Sehun had the urge to rush back to Chanyeol's office, and tell him where their friend was. He wanted desperately to tell someone, anyone, just to get the information out of his mind.
He stopped, inches away from the door, forgetting all about his previous intentions. How foolish was he, to believe someone only because he was erratic? If he were to tell Chanyeol, Sehun would be wasting precious time, and not only would they stray further from Xiumin, but Sehun could lose both friend's forever.
Sehun heaved a sigh and headed toward the elevator.
He decided to find Xiumin himself.
---
"Do you even have any idea where the hell you're going?" Chen panted, trying to keep up with O'Four.
"Vaguely,"
"What does that even mean?"
Chen finally noticed what he was wearing. With O'Four's petite frame cloaked head to toe in lavish attire, and Chen in his own ornate suit, one could conclude they were headed to a gala.
"Stop," O'Four froze, and held or his hand for Chen to do the same. "Listen,"
The sound of combat boots meeting the alloy catwalk echoed down the narrow white hall.
"This way," O'Four pointed right, and Chen trailed behind him.
"Wait!" Chen tugged on the back of the other's jacket, nearly yanking him to the ground. "There's another noise,"
Someone's footsteps were nearing closer, as Kai's steps grew more faint.
"Go, go, go!" Chen hushed, and shoved O'Four in front of him. He tried sucking in his breath, as if his racing heart beat was what was giving them away.
The two met a fork in their path. Kai's heavy breathing could be heard to their left.
"Split up. Go." O'Four pushed Chen to the right.
"No!" Chen hissed, but O'Four had sprinted down the other way, his footsteps growing distant as the unknown's drew closer.
Chen felt trapped. Something inside of him compelled him to stop.
He stayed put. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and a deafening siren sounded. A blaring alarm chimed at even intervals, clashing with the loud hammering of Chen's heartbeat.
The static of a loudspeaker sounded, and Chen's hands grew unfamiliarly warm. The doctor's threatening voice echoed through the corridors.
"Code Red. I repeat, Code Red."
Examining his hands with a glance, a bright light began to emanate from Chen's palms. Another noise added to the clamor; a high pitched scream that Chen soon realized was coming from his own mouth.
"Eighty-Eight has exited the building. Alpha to circulate the perimeters."
Chen couldn't stop gaping at his hands. He quickly shut his mouth and headed in the direction O'Four ran down, completely ignoring the oncoming footsteps.
Oh, how desperately Chen wanted to call out his companion's name. Though calling out 'O'Four' in the middle of a goose chase did not seem ethical.
The crackling of electricity murmured once more. Chen's hands grew warmer, giving off more light, and the urge to scream again lingered inside him because this time, it was starting to burn.
"Chen!" O'Four called out, turning the corner and facing Chen, who quickly ran towards the other.
"He left the building,"
"Who?"
"Eighty-Eight. Kai."
Chen understood, wondering why none of the given numbers were in a specific order. "Right. What am I?"
"Twenty-One," O'Four panted, and motioned toward the end of the hall from which he came. "He ran down that hall and now they say he left the building. Come on,"
The two followed in Kai's old footsteps, trampling over the same alloy he had walked. Many twists and turns later, O'Four slowed down, his face meeting a blank wall. He frowned.
"I don't get it." He turned around slowly and scratched his head.
"What?" Chen looked left and right, and his heart sank. "Where's the exit?" He asked, but already knew the answer.
O'Four shook his head and whispered under his breath. "Impossible."
Chen knew that Kai had somehow surpassed what was keeping him from being cooped up in a lab. Images of his cuffs flashed around in Chen's mind.
While he and O'Four stood face-to-face with a metal wall, Kai was finally making his grand escape.
He had teleported his way out.
e)(o
