Seokmin sighed and lay down on his freshly made bed. “I wonder what we’re gonna do today.” Soonyoung drank from his glass and set it down on the table. He sat next to Seokmin and shrugged. “Nothing’s predictable here. They say one thing, and next, it’s the other.” The younger nodded solemnly and groaned. Back then, he had always been the boy who always smiles. Not a day without the hyena’s laugh, they say. His bright, cheerful persona has somehow faltered, at least a bit, during their time at the facility.

“I’m sick of all those pressure tests.” he said. True, there had been simulations of them getting interrogated. Locked in a dark room with only one bowl of water. Left in the woods full of hungry eyes and piercing wind. There are tons of things that puts them on edge and they are forced to experience every one of it. Soonyoung flicked his friend’s forehead. “Get up! Who’s Seokmin without his freaky laugh?” The younger grinned and quickly tackled his equally bright friend.

The door suddenly opened, revealing a stressed out looking Jin. “It’s time.”

⁞⁝•ֱ̀␣̍•́⁝⁞

Their heads hung as they marched to the pod room. A dark aura surrounded them, the faintest bit of light heartedness only heard from Taehyung’s incessant chatters. “You guys are going to love this. No more pressure tests. I swear.” He talked with such chirpiness it gets disturbing after time. Nothing ever seems to bother him. Even now, despite getting glares from Jin and some of the older kids, he keeps on talking.

Smirking he swung his arm over Seungkwan’s shoulders. “You guys are not scared, are you?” Jihoon’s eyes seemed to flicker for a second. The thought of going through other pressure tests are simply unpleasant. Now that Taehyung is saying all this stuff… It seems pretty fishy.

“Are you seriously going to stop us from walking those pressure tests?” asked Hansol. The boy seems pretty calm. His arms are shoved inside his pockets, a belt hanging loose from his hip. Jin raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I tell each and everyone of you to restrain from using unnecessary accessories that complicates the simulation process?”

The American laughed. “This will not complicate things, really. If something goes wrong you can put me in the pressure test 10 hours straight.”

Taehyung nodded and walked over to the boy. “You’ve got some guts,” he said smirking. “I like that.” Taehyung walked up front and approached Jin. “I’ll go prep the pods.” he said before casually walking away.

Within a few minutes they reached the room. The pods have been activated, cascading its signature purple light over the room. Taehyung looked up and nodded. Jin turned and started to speak. “Today you are going to get into those pods and go on a fear simulation.” he said, nonchalantly. The room quickly erupted into a series of groans and complaints. Seungcheol, being the hot-blooded one spoke up first.

“What the heck? You go on giving us pressure tests and now you’re forcing simulation tests on us?”. Jin scoffed and patted Seungcheol’s shoulder. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

Jihoon doesn’t like that smile Jin has on. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” he whispered to Seungkwan. The other sighed. “We’ll just have to bear with it. I hope it isn’t that bad.”

Hesitantly, the group moved towards their own pods. Almost everyone had their heads down. It’s obvious that they were fed up with all these trainings and simulations. Junghan fitted himself in the pod and closed his eyes. The cold tingling sensation slowly took place. The microscopic needles entered his skin and started transmitting waves just as darkness took over.

Seconds later he found himself tied to a chair. His surroundings were completely white. He wriggled in his seat to escape but his efforts were fruitless. He tried searching for a door or an escape near him. Nothing. It was like the compartment was build after he had been placed in a certain spot. No escape. Sweat started to drip from his forehead. Losing his composure, he started shouting for help, but none came out. His pupils dilated and his breath became ragged. The ties loosened and he fell on the floor.

His eyes snapped open. He’s now back in the pod, the cool stabilizer cooling him off. He closed his eyes again for a second, trying to calm himself. It’s just a simulation, a simulation. When he re-opened his eyes his pod is now open. A hand reached out to him and he grabbed it in a second. Mingyu’s face was the first thing he saw. “You okay?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Junghan nodded. “Uh, yeah… Maybe. I don’t know.” he muttered clearly still shaken. Mingyu eyed him and walked away.

Junghan coughed. “The simulation… is over?” he asked, looking around. Mingyu smirked. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Junghan. The other pods were still closed and Jin and Taehyung is nowhere in sight.

“What do you think?” Mingyu said, taking a step towards Junghan. He tried to back away but his feet are frozen in place. Suddenly Mingyu’s face melted, as if reshaping itself. Junghan felt relief he hadn’t had much for breakfast that day. He might’ve thrown up. What was Mingyu a minute before had turned to Taehyung. “What the heck?” he managed to say before Taehyung’s finger wrapped around the trigger. He cackled, obviously enjoying the look of terror in his face. He smirked and looked at him slyly. “Goodbye… Yoon.”

