right. Let's go."

Taehyung and Yoongi decided to leave the rest of the suitcase to unpack later, opening the door to head towards the stairs. Just when they left their room, they noticed Namjoon and Jin doing the same.

"Heading downstairs?"

Jin looked at Taehyung while holding the door for Namjoon to come into the hallway. Taehyung smiled while Yoongi closed the door behind him once he was the last to leave.

"Yeah. You guys?"

"We're heading down now. Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all!"

Jin and Namjoon approached Yoongi and Taehyung before they all headed downstairs to find Hoseok or one of the staff. When Yoongi reached the lower floor, Hoseok was already catching up with Jimin and learning more about Jungkook. They were still laughing at a funny memory when the four of them came down the stairs.

"Hoseok, why didn't you tell us this house was so large?"

Hoseok paused for a few moments before responding.

"I don't know. I guess it never came up in conversation. Sana, dear, can you please help The8 set up the dinner table?"

"Of course, sir." Sana took her leave towards the kitchen, her heels clicking on the wooden floor.

"The8? Is he your chef?" Jin spoke up, food always piquing his interest.

"Yeah. Everyone always says I gave him a funny nickname. He was known for being in a group of eight outstanding chefs. After my parents left, I gave him a nickname. It made talking to him a bit more personable."

Before he could speak further, the man himself had entered into the living room space. He bowed before speaking any further.

"Dinner is ready. Please follow me to the dining area. I promised Master Hoseok that I would prepare something interesting for our guests, so I hope you enjoy."

While everyone followed The8's lead towards the dining room, Yoongi was rooted to his spot. Taehyung noticed, walking tentatively towards Yoongi. Taehyung wasn't sure what was going on, but he could tell that something wasn't right.

"Yoongi? Are you okay?"

"I'm ... scared?"

It came out as more of a question, Yoongi trying to process his own emotions as they came. He wasn't sure where the sudden sense of fear came from, but for some reason, he felt the need to follow his instincts.

"Scared? Yoongi, you're okay. Everything's going to be fine."

Why don't I believe him? Shouldn't I believe him? Why am I so scared? Is this ... fear. What could I possibly be afraid of? It's as if my instincts are in overdrive, and the last place they want me to go is into that dining room. But why?

"Yoongi!"

Yoongi was snapped out of his daze by Taehyung slipping his hands into his own. Yoongi looked up, panic and fear still showing on his face. Taehyung was concerned but smiled slightly to try and calm the aura around them.

"Why ... Why am I so scared?"

Taehyung pulled Yoongi into a hug. Even though the older wasn't one for hugs, Taehyung needed a way to wrap Yoongi in a protective shield. Yoongi wrapped his arms around Taehyung, pulling himself into the other's body while hiding his face as a way to try and calm down. After a couple seconds, Yoongi took a deepn breath and pulled away from Taehyung.

"Thanks."

"I'll always protect you. Trust me."

Yoongi smiled, moving his eyes back towards the route to the dining room. Taehyung noticed, wrapping his arm around Yoongi's shoulder.

"We should get going. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Tae."

Yoongi and Taehyung smiled at each other before moving towards the dining room. When they arrived, everyone was sitting across from their respective couple, Hoseok at the head of the table. The food was already placed on the table, beautifully plated with plenty to spare in dishes at the center. The room was full of chatter, no one noticing that the last couple had entered the room.

Taehyung and Yoongi took the last two empty chairs, Yoongi nerves still not settling. He looked up at Taehyung to see his boyfriend already having a concerned look painted on his face. Before Yoongi could say anything, Hoseok broke the silence.

"Let's dig in everyone!"

Everyone began eating at a regular pace, conversation mixing in with filled mouths. Hoseok was happy to see everyone enjoying themselves. Yoongi was still anxious, something in his being telling him to run. He noticed Taehyung's worried looks towards him, smiling to try and ease the tension. When the room became somewhat quiet after chatter, Hoseok spoke up.

"I guess I should explain why you all are here." Hoseok wiped his mouth as he pulled up a briefcase that was next to him on the floor.

Everyone's attention quickly fell to the suitcase, suddenly feeling as if the situation became more mature. The second Yoongi saw the suitcase, he froze. He kept trying to figure out why the situation seemed so familiar. They all swallowed their food, awaiting Hoseok's next words.

"By now, you all know that I've inherited quite a bit from my parents. But this has left me in a sticky situation." Hoseok pauses, making sure he has everyone's attention. "I feel as if someone is after me and my inheritance. That's why I've asked you all to come here."

Yoongi could hear other voices chiming in to the conversation, but they all started to slowly fade out. The more Yoongi listened to his thoughts, the more he began to panic. He was doing his best not to show it, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it exploded out of him. Just as his breathing had gotten slightly heavier, he looked up to see Taehyung looking worriedly at him. Yoongi tried to smile but knew that the attempt was a failure. He took a couple deep breaths, closing his eyes to try an calm down. A couple seconds later, he was knocked out of this trance by Jimin pushing his arm.

"Hyung. Your number?"

Yoongi hadn't realized that everyone was sharing numbers, quickly sharing his while pulling out his phone and receiving phone numbers from the other men around him. After everyone shared numbers, Yoongi began to relax slightly until heard an odd noise.

Everyone turned towards the source of the noise to see Hoseok sharpening a knif that would typically be used to cut meat. After waiting a couple seconds, everyone looked at each other as Hoseok seemed to be lost in thought.

"Ugh ... Hoseok? Hoseok?" It was Jimin, snapping his fingers to bring Hoseok back to reality. The first thing Hoseok noticed was how scared and timid everyone looked.

"Sorry I spaced out."

"You've just been sharpening that meat knife for ... a long time. Everything okay?" Jimin seemed genuinely concerned for Hoseok, knowing that this whole talk must really be getting to his head.

"Yeah. Everything is fine." Hoseok clapped his hands before he continued. Everyone seemed to calm down considerably. "Now let's get started."

Hoseok started off by explaining that he didn't have many friends besides Namjoon, Yoongi, and Jimin.

He says that I'm one of his dearest friends, but why can't I remember much of him in my life. I can't just say that I don't remember him! That would be incredibly rude and would make it seem like I didn't pay attention during our friendship. Our friendship. What was it like? How often did we hang out? You'd think that if we were such good friends, I'd at least have some substantial memories to hold on to.

Hoseok continued, feeling that anything involving a will should go to his three friends. Hoseok only started getting into what each person, or couple, would receive. It was then that he was interrupted by a buzzing noise mixed with occasional ding noises. Everyone seemed to ignore it until it happened again.

"My apologies, hyung. My phone is on vibrate. Someone must be trying to reach me from home." Jimin hadn't reached for his phone, knowing Hoseok was more important at the moment.

"Yeah, my phone is going off too. I apologize." It was Jungkook this time. He felt embarrassed and bowed slightly.

"Mine is going off too." Yoongi said this more mysteriously than factually. "Did we all just get a text?" Yoongi looked around the table before looking back down at his phone.

Everyone nodded except for Hoseok. At this point, everyone pulled out their phones to find out who was trying to grab their attention. Yoongi was the first to put his phone back in his pocket, while everyone kept their phones out.

"Who was it, Yoongi-hyung?" Hoseok was more curious than anything.

"Just a random number. I've never seen it before, so I'm just ignoring it." Yoongi said this calmly, having seen many of these random numbers before. Taehyung was the next to speak up.

"Yeah, me too." Taehyung then put his phone away slowly, looking around at those who still had their phones out.

"Yeah. Me ... too." This time it was Jin. He couldn't see the entire message from his home screen, so he decided to open it. The second he did, he wished he hadn't. "Guys, you might want to open it. That is, if we all got the same one." Jin's brows were still furrowed as he reread it, unsure if what he was reading was true.

Hoseok had gotten out of his chair, the food and briefcase long forgotten, looking over Namjoon's shoulder at the message received on his phone.

FROM: 119-121-2518

Hello everyone. I wouldn't close this message just yet. This party is about to get more interesting. If you look to the host, you'll notice he's drinking soda. At least, that's what he believes.

At this point, everyone seems horrified, especially Hoseok. He had almost finished his glass of what he believed was soda. He almost looked ready to puke it all up. Before he could leave though, Namjoon grabbed his shoulder, reading the rest of the message aloud to the group. In the meantime, Hoseok called Minghao, the chef, out into the dining room. Yoongi began to see the panic rise in the room, no one sure what was going on. He suddenly had the feeling that he'd been in this situation before, that something terrible was about to happen.

At this point, he'll start to feel sick quickly. You have a chance to save him, though. But you'll have to play a little game. In order to save him, all six of you MUST play. Do you accept? And I'd hurry. His time is running out.

PLAY THE GAME: TYPE

YES OR NO

Everyone looked horrified when Namjoon finished. As if on cue, Hoseok put all of his weight on Namjoon. Taehyung and Jimin ran towards him before everyone else, grabbing Hoseok quickly.

"Hoseok? Hoseok!" Hoseok was breathing shallowly and was placed gently on the floor by Namjoon.

Everyone looked around horrified. Jimin had shoved his face deep into Jungkook's shoulder, afraid to look at the horror. Meanwhile, Jin bent down to Hoseok, putting his ear by Hoseok's mouth and nose.

"What are you doing?" Taehyung was now crying, holding onto Yoongi for dear life. Yoongi looked absolutely terrified.

What the hell is going on? Why do I feel like ... like this has happened before?

"Checking his breathing. I work as a doctor." Jin stayed there for a couple more seconds before looking up at everyone in the room. "It's not looking good. Can anyone call 119?"

"Yeah, of course." Yoongi quickly got out of his thoughts before grabbing his phone but was met by something unexpected. "I ... I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?!" Namjoon was getting slightly hysterical at this point.

"It won't let me out of the text message screen. It just keeps asking me if I'd like to play the game."

At this point, everyone except Jin gets their phone out, only confirming what Yoongi had already stated. Jimin and Taehyung were past crying at this point, holding onto their respective boyfriends for dear life.

"We have to play the game." Everyone looked at Jungkook as if he were insane, including Jimin.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jin, still trying to find ways for Hoseok to breathe, was getting worked up at the increasing pressure.

"We don't have a choice it seems. If we want to help Hoseok, we need to play this game, whatever it is. I know I've only met the guy, but wouldn't you want him to do the same for you?"

Everyone looked around slowly, no one really sure if they wanted to put themselves in danger.

"I'll do it."

Everyone looked at Namjoon, his hand slightly raised above his shoulder. Seeing Namjoon as a leader figure, everyone seemed calmer at his response but were still wary to put themselves in danger.

"I know Hoseok would do it for me. So, I'm in." Namjoon seemed like he didn't like the situation but would rather save his friend than watch him die.

"The problem is, we need everyone to play to save him." Jungkook seemed defeated as if his hands were tied. Jungkook heard footsteps coming from the hallway and immediately pushed Jimin behind his back. Yoongi followed suit with Namjoon trying to force Jin off the floor. What caught their attention next was surprising.

They were met with Minghao, the chef. He seemed just as surprised as everyone else.

"What happened?!" He pushed Jin out of the way, tapping on Hoseok's face desperately.

"We think someone poisoned him." Jimin was the first to speak up, but everyone's attention was stolen by Namjoon pulling Jin away.

"What's wrong?" Jin tensed at how tight Namjoon had grabbed his sleeve.

"Think about it guys. Who was the person who prepared the drinks and food?"

Yoongi could see the panic in everyone's eyes, watching as everyone pulled closer and closer together. Yoongi was never one for large groups, but he felt somewhat protected with everyone around him. He kept Taehyung behind him as he prepared for the worst.

At this comment, everyone's attention went to the chef, backing away and huddling together. Minghao was already kneeling down at Hoseok, looking up at the group. Minghao looked hurt, facing Hoseok once again. While the chef's focus was occupied, everyone's pockets buzzed or dinged.

"Oh, what now?" Jimin almost sounded defeated as everyone, including himself, got out their phones.

FROM: 119-121-2518

You're running out of time.

PLAY THE GAME: TYPE

YES OR NO

"What are we going to do?" Taehyung still had tears in his eyes.

"Do you know who's sending these messages?" Yoongi directed his direction towards Minghao who had gone eerily silent while everyone checked their messages.

After the question was asked, Minghao started laughing. It was the type of laugh that someone going mentally insane would produce. It shook everyone down to their core, causing everyone to huddle even closer together. At this point, Hoseok started shaking on the ground, convulsing as if having a small seizure.

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. You'll need to play the game." The chef looked at them all slowly, his eyes no longer showing any sadness.

"Aren't you Hoseok's staff? You should be helping him!" Taehyung was becoming desperate, sobs coming out of his mouth. Yoongi did everything to try and make his boyfriend feel safe while keeping the boy behind him. He had only ever seen Taehyung this frightened and upset once, not sure how to make the younger feel protected.

"And what if we decide not to play the game?" Jin was trying to test the power that the chef was exerting from his body language.

"Hmmmm ..." It seemed as if the chef was thinking deeply before he snapped his fingers. He stood up and grabbed the meat knife off of the table. He noticed how sharp it was thanks to Hoseok spacing out earlier.

"I guess I'll just have to kill you then. I'm guessing you have about five more minutes to save Hoseok. The choice is yours."

As if on cue, Hoseok groans out in pain. Minghao guards over the hallway with the knife in hand. He seems cold and menacing.

"Guys, I don't think we have much of a choice. We either all die, or we attempt this game. For all we know, Hoseok set this up." Namjoon was speaking his mind at this point, not sure what to do with himself.

"I'm going to type "YES" on my phone." Yoongi was using his best logic, not just trying to give himself a chance to live but his boyfriend as well.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Taehyung seemed absolutely hysterical, tears still falling from his face.

"We don't have a choice. You'll die if you don't play, and we need to try and save Hoseok." Yoongi had grabbed onto Taheyung's sleeve only to try and calm him down.

Taehyung is usually more rational than this. Is this pressure getting to him? I need to protect him, but how? I'll think of something, but for now, we need to play.

Taehyung sighed before he nodded. At this point, Namjoon, Jungkook, Yoongi, and Taehyung all had typed "YES" on their phones. They received a new message on their phones.

FROM: 119-121-2518

Awaiting other players. Please hold for instructions.

Jimin and Jin were still unsure but were quickly coaxed by the other people in the room. Minghao continued to stare them down, making sure that they didn't leave the room. Once everyone had entered "YES" into the phone, a new message buzzed.

FROM: 119-121-2518

Welcome players. I'm assuming you all are wondering how you can save your friend. To do so, you're going to need great eyesight. Around the dining room, I set up four numbers. These numbers will unlock the box in the briefcase. Inside the box is the antidote to the poison.

Find the antidote: Save him

Fail the game: He dies but you live

Can you live with the guilt? Good luck.

After reading the message, everyone gave one last glance at the chef and Hoseok.

"I'd get going if I were you. I'd give him about three minutes to live." Minghao seemed very cold but held a smirk, still guarding the way to the kitchen.

Everyone looked at each other and quickly split up across the room. Yoongi felt as if time was going at twice the normal speed. Everyone was scrambling around the room to find these numbers. The only problem was that no one knew what these numbers looked like.

"Anyone find anything?" Jimin swept back his hair in frustration. He'd looked on the table, on the walls, on the floor, and even in the food, but he still had not even noticed one number.

"Not from me." Yoongi sighed as felt the room getting warmer, both from nerves and from everyone in the room sweating.

How the hell are we supposed to find something when we don't even know what they look like? There are six of us. Six of us! And we haven't even found one yet. It's almost as if this was made to be impossible.

Just then, Yoongi stopped in his tracks, a feeling a déjà vu swimming around in his head. He was looking around at everyone else in the room, as if they were all ghosts and he was the only conscious person in the room. He saw Taehyung looking at Hoseok's soda glass, pointing at something. When Yoongi tried to listen in, it was as if he was underwater, very little sound actually reaching his ears. Just as he was about to approach the ghost-like version of Taehyung, all the figure around him left, leaving him in reality.

Tae?

"I'd guess you all have about two minutes left. I'd hurry."

Yoongi was brought out of his trance by Minghao, a smirk on his face. He began looking down at Hoseok who was already convulsing.

"Found one!"

Everyone rushed towards Taehyung, Yoongi a little behind the others. They noticed how he was at the soda glass that Hoseok had drank out of. Taehyung pointed to the coaster the glass had been sitting on. It was flipped over. The number shown was the number four. Yoongi squeezed his boyfriend tightly, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Good job, Tae!" Yoongi gave Taehyung another peck before everyone split up again.

It was within seconds that Yoongi realized he had just seen Taehyung find that exact number at the exact same place, except it was in his vision. He knew he wasn't a holder of super powers, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

So, my vision ... it came true. How is that even possible? I've never had visions like this before, so why now? What's so special about now? Yoongi, you don't have time to think about that. Focus on the present. You need to save Hoseok!

They had a slight advantage now that they knew what the numbers looked like. They were in a standard font in a black color. However, everyone was unsure if the color of the number would be the same.

Taehyung continued looking through Hoseok's place at the table, grabbing the briefcase to look through as well. Yoongi moved over to the small bookcase that was in the dining room, having no luck. Jin and Namjoon both started looking at the walls and any high surfaces. Their height seemed to hold an advantage for them. Jungkook split up to look at the food and platters once again. Jimin decided to look at the floor and carpet. Everyone was doing their best, splitting up to the best of their abilities.

"Found another one!"

Everyone looked at Taehyung like he was some sort of god. Sure enough, Taehyung had found another number written on a sheet of paper inside the briefcase. It looked almost identical in format to the previous number except the color was brown. It almost looked as if the number was meant to be camouflaged with the paper. Even so, everyone cheered for Taehyung, patting him on the back multiple times. This time, Taehyung received a much longer kiss from Yoongi on the lips, slightly distracting himself. After the kiss, everyone dispersed as Taehyung shouted out the number.

"It's a nine. We can definitely do this. We can definitely save Hoseok."

Taehyung is doing so well! Taehyung ... is doing ... so well. Is he doing too well? No, Yoongi. He's your boyfriend, so get those thoughts out of your head right now. He has nothing to do with this. He's only trying save Hoseok, and just happens to be ... the only one ... finding numbers.

Yoongi shook his head, trying to get his thoughts out of his head. The last thing he needed to do was to start thinking that Taehyung was in on part of this fiasco. It was impossible. There was no chance he was involved, right?

"How are you so good at this, Taehyung?" Jimin kept looking around the floor and carpet, looking at every detail.

"I used to play a lot of those games where you find the object in a crowd of rubble. I guess those games really helped." Taehyung continued searching the briefcase, not finding any other numbers and moving on.

Wait. I've never even seen Taehyung play those games before. Granted, he definitely could have played them a lot as a kid, but he definitely hasn't played a game like that while we've been living together. At least, I haven't seen it. Tae ... what are you hiding?

"Well we have two numbers now." Jin kept searching the wall before turning to the chef. "Minghao, how much time do you think is left?"

Minghao shrugged his shoulders, looking at Hoseok convulsing slightly more than before, enough to make some noise from continuously hitting the floor.

"I'd give him a little over a minute. You all need to hurry." Minghao followed this statement with a laugh that made almost everyone shiver from the pure fear rolling through them.

"We can do this, guys." Jungkook had spilled almost all the food onto the table at this point, looking for any numbers that could be hiding. "Taehyung, did you ever find that box that the message said was in the briefcase?"

"Yeah. I put it on the table by Hoseok's glass."

Everyone took a quick glance to notice a small black box sitting next to the glass. It had a silver combination lock on it where four numbers would need to be entered. Everyone felt how close they were but felt lost at the same time. Everyone was scrambling, feeling the time slip away. However, everyone flinched at a loud crashing noise, Minghao included.

"Joon, jesus! Can you go one day without breaking something?" Jin was scolding his boyfriend at his ability to break everything.

