S I X.

SM High School ; Remember your morals.  

11:40 PM

Jiyeon felt like screaming the moment she saw her classmate’s body hanging from the stage, limbs dangling midair.  The answer was written on the body. And she had screamed when she tilted her head up, only to be kissed on the cheekbone by a drop of scarlet, stark blood.  

    All the students sat, backs rested against the walls in the corridor right outside of the auditorium.  The halls were only lit by the dim moonlight, the air cold and stiff.  Jiyeon had her arms wrapped around Krystal’s small frame, flexing her toes inside her shoes.  Jinyoung sat beside her, wrapping the chord of his headphones around his pointer finger.  Across from them were Nana and Hyuna, who seemed plenty relaxed, considering the fact they had just witnessed three people die right in front of them.  

    People shed tears, from fear, from grief, no one knew.  But no one moved, or spoke.  The silenced lasted for a very long time.    

    “We’re wasting our time.  If L.Joe had just bought our cells in time, he wouldn’t have been... you know.”

    “Exactly.  Such a loss.”

    Whispers filled the hallways.  The teacher silenced them with stares, but the effect never really lasted long enough.  Jiyeon rolled her eyes in disbelief.  

    Have a little humanity.  She remembered what Myungsoo had said earlier.  It made her scared- more than dying, or being killed, or lost in the dark- that she didn’t know what was to come after everything was over.  What would happen to her humanity, her sanity.  If she ever had any to begin with.  

    “Kids...” Ms. Choi started, subconsciously scuffing the end of her kitten heels to the floor,  “We’re all sticking together.  No one leaves the group, understand?”

    “With all due respect, Miss, that’s going to get us nowhere.”  Myungsoo interjected. 

    “Come on, L.  Just listen to the teacher,” Soyou whispered, her voice small.  She searched the pockets of her uniform blazer for her tablets.  Shakily, she picked one out before dry swallowing it.  

    “You’re scared, aren’t you.” Myungsoo’s stare hardened.  

    “N-no... I just don’t think it’s a good idea to split up.  We could work together to find the answers,” Soyou responded defensively, fumbling with her words.  

    “Kim Myungsoo, as the head of the elite class, you would know t-” 

    He scoffed before cutting her off and retorted,  “Then my standing should also be the reason why my suggestion could actually work.”  

    “Hey, mind shutting up? We’re all about to die, the least we could do is listen to the freaking teacher,” Jinyoung remarked standoffishly.   Krystal sat up,  feeling the tension being replaced by sudden indifferences.  

    “I have a proposal,” Luhan said as he saw Krystal parting her lips to speak.   “Miss, if it’s alright... may I suggest we stick as a group until the next Deathbell and see what happens then?”

    “If the next victim is caught and killed, we split up and come up with a strategy.  Can everyone agree?”  Myungsoo rejoined.  Naeun, Jiyeon, and Chorong shared glances before slowly nodding.  

    “I think it’s a good idea.  The class’ flowerboys conjuring a solid follow-up, no surprise there.” Yuji smirked.  Nana rolled her eyes.  

    “Alright.  I just want everyone to be safe.” Ms. Choi conceded. 

    “No one’s going to be safe.  Unless all of us wake up and realize this is all just a conspiracy,  we’ll never make it out alive.” Nana pushed her chunky Tiffany & Co. charm bracelet up her forearm.  Hyuna stuck herself against the wall, moving back to see the events unfolding infront of her.  

    The hallway was dead silent after her remark.  “Shut up, Nana,” Chorong spat.  Nana stared her down, suddenly making her feel a little vulnerable.  She smoothed her hand over her bangs, wishing she could’ve disappeared at that moment.  

    “What? It’s true! We’re all just going to die here.  This is just a big experiment!” 

    “Girls!” The teacher stood up, just as the argument was about to die down.  “Quiet.  No one think of doing anything stupid until the next question-”

    Nana pushed herself up, clicking the heel of her stilettos to the floor.  “Oh, so you’re just going to answer the questions? Who said the psycho was going to let us go? You actually believe we’re going to be safe after you saw what happened to the other three?” 

    “You’re the one that needs to die.”  Krystal hissed through her teeth.  

    “Jung Soojung!”

    Oh-so very subtly, Nana froze in her spot, feeling her shoulders tense.  Krystal’s icy glare bore right through her skull.  “What did you just say?”  

    “.”  

