That blade ain’t gonna clean itself, kid.”

Baekhyun’s empty gaze flickered up to the gang member sitting across from him. He was stacking dozens of rifles into a box and carrying it to the other side of the city hall’s lobby.

Baekhyun’s eyes darted back down to the knife in his hand, blade caked with dried blood. Right. He was supposed to clean the weapons. Without a word, he took a cloth from the table in front of him and started wiping the knife.

“You’ve been out of it since last night’s attack,” the gang member said, walking over to him as he chuckled. “Got too scared ya’ lost ya’ voice?”

Baekhyun scoffed, shaking his head and setting down the knife. “No,” he deadpanned. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”

“Ya’ gotta get used to it, then,” he said. “You’ll be tired everyday from now on.”

The thug his heels and walked towards the hallway, passing Jiyong’s other henchmen who were busy unloading weapons and bringing them inside the vicinity. They haven’t got an ounce of sleep since yesterday, though Baekhyun knew he wouldn’t be able to even if he tried. There was no time for it.

Baekhyun was about to go back to his polishing when TOP appeared from the main entrance, his white dress shirt rolled up to his sleeves, revealing his bloody hand. His other fine arm was slightly hidden behind his back, and he was slightly staggering to get inside.

“Where have you been?” Baekhyun asked from the living area, standing to his feet. “We’ve been looking all over for you since last night. What happened?”

“Doesn’t matter now that I’m here,” TOP mumbled, walking past him and about to leave the lobby when Baekhyun suddenly called after him to stop.

Baekhyun bit his lower lip, slightly regretting what he did. It was a bad idea to ask, but he just couldn’t help himself or his curiosity. He just had to know.

“Back there at the rooftop,” he started slowly. “How did it turn out? Did you…” he trailed off, unsure if he should continue what he was about to ask. “Did you kill D.O?”

For a moment, TOP did nothing but stare at him, face completely void of emotion. Baekhyun thought he would use his power on him and was about to turn away when he finally spoke.

“No. I didn’t,” TOP said, and the breath Baekhyun didn’t know he was holding finally released.

“O-Oh.”

“But,” he continued, “I did something even better.”

Baekhyun’s brows furrowed in confusion, not understanding what he meant by that. Without a word, TOP proceeded to walk back inside again, but not before tossing something towards Baekhyun.

Baekhyun squinted his eyes as the object rolled in front of him. He blinked a couple of times before his mind finally registered what it was, making him curse loudly while backing away from it.

It was a hand; a human hand that’s been dirtied by dust and dried blood, but that wasn’t why he was so freaked out.

On its index finger, there was a ring with the Earth symbol laced around it, making Baekhyun realize as to what it meant and whom the hand belonged to.

---

Hyerin woke up abruptly bolting up from the bed, gasping loudly as if trying to desperately air into her lungs. Sweat trickled down the sides of her face as she looked around frantically.

Her mind couldn’t register her surroundings. Everything was just blank until a spark of recollection hit her so hard it all came to her at once. It felt like a big heavy stone was dropped onto her shoulders; it gave off a heavy, helpless feeling that she couldn’t lift no matter how hard she tried.

She didn’t have to think twice before prying the bed sheets off of her, when a voice halted her from taking a step down the bed.

“Stay there. You’re going to get dizzy with all the thrashing you’re doing.”

Her head snapped towards the direction of the voice, surprised to see Lay standing at the other side of the room in front of a small table, arranging sets of small medicine containers.

“Lay?” she mumbled, and just like what the healer predicted, her head suddenly felt heavy and her sight began to become bleary.

“Here,” Lay walked over to her bed and handed her a glass of water and two pills. “That should help you get back on track.”

Hyerin popped the pills in and gulped down the water. She handed the glass back to Lay before asking, “What happened?”

“Before you ask any questions look around you first, yeah?”

And so Hyerin did as she was told. Her eyes wandered around the regular-sized room; there were two beds, the one she was sitting on and another one on the other side. In the middle was the table Lay was standing in front of, and to the right was a dual closet. Beside it was the small restroom, while across the restroom was the door leading outside. Everything was black and white, from the furniture to the wallpaper.

“Where are we?” she asked, slightly bothered by the explicit color coordination of the room.

“We’re in M-LX2,” Lay explained, abandoning what he was doing. He went back to Hyerin and sat on her bed.

“Apparently, we have two headquarters – this one specifically for times like these where major problems arise. Everything at M-LX was transferred here including weapons, files and of course, the agents,” he explained. “Apparently, only Zero, your dad, and other higher-ranked agents know about this, so it was quite rushed when everyone evacuated M-LX to transfer here. We’re actually twenty feet below the city so for the meantime we’re safe.”