"I only touched it, and it fell for no reason. I swear it's not me. I'm cursed or something." Namjoon crossed his arms across his chest.

Jin went to pick up the painting that fell on the floor. It was the picture of a lone wolf howling at a full moon, nothing too fancy. The frame was slightly splintered, but no real damage had been done. Before Jin had placed it back on the wall, he hugged Namjoon to the point of almost suffocating his boyfriend.

"I take it back. You're a genius."

Namjoon was confused until he noticed a number etched on the back of the painting. The number five seemed like it had been carved into the canvas on the back of the painting with a knife. It looked like it had been carved in recently, the splintering canvas still present.

"Found a number! It's a five."

Everyone sighed at this, knowing they probably had a little less than a minute left to find the last number and unlock the box. Everyone was feeling the stress, knowing that all they needed was one more number. At this point, everyone was sweating, the room becoming hotter by the second. Yoongi was trying to stay calm, but with everything going on in his mind, it was difficult to focus on the task at hand.

"I've looked everywhere. I don't see anything here." Yoongi had looked all around the bookcase, not even seeing the trace of a number. He felt absolutely defeated.

Everyone felt defeated, looking over things that they had looked at what felt like thousands of times already. Taehyung had felt satisfied with his area and went to help Jimin check the floor and the carpet, seeing that Jimin had the largest area to cover by himself.

"Hey, can you guys move the table? After the painting thing, I want to flip this rug over." Taehyung seemed to have an idea of where the final number could be.

----------------------------------------------------

It was in this moment that Yoongi space out into another vision. No one was in the room but him, the silence more eerie than the utter chaos from moments ago. He saw Taehyung walk into the dining room casually, kneeling down to touch the carpet.

"Looks like the last number is set in place. This better work."

"Just don't blow your cover."

Yoongi was shocked to hear another voice, not seeing another person in the room. The voice was distorted, not allowing Yoongi to identify the mysterious man. It was evident that the Taehyung and the unidentified person couldn't see him.

This must be another vision, but what is it trying to tell me? That Taehyung was in on this whole thing? There's no way! It's not possible! I ... I can't trust this vision. I won't trust it. But ...

---------------------------------------------------

Before Yoongi could finish his thoughts, he was thrust back into reality. He was paralyzed, afraid that he was immersed in another vision rather than reality. He took a couple deep breath before approaching the other men in the room, helping Namjoon and Jungkook move the table. It only took a couple seconds with the three moving it as quickly as possible. After they set the table down on the other side of the room, Minghao spoke up.

"I'd hurry. Maybe thirty seconds left, if he's lucky." The second part of that sentence caused everyone to hope Taehyung was on to something. Taehyung flipped the rug over as everyone held their breath.

Nothing. There was nothing underneath the rug or on the other side of it. Everyone started panicking as they were almost out of time. The only one not panicking was Taehyung.

"Why are you guys freaking out? The number is right here. We have them all! "

Everyone returned back to Taehyung's side in a heartbeat and followed his finger that was pointing not underneath the rug but on the top face of the rug. The table leg was placed on the number that had been on the rug, making the number almost impossible to find without removing the table. The number three seemed to almost blend in, being the same navy blue as the designs present on the rug as well.

At this point, Hoseok started heaving, his breath becoming very short and labored. His back arched off the floor in pain, looking as if he was living his last seconds.

"Quick! To the box." Jimin had ran to grab the box, ready to put the numbers into place that they needed. "What were all the numbers?"

"Four, Nine, Five, and Three."

Everyone else held their breath in anticipation, waiting for the black box to open, expecting the box to open. Yoongi stood behind the rest of the group, not believing what just happened.

He knew. He knew where the numbers were. There's no other explanation for what's going on. But ... my visions. Are they of the past or the future? What are they trying to tell me? Is Taehyung really in on this. And if he is, who was the person he was working with? No! No, No, No! Taehyung is not in on this mess. These visions are just messing with you. Trust him. Trust yourself.

Jimin had entered the four numbers and pulled on the lock, but it wouldn't budge. "What the hell?" Jimin got increasingly frustrated as he double-checked the numbers he inserted.

"We don't have time for this. What's going on?" Jin was almost hysterical at this point, watching Hoseok drift closer and closer to death.

"It won't open." Jimin was stumped. He had no idea what to do, giving the box to his boyfriend, Jungkook, in hopes that he could find a way to open it.

"Try rearranging the numbers." Taehyung was thinking of anything that could get this box open.

"We don't have time." Namjoon's voice seemed strained yet angry, even more frustrated at the situation and how close they are.

"Just try it!" Taehyung had tears prickling in his eyes, not wanting to lose his friend. Yoongi went up to his boyfriend and held his hand, rubbing circles into the top of his hand with his thumb. He never liked seeing Taehyung this stressed. He decided to push past his thoughts and be there for his boyfriend.

Jimin kept trying different combinations, going as quickly as he could. He couldn't even look at Hoseok at the moment, keeping all his focus on the lock. After three more tries, the lock finally unlocks. A collective sigh could be heard, but the fight wasn't over yet.

Jimin ripped the box open faster than he thought possible. A small, clear bottle was placed inside with a pale blue liquid. Jimin grabbed it and tossed it to Jin, since he was the closest to the now motionless Hoseok. Jin knelt down, the cap already forgotten. But before he could pour it into Hoseok's mouth, Minghao stops Jin by grabbing his wrist.

"Don't even try. He's already dead." The sound of Minghao's voice had no emotion, uncharacteristic for a staff member who had been with Hoseok since he was a child.

Jin immediately tugged his arm away from Minghao's grasp, pouring the liquid down Hoseok's throat. He checked for a pulse immediately after. Namjoon kept his eye on Minghao, ready to fight him if he dared touch Jin like that again.

"Guys I ... I can't feel a pulse."

"WHAT?!"

Everyone was similarly shocked, in horror that their friend was dead. Jimin and Taehyung were already crying, holding onto their respective boyfriends for support. Jungkook was hugging Jimin, placing his head on top on Jimin's. Taehyung was being fully supported by Yoongi as he started sliding down to the ground fully sobbing. Yoongi wasn't much better, but he was always there for his boyfriend, putting himself after Taehyung.

Yoongi looked at Taehyung, the younger looking completely destroyed. Yoongi was still trying to piece everything together, not sure where to put his attention. On one hand, Taehyung needed him right now. On another hand, Yoongi needed to figure out why this place looked so familiar and why everything was happening so fast.

Hoseok remained lifeless on the floor. Everyone had turned away, no longer able to look at the lifeless body on the floor. Minghao was the only one who looked at the body as if it was a shame.

"Hmm. Oh well. Such a shame you all couldn't finish in time." Minghao said it with such fake remorse that it made everyone sick.

"You didn't help at all!" Namjoon was now walking towards Minghao, looking as if he was ready to punch the man out. The only thing that held him back was Jin grabbing his elbow, silently pleading Namjoon not to start a fight on top of what they were already dealing with.

Before Namjoon could turn away, everyone's phone buzzed. They all looked at Minghao who looked at them all and shrugged his shoulders. He looked at Hoseok one more time before he noticed that no one was grabbing at their phones.

"You may want to grab that." Minghao had his evil smirk back on his face, nudging his head towards everyone's pockets.

"I don't want anything to do with this game anymore. I'm done." Jimin looked at Minghao as if he was the worst filth on the planet.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

This voice was different, one that none of them had heard before. A woman with long, wavy hair came out of the entrance closest to Minghao. She was wearing a worn t-shirt with baggy pants that looked like they'd be used for some type of maintenance.

Yoongi began to feel the air in the room go cold, his gut telling him to get out as soon as possible. The claustrophobia of not being able to leave was slowly suffocating him.

"What do you mean we don't have a choice?" Namjoon was quite literally done with everyone's bullshit.

"What I'm saying is that, if you refuse to continue the game, we'll kill you. All of you."

At this point three more people came from another entrance into the dining room. They were easily recognizable as Hoseok's staff. Sana, who seemed so nice before, now looked like pure evil had possessed he very being. All the boys huddled into the center of the dining room now that the table had been moved.

"Now. I'd check your phones if I were you." It was Sana this time, her smile at the end nothing like the kind the boys had seen when she greeted them by the door.

Okay, things are escalating quickly. Okay Yoongi, that's an understatement. What should I do? I think my only option is to look at the text, but my gut is screaming at me to run. But, I can't leave Tae. I need to protect him. Whatever it takes.

"Fine. Fine." Jungkook was doing what he was told more to protect Jimin than anything else. He dug into his pocket followed by everyone else in the group. Once they opened their phones, everyone read the message to themselves.

FROM: 119-121-2518

I see you were too late. Such a shame. I'm surprised you found all the numbers so quickly. Seems like someone may have helped set up the room. But anyway, let me explain this game in more detail.

I imagine you have now realized that the house staff is in on the game. No worries though. They won't hurt you as long as you play along. The point of this game is to survive. However, someone in this room is deceiving you. They've been in on the plan since the beginning of its creation. The question is, which one of you is it?

I'll let you all decide. But just some advice:

I'd kill them before they kill you.

You will receive another text for the details of the next game in about five minutes. Good luck players.

You'll need it.

Everyone looked absolutely mortified at the text, slowly backing away from each other. Everyone was thinking the same thing: which one of them is lying? However, most of them looked at Taehyung specifically.

"Taehyung ... you wouldn't ..." Namjoon trailed off, still stepping away from him with Jin in hand. Taehyung huffed, not believing that everyone was turning on him.

"You guys don't believe that, do you?" Taehyung looked around at everyone being completely terrified of him. He wasn't used to this. Yoongi was the only one that stayed by Taehyung, holding his hand.

"Guys, Tae would never ..."

"And how do you know, hyung?" This time it was Jimin, holding onto Jungkook as if his life depended on it.

How can I convince everyone that Tae had nothing to do with it? I need to do something. I need to protect him. He didn't do it. There's no way he could have done it. Right?

"Don't you think the real killer would want this. They want all of us to gang up on Tae and hurt him next. That only lets the killer win. They're playing with us. We have to stick together."

As usual, Yoongi was the voice of reason, and Taehyung thanked him miles for it. Everyone nodded in unison, all coming back together. Everyone apologized to Taehyung for the accusations, but they all were still on edge thinking that one of them was behind all of this.

Okay, it looks like you calmed them all down ... for now. But ... you don't think Tae really did it? No! There's no way. He would never do that, especially with my life on the line. Right? Yoongi, stop overthinking things! Calm down and focus. You need to stay focused.

It was then when all of their phones buzzed.

Sana looked up at the six men before her.

"Are you ready for stage two?"

Everyone stayed close to each other, still unsure of the staff that surrounded them. None of them would have ever guessed that the staff would have been in on the plan.

"What do you mean stage two?" Yoongi at this point was just trying to buy time. "Just how many stages are there?"

"All I can tell you is what the text told you. The goal is to survive. And take the text's advice. Kill the killer before they kill you." Sana's voice seemed cold and calm, staring down the six boys.

"The amount of stages depends on your will to live. But can you survive them all?" This voice was new to everyone as well, coming from a man that wore overalls and a straw hat. He looked the part of the gardener.

"Wait a minute." Everyone turned towards Jimin. "How did you know what the text said? You didn't see any of our phones."

At this point, everyone realized what Jimin had figured out. They all started to think it through themselves, realizing that it was true. None of the staff had access to the message on their phones, yet they knew exactly what the messages were saying.

"They're working for the killer, whoever it is. They must have planned this out." Namjoon looked at Sana first and then the rest of the staff. He gave them the best death glare he had and looked at the other five guys that stood with him.

Yoongi was looking at Taehyung, trying to gauge where his boyfriend's head was at. He seemed to have calmed down a bit, occasionally wiping stray tears from his eyes. Yoongi knew how strong Taehyung was, but he could tell when the younger was stressed emotionally. Before Yoongi could move closer to him, Taehyung took a couple steps towards Yoongi so their sides were touching. Yoongi smiled at the younger, trying to make him feel safer in the hostile environment.

"You might want to check your phones. Who knows ... there might be another time limit, and you're wasting any time you have." The maintenance woman was looking at her nails, not even interested in the six men in the center of the room. She gave them all one more glance before looking back at her nails.

With that, Jungkook grabbed his phone from his pocket first. Everyone else followed him, but they seemed more timid to do so. However, after looking around the room, they were truly trapped inside the dining room by the five staff members.

It's almost as if we're surrounded. But I think I recognize most of the staff. Sana the maid, Woozi the butler, Minghao the chef, a maintenance woman, and possibly a gardener. I need to figure out more about those two, at least their names. Either way, it looks like we're trapped. What can I do? Escaping doesn't seem feasible right now. It looks like the others are getting out their phones. I'll just follow their lead until I can think of something else.

They all read the next message individually.

FROM: 119-121-2518

By losing stage one, you lost a friend. By losing stage two, you may end up with the same fate. This game will be a little more interesting. As you can see, there are five staff members surrounding you, but there are six of you. Here's how stage two will work.

Each one of you will try to pick a staff member, but as you could have guessed, one of you will be left without one. This will be a huge disadvantage for you. Once all the staff members are taken, each player will receive a note. The player without a staff member will receive their note from the table in the living room. These notes will have instructions for what to do next.

All I can say is do not come in last place. The last player to complete their task and return to the final location ...

Will die.

Good luck players.

At this point, almost everyone was running towards a staff member, not wanting to be the one person with a disadvantage. The room went from being extremely calm to mass hysteria.

Yoongi could hear people running around the room, but he hadn't finished reading the text yet. The last thing he wanted to do was run to someone without even knowing what the stage would entail. However, people running around him started to cause him to panic and distracting him from reading the text calmly.

Before he knew it, there were only two. Jin and Yoongi were the last two people not paired to a staff member, the last staff member being Minghao. Taehyung had almost given up his position with the maintenance woman to push Yoongi towards Minghao when both Yoongi and Jin started running at the same time.

Why didn't you read that faster? Run! Run as if your life depends on it, even though it pretty much does. Come on, Yoongi. Go!

The only problem was that Jin hadn't noticed that almost every staff member was taken. With this mistake, Yoongi had gotten to Minghao first, leaving Jin without a staff member. Jin could already feel hope slipping away, feeling as if he would be the next to die. Before the notes could be given out, Namjoon ran to Jin, holding his hand more to comfort himself than his boyfriend. Yoongi held onto his knees, trying to catch up on the oxygen he lost when running.

Taehyung had run up to Yoongi, pulling him into a tight hug. Yoongi had clamped onto him tight, only now realizing how close he'd come to having such a huge disadvantage in the next stage. After holding each other for a couple more seconds, Taehyung pulled back from him slightly.

"You scared me half to death. I thought ... I thought ..."

Yoongi could see tears starting to form, quickly moving to wipe them away. The lst thing Yoongi wanted was to see Taehyung crying. Taehyung moved back in to give Yoongi a hug. Yoongi smiled, pulling the younger in closer as well. Taehyung smiled before moving back to who he had chosen.

So, Tae chose that maintenance worker girl. I wonder why he chose her, since none of us know much about her. He probably just ran to the closest staff member. No need to look so deep into it. Keep your eye on the prize. You need to focus on the next stage.

Once they were all back with their staff, or lack thereof, Sana spoke up.

"It seems that we've all been chosen." She looks around one final time before continuing. "We will now distribute the notes. Once you receive yours, please follow the instructions. We are here to help you, not tell you what to do. Good luck."

Her voice seemed to have an evil tone to it as she looked towards Jungkook. Everyone else faced their own staff member except Jin who ran towards the living room.

"Are you ready?"

---------------------------------------------

"Let's get this over with." Yoongi's voice was very monotone, not even looking the chef in the eye. He wasn't interested in chatting, just wanting to get this "adventure" over with.

"Awww. No talking?" It was said in a mocking tone that caught Yoongi's attention. Yoongi never liked to be laughed at or mocked, his anger slowly increasing but trying to stay calm.

"No. Now give me the note, so we can get this over with."

The glare Yoongi gave Minghao struck him to the bone. Minghao couldn't remember the last time someone hit his core like Yoongi just did. Minghao knew the killer was among him, but he only heard their voice, which was most likely pitch changed due to keeping secrecy. He knows that if he weren't careful, he'd be killed along with everyone else in the house. After the initial shock, Minghao grins back and reaches into his white apron that now has dried blood on it, most likely from taking Hoseok's body somewhere. He pulls out a letter and hands it to Yoongi.

"Here you go."

Yoongi doesn't reply, but rather opens the envelope quickly. The old, worn out letter looks like it'll crumble in his hands just from touching it.

It seems you've chosen Minghao. Risky choice if I say so myself. He doesn't like to take orders very easily. Your first destination is in the bathroom on the first floor. There, you will find the next note. Good luck.

Yoongi doesn't even look up before saying, "Bathroom. First floor. Take me there." When he doesn't get an immediate response, he looks up from the letter and gives another death glare to Minghao. "Now."

Minghao keeps his cool before moving somewhat briskly out of the dining room. "As you wish."

The chef, he seems really intense. It's almost as if he could easily eat me for breakfast. I think the only way I'm going to make it through this stage is to come off very intimidating. If I can make him scared of me, even if just a little bit, I probably have a better chance of getting of this stage alive. But ... I need to be careful. If I get too intimidating, he may kill me first. Play this right, Yoongi. Make it out of this. For Tae.

They are one of the first pair to leave the dining room, Yoongi wasting no time in talking. They're about to leave the dining room when Yoongi glances back into the room, his eyes falling on Taehyung. He pauses and smiles as Taehyung is talking to some girl that looks like she's in maintenance. Before he goes to catch up with the chef, he whispers something under his breath.

Good luck, baby. You can do this. I'll see you in no time.

Before Minghao can notice, Yoongi is caught up with him. The bathroom on the first floor is not that far of a walk from the dining room. Yoongi is imagining that this bathroom will be small, the average toilet and bathtub with not much space to explore. He's planning to go in, find the letter, and walk out quickly. What he sees stops him in his tracks.

This bathroom was exactly how you'd imagine a bathroom in a mansion to be, almost the size of the bedroom Taehyung and him were put in. This bathroom was no joke. The immense size of it made him think that it would be an eternity before he could find the next letter. Not to mention that the bathroom had towels and other toiletries thrown across the room, almost as if this event was planned. Yoongi sighed before turning to look at Minghao.

"What the hell is this?"

"The bathroom. Duh." Minghao had a smirk on his face that Yoongi wanted to punch off. Even so, Yoongi took a deep breath and walked in.

The walls were a baby blue shade with white tiled floors throughout the entire bathroom. The immense size was nothing to laugh at. There were two sinks, a toilet, a bathtub, a shower, and what seemed to look like a hot tub all in one room. Yoongi was floored but kept an expressionless look. He eyed everything he passed, trying to look for the letter subtly without lifting anything from the mess that wreaked havoc throughout the room.

"This mess looks like it was planned." Yoongi kept his tone monotone as he slowly turned to face Minghao.

"Most likely, yes. But, you should be worried about finding this note."

Yoongi sighed again before answering, putting his hands in his pant's pockets. "Yeah, yeah, yeah.

At this point, Yoongi and Minghao had walked through the entire bathroom. Yoongi didn't have a clue where to start, but headed towards the hot tub.

"Where are you going? Why aren't you looking around?" Minghao seemed frustrated at Yoongi's laziness.

"I already have an idea of where the envelope is. Stop fussing." He may have lied slightly, but he kept thinking as he walked, his hand now out of his pockets and one placed on his chin.

Think, Yoongi. You can't keep up this cool and composed look for long, and you're running out of time. Think! Well, for starters, the mess all around this bathroom is probably a ruse to distract me. Looking through all of it would be a waste of time. But, I doubt the killer would put it somewhere easy to find. Okay, stay calm.