    Jiyeon stared at Krystal with wide, pleading eyes.  “You asked for it,” Jinyoung plied.  

    “Oh.  I see how it is.”  Nana’s eyes narrowed, shooting from Myungsoo to the end of the hall, Luhan.  “The top 10 on the list all stick together, right? Birds of feather flock together, yeah?” 

    “Wha-what are you saying?” Naeun’s voice was so small it was barely audible, even in the thick, quietly dark atmosphere.  

    Nana shook her head, almost in dissaproval.   “Whatever.  Luhan, how long are you planning to just wait here before you carry out your plan?”    

    Luhan’s pupils flit up questionably.  “What do you mean? We aren’t splitting up until the next-”

    “Deathbell.  I get it.”  Nana let out a groan of frustration before kicking up her heels and strutting away from everyone else.  

    “Jinah! Jinah!” The teacher shouted after her.  She dropped down to the floor.  “I really should be trying everything in my power as a professional to keep this from happening, but it’s not working,” she whispered to herself.  

    “What crawled up her ?” Yuji hissed, hesitating before standing up to follow Nana.

    “Miss, I think it’s the right thing to follow Nana.  There’s no saying she might be the next victim before the fourth Deathbell,” Jiyeon chided.  

    Myungsoo stood up without warning, grabbed Jiyeon’s hand, and whisked her away.  “Then let’s go.”  Her eyes widened, looking at his hand in hers, practically dragging her across the hallway.  

    “What are you doing?” Jiyeon almost tripped over the shank of her sneakers as Myungsoo lead her down the hallway, his strides long.  When he didn’t reply, she shook herself free from his grip and wrung a hand around her wrist.  

    He stopped abruptly and turned around to face her.  Jiyeon stepped back.  “Didn’t you notice anything strange about what L.Joe said?” 

    “What are you talking about?” She tried to look over Myungsoo’s shoulders in search of Nana’s retreating figure.  “Where’s Nana?” 

    “Forget her, okay? Don’t you think it’s strange the psycho had L.Joe make the statement? What if the culprit knows something about him? About us? Everyone here?  What did L.Joe do to have someone come back for him and ultimately have him tangled up in this... conspiracy?”  Myungsoo noted wryly that Jiyeon’s expression certainly wasn’t intrigued or in thought for the matter.  

    “Look, L this isn’t some sort of CSI bit, okay? Do you not realize just how real this situation is getting? We just saw our own classmates die.” Jiyeon’s hand flew to her cheek, where she still felt the blood stain.  

    Myungsoo’s face eased into another one of his cold expressions that were impossible to read.  It then occured to her how the acrimonious her tone was torwards him. “You’re just like them.”  

    Looking over her shoulder and turning back around, Jiyeon stomped her foot on the ground, frustrated.  “What the hell are you trying to say?” 

    “You have no means whatsoever to find the person who’s behind all of this.” Stop talking.   “Just like everyone else here, you’re scared of getting killed, right?” Stop talking. Stop talking.  “You want to make it out alive but don’t you understand that-” 

    “Kim Myungsoo, you talk like you know a lot about me.” Jiyeon interrupted, fighting the urge to slap him.  

    Quietly, he whispered, “Because I do.” With that, he started walking the opposite direction.  Creasing her forehead, she tried to comprehend what he had just said.  

    “Where are you going?” 

    “Nana.  She went down this way,” the latter replied, his tone sullen again.  And he ran down the dark hallway.  Jiyeon chased after him, suddenly concious of her eerie surroundings.  

    Who knows? The killer could be walking around this wing of the school right now.  

    Then, Myungsoo stopped in his tracks.  Just a few feet ahead was Nana, leaning against a row of lockers, her stance a little stiff.  “What is she doing?” Jiyeon shrugged before walking past him.  

    “Nana! You can’t just be out here-” Jiyeon started before pausing to look at the strange spectacle.  Nana didn’t even turn around to face her, or acknowledge her prescence.  Her expression wasn’t vexxed, or frustrated, either.   “Nana?” 

    “Is there anyone following you guys?” She finally whispered back, slowly stepping out of her designer heels.   Her movements were controlled and slow.  

    “Are you... okay?” Jiyeon inquired.  There was definitely something that was a little... off.  

    Myungsoo picked up on Nana’s strange front and resumed scanning the hallways, from the foot of the lockers to the ceilings.  With soft footsteps he continued closer to them until his eyes spotted an unmistakable glint of a camera lense.  “We’re being watched.” 

