Day6 || Hunt

Chapter IX-Part 1

Glancing up, startled, you see Builder wearing a grim expression.

Clutching a small, thin flash drive in his fist, his eyes lock with yours.

"Do you mind explaining to me why you have this?" he asks, expression hard.

Swallowing, you glance between him and Young K.

"I don't know what you're—" you begin, but Builder interrupts you.

"Stop lying!" he yells.

Coming from Builder, usually so quiet and laid back, you're shocked into silence.

"Don't you understand? In case you haven't noticed the situation is serious. The building's burning down, and with it any possible clues we might have had. Jae is lying unconscious and DoWoon's arm is cut bad. The Pirus guys took Grace, and this time we have no idea where the location will be--and the one guy that could possibly lead us to them has gone missing!"

Sungjin heaves a deep breath before continuing.

"And while I'm here, going crazy trying to figure out if you and Young K burned to death, here you both are sucking each other's faces off. This whole time I've been cracking codes endlessly, trying to get a clue what we're dealing with, so imagine my surprise when I adjusted the sweatshirt someone gave Jae, and this fell out," he says fiercely, shaking the slim, black drive at you again.

"And it just so happens to be the sweatshirt you were wearing."

Seeing the anger in his eyes, you wince, acutely aware of the truth in all of his words. But even more than facing Builder's wrath, you're more frightened to see the expression on another person's face.

Turning towards Young K slowly, you muster all of your courage before meeting his gaze. As you stare into his dark eyes you see a mixture of emotions: confusion, betrayal, and amazingly enough, hopefulness. But his mask is slipping on again.

Hesitating, everything piles up in your mind at once.

Grace was taken?

Jae hasn't woken up.

Everything burned.

Wonpil is missing...

Wonpil!

"What do you mean Wonpil's missing," you exclaim, his words finally sinking in.

"You said you were going back for him, he could still be in the building."

Panic builds inside you as you turn to scan the warehouse frantically. The fire's taken over everything. If someone's still inside, there's no way they could survive. Young K has jumped to his feet, facing the building, his hands balled into fists, his jaw clenching, eyes scanning.

"He's not inside, I'm sure of it," Builder says solemnly.

Turning to look at him, you stare at him searching his expression.

"How do you know?" you demand.

"I went back for him, just like I promised," Builder says seriously. "But when I got there he was gone, and there was a trail of blood leading towards the stairs."

"That doesn't mean anything," you argue, fear rising, "he could still be inside, trapped on the stairway or passed out from the smoke."

"I don't think so," Builder cuts in quietly, "because I saw something else. Along with the trail of blood, there were footprints—and they didn't belong to him. Someone was carrying him."