The Party That Killed || Hyunlix

21 🕸️

Jisung pov.
We walked inside. The guy was ahead of me, and I was trying to look as natural as possible, even though my heart was pounding like crazy. It was an ordinary gas station, with just one employee at the register, and shelves full of chips, drinks, and other things that I would usually grab without a second thought. Right now, all I cared about was getting out of here without any problems.

“Wait here, I’m going to pay,” he threw over his shoulder without turning around. I stared at his back, trying to come up with a plan, but nothing came to mind.

Then suddenly, I saw him. Minho walked in through the door, holding a water bottle. I froze for a moment. Did he see me? Did he know what was going on? If so, what would he do?

Minho glanced in my direction, but there were no emotions on his face. It was as if nothing had happened.

≈🎃≈

3rd person pov.
Darkness surrounded the car, slowly gliding down the deserted road. Inside, a man with a phone in hand nervously glanced at his watch, clearly impatient with the conversation. His low, emotionless voice filled the cramped interior of the vehicle.

“Yes, boss, everything is going according to plan,” he said, trying to hide his slight impatience. “The boy is already with us. Heeseung did well; everything has been taken care of. I’m taking him now to the location you designated.”

He paused, listening to the response from the other end of the line. His gaze fell on the rearview mirror, where he could see Jisung’s barely visible silhouette, bound in the back seat. The boy wasn’t moving, but the man knew he was aware. He knew Jisung could hear every word.

“We’ll see if our ‘guests’ show up. And if not... well, plan B is ready to go,” he added with a slight smile.

He pressed the phone closer to his ear as the voice on the other end became more assertive.

“Of course, boss. We won’t let anything go wrong. I’ll make sure no one interferes. This boy has no idea who he’s dealing with.”

He ended the call, tossing the phone onto the seat beside him and focusing on the road. In the darkness, the outline of their destination came into view—a deserted warehouse on the outskirts of the city, a place that was about to become the scene of upcoming events.

≈🎃≈

Minho pov.
“Listen, I saw Jisung with some guy at the gas station, but he was acting strange. I asked how he was doing, what his friend’s name was, why he wasn’t at school, you know... some nonsense, but he didn’t even blink. He was quiet, standing there like a statue. I’m telling you, that wasn’t our Jisung. Later, he was acting even weirder—looking at me like I was some ghost or, I don’t know, a pedophile. He rolled his eyes towards that ‘friend’... I don’t know, something was off.”

Changbin looked at me with wide eyes.

“You idiot! How could you not notice that?”

“Notice what?” I furrowed my brows, looking at Changbin.

“That was a cry for help!” Changbin slammed his hand on the table. “His behavior could indicate danger. He might have been quiet because he was told not to speak. He was rolling his eyes at that ‘friend’ to show you that he didn’t know that guy. And the way he looked at you like you were a ghost... because he was scared!”

“Oh God…” I suddenly paled and jumped to my feet.

“What are you doing?”

“We have to find him! They must have disappeared a long time ago!”

How could I not have noticed that? How stupid was I? My poor Jisungie.

≈🎃≈

Felix pov.
Hyunjin and I were walking through the city, talking about everything and nothing. We passed by shop windows, and the topic of conversation changed every moment—from school to new clothes to some funny situation in class. But something was bothering me. At one point, silence fell. I broke it.

“Hey, don’t you wonder what’s up with Jisung?” I asked, glancing at Hyunjin. He furrowed his brows as if he was just now understanding what I was talking about.

“Well... I haven’t seen him lately. Not a word from him,” he replied, then stopped, looking ahead. “Do you think something’s wrong?”

I shrugged, but I felt it wasn’t a normal disappearance. “I don’t know, but it’s strange that he hasn’t reached out. He was always with us... now he suddenly vanished. He hasn’t said anything, hasn’t texted…”

“Maybe he needs some time for himself?” Hyunjin tried to calm the situation, but I could hear he was starting to worry too.

I sighed, feeling a growing unease. “Or maybe something happened…”

Hyunjin looked at me seriously, and I already knew what he was going to say. “We’d better look for him.”

Nodding my head, I felt it was the only option. Something was wrong with Jisung, and we had to check it out.

🕸️🕸️🕸️

Movie suggestion: The Haunted Mansion (2003)