Black Roses and White Chrysanthemum

sharpshooter °2.5° e

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The building was silent. So much so, Jooheon bet that if he dropped a coin the sound would carry throughout the whole place.

All he could hear, going up the stairwell, step by step, was Changkyuns breathing behind him. It was silent, but even. He couldn't help but wonder if Changkyun was thinking the same thing; had they been too late, and had the building been evacuated?

Jooheon knew what was in these upper levels. They all knew, and that was why they were here. To tear this complex down, for what they were doing. They promised a cure, a way to get better from the sickness. But all it did was pause it, and then make it worse. They weren't figuring out how to cure it, they wanted to weaponize it. Turn it into something so much worse than it already was, even if it didn't seem possible.

That's what they told them.

A floor up, on the still empty stairwell Jooheon stopped at the door. He gave pause, looking back to Changkyun, meeting his eyes.

Jooheon smiled, not sure if it was to settle his own nerves or Changkyuns. And if the younger was nervous, he didn't show it as he grinned back.

It wasn't a time for words, though Jooheon found he had so many things he wanted to say. Except at the same time, he wasn't sure what to, even if he could. He hoped his eyes didn't betray the swaying emotion inside.

Changkyun passed him, putting a hand on the doorknob, mouthing one, two, three- he swung the door open and Jooheon lead, stepping in and holding his gun high, swiping it in both directions, finger on the trigger.

Nothing.

He motioned to Changkyun that it was clear, and the younger moved in as well, the sound of the door closing like an explosion through the empty halls. The ground shook beneath them, causing the fixtures to momentarily flicker. No big deal.

"Did they evacuate?" Changkyun mumbled, following Jooheon down the halls. If anyone was there, they would have heard their footsteps.

It certainly felt like that.

"I dunno, maybe they're on the uppermost levels?" Jooheon went around another corner, yielding nothing. He lowered his weapon. "We have to make sure this floor is clear before we move on. Split up to save time, maybe some others will meet up when we reach another floor."

Changkyun didn't like the idea of splitting up, but what could he do? That was the only sensical option.

"Alright. See you back here in five." Changkyun nodded, and watched Jooheon fearlessly turn down the hall and continue on.

Only when he rounded the corner and was out of sight did Changkyun turn to head the opposite way, checking the time on a hanging wall clock to mark the beginning of those five minutes.

By himself, Changkyun would push open a door, look around, make sure it was empty, and move on. It was tiring work. But each room confused him more than the last- most were simple rooms with nothing but a bed and nightstand, the bedsheets always messed up and in disarray. Others held equipment, like X-ray machines, but none seemed to have any windows. From the outside, it was odd. But from the inside, it just made the building feel more uncomfortable. Confined.

There was one thing all the rooms had in common though, and that was that they were empty of people.

He was almost to the last of the rooms, taking the doorknob and trying to open it. Except this time, the door was locked. Changkyun frowned. None of the doors had been locked so far, why would this one be?