MAVERICK: Back in the Game (TBZ)

Chapter Eight

Haknyeon, Eric and Kevin slow down, re-entering the eerie lobby. Immediately, Eric screams in agony and drops down to his knees, throwing every bit of drama into his performance. "WE LEFT SANGYEON ALONE!!"

"What is with you and having a weird obsession with the leader?" Kevin questions, cocking an eyebrow.

Haknyeon unleashes a chuckle of frustrated amusement and pounds a fist into the wall. "Hwall...it's all been Hwall!"

"And a traitor in our group," Kevin tacks on, giving a side-eye to Eric, who is sniffling.

Eric looks from Kevin to Haknyeon. "You don't think...?"

Haknyeon whirls to him. "Sangyeon's helping him out? It's possible, Eric."

"What about Q or Hyunjae or...Juyeon?" Eric mutters. "I refuse to believe it's our leader."

"Your obsession blinds you, Eric," Kevin scolds.

"It'd be too obvious if it's Q," Haknyeon mutters to himself. "Hyunjae and Juyeon are possible suspects given their lack of a presence, but they could also be victims too. All I know is that I don't want Madman Q to show up and put a bag over my head any more than I want to run into Hwall again."

Kevin nods, looking around the lobby. "There's got to be another way out of here. Maybe Hyunjae and Juyeon found that and are long gone getting police help?"

Haknyeon lifts up the pencil in his hand and heaves a sigh. "We should remain here until others arrive."

Eric nods his head vigorously. "Sangyeon's probably looking for us right now."

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps echoes to them. They look toward the opposite hallway that they'd come from and see a figure dashing full speed toward the lobby and toward them.

Eric smiles as their eyes land on the familiar black bag on the man. "SANGYEON!"

Sangyeon skids into the lobby, his eyes wide with terror.

"Sangyeon, you okay, man?" Haknyeon questions, eyeing him up and down with a skeptical look.

"I didn't mean it! I killed Hyunjae and Juyeon!" Sangyeon cries out, tears finally gushing from his eyes. He drops the bag on the ground. "I killed two people!"

Haknyeon cocks his head to one side. He'd place blame on the leader of The Boyz and say that he was the helper to Hwall, but the tears are genuine and his distraughtness tells Haknyeon that he is anything but.

"I let the madness consume me. I saw them fighting and I thought it was one of them. But I was wrong. Their faces..." He shudders, covering his face with his hands and shaking his head. "Their faces..."

Haknyeon and Eric come up to Sangyeon and comfort him with a hand on either shoulder.

"So, Jacob, New, Sunwoo, Younghoon, Hyunjae and Juyeon are all dead?" Haknyeon inquires. "I know Q was consumed by madness and killed Younghoon, while you killed Hyunjae and Juyeon, driven by maddening thoughts. But who killed Jacob, New and Sunwoo? I know it wasn't me, because I couldn't kill Sunwoo."

"It has to be Q," Eric says.

"But it'd be too obvious!" Haknyeon insists.

"Maybe that's the point. Maybe Hwall wants it to be obvious to make us think that and it really is the obvious answer, Ji Changmin," Sangyeon says, gathering himself together and wiping his eyes.

"We need to find Q then!" Kevin says.

At the comment, the lights flash off and Eric, Haknyeon and Sangyeon grab one another.

"Kevin, get over here!!" Haknyeon shouts out.

There's a scuffling sound and then muffled gasping and then a crash as a body hits the ground.

"KEVIN!" Sangyeon screams.

The lights snap back on and they see Kevin lying, sprawled awkwardly on the ground. A bag is pulled over his head and a grenade lays on the ground, near where Kevin lies. But there is also a signature dagger slice etched across Kevin's throat.