"You're the mind reader,” I said the moment we caught up with him. 

“Yeah I am,” he answered. “My name’s Vernon. And, uh, what was it that you meant by ‘the mindreader will die’?”

“Uh…” I looked over towards Mingyu, Jeonghan, and Hoshi. I wasn’t quite sure how to explain the notes or our situation or, well, anything. 

“Oh , you don’t know.” Vernon paled, reminding me that I really didn’t have to say anything for him to know what was going through my head. 

“Oh , oh . Is Jaehyuk after me? Is that why all of you followed me just like that? Oh . I didn’t betray him, I swear I’ve always been loyal, I never—,”

“Woah, my dude, calm down,” Hoshi muttered, successfully preventing Vernon from hyperventilating. “He’s not after you.”

“Yeah, man. And wouldn’t you know if he was anyway? With you being able to read minds and all?” Jeonghan followed up.

“Oh,” Vernon let out a nervous laugh. “True. I would be able to tell.” He lifted his hand to hair and mussed his bangs in a nervous gesture. The sheepish way in which he did it only served to make him look even younger. “But then, how else would I die? And why is it conditional on my going with you?” 

I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

The words were barely out of my mouth before a hair raising scream tore through the night. Within seconds, more screams joined in, in the most terrifying chorus I’ve never heard. 

“Jaehyuk!” Vernon shouted. 

No one hesitated. We all raced back towards the alley and all the way down to where, not even two minutes before, a small crowd of people had been standing. 

The run time over couldn’t have been more than 15 or 20 seconds. But we were already too late. The only thing remaining in that alley were a bunch of burned corpses and the last of the papillae ulysses that was innocently flying out into the mist.