    “Stating the obvious again, are we?” Nana hissed.  “I can’t believe we didn’t catch that.” 

    “Isn’t the most direct thing to do is to go to the surveilance room where the cameras are manned?” Jiyeon backtracked a little.  

    “Yeah, and you know, get castrated while you’re at it.” Nana snapped brusquely.  

    “We have to tell the others.  Now.” Myungsoo ran off without hesitation.  

    Jiyeon turned to follow, but stopped when she realized Nana was frozen in place.  “What are you doing? You really can’t be here alone.” 

    “I know.” 

    “So, let’s get out of here.” 

    “I can’t,” Nana shot back.  She stuck out her lower jaw in an underbite, trying to sound demanding.  But her words came out sounding forced.  “Just wait for it.” 

    Jiyeon had a feeling she knew what she meant.   Her breathing became rapid again as she took off, running as fast as she could.  If she tries to escape, she’ll get killed without trying.  Lim Jinah was the next victim.  

                        ~

    Midnight was tolling over faster than expected.  The sky was destilled, pitch black.  The moon that once dimly lit the tiled ground of the hallways seemed to be gone.   Myungsoo was sprinting, his eyes catching every camera that blinked red in the vicinity.  From the lockers to where the others were, sitting by the auditorium, he counted 10.  

    “Teacher, Nana’s-” he stopped to take inventory.  No one else was missing.  He was sure of it.  “She’s next.” 

    “What?” 

    Everyone sprung up to their feet.  As in on que, Jiyeon turned the corner.  With one hand to the wall, she tried to catch her breath.  “She’s down on the A-wing by the lockers.” 

    “Why isn’t she with you?” Ken asked. 

    “We’re being watched, okay? The person behind this had it all planned out- the order, the traps, setting, everything.  He’s using the school’s security cameras to monitor our every move.  Nana’s next in line for the Deathbell.  And she knew it even before we ran after her.  If she tries to tell us herself, she will die right now.” 

    Silence followed Myungsoo’s words.  “B-but how do you know she’s the next victim?” Chorong piped up timidly.  

    Jiyeon let out a frustrated groan.  “Think about it! She’s alone and she was the first to find out about the cameras!” 

    “If there’s a certain order we’re being killed off by accordingly, we can figure that out later,” Luhan added.  

    Everyone stood up and began running with alcrity, eager to stave off another death.  Krystal felt especially uneasy.  If she knows what’s coming, do we even have to try?  

    And as she felt her blood coarse through her veins a little faster, her eyes fell on the wires strapped to the ceiling lights above her.  She stopped in her tracks, ignoring the different shouts and exhorts telling her to keep moving.  Theoretically speaking, she decided this was definitely not done by an amateur.  Everything was set up perfectly.  The sensor triggers surrounding the main entrance, to the security cameras, everything.  Those wires lead to a trap. 

    Her theory was only proven correct when all eighteen of them were standing in the hallway of the A-wing, watching Nana screaming at the other end.  

    “Don’t come closer!” She shrieked, paranoid.  

    “Jinah, calm down.” Ms. Choi began advancing torwards her.  Nana cupped her ears, shut her eyes, and let out another cry for help, crying in between screeches.  

    “Wait, miss, be careful!” Krystal directing her pointer finger to the camera behind Nana, only to realize Ms. Choi had already elicit the trap waiting to fall.  

    Metal bars.  Steel wires in coils, wrapping around the cage like a fence.   A cage surrounding Nana, with barb and nails sticking out hazardously.  Shards of broken glass tacked worn polaroid pictures, adorning the confines.  

    The Deathbell sounded, enkindling Nana to bawl, clawing at the bars, kicking the wires until they were caked with blood from her hands.  “I see you have figured out by now, there’s no way to beat my system.  You are all being watched.  And I have traps everywhere.”  The familiar cackle hit Chorong like cold bullets.  She in a breath, feeling tears stream down her face.  The disoriented voice pressed on.  “As of now, the girl is a bird.  And the cage is an aviary.  Do you know what happens to organisms who can’t flee from the imprisonment? Or the slaughterhouse? They die.  Kim Dasom drowned in water, so I don’t need to tell you all what happens to this girl, do I?” 

    “Is he going to burn Nana?” Yuji recoiled, alarmed and petrified.  

