The mud was splashing under his feet. It coated him from his toes up to his legs. It weighed heavily and made Minho slow down with each passing moment. With every step he had to be careful not to slip. Rain had drenched the forest in cold wetness. Minho's round cheeks glowed, but he couldn't - he mustn't stop now, or they would get him.

His little head snapped from side to side, over and over again. A thousand glowing eyes waited in the shadows just for him to make a mistake. The branches protruded from the trees like claws, not long before they'd snatch him up. They would wrap around his small body and scar him. Jagged branches stretched out in front of him, seemingly endless. In the darkness he could barely make out the outline of the trees.

How long he had been running, he couldn't say. Leaves whizzed past him, his skin burned where they had cut him. Wind gusted around his ears and blew so loud that Minho had to strain not to lose his bearings.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadow flitting from one tree to the next.

"Wait! Wait for me!"

His voice resounded faintly through Mother Nature. He wondered if he had made any sound at all. The rain pounded relentlessly on the ground. Drop after drop slapped down beside his ears. Was it the rustling of the trees, or a cruel laugh - he didn't know.

Hastily he turned around. And then it happened.

He put one foot clumsily in front of the other and lost his footing. Mud splattered as his body hit the ground without protection. It sprayed in all directions. The cold wrapped itself around his small, shivering body. He felt every drop falling hard on the back of his head, his back and his legs. Like little blows, they pelted him incessantly. 

His fingers dug into the mud as he tried to pick himself up - not that he could feel them any longer. Lifting his dirty face, he looked in the direction where the shadow had appeared. Minho's pale lips quivered.

The shadow moved. Behind the trees, it whispered loud and shrill. Slowly, struggling through the branches, it heaved itself forward.

Minho narrowed his eyes, trying to see if it was his friend coming towards him. But the closer the shadow came, the less he could see. As the shadow advanced, more and more of the forest disappeared. The trees, the eyes, everything became covered with a black, dense void.

In his head, he screamed. Minho screamed that he should get up, that he should run away. In a moment the shadow would swallow him too. And then Minho too would be pulled into a, deep, black nothing. Minho would be nothing.

But he couldn't. He couldn't move. He could only watch the darkness coming towards him and he could do nothing against it.  

Minho's fists were clenched in his blanket as he tore his eyes open. Wet spots had already worn into the sheets there. His rapid breathing rumbled in his ears. Rigid and impossible to move, he laid there, his gaze fixed upwards. Only when he realized that it had only been a dream did he allow himself to blink.

With a deep breath he let his limbs loosen. He covered his face with his hands. A grin formed under his palms. His lips shot up and showed his teeth.

"Just a dream, it was just a dream." He whispered to himself.

He winced. His body tensed again. The muscles in his neck ached and throbbed high in his head. Horrified, he looked over at his bedside table. The ringing of his mobile phone rippled sharply in his ears. Minho's fingers trembled as he turned off the alarm.

He dropped back into bed. His laughter resounded in the room. The last beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

Pull yourself together!

Morning light shone into his room through a small crack. Minho's laughter died down. Turning only his head in the direction of the window, he kept his eyes wide open. But there was nothing there. Only sunlight filtered through the crack.

Key looked at his friend with raised eyebrows. Minho was wearing a dark T-shirt and simple sweatpants. But the surprise gave way to Key's features and turned to worry. Minho had dark furrows under his eyes. Key wondered when Minho had last slept. Did he know he wasn't wearing shoes?

"Minho what...?"

"You want to skip with me today?" the younger asked him.

Key didn't know what hit him, but goosebumps spread across his skin. He nodded eagerly, not needing to think about it.

Minho and Key smiled at each other. Minho was relieved that his friend had said yes straight away, and Key was grateful that Minho had let him in. He knew something was happening to Minho, he just didn't know what it was. But he would not let his friend go through all this alone.

The two of them had never ditched before. It is not something he had ever expected of himself or Minho, but he knew he needed it. He needed a break from the curriculum that only got them through school but not through life. He needed a break from the superficialities and the dull small talk. He needed something real.

Some of the other students looked at them, but quickly averted their eyes. Well behaved, they walked into the building, slowly lined up - as expected. They wore their uniforms, according to the rules. They had their backpacks packed with books their parents had already read. Strange that these books, even if parents and child knew them, were never a topic at the dinner table.

But that was as it always had been.

Minho, even though he was younger, was a bit taller than Key, his legs were longer. Key had a little trouble keeping up with him, for Minho had a specific destination in mind, and there he went with great purpose.

"Hey, wait! Where are we going anyway?" asked Key, already somewhat out of breath.

Minho kept walking without answering. The older man rolled his eyes but continued to follow his friend. He walked quickly beside Minho, glared up at him and grabbed him by the arm.