Ok so this was inspired by Divergent. I’m probably not gonna write this tho because I have other fics to be written rip but I really, really, really want to develop this plot idea! Sorry the writing is...meh.

She clutched her oil-smeared dress with her fingers, tears threatening to drip out of her eyes as she held her breath and watched the two men silently. The scent of tobacco filled the air as one of the men lit up a cigar, his soiled fingers holding it in between as he casted a wary look through the large window. He caressed his chin, peeling off the dried mud and flicking it to the wooden floor.

“What if we get caught?” he asked. He puffed his breath, the smokes quickly disintegrating into nothingness. “We don’t have any more supplies. No food, no money, no transport.”

“We’ll manage,” the other man replied. He stood at the side of the window frame, staring at the sight of the marching soldiers. “They’re going to the warzone; this is the perfect time for us to escape.”

The blaring sound of sirens and trumpets interrupted him from speaking more, and he focused back on the celebration occurring outside. The people of Amuree had always sent off their soldiers with a merry celebration—the best way to put their saviours high on the pedestal. Kyungsoo’s eyes averted to the people lining up at the sideway, and he noticed how they held their chin high and jaw hardened.

“Keep your eyes on the crowd. We’ll leave as soon as they gather at the entrance arc.”

Luhan arched his brows as he watched Kyungsoo’s retreating figure. “Where are you going?”

“Searching for supplies,” was Kyungsoo’s short answer as he headed to the stairs, knowing very well that at this time everyone was joining in the sending off of the soldiers. Nobody should be here unless they wanted to get executed for the violation of rules.

Every step resonated with a loud creak that got swallowed by the festivity, but the gasps of desperate breathing didn’t quite leave his ears. They were faint and muffled, but the soft sobbing that came with it convinced Kyungsoo that someone was here.

“Kyungsoo?” Luhan called out when he noticed Kyungsoo’s rigid posture. “Is there anything—“

Kyungsoo zapped a hand in the air, and Luhan immediately halted speaking.

Slowly, Kyungsoo approached the piles of boxes, having heard the sound from that direction. He looked around and grabbed a stick—just in case the person in search wasn’t aware about Luhan and he. Slim chance, but he’d rather make his escapade without a scratch.

“Reveal yourself,” he murmured, and the sobbing faded out. “We mean no harm,” he added, but his clenched fingers around the stick showed something else. He could feel his heart beating fast.

It was only a few days ago when they barely slipped through the Amuree guards’ fingers and it was also not without any casualties. Now with the others down and only Luhan and him remained surviving, he just couldn’t risk it.

Boxes crumbled from the tops as movements were made, and even though Kyungsoo was ready to swing the stick, he forgot his attention when he saw that standing in front of him was a trembling girl with ragged clothes and dishevelled hair. He lowered the stick and stared at her.

“They’re here!” she yelled and Kyungsoo widened his eyes. “The Eves are here!” She went a few steps back before she bolted down the stair, her uneven breath loud and clear as the celebratory sounds vanished.

Luhan scrambled away from the window and gripped Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “They heard her,” he whispered urgently, his own eyes b with tears of fear. “Kyungsoo, it’s now or never. We have to leave.”

“How did—“

“I don’t know. It’s either a lucky pair of ears caught her voice or Amuree has something that we don’t know they have.”

They ran to the door of the attic, a plank stuck on the floor with a metal handle, and pulled it open. The sound of rushed footsteps blasted through as it the door went ajar and Luhan shut it back with force. His grip on the handle tightened as he rested his forehead on his knee, pondering about their bad luck.