GOING BOARDING HOUSE | SEVENTEEN group chat. (Editing)

The Killing of S.

All heads whipped in his direction. Sure enough, beneath the dim light, a dark, slick liquid pooled on the wooden floor. The crimson red stain spread slowly, creeping toward their feet like a living thing.

"Oh my God," Seungkwan breathed, clinging to Vernon like his life depended on it. "This is not happening, this is not happening!"

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," Mingyu whispered, his voice trembling as he stared at the thick, oozing puddle.

"Is it real blood?" Jun asked quietly, still crouched on the floor, staring at it with wide, horrified eyes. "Does anyone smell...iron?"

"Soonyoung, if you touched anything, I swear to God, I'm going to—" Jeonghan started, but before he could finish, the lights flickered again. This time, it was different. There was a sound—a thud. Something heavy fell from above, hitting the floor with a sickening crash.

The lights stuttered back on, casting a shaky glow across the room. There, lying in the center of the room, was a large, broken chandelier that had fallen from the ceiling. Dust rose up in clouds around it, but that wasn't what had everyone frozen in place.

Behind them, scrawled on the wall in what looked like fresh, wet blood, were the words:

"The Killing of S."

"Oh, hell no," Soonyoung gasped, backing away until his back hit the wall. "I did not sign up for this!"

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Minghao shouted, his voice high-pitched with panic. "Who the hell is 'S'?"

"I'm betting it's Seungcheol!" Seungkwan shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You planned this whole creepy-ass horror show, didn't you?"

Seungcheol's face remained impassive, he shook his head no. He wore the same expression as everyone else.. "Do I really seem that twisted to you?"

"YES!" Everyone shouted at once.

Before they could continue, Jihoon stepped closer to the wall, squinting at something on the ground. Scattered around the bloodstained floor were several small cards, each one face down, lying suspiciously close to the blood puddle.

"What the hell are these?" Jihoon asked, bending down to pick one up, his fingers hesitating just before touching it, like it might bite him.

Vernon stared hard at the cards, a wary look on his face. "You sure you want to touch those? They're in a puddle of blood, man."

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Jihoon said through gritted teeth, snatching one up before anyone could protest. He flipped it over.

On the card was a single word, written in neat, old-fashioned script: "Liar."

"What does that mean?" Seokmin asked, his voice a nervous squeak. He looked ready to faint.

Jihoon flipped another card. This one read: "Betrayal."

The tension in the room spiked as Jihoon continued flipping cards, each one bearing a different word: "Jealousy." "Deceit." "Fear." "Revenge."

A sense of dread settled over them like a thick fog. It felt like they were being judged, but for what?

"Okay, I'm done. I'm so fucking done," Seungkwan muttered, backing away. "I vote we find a way out before something actually kills us. I am not dying in this rat-infested, psycho murder house."

"You know what? For once, I agree with Seungkwan," Soonyoung added, his eyes darting to the door, his feet already itching to bolt.

But when they tried the door, it once again didn't budge.