Minghao looked shocked, wondering how this lazy man could have any idea where this envelope was hidden. Even he himself had no idea where the envelope was and this bathroom looked absolutely trashed. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it." Yoongi kept walking slowly, dodging loose items on the floor. "If I was the killer, the envelope wouldn't be easy for someone to find. Right?" Yoongi stops abruptly and slowly looks towards Minghao.

"I ... I guess."

"So, I'm assuming that the reason they paired me up with you is to use you to my advantage."

"To your advantage? Ha." Minghao lets out a short chuckle before putting his attention at Yoongi. Yoongi has now started walking slowly again, back towards the entrance to the bathroom. "Like I'd help you."

"I never expected you to." Yoongi glanced at Minghao before walking closer to the door. "See, whoever set this up is expecting me to look through this entire bathroom. But you know, I'm lazy. I should know, seeing that my boyfriend tells me I am all the time."

Taehyung would never call me lazy, but I have to keep this calm composure up. I can already see Minghao starting to crack, but I do believe he doesn't know where the next note is. Keep up the glares, Yoongi. If he's scared of you, he'll leave you alone long enough to figure out where the next note is. Tae. I hope he's having an easy time. We can make it. We can survive.

"And seeing that I'm lazy, I don't want to look around this whole bathroom to find one little note."

"So you're not even going to look?"

Minghao seemed absolutely perplexed that Yoongi would just sit and lose on purpose. Meanwhile, Yoongi decided that thinking out loud would most likely be best in a stressful moment like this. He took a deep breath before speaking his thoughts.

"I don't have to. You see, if I were the killer, I would put the note back towards the entrance, thinking that the person searching for the note would start from the back. So, I bet that the note is somewhere around ..." Yoongi drawls out this last word.

Yoongi is back at the door that led to the bathroom. He investigates before looking slightly to his right, seeing a sink counter. It had a sink, a mirror cabinet above the sink, and a cabinet below the sink. Yoongi snaps his fingers before walking over to it. Yoongi opens the mirror cabinet before Minghao scoffs at Yoongi.

"You can't be serious. You think that the killer would really put the note in a sink?" Minghao couldn't believe what Yoongi was thinking, standing behind him as Yoongi found nothing in the mirror cabinet and moved to the cabinet below the sink.

"Not in the sink, you idiot." Yoongi paused before grabbing something from the cabinet and putting his right hand in the air. "In the cabinet."

Minghao couldn't believe his eyes. There, in Yoongi's hand, was a similar looking envelope to the one he gave Yoongi at the beginning of this mess. Eyes wide, Minghao began to stutter as Yoongi pulled himself up and out of the lower cabinet.

"How the hell did you know?"

"I didn't." Yoongi stared blankly at Minghao before moving to open up the envelope. Minghao stopped him before he completely ripped the envelope open.

"What do you mean? If you had no idea where the envelope was, how did you find it so quickly?"

Yoongi didn't like how Minghao was gripping his wrist, the pressure beginning to hurt. He knew that trying to pull his wrist away would only make Minghao grip tighter. So, he took a deep breath before speaking.

"If I wanted to find something hidden by the killer, I had to think like them. Simple concept. Now, can I open this envelope?"

The last sentence had some sort of menacing tone that had Minghao shivering a bit. Yoongi's tone dropped and gave Minghao a tingle down his spine. He didn't like the glare he was receiving from Yoongi either. Yoongi pulled his wrist out of Minghao's grip, before turning around. Yoongi was only acting tough to make Minghao scared of him.

If I can make the staff scared of me, hopefully they'll leave me alone long enough to come up with a plan to get everyone out of here alive. But, for now, if fear is working, I'll just have to scare them.

"Y-Yeah."

"Thanks."

And with that, Yoongi turned back to the envelope. He paused slightly, thinking about his next move to see how Taehyung's process was going before bringing his attention back to the envelope. He took a deep breath and ripped the envelope open.

"It says to go back to the dining room. I think I remember how to get there from here, so no need to follow me."

Yoongi kept up a confident posture as he pushed past Minghao to leave the room. The second he exited the room, he pushed out a deep sigh. Keeping up the menacing looks for consuming a lot of physical and mental energy. He picked up the pace towards the dining room, remembering how to get there. He saw the arc that led to the dining room, moving towards it. He didn't hear any voices, making him think that no one was there yet. Also, seeing how fast he finished this stage, he wasn't expecting anyone else to be done yet.

Yoongi heard footsteps behind him, quickly turning around to see Minghao. Realizing that the chef is probably supposed to go to the dining room too, he turned back towards the dining room. When he reached the arc, he was shocked by what he saw.

"How the hell did you get here?"

Yoongi looked into the dining room, Minghao right behind him. Yoongi looked surprised and confused at the same time, not sure how to take the situation before him. Jin was standing next to the dining table, getting ready to look for Namjoon.

"I ... I found the second note. It told me to come here." Jin stuttered at Yoongi's dominant gaze. Yoongi walked towards the dining room table, Minghao walking towards the entrance to the kitchen after hearing a racket going on.

"I'm just surprised, seeing you didn't have a staff member to help you."

Yoongi's glare left Jin gulping in silence, terrified of Yoongi's questioning. Yoongi didn't take his eyes off Jin for a second, as if he was reading into Jin's mind. However, before Jin could speak up, footsteps could be heard approaching the dining room.

How could Jin have possibly beaten me here? There's no way, especially without a staff member. Something fishy is going on here, but what could it be?

Both Yoongi and Jin remained standing, looking towards the entrance. The footsteps didn't seem to be in a hurry.

"I wonder why it said to come back here." Jungkook turned the corner into the dining room, noticing Jin and Yoongi. "But it looks like we're not the first to arrive."

Sana looked at Jungkook, nodding slowly. She started to walk to the opposite side of the room towards Minghao. Jungkook walked towards the edge of the table, looking down to the floor.

"When did you two finish?" Jungkook finally looked up, looking at Jin and then Yoongi.

"Jin finished first, me second." Yoongi removed his glare from Jin to direct his attention to Jungkook. Jungkook seemed oddly calm for the stressful situation they were being put through.

Jungkook grunted in acknowledgement, before looking at the tabletop, seemingly lost in thought.

"How do you think everyone else is doing?" Jungkook's face seemed to show how worried he was about the fact that his boyfriend still wasn't in the room.

It was then that the three boys realized that their respective partners were not in the dining room yet. The mood in the room seemed to be suddenly filled with anxiety and fear. They all knew that whoever walked through the door next would be the center of attention.

Tae. Where are you! Should I go look for him? Would I even be helping if I did? Or would I just slow him down. Who was he paired with again? The maintenance woman? Did she hurt him? No, she wouldn't. Right? Yoongi! Stop thinking like this. He'll make it. He will.

Just as Jin was about to speak up, they heard footsteps running from the kitchen. The three boys looked over to see Namjoon sweating a lot with a pink-toned face. He held onto his knees once reaching the room, obviously exhausted and out of breath.

Jin immediately looked up and ran towards Namjoon, happy that he was okay. He enveloped his boyfriend in a tight hug, afraid that Namjoon would disappear if he let go.

Sewoon strolled in as if not caring if they reached the dining room or not. He spotted Sana and Minghao, gathering with them to talk quietly among each other.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Jin still hasn't let go of Namjoon.

"I'm glad you're okay, too. When you didn't get a staff member, I thought you would be in last. When did you get here?" At this point, Namjoon detached himself enough to look at Jin. Jin remained quiet, before he heard someone behind him.

"He got here first."

Yoongi's nerves from Taehyung not being here yet had compiled into harsh words. He wasn't normally one to call someone out or cause drama, but his heightened nerves had caused the words to slip out.

Namjoon became quiet, looking back to Jin confused.

"First? How did you manage that?" Namjoon was smiling but still questioned the result of this stage's result.

"That's what I want to know."

Yoongi sat down in a chair now, his legs crossed and fingers tapping his knees slowly. Jin remained silent, looking at Yoongi worriedly. Yoongi kept looking at Jin, not backing down. Event though h was still worried about Taehyung, he also wanted answers as to what Jin was up to. For all he knew, Jin was the killer.

Before Jin could respond, everyone heard loud footsteps coming towards the dining room. Yoongi and Jungkook both looked towards the main dining room entrance, both excited and afraid at what the result would be. They both only hoped that it would be their boyfriend, afraid of what would happen if it wasn't.

Come on, Tae! Please be you. Please!

The second the footsteps walked into the room, everyone was in shock.

"Wow. Everyone else is already here."

Jimin and Taehyung both step into the dining room at the same time, out of breath. Yoongi and Jungkook are both by their boyfriend's sides, hugging them and making sure they're okay. Everyone is smiling, happy that everyone is alive.

"Tae!" Yoongi went up to his boyfriend and wrapped him in a hug. "You had me worried sick! Are you okay? Your staff member didn't do anything to you, did she? Are you hurt?"

"Yoongi!" Taehyung, pushed his boyfriend away slightly so he could look into his eyes. "I'm fine. I promise."

Yoongi smiled before hugging Taehyung a little longer than before. Yoongi's fear of Taehyung being hurt started to fade away, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

Hyuna and Woozi join the other staff members by the kitchen entrance. Woozi went into the kitchen where Minghao had gone.

Everyone kept hugging each other and telling the stories of where they had to go before Namjoon stopped suddenly, his hand going to his chin as if he was in deep thought.

"What's wrong?" Jin was concerned about what Namjoon was thinking about.

"Well, if Jimin and Taehyung both came in last, does that mean that no one dies?"

Everyone turned towards Namjoon, there eyes widening a bit at forgetting about the text message's hint at death. Everyone suddenly grew tense, not sure what the next stage would hold.

Yoongi seemed to be more worried than Taehyung, the younger acting oddly calm in the tense situation. While everyone was in deep thought, Taehyung looked over to the table in excitement.

"Hey, look! We all have places at the table!" Like a little kid, Taehyung runs over to a seat at the table, a name placard in front of his seat.

Yoongi, Jin, and Jungkook all look at each other, knowing that the placards weren't there before. They all seem confused but decide to play along to Taehyung's excitement.

This can't be good. Why would they put our names at specific spots at the table? This would only make sense if they planned something, or if they needed to know where each person would be sitting. What are they planning?

"Do we sit at our spots?" Jimin seemed very hesitant to sit down, unsure of what this all means. Jimin held onto Jungkook's arm, looking at him for confidence. Jungkook slid his hand down Jimin's arm, holding his hand and swinging it slightly.

"You're going to be okay." Jungkook gives an eskimo kiss to Jimin who giggles slightly at the affection.

Yoongi was trying to understand what was going on, but everyone else was already walking towards their seat at the table, some people already sitting down. He didn't want to come off as suspicious, so he started walking to his seat as well, still trying to figure out what was going on.

They all take their respective seats in front of their placards. Once they were all seated, the staff members stood behind the chair of the members they helped with the last stage. Once they were all in position, Minghao spoke up.

"I'm passing out drinks, but please ..." He paused and looked around at everyone, including the other staff members, "... do not drink them."

Immediately, everyone felt shivers up their spines. Minghao kept passing out drinks, giving the last one to Taehyung. Once they were passed out, he went behind Yoongi himself. Once he was behind Yoongi, everyone heard a loud buzzing noise. They all looked at each other and knew ...

... they received another text.

Yoongi was the first to reach for his phone.

I don't have a choice right now. I either read the message and continuing playing this game, or choose not to play and risk them killing more, or worse, Tae. It's an easy choice.

"What are you doing?" Jimin stopped Yoongi in his tracks. Yoongi looked over at Jimin, shrugging and continuing to pull up the text message.

"If we don't look at the message, something bad is going to happen anyways. We might as well prepare ourselves for what's about to happen." Yoongi looked at Jimin, creating eye contact that made Jimin scared but understand the situation at hand.

At this point, everyone pulled out their phones to read the message.

FROM: 119-121-2518

Hello. Right now, there are glasses in front of you. One of your glasses contains poison.

When each person read this part of the message, they all grew tense. Jimin and Taehyung began tearing up in fear but continued reading. The staff members felt the tension emerging and stood straighter than normal.

Once you're all done reading this message, one of the staff will count to three. At this time, you are all required to drink what's in the glass. If you choose not to, the staff members will kill you.

Almost everyone's mouth dropped. Jimin and Taehyung's tears turned into slightly louder crying, Jungkook and Yoongi doing their best to send comforting eyes their ways. Each staff member then brought out a knife into each person's view. Jimin and Taehyung stopped crying, almost entirely out of fear. Taehyung and Jimin could barely read the rest of the message through the tears.

Just for your own knowledge, one of your friends chose who would die tonight. But who, you ask? I'll save that for all of you to figure out. Good luck, players.

Once everyone read through the text message, the anxiety from Jimin and Taehyung was almost too much for their boyfriend's to bear. As if on cue, each staff member pulled the knife out and held it a couple inches from each person's throat. Yoongi could see that Woozi was especially tentative to do so.

Yoongi was looking at Taehyung, wanting to comfort the other but also slightly confused. From what he could remember, Taehyung rarely acted like this. Yes, Taehyung had cried before, but he rarely got this emotional. Yoongi started to wonder if his boyfriend was acting. After quickly shaking away his thought, he saw something else that startled him.

His vision became slightly blurry around the edges, reminiscent of what characters on the television would go through when having a flashback. They were all standing up now, the staff somewhat away from them, but Namjoon was on the ground. Before Yoongi could run to him, the vision changed to where Jungkook was lying on the ground lifeless, Jimin crying at his side.

What the hell is going on? First Namjoon, now Jungkook. What does it mean? This feeling ... this feeling that I've been here before ... is it true? Have I played this game before? No. No! That can't be true. But ... if it is ... did Namjoon die here before? Or Jungkook? Or ... both of them? Ugh, this is not making any sense. But, you don't have time for this right now. Something's going on, but you have to stay calm. If they even sense that you know something, whether it be the past or the present, they'll kill you. First: Protect Tae. But, something's going with him too. Why is he acting so strange?

"I will give the count off. Good luck to you all." The powerful voice came from Hyuna, knocking Yoongi out of his thoughts. All the boys grew stiff but put the glass in their hands. "One..."

Everyone grew tense, bringing the glass closer to their mouths. Yoongi was trying to stay calm, hoping the next victim wasn't him.

"Two ..."

The crying grew a little louder from the two friends, but they kept their glasses up, afraid of being killed. Yoongi kept an eye on Taehyung, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

"Three." Hyuna said the last number with venom.

Everyone hesitantly took a sip from the glass. The staff members lowered their knives, now having no use for them.

Everyone waited in anticipation to see which glass was poisoned. All the glasses were now back on the table. Everyone looked around, nervous at who would drop. Yoongi's eyes caught Jin, noticing that his eyes kept going back between Jungkook and Jimin. Yoongi still wasn't sure what his vision meant, but he wasn't sure if Jungkook or Namjoon would fall again or if it would be someone new.

The staff members were also looking around as if unsure themselves who would drop from poison. The only two that kept their eyes straight were Minghao and Hyuna, as if they seemed to know who would die tonight. Yoongi noticed their calm composures before being startled out of his thoughts.

All of a sudden, everyone heard a loud crash, a chair and body hitting the floor. The loud sound was followed by silence, everyone too focused on the body that fell. After a few seconds of shock, everyone got up from their chairs, screaming and running to try and help the unconscious person.

"Jimin!" Jungkook was screaming it, holding onto the limp body and shaking it slightly. He hugged Jimin closely, wishing it wasn't real.

Yoongi was shocked, realizing that, if his visions were true, this was different than the previous two occasions. He wasn't sure he could trust himself anymore, not wanting to believe that he'd been through this two times before and doesn't remember any of it. Yoongi looked over to see that most of the staff were shocked, especially Woozi. It was the first time anyone saw one of the staff start to cry.

Namjoon was the first to run up to Hyuna and Minghao. He needed answers and fast.

"Is there a way to save him? Is there a game we can play? Anything!?"

Namjoon was almost hysterical at this point and joined by Jin. Namjoon grabbed onto Minghao's shoulders, shaking them in anger as tears pooled out his eyes.

"I'm sorry. He was chosen, so he must go." Hyuna said it without emotion as if she didn't care that someone was dying in front of them.

This is insane! What the hell is going on? First I see Namjoon, then Jungkook, and now, it's Jimin. This doesn't make any sense. Why does it keep changing? Wait ... am I actually believing that my visions are from the past? That ... That's impossible. But ... is it?

Meanwhile, Jungkook was still holding Jimin, crying uncontrollably. He kept saying "I love you" over and over again in hopes that that would bring Jimin back. Taehyung and Yoongi were still in shock, Yoongi snapped out of his thoughts by the chaos going on throughout the room. Taehyung was crying full out while Yoongi was trying to act strong for Taehyung's sake, hiding the thoughts running in his head. It was in that moment that Jungkook heard words he'd never forget, the entire room listening closely.

"I – love – you. Please – get out – alive. For me."

It was Jimin, his strained voice trying to push his last words out. He held his grip on Jungkook's arm, coughing violently now. Jungkook kissed Jimin deeply, knowing that his last moments were coming.

Taehyung was being held up by Yoongi at this point, Taehyung's legs no longer being able to hold the despair he was feeling. Yoongi had tears at his eyes but kept holding onto Taehyung and holding him close no matter how much Taehyung wanted him to let go. Even though Yoongi's thoughts were spiraling, he could help but feel emotional at seeing the younger man dying in front of him and not being able to do anything to stop it.

"Please don't leave me." Jungkook was whispering to Jimin now, still holding him tightly. Everyone noticed Jimin's breathing becoming more erratic and labored. Yoongi knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"I'll never – leave – you. I – love –"

Jimin let out a heavy breath, his entire body becoming heavy. Jungkook cried more than he had been, holding and slightly shaking Jimin in hopes that this was all staged. Jungkook nuzzled his face into Jimin's hair, hoping this was all a dream.

Taehyung fell to his knees, Yoongi no longer able to keep him up. Yoongi knelt beside him, rubbing his back while letting tears stroll down his face as well. Yoongi would quickly wipe them as they fell, trying to be strong for Taehyung.

Okay, Yoongi. You really need to figure this out. What are you seeing, and what does it mean? Something is going on, but what? Are they visions? Maybe ... if they are, I can use them to try and protect people. But ... I didn't see this death coming until it was too late. I need to find out if I can control it.

"Who did it?"

Yoongi was shaken out of his thoughts by a voice that he noticed came from Jungkook, whose voice was quiet yet full of anger after laying his boyfriend gently on the ground as if afraid he would shatter. Everyone looked at Jungkook, his voice catching everyone's attention.

"I said. Who. Did. It." Jungkook wouldn't even look up, fists clenching as the anger poured through him. Everyone became silent as Jungkook looked up.

"What do you mean? Who did what?" Namjoon was confused, not sure where Jungkook was going with this.

"The text message said that one of us chose who would die tonight. So, who chose Jimin?"

Everyone else in the room looked surprised at the accusation but immediately felt sympathy for the boy. None of them could imagine losing their boyfriends yet alone watching them die. Yoongi looked around the room, trying to see if anyone was giving away any signs of them being the killer. Yoongi noticed Jin sweating more than usual, squinting his eyes slightly as he tried to keep his eyes on him.

Jungkook was getting angrier by the second. Yoongi left Taehyung to go up to Jungkook, almost as if to create a barrier between Jungkook and the others, especially his own boyfriend.

"Jungkook, they were probably forced to make a choice. This probably wasn't personal." Jungkook moved away from Yoongi quickly, his mannerisms still emanating how angry he was.

"I don't care if it wasn't personal."

Everyone looked at Jungkook now, all eyes full of sympathy and fear. No one was sure what Jungkook was going to do. Yoongi stayed as calm as he could, taking deep breaths before turning back towards Jungkook.

