Playing The Dreams // a Dreamcatcher story

Chapter 13

❝ 𝐀 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞. ❞

~

"Thank you doctor," JiU thanked when the doctor finished the checkups. The doctor smiled to reply and told JiU to rest before heading outside and turning off the lights. JiU only had the moonlight to light the room up and her small night lamp the hospital provided. She sighed. Her phone sat on her lap, as quiet as the wind; no news yet she assumes.

She was just about to tuck herself into sleep after setting her phone on the bed side and just tossing her body slowly on her side to get a good position despite her wound that throbbed every now and then. Her eyes slowly fell slowly like the shades on the windows, her breathe started to stabilize, her soul started to feel at ease, but I guess none of them had any time to rest.

Creeaaaak..

JiU turned her body slowly to look over her shoulder. The door was opened ajar. Who could have gotten in? It's probably just the nurse or the doctor to leave some medications, but no, it was not the doctor, nor the nurse.

JiU's eyes scattered through the room but caught nothing until she felt a touch. Her body jerked sideways --- her wound stung her and she hissed in pain while also muffling as the figure laid his hands on her mouth to prevent her from making any noise. JiU started to suffocate, his hand was blocking any possible air from coming through and she lost strength to fight, but thankfully it did not last too long.

The hand released her. "Who the hell are you?"

He adjusted his gloves and put them back into his pockets. "Let's make a deal. I'll make it simple for you if you just listen. If you don't, I would really hate to make the situation messy. I'm only given one simple instruction and neither of us wants to see what happens if you don't cooperate with me. So, do we have a deal?"

"Tell me who you are first."

He cleared his throat impatiently. "Do we have a deal?"

JiU knew that she could not negotiate with this person. He was intelligent, slick and clever, he gets things done quick and easy, nothing more or less. "Alright."

"Good. Now," he took a seat on the seat he dragged beside JiU's bed, "with your current condition, the doctor plans on discharging you tomorrow morning. Therefore, the hospital will call your friends to pick up, most likely only one or two will. Are you following?"

JiU nodded. "How do you---"

"When that happens, you will be followed." He stood up. "Listen to me if you value your life and friends. When your friends come into this building, there will be people, I don't know who, but they will track you. Now focus on my words, instead of walking out the front door, take the emergency exit. That'll give you a head start, just a few minutes, just a few meters, just enough for you two grab a ride on the bus."

"Are the people working for whoever wants the hard drive?"

"Hm, you're learning fast. Yes they are, most likely, and they want everyone involved in this project---"

"Dead, yeah, it's been explained. Now how am I sure that we'll make it out?"

The man smiled under the shadows. "You're smart, very," he sighed while pulling his hands out of his pockets. "Get off at the first stop. Once you're safe, you'll receive a phone call. That phone call will determine your next move. I know you really want to see your maknae," he leaned in, almost breathing on JiU, "and you will if you finish this quickly, got that?"

JiU gulped.

➳

"Alright, I think you're good to go. Just keep the cast on and you'll be better in a few days. It'll be rusty but you'll be able to move it slowly."

"Thanks again doctor," JiU thanked, barely any emotion.

The doctor nodded and escorted JiU outside towards the waiting room where Siyeon and Yoohyeon waited. "JiU unnie! Thank goodness you're alright," Siyeon remarked as she hugged her. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, it's still painful."

"Oops sorry," Siyeon apologized while taking off the hug. "It's all good," JiU sighed, releasing the faint hug with Yoohyeon. With this, the doctor smiled and walked off, leaving the three. "SuA is making some kimchi soup back at Dami's place and we promised to take you back before she finishes."

JiU nodded unconsciously, her eyes were unfocused. She remembered the exact words he said last night. There would be someone, someone to track them and tag them. But who? "Who..," JiU murmured, alerting the other two.

"What did you say?"

JiU snapped out and took her glaze off the other civil people in the room. "Huh? Oh.. I.."

"Are you okay?"

JiU started to glare off again, not catching anything they were saying. Siyeon then laid her hand on JiU's forehead. "Hey unnie, let's just head home---"

"Someone's going to follow us," she whispered. "We need to get out from the emergency exit, please listen to me."

"What, why?"

"Someone came to visit me last night, he seemed to be working with Yoongi and that guy who kept calling us. He told me to go through the back door because people would be tracking us then grab a bus ride and get off at the first stop. I.. I think he's right and there's something weird." Siyeon and Yoohyeon exchanged expressions when JiU finished her statement. "Come on," JiU hooked Yoohyeon's hand and pulled her with her uninjured right hand. They all started shuffling towards the emergency exit. "Did you bring Gahyeon's phone?"

"No."

"Damn it. He said he would give us a call when we're safe."

"What does he mean by that?" Yoohyeon asked. Their feet shuffled down the stairs quickly trying to avoid anybody possibly following them. "When we arrive at the first stop, I guess?"

"I'm calling SuA."

"No don't!" JiU paused to steal the phone from Siyeon's hands. "We can't let them be involved. If we do get caught, we can't bring them in it."

"Hey!" a man called from the top of the stairs. Not long after the guy screamed, there was a gunshot. Yoohyeon shrieked as the blast was near to her body. "Come back here!"

"Run!" JiU screamed, bullets firing beside them, thankfully missing almost every shot because they were running out of accuracy, only focusing on the speed to catch the girls. Siyeon was first to make it out. "What do we do now?!" she panicked once JiU and Yoohyeon got out. JiU's eyes scanned the place, she hesitated, fidgeting in the place with Yoohyeon in her arm. "No time to stay! Just run, go!"

JiU's hands pushed the younger to jump start them as the rumbling got louder and louder through the emergency exit route. They were way ahead when the doors blew open, but the bullets were still going long range, enough to catch them, but they were also quick.

"Get them!" one roared with much anger, sending the two other men for the girls.

They got through to an alley that thankfully was not a dead end. They turned at a corner and that gave them a few minutes to recover. Yoohyeon panted harshly, Siyeon held the wall for support and JiU stuck her back to the wall and fell on her bottom. "U-Unnie, are you alright?"

"Yoohyeonie, don't worry about me. I'm f--- Argh!" she groaned in pain due to moving her left shoulder too sharply. "Unnie!"

"N-No, no, I'm fine. We need to go, come on, it won't take that long for them to find us." JiU got up with the help of them both, and they were off, running for their lives until they got to the nearest bus stop.