Drabble 33: Exodus au, Junmyeon-centric

They had escaped the maze. But the power of the maze had diverted Kai’s teleportation ability, and Junmyeon had no idea where the other nine members of his team were. He didn’t know if they were hurt, if they had managed to find each other, or if the creators of the maze had hunted them down one by one.

But they had escaped the maze. That was the bright side, he had to remember that—it was all that was keeping him going at this point.

Junmyeon gazed contemplatively at the wall of trees standing impassively before him. Perhaps he could go for a walk, and it would clear his head. Junmyeon doubted that it would work; he told himself the same thing every time, but it always ended with him feeling worse than he did before. But, like a fool, he continued to hope that someday, something would give and the weariness in his heart would crack to reveal a dormant energy beneath.

He stepped forward into the cool shade of the trees, his feet carrying him along a familiar path through the barren limbs of the winter forest. He walked here often, trying to gather his thoughts, often after failed attempts to locate the presence of the rest of Exo through his power.

His feet carried him to an empty cement block, and he sat down at his edge, letting his legs hang into the gaping cavity. He closed his eyes and waited for the familiar tug in his gut. He opened his eyes again and smiled at the rush of clear water coming at him. He watched without fear as the water crashed to a stop and soaked his clothing, coating his entire body in a ferocious spray as waves formed and the water floundered to fit within its container.

Junmyeon let his thoughts wander, unperturbed by the violent scene before him. He thought back to the maze—the horror, the dull listlessness that had consumed his entire body, the black box containing a fine, fine dust that Kyungsoo had opened, the sight of Yixing sprawled out on the ground unable to move, banging against invisible walls in frustration, watching Minseok do the same thing to no effect—

Junmyeon drew in a shuddering breath and clasped his hands together tightly until his nails were biting into his skin. The sting helped to ground him, and as Junmyeon came back to his surroundings, he found that the water had settled into a gentle, glistening pool.

Junmyeon remembered Jongin, remembered Jongin finding him sprawled out on the ground barely able to breathe after overdosing on the drug, remembered Jongin’s encouraging smile, remembered Jongin lifting him to his feet, putting an arm around his waist, and then darkness and the suffocation of teleportation, only to end up all alone, lying on his back in a field in France.

“So.”

Junmyeon’s shoulders stiffened as he suddenly became hyperaware of his surroundings. He hadn’t heard anyone approach, and yet now, he could hear the steady breathing of someone standing a few feet behind him. The voice was familiar, but Junmyeon couldn’t quite place who it was…

“This is what you’ve been up to?” A man’s voice spoke in slightly slurred Korean. “Wandering around in the woods?”

Junmyeon felt his blood run cold with realization, his body frozen in place as he listened to the man walk closer and closer. This voice belonged to the creator of the maze, the one who had trapped in his own heart and mind, the one who had tried to turn them on each other, the one who was strong enough to divert Jongin’s power—

Something sharp stung Junmyeon’s shoulder and he keeled over onto his side, his vision swimming before him as a strong sedative began to take effect over his body. He lifted his hand weakly and then let it fall to his side, his mind too fuzzy to comprehend what was happening. Something soft and warm fell over his face, and someone lifted his feet out of the water—and then all was darkness and sweet, sweet sleep.

a/n: Hey guys! So I've slowly been gathering myself to rejoin the writing world. Things have been a lot busier than anticipated and I'm two months behind schedule, but I'm slowly picking myself up. Thanks for reading and comments are much loved! <3