"My boyfriend is dead. And what? I'm just supposed to move on with this game?" Jungkook looked back at Jimin and immediately turned his anger into tears pouring down his face. His hands went to hold his face as he slowly knelt towards the floor, all his strength seeming to leave his body.

Taehyung was the first one to approach Jungkook. Yoongi tried to hold him back, but Taehyung continued forward. He stood above Jungkook, causing Jungkook to look up as a shadow overcast him. Taehyung then knelt down and gave Jungkook a hug, letting Jungkook's head rest on his shoulder.

Both of the boys cried on the floor, Yoongi making sure to keep an eye on Taehyung. Namjoon had approached Yoongi as they both watched this unfold. Both Namjoon and Yoongi were unsure of what to do next. Yoongi could see Jin in the corner of his eye moving away from the group slowly. While Yoongi and Namjoon were talking, a voice pierced through the noise.

"Guys ..." Jin spoke up, catching everyone's attention, even the two crying boys now sitting on the floor. Jin immediately felt all eyes on him and looked like a deer in headlights.

"Jin. What's wrong?" Namjoon seemed concerned for his boyfriend, approaching him before another sound caused him to stop in his tracks.

Everyone's phone vibrated or dinged at once, and they all knew what that meant. No one cared what Jin was about to say but rather the phones in their pockets. However, no one seemed to be in a hurry to reach for them, afraid of what they'd say.

"Really? Another one?" Namjoon seemed to be in disbelief. He wanted this "game" to stop, but he knew that whoever planned this had much more for them to do.

"We better look. It'll only get worse if we don't." Yoongi's voice was cold, but everyone agreed with what he was saying. One of them could die right here if they refused to look at their phones. Yoongi went to grab for his when he was stopped by motion entering the dining room.

The staff came walking back into the room, almost as if coming from a meeting. They all crowded around the archway that went from the dining room into the kitchen. Taehyung was the first to notice that Woozi's eyes were red and puffy. Yoongi realized that Jimin had chosen Woozi as his staff the last round, but he didn't understand why the man was upset. He caused this.

"What are you all doing here? Going to force us into more things?" Taehyung was getting up with Jungkook still holding onto him. Both had red, puffy eyes and weren't ready to move on. Taehyung was more frustrated at the situation than anything else.

"We're here to be sure you read the next message." Hyuna's voice was still sharp and cold, a dominating aura coming through her voice and into each of the boys.

"Fine."

All the boys looked at Yoongi as his voice pushed through the silence in the room. They were confused as to why Yoongi was so quick to agree to the staff. Yoongi sighed before continuing.

"It's either we read it and have a chance of escaping, or we die here. Let's just read it." With that Yoongi grabbed his phone but didn't open the message, waiting to see if the other boys would follow him in his footsteps.

Gradually, everyone else pulled out their phones. Before Jungkook pulled out his phone, he went over to Jimin's body one last time and pecked his forehead. He was about to leave when he noticed something strange.

"Guys ..." Jungkook grabbed everyone's attention to look at him. Once all eyes were on him, he held up a cellphone.

"What's so special about your cell phone?" Namjoon was thoroughly confused.

"It's not mine. It's Jimin's. And look ..." Jungkook went up to the other guys who now huddled around him. He clicked a button that lit up Jimin's phone lock screen with all his notifications. At that moment, everyone saw it.

"Why would the killer send Jimin a text message if he knew he was the one dying, or already dead for that matter." Jin and Namjoon said this sentence around the same time, making everyone else in the room think.

"That must mean..." Namjoon had his hand on his chin, grabbing everyone else's attention. "... the killer had no way of knowing how things would play out. Like who would be without a staff member. Or who would have been chosen to die this past stage."

Everyone began to put pieces together, but what Namjoon said next sent chills through everyone's bones.

"It also means that ... the killer must also be someone who's already here. Otherwise, why would the texts have to be set up in advance?"

That's impossible. There's no possible way that someone here is the killer. Maybe the staff, but not one of us. I mean, I don't know everyone here, but I can't imagine they'd purposefully be killing everyone off. Yoongi, you don't know everyone. Now's not the time to be hopeful but rather rational. You might die in here. And one of them might be the one to do it.

At that, everyone started sizing each other up, questioning who in this room was the killer. Was it one of them? Or was it a staff member? Was there more than one?

The sound of a loud clap brought everyone out of their minds and back to reality. Everyone's glances shot to the staff where they saw Sana's hands in the air as if she was the one who just clapped. Once she had everyone's attention, she spoke.

"I'm sorry. But ... you need to read the text now ... or we'll have to be rash." At that, the staff members pulled out the knives they had previously minus Woozi who, Yoongi noticed, didn't seem in the right state of mind to do so. The boys looked at each other.

"We can discuss this later. Right now, we need to survive." Namjoon quickly said this before opening his phone. The other boys followed him in his footsteps, preparing themselves for what was about to happen next.

FROM: 119-121-2518

It seems you've lost another. How many will you lose before you get out of here? The next stage may be the determining factor. For this stage, you will all work together. Go to the basement. There, you will find a note that will explain Stage 3. Good luck players.

And one more thing. I suggest you figure out who the killer is and fast, or you all might end up dead.

Everyone looked up from their phones. Taehyung was still wiping tears away from his eyes, now holding Yoongi's hand for comfort. Yoongi tried to smile to comfort his boyfriend, but his thoughts were going a mile a minute. None of them could cry anymore, only having the determination to get out of this house. After reading the text, Namjoon looked towards the staff.

"Are you all following us down there?" Namjoon's voice came out dominant and cold, almost as if he saw the staff as the killers themselves.

"Where?" Woozi sounded so innocent and confused. His eyes were only pink now, his sadness over Jimin's death obvious to everyone in the room.

"What do you mean where? You all are working with the killer, aren't you? You must know every step." Jungkook was still angry, but couldn't stay far away from Jimin's body.

"We may be helping them, but it's more complicated than that." Sewoon leaned onto his one leg and crossed his arms.

"What do you mean more complicated?" Jin was getting more confused by the second.

"We can't say why. But what we can tell you is that we have no idea what's in each stage or what the killer is planning. We don't even know who the killer is." Hyuna's voice sounded very uninterested in the topic, just hoping that the guys in front of her would move on to the next stage.

Yoongi saw the look in Hyuna's eyes, knowing exactly what she was doing. She was acting disinterested, but Yoongi could tell she was sizing them all up. She was trying to figure out who the killer was just like they were. She was telling the truth though: The staff didn't know who the killer was.

"How can you all not know who the killer is?" Taehyung's voice sounded sore and broken after all the crying he did.

"We only talked to them over the phone, and it was obvious they were using a voice modulator. Just like how you guys have been trying to figure out who the killer is, all of us have been too."

All five of the boys looked at each other in disbelief. They weren't going to get any answers out of the staff. Namjoon looked back at the text before speaking up.

"Where's the basement?"

"I can show you."

The other boys were shocked to hear Jin speak up. Namjoon was confused for a bit before letting Jin continue, holding his hand for comfort.

"That's where I had to go for Stage 2. I can show you all where it is, but I really don't want to go back down there." Jin's hand started to slightly shake, Namjoon shaking Jin's hand a bit to get the older's attention.

"Everything's going to be okay." Namjoon whispered, trying to make Jin feel better.

Jin swallowed before moving out of the dining room and towards the door to the basement. Everyone else followed him out, including the staff. Yoongi stayed close to Taehyung, trying to stay calm in the stressful situation. Once Jin reached the basement door, he abruptly stopped. He took a couple deep breaths before turning back to everyone else.

"Here it is."

"I'm heading down." It was Jungkook, his determined voice breaking the silence that formed.

"Why so eager?" Yoongi raised his eyebrow, unsure of what had gotten into the maknae.

"I'm tired of waiting. We should just get this over with." Jungkook's voice seemed slightly cold, as if Jimin was what made Jungkook's voice light. "I'm going."

With that, Jungkook opened the door and walked down the stairs slowly. The lights were on, but it was still very dim. He reached the basement, everyone else filing downstairs and reaching the basement as well. The staff stayed upstairs, knowing that they aren't supposed to go down. Once everyone was downstairs, Jungkook noticed a table towards the back of the basement.

It was in that moment that Yoongi noticed two chairs set up in the center of the room. In almost an instant, Yoongi could sense that he was about to have another vision. He tried to stay calm, not wanting the vision to stop.

------------------- FLASHBACK --------------------

Yoongi couldn't hear anything, but he could see everyone in the basement, including himself. It was almost as if he was watching this on an old black-and-white television, the static occasionally interrupting his sight.

It happened in an instant.

Taehyung and Jin were seated in the middle of the room, Taehyung obviously panicking. He looked at the other group against the wall, seeing the copy of himself in obvious distress. Within another second, he heard a gunshot.

When he opened his eyes, Jin's body was on the ground and lifeless. Yoongi started to panic slightly, but before he lost control, everything stopped. As if on an old VCR, everything began to rewind. His vision was then blocked by static, forcing him to close his eyes.

When they opened again, he saw two new people sitting in the chairs, him and Taehyung back against the wall. Yoongi was relieved before taking a closer look at the center of the room.

"Hoseok?"

It was whispered under his breath as he saw Jimin and Hoseok in the chairs. It was weird seeing Hoseok alive after watching him die in front of him. He heard another gun shot, causing him to flinch and close his eyes. He slowly opened them and was shocked at what he saw.

Jimin was dead on the floor, but that wasn't what shocked him. Hoseok. Was that a smile?

Before Yoongi could look much into it, he started to see static blurring his vision. He heard this piercing noise in his head, causing him to grasp his ears.

------------- END FLASHBACK ---------------

"Yoongi? Yoongi, you okay?"

Yoongi opened his eyes, hearing a voice that he recognized immediately. His hands were covering his ears, quickly pulling them back down to his sides.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Yoongi could tell Taehyung wasn't convinced but was happy when the younger didn't ask anymore questions. Taehyung smiled slightly while holding out his hand, signaling Yoongi to take it so they could catch up with the others. Yoongi smiled, running towards the others and holding Taehyung's hand once they reached them.

"It was you ... wasn't it."

Everyone stopped in their tracks, all eyes on Jin. Yoongi, having missed the conversation previous to this accusation, was trying to read the situation the best he could.

"Jin. You couldn't have ..." Namjoon's voice trailed off as he looked at his boyfriend in utter shock.

Jungkook pulled his wrist out of Jin's grip that seemed to have weakened over time. Jungkook then pulled the single paper out of the blue jar. In old writing, the name stood out to him.

Jimin

"You killed him." Jungkook's eyes stayed focused on the ground. His hands turned to fists once again, knuckles turning white. Yoongi and Taehyung slowly backed away from Jin and Namjoon, as Jin kept his head down as well. Yoongi was hoping that he could pull Taehyung away long enough to hell him what vision he saw to warn him. However, it seemed the odds weren't in his favor.

"What do you mean you didn't know?" Jungkook pushed Jin against the wall again. Yoongi was quickly pulled out of his daze, working with Namjoon to try and pull Jungkook off of Jin.

"I shuffled some names together and randomly put one in the blue jar. I ..." Jin sniffled before continuing, "I didn't want to know who was dying, who I was killing. I couldn't take it." With that, Jin fell to the floor in a fetal-like position. Jungkook's hands were now off of Jin's shirt as he was in disbelief. Yoongi and Namjoon successfully pulled Jungkook away from Jin.

Eventually, Jungkook also fell to the floor, crying uncontrollably. After a couple seconds, he eventually got back on his feet, Jin still sitting against the wall. He approached Jin slowly, eyes still on the floor. Namjoon tried to push Jungkook away, but Jungkook pushed Namjoon towards Yoongi with all his might. Yoongi stumbled back towards Taehyung, checking up on his boyfriend before looking towards Jungkook.

Jungkook held out his hand, looking at Jin and waiting for him to look up.

"Why?" Jin was confused at the gesture.

"I really want to hurt you, but ..." Jungkook paused, looking away towards another wall, "... that's not what Jimin would have wanted. He told me to try and get out alive. I can't do that without you. All of you."

Namjoon, Yoongi, and Taehyung all looked at each other, nodding slightly in agreement to let this play out. Yoongi's head still ached from the previous vision he had. He was fighting with his thoughts, trying to figure out what it all meant.

"Let's start stage 3."

Everyone nodded, splitting up to find the note that would tell them what Stage 3 would hold. Yoongi's mind started to wander, getting lost in his thoughts.

What do I do? Should I tell Tae about that vision or would that just worry them more. The last thing I want to do is stress him out more than he already is. But ... what does it even mean? First Jin, then Jimin. And what does it have to do with Stage 3? Whatever it is, it doesn't look good. And Hoseok, why did he smile? None of this is making any sense.

"So, where could this note be?"

Yoongi was pushed out of his thoughts by Taehyung once again, quickly orienting himself to the task at hand. Yoongi kept looking around for the note with Taehyung not far behind.

"Hmmmmmm ..." Taehyung trailed off causing Yoongi to smile at his boyfriend's cuteness. Yoongi grabbed Taehyung's hand without looking at him. It was now Taehyung's turn to blush as he followed Yoongi, giving him a peck on the cheek before they kept looking. Yoongi had always admired his boyfriend but realized that he didn't tell his boyfriend how much he loved him nearly enough.

No one else seemed to notice this couple's short period of intimacy while they searched the basement. It was Jungkook that spotted it.

"Guys, over here! On the wall."

Everyone ran to Jungkook who was pointing at a note on the wall. They all looked at each other before Namjoon pulled it off the wall and started reading it aloud.

Hello players. It seems you've made it to Stage 3. Congrats. This next game will truly test your will to live. Trust your instincts, or you'll be the next one to die. In a couple seconds, one of the staff members will come down to help with Stage 3. In this basement, you'll see two chairs facing each other. Two of you will sit in the chairs and await instruction from the staff. Good luck.

All of the focus turns to the chairs in the room that were previously ignored by everyone except Yoongi. Yoongi knew that sitting in the chairs was a death sentence, but the last thing he wanted to do was cause everyone to panic. But no matter how much he tried to think of a solution, there was no way to avoid two people sitting in those chairs. They all looked around before Yoongi spoke up.

"Who's sitting in the chairs?"

It's obvious that no one wants to sit there, knowing that whoever does will most likely be at risk of death. Yoongi thought that, if he asked the question, he'd be the last one people would choose to sit in it. After a couple seconds, a voice spoke up.

"I'll do it." Jungkook raised his hand, drawing all attention to himself.

"What?" Namjoon and Jin both looked at each other confused.

"I just lost Jimin." Jungkook takes a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want any of you to have to go through what I went through in losing the one you love. So, I'll do it."

It was obvious that Jungkook was about to tear up again, so Taehyung left Yoongi to go comfort him, giving him a warm hug. Yoongi smiled, knowing first hand how big Taehyung's heart was.

"Okay. So, if Jungkook is going, who else will?" Before Namjoon looked at everyone, a hand was raised that surprised them all.

"I'll do it."

Jin held his hand high, confident in his choice to go. Namjoon was stunned and unsure of why Jin had decided to play this stage, but Yoongi was grateful that neither him nor Taehyung were at risk.

"I was the one that caused this entire mess from Stage 2. I feel that I need to participate. There's no other option to me."

"If this is what you want, I trust you." Namjoon looked worried, but Jin nodded before approaching Jungkook. Just as Jin was about to speak, everyone heard the basement door open.

It was in that instant that everyone remembered the note stating a staff member would be helping with Stage 3. They all waited anxiously as the individual stepped very slowly, almost as if doing it on purpose to build tension. Yoongi was already on edge after knowing what would happen during this stage, making sure to keep a watchful eye on Taehyug. Everyone was shocked at the face they saw.

"You?" Taehyung was confused, eyebrows knit together.

Everyone else was in a similar state of shock and confusion, watching Woozi walking down the stairs. Once he got closer to the group, it was still obvious that the young man's eyes were still red and puffy. Once Woozi reached the group of young men, he spoke up.

"I'm here to direct you in Stage 3. Have you chosen two people to sit in the chairs?" Woozi seemed almost cold, completely detaching himself from any emotion.

"Wait a minute. Weren't you the staff that went with Jimin?" Jungkook was curious, trying to place the butler in his past memories.

Woozi seemed to stop breathing for a short moment before looking at the floor and responding. Yoongi could tell that the boy's death was affecting him, making Yoongi believe that the staff members may have to do this against their will. He wasn't convinced but had hope.

"Yes, I was. Now, who have you chosen?"

Jin raises his hand followed by Jungkook who was still trying to place Woozi in his memories but giving up soon after. Jin and Jungkook step forward. Woozi directs them to the chairs, and the two sit down facing each other. Once they are seated, he faces the other three men.

"You three must stay back against the wall." Woozi points to the wall behind the other three boys.

Yoongi immediately had a flashback to the vision he had, knowing exactly what was about to happen. He decided to stay calm, moving to the wall as instructed but keeping a close eye. He knew only one of the men were going to get out alive unless he could come up with a plan. He was deep in thought, trying to think of anything he could do.

Namjoon, Yoongi, and Taehyung had positioned themselves with their backs against the wall. They can see Jin and Jungkook facing each other. Before Woozi speaks up again, they hear the basement door open again. Woozi seems unfazed, but the other men seem confused.

"Hyuna?" Taehyung seems to be in disbelief, Yoongi realizing that this must have been his staff member for the last stage. She doesn't pay them any attention and stops in front of Jin and Jungkook.

"Here's how this is going to go. You guys will play rock, paper, scissors." Hyuna was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, but before she can finish her thought, Jin speaks up.

"Wait. This is all coming down to something like rock, paper, scissors?!!?" Jin and Jungkook were both in disbelief. But before they stayed like that for long, Hyuna let out a huff before continuing.

"Jeez, you kids not letting me finish. I'll say this one more time." She lets out a sigh before continuing. "You both will play rock, paper, scissors. Once this happens, we're going to play a small game of Russian roulette. The winner of the game will have a gun put to their head. They will have the power to either take the bullet or send the bullet to the other player."

Hyuna sounded calm, but both Jin and Jungkook look ultimately terrified. Everyone in the room knew in that instant that someone was going to die this stage, Yoongi still trying to find a way to stop it. At this point, Hyuna pulled a gun out of a pocket in her overall-like outfit. Hyuna readied the bullet, everyone hearing the gun click. Namjoon, Yoongi, and Taehyung all got tense. Namjoon looked ready to run towards Jin before Woozi spoke up.

"I told you to stay against the wall. If any of you leave, we'll shoot you down." Woozi said it so seriously, that the three boys pushed themselves as close to the wall as they could. However, Namjoon seemed very conflicted, wanting to comfort his boyfriend.

"You'll have one minute after winning rock, paper, scissors to decide whether we shoot you or the other player. Good luck." Hyuna sounded cold but gave Jin and Jungkook space to play the game.

"What are we going to do?" Jungkook seemed anxious, not wanting to have to make a decision that would mean life or death for either of them. Jin wasn't much better but was trying to internalize his fear. Jin then held his hand out in a fist, showing Jungkook he was ready to play.

Jungkook then held out his fist as well. Namjoon, Yoongi, and Taehyung couldn't take their eyes of the other two. Taehyung slid his hand into Yoongi's putting his head on Yoongi's shoulder and having his head face the wall. He couldn't watch what was about to happen. Yoongi squeezed his hand tighter as he awaited the result. The three of them held their breath.

Yoongi's thoughts were running a mile a minute, no solution being able to save both Jungkook and Jin. Yoongi was becoming fidgety, his anxiety starting to take over.

"Yoongi."

Yoongi quickly turned his head towards Taehyung, worry spread across his boyfriend's face. Taehyung squeezed Yoongi's hand, trying to show any comfort he could.

"What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Yoongi kept it brief, feeling that the less Taehyung knew, the better. He thought telling Taehyung any more about his visions would only put them both in more danger. He took a quick breath, trying to calm his anxiety that was starting to brew. By the time Yoongi came back to what was going on in front of them, he realized that a winner had already been decided.

