Just like the others, Yeonjun raced away from the trailing slimes with Soobin on his back, the latter’s injured leg preventing him from walking, let alone run. He tried not to slow down even with the added weight, knowing that the smaller slimes were, much to their misery, considerably faster and far more dangerous. Moreover, he had an injured waist too.

“Soobin, keep the torch stable! Please!” He quickly scanned the path in front of him, only to frown at the realisation that there was no obstacle for him to avoid – the hotel, the restaurants and cafes, as well as the park, were all destroyed by the machine anyway.

Keeping his legs on the move, he looked at one corner and saw a few recognisable members battling a handful of slimes; the sloshing water, the whirling wind and the solid structures of wood helped him realise who exactly stood there. He then looked behind him at an angle which let his eyes rest on the piece of land that once carried the clinic, and he noticed a wall of ice reflecting the moonlight; he then knew who it was.

He knew he would see them again, alive and fine, for he trusted them. However, it soon dawned upon him that Kai was unconscious and under Yeosang’s protection; he prayed that they both were alright. Forcing himself to be optimistic, he felt his heart sink at the thought of Taehyun, who was powerless quite literally.

“H-Hyung, they’re going to be fine! You need to believe in their strength and their resolve!” Soobin was quick to notice the dismay written all over the older’s face. He bent his head to have a clearer look, all the while tightening his hold around the other’s neck, not wanting to fall prey to the slimes.

Yeonjun nodded firmly and let out a heavy sigh, shutting his lips almost immediately as he held back the urge to groan and scream, his legs nearly giving up. He was already past the road bordering the park, now dashing over little patches of grass – the remains of the ruined park.

He looked over his shoulder, only to see about four gooey bodies chasing after him. Through the gaps between the creatures, he spotted the machine by the river, no more liquid gushing out of the pipes. He wondered why the machine had changed its route, but he was also thankful that the bizarre contraption was no longer destroying more buildings and streets.

“We need to do something about this! If we keep running, we’ll put everyone else in danger!”, Soobin insisted as he tried to climb down. He repeatedly hit the older’s shoulders, wanting to be let down.

“Soobin, what are you-”

“I’ve been given a power! I must use it! Let go of me!” He escaped from the older’s hold, turning around to face the creatures. He gasped, his heart skipping a beat at the sight. He grew nervous, anxiety trying to take over. He wouldn’t let it take over, he couldn’t.

All the progress that the duo made in getting away from the slimes now seemed pointless, the creatures looming closer and closer.

Soobin looked around him, but there were no slabs of concrete or shards of glass that he could use; he let his eyes scan his surroundings, and the only objects he was sure he could manipulate immediately to hold back the slimes, were a single wooden bench and some crooked streetlights standing weakly as a border around the park.

He took a step back, quickly tossing the torch to Yeonjun, keeping his arm pointed behind him while his fingers worked on pulling the bench off the ground. Just as his eyes widened with fear at a pair of claws rushing towards him, he moved his arm to the front and hissed at the pain surging through his body.

The wooden seat flew across and crashed against the claws, temporarily stalling the limbs as they wobbled around in an attempt to get rid of the chunks of wood and metal tangled within the sharp hooks and the sludgy substance.

He then took another step back, wincing at the aching in his leg; he used both his hands to hover two streetlights in front of him. Waiting for the creatures to blast out an attack again, he carefully observed the shape of the claws, wondering if he could somehow render them useless.

“Hyung, get back!”, he called out as he pushed out his hands and spread out his fingers, gently raising them to manoeuvre the lengthy rods. He panted heavily, a wave of relief washing over him as he saw the two lampposts stuck between the claws.

The slimes let out a screech, moving their limbs around helplessly, but the streetlights were effectively immobilising the claws.

Yeonjun didn’t want to let his guard down; he quickly grabbed Soobin by his hand, pulling him along the ruins of the park. He then placed his torch on his shoulder, tilting his head to hold the device in between his cheek and his neck. With his now free hand, he reached down to pull out the pistol, contemplating on whether he should use it.

“Stop!”, Soobin cried out as he tried to pull away. He whimpered at the unbearable discomfort bolting through his leg, and he began to wonder if his right leg’s injury was written in his fate, recalling the fibreglass cast and crutches he had to use a few days ago.

Though the duo had to halt their movements due to Soobin’s bleeding leg, they felt an overwhelming sense of defeat pushing down on their shoulders – the slimes were still chasing after them even with their unusable claws.

Yeonjun feared that he would soon be victim to the interior of one of the slimes, chills running down his spine and his body stiffening at the dreadful thought. Although he didn’t know what it felt like, he heard all about the scarring experience from those who were trapped within the gooey substance; darkness, unforgivable and unforgettable memories, suffocation – he didn’t want any of that.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of the torch dropping to the ground, which bloomed an idea in his devastated mind. He firmly pointed his gun towards the tetrad of slimes, knowing that he could at least weaken the slimes by shooting the glands.

But there were none.

He cursed under his breath as he took a step back and hesitated for a moment, seeing the limbs dangling around randomly. He didn’t know what to shoot, where to shoot.

“Buy me time, hyung!”

Soobin’s call was more than enough to force Yeonjun to stand rigid and strong. The latter nodded and pulled the trigger, trying not to cower at the lack of effect the bullet had on the slimes. Deeming the claws undefeatable, he began to fire away at the bulky bodies, but he felt his facade fade away at the lack of change.

