Ukwon stepped out of the room in slight hesitance, his eyes scanned the hallway in both directions before he turned and nodded towards Hoya and Dongwoo, motioning for both of them to come out and join him. Hoya did so without hesitation while Dongwoo stepped out a little more cautiously than the younger.

“So, are we going to continue forward the way we were going?” inquired Dongwoo, feeling a little nervous about the others possibly making him head in the direction the doctor went.

“We’re going to go after the doctor,” responded Ukwon.

“W-What?” muttered Dongwoo in shock, “Why?”

“Well, t-the person I’m looking for is the person that lead him away from us, the person the doctor was chasing after,” muttered Ukwon, “He was chasing after Minhyuk…and I-I just can’t let him go through facing the doctor alone again.”

Hoya looked at Dongwoo, knowing that the older would not want to anyone to walk around by themselves; he would not want anyone to wonder around this place by themselves. Dongwoo avoided Hoya’s gaze for as long as he could, he did not want to think about going towards the doctor. He felt horrible that there was someone wondering around on their own, but at the same time, he was happy that they had lived this long – that they had avoided the doctor for this long. He did not want to go towards the doctor because that meant that he would have to meet with the man head on – face to face – and that thought alone had him terrified.

“It’s because you’re connected to him.”

Dongwoo flinched at the sound of the voice in his head – it was not his own and though he had never heard it, he knew it was the shadow’s voice. Dongwoo could feel the pull, the foreign energy being put into him – he could feel the string that attached him to all the others like him.

“Dongwoo?” muttered Hoya in concern, causing Dongwoo to flinch out of his thoughts and finally meet the younger’s gaze, “You alright?”

Dongwoo nodded, chewing on his lip as Hoya looked at him with pleading eyes – as he silently begged him to go after the man so that they would not have to leave Ukwon alone again.

“I-I…” Dongwoo hesitated, “Let’s go.”

Ukwon smiled in thanks and Hoya smiled, happily taking the older’s hand in his in thanks – completely oblivious to the slightly hazy look the older’s eyes were taking on and the tremors that occasionally ran up the other’s spine.

“They are escorting you to your death.”

They are not, thought Dongwoo, shaking his head to silent the foreign thoughts that has suddenly arisen in his mind, thoughts he would not normally think – thoughts that were not his own.

“As soon as you get close to the doctor, he will sense you, for you and I are closer than the others, my presence clings to you,” whispered the disembodied voice, “The bond between you and I is different than the bonds I have with the others. We are closer than they think is possible. While the others are connected to me to be my source of power, you’ve been connected to me as my physical vessel...you are the one that the doctor is looking for – the one he is attempting to outlast. You are the one person I can fully possess, even if you refuse me and my thoughts.”

So, are the others just here for your personal gain.

“Pretty much, however, that is not the point of the conversation at this point in time. Dongwoo if you want the others to have a chance to survive – as worthless as they might be – you cannot go near the doctor, for if you do it will be game over. Not only will it be the end of me, but all of those connected to me – the longer I am connected to the other mental vessels, the more dependent they become on me, the more of their life source I rob from them.”

So…you’re killing them.

“Slowly,” confirmed the shadow, his voice light with amusement, “Those two that connected with me back in the mansion…I think it was Niel and Sungyeol. They are both already fully dependant on me, whether or not they chose to admit it or even know it. They both went fully insane back in the mansion – they would be permanently like the many others who had come before you, had it not been for me. I had entered their ruined minds and used my powers to piece them back together – to make them into the people they are now. The very intelligent, survival focused people they are now. It took a lot of power and energy forming the bonds with them and fixing them, but it was worth it – the amount of energy, of power, they’ve given back to me is unfathomable.”

Why form so many bonds then? Why not let the others go?

“What would be the fun in that? The doctor wants a war, so, I’m giving him one – just like I had in the past.”

Is there a way to break the bonds? Is there a way to separate from you without dying?

“ I suppose there is,”  stated the shadow, his voice rising slightly in pitch in excitement – with that slight crack, Dongwoo knew he just walked right into the shadow’s hands. He had just done what the shadow had wanted him to.

How?

“Well, I can’t just go around saying how to actually cut the bonds between you and me, for you might actually try to do it like some fools in the past.” Chimed the shadow rather gleefully, “However, I can give you the terms of their freedom – though I can’t fully guarantee their life, for I’ve never had a life source live as long as they have, become as dependant as some of them have.”

