one blood ✓

f o r t y • f o u r

• • T A E H Y U N G • •

"So are all of you ready?" Siyeon asked, tilting her head as her eyes creepily widened. Not to mention that very subtle smirk of hers is making things more eerie.

No one answers her question as we all look at the four keys below us as if our lives depended on it.

Our eyes only drifted to Dami when she spoke.

"No sign of enthusiasm whatsoever? Tsk, all of you are killjoys," Dami said, rolling her eyes for a moment. "How about..." She paused, stepping forward. "We start now?" At the snap of her finger, all four of us sprinted for the keys but the lights started to turn off too which was a big problem for us.

Tsk, seriously this is not even fair.

I got to grab a key once I felt its smooth metallic structure. "Gotcha," I mumbled to myself. After that I immediately drop down and start  crawling down the floor, knowing that it'll be hard for them to find me on the ground, hopefully.

I hear shuffles of feet, but nonetheless it was quiet. I kept crawling as I ignore the sound, hoping that I could get to the exit as quick as possible.

The shuffling got louder as I approached a direction. I turned around hoping to avoid the sound.

Time passed a little bit and now I can hear metal scratching upon metal. I can even feel the floor moving too, as if an earthquake was happening at the moment.

As I crawl more, the feeling of somebody following me grew. I don't know if it was just my brain playing with me or someone is really following me. Either is equally distasteful. But finally the time which felt like minutes paid off as I finally reached a wall. And as if it was a sign, the lights flickered and I heard a sound of mumbling. More of shouting because it seems like the person is trying to get free from something. I turned around as the light bulbs flickered continuously.

I looked around to see where the mumbling was coming from. I looked everywhere until my eyes got fixed to a dark figure.

It was hard to see because it was long before I got to adjust my vision but when the time came, I saw Hoseok hyung and — is that a noose?

"Fuck, what?" I swore under my breath. There was no sign of anybody near us so I sprinted for it.

It might be risky, but my body just moved on its own. I know this might be a trap but I rather die helping a friend than knowing I got out without doing anything.

"T-Taehyung help," Hoseok hyung said as he struggled to get himself free.

He's already running out of breath so I pulled out the sharpest tool from my pocket, a cutter. "Don't die on me, horse," I said as I pulled the nearest chair to me. I got up from it and started cutting the rope.

"I might as well die, if you're gonna call me that."

"Hyung! This is not the time to sass me up," I whispered, as I finally cut the whole thing to make Hoseok hyung free.

It was unusual that no one is coming for us yet but as long as we're breathing, I ain't complaining. It's just that nobody coming for us builds up more anxiety inside me.

"Ahh!" Hyung fell on the floor and coughed. I got down immediately and checked up on him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah..." He said as he stood up. "I seriously didn't remember how I got there but one thing's for sure. We gotta get out of here before the girl— shit, run!" I was taken aback as hyung pulled my hand. I turned my head around to see who we are running away from and there was a little girl running after us, dry blood all over her dress. It looked like a little Siyeon.

"Fools! No one can run away from their fate. All of you are going to die anyway so let me do you a favor and cut your connection a little bit earlier to this hell you're going through."

The voice echoed through the whole place but we just kept running while the girl, she just stopped halfway and just smiled as she held onto her decapitated teddy bear.

That was weird but it gave me a sigh of relief for a moment and some time to stop the running. We entered a well lit room and locked the door, hoping that no one would come for us at this moment because seriously, this thing is tiring already.

"Hey, Tae.."

"What is it?" I asked, trying catch my breath.

"Do you have a key? Mine broke a while ago because that little shit pulled it away from me," Hyung said, a worrying expression splattered on his face. "I swear to groot, that girl has amazing strength."

"Oh yeah, I have it right inside my pocket," I said I put my right hand on my right pocket.

Empty.

"Ahaha..." I laughed anxiously. "Maybe it's inside the other one," I said, putting my left hand inside my other pocket.

Shit, empty again.

I checked every possible pocket I could've had but all of them our empty.

"Tae?" Hyung called out to me, adapting the expression I was having right now. "Don't tell me you don't have the key."

"Hyung, I did have it. But... It's missing," I said bowing my head, trying to remember where I've put it.

"What? Taehyung from all of the possible times you could had been clumsy, you picked now?!" I can hear the annoyance in his voice but he calmed down anyway with a sigh. "It's okay. Let's think positive. We could just find the others and hope that they will have the keys, but in this situation I think it will be hard to find both of them," He pauses, glancing at the dark corridors.

I thought at first this challenge would be easy but I was wrong because I expected that we would play 'tag' in the living room we were just in a while ago. But now — we're in a whole other place.

After a moment of silence. It clicked.

I know where the key is.

I looked at hyung, seeing the anxiety in his face. I sighed. "Well I've got an idea," I said, making his head turn to me. "I know you wouldn't like it but what about you go find the hyungs while I find my key. I am really sure that it fell from my pocket when we were running awhile ago," I firmly ended.

"Tae, no you're staying with me-"

"Hyung it's fine trust me, I won't risk all of us dying out here," I opened his palm and gave him a piece of paper. "Don't open this until the right time comes," I smiled at him.

"But, Tae-"

"Aye! No buts. Just give me a chance today, let me do something this time.".

I left him speechless, he just looked at me pleading with his eyes but I just gave him a smile.

"I'll go now, hyung. Now find the others before anything happens," I said before walking away.

I didn't look back.

I can't look back.

I may never know what lies along me in this dark hallway but I'm expecting that little girl to come for me. Nonetheless, I still know that I will face her either way because that little girl ... has the key.

But I refuse to die because I will live for-

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cliffhanger, anybody?ヽ（´ー｀）┌

Btw check out the IMPORTANT UPDATE chapter if you didn't. I'm in need of your opinions, thanks c: