After the encounter with Minjae, Luhan had been called out on a mission along with Chanyeol. Joonmyun had disappeared shortly after Misook had been asked on a surprise date with Minseok, and Jongdae had been left alone with his thoughts in the kitchen. 

He could feel that something was about to happen. Something extremely bad. Standing from his seat he walked out of the kitchen, heading for the staircase that would lead to the lower levels. His pace increased with every step, and soon enough he was at dorm level. 

Just as Jongdae skidded around the corner to the dorm rooms he came face to face with Minjae, who was holding what looked like a petrol can in his left hand and a lighter in the other. Jongdae didn’t need to be told what he was about to do as he jumped on him, shoving him backward in an attempt to make him drop the lighter.  

What Jongdae hadn’t realised was that the can Minjae was holding was actually the third can of petrol that he’d brought into the base, and two of them had already been sprayed along the corridors and the dorm rooms that had been left open, Jongdae’s included.  

Grabbing hold of Minjae’s collar, Jongdae slammed him against the wall. Though taller than Jongdae, Minjae apparently wasn’t as skilled when it came to hand to hand combat. Like Jongdae had wanted he dropped the lighter, but he also dropped the petrol can, spilling flammable liquid across the floor. With his hands-free, Minjae countered Jongdae’s attack, snatching his wrists in his hands and bringing his foot up to kick Jongdae in the gut. Jongdae’s grip loosened and he shot backward, hitting the wall. Minjae was on him before he could react, gripping his throat and trying to lift him off the floor. Jongdae flung his feet up and shoved him away. 

Minjae recovered quickly, kicking his right leg out in an attempt to strike Jongdae’s head. Jongdae dodged and countered his attack, throwing his leg up and catching Minjae in the neck. He went sprawling across the corridor, landing next to Jongdae’s bedroom door.  

“I should’ve known it was you,” Jongdae breathed, becoming increasingly aware of the petrol fumes entering his airways.  

“Not as smart as you make out, are you Chen?,” Minjae sneered as he got to his feet and advanced towards Jongdae. 

Jongdae didn’t see the next attack coming. Minjae struck the side of his head, sending his new glasses flying and him barrelling towards the solid concrete wall. His vision blurred and black spots appeared, but Minjae didn’t stop his attack. Throwing himself sideways, Jongdae managed to avoid another blow to the head and then ran at Minjae with his shoulders down. He didn’t expect Minjae to latch onto his collar and pull him to him. A sharp pain suddenly shot through his left shoulder. 

Minjae pushed Jongdae away and dropped the knife, fresh blood slathered on the tip. Despite the initial shock of being stabbed, the adrenaline in his system allowed Jongdae to fight back. Dropping the knife was Minjae’s first mistake as Jongdae leaped at him again, getting him in a headlock and swinging around so he ended up on his back. 

Heart racing, Jongdae pulled his arms back and around way harder than he should’ve done. Minjae stumbled backward, the lighter went skidding across the floor. A single spark ignited the petrol and suddenly fire was everywhere. Minjae ran in the direction of the doors with Jongdae on his back to get away from the flames. The petrol on his shoes narrowly missed ignition as the doors closed behind them. Unfortunately for Minjae, Jongdae pulled his arms back again and suddenly his airways were cut off. Minjae struggled, running backward and slamming Jongdae’s back against the wall. Winded, he let go. Minjae stumbled to the side. Jongdae recovered and ran at him again. He could feel the blood from the stab wound running down his shoulder and soaking his shirt, but he didn’t care. 

Without thinking he shoved Minjae as hard as he could. It hadn’t occurred to him that the stairs were a mere few feet away with smoke slowly filling the corridor. Minjae went stumbling backward again, tripping and falling down the stairs. He shrieked in fear, but there was nothing either of them could do to stop the fall. Minjae hit the stairs hard, landing at the bottom on his side, completely lifeless. 

Jongdae stared down at the body, completely frozen. Had he really just killed Misook’s brother? After a few moments, he managed to snap out of it and look around. He could see the flames up the sides of the walls through the glass in the double doors, and the smoke was becoming increasingly thicker. He knew that the police could already be swarming the outside of the base, and if they found him he’d be arrested without question. Making his decision he made his way down to the lower levels, without sparing a glance for Minjae. He knew from experience that he was more than likely deceased, if not on the brink of death and there was nothing he could do for him. 

Heading further down he soon realised that Minjae had set several of the rooms below on fire as well. It wouldn’t be long before the entire base was engulfed in flames; he had to get out fast, but first, he had a job to do. 

He ran off in the direction of the surveillance room, completely ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he went. Hopping over what he assumed was a bunch of fire extinguishers, he slammed his hand against the hand scanner and entered the surveillance room. He was relieved to find it completely untouched. Heading straight for his laptop, he breathed in the uncontaminated air and began typing in a code only he knew. A code that would delete all the information the system contained; CCVT footage, important files, and anything the police could hold against any of the members as evidence if they managed to salvage anything. Hitting the enter key, the laptop brought up a white screen and then flashed blue before shutting down. All the systems in the surveillance room shut off instantaneously, never to be used again. 

Sighing with relief, Jongdae made his move. The pain in his shoulder had returned, and as he ventured back into the smoke-filled corridor he wasn’t sure whether he was becoming lightheaded due to smoke inhalation or blood loss, though he really hoped it was because Minjae had hit him earlier. This time he didn’t miss what he’d initially thought were fire extinguishers. To his horror, they turned out to be a body.

Upon closer inspection, he realised it w