Jungkook held out scissors, while Jin held out paper. Even though he won, Jungkook looked absolutely terrified.

It was in an instant that Hyuna started a stopwatch no one even noticed she had. She put the gun centimeters away from Jungkook's forehead and turned her head to face him.

"You have one minute to decide." Once that was said, she faced Jin and stared into his eyes. Jin felt absolutely helpless but closed his eyes, not wanting to see his own death coming.

Woozi seemed uncomfortable, bringing himself behind Jungkook's chair. Namjoon was ready to jump towards Hyuna but was pulled back by Yoongi who still had Taehyung's head on his shoulder now crying.

"Don't stop me."

"She'll kill you. I know it hurts, but if you move, she'll probably kill both of you. You need to live for him." Yoongi looked in Namjoon's eyes, trying his best to knock some sense into him.

Yoongi couldn't imagine what Namjoon was going through until he remembered his vision. In the first one, Taehyung was one of the people sitting in the chairs, the version of him in the vision absolutely distraught.

Maybe I do know what he's going through. Was Tahyung really in danger? Before I can answer that, I guess I have to ask myself if I really believe that I've been here before. And ... looking at my vision ... was I here twice before? If that's true, the killer must be putting us through some loop, but the results of Stage 3 kept changing. This is a lot to handle right now.

With a deep breath, Namjoon put his back against the wall and also closed his eyes, not wanting to see his boyfriend die in front of him. Yoongi didn't know how to help, deciding that staying out of Namjoon's way was best for now.

Jungkook looked absolutely distraught, not wanting to have to make this decision. He started to hyperventilate slightly with the anxiety.

"What do I do? I can't just kill him!" Jungkook was breathing harder at this point.

"Breathe, Jungkook." Jungkook looked at where the voice came from, eyes landing on Jin who still had his eyes closed. "Its okay. Kill me. Save yourself for Jimin."

Namjoon couldn't believe what he was hearing, wanting to run towards Jin. Hyuna's voice broke through next. "Thirty seconds."

"Jimin would have wanted to me to live. But ..." Jungkook paused slightly, taking a deep breath before continuing. "... I can't just take you away from Namjoon like Jimin was taken away from me." Jungkook paused again, thinking deeply before Hyuna interrupted his thought.

"Ten seconds."

"Kill me."

Jungkook said it so confidently, that everyone including Woozi and the men against the wall looked shocked. Namjoon felt slightly relieved but also felt utterly helpless that one of them had to die. Yoongi was trying to think of anything he could do to save Jungkook but came up empty.

"Are you sure?" Hyuna looked at Jungkook as if also puzzled by his decision. Jin looked at Jungkook, trying to convince him it was okay to change his mind.

"Jimin wouldn't have wanted me to take revenge and kill Jin. And ... I want to see him again. So, yes. Kill me." Jungkook closed his eyes, awaiting his fate.

In an instant, a gunshot was heard and a body dropped. Yoongi had closed his eyes, the loud noise silencing everything in the basement. Everyone looked scared and shocked, not sure if they believe that a lifeless body was on the cement floor. Even Hyuna and Jin are shocked at the result.

Yoongi opens his eyes to see Woozi lying lifeless on the floor. He looks shocked, expecting to see Jungkook's body on the ground. When Yoongi looked towards Jungkook, the younger looked terrified.

Woozi's body was stomach down, face turned towards the side. His eyes were still open, adding to the reality of the situation. The bullet hole could be seen almost perfectly through the middle of Woozi's forehead. Blood slowly trickled out, causing Taehyung and Jin to become nauseous.

"Why ... Why would he do that?" Jungkook still sat in his chair, mouth open as the shock still waved through his body. He couldn't even blink, the dead body more than he could handle in that moment. His breathing began to speed up as he slowly spiraled into a wave of panic.

"Jungkook." It was Jin. He looked just as frightened and shocked, but he looked the young boy in the eyes, holding his attention. "Breathe."

Jungkook hadn't realized how long he was holding his breath, breathing almost immediately. His breath was shaky, his fear eminent. All of his hearing started to fade, mind becoming foggy. It was only seconds before Jungkook also fell to the floor.

After seeing Hyuna in shock, Yoongi and Namjoon were the first to leave the wall and run towards Jungkook. Judging by Hyuna's look, this was not part of the "plan." Yoongi was the first to reach the unconscious Jungkook, pulling Jungkook's head onto his lap and lightly tapping his face worriedly.

"Hey. Jungkook. Wake up."

At this point, Jin got up and immediately went to check his pulse. Jin sighed.

"He's breathing. Probably just passed out from the stress and sight of a dead body."

Yoongi sighed in relief, happy that the younger wasn't hurt, or worse, dead. Yoongi kept Jungkook's head on his lap, waiting until he regained consciousness. Yoongi looked back towards Taehyung, his boyfriend slowly walking up to the others.

Everyone was crowded slightly around Yoongi and Jungkook, including Hyuna. Jungkook's eyes began to flutter open before he began talking quietly. Yoongi smiled slightly, glad that the younger was okay.

"Wha ... What happened?" Jungkook's brain was having a hard time registering events, but when he turned his head towards Hyuna, it all came rushing back. "Why ... did he do it?"

Jungkook sounded unsure of what he was saying, his brain still trying to understand where he was and why he was partially in Yoongi's lap. However, Jungkook's eyes were locked on Hyuna, awaiting an answer.

"He told me he was going to do it, but to be honest, I didn't believe him." Hyuna was also very shocked, trying to hide her own panic at Woozi's dead body. "He's always been scared of everything, so he acted like he cared about nothing."

Namjoon and Jin glance at Woozi's body, Jin squatting down to check Woozi's pulse, as if he needed to see for himself that he was dead. Namjoon noticed Hyuna's distress and walked over to her, trying to do his best to comfort her.

"He was like a brother to me. All the staff members consider each other siblings. I should have taken him more seriously. I should have ..." Hyuna began to tear up, a tear running down her cheek. Namjoon went to go comfort her before he was interrupted mid-walk by Jungkook's voice.

"Why did he do it?" Jungkook's voice was full of sincerity, still unsure of why Woozi saved his life. It took a couple seconds before Hyuna spoke up.

"I'm honestly not 100% sure. Woozi was never one to express himself or talk much. He was really quiet and kept to himself. However, after being paired with Jimin, he seemed to liven up a bit. I don't know what Jimin did but..." Hyuna paused and looked at Woozi, "it gave Woozi a reason to let you live." She turned her head back to Jungkook who was finally getting out of Yoongi's lap and trying to stand up.

"Don't waste it."

Yoongi let Jungkook go, helping him stand up and making sure he was stable. Yoongi decided to get off the ground as well. Taehyung had moved to Yoongi, cuddling his side and being sure to not look at Woozi's dead body.

"Jimin must have meant a lot to him, just like he does to a lot of us." Taehyung's voice could be heard through Yoongi's shirt. He continued to huddle to Yoongi's side, but now looked at everyone else in the room. "We need to get out of here for him. All of us."

Taehyung sounded so sincere, yet scared that the goal was impossible. Yoongi rubbed his arm, before speaking up.

"What do we do now?" Yoongi always was the one to be straightforward. Even though he was still confused on his visions, he knew he needed to stick to the goal of getting out alive.

"Hyuna? Any ideas?" Namjoon looked to the staff member, feeling that if anyone knew what to do, it would be her. Hyuna wiped away a remaining tear before looking towards Namjoon.

"I doubt the person behind this expected this to happen, so I don't know if there's a backup plan."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Yoongi seemed frustrated at this never-ending game.

"Look, I'm not the killer, so I don't have all the answers." Hyuna crossed her arms, separating herself from the conversation as she moved towards the stairs.

"Well one of us is." Namjoon brought his hand to his chin as if he was thinking this through. Everyone looked at Namjoon in shock at what he just said.

"Do you really believe those stupid texts?" Yoongi continued to hold Taehyung. "None of us are the killer. Whoever it is must be on the outside."

"And how do you know that?" Jin was also losing patience from how scared he was. "The texts have been right so far. Why would it lie about that one detail?"

"I don't know. Okay? But we should all move along already." Yoongi was over this conversation and just wanted to move on. He made a couple steps towards the stairs with Taehyung in tow.

"Why are you avoiding this? Are ..." Namjoon paused, unsure if was about to overstep a line. "Are you the killer?"

In that moment, the entire room, even Taehyung, stopped and looked at Yoongi. Even Yoongi couldn't believe what he just heard, but he didn't have anything to prove his innocence. If he mentioned his visions, the others were sure to think he was crazy. Taehyung started to untangle himself slowly, whispering loud enough that only Yoongi could really hear what he was saying.

"You ... You couldn't be ... But I ... I don't know what to believe." Taehyung's eyes kept darting back and forth, breathing getting heavier due to the stress. Yoongi was trying to hold onto his hand, but Taehyung was already backing away towards Jungkook, Namjoon, and Jin. Hyuna just stood and watched it all unfold, not really picking a stance on the matter.

"Tae, of course I'm not the killer. I would never hurt Hoseok or Jimin." Yoongi's tone completely changed from harsh to one full of concern for his boyfriend. Yoongi couldn't believe he was being pinned in this situation with nowhere to go.

"Why are you pinning everyone against me? Are you the killer?" Yoongi pointed at Namjoon whose eyes grew to twice their size. But it was then that everyone, including Jin, slowly walked away from Namjoon but didn't approach Yoongi. Everyone looked confused and scared. Before this could go much further, Hyuna spoke up.

"It seems that the killer is smarter than even I imagined."

"What do you mean?" It was Jungkook who seems to have fully recovered from fainting.

"They're pinning you all against each other. Separating you. Which honestly may make it easier to kill you all. Hmm ... smart move." Hyuna now had a small smile on her face, laughing but not looking at anyone in particular, giving everyone glances that sent shivers down their spines. "Now, move."

Hyuna brought out the gun, pointing it at Jin, Jungkook, and Taehyung followed by Namjoon and then Yoongi. Her grin was evil, almost as if she was the killer herself. Taehyung let out a small scream, Yoongi not even taking a couple seconds to think.

I need to get to Taehyung. I need to save him. Those visions I had ... I can't let them come true. I can't let Taehyung die. No now. Hurry!

When Yoongi reached Taehyung, he quickly put his back to Hyuna. He lightly held onto Taehyung's arms, preventing him from running out into the way of fire. His only thought: protect Taehyung. Taehyung had opened his eyes to see Yoongi in front of him.

Everyone heard a gun shot.

Yoongi had felt himself go from feeling stressed to being in intense pain. It was too much for him to bear, falling to the ground quickly and slightly pulling Taehyung down with him. In seconds, Yoongi was on the ground screaming and quickly producing pools of his own blood.

"I said, move."

Yoongi's hands that were gripping Taehyung's arms started to loosen. His scream now dissipated into the walls of the basement. The blood felt sticky on his clothes and skin. Taehyung opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them again. After opening them, he really wished he would've kept them closed.

Yoongi was still slipping back down to the floor, landing on his right side with an impact. He let out a stuttered groan, surprised at the amount of pain that ran up his spine. He couldn't even speak or move around much. He was plastered to the ground in pain.

I ... I'm shot. I can feel the blood. I might ... I might die here. But I need ... to protect ... Tae ...

Yoongi's thoughts started to slip from him, the pain becoming overwhelming. Taehyung knelt to the ground, holding onto Yoongi's arms to keep him up. Yoongi's eyes were closed from the pain, but the occasional groans reminded Taehyung that his boyfriend was still alive. Jungkook, Namjoon, and Jin were about to approach the couple when Hyuna cocked her gun again, reminding everyone in the room of her presence.

"I said move. How many times do I have to say it before you all get it through your skulls? Do you think I won't shoot you all here?" Hyuna looked around for anyone who dared defy her. Taehyung was horrified at the difference between this Hyuna and the one he spent Stage 2 with.

Yoongi suddenly screamed in pain, the sound causing Taehyung to cry while searching his boyfriend for the bullet wound. Yoongi was trying his best to not make a scene, but it was all on instinct. He knew that if he kept screaming, he was alive.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Taehyung could only whisper it, tears clouding his vision. He couldn't help but sob at this outcome.

"T-Tae. It's not ... your fault." Yoongi was down to whispers, hissing as pain started to surge through his body once more. Taehyung looked absolutely distraught, the older not sure what he could do to calm him down.

"Look, we can't move unless Yoongi can get up." It was Namjoon, going towards Hyuna as Jin and Jungkook went to assess the damage on Yoongi.

Taehyung refused to move away from Yoongi, Jungkook allowing Jin to get a closer look, since he was a doctor outside of this place. Yoongi continued to wince and scream out slightly as Jin kept looking around for the source of the blood still pooling out but luckily slowing down.

"If he can't move, then leave him here. He'll only slow you down."

"We're not leaving him if he can get up, even if we have to carry him. I don't think after all this we could leave someone to die." Namjoon's voice became deeper, trying to assert some dominance and confidence in his decision.

Hyuna huffed at his words but put her gun away in her overalls for the moment. She stood by the base of the stairs and watched everyone scramble around Yoongi. Yoongi hadn't even noticed, trying to take deep breaths as Taehyung held his hands. Every time he tried to look at Taehyung, the pain caused him to shut his eyes. He was grateful though that Hyuna decided to back off for a little, hopefully keeping Taehyung and the rest of them safer at least for a little longer.

"I found the bullet wound in his back, but it's right around the base of his spine. I ... I don't even know if he'll be able to walk." Jin sounded discouraged. Yoongi could feel that Taehyung was still snuggling into him, moving his hand through his hair. Yoongi knew that this motion was most likely used to calm Taehyung down more than himself.

Yoongi's eyes were barely open, still wincing from pain but adrenaline covering up some of it. He could see Taehyung crying and holding him, hating to see his boyfriend in such agony over his condition. Even so, the pain was agonizing, his thoughts scattered with every wave of pain.

"I'm ... fine. I just ..."

Before Yoongi could finish, Taehyung almost squeezed the life out of him, kissing him everywhere from around the face to a longer one on the lips. Yoongi was in slight shock, the pain subsiding for a couple seconds as he tried to see Taehyung clearly.

"I'm so happy you're alive. You have no idea." Taehyung kept holding onto Yoongi as Jin and Namjoon lifted Yoongi's shirt in the back to assess the damage.

"Tae ..." The way Yoongi says it makes Taehyung stop holding him so close, putting enough space between them that they can look each other in the eyes. "I can't feel my legs."

At this point, Yoongi's adrenaline is wearing off and the pain is starting to become unbearable. He's not sure if the bleeding has stopped or if the sticky feeling on his clothes has suddenly become a normal feeling. See how Jin and Namjoon weren't becoming frantic, he assumed the bleeding was subsiding for now.

"I wasn't sure if you would be able to. It looks like the bullet hit you right in the spine." Jin spoke up, putting Yoongi's shirt back down. Jin seems discouraged, but Taehyung is becoming frantic.

"What do you mean? It's probably just temporary. I can carry you for awhile until you can walk again." Taehyung was spitting out word vomit, trying to distract himself from the facts being laid out in front of him. Taehyung's eyes were moving around frantically until Yoongi placed both of his hands on Taehyung's cheeks, forcing him to look at his injured boyfriend directly.

"Tae. I can't feel them. Or move them. You'll have to leave me behind." Yoongi looked so serious that Taehyung knew he couldn't lie to himself anymore.

Yoongi kept his hands on Taehyung's cheeks, tears streaming out of the younger's eyes. Even though he was trying to be strong, he could feel tears forming in his own eyes as well. No matter how hard he tried, there definitely no way he could move his legs. He knew that leaving him behind was the best option for the group, no matter how much it would hurt to leave Taehyung.

At this point, Hyuna stomped her right foot on the cement floor to grab everyone's attention. Once everyone was looking at her, she cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Sorry to ruin this sappy moment, but like I said before, you all need to move. Whether he can get up or not doesn't change that. But if I were you, I'd leave him here to die. He'll only slow you down." Hyuna looked at Yoongi with a distant sadness in her eyes, as if she hated being this cruel to him but had no choice.

Taehyung was about to yell in Hyuna's direction before Yoongi pulled his arm. "She's right. You need to go."

"If you think I'm going without you, you're a fool." It was as if Taehyung sobered up, wiping the tears from his eyes. Yoongi hasn't seen him like this in a very long time. "I'm getting you out of this basement, even if I have to carry you."

"Please. I want you to live. I'll be fine here. Just –" Yoongi couldn't finish before Taehyung kissed him, the pressure from Taehyung's lips creating a sense of comfort in the hell they've been in all night. Everyone else started walking towards Hyuna, letting the couple have a private moment.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it left both boys breathless. By the end, Taehyung was panting slightly, some from anxiety and some from just kissing Yoongi. Yoongi put one of his hands at the base of Taehyung's head, bringing his head forward so their foreheads were touching.

"I love you, Tae. I don't want to see you cry, but I think you need to let me go." Yoongi was whispering it, looking directly into Taehyung's eyes. His tone was more serious than Taehyung's heard in a long time.

"I love you, too." Taehyung began crying, causing Yoongi to wipe them away with his thumb. "And I ... I just can't."

Taehyung put his arms under Yoongi's knees and armpits, lifting him up bridal style to carry him. Yoongi seemed shocked, shuffling slightly to try and get Taehyung to leave him behind. However, Taehyung kept his grip tight.

"Tae!" Yoongi tried shuffling himself harder. "Leave me here. Now!"

At this point, the couple was making a scene. No one could look away, even though they could see the situation was probably heart breaking for both of them.

"No!" Yoongi had stopped moving. In all the years they've been together, Taehyung never raised his voice this loud at Yoongi. "I'm carrying you. And that's final. Got it?"

Yoongi could only nod his head, grateful for Taehyung's passion and love for him but having this feeling that he will only get in his way.

What am I going to do? Of course I want to stay here with him, but I'm ... I'm useless. I can't help him. I can't protect him. I'm just going to get in the way. But ... if he's willing to try, so am I.

Taehyung walked Yoongi bridal style to the rest of the group at the bottom of the basement stairs. Hyuna looked at Taehyung as if wanting to comfort the boy. However, she knew better than to try and approach him with Yoongi so close.

"You're really going to carry him with you?" Hyuna acted shocked even though, after being with Taehyung during Stage 2, she knew he would do it.

"I'd rather die than leave him here." Taehyung looked at Yoongi lovingly, pushing past Hyuna to go up the stairs.

Yoongi felt nervous, thinking about the visions he had earlier. In both of the visions, someone died during that stage. But somehow, Yoongi had caused a change in events. If he hadn't stepped in, he wonders who would have died. Before he could regress too far into his thoughts, he noticed that the other men were now in front of Taehyung and himself.

All of them walked up the stairs cautiously, not sure what would await them at the top. They all reached the top of the stairs and walked back into the dining room. Namjoon and Jin looked down the stairwell to Hyuna.

"You coming?" Namjoon seemed confused why Hyuna seemed so out of it. Minutes earlier she held a gun at them telling them to move. Now, she couldn't move herself.

"Yeah. Coming."

Once Hyuna got to the top of the stairs, she looked at all the remaining boys, closing the basement door and leaning onto one leg. She put her right hand on her hip. Yoongi was still being carried by Taehyung but found Hyuna's body language to be suspicious to say the least.

"Why are you just waiting there?" Jin was confused on the holdup, unsure of where to go from here.

"Just give it a second."

"What?" Taehyung and Namjoon said it almost simultaneously, truly confused on what Hyuna was waiting for.

As if on cue, everyone's phones vibrated, sending dread through them all. Yoongi felt some relief that he could feel the vibration slightly in his back, happy that he hadn't lost all feeling. After trying to move his legs one more, he came up with nothing. He was becoming increasingly frustrated at himself and the situation.

