“He’s not exactly... stealthy. Why are we keeping him around again?

Hyunseung subtly nodded his head towards Baekhyun, widening his eyes as a signal for Ailee to look as well. The three of them were an unlikely trio, but here they were; wandering through the manufacturing district of the abandoned town together in the dark. Coincidentally Baekhyun had got caught up in the same fight as them. He became an instant ally at the end since he saved both their asses from Zico. Silently they walked around the empty factories, rusting cars, and cracked streets, deciding which would be the safest to sleep in because it was approaching dawn. The term silent, however, didn’t apply to Baekhyun as he stumbled on a patch of wet rock. His distinct “oofs” and “ows” let Ailee know he was still alive and hadn’t gotten himself killed - yet.

“Thanks,” sheepishly muttered Baekhyun, as Ailee stopped him from tripping and doing a faceplant.

She smiled and gave him a reassuring nod, before catching up with Hyunseung slightly ahead. Her feet pulsated with pain, her ancient sneakers being the least supportive of footwear. Ailee was wishing for them to go numb soon, as she tried to distract herself by mulling over the midnight death toll. It was hard to pinpoint the exact number of deaths from Mai’s announcement, because of how many there had been this round. The gnawing pain continued to tempt Ailee, who was considering asking Hyunseung to give her a piggy back, but she knew he was in just as much discomfort as she was. As for Baekhyun; he was Baekhyun. He could barely use his own feet let alone relieve Ailee of her swollen ones. The three soon came upon a lively river, forcing them to choose whether to try and cross it or walk along and hope. The grass thinned out here, peeping through the millions of rocks. It was slightly dewey, leaving everyone’s feet wet after a few minutes. Loudly, the river sputtered, giving Ailee the chance to whisper to Hyunseung,

“You saw what he did. I could barely tell it was Zico let alone a person when he was finished. We need to keep Baekhyun around; it’s good protection.”

Over her shoulder, Ailee glanced at Baekhyun as he meandered along the river

“Plus, I like the guy. He’s nice.”

“Being nice is great, but he could kill us too,” Hyunseung ran his hand through his hair before adding,  “We could just steal his weapon.”

“We don’t know what ‘it’ is though,” pointed out Ailee.

Far back from the strategising couple, Baekhyun kicked at the rocks as he dragged himself along the riverbank. In a twisted way, he enjoyed being into this death game. He never got to be alone like this. With his muddy shoes in his right hand, Baekhyun pushed a baseball sized rock into the water with his foot. Like an old man finally getting up after a nap, the rock tumbled lazily down the bank before finally gaining some momentum and plunking through the surface. Baekhyun couldn’t remember the last time he’d walked barefoot outside, or even been outside (the variety show two months ago didn’t count). He continued to shove rocks into the water with his feet, and watch the ripples appear and disappear. It was calming. Unlike most, Baekhyun had accepted that he would be among the 41 deaths. As if he could outsmart that many people. His weapon was quite ingenious, but it is the wielder that determines its ability. Plus, he wanted to die with a sense of dignity and morality. He planned to survive as long as possible, but not fight. After all, he was always a defensive player if not completely on the sidelines in life.

It took a good 20 minutes before they reached a passable section of the river. At this area, it was only knee deep and a gentle flow. Hyunseung was relieved to see a beaten path just ahead, which seemed to lead to a staggering factory in front of them. This sudden appearance of shelter motivated Ailee to jog for the entrance, her wet shoes loudly squishing between steps. Hyunseung and Baekhyun followed closely, not wanting to get left behind or alone with the other.

Luckily, the building wasn’t completely falling apart. The spacious interior was filled with the ghosts of it’s prime era, some of the wok tables having scraps of leather or an empty spool of thread on them. On the floor by the broken staircase there even was even a sad looking sewing machine, over its side. Absentmindedly, Baekhyun wandered over to it and sat it upright, wiping of the thick layers of neglect and forgetfulness.