It felt like so much was going on. Her head was hurting from all this new information. It was stressful how M-LX always had something to hide even from their own agents, but in a way, it was also a good thing.

She shook her head, mouth set into a frown. “How long have I been out?”

“Pretty long. It’s already the afternoon.”

“Oh. Then why are you here?”

“I was just done healing your wounds.” He shrugged. “And I’m your roommate.”

Hyerin raised a brow.

“M-LX2 is relatively small compared to M-LX. There’s not much space for everyone to have their own room.”

“I know,” she sighed. “But its just…it just feels so weird and unfamiliar. It doesn’t feel right to be here.”

“That’s because it isn’t,” Lay said. “Sooner or later Jiyong will find out where were hiding and by then, it really will be a disaster.”

Hyerin stared at Lay with a grim look on her face, having nothing to say about that. It was nothing but the truth.

“On another note, are you feeling better?” Lay asked, his deadpan tone suddenly laced with concern.

“Much better. Where are the others?” she questioned, jumping out of the bed. “Are they okay?”

“Everyone’s just roaming around, trying to get used to the place. Tao and D.O are in the medical center getting treate-”

“Kyungsoo!” she gasped, whipping around to face Lay at the sound of the boy’s name. “I need to go and see him!”

“Okay. Get dressed and I’ll take you there,” he said in a way that seemed like he was expecting her to say that.

He stood up and walked over to his side of the closet and opened it. “You really should go visit him,” he said. “He’s been under the weather since he woke up.”

---

Hyerin was careful opening the door to Kyungsoo’s hospital room, afraid that he was sleeping and that the noise might possibly wake him up. She was even more cautious once she stepped inside with Lay, only she realized that it was all for nothing when she caught sight of Kyungsoo wide awake.

He was sitting up on his bed, light blue sheets covering his lower body. He was dressed in a white hospital gown and his hair was messy but he obviously didn’t care. He was staring up at the wall in front of him, eyes dazed and blank as if he didn’t notice someone coming inside. Half of his right arm – starting from his elbow down to his wrist – was heavily bandaged with gauze and medical tape.

Seeing as the boy was just staring at the wall and making no effort to greet them, Hyerin gave Lay a reluctant look before walking towards Kyungsoo, pulling a chair with her and setting it down next to his bed. She sat down on the chair, the door behind her closing shut as a sign of Lay leaving the room.

Hyerin kept her hands tightly knit together on top of her lap, not uttering a single word. She wanted to say something, seeing how concerned and worried she was about him, but truthfully, there was no point to it. Saying things like ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘it will be okay’ was useless. They’ve been repeating those words to each other over and over again, but nothing ever came out of it but trouble. It was never going to bring back his hand again neither was it going to keep Jiyong out of the city. Kyungsoo knew that as well as she did.

So she settled with keeping quiet. Words were powerful and they always will be, but wallowing in silence during a time like this seemed more fitting than giving the boy words of encouragement. They’ve had enough of that; it became such a big part of their life that they say it to each other without even thinking. Blinding themselves with imaginary optimism wasn’t going to help them or anybody. At least, that’s what she learned from her experience.

A little over fifteen minutes passed before Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say something.

“That was my dominant hand,” he said quietly, so very quietly that she could practically hear the sadness slipping through the little cracks in his voice. “It could’ve been my left but it was my right hand.”

His eyes stayed glued to the wall opposite his bed, not blinking even once. “How could I have not seen that coming?”

“Did he die?” she asked, brows furrowing together.

“No.” He shook his head slightly. “He could’ve been by now if I chased after him.”

It was Hyerin’s turn to shake her head. “It would have been impossible with you bleeding like you were yesterday. But it’s over now. All that matters is for you to get well soon.”

Kyungsoo said nothing in return, and it bugged the hell out of Hyerin. She was not used to this stoic demeanor and it was sad that no one could probably do anything about it, not even her. For someone who's passion was fighting like Kyungsoo, this just might be the most depressing thing that’s ever happened to him in his entire life.

“I have no idea what to say to you right now,” Hyerin quietly admitted, fumbling with her fingers. “Nothing could probably compare to what happened to you and I just feel so…”

Responsible for what happened. She was there, watching when it happened. She could have done something and that was her problem. What was worse was that all she did was weep during the aftermath.

