Title: Monster (Lucky One sequel)

[6 months ago]

It had been a year since they had escaped from the facility that had kept them from the outside world. In those twelve months, they were quick to adapt to their new life although they still had to live like fugitives, spending half of their times hiding from everyone and no one.

But it was not enough.

They were not free yet… not when they could be caught anytime, anywhere. After twelve hours of their escape, their pictures were circulated around the cities. Anyone can recognize their faces if they so much as made eye-contact.

It was still dangerous.

“Okay.”

Suho clapped his hands, waking Baekhyun from his reverie as he was watching the news on the flatscreen about them, volume muted. A picture of each of them was flashing for a second one by one, telling the citizen to call the authority if there was a sighting for any of them. Just looking at their pictures in their white clothes and collars made Baekhyun’s inside churned with sickness. They really need to go somewhere where no one will recognize them.

…but where?

Baekhyun turned off the flatscreen and paid attention to the leader of their small fugitive group. With a stern look that had been his permanent expression since they escaped from the facility, Suho looked around the long table. “Let’s come up with a plan.”

-----

[20 minutes ago]

The air smelled like gun powders. The riot was going on full blown. There were at least a thousand soldiers in front of the facility against a few hundred insurgents in black masks fighting each other off. There were screams of anger in the night, the sound of glass breaks, fire everywhere and a lot of casualties.

Baekhyun was separated from the others as he kicked away a soldier on the chest before he could get his baton on him. Panting, he caught sight of Sehun. The younger looked battered with bloodied face and clothes and Baekhyun felt the ache at the pit of his stomach at the sight. He needed to proceed with the plan quickly.

It’s time.

With barely a nod to the youngest, he slipped away from the raging riot.

-----

[8 months ago]

The night sky was exceptionally dark with a few stars dispersed around. Even the moon was hiding behind a cloud. Nevertheless, Baekhyun thought it was still a beautiful night. After spending his lifetime constricted in four walls, everything to Baekhyun looked beautiful.

When will he get the chance to see the sky day or night? When will he get to smell the winter sea ever again? When will get to watch his friends laughing with no care in the world as they played at the abandon playground?

Inside the castle slide, Baekhyun lied down on his back with his arms under his head as a pillow. He could hear Kyungsoo laughing over something Chen had said and he smiled. Listening to them happy was already enough to make him feel content.

He felt a presence of someone else in the castle with him but he paid no heed. Not until a head of red hair and big ears popped in front of his face did he burst into a laugh.

“Hey, giant.” He greeted the other man with a pull of his big ear.

“Hello,” Chanyeol grinned at him. “Why are you all alone in here? Don’t you want to play with us?” Suddenly the happy face he was used to see was replaced with a worried look. “Baek, are you sick? Do you want me to get Lay?”

He shook his head. “I’m fine, Chanyeol. Don’t bother the guy.”

The other man shrugged with a quick ‘okay’. Then he was shoving Baekhyun aside as gentle as possible until there was a room for him and then he lied down. Chanyeol released a deep sigh as he settled down next to Baekhyun.

“This is nice… Chen is buying a few sparklers anyway. You should play with us later,” said Chanyeol.

“I know,” he simply answered, “I will.”

In the semi-darkness, Chanyeol raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Like a lighter, a small fire came out of his fore-fingertip. It basked them with yellow glow and in the light, he studied Baekhyun with that look when he was concentrating on something (like how to prank Sehun, for instance).

Looking a little bit amused by the redhead’s action, Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. “You found something interesting in my face?” It was unusual to see Chanyeol calm and quiet when he was a ball of energy half of the time.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Are you having fun today?” he asked instead.

“Yes, I am.” Baekhyun lowered his eyes and stared at his shoes poking out of the slide. “We don’t get to get out a lot in the open so I’m glad we get to play tonight.”

“We were used to being locked up in the facility so it feels kind of strange to be here, isn’t it?”

Baekhyun gave what Chanyeol had said a thought. “Yeah, you can say that.”

“But this is not freedom yet,” Chanyeol added under his breath, and Baekhyun couldn’t say anything other than silently agreeing to him.

-----

[35 minutes ago]

Lines and lines of soldiers stood in front of the facility with their shields ready. Baekhyun watched as Kyungsoo easily climb on CCTV pole thanks to his small build and sat on top of it that it reminded him of a prince on a throne. The thought amused him as his hand lingered on the lever, ready to shut the CCTV system down. The others were lined in front of the soldiers with the insurgents and Lay was the first to provoke them by kicking the one in front of him.

With that cue, he pulled the lever down.

-----

[4 months ago]

“Earth?” Kyungsoo looked bewildered. “Are you saying that we should escape to Earth?”

“Yes,”