GROUND ONE • LEE DONGHYUCK •

seven.

BY TIME THE FOUR GOT BACK TO GROUND ONE, IT WAS THREE IN THE MORNING.

All Sage wanted to do was shower and sleep. Too much had gone on in the span of five hours and she was drained. Bora — who she had barely known— was dead. Ha-Yoon was missing, looking for freedom. What if Ground One found him? She hoped that he had gotten far enough to not be found.

She exited the elevator, her arms wrapped around her chest for comfort. In this place she could only confort herself. She walked towards her door and opened it, walking in without a second thought. The cold air of the room hit and she let out a sigh. In less than a hour, Sage was showered and sleep— her thoughts clouding her dreams.

Sage walked down the bright, eerie hospital in her hospital gown. Her hands were covered in blood and so was her gown. She looked around and searched for anyone that could her. She heard something drop behind her, the girl immediately turning around. A syringe.

The next thing to fall was a bottle of pills, the medicine scattered across the room. Multiple alarms to beep loudly with no reason. Sage bent down and covered her ears. The hell was happening? Two hands grabbed her gown, pulling her up. The sight of her mother dressed as a doctor made her scream.

"Get away from me!" she yelled, struggling in the hands of the woman. It was no use. "You can't run from me forever," her mother said, her voice sinister.

Sage woke up covered in sweat. She hadn't had a nightmare in a while. Hell, she hadn't had an actual dream in a while. She stood up and shook her head, trying to get the woman from out of her mind. Sage didn't like to think about what her mother had did to her but with Ground One frequently bringing up past trauma— it was getting harder. If this kept happening, it wasn't going to be long before she broke.

She looked at the alarm clock that rested on the night stand beside her bed. 10:33 am. She put on a black, oversized sweatshirt and slides— leaving her room. She didn't care about her appearance because she was simply getting breakfast.

Sage knocked on Renjun's door, the boy stepping out after a few minutes. "Hey, how are you?"

She shook her head. "We lost someone on the mission. We were ambushed Renjun. And another one ran off somewhere."

Renjun sighed. "This place is only getting worse."

Sage clung onto Renjun's arm as they walked— the woman dizzy from not eating since yesterday morning. She didn't have any time to between getting the mission and coming back. The two friends stepped into the cafeteria, a big crowd circling around the center of it. The hell was happening? The two pushed between the gasping people to get a closer look at what was happening.

Sage's eyes widened at the scene that was in front of them. Ha-Yoon sat on the ground, a bullet in the middle of his forehead. He had been dead for a while. His skin had started to turn purple and his body was stiff. Dried blood was on the floor beside him along with a note that had red ink on it.

She got a better look at the note, reading it carefully. "Rule Three."

"Rule Three. Trying to escape Ground One will result in termination," Eve spoke up on intercom.

"What the fuck," Renjun breathed out. The curly haired woman's eyes began to water. She felt the bile rise in her throat as she looked at the poor man. He didn't deserve this. No one did. Ground One had became a sinister place quick. They needed to get out of here and quick. Sage untangled her arm from Renjun's and hurried back to her room. Renjun followed as he noticed the paleness on her face. It wasn't long before she was throwing up in her toilet, Renjun keeping her curly hair from falling into her face. With his other arm, he gently rubbed her back.

Tears began to spill from her eyes, the woman overwhelmed with emotions. "I fucking hate it here," she croaked out through her tears. Renjun flushed the toilet and handed her tissue to wipe her mouth. "I know Sage. I know," he calmed.

She stood up, her balance off from the weakness that had began to grow in her body. Sage brushed her teeth and made her way back to her bed, lying under the cover. "Renjun," she called out.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to die here."

☾

The boys had started to get worried. Sage stayed cooped up in her bed for the rest of the day, skipping every meal that they were given. Renjun had tried to come into her room but everytime he knocked on her door, he was met with silence. She felt so many emotions that she didn't want to feel. Everytime she would close her eyes, she would see Ha-Yoon's dead body sitting peacefully in the cafeteria.

Her stomach had began to grumble and a headache grew worse with every minute but she didn't care— she just wanted to be numb. She gripped the pillow that she was holding tighter and dug her head into it. The tears just seemed to never stop. Everytime she thought she was okay, her eyes would begin to water. She felt helpless and drained. Her body had already started to weaken from the lack of nutrients.

Another knock was formed on her door, the woman's voice not coming out of her mouth. She stood up, her head spinning. White dots began to cloud her vision. "Fuck," she whispered, grabbing the door handle. Once she pulled it open— her body fell, the man catching her.

Donghyuck quickly grabbed her, pulling her up. "Shit Sage," he breathed out, his eyes searching her body. "You need to eat," he told her as he sat her back on her bed. She shook her head.

"Don't shake your head. I brought food from the dinner they served. Renjun thought I was the only one who could get you to digest something."

She looked up at him, a weak smile on her face. "Why?"

He shrugged as he opened her plate of food, sitting beside her with a fork in his hand. "Because im assertive," he teased, moving his eyebrows. Sage let out a hoarse chuckle as she slowly took the fork from his hand. Her hand shook a bit as she attempted to stab a piece of meat. Donghyuck let her get it herself, knowing that feeding her would only frustrate her more. She slowly took a bit, the savory meat making her hum in satisfaction.

Donghyuck softly smiled. In the past two days, he had started to grow more fond of the woman. The feelings that be tried to hide with hate were slowly but surely, creeping up on him.

Sage didn't finish all of the food but her eating was progress. Donghyuck set the plate on a table in her room and clasped his hands together. "Feel any better?" he awkwardly asked. She smiled at his sudden attempts of comfort.

"Thank you Donghyuck."

Although she ignored his question, he nodded and grabbed the door handle. "I'll see you later Sage."

She waved softly. "Bye Jerk."

She heard his quiet, but audible laugh as he left the room— heading towards his. The man and his constant mood swings confused her. Were they on good terms?

She laid down once more and closed her eyes, the tanned boy all she could think about.