Hyerin sat back on her seat and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to cover her face as she spoke. “I know I may seem like the most arrogant, impulsive member of this unit but in reality I just-” She shook her head, “I really don’t know what I’m doing. I’m good at fighting and that’s all I’m ever going to be good at but I’m practically useless when it comes to everything else. Heck, I didn’t even know what to do when you were all bloody last night and even now, I don’t know what to do with you.”

Hyerin sighed wearily, crossing her arms on top of the bed and burying her face in it. “They took my dad last night and I was going to ing jump out and risk everyone’s lives,” she murmured. “Can you believe that?”

At least a minute went by with the room drowned in complete silence. Neither of them made an effort to do or say anything, until Kyungsoo’s fingers gently grazed the top of Hyerin’s head, soothingly patting her hair.

Hyerin raised her head and rested her chin on top of her arm, looking up at Kyungsoo who was still in the same position as when she first entered the room.

He was still staring blankly at the wall, but the long fingers gently her hair was enough to tell her that he understood her. He always have and always will, and if he chose to talk right now he would probably say something along the lines of, “Stop blaming yourself. You’re not a hero. You’re not responsible for things like that.”

“But you wouldn’t be sad as you are right now,” she would have said. “Why are you so afraid of me saving you?”

“Because,” he would mumble.

“Because?”

“Because.”

And it would end just like that, with Kyungsoo quietly reveling in all the answers that were left unsaid and Hyerin, who will always be clueless as to what this all meant, wondering if their link will forever hang on to a word as unfathomable as ‘because.’

---

Agent Zero had his arms firmly crossed against his chest as he stood in front of the nine EXO agents sitting silently in front of him, looking as if their lives just got out of them right then and there. They looked tired, worn, even fed up, and so was everyone else.

He was worried for them, extremely worried, but there was a lot of work to do. In fact, it’s just starting, and he had to put that into their minds.

“I know it’s been a tiring week for all of us,” he started, and only a few heads lifted to look at him. “But as all of you may know, the chaos is just beginning and we need to stop it as soon as we can.”

Zero sighed and sat on a chair, feeling fatigued himself. “We are now exposed to the public, and everyone knows about us now. This has become so big that every agent will be working together to take back the city, and we won’t be able to do that if we’re not focused.

“Now I know you’re just kids,” he said. “But you guys aren’t just like any of the other kids. Each and every one of you is powerful, capable of saving everyone, and I need you to be aware of that right now. From the day you agreed to be a part of this, you should have been aware. I know it’s hard, I know it, but think about the lives that will be lost and the evil that will rule.”

Agent Zero stood back up and rested his palms against the table, looking at everyone who was present inside the meeting room. “It’s time to push away the depressing thoughts and think like professional agents. This city needs you right now.”

With that, everyone nodded and sat up straight to focus on what Agent Zero was about to say.

“Right now, things aren’t looking too good for us. Agent M is kidnapped, Tao and Kyungsoo are hospitalized, Jiyong took over Seoul and Kai is still nowhere to be found. Anyone have any idea where he is?” he asked.

Suho cleared his throat. “Since the day we went out looking for him we haven’t had the chance to see him again,” he said. “But I swear, Kai would never walk out like that. There’s something wrong with him.”

“What do you mean?” Sehun asked.

“Right before he disappeared I saw this…this weird green flashing thing in his eyes. That’s never happened before.”

“He must have been hypnotized or something,” Chen guessed. “Back when we were held captive in Hong Kong the same thing happened to Lay, with the green flash and all. TOP must have controlled Kai’s mind.”

“But then where is he?” Chanyeol asked worriedly, suddenly feeling guilty for what he did to Kai that day.

“I don’t know.” Chen shrugged, having no clue.

“Unfortunately, we cannot do anything about that now,” Agent Zero entered. “I know he’s a member of this organization but we do not have time to send a search party for him. He’s a grown boy. I’m sure he’ll find his way back,” he said. “And besides, he’ll surely know that Seoul’s in big trouble once he comes back. That is, if he’s still here in Seoul.”

“What do you mean he’ll know?” Xiumin questioned, his brows furrowed.

“Apparently, sources say that Jiyong sent quite a number of his army to the borders of Seoul to build huge barricades, as well as assign men to stand as guards outside those walls.”

Luhan scoffed. “But what about the government? Surely, everyone in the world would know about this by now, right?”

“Unfortunately, we can no longer receive signals from beyond the barricades. All electronics like television, cellphones, radios, and the Internet are out of service except for ones that can stand alone without the use of antennas and outward sources like that. Hopefully, the government does something about it, but for now, it’s up to us.”

