It was as if the ground was crumbling, cascading deep traps of mud and roots. A lego game being stepped on by a giant baby, too upset to just undo everything. Only that the baby wasn’t actually a baby, but two wild beasts that appear only in books, dumb as night, but powerful as ten thousands of bulls.

“I should have seen it coming,” Jaelle bit on her thumb nail while keeping her eyes on the two huge silhouettes ahead of them. “I should have sensed it. I – the camp! They’re heading for the camp! Sehun,” she turned to the pale boy next to her, “look at me, Sehun! The guys are in danger. We need to get them out of there, do you hear me?”

“Get… out… got that,” he could only mumble without giving away his trembling voice.

Maybe she saw it in his eyes – the fear. ‘Cause inside, he was feeling like a trapped animal. And that animal was afraid of turning against his predator. So she took the lead and disappeared from his side without a sound, leaving him behind feeling like a defenseless child.

The growling made his blood tremble in his veins, while he kept his eyes tightly closed, mumbling prayers to a God that had no business in whatever was going on behind that tree that was shielding him.

Soon the twitching light of the fire died, leaving him with nothing but the moonlight covered by the tall silhouettes of the giants that kept on growling and roaring like wild beasts. But he didn’t need to be a specialist in Giantish to understand that they were preparing for a feast.

And so, the hero Oh Sehun was born as he picked up a thick stick and stepped out from his hideout. His friends were out there, probably being fried for the feast. His friends needed him to stay calm and figure out a way to get them out safe. His friends. – no, Kai needed to have his saved so he could yell at him later.

Were they that close to the camp from the very beginning? Sehun could only wonder as he counted to sixty before reaching the original camp that had transformed into a mess of upside down roots. And yet no sign of human flesh or spilled blood on the trunks that served them as chairs during the story-telling time.

“That’s good… right?” He whispered, dropping flat on the ground when one of the giants suddenly moved his hand only to stick his finger inside his hairy ear and scratch whatever was itching inside it. “Guys?”

But the calling remained unanswered and he soon felt cold chills down his spine. They were… go –

“Sehun!” The hand that rested on his shoulder made him jump out of his skin. “Shhh! It’s me, Kris,” the voice revealed its mouth and a pale, scratched face soon after saying the magic words. “Come, we need to get to the van. Jaelle led the others there.”

Crawl, crawl, wait.

Crawl, crawl, freeze.

And run. Run as if all demons of Hell are chasing you.

“Where were you? We thought you got caught,” a worried Tao measured them head to toes from the driver’s seat.

“I told you that Jaelle left Sehun behind,” Kris frowned, trying to decide whether it was a good idea to shut the door or not.

“Everyone, buckle in, this will get bumpy,” Tao clenched his teeth and wrapped his fingers tighter around the steering-wheel. “Ready or not, here I go!”

“Guys,” Sehun’s voice seemed to have returned to normal, but his eyes continued to look like that of the hunt. “Where’s Kai?”

☾ ♅ ☽

Was it pain what he was feeling, scooping in his flesh?

“H-help,” Kai let out a soft whisper unlike the screams that were banging on the inside walls of his skull.

Why was his vision so blurry? He never needed glasses in his entire life…

Tears.

‘I’m going to die here,’ Kai made the prediction after seeing the bonfire built by what he remembered as being huge humans look like. ‘This is it, the end, huh? Getting eaten or whatever they have in plan for me. I hope the others are fine and far away from here though…’

‘Stop whining, ‘cause there’s no way I’m going to let you die here!’ Another voice snapped inside his head, making it hurt as if it was some sort of powerful light blinding him.

“Jaelle?” The name escaped his dry lips before he could stop it. And then it dawned on him: she had always been his salvation. From the very beginning. “Why are you here?” He clenched his teeth when seeing her silhouette appearing from the shadows.

She was still the Jaelle he had made a habit in annoying. But right then, dressed with her white blouse and red, ripped skirt – she looked better than the guardian angel himself.

“You’re not alone in this, Kim Jong In,” she squatted next to him, checking something he was unable to see.

“Right,” he stared at the sky above, trying not to be afraid when in fact he was near crying like a small kid. “Are the others altight? ‘Cause you should be with them and not here. I’m a lost cause… Jaelle,” he whispered her name in a way that made her stop and look at him. He didn’t want to be left behind. He really wanted the chance to get the hell out of there – in one piece if possible, and never see the end of the feast that was being prepared.

“They are fine. They’re waiting for us, so stop trying to be a martyr here ‘cause no one needs that.”

“Jaelle,” he caught her arm and looked her straight in the eyes, “tell me, please. How bad is it? Am I… going to die?”

The girl pondered for a while before shaking off