Baekhyun finds himself wandering aimlessly through the maze again. Occasionally, a lamp flickers when he passes by, like it's showing his currently mood. Twice, Baekhyun had been able to find that comforting warmth again, only to have it immediately disappear afterwards. He pauses next to a lamp and waits, wanting to see what it will do. For a moment nothing happens, but then it completely shatters, and Baekhyun sighs, realising how accurate that is to his current state of mind. Baekhyun reaches up and runs a finger slowly over the shattered glass, wincing when a sharp edge cuts his finger open.

For a good five minutes, Baekhyun watches as tiny drops of blood spill from the cut, and he briefly wonders if it's enough to bleed to death, though he knows it's definitely not. Wobbly from exhaustion, hunger, pain, and thirst, Baekhyun slowly starts walking again, but stops almost immediately when he hears a voice ahead.

"Stay back, monster!" Baekhyun starts, recognising that voice.

He tries to say that it's Baekhyun, not a monster, but then he stops himself, because maybe that's all he is. Before he can actually say anything, though, something sharp is cutting through his shoulder. Baekhyun gasps sharply, even if he's not yet feeling the pain. His footsteps falter and for a long time, there's no more movement.

"Baekhyunnie?" Baekhyun‘s shoulder is really starting to sting now, and due to this pain, he misses the voice. "Baekhyunnie!"

Baekhyun is then startled by the feeling of arms wrapping around his waist, but relaxes immediately when he realises that it's just Kyungsoo, and he hopes that Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’s a monster.

"I'm not a monster… Kyungsoo-ya," he whispers, placing a gentle arm across the other's back. "Please don't think that…"

"…I could never," Kyungsoo's voice is just as quiet, and Baekhyun knows that he's seen the wound, that he's staring at the wound. "I'm sorry… I never meant to hurt you, I didn’t know it was you…"

Baekhyun just smiles at those words; he's aware that Kyungsoo had simply been scared. Lifting a hand, Baekhyun snaps his fingers; trying to will some light into this dark place. A few orbs of light surround them, and Baekhyun is just happy to be able to see again.

"Are you okay, Kyungsoo-ya?" The wielder of light asks gently. "I scared you, didn't I?"

"I was just completely alone for so long," Kyungsoo confesses, loosening his hold from around Baekhyun's waist. "I… wasn't sure if there was anyone else besides me in here… I'm happy to have found you, Baekhyun-ah."

"I'm happy to see you too, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun replies. "I've been alone too, though I'm fairly certain that everyone else is in this godforsaken place somewhere. I've felt Yixing's light, and I've seen and felt Chanyeol's flames… and now you're here…"

Baekhyun is feeling a lot more at ease now that he's no longer alone. Subconsciously, he tries to pull Kyungsoo closer, to reassure himself that he's not completely alone. And then he's being pushed aside, and he's falling, stunned.

"Watch out, Baekhyunnie!" Kyungsoo yells before a swirling cloud of black smoke swallows him up.

Baekhyun can do nothing but watch him be taken away.

"No, Kyungsoo-ya!" He yells, running now, even though Baekhyun knows that he's chasing something he can't catch.

"Stay safe…"

Baekhyun is crying again when he hears those soft words in Kyungsoo's voice, even though the other is no longer anywhere in sight. His lights fall and evaporate into the earth. Baekhyun has all but forgotten about his shoulder wound as he continues his seemingly purposeless trudging. He comes to the realisation that he no longer just wants to get out of there, he wants everyone to get out with him, in one piece. Right now, though, Baekhyun finds himself selfishly wanting Chanyeol again. Wrapping his arms around himself, Baekhyun walks through the darkness, hoping that it'll lead him to someone, anyone, because he's not sure how much longer he'll last alone.

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And until Saturday ^_^