“Best we are going to get,” sighed Ailee, ping the sleeping bag into a large blanket.

Hyunseung - who was feeling little less ashamed of getting bedding as a weapon - agreed,

“Let’s get to sleep; I feel like death right now”.

With a respectable distance between them lying on the floor, almost immediately Ailee went to sleep. While Hyunseung was also exhausted, his mind refused to shut off. Hyuna had been on the midnight announcement, yet he couldn’t begin to grasp it as the truth. This entire experience seemed so surreal, as if it was some badly written plot and the director was only a scene away from scrapping the idea finally. The only thing that kept him moving was his partner, Ailee, the other number 17. Maybe they did have a slight chance of making it through, even with Baekhyun now. With his eyes closed, Hyunseung began to mumble, half to himself and the other to Baekhyun if he cared to listen.

“You know how I ended up here? I was out shopping when some random cashier at the clothing store recognized me. Next thing I knew, I was looking up at a swirling, blurry ceiling with a wicked headache before I went completely out.”

Baekhyun, still purusing through the lost artifacts, heard the ramblings. He chuckled, replying softly so not to wake Ailee,

“Could be worse. At least the person who dragged you here wasn’t actually your date.”

“No way; that’s how you got here?,” muttered Hyunseung, yawning in between.

It was quiet for a moment as Baekhyun fiddled with the zipper on his duffel bag, trying to get his spare clothes out of it. Eventually, he disclaimed,

“No, no; I’m still all for Taeyeon...” Baekhyun swallowed hard before continuing, “It’s just what Kris told me.”

Unsure whether to say anything of true comfort or substance, Hyunseung simply said,

“Sorry; about Taeyeon.”

Already the atmosphere had been free of noise, the occasional chirps of wildlife and loud trickle of water being the exceptions, but now the air was completely motionless as not a soundwave vibrated. No one could afford to say “I’m sorry,” in Battle Royale. There wasn’t room for emotions, especially remorse. Baekhyun didn’t have anything to say, as he sat cross legged in the pitch black night. This was not the time to confront his grief over losing Taeyeon, along with his other friends and acquaintances. He had accepted his own soon death, however, had not done so for anyone else’s. Feeling as if he’d offended Baekhyun, Hyunseung began to sleepily ramble,

“The thing about this game is that it takes your relationships, and turns them against you. Suddenly the loneliest bastard in the world is actually the winner, if you know what I mean. That’s why I think most of us are all pretty scared because, well, who are our real friends? What was just for camera? Fans always speculate about that type of thing, but hell, so am I now. This game has me doubting every single friend I ever thought I’d made in this messed up business. Perhaps we are all the loneliest people, because we don’t know what relationships are real. Kind of sad Baekhyun, don’t you agree? Sad, sad, sad...”

A single creak of wood in the prolonged silence prompted Hyunseung to ask,

“You still up?”

No response.

Probably even more alert than when he had laid down, Hyunseung decided to get up and check on Baekhyun. Though the only light came from the many broken panels in the wall where the moonlight shone through, he knew Baekhyun was no longer sitting close by. He could be a B-grade horror movie protagonist and trapse through the creepy abandoned factory by himself, or he just wake Ailee. Hyunseung chose the latter. Together, Ailee and Hyunseung began to crept towards and up the stairs. The floor boards whined with the weight of two people, altering anyone who was also around. Hyunseung could see the frayed hem of Baekhyun’s khakis as he emerged onto the second floor, however, there was also an unfamiliar pair of loafers. Immediately he pushed Ailee behind him as the stranger turned to face them. With a casual matter-of-fact voice, G-Dragon spoke,

“I’m in a private meeting.”

