haven - zb1

42

All nine were in complete disbelief at what they saw.

Taehyun stood shakily, supporting the figure he was holding up, wrapping his arms protectively around the figure's side. The room, its pure white walls, were now overcome with thick greenery, grass and crawling ivy coating every inch of white surface. Before him, the man who brandished the weapon was no more, a corpse of incinerated flesh and clothes. The weapon itself, in a feat of pure irony, was suspended in the air by a stiff vine, its mouth stuffed with a dainty flower.

For a second, Taehyun's expression was terrifying, no hint of remorse and even a sense of pride. Then, at once, he returned to the cheerful self he was when they first encountered him. "A little help, please?" He groaned as what seemed to be a half-conscious man he was supporting staggered. Jiwoong rushed forward and Taehyun smiled gratefully, "Well, then, we should get moving."

Everyone was just standing, frozen to their spot. It felt as though they were watching a play they stumbled upon out of the blue with no understanding of the plot.

Taehyun provided no explanation, he hobbled along as he and Jiwoong supported the man between them, their significant height difference proving to be a challenge. The man was probably the same age as them, his eyes fluttering erratically and cuts littered on his skin. Taehyun made sure they weren't aggravating the wounds before he urged, "This way."

As if in a trance like state, the rest followed him, down winding corridors structured to confuse. Finally, Taehyun stopped before a lone white door, then said, "Help me with Kai." He then completely handed his motionless friend over to Jiwoong, who was startled but wordlessly adjusted.

Taehyun rudely kicked open the door and strode in confidently. They peeked in from behind him and saw a semi-circular room with the same pristine white walls, but this time, the room was lined with eight cramped cages of thick metal bars. Thankfully, it seemed its prisoners were mostly released, a few other young people were bent over or lying down, their chests rising and falling gradually.

A girl was crouching beside the last cage, wriggling what seems to be a metal pin in the thick padlock of the cage, her brows furrowed in concentration as an unconscious figure slumped within the cage.

"Sooha!" At the sound of her name, the girl jerked back, her shock and fear melting into incredible relief.

Taehyun ran to her and embraced her tightly, as if she was going to vanish before his eyes. The nine spilled into the room, nervously scanning the strange interior.

"Quickly now," The girl said in a soothing voice, pushing him away slightly, "We have to move now. If we're caught, we'll be shot faster than-" She trailed off when she looked behind Taehyun, then her eyes flicked to Taehyun in confusion.

"Where's Kai?"

Taehyun's expression was blank and emotionless. "I didn't get there in time." Sooha frantically searched his face for a hint of a joke, but Taehyun only dully stared back at her.

"Wait, but he's here?" Jiwoong started, heaving the man he and Gunwook now supported. Then, Gunwook froze and slowly turned to look at the man. Zhang Hao, suspecting the same, bent to hold two fingers at the man's nose, before his head hung low. "He's dead."

Gunwook unceremoniously dropped the man, his face a stark white as he backed away from the corpse. Jiwoong too released the man to check, then exhaled heavily.

They turned their attention back to the duo, thinking that they'd notice, but Taehyun only stood there like a sculpture and Sooha was wiping away tears. Then, she composed herself and silently hurried to the last cage she had been working on. She jammed the metal piece harder into the padlock and it finally clicked open. Taehyun was helping another girl to sit up, propping her against his body as she coughed.