✔️The funhouse of murder • Stray Kids X reader✔️

93 ☠️

"Doesn't it feel too calm?" I asked Minho after a while of walking. Both sides were easily visible, the only thing deviding the two spaces being the invisible force field. Though it was only tested with a branch from one of the shrubbery's on this side, the way it instantly sparked a fire was enough to tell us not to try to get to the other side. Thankfully, this side was filled with streams of water, flowing on each side of the broad path, whereas the other side had lines of fire on them. I didn't fully feel comfortable with the water here, but I wasn't going to let a childhood fear stop me from choosing what was likely best.

"You good?" Minho asked, probably noticing the uneasy look I had amongst the tranquil waters. I hummed, quickly glancing around to see if anyone was listening along, though thankfully they all seemed to be in their own world. Whether they were actually talking, or keeping quiet. "You know how I said things hadn't always been all too well at home?" I asked him a bit muffled, referring to the long talk we had had in the cabin. He nodded, allowing me to do the talking.

"I'm not gonna get into depth about it, but my dad's technique of teaching me how to swim was to just throw me in the water and keep me in there until I learned how to stay afloat. If it does come down to it, I'm not the best swimmer," I admitted, seeing a small smile form on Minho's face. Did he really think it was funny? "Sorry," he followed up instantly, "I'm just glad I'm not the only one who'd never normally learned to swim. My parents were going to sign me up, but after my dad's accident, my mom never really cared enough anymore to do anything for me or Jisung. At first she'd spent a month crying by his side in the hospital, but when he never woke up from his coma, she just became numb, and so I'd never learned how to swim."

I kept quiet, unsure what to say. Thankfully, Minho continued. "The guys here taught the both of us how to swim, especially Chan. I'm sure you've noticed the rift forming between him and Changbin, but even though I don't think he's being fair, I can't just drop him like that. He'd spent more time trying to help me these past months than anyone had done for years, it just felt it felt good to have some sort of father figure I guess, even though he's only a year older. It's stupid, isn't it?" he chuckled, making me respond by shaking my head heavily. "I get it, I really do. It's nice to know that there's someone out there to help you." Even if it meant putting others in danger, having someone care for solely you was something I never used to know. Maybe that was why I just couldn't wrap my head around what happened with Chan in the last zone.

"Oh my God!" Jisung suddenly screamed out, instantly running up to Minho, clinging onto his arm. Everyone halted, following his gaze as he looked over to the other side. Not only was the entire path now on fire, a stream of flaming hot lava was now slowly creeping up as well, getting closer and closer to the way to the finish. Even if I didn't like water as much, for once I was glad we went with this path. There was no way we would have survived that. And yet, I could only think of what was to come here. Was it really only the other side that was dangerous? Was it okay to be optimistic? Chan, looking back, since he was walking up front, was staring right behind us, in the direction we had previously come from.

"Guys, I need you to listen very carefully," he said calmly, "there is a flood coming, but do NOT run, do you understand?" All of us were quick to look behind us, terror in our eyes as the flood came running in way bigger and faster than any of us would be able to handle. "Save your energy as much as you can, and hold your breath. Do not try to swim in the beginning, but let the water take you down it's path until you can't hold it in anymore, only then try to get to the top for water, okay?" Not that we had any time left to think it through, as we were only seconds away from the flood hitting our bodies. While I closed my eyes instantly, anxiously awaiting impact, a pair of arms had instantly wrapped around my body, holding onto me tightly. I took one last deep breath before my feet got swept away.

The impact was harsh, my entire body tingling in pain from it. And yet, I tried my hardest to stay still, to simply hold onto whoever it was trying his hardest to stay with me, and furthermore completely let myself go. Keeping my breath wasn't too hard, since I'd practiced doing so since my childhood, but the hardest part was keeping calm, when all I wanted to do was just to get out. My mind once again again filled with memories, remembering the same struggle I had all those years ago. Unable to move, to get up to the surface, only sinking down further and further.

The only difference now, was that I finally knew what to do to stay alive.