Chapter 11: 22:17 – A Countdown to First Death [1:43am]

Thunder POV

Lights. More blinding and brighter than any sun flickered on, one by one. For a moment I had to shield my eyes from their incessant glare. And then when my eyes grew used to it, I lowered it and was stunned by the new stage in front of me.

Dark red seats, the color of roman crimson was spread out in front of me. I touched the closest seat to me and was surprised at their luxurious feel. It was velvet stitched into those gorgeous wooden inlays. I couldn’t help but run my hand up and down them, as if a cat.

“Where…are we?” Mir broke the silence. I followed his stare, down the river of royal red and to the very far end where there stood a glittering stage. It was beautiful. All polished oakwood for floorings and resplendent curtains.

[YOU ARE IN THE GAME OF REALIZATIONS. THE ROMAN THEATRE] I jumped. I had almost forgotten the ringmaster was still with us.

“Explain the rules,” G.O said shortly.

[SIMPLE.] the ringmaster said. [GET THROUGH THE MAZE AND REACH THE STAGE. ONCE THERE, YOU’LL REALIZE THE TRUE TASK FOR YOURSELVES.]

“What maze?” I looked up at the ringmaster. All I could see for meters was the sprawl of red chairs and a clear aisle down the center.

[THIS MAZE] he smirked and suddenly the red chairs exploded. They grew upwards like a bush out of control and for a moment all I could see was that royal flush. The sound was terrible, like wood crackling and birds flying so close I could feel the air rocket past me. I curled into a ball as if it would protect me from whatever was happening around me.

And then…silence.

I unfurled myself and looked around.

Gone.

“MIR! SEUNGHO-HYUNG! JOON! G.O!” They were gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. I was alone, divided by those red, red walls of velvet. I put all my force behind one of them and pushed hard. No avail. Even if it was a wall of velvet, it was like steel.

This was the maze.

I punched the soft wall and it rebounded. It didn't even hurt. 

I gritted my teeth, got to my feet and proceed to walk down the corridor of shadows. We would get out of here. We were not going to be beaten.

Mir POV

Alone.

Again.

“Stop thinking like that,” I whispered to myself furiously. I was alone, but the other four were somewhere out there. It wasn’t like they had left me behind. No. And I was going to find them.

I got to my feet and forged forwards.

Seungho POV

The loneliness was so reminiscent, so haunting of that moment just hours ago when I had been locked in a prison with only darkness for company. Without knowing it, the presence of the other four had become something special. A candle that chased away the nightmare, the hallway light that banished the monsters under the bed. They meant more than I had expected. Had we really only known each other for over 2 hours?

I stared at my open hand. It was so cold.

Only moments ago I had been ruffling Thunder’s messy hair and patting Joon on the shoulder. Family.

I clenched my fist.

Time to go retrieve them.

Joon POV

My shoulder felt so cold. Absent of Mir’s warmth, only then did I realize what my team members had started becoming to me.

I had woken up with an inexplicit feeling of rage. The need for revenge. The sensation that I couldn’t trust anyone. But slowly, they had slipped under my shield and lent me their umbrella for those rainy days. These people, these insane silly people were willing to share life and limb with me.

I smiled.

It felt like some antique, an old treasure long gone unused. Laughter, smiles. Who would have ever thought I could summon those up in here of all places? A prison. Or something more.

Time to find my friends.

G.O POV

Friends.

It was a strange word to roll my tongue around. Friends.

Do you really deserve them? Something inside me cackled. It was a dark, demonic voice, sounding an inexplicable fear in my heart. Do they deserve to have you as a so-called ‘friend’?

What do you mean?! I snapped back.

What else would I mean? The voice inside me said snippily. It means when the tough gets going, so do you. In the end you will care only about yourself. That is how you’ve always been and how you always will be.

GI put a hand to his forehead, wiping away my fringe that was annoying me. I tried to ignore the cold sweat that ran down my temple.

I admit that the only reason he joined up with the other four initially was because I thought it would increase my chances of survival. Then there was news of the wolf and I thought perhaps I would be safer alone. But the ringmaster gave me no say in the matter. He orchestrated everything.

But in a way I’m thankful. If he hadn’t forced me into this, I would have realized how important they had become, how much I relied on them.

I took a step forwards, my march through the darkness. One hand I trailed across the velvet wall, the sensation reminding me that I was still standing on the ground. On and on it went, an endless path. Joon, Mir, Thunder, Seungho. The thought of them kept me going.

One foot in front of the other.

One step. Two steps. Three-

Light flickered in front of me and I froze, steadying myself in anticipation of an attack. But what appeared wasn’t a silver blade or dancing demon. It was a…child?

A small boy. Brown haired, slight build and a mischievous gleam in his eye. He turned around and looked at me. A smile.

I stared back at him.

Why was he here? What was he doing here? Was the ringmaster capturing ten year olds now?!

But he didn’t run. He didn’t look scared.

So…?

I took a step forwards. No movement. 

Another step.

We stood but a meter apart. He flickered with a golden light, as if a halo enveloped him. I was still dripping with water. The boy tilted his head.  

I knelt down and opened my mouth. “Hey kid,” I called out. “Who are you?”

He stared at me and his grin widened.