The Gifted (Txt x Itzy)

二十六

They were running for their lives yet again. It was getting tiresome.

Shouts and police sirens could be heard, faint but there. The forest was disorientating, but that would help them too. Dark shadows danced alongside them, though they were unsure if those were the shadows of the trees or the shadows of assailants. "Would they send helicopters after us?" Yuna asked between breaths. "They wouldn't, would they?" Jisu replied. "They wouldn't," Kai assured them. "Well," Taehyun said, "In movies, usually that's when the helicopters come." Thankfully, there was no sound of helicopters. "Okay, so much for shelter, where now?" Jisu panted. Taehyun's fingers frantically ripped open the notebook. "Nearby, she's nearby I believe," He said hurriedly. "Lovely," Yuna muttered.

-

It was pitch black when they finally stopped running. They stopped to catch their breath. "Well, that was something," Yuna commented, "What now?" Taehyun sighed. "You know what, the sooner we look for them, the faster we can go. You have a choice. Stay here and wait while me and a few others go to find the next girl, or we all go together." Yeonjun straightened. "We should stick together," The oldest suggested, "It's safer that way." With that, they carried on. They emerged from the bamboo forest into a desolate town. It was dead silent, no birds chirping (maybe because it was late), no car engines (maybe everyone was home) and no talking (maybe everyone was sleeping). But it grew obvious-this town was empty. No people, no cars, no pets. Just a bleak, empty town, barely lit with flickering lights. The eight crept to the nearest house, which was unlocked and unoccupied. "Whew, maybe we can stay here-" Yuna's mouth was immediately covered by Kai's hand. A creak. "Sorry that was me," Yeji whispered. And then the wall next to Taehyun's head was impaled by a spike. Everyone immediately turned to that direction. Taehyun exhaled. "It's okay guys, she's one of us," He assured them. "You see the thread?" Yuna asked. "Yeah," He said. "Hi, I'm Taehyun." He lit a finger on fire, the glowing orange flame lighting up the place slightly. A girl stood before them, a spike of glittery glass in each hand, her piercing gaze unwavering. "Are you from the government?" The girl asked shakily. "Why does everyone ask that?" Jisu muttered. "No, we're not," Taehyun replied. The girl paused, then nodded. "Okay, I'm Chaeryeong and we need to leave."