“This is all getting out of hand,” Kris sighed, running his long fingers through his hair. “What do we do now?”

“Well as I was saying, we don’t know where Kai is, Tao and D.O. are still weak, the city has been taken over by Jiyong, and there is nothing we can do about that for now. Things are still a bit too fresh to attack right away. We don’t know how much men Jiyong has to go against all of them, so the best we can do right now is save Myungjae.”

Hyerin sat straight up in her seat at the sound of her father’s name, feeling heavy in the heart all over again at the thought of him being there alone. What if he was being tortured right at this very moment?

“What’s our plan?” Hyerin asked immediately.

“We’ll do it tonight. We’ll go out there and take not only Agent M, but as well as each and every one of your families. We’ll send a couple of our crew with you to assure everything operates well,” Zero explained.

Everyone’s eyes widened, and as Agent Zero expected, the determination was back. They were now listening attentively to him.

“I know you may not show it as well as any normal person would but I know you’re all worried about your families. This is your chance to keep them safe, to bring them back here, and you will all work together to accomplish that. Safety is our first priority here, and I want you guys to attend to your personal matters first before getting into the real deal,” he said. “Don’t worry about them finding out who or what you are. That clearly doesn’t matter now.”

“Thank you so much, sir,” Sehun said, looking relieved and devastated at the same time.

“Now, I’m telling you again; be careful. Don’t wear your uniforms and try to blend in with the crowd. There are humans that still walk silently around the streets, going to markets and stores to take necessities for themselves and so far, Xinths let them. Although we already know that it only comes with time when they finally attack someone and devour their flesh right then and there.

“You’ll split into two teams. One will go to the old M-LX quarters and rescue Agent M since that is where he is held captive. The other team will go with a couple of other agents to also split and save everyone’s families. We have to do this quick. We can’t wait any longer, as it’ll only get harder to hide from them. We will do it tonight. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” they chorused.

“Good. Now get going and warm yourselves up. It’s going to be a long night.”

---

Luhan slipped on a gray sweatshirt over his white V-neck, ruffling his bangs to slightly cover his eyes. It was already 8 PM, and it was finally show time.

“You ready?” he asked Sehun who was standing in the underground parking lot beside him, putting his hoodie over his head as he watched the agents in charge of equipment load weapons into the back of the SUVs they were going to be in later on.

“Yup,” Sehun sighed, stretching his arms a little bit. “Wish I could be in your unit, though. I really want to see my mom.”

“There’s a reason you were assigned to go with the others to save Agent M, you know.”

“Yeah. It’s just that I can’t wait to see her again,” he said, shrugging. “Make sure to get her back here safely. Okay?”

Luhan gave him an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me?” he snorted. “Of course I will, you idiot,” he said, smiling a little, before patting the younger’s head affectionately and walking away.

“Okay guys, here’s the plan!” Kris exclaimed, clapping his hands together to catch everyone’s attention above the noisy roaring of the car engines. “Teams will be split in half; the ones who are saving Agent M are Sehun, Kris, Chanyeol, Xiumin, Chen and five specialty agents from the C10 Department. The ones to rescue the families are Hyerin, Lay, Suho, Luhan and four other agents from the AX1 Department. First team will get two vehicles; second team will get six. Take different routes to avoid suspicion, there are only a few cars in the roads that’s for sure.”

“Let’s try to keep this under three hours,” Suho said, stepping beside Kris while glancing at his wristwatch. “It may seem a bit difficult but circumstances do not allow us the luxury of taking our time. So let’s just do our best and try to stay safe. Keep your mics on and your earpieces in tact. Dismissed!”

With that, they dispersed to their respective teams and entered their vehicles.

“This is going to go well,” Suho whispered to himself. “I know it.”

Hyerin looked over at the boy. “Of course it will,” she reassured, hopping on to her motorcycle. “We got this.”

“We got this,” he repeated, nodding to himself before entering the van.

---

“Okay, guys. Let’s get on with roll calls,” Suho said through his mic as he turned off the engine of his designated vehicle. “Lay, how’s everything going?”

“I just parked in front of my house. So far no one suspicious is around. Should I go in?” he asked, taking off his seatbelt.

“Go on. Be sure to take caution. I’m in front of my house right now as well. What about the others?”

“I’m on my way to Sehun’s house. The streets are practically empty, so I’m hoping no one finds me suspicious and pull me over,” Luhan said, not bothering to stop at a red light since there were no other vehicles around. 

“Alright. What about the others?”

