Twelve

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"So you're telling me that we're lost down here?" Jongho was not very happy with his things we're trying out. First, with how Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Yuri showed up at their door, and now this mess.

"I mean I wouldn't say lost," Yeosang said. "More like misdirection."

San signed and grabbed the backpack Seonghwa had given before they left, then reached into it and pulled out a flashlight. Seonghwa seemed to have extra and handed it to the others.

San then felt a tiny hand slip into his and intertwined with his fingers. He turned his head and met eyes with Hongjoong. The way Hongjoong looked up at San, was very enchanting. San wished he could stare at him for forever, but it soon ended once Yunho spoke up. "Are all these tunnels connected?"

"Yup. The tunnels run all across the town." Seonghwa mentioned. "And out of the town."

"So we could be walking for days on end?" Mingi crossed his arm while the other pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We'll be walking until we come across another train station, which could take days with how run down things are." Seonghwa huffed as he slung his backpack around his shoulders.

Yuri came up from behind him and motioned with her hands, the light going down the dark tunnel. "Shall we?"

The six all looked at each other but nonetheless agreed seeing how that was their best option.

San took a deep breath, grabbing onto Hongjoong's hand tighter.

"We shall."

And when Yuri started walking forward, they followed.


Yunho shivered as they walked down the tunnels. Yunho preferred to be in the storm then in the dark place. The walls were a dull gray, the tracks hard to walk on, and every few minutes it felt water droplets fall on his head. The place really gave him the creeps.

He didn't talk much as they followed Yuri. He would listen to the conversations but he was also caught up in his own thoughts. Yunho didn't want to say it out loud for Sans sake, but he didn't trust Yuri one bit. She seemed different then Seonghwa and Yeosang, but he wasn't quite sure what.

His legs became sore after he felt like he had walked for hours on end. There weren't any signs that pointed that they would get out of the tunnels soon, and that just made it worse.

Then a screech bounced off the walls. The group came to a stop, looking around with worried expressions.

"Which way did that come from?" Hongjoong said.

The rest of the group stayed silent, no one knowing the answers.

Then the screech happened again. This time it was a lot louder.

And closer.

Yeosang walked up next to Yunho, shining his light down the tunnel.

He maneuvered his hand back and forth slowly, squinting his eyes to see if he could figure out what made the screeching sound.

He stopped when he saw something move slightly in the back.

There were no turns or anything that something could hide behind. Then it shifted again and moved closer, the light of the flashlight dimmed its body a little.

But the bone sticking out of its arm gave away what it was.

"Run." Yeosang said as he shuffled backwards.

"RUN!"

Right as he started running, the screeching sound echoed through the tunnel, and then more joined in.

Yunho covered his ears from the sound, but nonetheless turned his heels and started running.

The ground shook from the multiple steps pounding into the ground. It felt like a stampede was chasing them, and Yunho wouldn't doubt it wasn't.

Eventually they showed up at the end of the tunnel, only to be greeted by a four way intersection.

"Well we're dead." Mingi said, turning in circles, looking down towards new opening tunnels they came across.

"There's four new tunnels that could lead to something." Yuri piped in.

"Something isn't always a good thing." Yunho lightly snapped at her.

"There are nine of us. We could split up into three groups and each take a tunnel." Yuri suggested. The way she said it so nonchalantly made Yunho not trust her even more.

"We need to hurry it up and figure it out!" Mingi said. "I would like to live today!"

Seonghwa and Yeosang even looked surprised by Yuri's comment. "We don't even know what these tunnels lead to and I think staying together is the best bet." Yeosang said, Seonghwa nodded in agreement.

Yuri scoffed. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"No, but splitting up sounds like suicide." Seonghwa was the one to snap this time. Everyone was silent for a long time. "This is stupid, we don't have all day to just stand here and do nothing." Yuri turned back to one of the tunnels with her flashlight already flashing down it.

"Then choose one way and we'll go down it." Seonghwa just wanted to get out of this place and the stampede sounded to get closer, and with the way Yuri was acting didn't help at all.

"Fine, This way." She started running again, but this time it took the others a while before they followed her.

Yunho went and stood next to San and spoke softly to him. "I don't want to be a debbie downer but I think you should've stayed in bed this morning."

San chuckled softly. "A bed sounds nice right now." Hongjoong nodding in agreement. The three started running behind the group, hoping to get out of the tunnels faster.

"Do you really think there's a group of people in the mountains?" Yunho asked after a long silence between them.

"I think so." San said, then paused and looked at the older." I hope so."

"And if there isn't?"

San thought for a while before answering. "I'm just gonna pray there is." He then looked down at Hongjoong and gave him a kiss to the side of his head. The trio ran faster as the sounds of screeching started up again.

He wasn't going to lie, a new start to his life sounded like a dream.

And he prayed his sister wasn't going to let him down.

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hello guys:)

again i'm sorry for the shorter chapters but I promise longer ones will come in the future!

thank you for staying this long too!

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