Kyuhyun stared at Donghae in the dim light of the fluorescent bulb, trying to read the look on his face. Donghae stood up favoring his abdomen with a clenched jaw, looked ahead nervously and then up from where they had dropped down. The darkness stretching in either direction seemed boundless.

The light flickered and the bulb kept on making a low buzzing sound, the strength of the light dimming as the buzz grew louder. The shadows casted on Donghae's face morphed and Kyuhyun wondered what is his true intention.

Kyuhyun was annoyed when he saw that Donghae was examining the place, behaving as if nothing has happened. "What else have you been hiding?" He couldn't hold on to his temper. First the betrayal and then the revelation that he can speak but was being lied to this whole time, greatly upset him.

Donghae casted his eyes down and wrung his bandaid wrapped fingers restlessly. Kyuhyun was livid at the reaction, "How am I supposed to trust you?" He stood across Donghae, gripping the key tight, "Are you even on my side?" Donghae raised his head to face Kyuhyun's disappointment. 

"You... have to trust me." Donghae said after a pause with a calm face but his wavering voice gave him away. Kyuhyun huffed not appreciating the idea at all. He turned away from Donghae not knowing what to respond to him. He felt a slight weight in his pocket and reached in to find a small flashlight.

Like the dagger and first aid kit that appeared out of nowhere last time, this time he found a flashlight on himself. Confusion would be too small a word to describe his rumbling thoughts and feelings. Kyuhyun just considered this as a part of the game, something that he receives as the levels are cleared. 

He the flashlight and waved it in front of them. The light illuminated the long, brick walled tunnel that lied ahead of them curving at a distance.

"I have my reasons." Donghae said in a small voice, sounding unsure pulling Kyuhyun back to reality. He waited for Kyuhyun to reply but the tall man didn't even spare him a look. Donghae started to panic at the thought that Kyuhyun would go ahead without him.

"You cannot proceed alone... I can help you win this game." Donghae was trying to sell his usefulness to Kyuhyun. In his eyes, Kyuhyun has just entered the game and knew nothing. "I have been here far longer than I can remember."

Kyuhyun turned his head to the right but stopped himself from turning around. He was reluctant to trust him, not after the lies and betrayal.

"Please, trust me this once." Donghae pleaded.

Kyuhyun rubbed his face with the palm of his hands, running his fingers against his hair in frustration. The way Donghae was requesting him to believe, almost begging was making him change his mind. "Is this why Alec said not to believe anything I see here," Kyuhyun mumbled under his breath, still facing away.

Kyuhyun didn't hear a single sound, not even the scrape of Donghae's shoes nor his movements for a while. He turned his head again to see if Donghae was still there or not only to find him with his head lowered, "You would rather believe Alec than me?" Donghae took a breath, "Even though you haven't seen him and it's me who had been with you this whole time." The disappointment and hurt was palpable in his words.

Kyuhyun turned back to fully face Donghae, knowing that there was truth to Donghae's claim and he needs company to move forward. "Promise me you won't lie to me again!" He flipped the flashlight in his hand and handed it over, "I hope you can then lead the way here too." Kyuhyun he pocketed the key and patted his thigh, "I'll take care of this."

Donghae nodded his head, feeling at ease for the time being as he led the way, flashing the torch to light their way. Although unlike Kyuhyun's belief that he was aware of all the ins and outs of game, Donghae actually just had acute instincts. After being alone and playing the never ending stages, he had developed his senses, and his understanding of the environment had become much clearer.

Kyuhyun was really curious about Donghae. He had thought that he was part of the game, just like the creatures they encountered. What does he mean by having his reasons for his behaviour? Was he acting against Alec's rules? Was he truly trying to help him or was just accompanying him for self serving goals? Didn't Alec imply that he was in the game because Donghae needed help? He rubbed his temples as thoughts warred in his mind.

Whatever the reason might be, Kyuhyun knew that Donghae was right about one thing - He can't do this alone. So there he was, giving Donghae the benefit of doubt and asking him to lead the way. He had made up his mind to keep an eye on him. The promise was just a way to gauge Donghae's reaction. Donghae hadn't reacted in any strange way to the promise, not stranger than the usual quiet responses.

So far Kyuhyun was wary of him and was going to pretend to be on good terms just till he can get out of this game. After all, Kyuhyun has a life out in the real world!

As they walked through the endless tunnel, the bricked walls surrounding them grew narrower. The shallow air also made it difficult to breath properly. Kyuhyun pulled at his collar and craned his neck, feeling suffocated in the cramped space. 

Donghae was also struggling against his injured body and felt sweat ooze out of his pores. He looked behind and saw Kyuhyun had slowed down, his steps faltering. Alarmed, Donghae rushed back just in time to hold Kyuhyun from falling down.

Kyuhyun steadied himself with Donghae's help, but was pushed to sit down. "I'm fine". Kyuhyun rested his head against the brick wall, not resisting Donghae and tried to take a deep breath.

"Just a little further and we will be out of this tunnel". Donghae spoke in a small voice, almost like a whisper. He looked back at the way they had walked from and flashed the light in his hand.

Kyuhyun noticed the frown on Donghae's face, "What is it?"

Donghae lowered the light, "Nothing. I thought I heard something."

Kyuhyun gulped the saliva in his mouth, his throat was parched dry and even breathing was hard. Donghae reassuringly patted Kyuhyun's shoulder, he wanted to urge him to hurry but also knew that Kyuhyun needed some respite.

Donghae waited for Kyuhyun to catch his breath as he guarded them. He kept on looking back, ensuring that they weren't being followed by those intruders. They had been walking for hours in this tunnel, with no way out. Kyuhyun saw the anxious look on Donghae's face amidst the waving flashlight.

Kyuhyun raised his arm, "A little help." Donghae pulled Kyuhyun straight with a tug and supported his back. Kyuhyun slowly removed Donghae's hand from his waist, putting some distance between them as they walked ahead.

After reaching what looked like a dead end from afar, they saw a wide area, an underground manufacturing site. Finally out of the cramped space, Kyuhyun straigthened his back and rolled his shoulders. "Ah! This is a relief." He smiled at Donghae, "You were right, it was not much farther."

Donghae hesitantly cracked a small smile, "We still have to get out of here."

Kyuhyun walked ahead and noticed that on either side there were workspaces. The one on the left, at a glance, looked like an assembly line with metal components discarded. The other on the right was a room with computers and servers.

Donghae noticed a switch and precariousl