The other agents that were not part of the EXO unit reported their whereabouts. So far, everything was running smoothly and there were no complications or problems whatsoever.

“Hyerin? How are things?” Suho asked while he was stepping out of the car.

“I’m climbing up the stairs right now to Xiumin’s grandma’s apartment,” she said, pulling the black hoodie over her head and starting up the stairs with her hands inside her pockets. A couple of tenants were going down the stairs in a similar fashion.

“I’ll report to you after I’m done here,” she said, to which Suho agreed.

Once Hyerin got to the top of the stairs, she started down the hallway and began searching for apartment 110. She had to go up another flight of stairs before finally arriving at the designated apartment. With three solid knocks, she waited for the door to open.

 Hyerin wrapped her jacket around her tightly to protect herself from the cold and rubbed her hands together to keep warm. Finally after several minutes, the door opened slightly, revealing a petite old woman with graying hair.

“M-May I help you?” she asked, voice wobbly and doubtful.

“I’m sorry for the disturbance, ma’am, but I’m here to take you with me,” she said, lowering her hood to reveal her appearance to the lady. “I’m a friend of your grandson Minseok and I need to get you out of here.”

“Minseok? Did he ask you to get me?”

“We’re all in the middle of rescuing families right now. I promise you’ll see your grandson soon if you come with me,” she said in a hushed tone, “there’s not much time.”

Xiumin’s grandmother looked doubtful for a moment before giving in and opening the door wider. “Thank you so much. Ever since the outbreak happened we didn’t know what to do!”

“It’s no problem, ma’am."

“Is Minseok okay? Is he safe?”

“Yes, he is. Ma’am, please immediately pack your things since we need to leave now-”

“Grandma?”

Hyerin whipped around, slightly taken aback to see Minhyuk and Minhyun – Xiumin’s little brothers – standing at the doorway of their shared room, peeking a little to see what was happening.

“Oh my god,” Hyerin breathed, totally forgetting about the fact that he had two little brothers. Out of instinct, she ran towards them and gave them a hug.

“Aren’t you hyung’s friend? Hyerin noona?” Minhyuk asked.

“Yes.” She nodded, looking at them worriedly as she stood up. “I’m going to take you guys with me.”

“Where are we going?” the other asked.

“Somewhere safe,” she answered, looking back at Xiumin’s grandmother who was starting to pack their things. “It’s dangerous here. We’re not sure who or what can hurt you out here.”

“But what’s happening?” Minhyun asked, looking agitated. “The other day a fire broke out and after that, grandma didn’t allow us to go out anymore. What’s out there?”

Hyerin, for the first time, did not have an answer. She shook her head. “I-I’m not so sure either,” she mumbled unsurely. “But whatever it is, it’s not going to harm you.”

Minhyuk’s brows furrowed. “How do you know?” he asked.

Hyerin carefully went down on one knee to be at the same level as the twins. She looked them both in the eyes with a glint of determination. “I won’t let them.”

---

“Hello? Is anyone on the line?”

Luhan pressed the earpiece further into his ear once he heard Hyerin’s voice. “What’s up?”

“Luhan? Is that you? I finally got Xiumin’s grandma and his two little brothers,” she said. “I have to go get Hyeseul’s parents as well. How are things looking up for you?”

Luhan walked towards the front door of Sehun’s home. “I’m here at Sehun’s to get his mom. I don’t see any lights on from outside so I’m not sure if she’s here.”

“Alright. Be careful. I’ll catch you later.”

“Got it. See you.”

Luhan inspected the outside of the house. So far, nothing out of the ordinary was lurking around, nor was the house damaged or anything. Everything looked perfectly normal with the row of houses peacefully in tact and one or two streetlights on. He sighed before knocking three times.

He waited, probably five minutes or more, but no one was answering the door. He knocked a couple of times again, then waited, but still no one came out. Having no other choice, he forced the door to open with his telekinesis.

The wooden door broke, and he prevented it from falling to the ground by stopping it with his power. It gravitated in the air as he carefully placed it against the railing of the stairs.

Like outside, everything was perfectly normal. The furniture was still in tact, yet there were no lights on. Only the moonlight seeping through the windows kept him from tripping on his own feet.

Seeing that there were no signs of Sehun’s mother around, he started to climb up the flight of stairs. Every step he took produced a silent creek beneath his feet, the only sound he could hear in the eerie silence.

Once he made it to the second floor, a dark hallway greeted him. There were three bedrooms and one bathroom, and he went inside the bathroom first. There was nothing out of the ordinary there, so he proceeded to the first room.

