insomnia | stray kids ff

lvl 24: endurance

[its time to get up

you need to get up]

I wake up, light-headed, and find myself staring in darkness. I sense a cloth around my head that is covering my eyes and start to feel my heartbeat quicken. I move frantically in worry.

"Hyunjin!" I call out. "Sana!" A chuckle responds which sends shivers down my spine.

"Your friends can't save you when they're in the same condition you're in," The voice is familiar. JYP. I scoff and keep my mouth shut. "You see, I don't like when people don't follow my policies."

"Why are you torturing your civilians?" I reply. "Sacrificing them to the zombies to experiment and study them? Disgusting," I sass.

JYP kicks my side which knocks the wind out of me and I fall to the floor. I wheeze as I try to breathe properly. I struggle to get back up and feel my heart racing now. I can imagine JYP circling me right now.

"Be a good girl and stay quiet now, Hana. Unless you want me to do worse things to you," JYP says in a calm yet angered tone. I stay quiet and bite my lip from speaking again.

"As I was saying, you and your group of friends have no business coming to the second floor. I know what you're wondering, what have I done to them?" JYP mocks me. "They're okay, for now. What's weird is that you were the first to wake up. Felix Lee was the second. Usually, that hit is supposed to knock you unconscious for longer but no, not for you and Felix. Maybe it's just the younger generation?"

My eyes follow the sound of JYP's footsteps. He takes off my blindfold and I finally see light. His grim face appears in front of me and I fight myself from spitting on him.

"Now, you must be wondering. What am I going to do to someone who messes with my project?" JYP says with a chuckle. He walks away from me and smiles. "Like you said, experiment?"

He closes the door behind him and I suddenly hear a door open and close. I look behind me and gasp in sadness.

"No, no, no," I sigh as I stare at Chan's undead face lunging towards me. I run around the room but never take my eyes off him. "Channie!" I scream in horror as tears run down my face. "Channie," I hopelessly speak as I stare at his white eyes and gray skin.

What used to be full of life and my best friend, is now someone I don't want to know anymore. Chan continues to chase me around the room. My hands still tied behind my back, I continue to run. I don't have a weapon to keep him away but I also don't want to hurt him at all. I run out of breath from running and turn around to face Chan. I kick his chest which pushes him back. As I look at his familiar face, I sigh in distraught. I shake my head as more tears fall.

"He's not Chan anymore, Hana," I say to myself.

I let out a breath and kicked the monster's ankle which made it fall. Before it could get back up, I hover on it and look at that face one more time. His small dimple appears as he closes his mouth. I feel an anchor on my chest as I stare at it. I close my eyes and stomp on its head to smash the brain and kill it. Immediately, I fall to the ground and start sobbing. I stare at the dead body in front of me and cry even more.

I hear banging on the window but the sound has faded out of my brain. I stare at the gray wall in despair. I hear my name being called but don't get up. It wasn't Chan anymore, Hana. I keep saying to myself. I sigh and get up to see

Hyunjin banging on the window. I ran over to him with my puffy face and red eyes. I was unable to wipe them away since my hands are tied. Hyunjin looks at me with sadness in his eyes. I still feel a weight on my chest as I look at him.

He picks the lock of the door and pulls me out and into a hug right when he opens the door. I sigh and feel myself want to melt in his arms as he holds me tight.

"It's okay. You're okay. You're okay," Hyunjin whispers repeatedly and holds me.

"Chan's dead," I sigh once Hyunjin unties me. Hyunjin looks at me and sees my distraught face. He wipes my tearful face.

"Look, Chan wouldn't want you to suffer right now. Not in a time like this, okay," Hyunjin holds my hands. "You have to keep fighting. If not for yourself then for him."

I nod and Hyunjin kisses my forehead which sends warmth to my heart. He takes me through the hallways while still holding my hand.

"The rest of them are still trapped. Only Felix and I are free," Hyunjin informs me.

"Are the rest of them okay?" I ask.

"I don't know," Hyunjin's tone is brought down. I squeeze his hand and continue to follow him.

"The rest of the group, are they still downstairs?" I question.

"Hopefully," Hyunjin says.

Jisung's POV

"We need to help them," I beg Woojin.

"I know but if you know how to pick locks and get us out of our room then do it," Woojin says.

"There's got to be another way," I think. Someone knocks on the wall from the room next to us.

"It's Seungmin and Jeongin," Woojin knocks back. They knock and Woojin's eyes go wide.

"How do you understand what's happening on the other side?" I ask him.

"We created a code," Woojin says. "They said they have a plan."