insomnia | stray kids ff

lvl 16: stealth

"Why are we looking for Felix again?" Yeji whispers to me as I walk past some people in the common area. Minho overhears and runs toward us.

"What about Felix?" Felix's best friend questions. I sigh as I tell them to lower their voices while continuing towards the stairs.

"I think Felix is in trouble," I say.

"Trouble!" Minho exclaims. I shushed him again and this time, looked around for anyone who was listening. I sigh and then shake my head.

"If you want to help me, you guys have to be quiet," I say and then notice everyone in the common area is too busy to notice our actions. "We are going to the third floor. Stay silent," I inform them with assertiveness.

I sneak over to the staircase door and lead Yeji and Minho silently to the third-floor entrance. We notice a familiar, short-haired girl there, peeking through the tiny window. She is startled when she notices my arrival. I look at her with a concerned face.

"Jeongyeon?" I whisper.

"Hana?" Jeongyeon asks back. "Why are you guys here?"

"Why are you here?" I question. Jeongyeon stays silent and tries to avoid eye contact with me. "Do you know what's going on too?"

"The experiments?" Jeongyeon answers. "The abuse?"

"You know," I say and then look back at Minho and Yeji who look shocked. "Last night, Felix and I heard a scream and went to go see what happened and saw these men using an innocent girl as bait for a zombie. They were analyzing the way it attacked her," Jeongyeon shakes her head.

"I heard a scream a few nights after I got here," Jeongyeon tells me. "I saw a man being given some sort of zombie venom which turned him into one of them. It was involuntary."

"JYP said that they had a special job for Felix," I say. "Have you seen Felix on this floor?" Jeongyeon nods.

"Once."

"What if they're doing the same to him?" Minho asks.

"We have to get him," Yeji says.

"We need a plan though," I say and turn to Jeongyeon. "How many people do you think would be on this level?"

"At least 5," Jeongyeon tells me.

I look at her with a stumped face. If there are more than five, I will get caught. A lightbulb pops into my head and I look over at Minho.

"Do you know if this place is powered by generators," I ask him. Minho thinks and then shrugs.

"It most likely is," Minho says.

"Can you tamper with the generator that is powering this floor?"

"Probably," Minho says. "I just need to know where it is."

"I know where it is," Jeongyeon says.

In twenty minutes, we devised a plan to find out what this place is really doing. Once Minho found the generator that was powering the third level, Jeongyeon would help distract the mechanic team so that Minho wouldn't get caught. While the people on the third floor also go and investigate the power outage, Yeji and I will try and find Felix.

Yeji and I wait under the stairwell until the crew from the third-floor hurries down the stairs. When they finally flee the floor, Yeji and I run up the stairs with flashlights and open the door. We notice it being dangerously pitch black. We hear screams and banging which gives us both the shivers and trauma. We hold hands to comfort each other. As we pass by each room and look through the windows, we mostly find other zombies or some prisoners crying. I sigh as I watch them sob and continue down the hall.

"We should do something," I mutter.

"Remember to stick with the plan," Yeji says. "We can't do anything yet until we have information," I nod and walk down to the next room.

I notice a boy walking down the hallway and then look at Yeji with a confused face. We both run cautiously towards the figure. He turns around and we see a tired freckled boy. I feel a wave of relief wash over me and I immediately hug Felix.

"Thank goodness," I say as I squeeze Felix. He hugs me back. Once I let go, I noticed his smile fade a little. "What did they do to you?" I ask as I carefully brush over his black eye.

"I was being difficult," Felix smiles. I sigh and shake my head.

"You have to come with us," I say.

"If I come with you, they'd know I escaped," Felix says. "I broke out of my cell to find out more information."

"You could die. What have they been doing here?" Yeji asks.

"They experiment on the zombie bodies and try to understand it. They use us as bait to try to control the zombies or analyze them," Felix says.

"Why did they choose you to be one of their experiments?" I ask.

"JYP is not a good guy," Felix says. "He drugged me and I woke up in the cell. It's not safe for you guys to be here," Felix says and looks around.

"Minho cut the power," Yeji informs.

"Felix, you're in danger. I don't want to leave you here," I say.

"I don't want them to be suspicious of you or the group," Felix says. "They said they'd let me go as long as I do what they ask. They don't want others to know either so they'll let me out downstairs and have dinner."

"I don't get it. You could tell everyone then," I say.

"They told me that if I do try to tell, they'll kill one of you," Felix says. We hear a door slam and then look at each other with wide eyes. "You guys have to get out of here," Felix tells us.

"Felix but..,"

"Hana, don't go to sleep," Felix' last words to me stuck in the back of my brain. Don't go to sleep?

[to save me from being

locked in the darkness]

It has been four days since I last saw Felix since dinner. I still can't believe there is something cruel happening behind this hopeful community. I don't hear screams at night but I'm awake in case one of my friend's. Don't go to sleep.

I'm surprised Minho hasn't alerted the group about it. He has talked to me about how he is worried and how we should tell the others but that will only get us into more trouble. Who can we even trust in this place?