    “Look at the pictures attached to the cage.  You’ll have to decipher and put the letters on the pictures together to find your password.  Put the word into the lock before the timer goes off.  Who knows? You might just be able to save her.” As everyone flocked around Nana, carefully detaching the pictures without scraping the glass.  

    To Jiyeon’s surprise, she found herself in the picture, running.  All of them are... Frantically, she flipped through the polaroids, stunned to see every single one of them imaged herself and Krystal.  

    “Hey, isn’t this you?” Jinyoung nudged Jiyeon,  a little taken aback.  

    “Yeah...”

    “Do you know how or why he has these pictures?” 

    “No.” Truth.  

    “When was this?” 

    “I don’t know.” Lie.  Seven months ago.  When we saw... 

    Jiyeon found Krystal staring right back at her, just as appalled.  She mouthed, “He knows what happened.” 

    “I have an M!” 

    “Me too!” 

    “Another M!” 

    “O!” 

    “R!” 

    “Memory?” Naeun guessed, scratching the back of her neck.  

    “No, it doesn’t work, I have a picture with a T,” Luhan dismissed, pausing to glance at Krystal, who stood off to the side, frozen.  He frowned, but chose to ignore it.  

    “N!” Chen shouted.  “And I also have another O!” 

    “E!” 

    Jiyeon looked at the letter etched into her picture.  I.  

    “I,” Jiyeon said, pushing through to get to the lock.  This has something to do with what happened that night.  That’s why Nana’s here.  And that’s why he wants everyone to see these pictures.  

    “Momento,” Sungyeol blurted.  “It makes perfect sense.” 

    “We have leftovers,” Jinyoung said. 

    Krystal slowly found her way to Nana, who was punching at the glass,  trying to get her nimble wrists through the bars.  Krystal cringed at the sight of the wires sinking into her skin.  “You!” Nana’s bloodshot eyes glared at her.  

    “I-” 

    “You saw everything! You followed me!” Nana barked, loud enough for Krystal to hear over the shouts, but quiet enough so the others couldn’t make out what she was saying.   Wincing from pain, she slipped her arm out and dropped a piece of paper infront of Krystal.  She picked it up, opening the note.  

Want to keep everything under lock and key? 

One soul sacrificed to keep one soul saved.  

You know what to do next.  

    “Ohmygod.”  Krystal found herself looking desperately at Jiyeon, who had her head turned away.  “Nana, it’s okay, we can-” 

    Nana shrunk, slowly dropping to the floor, the wires still piercing her arms and wrists.  She let out a sigh before breaking into a bitter, lifeless smile.  If anyone could even call it a smile.  “Don’t tell anyone.  And forget everything you saw that night.  No one can ever know.” Nana’s once lively, supple face was splattered with her own blood, her hair tangled like a mange.  The girl that once reigned her own world, complete with a wink and an arrogant smirk had never seemed so broken.  The girl that Krystal believed to be so descipable was to die a meaningless death.  The girl that hid behind her abrasive mask closed her eyes slowly, leaning her head against the cage until scarlet dripped from her forehead, in ribbons down to her neck.  

    “Momentomori,” Jiyeon repeated as Hyuna’s fingers stabbed the buttons on the lock.  M. O. M. E. N. T. O. M. O. R. I.  

    Like a ticking time bomb, the lock beeped just before Hyuna could finish.  And everyone circumvented the fire that rose up in flickering flames once the lighter fell from the top of the cage, swallowing Nana and the pictures left from the memories they wanted to forget.  

    “Momentomori.” Krystal embraced Jiyeon, her eyes tearing from the heat.  “Remember your morals.  How could we forget?”

_________

(A/N) omf honestly I am so sorry for taking so long to update

seriously, I've been pushing this back for months now 

but of course, I have a reason

It's just that it's been really hectic.  I've been trying to plan this story out completely before I start writing the chapter so I can keep things organized, in check, polished, etc.  

There's just so much going on through my head, honestly

So for the whole month of November, I started writing, deleting, clearing, rewriting, and writing again.  It's been difficult, but I still find writing this fanfic really fun and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it so far! ^^ It's great to know my stories' keeping you on your toes! 

Anyways, thanks sm for reading

As always, I cannot stress this enough, I am open to comments, suggestions, and any questions!

It feels so awesome to hear your input, seriously! 

Upvotes are appreciated as well :-) 

xoxo