He closed his eyes and braced for the pain but nothing happened. Now complete darkness surrounded him. His body was floating in the darkness, just like a fish swimming in the vast ocean. He could not find any source of light. A blast suddenly sounded, sending him tumbling down endless darkness. Just as he thought it was the end of him, an opening appeared. Trying hard to approach the light, he kicked frantically, his arms flailing around. In a matter of seconds he made it through the portal.

Gasping, he ended back in his pod. He was soaked from head to toe, his sweat dripping. He was shaking all over, not able to comprehend what just happened to him. The stabilizer’s constant buzz made him more relaxed. Am I still in the simulation? It was about 5 whole minutes before his pod finally opened. He was too scared to get out and find himself still in some nasty simulation. He could hear the other pods being opened too, giving him the least bit of assurance. He got up and walked out of the pod, making sure to step carefully.

“Hey.” a voice called out from behind him. In reflex, he pulled back his hand and landed a punch on the person’s face. The boy shot him a glare and rubbed his cheeks. “What the heck was that for?” Mingyu asked.

Junghan gulped. Almost everyone is out already and the number of eyes looking at them bothers him. “Oh, sorry. I…. I didn’t mean to hit you.” Mingyu snickered and walked away, not forgetting to give him a pat before leaving. “You saw me in the simulation didn’t you?” Junghan twisted his head and saw Mingyu smirking. He muttered a barely audible curse and walked away. The others were talking in their own groups, probably sharing what they saw or just trying to unnerve.

In the other hand, a panicked Soonyoung is seen wandering around Seokmin’s pod. There were only two unopened pods by then, Seokmin and Dongjin’s. “Hey why aren’t theirs opening?” Soonyoung asked, grabbing Taehyung’s collar.

“Whoa chill boy. They’re probably still lost in one of their fears. The only way out is to admit their fears or face them head-on.” he replied. Soonyoung cursed and walked away, standing by Seokmin’s pod. Sure they haven’t known each other for that long but the boy had been very nice and funny. Even on the toughest days he managed to make everyone smile.

Chan too, is standing by Dongjin’s pod. The younger boy is definitely a timid one. He can’t imagine the look he’ll have when he step out of the pod. After another minute of waiting the pod finally opened, revealing a white as sheet Dongjin. “You okay?” Chan asked. He looked at Chan and nodded. “Y-yeah…” Chan looked at him uncertainly. The boy is not as scared as he thought he’d be. Chan nodded. “Okay, let’s just go over to the hyungs.”

A scream suddenly filled the room. Seungkwan fell on his whilst pointing to Seokmin’s pod. “B-blood, there’s blood seeping out!” His frantic screams filled the room, alerting everyone. Soonyoung quickly forced open the pod. Doyoon and Jin too, helped the boy in doing so. Seungkwan has now quieted down for he fainted on the floor, a pure look of terror on his face.

The smell of blood quickly filled the air when the pod finally opened. Doyoon gagged and Soonyoung stayed frozen. His face turned pale and he started shaking. He fell onto his knees and teardrops start rolling down his cheeks. His eyes were still fixated on the blood covered figure in front of him.

Jin made a quick call and tried to get everyone away from the pod. Soonyoung won’t budge. The boy lifted his head, a look of hatred filled his eyes. “You, you caused al this. You killed him!” he shouted, pointing a finger accusingly. The elder’s face paled. He remained silent, listening to what the younger has to say. “You are all demons! You killed my friend! Why are you doing this to us anyway? You, you piece of !” he said trying to hit Jin. His punches missed him by a lot of margin. The boy kept on crying and failing to punch the older. His sobs echoed through out the room, making everyone feel dreadful and utterly speechless.

Jimin and Hoseok entered, carrying some kind of compartment. They walked towards Seokmin and started to lift him up when Soonyoung shouted. “Where do you think you’re taking him???” They shot each other looks, not knowing what to say. “Don’t you even think of touching him with your filthy hands.” he spat. Soonyoung got up and lifted him instead. He looked at the others for support and Junghan quickly approached the boy. “Thank you.” he whispered.

Jihoon and Seungcheol soon joined. Mingyu did too. They moved him to the compartment Jimin and Hoseok brought. Soonyoung then stood in front of them. “We will bury him. I’m not going to listen to whatever crap your or your boss has to say. We are going to bury him and you’re not going to get in our way.” The two boys nodded and backed away not sure what to do. They looked over at Jin and Taehyung for support but none of them uttered a word.

Maybe they really are murderers.

AUTHOR'S NOTESHeyo here's a chapter for you wonderful people! Please do comment and subscribe to the story if you like it, I'll be more than pleased to hear what you have to say!

I'd have to say I have been plannin on killing Seokmin since the start of the story and I've come up with numbers of ideas but by far this is the least painful one.

So I hope you guys enjoyed this one and um, keep on reading until the end. There are more deaths to come but it's all necessary for the plot to progress. Have a nice day!