"I'm getting fucking tired of this." Even though Yoongi was in extreme pain now that his adrenaline ran out, he could still be his grumpy old self. However, he tried to perk up slightly for Taehyung.

"Do we look at it?" Jungkook looked around at the others before thinking of reaching for his phone.

"Do we have a choice?" While saying this, Namjoon was the first to grab his phone but didn't open the message. He looked up. "We do this together. We're a team now, okay?"

Everyone nodded followed by grabbing their own phones. Taehyung could grab his phone, since he was holding Yoongi. He decided to look at Yoongi's phone instead, the older holding it to make it easier for Taehyung to see. Once everyone could see a phone screen, they all opened the text message.

FROM: 119-121-2518

It seems you all keep escaping death. How unfortunate. I was hoping we'd be down to our final two by now, but it seems you all have other plans. And a team? Really? Don't fool yourselves. You all know this is a game of survival. One where you fend for yourselves. But you haven't figured out who I am yet? Maybe you should start thinking harder. It's only a matter of time. Go to the front door and await more instructions.

"What the hell?" Namjoon seemed to be in utter disbelief, not sure if he was reading the text correctly. After looking up slightly, it seemed that everyone had the same face in place.

"How ... How did they know?" Jin seemed more horrified than anything.

They all knew that Namjoon only mentioned them being a team seconds ago. It started making Namjoon and the others think that the killer wasn't one of the other three guys that were in this mess with them.

There's no way anyone here could be the killer. How could they send a text without any of us knowing. You know, having a vision would be great right now. But ... I know it doesn't work like that. No matter what, I need to protect Taehyung.

It was in that moment that Yoongi felt his vision fade slightly. Before he could panic, he started to see static, realizing that he must be seeing another vision. He took a deep breath, allowing the vision to come to him in hopes that it could give him some information.

------------------VISION ------------------

Yoongi ran outside the room he was in, not seeing anyone on the other side. After looking back, he realized that he left the kitchen. When he saw movement directly to his left, he quickly turned, only to be left with ...

Pain.

"What is this? Am I dying? Why can't ... I move?"

He looked down to see a knife in his stomach, a hand still attached to it. When he looked up, his eyes began to blur his vision. Static began to replace the clouded vision, almost as if it was preventing him from seeing who was on the other side. He wanted to know. He needed to know who it was. He needed to know who was trying to kill him.

Yoongi dropped to the floor, The mysterious person was already running away into the shadows of the house. He melted into the shadows, no one able to see him. Yoongi was already on the floor and covered in his own blood. His vision was becoming filled with more static, the knife still stuck in his stomach.

--------------- END VISION -------------

Yoongi blinked a few times, the static subsiding as he came back to the situation in front of him. He began to orient himself, seeing that Taehyung was carrying him but shaking slightly, most likely from something that someone said.

Yoongi pecked Taehyung's cheek to try and calm him down, but all Yoongi received was a halfhearted smile. Yoongi could see what this situation was doing to his boyfriend, and to say the least, he was upset at seeing his boyfriend in such disarray.

"It doesn't matter how they know." It was Yoongi this time, trying to bring everyone's heads together. "Don't let them get to you. We need to take Namjoon's advice and stick together."

"At least someone gets it. They're obviously trying to tear you all apart."

Every looked at the voice, its feminine qualities standing out in the sea of more masculine voices. Hyuna kept looking at her nails, not even giving the group of boys the time of day.

"And why would you want to help us?" Jungkook's voice came out more defensive than he would have liked. Hyuna only brought her eyes up to meet his for a moment before focusing again on her nails.

"I don't know. I'm kind of hoping at least one of you can make it out alive." Before anyone can get her to elaborate, she starts walking towards the front door of the house. Once she gets to the doorway of the dining room, she notices no one following her. "Are you all coming?"

Jungkook was the first to move, looking back at the other guys. "We won't get anywhere if we just stand here." He then turns to follow Hyuna, not looking back at the others. Hyuna and Jungkook actually leave the room before anyone starts following.

Taehyung and Yoongi are the next to follow, Taehyung still carrying Yoongi gently. He occasionally asks Yoongi about his legs, getting the same response every time. Yoongi looks back to see that Jin grabbed onto Namjoon's hand before Namjoon could move forward. When Taehyung turned the corner, the two of them went out of sight. While they were walking, Yoongi had a moment to think back to that vision.

I died. Someone killed me, but who? I could barely see them, but the figure looked ... masculine? Can I really be sure about that? I'm not sure what to trust right now, but these visions have helped me so far. Maybe if I come back, I can figure out exactly who it was. All I need is something: a clothing item, a clear view of their silhouette, their face. I just need to relax. It'll come to me eventually. For now, focus on Taehyung.

Yoongi hadn't realized that he spaced out, no knowing when they had reached the dining room. Taehyung was abnormally quiet, Yoongi becoming slightly worried. Before he could speak up, Namjoon and Jin jogged into the welcoming room, both trying to catch their breath. Hyuna spoke up.

"Well, isn't this interesting? I wasn't expecting you guys to show."

"Why wouldn't we show up? We need to do this, don't we?" Namjoon seemed confused at Hyuna's statement.

"Did Jin bring you here?" At a nod of both Namjoon and Jin's head, Hyuna chuckled deeply, almost emanating an evil aura.

"You all are clueless aren't you?" She laughed slightly again until she noticed no one catching on. "Really? Don't you all remember where you went during Stage 2?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Taehyung seemed more puzzled than ever, repositioning Yoongi at the same time due to the weight becoming heavier and heavier as time passed.

Hyuna looked around, her malicious smile fading as she started to get annoyed at the lack of response.

"Think about it. Do any of you remember who went from the dining room to this welcoming room by the front door?" Hyuna looked around and noticed Jungkook's eyes widen.

"It was Jimin." Just saying his name almost brought tears to Jungkook's eyes. He started wiping away the wetness before Hyuna continued. She seemed to look saddened at having to bring Jimin back into this.

"You're right, Jungkook. It was Jimin." Hyuna was still noticing how no one was connecting the dots.

"So, what does that have to do with anything?" Yoongi seemed to be getting irritated that they were still stuck on this subject,

"If Jimin was the only one to go from the dining room to this welcoming room, how did Jin know exactly where to bring Namjoon?" Everyone started to look at Jin who seemed to be sweating bullets. However, the person in most disbelief was Namjoon himself.

"Jin?" Namjoon's voice was tentative. "How did you know where to go?"

Everyone except Namjoon could hear the fear filling his voice. They all noticed Namjoon take a tentative step backwards, also feeling the insecurity in this realization. Yoongi became increasingly cautious, trying to think of ways to help Taehyung in case things went south.

"I – I passed it on my way to the basement and saw Jimin here with the butler, Woozi I think. Namjoon and I also entered through that door. Why wouldn't I know where it is?"

Jin's stutter seemed to cause many of the other people in the room to be wary of what he was saying, even though his logic added up. It seemed that many people weren't buying his story, including Hyuna.

"I – I don't know." Taehyung was overly cautious, looking to Yoongi for his thoughts. Yoongi wasn't sure what to say, not exactly sure what was and wasn't possible anymore.

"I want to." Namjoon's voice trailed off, but it was so soft that it caused everyone to pause and listen in to the scared man. "I want to believe it's not you."

"It's not me, Joonie! I never knew Hoseok. Why would I do this?" Jin was obviously becoming frantic, Yoongi trying to determine if there were any other motives to be concerned about.

"I don't know. I'm so confused right now." Namjoon had his hand in his hair, frustrated at trying to put the pieces together in his mind. Jin took a couple steps forward to comfort him.

Before Jin could reach his boyfriend, Namjoon started backing up slightly. Jungkook also stood slightly between the two of them.

"Just give him some space." Jungkook said it without malice, but Jin was getting more frustrated and scared by the second.

"Space?! Why does no one believe me? Forget it. I need to leave." Out of frustration, Jin pushes past Jungkook and towards the front door that leads to the cars they all parked outside.

"Don't even try. You'll just be wasting energy." Everyone looked at Hyuna, including Jin.

Jin didn't listen to her, moving his final steps towards the door and grabbing the doorknob. However, the door was locked from the inside with nothing to help him unlock it inside the house. "What is this? Why is it locked from the inside?"

"You can't leave until you guys complete the game. It's a cruel game, but a game nonetheless." Hyuna seemed calmer than most of the group. She seemed to be watching everyone intently, almost as if she was trying to see where everyone's heads were at.

"Ugh." Jin seemed even more frustrated and slowly walked away from the front doors. He looked at Namjoon who refused to look at him, causing Jin to go through turmoil. "Didn't the text say to come here? What are we waiting for?"

At this point, Jungkook was comforting Namjoon who was now against a wall, curled up on the floor. After losing his own boyfriend, Jungkook didn't want Namjoon and Jin to split over this situation, but Jungkook was also unsure of Jin's motives. He held Namjoon's hand and let the man hide his tears in his shirt.

In the midst of all this pandemonium, Yoongi could feel his phone buzz. He felt some relief for still being able to feel the vibration but dread at what the message would hold.

Taehyung and Yoongi were both sitting on the floor, Yoongi wanting Taehyung to rest from carrying him everywhere. Yoongi was in tremendous pain, but it seemed the bleeding slowed down almost to a stop with the help of a strip of his boyfriend's shirt tied around his waist. He didn't dare show his pain to Taehyung, knowing that the poor boy was going through a lot right now.

Taehyung was partially in Yoongi's lap, cuddling with his boyfriend in fear that, if he let go, he'd never see Yoongi again. Yoongi was moving his hand through Taehyung's hair, trying to calm the boy down. Yoongi would occasionally peck Taehyung's cheek for comfort, usually receiving a tender kiss from Taehyung on the lips.

Yoongi noticed that Taehyung was tensing up at the tension occurring between Jin and Namjoon. Yoongi made sure to hold Taehyung's hand and give him eskimo kisses. Even though Yoongi felt eskimo kisses were childish, he would do anything for Taehyung right now, especially since he didn't know how long he would have left to live.

The buzz of everyone's phones seemed to put everyone on edge, but Taehyung completely froze in Yoongi's lap. Yoongi realized that his boyfriend stopped breathing for a couple seconds. Jungkook, Jin, Namjoon, and Hyuna were busy talking to each other about opening the message, but Yoongi started rubbing Taehyung's back comfortingly.

"We're going to be okay." Yoongi whispered it just so Taehyung could hear. "I promise, Tae."

Taehyung calmed down immediately at his words, but he was still shaking. He gripped Yoongi's hand tighter and moved into his side. Yoongi couldn't blame his boyfriend's actions. He almost lose Yoongi once and could only imagine the fear going on in his boyfriend's head.

"I love you, Tae."

Taehyung almost froze again. Even though Yoongi told Taehyung he loved him occasionally, it was usually Taehyung telling Yoongi over and over again. Taehyung could tell Yoongi really meant it, kissing him again but longer than the peck they shared before. The kiss was only broken up when they both heard a grunt from Hyuna.

"You guys done sucking face? You guys should open the text sooner rather than later. You probably don't want to make the killer angry." Hyuna said it sternly, but seemed more concerned for everyone than angry. Yoongi was wondering if Hyuna was growing attached to them somewhat, wanting to save them as much as thye wanted to live. However, after being shot by her, he wasn't taking any chances.

Namjoon was still closer to Jungkook than Jin, but it seemed as if Namjoon just gravitated towards his boyfriend, especially for comfort. Yoongi could see that all Namjoon wanted was comfort. With a nod from Hyuna, everyone opened their phones.

FROM: 119-121-2518

I feel like sending you all on an adventure for Stage 4. You all will go to different parts of the house, but this time, you won't have any staff with you. Once you reach your destination, you will need to find four numbers scattered around the room. Once you find them all, go to the living room where there will be four chests with locks. Enter the code into your chest to receive a "special" prize needed to get out of here: your car keys. Now you may be asking: How did you get our car keys? Why four chests when there are five of you left? It seems one of you can't walk. This person may choose who to go with. But choose wisely. It's your only way for survival. The last person to return and unlock their chest will die. Hyuna will give you your destinations. Good luck players. I can't wait to see who wins.

Yoongi now understood why they were all by the door for so long, since the text was so long. He was tired of being a toy in this game, but the promise of car keys was one step towards getting out of the building. However, the fact that someone else was going to die didn't make the prize very sweet. Yoongi decided to speak up before letting Hyuna talk.

"I choose Tae. I'm not going with anyone else." Everyone nodded, already knowing who he was going to choose, but Taehyung looked extremely nervous.

"But what if I'm not the right choice? What if I'm last? I can't let you die with me!" Taehyung was crying, almost hysterical at the thought of coming in last and having his boyfriend die due to him not being able to find the numbers.

Yoongi looked at his boyfriend in shambles. It was hard for him to do anything, since his movement was limited, but he put his right hand on Taehyung's cheek. He looked his boyfriend directly in the eyes while wearing a serious expression, causing Taehyung's crying to subside for a couple seconds.

"I trust you." Yoongi was firm, but Taehyung cleaned up the rest of his tears and nodded.

Yoongi smiled, glad that his boyfriend calmed down. Yoongi wanted to be sure that Taehyung knew how much he trusted him. He knew in his heart that they might come in last, especially with himself being a handicap to the team, but he was glad that Taehyung was willing to try.

"I'll assign you your locations. Taehyung and Yoongi will be looking in the bedroom they were assigned when they arrived. Jungkook will be looking in the basement. Jin will be looking in the kitchen. Namjoon will be looking in the bathroom on the first floor." Hyuna said this with little emotion, almost as if it was a chore.

"Wait a minute! Why does Jungkook get to be so close to the living room?" Jin spoke up, creating an unknown tension. "The basement door is in the living room. So even if he takes longer to find his numbers, he has an advantage."

Everyone else seemed to have a moment of realization. They looked at Hyuna for answers and looked at Jungkook suspiciously. However, Jungkook looked just as surprised as anyone else.

"These are my orders. I was told by the killer to put you all in these rooms. Maybe it's a piece to the puzzle of who the killer is." Hyuna looked at Jungkook, also trying to determine who the killer is herself.

"How did the killer know we would be the last ones standing?" Namjoon had wiped away tears from the previous situation with Jin.

"I was given locations for Hoseok and Jimin to go to if they happened to survive. Since they didn't make it, I have no need to disclose those locations." Hyuna said this darkly, causing everyone else to realize the severity of the situation. "On the count of three, good luck and just a tip: Run."

Taehyung swallowed deeply, unsure if he'd be able to save himself and Yoongi. However, he was determined to try. Yoongi took a deep breath, trying to think of ways that he could help Taehyung and not be in the way.

"1." Jungkook got into a running position facing the living room where he'd find the basement.

"2." Namjoon was ready to head to the bathroom, but quickly grabbed Jin's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Yoongi held onto Taehyung, trying to make it as easy on the younger boy as he could. His spine and tailbone area was still in a tremendous amount of pain, but he pushed it away to not alarm Taehyung. Hyuna was counting down, but it was as if Yoongi was tuning her out. He was more focused on his boyfriend. Yoongi looked up at his strong jawline and noticed Taehyung's extreme focus.

From Yoongi's perspective, Taehyung was never really the type of person to focus strongly on one thing. His mind was a mixture of ideas and actions, and usually he came off as a type of alien from a planet far far away. But that's what attracted Yoongi to him in the first place.

"3."

Before Yoongi knew it, Taehyung was running. Hyuna must have counted down already. Yoongi held onto Taehyung's arms as best he could, looking ahead of them as the stairs approach. Yoongi knew they'd be the only group going up stairs, but he still felt bad for Taehyung. He wished he could be of more help to his boyfriend at a time like this when their lives were on the line.

It's your fault he's working so hard. You should have stayed in the basement. You're putting him at risk. You know that, right? You're going to kill him. You're the real killer here. He's going to die ... because of you.

They reached the stairs, and Taehyung took a deep breath. Yoongi became increasingly worried, knowing that Yoongi's weight was going to slow Taehyung down. Taehyung never looked at him. Before Yoongi could speak up, Taehyung began running up the stairs, skipping some along the way.

He got about halfway up the stairs when Taehyung stopped. He was panting a bit, and Yoongi became even more worried then before. He didn't want to be a burden, so he put his hands on Taehyung's shoulders and began squirming to get out of his boyfriend's hold.

"Taehyung, put me down." Yoongi continued to move his upper body in an attempt to get out of his boyfriend's hold, but Taehyung kept a firm grip. "You need to rest."

Taehyung's head was looking down at this point, using some effort to keep Yoongi in his hold. Yoongi didn't want Taehyung to waste any more energy on him, but he knew that the best thing for his boyfriend was to leave him here.

"I'm not ... letting you ... go."

Yoongi froze at Taehyung's words, stunned by his boyfriend's tone. Taehyung had never sounded that serious before, at least not that he could remember. Before he knew it, Taehyung kept climbing the stairs. Yoongi was hoping Taehyung would look at him and see how worried he was, but Taehyung kept looking forward. Yoongi became increasingly worried as his boyfriend's breathing became more erratic.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Taehyung stopped. His breathing was starting to get back to normal. Even so, Yoongi started to feel like a nuisance.

You're useless. Your boyfriend's risking his life for you. Worthless. You shouldn't even be here. He hates you. You're weighing him down. Get lost.

Yoongi didn't even realize he was crying until it was too late, his thoughts still circling in his head. Before Taehyung could notice him, he pulled his head into his boyfriend's neck. He was using all his will not to sniffle. Instead, he said something that he felt he should have said a while ago.

"I'm sorry."

Yoongi noticed Taheyung's breathing stop. He was expecting Taehyung to drop him, but instead, he felt his lips on his forehead. Surprised, Yoongi looked up at his boyfriend, tears still abundant in his eyes. Once he saw Taehyung's face, he hid his face back in his boyfriend's neck.

He felt like an utter disappointment, letting Taehyung down step after step. He felt Taehyung moving around and was shocked to feel his boyfriend's hand on his chin. Yoongi was still sniffling, but Taehyung still brought their faces closer until there was no gap.

The kiss was calming, causing his sniffles to disappear. He was perfectly content but craved more affection. He needed the affection his mind had been neglecting him this whole trip, this whole relationship. His mind always told him how much he didn't deserve Taehyung, and it was moments like this where he started to believe it.

As if Taehyung knew Yoongi's insecurities, Taehyung deepened the kiss. Yoongi followed his lead, turning the calm kiss into a french kiss quickly as if to distract themselves from the chaos around them. Yoongi could feel the kiss becoming more heated. He really wanted to stay attached to Taehyung, but he knew they would have to move soon if they wanted any chance at survival.

Yoongi pulled away, wiping away the remaining tears.

"Don't say you're sorry." Yoongi could see Taehyung's deep breaths, but his mind could only tell him negative things.

"I'm just burdening you." Yoongi looked down, knowing that he couldn't help while being paralyzed from the waist down. Yoongi could feel Taehyung's nose brushing his, creating an eskimo kiss that Yoongi secretly loved but would never admit.

"Never say that again. I'm happy that I get to carry you around, especially since you're short."

The word "short" caught Yoongi's attention, edging him to become furious, but all he could do was stare daggers into Taehyung. Since he stopped growing at an early age, everyone had always made fun of his height.

"Brat." Yoongi huffed, but he smiled. His boyfriend always knew how to help him through his slumps, even if he rarely let Taehyung see them. Yoongi could feel Taehyung repositioning him and walking in the direction of their assigned bedroom.

"Glad you're back to your old self." Yoongi felt Taehyung peck his lips, causing him to smile like an idiot. However, he turned his head away from him, hoping Taehyung wouldn't notice.

Once they reached the door, Yoongi opened it before Taehyung could even try. Yoongi noticed that the room looked the same as they left it. Before he could argue, Taehyung placed him on the bed.