He wondered if this was the end.

He saw faintly from the corner of his eye, the rest of the team fighting the slimes. He saw the officers taking Kai away, and he knew that the younger’s health was at stake. He didn’t want to call out for them; how could he, when he knew that the others were handling their situations on their own? He didn’t want to be a burden, and he wanted to show his strength – he wanted to save Soobin and escape.

Returning his attention to the chaos in front of him, he swiftly jumped to the side, not wanting to be attacked by the incoming claws. He let out a soft gasp, surprised at the intentions of the slimes; even with the claws being useless with the rods of metals stuck through the crevices, the creatures tried to push forward and harm him anyway. He jumped around, avoiding being scratched by just a mere inch or so.

After all, he had to be there to safely carry his best friend back to civilisation.

Meanwhile, Soobin stood at a distance, his eyes closed and his mind solely focusing on the dark room that appeared like a mirage of some sort. He saw the rocks slowly floating across like they were almost about to fade away. He prayed, he hoped, he pleaded for his power to support him, his strong determination to protect his loved ones being the catalyst to his request.

Drowning out the sounds of Yeonjun’s panicked breaths and the aggressive force of the bullets, he felt an intense aura engulf him. The dark room was now overflowing with utter energy, the rocks spinning around at extreme speeds.

He fluttered his eyes open and whipped his head to the right side, spotting a vehicle within the remains of the petrol station, its metallic body terribly damaged and twisted at the edges as an understandable result of the deadly liquid of the machine.

He put out his arm towards the car, slowly closing his fingers towards his palm, which caused the vehicle to move closer to him. He then used his other hand to raise the heavy body of metal into the air, keeping it hovered over the slimes.

With the tilted eyes of the slimes focused on the ground, Yeonjun was the only one who noticed the object floating above the four slimes; he continued to scamper around the place, which allowed Soobin to take his time with his new plan.

The aforementioned quickly disassembled the parts of the car, removing the seats and the wheels, all the while bending and breaking apart the exterior. He couldn’t help but choose to ignore his aching leg, knowing that he couldn’t back down now, not when he was so close.

Keeping his viewpoint and purpose clear, he immediately lowered his arms, flinching slightly at the sight of the slimes being pressed down by the collection of strangely shaped pieces of the vehicle. He then began to bend his fingers one after the other like playing a grand piano, which caused both the hard and soft components to clash and strike against the creatures, tearing away the gooey substance.

“Let’s go!” Yeonjun rushed towards the other and quickly carried him on his back, a torch in his hand. “Soobin, deep breaths, okay?” He knew that the younger pushed himself too far, he knew that the younger tried to surpass his limits, but he couldn’t afford to lose him.

He couldn’t afford to lose anyone.

Soobin looked over his shoulder and grimaced, seeing the slimes gradually collect themselves together and restore their structure. He wondered if he made a mistake in letting out his greatest attack yet; now lacking any strength in him, the sight of the four slimes continued distressing him.

In a minute or so, Soobin and Yeonjun managed to reach the campus. They looked around, wondering what to do next. They debated whether it was a relief that the machine stopped its destruction at the park – which left the on-campus buildings standing tall – or whether it was a curse that confused their movement.

“Wait, I have an idea.”, Yeonjun whispered to no one in particular. He began to move again, disappearing in between two dormitory buildings, before taking a sharp turn. He was thankful that his desired location was enclosed within the barrier. Glancing behind him to see the slimes slowing down just outside the campus, he raced across the paved path and pushed open the door in front of him.

“The library? Really, hyung?” Soobin slowly got off the other’s back and took the torch, bending over to inspect his bleeding leg. The grimy sight made him frown in distaste. He then lifted his head to look through the transparent door, sighing in relief.

The creatures seemed lost, and their reduced height prevented them from towering over and spotting the duo. However, it was also a pity that the slimes weren’t visible to the rest of the team – there was no one who could help Soobin and Yeonjun.

“Look, it’s either the grassy field, the dorms or the library. Plus, the library’s kind of small and just beside the barrier, so it’ll keep the rest of the civilians out of danger. We’ll wait for the slimes to go back to the river, and then we’ll rush out.”, Yeonjun explained as he put out his hands to guide himself as he walked over the carpet of the room, trying to navigate within the dark.

Soobin noticed the older struggling, so he directed the torch away from his leg. “You’re thirsty, aren’t you?” He then removed the small bag he wore over his shoulders, pulling out a bottle of water and tossing it to the other.

Yeonjun frowned, before shaking his head in gratefulness. He unscrewed the cap and tilted the bottle at a sharp angle, hydrating his parched throat with the last few drops of water. Only after he swallowed the warm liquid and aggressively slammed the bottle onto a table nearby, did he realise that Soobin could’ve wanted a sip too.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want some water too? You must be-”

His sentence was cut short as he felt his surroundings start to vibrate tremendously. He crept closer to Soobin and looked out the door, a soft gasp leaving his dry lips. Out of instinct, he grabbed the younger’s hand and pulled him to a corner where he hoped they would be safe.

Soobin tried not to wince in pain and in terror, the sight outside the library instilling an overwhelming feeling of horror within him. He didn’t want to admit the fact that he was losing all sense of sanity and hope. “Hyung, what do we do now?”

Beyond that door, the duo saw the horrifying way in which the four slimes clumped and fu