There were times when Sehun wanted to die a second time. There were occasions, but always, self-preservation saved him. He was a coward. He feared nonexistence, but hated the pseudo life he was living. It was cowardice that drove him to the girl’s locked door. His footsteps echoed in the hallway.

“Who’s there?” The girl knew of her demise, that much was certain. And yet, her voice was clear and strong. She had not given up living.

“It’s Sehun.” He swallowed audibly, waiting for her to respond. Something crashed against the door loudly. There was no other sound from within the room.

“I’m not here to ask you to forgive me,” he said, “because even I’m not enough of a bastard to do that.” He knew there would be no response to that. He was not disappointed.

“They want me to kill you again. I want to save you.” Without pausing, he rushed on. “There are ways to get out of here that only I know about. Even Kris doesn’t know.”

“Are you sure?” Three words, cold, detached and bitter. But they formed a lifeline that he desperately clung to.

“Yes. Even if you hate me, trust me this once.” Something else shattered on the other side.

“Guilt is a wonderful motivator, isn’t it?” The statement seemed to come from nowhere, splitting at the seams with raw anger. “If I were a girl you hadn’t killed, would you still be coming to save me? How many have you watched die, never even caring about them as humans?”

There had been more than ten girls that had died twice. He was not guilty of apathy; he had watched each of them disappear with a heavy heart and a conscience that grew more and more twisted. But it was true that he had never lifted a finger in their defense, except once. That girl, had died more painfully than all the others. She had died by his hands, staining him red with her essence.

“You’re right. I’m horrible. Perhaps I’m not even human anymore,” he said. He knew his faults like the back of his hand.

“Fear and guilt are the two emotions I live by. There’s nothing I can do about that. You can blame me all you want. But do you want to die?”

If she refused, if she would not give him her consent, he could not save her. A few minutes passed, and her resentment seemed to subside. At the very least, nothing else was destroyed. She mumbled something. Sehun pressed his ear to the door.

“I want to live.”