He turned the doorknob and pushed the door slightly open, stopping to listen if there were any strange noises coming from inside before opening it all the way.

The room was a mess; the bed was unmade, clothes and things were scattered everywhere and the closet was wide open, revealing the rows and rows of clothing spread on the floor.

He walked in, noticing the vanity table and the pill containers messily strewn on the table and a variety of prescribed tablets spilled on the carpeted floor.

“Mrs. Oh?” he called out, breaking the deafening silence. “I’m Sehun’s friend, Luhan. Are you here?”

There was no response.

“Mrs. Oh, I know you’re in here somewhere,” he said walking around the room. “I really need you to come with me. Sehun’s waiting for you.”

Still no response.

Luhan sighed, resorting to looking under the bed and in every corner of the room. He then headed towards the walk-in closet and proceeded to look there.

As he was in the middle of kicking clothes out of his way, the sound of scuffling to his right made him stop and listen. More scuffling was heard, and without further ado, Luhan pushed the hanged clothes out of the way to reveal Sehun’s mom crouched in the very corner of the closet.

“Please don’t!” she exclaimed, shaking, as she attempted to shove Luhan away by violently waving her hands in front of her. “Please leave!”

“Mrs. Oh! Calm down,” he muttered, crouching down beside her and holding both her wrists. “It’s okay.”

“Get out! Please!”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Oh, I’m not going to hurt you,” he reassured. With that, she finally stopped thrashing around.

Luhan gave her a small smile. “It’s just me, Luhan. I’m Sehun’s friend and I’m here to get you out of here.”

“S-Sehun…?” she mumbled, shoulders finally relaxing. “I-Is he okay?”

“Yes, he is. He’s perfectly safe and is waiting for you at our headquarters. Don’t worry. I’m here to help you, not hurt you,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I-I…” she stammered.

Luhan noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the way she was shaking violently. Although he knew she was scared, this was not a normal reaction. There was something wrong with her.

“Are you okay, Mrs. Oh?” he repeated but she didn’t respond. Out of the blue, he remembered the pills at the vanity table.

“Mrs. Oh, are you sick?”

“I haven’t taken my meds in days,” she said. “I-I…I-”

“How long have you been hiding in the closet?”

“I don’t know…” she mumbled. “T-Three days?”

“Oh ,” he muttered under his breath. “Mrs. Oh, I need to take you with me right now. Take your medication and we’ll lea-”

The sound of an engine outside the house stopped him from talking any further. Mrs. Oh froze on the spot while Luhan carefully walked over to the window, pushing the curtains aside to see who was out there.

A white car pulled up right beside his black van. The car doors opened, revealing at least three Xinths stepping out of the vehicle.

“,” Luhan hissed. “Mrs. Oh, we need to leave-”

He was interrupted when Sehun’s mom released a bloodcurdling scream.

“They’re here!” she screamed, her fingers digging into her scalp. “They’re here! They’re going to kill us!”

“Mrs. Oh! Be quiet!” he said, looking out the window once again only to see the three Xinths already running to the front door. They heard the scream from outside loud and clear.

“!” he cursed. “We need to get out of here right now! Calm down, Mrs. Oh!” he exclaimed, looking around to find a way to escape. The only resort was the window.

With a firm kick, he smashed the window and grabbed her arm. He didn’t know why, but she was starting to thrash around once again.

“Please calm down, Mrs. Oh! We really need to escape. They’re coming!”

Yet she didn’t listen and continued to cry and shake. “I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I’m going to die!” she yelled, and just from that, Luhan was sure she had a serious mental problem.

The door opened behind them and two Xinths barged inside. Once they recognized Luhan, they started to whip out their weapons.

Luhan had no choice but to carry Sehun’s mother. He placed one foot out of the window and stepped on the descending roof. It was harder than he thought, with Mrs. Oh trying to get out of his grip while at the same time balancing his footing.

But there was no time to think about that right now. He finally managed to go all the way out, but due to the descending structure of the roof, they rolled down to the very edge. Luhan managed to hold on to the edge of the roof and landed safely down on the ground, while Sehun’s mother got stuck on the edge of the ridge board.

“Mrs. Oh! Jump!” Luhan exclaimed, holding out his arms.

It took a few moments before she responded. “I-I can’t,” she stuttered, unmoving.

“Don’t worry! I’ll catch you! C’mon!”

“No! I really can’t!” she exclaimed, sobbing, as she turned a little to lie on her back.