"I'll look around for the numbers. You, stay here." Taehyung kissed him before he could protest. He noticed him go into the small bathroom attached to their bedroom.

"Tae, I'm not useless." Yoongi said this more under his breath than out loud.

Yoongi decided to do the best he could do. He looked around the room, thinking of locations that may hide a number. It was then that he thought about the mattress and the dresser. "Maybe."

Yoongi knew that pulling the bed sheets off wouldn't be hard for him to do. He crawled to the nearest corner of the mattress and began pulling off the sheets. He moved around the bed using his arms, removing the bed sheets from the corners as he went. When his back was facing the doorway, he heard footsteps.

Those footsteps can't be Tae's. What do I do?

Yoongi knew he was no match for anyone at this point, his paralysis a huge disadvantage. Yoongi's tensed up body seemed to cause the individual to stop in their tracks. Yoongi knew that the only thing he could do is scream for Taehyung. Just as he was about to, he felt a hand cover his mouth.

Yoongi tried screaming, but all of his cries were muffled in the mystery person's hands. He started to get the feeling that he was going to die here. Just as he was about to punch the figure, they turned Yoongi around to face them.

"Shhh." It was a quiet feminine voice. She put her pointer finger to her lips. The sight of her face caused Yoongi to calm down almost immediately.

"You're the maid right? Sana? What are you –" Yoongi was whispering, but Sana put her pointer finger on his lips, causing Yoongi to become silent. He didn't understand why she was here, but she hadn't killed him yet.

"Mirror, mattress, lamp, dresser." It was such a soft whisper that Yoongi almost didn't catch the words. Before he could ask questions, Sana turned to exit the bedroom. She was at the doorway before she turned around. Yoongi and Sana could hear Taehyung in the bathroom nearby, so he was wondering why she was staying. She walked back up to Yoongi, standing in front of him.

"Sorry." It was the softest whisper. Yoongi didn't understand why the woman in front of him was apologizing. He was even more confused than before.

"What?"

Just as he said that, he heard a gunshot. His body immediately tensed, unable to move. He'd heard too many gunshots while being here, and each one sent chills down his spine. Right after the gunshot, Sana grabbed Yoongi's hair and roughly turned his head to the side. She picked Yoongi up by his hair and threw him onto the ground. Yoongi fell between the bed and the dresser, pain shooting up his spine and into his head.

His vision was slightly blurry from the pain and impact, so he could only see Sana's feet leaving the room in a hurry.

What the hell? Give me the answers to find the numbers and then throw me on the ground? Ughh

The pain started to shoot to his head. The feeling he hated the most was not having pain in his legs from the fall. He continued wincing at the pain, not noticing a figure entering the room.

"Yoongi! Are you okay? What happened? Are you shot?"

Yoongi could feel Taehyung's hand supporting his head. He was still wincing from the pain, but tried to focus his eyes on Taehyung. After what happened in the last stage, Yoongi could only imagine what was going on in Taehyung's head when he heard the gunshot. He noticed Taehyung panicking and grabbed his hands to stop him. Yoongi grunted, trying to regain his focus from his growing headache.

"I'm okay. I was just trying to move the bed sheets in case a number was on the mattress or something, but then I slipped when I heard the gunshot. I'm okay, honestly."

Yoongi smiled, trying to show Taehyung he was okay. He decided not to mention Sana at the moment, wanting to make Taehyung calmer than his current panicked state. He was also hoping Taehyung would find the number Sana was talking about. By the way Taehyung was mouthing the number 1 under his breath, Yoongi assumed Taehyung had found the one on the bathroom mirror.

Why is Sana helping us? Did the killer send her to help? Is anyone else receiving help from the staff? What is the killer's motive. What do they want with us? With me? It's not going to help thinking about it now. What you need to figure out is how you're going to tell Taehyung where those numbers are without clueing him in that Sana was here.

Taehyung grabbed Yoongi gently and propped him up on the dresser. Taehyung then moved the remove all the sheets off the bed. Taehyung's eyes told Yoongi everything.

"2! Yoongi you were right!" Taehyung hopped around and then squeezed Yoongi. At first he grunted but then chuckled at his boyfriend's childish yet cute behavior. He was surprised when Taehyung pecked his lips.

"Glad I could help." Yoongi gave Taehyung a gummy smile, one of Taehyung's favorite things about Yoongi. Yoongi's smile calmed Taehyung down, allowing him to take a deep breath.

"We're going to make it out of here." Yoongi could feel the mood change and noticed Taehyung looking up at the ceiling. "I promise."

Taehyung then got up to look for the last two numbers. Yoongi was debating what to do.

Should I tell him where they are? But he'd ask how I know. What do I do?

Before Yoongi could say anything, Taehyung was already moving towards the lamp. Yoongi smiled, proud of how smart his boyfriend is. When Taehyung turn the lamp on, that's when he saw it.

"Taehyung."

"One second. I'm trying to look behind the bed."

"No. Taehyung! Look!" Yoongi pointed his finger to the ceiling, seeing a shadow form.

"9."

"6."

Yoongi was convinced it was a 6, but he knew Taehyung could be right to.

"We'll have to figure it out when we try to enter it into the chest. Just keep both in mind." Yoongi nodded and then turned to the dresser, searching through it for the number Sana told him about. It should be their last number, so Yoongi was doing his best without the use of his legs.

Yoongi then heard the sound of footsteps downstairs, and by the look on Taehyung's face, he heard it too. Yoongi knew that they were running out of time. Yoongi tried to get to the dresser above him, but without the use of his legs, it was almost impossible. Yoongi began to feel even more defeated.

You're useless. You're going to cause Taehyung to die. It's all your fault. He deserves better than you. Worthless. Pathetic. Useless.

Yoongi could feel Taehyung peck his cheek and give him a tight hug, his tears falling down his face. Taehyung then pulled him onto his lap, wiping away his tears. He kept sniffling, knowing that his thoughts were true. He almost began crying again when he spoke up.

"I ... I feel useless." Yoongi tried putting his head to his knees, wanting to hide his crying face from the world. Taehyung grabbed Yoongi mid-movement and cuddled his boyfriend.

Yoongi felt Taehyung turn him around and kiss him. However, Taehyung didn't do too much, signaling to Yoongi that Taehyung was waiting to see if Yoongi was okay. Yoongi placed his hand on Taehyung's jaw, trying to lose himself in his boyfriend to forget the pain he was going through. He deepened the kiss, Taehyung putting his hand behind Yoongi's head to bring him closer. Yoongi was guided back to the dresser as they continued to kiss, Yoongi adding tongue to deepen things further. They both broke away at the same time, panting and breathless.

"You're not useless. Never say that again. The last time you said that, you ..."

"Yeah. I know. As long as you're here, I'm not going anywhere." Yoongi didn't want to hear how Taehyung was going to finish that sentence. He had been trying to leave that part of himself behind for a long time. Yoongi smiled, his eyes almost magnetized back to Taehyung's lips.

Yoongi noticed Taehyung going in for another kiss, Yoongi moving forward himself. When he wasn't met with his boyfriend's lips, he opened his eyes.

"I found it!" The loud noise shocked Yoongi, following Taehyung's eyes to the dresser. From his position, he couldn't see anything.

"Found what?"

"The last number!" Taehyung went on his knees to look. Yoongi felt left out but let Taehyung find it. "You probably couldn't see it from where you were."

Yoongi nodded before looking at Taehyung. "Then what are we waiting for. Let's go."

Before Yoongi could finish his sentence, Taehyung put Yoongi onto his back. When they reached the doorway, Taehyung turned his head to give Yoongi another peck leaving Yoongi somewhat surprised.

"Thanks for leading me to the last number."

Yoongi was getting distracted by Taehyung's smile, starting to blush himself.

"Let's ... Let's just go."

Taehyung turned forwards again, exiting the bedroom and running downstairs. Yoongi knew that, without Taehyung, he would've been killed long ago. He held onto his boyfriend, the living room coming into their sights.

You're going to live. I promise.

Taehyung quickly ran, holding Yoongi on his back as the older held on tight. Yoongi could tell that Taehyung wasn't struggling as much as when they had come up the stairs. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Yoongi could see the living room in sight with what looked like Jungkook and Namjoon in it. Even though he couldn't see Jin's figure, it didn't mean he wasn't in the room. Before Yoongi could speak up, he could hear Taehyung over the footsteps.

"I love you. Don't forget that. Ever. Okay?"

Yoongi smiled, gripping onto Taehyung a little tighter as they were almost at the living room. He made sure his head was on Taehyung's shoulder, his mouth near the younger's ear.

"I could never forget."

Taehyung slowed down to a jogging pace, moving Yoongi to carry him bridal style. Yoongi wasn't sure why Taehyung was doing this, but decided to let him do it nonetheless. Taehyung and Yoongi quickly made it to the living room, Taehyung having to stop due to him breathing heavily. Yoongi was the first to gasp, seeing Hyuna's dead body in front of the table. Taehyung was startled by the sight, not sure what to do. Seeing another dead body seemed to put both boys through a type if paralysis, both of them not wanting to move.

Taehyung put Yoongi in a nearby chair, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. Since Hyuna had helped him through Stage 2, Taehyung had already grown attached to her. He knelt in front of her dead body, almost as if he was defeated, tears still flowing from his eyes. The sniffling sounds made Yoongi want to comfort his boyfriend, but he couldn't get up from the chair.

Almost as if Namjoon could read Yoongi's mind, Namjoon knelt down behind Taehyung, rubbing his back in gentle, comforting circles.

"I'm sorry."

"Why her? Why?" Taehyung's tears caused his eyes to become red. After a couple seconds of grieving, Taehyung closed his eyes and wiped the tears away. He grabbed Hyuna's lifeless hand, the skin already cold to the touch.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have helped." Taehyung spoke to Hyuna sincerely.

Yoongi was almost about to find a way to get out of his chair to comfort Taehyung when his boyfriend decided to get up himself, letting go of Hyuna's hand. If Yoongi had learned anything about his sensitive boyfriend, it was that he got attached quickly, only wanting the best for those he knew for years or those he just met. Since Taehyung spent Stage 2 with Hyuna, Yoongi knew that her death must have hit him hard.

Taehyung noticed the note on the table from the killer. Taehyung took the note off the table and walked to Yoongi so his boyfriend could read it as well. After they both read the note, Taehyung wiped his eyes one more time before moving back towards the table.

"I guess we're chest three."

Just as Taehyung was about to open the chest, another figure ran into the room. The figure began heaving, the effort from the running causing them to bend over and put their hand on their knees.

"Jin?!" Before Jin could look up, Namjoon was already hugging his boyfriend tightly. Jin began crying immediately, squeezing Namjoon a little tighter. "I didn't make it."

Namjoon began crying at this point too. They both held onto each other, crying. Jungkook, Taehyung, and Yoongi looked away slightly, wanting to give the couple as much privacy as they could offer in the room. Yoongi could only imagine how the two of them were feeling, wanting to give them as much privacy as the small room allowed.

"I'm sorry." Jin kept apologizing over and over again.

"It's okay. I love you. I love you." Namjoon kept repeating the three word phrase into Jin's ear.

While those two were still hugging, Taehyung went to enter Yoongi's and his numbers into the third chest. They were met by a set of keys, but Taehyung knew that the keys weren't Yoongi's.

"Whose are these? They're not Yoongi's." Taehyung seemed more confused, but didn't want to ruin the moment between Namjoon and Jin. Jin looked over Namjoon's shoulder before raising his eyebrows.

"They're ... they're mine." Jin spoke up, but Namjoon didn't even take his eyes off Jin, hugging him tightly.

After a couple more minutes, Namjoon and Jin separated, holding hands as they both approached the table. Yoongi faced the table as everyone gathered. They all took their respective keys, hoping that this would be the ticket out.

"I still need to enter my numbers." Jin seemed terrified at the thought of opening his chest, but he knew that this was the only way they could continue.

Taehyung moved back to Yoongi, standing behind him and moving his hands along his boyfriend's shoulders. Namjoon stood at the end of the table, not wanting to get too far away. Jungkook continued leaning against the wall, looking at Jin to see what was going to happen.

Jin entered the four-digit code, taking a deep breath before opening the lock. Once the lock was opened, Jin stood in front of the box, hands on the side but not wanting to open it. Namjoon looked concerned but knew there was nothing he could do.

Just as Jin opened the chest fully, a gunshot was fired straight into his head. The sound of the gunshot caught everyone off guard, causing everyone to flinch. At first, no one knew where the shot came from, covering their heads. Taehyung threw his body over Yoongi, not wanting him to get hurt again.

He's ... protecting me. Even though he might get hurt, he's shielding me. Why is he not thinking of himself? Doesn't he know that I can't live without him as much as he thinks he can't live without me? What did I do to deserve him?

A loud thump was heard hitting the ground, causing everyone to look towards the noise. Everyone's mouths opened in shock, no noise coming out. Namjoon quickly ran to where his boyfriend lay lifeless on the floor.

"Jin? Jin!" Namjoon began shaking the man's head and shoulders, trying to get his eyes to open. Namjoon kept trying as he began to cry. "Please wake up."

Namjoon's voice came out broken, sitting Jin up and hugging him tightly. The sniffling noise broke the silence in the room. His tears fell onto Jin's clothes, mixing in with the blood that fell from the wound in Jin's head. Jin's head fell back, no strength left in his body.

Yoongi couldn't believe what he was seeing. They lost another in the blink of an eye. It made him realize that anything could happen in this house in a split second. Before he realized it, Taehyung began crying in his lap. Yoongi could do nothing but whisper in his ear that everything was going to be okay, even though he wasn't convinced himself.

"No. Not you. Why?!" The last word was screamed, the agony obvious in Namjoon's voice.

None of the boys wanted this to happen. Taehyung couldn't bear to watch it, holding onto his boyfriend for dear life. Yoongi kept comforting him, want to do much more but not able to. He kept rubbing soothing circles into his back and trying to give eskimo kisses to calm the younger down.

"I'm sorry." It was a whisper, but Namjoon could hear it coming from Jungkook. He looked towards Jungkook, the tears in his eyes blurring his vision.

"You're sorry?! He's fucking dead, and someone here caused this." Namjoon paused for a second, looking at Jin. "Is it you?"

Yoongi could see Namjoon staring daggers into Jungkook. Yoongi could tell that Namjoon was speaking out of emotion and not thinking rationally but knew he couldn't interfere if things got ugly.

"What?"

"Is it you? Are you the killer?" Namjoon laid Jin down on the floor softly before turning towards Jungkook.

Before Jungkook could move, Namjoon had pinned Jungkook against the wall, his fist in Jungkook's shirt and pulling him up the wall where only his toes touched the floor. Yoongi knew he couldn't get up to stop the fight and noticed that the tension was causing Taehyung to curl into him further. Before Yoongi was going to speak up, Jungkook coughed before speaking up himself.

"What the hell? Why would I do that?" Jungkook was cut off by Namjoon's pressure on his throat.

"Stop!"

The word was so loud that it caught Namjoon and Jungkook off guard. They both turned to the source to see Taehyung standing up and turned towards the two of them. Yoongi was so focused on the two fighting that he hadn't seen Taehyung get up.

"Why?" Namjoon said it with a hint of disgust in his tone. "He said he's sorry. He must be the killer." Namjoon was talking somewhat hysterically at this point.

"But I'm sorry too." These words spilled out of Taehyung's mouth and caught Namjoon's attention. "Jungkook lost his boyfriend too. He knows exactly how this feels. The turmoil, the sadness, the loss. He's been through this before." Taehyung was crying, tears pouring down his face.

"You didn't deserve to lose him." This time it was Jungkook, tears also spilling from his eyes, more from the memories of Jimin than of the current events. Jungkook turned his head towards the floor, thinking that staring would distract him.

Namjoon was speechless, not realizing his insensitivity towards Jungkook. He stepped back slightly, realizing that his anger took over. Instead of saying something to him, Namjoon grabbed Jungkook into a tight hug.

Both of them cried for minutes, using each other as a crutch. After losing their respective boyfriends, both Namjoon and Jungkook needed to cry out their feelings. Taehyung returned to Yoongi, hugging the older tightly. Neither of them could imagine losing the other.

"Yoongi?"

It was a whisper that Yoongi almost missed. He looked at Taehyung who currently had his head buried in his shirt, moving to his neck. He began moving his hand through Taehyung's hair before speaking up.

"Yeah, Tae?"

"Don't leave me."

Yoongi was stunned in his spot. The thought never crossed his mind, but he could see why Taehyung was worried. After watching every couple being ripped apart, even Yoongi himself couldn't help but feel that they were next in line. Yoongi smiled but allowed Taehyung to continue.

"No matter what, please don't leave me. I can't ..."

Taehyung began crying silently, trying to not let the others hear. Yoongi wrapped his arms around the younger, pulling him into a tight hug. Yoongi made sure his lips were near Taehyung's ears, so he could be heard.

"I promise. No matter what happens, I won't leave you."

Taehyung smiled before continuing to hug Yoongi. After about five minutes of nothing but crying, Namjoon let go of Jungkook and approached Jin's body on the floor. He got on his knees, caressing his boyfriend's face. He kissed the dead man on the forehead and then the lips.

"I love you. Always will." Namjoon wiped the last of his tears before being sure Jin's eyes were closed and was resting in a peaceful position.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Taehyung leaned into Namjoon and gave him a soft hug, not sure how fragile Namjoon was in the moment.

"Me too." Namjoon took a deep breath, trying to refocus himself. The four of them walked out of the living room to the welcoming room. He sniffled before continuing. "What now?"

Everyone seemed to understand the dilemma. There hadn't been a text of what to do next. Hyuna was dead and could no longer lead them to a way out of the house.

"Well, we have the car keys, right?" Yoongi was trying to think of what they had and what they could do. "But all of the doors that lead outside are locked. So, we can't get out yet."

Everyone seemed to nod at what the injured man was saying. They all knew they had to make a battle plan and fast before the killer could come up with any smart ideas.

"So, we have to try and find the house key? At least the one to the front door, right?" Jungkook was thinking slowly, trying to figure out the best way to get everyone out alive.

"We might have a chance to escape then." Namjoon looked up, nodding his head at the plan that was forming. He looked up to see determination in everyone else's eyes.

"Are we ready?" It was Taehyung, putting his right hand in the middle of the circle that the boys unconsciously formed. He looked up to see the other boys slightly confused.

Yoongi quickly put his left hand in the middle on top of Taehyung's. "Ready." He looked at Taehyung, giving him a gummy smile for encouragement.

"Me too." Jungkook put his right hand in the middle, eyes still slightly red from the crying before.

They all looked at Namjoon, waiting for his response. Namjoon smiled and moved his right hand towards the middle until his movement was interrupted.

The vibration from their phones struck fear into all of them. They all paused, each looking at their respective phones. Yoongi gulped slightly as he took his hand out of the middle to reach for his phone. Everyone looked at him as if he was insane.

"You're just going to read it so casually?" Jungkook seemed shocked at the action.

Yoongi brushed his hand on Taehyung's, intertwining their fingers together. Taehyung smiled at the action, while Yoongi looked at his dark phone screen, still nervous about reading the text.

"We don't have a choice. And I want to get out of here. All we need is the house key." Yoongi seemed quiet yet strong, trying to state his opinion while not butting heads with the other men.

Namjoon then moved to grab his phone as well. "You're right. Let's go."

Jungkook and Taehyung then reached for their phones as well, gripping them tightly in their sweaty palms. When they opened their phones, they read the text silently.

FROM: 119-121-2518

I see one of you finished last. Well, at least I put them out of their misery quickly. And Hyuna ... she deserved what she was given. But I'm afraid most of you will meet a similar fate soon enough. But one more thing before I go. The staff. I'd run from them if I were you. They're out for blood, and they'll kill all of you if you don't hurry. Split into two groups of two: one go to the indoor greenhouse on the first floor and the other to the attic. You'll see a note there for your next instructions. Now, I'd hurry. Time's running out. Welcome to Stage 5.

