{Jihae}

The first thing that I touch when I wake up is something soft and feels like it’s made of fluff. I peer my eyelids open and see a red bolster placed neatly just right beside my left arm. It’s easy to tell I’m not in the same room I had slept in last night. This room is obviously used. There are piles of books stacked messily on a desk on my far right and worksheets lay scattered everywhere.

What happened last night? Then I remember. Baekhyun and I were at the rooftop. The last thing I remembered was me drinking a cup of grape juice Baekhyun offered. Then after, everything becomes hazy. 

I look around the room for a while before realising it is Baekhyun’s room. It’s much spacious than the other rooms and even has a personal toilet and a walk in closet. But that’s all I noticed before I spot a piece of paper taped nicely at the bedside table. At first I think it’s probably some post it note with a reminder. But when I look closer, I find my name written bold on the top of the palmed sized paper, as though the person who wrote it was desperate to grab my attention.

A mixture of emotions overtake my body as I read through the note. By the time I am done with the last word, I’m barely able to place the paper back to its original position without my fingers trembling.

It’s sheer anger that attacks me first when I slam my palm on the sheets to vent my ire. I’m mad because the feeling of being left out gets to me and suddenly I feel as though I never really was part of that group of six. The sadness and disappointment follows shortly when I think about how Baekhyun has so little faith in me. That he’d rather leave me out of the fight because he thinks I’ll screw up and hurt myself.

But then a ray of sunlight blinds my eyes just as the curtains shift with the wind. I check my phone and realise how late it already is. It’s well after my usual wake up timing of 7:30 and I suspect Baekhyun must have done something to let me sleep in.

I pick up the note immediately crushing it in my palm as I jump out of the bed. I scurry down the stairs and take a quick check around the house. As expected, there is no one at home. I groan aloud and quickly dash out of the gates as soon as I found the key to the side door.

And then I start running. The desperate helpless feeling is frightening as it runs down my spine, leaving me shivering with fear as I don’t slow my running pace. I feel like history is repeating itself. It feels exactly like when I had received that phone call from the Head. The only difference is, this time it isn’t a hoax. It is real. I have to remind myself that and so my breathlessness doesn’t slow me down.

50 Dongjae street is where I’m headed for. I so specifically disobey Baekhyun’s direct orders. How can I not? How can I just stay at home and do nothing well the six boys fight for their lives out in the battlefield just to save me? How can I be so selfish?

How can I risk the possibility of not being able to see Baekhyun again?

•••••

I find the doors left ajar and so I simply enter them without a second thought. It’s the second time I’m here but it feels just like the first. It feels as eerie and creepy as ever. And I have a hunch that they are expecting me.

I don’t take anytime in locating them. There’s only one place they can host such a fight and that is none other than the huge basement with its high celling and plenty of empty space.

And so I see it, I see everything.

The blood and gory of the fight is piercing and I have to look away. Even with all their powers shielding my vision, I still see their faces in pain, struggling to fend the other adult men off.

I see the three poor boys surrounded by eleven other people. Correction, mutants. Out of the eleven, some of them have really familiar faces. Then I realised, they were the “thugs” that attacked me that night at the alley.

Suho, D.O and Sehun stand back to back as they form some sort of barricade around themselves while they attack the men that are attacking them. Chanyeol must be controlled by the Head, or he would never be attacking Kai who is desperately flinging random objects to distract his flame.

My heart falls into a bottomless pit when my eyes lay on Baekhyun. He looks tired, with angry red lines outlining his left thigh, probably made by one of those men with horrifying looking claws. But Baekhyun’s eyes are filled with focus as he seems to be thinking really hard.

The six of them, or five since Chanyeol has already went under the control of the Head, they shouldn’t be able to handle this. They shouldn’t have been able to last that long. Its more than ten adults against these teenagers. They shouldn’t be able to fight them off. But they have and still are.

Just as I think things are going to be okay, that we might actually win, Baekhyun suddenly falls to the ground with a thump. His hands reach for his temple and his eyes closed in agony. He seems to be resisting some force. Perhaps his force.

And then I see it. A blast of red laser shoots towards Sehun. I watch a glimpse of confusion swipe his face as he dodges to the right. But I know he isn’t able to see the laser, that maybe someone else had been giving him orders. Giving him the wrong orders.

His body is now right in the exact target of the laser. And as though everything melts into slow motion, I see the laser inch bit by bit closer to him. I feel my eyes widen and hands palpitate.

My mind goes blank.

I only want the boys to be safe.

I only want them to be protected.

And it all happens in a flash.

The six boys have a translucent bubble like thing surrounding them. I watch one of the Head’s man go up and attempt to scratch D.O with his claws, but as soon as his claws comes into contact with the bubble, a force pushes him back, making him trip.

The next attack by another man only proves my theory right. He shoots a beam of laser to Chanyeol. And before Chanyeol can fight back with his flames, the beam of laser vanishes into thin air when it touches the bubble.

I don’t know whether to be relive or to feel more confused. It can’t be. How can it be? The six of them looked like they were protected. Protected from all the other mutants’ powers.

“Baekhyun?” I shout to him but he doesn’t hear me and he seems to have the similar look of perplexity that I’m experiencing. “Baekhyun!” I raise my voice.

He turns to look at me. “Jihae? Why are you here? I told you not to come!” His voice sounds more sad than it is angry and he is rushing over to me.

“Baek—” I call his name again but a sudden shot of pain strikes the back of my head and I have to keel over. It is agonizing and the torture only worsens as the pain spread to the rest of my head.

“AH!” I scream and fall over to the ground, both hands grasping my head, wishing for it to stop. Someone touches my shoulder and is saying things to me but nothing seems to be transmitted into my brain for it to be understood.

That’s when my body gives in and I fall into a pit of darkness.