Then, the terms of their freedom?

“They aid me in breaking the bonds between the doctor and his puppets and you let me possess you during…our…final confrontation with the doctor. Sound fair enough?”

Dongwoo hesitated, not knowing fully what to do and wishing he could ask the others for help, but knowing that the shadow would not let him share the details of their little conversation. The boy unconsciously stopped mid-step, oblivious to the stares he was receiving from Ukwon and Hoya, chewing on his bottom lip as he held an internal debate with himself. Agree to the terms and free the others, risking their lives during the separation process, or watch as they all slowly die off and leave him alone to live eternally as the shadow’s puppet.

I-I don’t know.

“What is there not to know?”

Will it be painful for the physical vessels?

“Probably, but they will live through it – unlike your other friends, the mental vessels, if you think too long about this decision – with each second that passes more and more of their life source, their soul, is consumed by me. Niel and Sungyeol are on their last leg, their delicious and abnormally pure souls for those who had gone insane are almost completely gone.”

I-I…I really don’t know.

“All I need is a yes or a no, Dongwoo. Time is ticking. Your friend’s lives are fading; with each breath they take they are coming closer and closer to breathing their last…”

“Dongwoo?” called Hoya, his voice laced with concern. Upon hearing the other male’s voice, Ukwon his heel only to see Hoya standing beside a tense and frozen Dongwoo; the said male’s face was expressionless and his eyes looked dazed, glassy really, as he stared intently at something that was not there – as he stared at nothing, “Dongwoo?”

Ukwon stepped closer to Dongwoo, concern showing on his features as he saw an unfamiliar dark emotion swimming in the male’s eyes. After a second of silence, of just standing there, watching Dongwoo – observing him, he finally got himself to speak, “What is going on?”

“I-I don’t know,” mumbled Hoya, a little panicked as he stared at his friend – the one person who had been beside him since they had woken up within the mansion, “He was walking beside me one moment and then the next he just stopped and froze like this. Occasionally his mouth will move, b-but no sounds will come out.”

Just as Hoya mentioned the other male opening his mouth, the frozen male did just that – the muscles within his face twitched and made it look as though he was talking.

“H-He looks like he’s talking,” whispered Ukwon.

Hoya nodded, looking around, “But to whom? When the others were communicating with the shadow we could feel the shadows presence but I don’t feel him here, do you?”

“He’s not here,” responded Ukwon, looking around, “I suppose.”

“He can’t be talking to the shadow, right? When the others made their first communication with him they were extremely violent – they acted as though they wanted to kill all of us. Dongwoo is the opposite though…” whispered Hoya.

Ukwon shrugged, “I don’t know Hoya, but if he isn’t talking to the shadow who could he possibly be talking to?”

Hoya opened his mouth only to close it up again, having no ideas as to whom the older male could be talking to. Ukwon moved to stand directly in front of Dongwoo and frowned, his eye brows furrowing as he peered at the motionless man.

“I know this sounds crazy, but what if the one the doctor is looking for is him?” inquired Ukwon, causing Hoya to look at him in shock. Before the other male could open his mouth to protest, he continued, “I-I mean, Hoya, think rationally on this. He’s staring off into space like the others did, focusing on nothing but seeing everything. Then there is also the fact, he’s talking to someone whom is not here just like some of the others had – at least they did around me…and the most troubling fact, we can’t feel the shadow here with us, but he has to be here because Dongwoo is reacting like someone in my group did…”

Hoya opened his mouth to protest, but closed it as he tried hard to think rationally, only to learn that the other was right. All clues were pointing towards the shadow and as much as he hated to admit it, Dongwoo was different than the others he had seen communicate with the shadow, he did not look as though he was getting hurt or angry by the mere presence of the disembodied spirit – well, person.

“I-I think you may be right,” whispered Hoya, “What are we going to do now?”

Ukwon looked longingly in the direction they had been previously heading, looking in the direction of the shadow.

“I know you want to find your friend…Minhyuk, right?”

The other nodded.