As if they were exchanging words backstage before performing, Baekhyun and G-Dragon nonchalantly stood at the top of stairs. At least, G-Dragon looked extremely calm and collected. Baekhyun wasn’t too petrified; only one fist was clenched with anxiety and anticipation. Where had G-Dragon come from, and why did he look so fabulous still? With slightly tousled hair, he slouched with his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. At first, Ailee thought it was a fashion statement, but the odd reddish-brown print of his dress shirt seemed a bit too fresh. He didn’t seem very dangerous, however, they both knew better. G-Dragon’s natural talent in this game was obvious, seeing as he didn’t even feel the need to intimidate with a weapon. Instinctively Ailee reached for the trio of small knives she equipped. She gripped them with her hand, while threatening,

“Let him go, and I won’t kill you.”

An unentertained G-Dragon stood beside Baekhyun, sighing

“It’s been a long day Ailee. Just let me talk to Baekhyun, and I won’t kill you.”

Clearly, her false bravado was not convincing for a second. The knife vibrated between her belt and pants in her nervous and sweaty palm, as Hyunseung whispered in her ear,

“This is our chance to lose him; he’s going to get us killed.”

Battle Royale was just as much a game of emotions as it was fighting. Though it was only for a few hours, Ailee wanted to get Baekhyun out of this situation. She had a strong belief in the power of numbers, and they were currently in her favour. Hyunseung wasn’t a bad fighter, and Baekhyun probably had his mystery weapon on him. Though it seemed like a pretty innocent talk G-Dragon wanted to have, after the talking, she was sure that it wouldn’t end so civilly. With a slightly more stable voice, Ailee warned G-Dragon,

“Take one step, and I’ll throw one of these right in your neck.”

Taking it more as a challenge, G-Dragon sharply replied,

“Great; we’ll be in the next room if you need either of us”

Ailee hurled two knives at G-Dragon, both spiralling with a decent aim. Easily he dodged both, ducking on to the ground after pushing Baekhyun to the floor as well. Unfortunately, Ailee had literally brought a knife to a gunfight, as G-Dragon withdrew a nasty looking automatic from behind him. With a flick of his index finger he pulled the trigger, spraying bullets across the room. Her knees scraped on the rotting floor as she dove for cover, tackling Hyunseung in the process. Only a couple bullets had merely grazed her legs, leaving non-lethal but still painful torn skin.

“H-hyunseung?” Ailee stuttered, slowing moving from her protective position over top of his body.

An inaudible cry ripped from his mouth in reply. She searched his body for the injury, rapidly ripping at his shirt. Quickly the location was revealed, as pools of crimson spread across Hyunseung’s shirt around his stomach. Ailee put one hand over the fastest bleeding area, and the other over in shock and to prevent herself from vomiting. Meanwhile, G-Dragon led Baekhyun away from the battle scene to question him. Baekhyun had no means to run away or say “no thanks” now that he saw the extra clip tucked in G-Dragon’s pocket. With a low tone, G-Dragon immediately reached the purpose of this meeting and asked,

“I’m looking for a girl who’s about 18 or 19. Her name is Ellie. I heard that you ran into her.”

Quickly Baekhyun responded, knowing exactly who was talking about and to end this conversation,

“It was in some mall near the centre; Junes. It has orange flags. Seemed that she was looking for a place to sleep.”

G-Dragon played with Ellie’s lighter which he still was in his pocket and he deliberated the next move. He knew the place Baekhyun was referencing, and It would take a good hour to trek back there with CL. By then, the target would have moved on. She was a smart little girl. Ellie needed to die as soon as possible before she makes any allies, or worse; finds her partner. He had only ran into her once, but that was enough to know her abilities. Actually, he didn't really know her abilities which was the danger. G-Dragon felt comfortable with all the other idols, but the few wildcards had him on edge.

“Why are you so interested in her GD? She is a no-name,” wondered Baekhyun, interrupting G-Dragon’s thought process.

G-Dragon smirked, replying,

“Call me Jiyong. And those ‘no-names’ are the ones you have to watch out for most.”

“So what’d she do to you then?” asked Baekhyun.

