𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋. ☐

THIRTY ONE.*

Jisung was sprinting. Blood-stained shoes tossed up dirt, trees blurring past him, but his feet still couldn't carry him fast enough. He bounded through the forest, breath heaving, legs aching. His mind was running nearly as hurried and wild as he was, and no thought was coherent enough for him to latch on to it. All he knew was to run.

The footsteps behind him never halted, either. They kept their pace with his, never speeding up or slowing down. Jisung wondered if they'd ever reach him - if he were to stop, would they as well - but somehow, deep down, he knew better than that. He wasn't even quite sure who was chasing him, what was chasing him, but he knew he needed to run.

At some point, he began to tire. It was growing more difficult to breathe in all the air he needed, and the burn of his lungs went to show for it. All of his muscles were exhausted, pain sent out in waves throughout his body, and it wouldn't be long before he couldn't hold his sprint anymore. But if he were to stop, he wasn't sure what would happen. But he did know that he would do anything in his power to avoid finding out.

He didn't glance beside him, or behind him, but he knew he needed to do something. So he pushed all of his strength into his ankles, and made the sharpest turn he could, into the depths of the forest to his right. He ran face-first into a branch, the wood raking across his skin, but he didn't stop. He managed to ignore the particularly sharp pain in his ankle and thigh, and he knew the old injury wouldn't fade too easily.

Allowing himself to finally look at the ground, he weaved through the foliage, trying to map the clearest path he could in the instant before he'd already passed it. Here, the woods were denser. Was he running on a trail before? He didn't think to check. The ground was messier as well, littered with rocks and branches beneath his feet that gave him a burning ache with every step.

He reached out his hand to a tree and pushed off of it, using the momentum to propel himself even further, until the forest was so concentrated that he couldn't safely sprint in it. Trees surrounded him, as well as bushes and weeds, but now wasn't the time for running. He was too exhausted now to use any more energy.

The footsteps were nowhere to be heard now, and he wasn't sure when they stopped, but he used the silence to glance around at the area. There were enough places for him to find an ample hiding spot, but he wasn't sure how long it would hold. Maybe, it'd be long enough for him to recover his strength. Hopefully.

A single crunch on a dead leaf nearby sent him dashing to the nearest bush that was large enough for him to hide, and he ignored as thorns ripped through the sleeves of his shirt, crouching down just in time to hear walking. Nothing in the forest was large enough to hide his entire body in, and he could only pray that enough of him was hidden for now.

The footsteps didn't linger for too long, but they were much slower than before. He held his breath, biting on his lower lip to stop any sound from escaping, and heard nothing more as they faded away. He brought his limbs closer to his chest, as close as he could with the branches, and slowly began to breathe again. The leaves beneath him were horribly uncomfortable to sit on, but he knew he still wasn't safe.

Leaves rustled behind him, and he immediately froze.

A cold hand grabbed onto his shoulder and spun him around to face them, the only other thing in the open field surrounding them. He stared at a muddled mix of faces, just indistinguishable to give him a headache. His eyes desperately tried to focus on something, but it was blurry, as if it was just out of reach for him to see. He squinted, but it did no good.

"Jisung," the voices slurring his name were layered, but they couldn't be recognized.

"How do you know my name?" He breathed out, and his breath was shakier than he wanted it to be.