Luhan saw that a sharp, broken plywood sticking out at the edge of the roof had managed to skewer through Mrs. Oh’s stomach. Her shirt was now starting to soak up blood, unable to move because of the plywood holding her permanently in place.

Luhan’s eyes widened at the sight and immediately held out his hands to summon his power. Just when he was about to use it to carry Sehun’s mom off the roof, someone tackled him from behind.

The Xinth pinned him down on the ground and punched him across the face. He took out a blade and attempted to stab Luhan with it, yet Luhan managed to dodge in time.

Just as he was getting back up to his feet, two more cars pulled up in front of the driveway and more Xinths came out.

The previous Xinth pounced on him once again and now it was Luhan’s turn to attack. He kicked the Xinth on the crotch and slammed its head against his knee. He threw him at another Xinth who was attacking him, and proceeded to run back to tend to Sehun’s mom.

But to his horror, someone already got there first.

At the top of the roof, Suzy was crouching over Sehun’s mother. She was staring at Luhan with a sinister smirk, and from that point on he knew it was too late. Suzy was already standing up there and he was helplessly surrounded by Xinths.

It was either he saved Sehun's mom or himself.

Everything was in slow motion after that. At least, to Luhan it was. Suzy grabbed the bloody plywood sticking out of Mrs. Oh’s stomach and pulled it out, making Mrs. Oh’s eyes widen from the unbearable pain. Her head slowly turned to face Luhan, who she made brief eye contact with.

Luhan immediately understood the look she gave him. It was short and barely comprehensible, but he knew what it meant.

Let go. There was no other choice, and although it was hard to admit, it was already too late.

Without further ado, Suzy plunged the sharp piece of wood into Mrs. Oh’s chest. Before that though, Luhan didn’t miss the way her eyes turned solemn and relaxed as he stared back at him. She looked the calmest during that brief second.

The psychological slow motion ended and everything was normal again. For a few seconds, Luhan just stood there with wide eyes, taking backward steps as he stared at Mrs. Oh’s body rolling down from the roof’s edge to the concrete ground.

“Make sure to get her back here safely. Okay?”

Luhan gave him an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me?” he snorted. “Of course I will, you idiot,” he said, smiling a little, before patting the younger’s head affectionately and walking away.

Behind him, a Xinth almost stabbed him in the back if he didn’t dodge it quickly, succesfully snapping him out of it. His reaction was last minute though, as the blade managed to slightly cut his arm.

Luhan did not bother to fight back. His mind was heavily clouded with so much distress and regret and anger that all he could do was run as fast as he can away from there, all the while chanting in his mind, ‘this is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening,’ because he knew he could have done something.

But he didn't, and that fact, he knew, was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

---

“Agent Suho? Agent Suho are you there?”

Static sounds. “This is Suho. Who’s this?”

“It’s Kris,” he wheezed, running with the others down the long, dark hallway. “Mission failed. We couldn’t get past Durus. There are too many of Jiyong’s men here. Chen’s leg is broken and we are currently finding a way out of the–Sehun, to the right! There’s a fire exit, let’s go!” he exclaimed. “Move!”

Suho ran a frustrated hand through his face, his other hand controlling the steering wheel. He briefly looked over at the back seat to give his mother a reassuring smile. He turned back to the front and pressed his earpiece further into his ear.

“It’s okay. Abort the mission. Make sure to safely get out of there,” he said in a firm tone. “We’ll do this another time.”

“Got it. I’ll see you,” Kris hastily said, turning off his mic and running past the others to open the fire exit door for Xiumin and Chanyeol who were carrying Chen out.

“Come on! Move! Move! Move!” he ordered.

Although they started out smoothly, everything went to hell in the end. They all managed to sneak into M-LX – killing guards and Xinths in the process – and successfully got inside the main building. Chen took out the electricity of the whole vicinity with his power without breaking a sweat, but as soon as they were in the midst of climbing up the flight of stairs, they immediately got caught by one of the gang members. They were outnumbered immensely, and it didn’t help that Durus was there. Even with all their powers combined, they could not beat the overly muscular man who seemed to be growing bigger and bigger each time they saw him.

“. It hurts so ing much,” Chen groaned.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol reassured as they ran outside. “Lay is going to heal it. It’s fine.”

“Which way do we go?” Sehun asked, looking from left to right.

“Left,” Kris deadpanned, jogging past Sehun to lead the group. They walked to the left of the building, crouching a little bit to hide behind the bushes. As they walked further into the pathway, a metal fence with a small opening came into view.

They ran towards the fence, but just as they were nearing it, to their right, Baekhyun bumped into Sehun, making both of them stumble back to regain balance and for the others to stop in their tracks.