“But, if we go that way – if Dongwoo really is the one connected to the doctor,” whispered Hoya, “then Dongwoo will…”

“Be attacked rather violently, I know,” whispered Ukwon, “I know…t-that’s the reason I say that we turn around and head back the way we came – maybe we will get lucky and meet up with one of the other groups – maybe one tried to follow the monster…”

Hoya hummed, smiling sadly but thankfully towards the other male, trying hard to ignore the sadness that shone on Ukwon’s face.

“Thank you,” whispered Hoya, “I know you wanted to meet up with your friend…”

“It’s okay,” muttered Ukwon, smiling towards Hoya, “I’m sure we’ll meet again somehow, after all your group managed to do it in the mansion.”

Hoya smiled back at Ukwon, “That is true.”

The smiles faded though as they both turned their attention back to the frozen Dongwoo, watching the male’s lips move before finally closing again. Ukwon sighed and stated, “What do we do with him though? We can’t just stand here for so long!”

Hoya hummed and nodded before responding, “Maybe we could pick him up and carry him.”

“Th-that won’t be needed,” gasped out Dongwoo – he felt as though he had just surfaced after holding his breath for far too long underwater – and causing the duo’s attention to turn back onto him as he finally broke from his frozen state. The movements had started at his eyes and traveled down to his feet, until he was allowed to move every part of his body.

“Dongwoo,” whispered Hoya, happily moving to the older’s side, grabbing the male’s upper arm as he saw him swaying back and forwards as if all of his energy had been used up, “Was it the shadow?”

Dongwoo nodded, happily leaning against Hoya. As he watched, Ukwon felt jealousy arising in his chest – especially as he thought of the man who had run by. He was so close to the man he was connected to, he had been so close to finding the male he had been searching for this whole time, but he had to give it up in order to help Dongwoo, to see to it that this game would not end until they were all positive they could all make it out alive.

“Let’s get going guys,” whispered Ukwon, diverting his gaze and walking past the comfortable duo, moving in the direction they had come from.

“T-That’s the wrong way,” stated Dongwoo, his voice hoarse from how weak his body felt.

“I know,” stated Ukwon, “I really do want to find Minhyuk, but at this point in time the most important thing is getting you and keeping you away from the doctor until we are sure there is nothing left except for the endgame.”

Dongwoo looked at Ukwon in shock, “W-What?”

“We know,” muttered Ukwon, “that you are the shadow’s physical vessel, we know that you are the one the doctor is looking for.”

“H-How?”

“You were different than the others when you made communication with him,” whispered Ukwon, “However that is not the point right now, the point is to get you away from him – to get him as far away from him as we possibly can, so we can end this game when we want to end it.”

Dongwoo nodded in understanding, but kept silent about there being no way for them to end it, it had to be the mental vessels that ended it – they were the only ones who were able to see the strings that attached them to the shadow and the others to the doctor, and some to each other – they were the only ones that could cut those ties, but even then it was only if the shadow permitted them to see the strings.

Ukwon stopped mid-step upon realizing that the duo had not been following him, he then turned and looked at them as he spoke up, “So, are you guys coming or not?”

With his words both Dongwoo and Hoya woke from their thoughts and followed after Ukwon who had started walking again as soon as he had finished speaking. As they moved forward, Dongwoo stared straight ahead, avoiding Hoya’s worried gaze and focusing on Ukwon’s slumped shoulders. As for Hoya, his took the time to do a quick once-over of Dongwoo, taking in the elder’s physic and condition. As they continued forward, the younger of the two realized that Dongwoo’s strength was slowly leaving him the farther they walked. 

Elsewhere in the asylum, a ravened haired male peeked out from behind a door, checking in both directions as he tried hard to breath quietly, only for his breathes to continue coming in and out as pants – as his lungs got greedy for air after running for a whole half an hour, or so, for what felt like half an hour. Upon seeing that the coast was clear, the man took a right and once again entered the hallway, he was ready to brave another encounter against the doctor – he had out run the man countless times before, how could the next time be any different? The man advanced forward as quietly as he possibly could, his breaths slowly quieting down as his heart beat returned to normal. His steps were silent and he was not audibly detectable, though he was visible. He moved forward, however, the closer he came to getting to the person at the other end of the bond, the hazier his mind got – the harder it was to remember just who he was going towards oh so desperately.

“U-Ukwon, I’m coming.” 

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

This chapter has not been proof read yet, so sorry if there were any mistakes.