Junmyeon turned around to look back while forcing himself to keep running, nearly tripping over his own feet. He must have been keeping the same pace for hours now, but the feeling of being followed didn't want to leave him.

He felt close to dying of exhaustion, but he had to keep going. He never wanted to return. Why should he even bother to think of it? They called him a monster anyway.

Of course, he knew why. The Red Force loved experimenting on people like him, or at least that was what everyone said about them. No one had ever found out why they would experiment on certain people as if there was something special to them. No one had believed the myths that were spreading through the villages like lethal diseases.

Now he did.

But the only thing occupying his mind now was the thought of finding his best friend. Find Sehun.

That was way more difficult than he had expected at first. Sehun’s parents could have abandoned him outside of the desert, near a village he could find with a little luck. That would have been bad enough already. Instead, he had been left alone in the middle of the desert, without any help for orientation whatsoever. Junmyeon had been shocked beyond limits hearing what they had done. He should have been more careful, though. Losing control like this was definitely not something anyone would have expected of him, he himself wouldn't have. All the anger, all the frustration he had been holding onto during all those years had lashed out at once and he hadn't been surprised by their faces. None of them.

At first, they had seemed like they couldn't believe their own eyes. It had taken them a few moments to process what had happened and to turn on him. Their gazes, stares all turning into a fierce, wicked glare he had never seen before and didn't ever want to see again. As if the water from the well had washed away every hint of familiarity, affection. He had known each and everyone of them for all of his life, they were his neighbours, his friends, his family. Everything, every memory, every feeling, erased from one second to another.

They didn't know him anymore. They boy they saw now was a monster, an abomination, a threat. If the Red Force found out about him, they would all be dead. Better turn him in directly, claiming they found him in the streets, fooling around with the rain water.

Threat.

Monster.

He didn't look back anymore. He fixed his eyes on the horizon, eyes squinted together, silently begging for his friend to stay strong.

I'm coming, Sehunnie. Stay where you are, I will find you, I swear. Everything will be okay.

As he was running, the sun seemed to burn hotter and hotter on his skin. The trees and green meadows had long passed and he was met with crumbling, sandy earth and dry plants here and there. Shutting out all the thoughts that kept threatening and invading his mind, he concentrated on two words. Find Sehun. Find. Sehun.

After what felt like ages, Junmyeon was able to make out a dark, small figure, lying on the ground as though he were dead. He opened his mouth to shout his name, but no sound left his lips. He instead accelerated his steps until he finally arrived, threw himself down next to his best friend and grabbed his shoulder, shaking it violently while sobs started leaving his mouth.

"Sehun!" he whispered, trying to stay calm and wake the boy up. His brown, short hair and his clothes were stained with sweat and sand and, most likely, tears.

This would not lead to anything. What could he do? It was hard to concentrate, to find a different solution from the one that was lingering in his mind.

This was not the moment to be scared of consequences. Junmyeon shut his eyes and pressed his hands on the ground.

After a few attempts, he was so frustrated and felt so helpless he was nearly ready to give up. He looked at Sehun's body, trying to evoke the feeling he had experienced earlier this day. All this anger, the frustration, the feeling of helplessness...

The earth cracked, and a very small, thin fountain of water made its way to the top. Allowing himself a hopeful smile, the boy held out his hands and splashed some of it on his friends' face, collecting new water to make him drink it.

He nearly screamed in joy when Sehun groaned and moved his head a few millimetres to avoid the water.

"Sehun! Hey, do you hear me?" he asked, preventing his voice from trembling. The other boy slowly opened his eyes, staring at Junmyeon with a confused frown on his face.

"How did you get here, Hyung?" Sehun asked with a hoarse voice, too exhausted to move. Shortly after he had finished the question, he tried to glance behind his friend. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

Junmyeon tried to think of something to say that wouldn't confront him with the harsh truth so shortly after he had woken up. However, before he was even able to form a sentence, Sehun's expression fell. Junmyeon's heart dropped. "I remember."

Sehun didn't have to say more. Not knowing what to reply, Junmyeon just sat there, cleaning his younger friend's face with the help of his water. The fountain had stopped and most of the remaining water had already disappeared. Junmyeon tried his best to help Sehun up.

"I know you're tired, but we need to get away from here as quickly as possible," mumbled Junmyeon, placing Sehun's arm around his neck to support him.

Like this, the boys went on their way, stumbling and falling from time to time, without a destination other than the thought that lingered in both of their minds: As far away from there as possible.