MAVERICK: Back in the Game (TBZ)

Chapter Five

Haknyeon is intent on finding Sunwoo. He doesn't realize that Younghoon and Q have vanished, until he finds himself in an empty white hallway. He spins around and cusses to himself. Damn Horror-Lover and Gullible Pretty Boy are gone! He keeps his pace, walking briskly through the hallway, alert for any sign of danger and keeping the pencil at his side ready to strike anyone that might pop out at him.

He rounds a corner and finds a door at the end of the hallway. He glances behind him momentarily, keeping the pencil ready and poised. He then walks cautiously toward the door and stops in the doorway.

He stifles a gasp, seeing Sunwoo standing in the center, looking around the room.

Haknyeon narrows his eyes and brings his tongue across his dry, chapped lips. I got you!

He finds that he can't move, only watch as Sunwoo looks around, his eyes wide and his expression unreadable.

It is only when Sunwoo spins around and sees Haknyeon in the doorway, blocking his exit, that he yelps in shock and steps back. His hands fly up and his mouth opens, squeaking noises escaping from his throat.

"Hak...please, don't do this..."

"One of us is going to die, Sunwoo. It won't be me," Haknyeon growls, finally finding the ability to step toward the panicked man.

"Hyung..." Sunwoo says, continuing to step backward.

Haknyeon lifts the pencil up. "Seems you're without a weapon now. You shouldn't have used it on New."

Sunwoo shakes his head. "I...didn't...kill...New..."

Haknyeon can hear his difficulty in breathing and his heart slamming against his chest like a pack of wild horses storming down a cobblestone street. He stops, pausing and blinking and cocks his head to one side.

Can I really kill Sunwoo? Can he really kill me or anyone in the group?

Sunwoo backs into the far wall, his chest heaving up and down and his breathing hard. "Hyung..."

Sunwoo suddenly darts around and ducks by him in a blur, heading for the exit.

Haknyeon whirls around, just as he reaches the doorway. "Sunwoo--"

At that moment a black arm shoots out and a leather-gloved hand grabs Sunwoo by the wrist. Another launches out and covers his mouth, yanking him to the right and out of sight out of the doorway.

Haknyeon blinks, surprised by the sudden act.

He can hear Sunwoo's pitiful muffled yelp of shock.

Haknyeon rushes to the door and leans out, looking to the right. He gasps with horror. A pencil, much like his own, is jammed into the young rapper's neck. Blood is gushing out onto the floor and Sunwoo's eyes are wide open in fear.

"You're welcome for doing what you couldn't do, Ju Haknyeon," a voice snarls from the shadows beyond Sunwoo's dead body.

Haknyeon feels a shiver race down his back. Sunwoo was innocent! No! Acting on instinct, he rushes to check the body, as the voice snickers wickedly and fades away into the distance.

Haknyeon drops down to Sunwoo. "This is all my fault, Sunwoo."

"No! It's..." Sunwoo's head lolls to one side, his eyes glazing over, but showing a little life in them. Blood continues to gush out of the wound in his neck as he croaks out, "I...forgive you...stop--" His eyes roll backward in his skull and his face pales over.

"SUNWOO!!" Haknyeon screams. Tears glisten in his eyes. I did this. If I hadn't forced him to run off from the group. If I hadn't blamed him. Of course, Sunwoo isn't a murderer! Stupid! Stupid!