Jiyong shrugged, “Just trust me, she is dang-”

A shrill scream cut Jiyong off, both jerking their heads to where it seemingly came from. Under his breath, Jiyong cursed, knowing the plan was only going to fail now. It was simple; he was suppose to get information from Baekhyun, while CL stole Ailee's weapon. Baekhyun knew it was Ailee’s scream, and why else would she unless there was another attacker. Honestly, Jiyong was prepared to silence Baekhyun in order for them to steal possibly the most powerful weapon in the game, however, he didn’t expect Baekhyun to bolt it out of the room to save Ailee. Who knew that he’d actually try and protect people only wanted him gone?

It was a flurry of hair as CL wrestled with Ailee, trying to stab her with a small knife. As Ailee grew more tired though, CL gained the advantage and forced herself on top. Both of their bodies were heaving as they tried to catch their breath, CL having one hand grasping Ailee’s throat and the other ready to plunge the blade in it. It made no sense to Ailee why CL demanded she hand over her weapon; they were throwing knives, and CL already possessed better. Desperately she looked at Hyunseung who lay an arms length away, his sharp breaths becoming fewer and further apart. She wanted to cry, to call out for her boyfriend or mom to save her, but there was no point. Her inevitable death inched closer as did the knife hovering above her neck, her strength running out. Without a word, she slid her hand out to Hyunseung, grabbing on to the tips of his fingers.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed.

Weakly, she felt Hyunseung’s fingers tighter around her sweating hand. It made her feel less alone to hold on to him. Suddenly, she felt CL’s body change position. Instinctively she closed her eyes, not wanting a smug smile to be the last thing she ever sees.

“Go, go, go, go!”

Baekhyun continued to shout as he ripped Ailee up from off the ground, her hand still clenched around Hyunseung’s. In shock, she froze halfway up from the floor, seeing CL picking herself up. Not far behind was Jiyong, who was yelling furiously at his partner for not following through with their original scheme had been. Despite the voices all trying shout over one another, a small beep stole everyone’s attention. In sync with the beep flashed a menacing little red dot on the front of CL’s collar.

“Come on!” urged Baekhyun, beginning to pull Ailee in the direction of the stairs as she continued to stare at an enraged CL.

“It’s you? What!” snarled Jiyong at Baekhyun.

Indeed, it was him; not Ailee who had won the weapon lottery. In the duffel bag that had been tossed at him yesterday, Baekhyun had gotten a trigger for the collars of all the players. CL’s collar gained momentum, as if becoming excited by all the action. While Baekhyun continued dislocate Ailee’s shoulder in an attempt to drag her away, all eyes were glued to CL as the beeps quickened to the point of being just a high pitched drone. Maybe they thought that it was some sort of mind game, that it was a defensive measure to allow for a quick escape and CL wasn’t going to die bloody. Having made minimal progress to an exit, Baekhyun swooped Ailee off the floor and into his arms bridal style. If he stuck around, Jiyong wouldn’t just kill him but take his weapon.  As fast as possibly, he ran with Ailee frozen in his arms to the first floor and out of the building.

Now outside, and at the end of the worn river trail, Baekhyun stood Ailee back up. Whether or not they were being chased didn’t matter, because it was impossible for them to go back and get their things, including Hyunseung. It must have been almost 4:00 am, because the sky was starting to turn peachy. With shaking legs Ailee slowly followed Baekhyun to the edge of the fierce river as he called over his shoulder to her,

“Follow the dry rocks! It’s not to bad here, and we can’t risk going around.”

With a light and swift step, Baekhyun hopped across the gnashing waves. He had made the mistake earlier by slipping on the wet rocks along the edge. They had a distinct rust red colour when the water touched them, opposed to the light brown they had when dry. With only a few feet until being completely across, he yelled to Ailee,

“We’re almost th-

His pants dripping wet from the water splashing up, Baekhyun turned around on the rock to see Ailee’s hand disappear below the surface.  The water rushed her downstream, and out of sight.