Once Baekhyun realized who they were, he stepped back out of shock. His mouth opened slightly, as if wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

Chanyeol’s eyes turned into slits as he glared at the boy. “Don’t you even dare,” he growled.

Baekhyun was still dumbfounded as his gaze landed on Chen whose eyes were decorated with oncoming tears, fighting to keep a straight face.

“I-I…” Baekhyun stammered. What the was he doing? In instances like this he was supposed to attack them or, since he’s outnumbered, call for the others to help him stop the boys from getting away. This was a great opportunity to seize them, yet his feet were glued in place and his mouth refused to make a sound.

Chanyeol continued to glare at the boy. “I swear if you ing call the-”

“No, Chanyeol,” Sehun interrupted, glowering at Baekhyun as well. “Let him. Just so we’re reminded of the fact that he’s the lowest of the low. Let him tell his comrades back there just so he can feel good about himself, being a betrayer and all.”

Baekhyun bit his lower lip. “Don’t try me,” he said, attempting an intimidating tone yet it came out as a small, quivering squeak.

“You think by joining their side it’ll save you and your family from dying? Tell me, where’s your family now?” Chen spat. “Certainly not with you, you betraying basta-”

Running footsteps approaching made them stop and scramble back to escaping. One by one, they slipped into the small hole in the fence, and with one last murderous look at Baekhyun, they ran away to safety.

All Baekhyun did was stare at them, stupefied.

The Xinths finally arrived, only to see Baekhyun looking down on the ground with a shocked look on his face.

“Did you find the enemies?” one of them asked.

With wide eyes, Baekhyun lifted his head up to face them. “I-” he hesitated, “I think-” he stuttered, blinking a couple of times before setting his lips into a firm line.

“No. I didn’t,” he mumbled in a daze, shaking his head. “They must have escaped,” he deadpanned, before walking away.

---

Everyone arrived exactly at 11 PM at M-LX2’s underground headquarters. All the vehicles used were carefully parked in rows before everyone stepped out into the parking lot to meet each other.

Parents and EXO members alike ran towards each other to hug, kiss and cry, expressing their extreme fear and concern, as they have been all separated since the outbreak. It was a happy reunion in the parking lot for everyone, except for one.

Hyerin stepped down from her motorcycle and took off her helmet, watching with a smile on her face as the members affectionately reunited with their families. She had already heard that the mission to save her father failed, and although she was extremely sad about it, it was no easy task. She was grateful of the fact that her brothers tried, and honestly, that was enough for her. There were two more days left to save her dad, and if they use their time wisely, there will be a high succession rate of accomplishing the task.

She crossed her arms in front of her as she continued to watch them; Kris was in the middle of hugging his parents, Chen was being put into a stretcher with his mother and father beside him, and Lay was silently comforting his sobbing mother. The rest were practically doing the same, except for Sehun.

Sehun had a small smile on his face, standing on his tiptoes and craning his neck to see if his mother was there to greet him. Hyerin furrowed her eyebrows, looking around as well to see if Luhan was anywhere to be found. He was the one assigned to rescue Sehun’s mother.

Just in time, Luhan finally appeared. Not in the way Hyerin expected, though. He came in through the glass doors at the other side of the parking lot, but from what Hyerin recalled he had a car with him. He had a black eye and his arm was bleeding heavily, his blank, lifeless eyes glued to the ground as he made his way to the others.

Hyerin continued to watch as Luhan finally reached Sehun, tapping him slightly on the shoulder and making the younger boy turn around to face him.

Sehun’s eyes widened from worry, and she assumed that he was probably asking the older boy if he was okay. She couldn’t hear anything. It was too noisy.

Luhan briefly closed his eyes before placing a firm hand on Sehun’s shoulder. He blinked a couple of times as he pressed his lips together, an attempt to hold back his tears. In the end, he failed and started to break into sobs.

Luhan murmured something to Sehun, and whatever it was that he said made the youngest stiffen.

Sehun stood like that for a while, and no matter how many times Luhan called his name, he did not respond. Not even once.

Hyerin couldn’t understand what was happening at first, but as Luhan sobbed away and kept on mumbling a string of words repeatedly, she finally caught on.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he bawled, as if chanting it over and over and over again would bring back the dead.

Hyerin paled and put a hand over in shock, unable to tear her eyes away from the heartbreaking sight.

Earlier, it was a happy reunion except for one.

Now, it was still a happy reunion. The only difference was that instead of one, there were now two exceptions.