Just as they all had finished reading, they looked up at each other. Before they could even talk about the text, a gunshot came through the welcoming room, hitting somebody's coat on the rack and causing a small explosion of coat pieces. All of the boys ducked instinctively and looked towards where the gunshot came from.

In the lobby area about thirty feet away, the remaining staff stood in a line with various weapons at their disposal. Sana held a black metal baseball bat, Sewoon held the gun that was smoking slightly after just being fired, and Minghao held a large kitchen knife in one hand and a large butcher knife in the other.

The staff members slowly approached them, causing them all to run towards the dining room. Taehyung had picked up Yoongi, making him a little slower than the other two in speed. The staff didn't chase after them but continued to walk towards the dining room. Once the four men arrived at the dining room, they stopped to take a quick rest.

Taehyung had set Yoongi down on a chair, Taehyung needing a quick rest before running again. Jungkook and Namjoon both had their hand on their knees, panting loudly at the sudden burst of energy drained.

"What the hell was that?" Yoongi was the only one who couldn't run, so his breath remained even.

"Looks like ... they're after ... us." Namjoon was still trying to catch his breath. "And they're still ... on their way. "

"We need to ... split into groups." Jungkook was slightly exhausted but tried to push it aside to survive.

"I'm ... with Yoongi." Taehyung was taking the longest to catch his breath, but after carrying another person, the other men understood. Yoongi looked towards the floor, seeing himself as a burden on his boyfriend.

"I didn't think you'd choose ... anyone else." Namjoon smiled slightly at Taehyung, understanding his dedication to Yoongi.

"Then let's split. Namjoon, looks like you're with me." Jungkook had already recovered his breath. "If we're all going to have the best chance to survive, you two should take the greenhouse, and we'll take the attic." Taehyung and Yoongi nodded at the youngest.

Just as they were finishing up their discussion, the staff members' footsteps could be heard close by.

"Are you guys still in here?"

Namjoon recognized the voice as Sewoon. Seeing that Taheyung, Jungkook, and Yoongi had their attention taken by the voice, Namjoon quickly waved slightly to get their attention. Once he got their attention, he signaled for them all to move out.

Taehyung quickly and silently scooped Yoongi out of the chair. They all nodded at each other before moving to their new destinations. Namjoon and Jungkook slipped by the staff through a room that connected the kitchen to the lobby by the stairs. Taehyung and Yoongi went the same direction but moved across the lobby to look in that area, since it was one of the only places on the first floor they haven't been.

"Good luck."

"Good luck."

Both groups said the words under their breaths, hoping that the others would get out alive. Namjoon and Jungkook were on the second floor, looking for the stairs to the attic. Taehyung and Yoongi were almost at the greenhouse, finding a hallway that led them to a new section of the building.

I need to do the best I can for Tae, even if it's not much. But ... what can I do. I wish I could have another vision to help me decide what to do. Wait. I haven't had a vision in awhile. What could that mean? Maybe, I'm just not in the right headspace. Or maybe ... I died. If I really have been here two times before, did I die both times? Before this stage, even? That ... That can't be. I've been in this house before in my life. The visions must just be due to stress. But ... if they are from the past ... does Tae remember anything? Is that why he's so protective? That doesn't matter right now! You made a promise to stay alive for Tae. Keep it.

Taehyung gripped Yoongi's legs, trying to keep his boyfriend in his grasp as he sprinted down the hallways. He would occasionally adjust Yoongi in his hands to make carrying him easier. After about two minutes of running, Taehyung was still lost. He wasn't even sure if they were going the right way. Taehyung slowly came to a stop around a corner, still only seeing hallways. His breathing was heavy, but his eyes were wide, looking for any clues to the greenhouse.

"Tae, put me down." Yoongi's voice was full of concern, looking around his boyfriend's face to make sure he was okay.

"No. We need ... to keep moving." Taehyung's breathing was making it harder to speak, but he knew they needed to keep moving.

"We don't even know where we're going. Slow down." Yoongi put his hand on Taehyung's cheek, pulling his eyes to look into his own.

"I just ... I want you to be safe."

Yoongi pressed his lips to his boyfriend's, causing Taehyung to return the kiss. Yoongi moved his arms around Taehyung's neck as he deepened the kiss. Taehyung moved his tongue to swipe along Yoongi's bottom lip. Before the kiss went any further, Yoongi pulled away.

"Not here. We need to think." Yoongi's cheeks were pink, the heat from the kiss causing him to become flustered. He really wanted to keep kissing Taehyung, lose himself in his boyfriend and forget everything that happened. But he knew they needed to keep moving,

Taehyung sighed, also wanting to keep kissing his boyfriend, but he needed to start using his brain rather than his lips.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Taehyung repositioned Yoongi before continuing. "I feel like we're lost in all these hallways."

"Yeah. Maybe there's a hint. Like signs?"

"Why would someone have signs in their own house?" Taehyung didn't think it would make sense. He kept thinking, now slowly walking with Yoongi in hopes that something would come to mind.

"Sunlight."

"What about it?" Yoongi didn't see where Taehyung was going with this. "It's pretty much pitch black outside, so I don't know how sunlight would help." Yoongi was hoping Taehyung had more to his idea.

"Greenhouses need sunlight. So, the greenhouse would either have a glass roof to let light in or be close to the outside."

Yoongi's eyes lit up at this, the realization hitting him. Yoongi's grip tightened on Taehyung's forearm.

"That's it. Let's try following these hallways as if we were trying to get outside. Maybe that'll lead us to the greenhouse."

"It's worth a try." With that, Taehyung started walking faster with Yoongi, almost hitting a jogging pace. After about a minute of this pace, Taehyung broke the silence.

"I wonder how the others are doing?" It was quiet, almost too soft for Yoongi to hear. Yoongi looked up at Taehyung to see his boyfriend looking down the new hallway they entered.

"I hope they're okay." Yoongi followed Taehyung's gaze, looking at where they were going.

"Me too." Taehyung then turned another corner to find two glass doors in front of him, the lights turned on. It was almost as if someone knew they would need this room.

"Greenhouse. Greenhouse! Tae, you found it!" Yoongi gave Taehyung a hug, the best one he could give in their position. Taehyung pecked Yoongi's lips before pulling away abruptly.

"Yoongi, open the doors now! Someone's here."

Yoongi could hear the seriousness in Taehyung's voice, immediately pulling on the doors. They were heavy, but he eventually pulled them open. Taehyung immediately turned right after entering and set Yoongi on the floor, putting himself between Yoongi and the door. Taehyung's back was also against the wall, his head pointed towards the door.

"What happened?" Yoongi was whispering, knowing that the situation they were in was serious.

"I heard footsteps. I swear." Taehyung was also whispering, trying to listen further through the door.

Yoongi was sweating, his nerves overtaking him. Taehyung was sweating as well, trying to look around for anything that could help them. He noticed a light switch next to him and quickly pulled it down.

The only thing Yoongi and Taehyung could hear for a couple seconds were each other's breathing. Taehyung sunk down to the floor, his back against the wall the entire way down. The heavy breathing could be heard throughout the greenhouse. Taehyung grabbed Yoongi's hand quickly, gripping it tightly.

"I love you. No matter what happens."

Right when Taehyung said that, a voice could be heard from the hallway. The sound of it sent shivers down both of their spines.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." The voice sounded somewhat familiar to them, the masculine tone oozing through the wall. The footsteps were initially quiet but then quickly became louder. The sounds of knives rubbing together could be heard.

Taehyung and Yoongi gulped loudly at the same time, knowing that the next couple seconds could be worth their lives. Both of their breathing stopped immediately, trying not to make any noise.

The footsteps stopped, knives still being rubbed together. Taehyung kept a grip on Yoongi's hand in the darkness, holding it tight. Both hands were sweaty from the amount of stress the couple was feeling.

"I know you're here. Just give yourselves up." The masculine voice seemed to get louder, approaching the door to the greenhouse with every step.

Taehyung realized that he didn't have a weapon on him to protect Yoongi or himself. He kept holding Yoongi's hand while hovering his body over Yoongi's. Yoongi didn't want to speak with the man outside, but he knew what Taehyung was doing.

He's ... protecting me.

The thought itself almost made Yoongi cry. This moment, where Taehyung was laying down his life, proved that he didn't deserve him. Taehyung was willing to protect him no matter what, and if the roles were reversed, Yoongi knew he would be doing the same thing.

"Come out. Come out." The voice got quieter as the steps started to leave the door.

Once the voice was no longer audible, the sound of the knives long gone, both of the boys let out one of the biggest sighs they ever had. Taehyung let go of Yoongi's hand to get up and peer around the corner and into the hallway. When he didn't see anyone outside the glass doors, he sat back down with Yoongi.

"We need to get started. He could be back anytime. Should I turn on the light?" Taehyung seemed unsure, trying to plan out the best strategy that could keep them both alive. He awaited Yoongi's ideas, hoping that something could help them.

"Yeah. We need to get started." Yoongi saw Taehyung keeping his back against the wall again as he got up, cautiously as if the man was back outside and waiting for him. Yoongi quickly tugged on Taehyung's right arm, intertwining their fingers momentarily.

"Leave me here."

Taehyung was shocked by what Yoongi was saying, already thinking of a way to protest it.

"I can't really help you with this one. You'll be faster in this room without me. If the man comes back, I'll try to buy you some time. So, I need to stay here by the door."

Taehyung was speechless. He didn't want to leave Yoongi defenseless, but he knew that this was most likely the best way for both of them to make it out alive. Taehyung sighed, staring at the floor as if weighing his options.

"We're wasting time. Turn on the lights and figure out what to do. I believe in you." Even though Taehyung couldn't see Yoongi, he knew Yoongi was giving him the most comforting smile he could.

Taehyung leaned back down quickly, pushing his lips to Yoongi's. Yoongi placed one of his hands behind him on the floor and the other in Taehyung's hair, the impact catching him off guard. They both knew this could be their last kiss, so they poured all of their feelings into it. After a couple seconds, Taehyung pulled away, their foreheads still touching.

"I love you. Forever."

Before Yoongi could respond, Taehyung stood up and peered around the corner at the door. He didn't see anyone, and he couldn't hear anything either.

"1 ..." Taehyung placed his fingers on the light switch.

"2..." Both Taehyung and Yoongi gulped, not sure what would be awaiting them.

"3."

Taehyung quickly flipped on the switch, immediately running towards the center of the greenhouse. He wanted to finish this stage as soon as possible. Yoongi moved as best he could towards the door while still being hidden by the corner. He looked around the corner himself to still see no one there. He turned back towards Taehyung, hoping that his boyfriend could figure out what to do.

"Love you too."

The words slipped out of Yoongi's mouth without him even realizing. He knew that he was willing to risk his life for Taehyung, getting ready in case the man came back.

So, who was that guy. He sounded familiar.

Yoongi was trying to think of who the man was. The voice had been so similar to one he'd heard before earlier that day. It was when he remembered the sound of knives rubbing together that he realized who was chasing them.

The chef. Minghao. It must be him.

Yoongi was about to scream to Taehyung, but just as he opened his mouth, he shut it again. Yelling over to Taehyung could cause Minghao to know exactly where they are. Yoongi immediately began to feel anxious.

He knew that Taehyung needed to know this information, but there was no way to relay it to him. Yoongi decided to hold onto the information, not wanting to blow their cover. Yoongi looked over at Taehyung who was trying to find a note. From what Yoongi could see, he hadn't found it yet.

While Yoongi was still thinking, Taehyung was running around as quietly as possible to try and find this note. Yoongi knew he had to try and be as helpful as possible, occasionally peaking around the corner to see if Minghao was around. He still hadn't seen the chef anywhere, so he decided to try and help Taehyung look for the note from where he was sitting.

Yoongi noticed that there was a clear clipboard holder hanging somewhat above him on the wall. He noticed a chart that looked like someone named Sewoon came in here often to take care of the plants. Yoongi then saw it.

The note! It's on the clipboard under the chart. We can get out of here. We can make it. I can keep my promise. Just hold on a little longer Tae!

"T..." Just as he was about to scream Taehyung's name, he closed his mouth with his own hand. Screaming his boyfriend's name would give them away. So, how could he get this note to Taehyung? He tried reaching for it, but the clipboard was a couple inches out of reach. While struggling to reach the note, Taehyung must have noticed him. Yoongi could see Taehyung running towards him. He grabbed the clipboard and pulled the note off of it. Taehyung smiled down at his boyfriend, kissing him lightly on the top of his head and then slightly firmer on the lips. Taehyung didn't take any longer for the next step.

Taehyung sat back down next to Yoongi and opened the note. He wanted to be sure that both of them knew what was going on. Yoongi gripped his boyfriend's hand as they both read the note.

In this greenhouse, there is a small red envelope that will tell you what to do next. Look fast. Someone is after you. You're getting closer to the end of this hell, so I can't wait to see what happens next. Good luck!

They both read the note horrified yet determined at the same time. Taehyung wanted to get them both out alive, but Yoongi was more worried about protecting his boyfriend.

Taehyung immediately got back up, leaving that note with Yoongi. Taehyung left to keep looking for the red envelope, while Yoongi remained stuck at the wall. He started to feel helpless, wondering how he could help. After peeking around the corner again, he set his eyes on a counter nearby that had two door cabinets underneath it. Yoongi was close enough that he decided to try and crawl over to the cabinet.

It took him a couple seconds, but he eventually reached the cabinets. Yoongi could still hear Taehyung rustling in the plants, knowing that he was trying his best. Yoongi opened the cabinet to see it was empty except ...

A red envelope! I found it. This is perfect, but how can I get Tae's attention? Come on, think! Maybe I can grab it?

Yoongi was excited, reaching for the envelope when he felt a searing pain in his gut, his body being kicked a couple feet across the floor. Yoongi began coughing, holding onto his stomach and ribs.

Taehyung immediately heard the commotion and rose from his position of looking under plants and tables. The first thing he saw was a man staring down at the ground. The man was holding knives, slowly turning his head towards Taehyung.

"You both were too easy to catch off guard. He didn't even see me coming." The man pointed his knife towards Yoongi. Just as Taehyung's body was getting ready to run, the man spoke up.

"Ah. ah. ah. I wouldn't if I were you. One more step, and I'll do something worse than kick him." Yoongi was still holding onto his ribs from the first impact that the second kick hit him closer to the head. He immediately tasted blood, knowing that he was in serious danger.

I might die here. I need to keep Minghao's attention on me. I need to protect Tae, even if my legs don't work anymore. I need to save him, but ... can I keep my promise?

"Stop!" Taehyung said it without thinking, not being able to see Yoongi in pain. Once the man stopped, he let out a deep breath and continued as calmly as he could. "You're Minghao, the chef right? What do you want?"

"That's me. And I don't want anything." Minghao's voice was calm, making the situation seem even more eerie than before.

"Then why are you here?" Taehyung was trying to keep up conversation in the hopes that Minghao wouldn't hurt Yoongi for the time being.

"Your friend here was close enough, so I'll let you have it." Before Taehyung could speak up, Minghao picked up Yoongi by his hair. This was the first time since Minghao entered the greenhouse that Taehyung could see what happened to Yoongi.

Yoongi's mouth was bleeding profusely, his eyes tightened shut from the pain. His hands went up to where Minghao gripped his hair. He looked absolutely helpless. Yoongi was trying to pull at Minghao's fists to release his grip, but the chef's hands were gripped too tightly. The pain from his head was quickly taking over the pain from his ribs and spine.

"You're in my way." With that, Minghao threw Yoongi back to the ground with force. Yoongi groaned and spit out more blood but didn't have the strength to get up. Before Taehyung could move, Minghao bent down to retrieve the red envelope from the cabinet Yoongi had just been at. Minghao then threw the letter like a frisbee in Taehyung's direction. Taehyung caught it in the air, but the second he caught it, his eyes went back to Yoongi.

"Oh. Him?" Minghao pointed the knife in Yoongi's direction.

"Leave him alone."

Minghao looked at Taehyung, almost as if surprised that Taehyung would talk back to him. Yoongi could still taste blood in his mouth but was more concerned about his boyfriend in the moment.

"I'd be more worried about opening the letter if I were you. He won't have a chance to live unless you do."

Wanting to keep Yoongi safe, Taehyung quickly ripped the note open, the red envelope no longer in one piece. Taehyung read it carefully.

You've made it this far. Congratulations. Now, it gets interesting. The burden of death is a heavy one, especially when it's someone you love. You both must decide who dies by Minghao's hand. If neither of you come to an agreement, you both die. You have one minute.

After that last line, Taehyung was met with Minghao's eyes, his eyes dripping with bloodlust. Yoongi could tell something was wrong, wishing that he could see what the note said.

"So? Who will it be? You have fifty seconds." Minghao sounded serious, almost no emotion leaving his body. Taehyung ran past Minghao to Yoongi, kneeling on the ground.

"What's going on? What did it say?" Yoongi was simultaneously spitting out blood and trying to hold onto his ribs, but he needed to know what the note said.

"Only one of us can live. I'm choosing you." Taehyung spoke as if there was no arguing with him, but as Taehyung went to get up, Yoongi used all his strength to pull him back down to his eye level.

"There's no way I'm letting that happen. You can make it out of here. I can't even walk. He'll probably kill me after he kills you, because I can't run. I..." Yoongi knew he was rambling but kept his eyes on Taehyung. He needed to get his points through his boyfriend's skull.

"I love you. Live. For me." Taehyung started crying, knowing that both of them couldn't get out of this alive. He clung to Yoongi, hugging him as if it was his last.

"Please don't leave me."

Yoongi was absolutely distraught, a million thoughts running through his mind at one time. He was trying to think of everything and anything that could save them both, but he was coming up empty. Taehyung was sobbing, knowing that they didn't have much time left.

It was then that Yoongi saw it. There was something written on the back of the letter. He tried to read it, but Taehyung kept moving the letter around. After a second or two, Yoongi finally got a good look at it.

Whichever name you say, the other person will die. Choose wisely. How? How can I choose? Wait ... this is it. This is how I save Tae. He must not have seen it yet. I can save him. But ... then I break my promise. I need to leave him. I need to leave him, so he can live. For Tae, I'd do anything.

"My time is up. We'll see each other soon. I promise."

Taehyung said this with tears in his eyes. Yoongi gave Taehyung the best gummy smile he could no matter how much pain it caused him. He knew what he was going to do, and wanted to be sure that the last thing his boyfriend remembered was his smile. They kissed each other for a second before Minghao spoke up.

"Ten seconds. Who is it?" Minghao began sharpening his knife, getting ready for the next event of the night.

"Taehyung."

Yoongi said it so nonchalantly that he could tell Taehyung was taken aback. Yoongi have a straight face, tears slightly causing his face to look swollen. He couldn't bare to look in his boyfriend's eyes, the pain of breaking his promise and leaving him too great,

"W...What?!" Taehyung didn't know how to respond, not sure what just happened. He couldn't figure out why Yoongi had said his name, almost as if he was confident of his answer.

Taehyung looked back at Yoongi to see him crying again, his lips forming the words "I love you."

I love you, Tae. With all my heart. Live for me. Please.

Within seconds, Minghao ran towards Yoongi and stabbed him once in the heart, once in the lungs, and once in the head. He fell to the floor, lifeless.

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A/N

So, Attempt #3 couldn't save Yoongi. Do you think he'll ever get out alive?

Again, I apologize for the seriously long chapter. Thank you all again for your support in my writing! It really means a lot. The next update will most likely be in a week, so I hope you anticipate it!

Please let me know what y'all think! I love comments and would love to hear what y'all are thinking! Again, thank for reading! =^_^=