I couldn't breathe. My lungs were burning as I stumbled down the alleyway. I didn't know how I managed to drag myself all the way here and yet I felt like I was on the verge of death. I could barely see through all the blood, much less the fatigue. One shoulder against the wall as I hobbled forward, using the baseball bat as a walking stick. To think I'd reach this state. My mouth curled upwards at the absurdity of it all, the taste of my own blood merely solidifying my reality. As I reached the entrance of the warehouse, I peered in to see the reason I became like this. 

There she was, sitting right in the centre, tied to a chair. She was unconscious, but unhurt. In my haste, I stumbled forward, forgetting the state of my broken body. The lack of support made me fall face first, landing in a pile of sand and dust. 

Great......

I couldn't feel my body, the adrenaline and willpower i had dissipating in an instance. Just seeing Krystal was such a relief and shock it shut my body down. I was lying face down in the ground, my breathing getting heavier and heavier. I tried to look up, mustering every ounce of strength I thought I had left to move my neck. Through the blood and sweat, my eyes only focused on Krystal, sitting there innocently. It took me a moment to realise that something was wrong. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a man walking in, his hands twirling something. 

"My, my, my look at you. You look better than I expected."

As he approached Krystal, I tried to shout, tried to call out to her but all that came out was a growl. My throat was parched, my vocal nodules burnt out. I didn't even have any strength to shout again. He stepped behind her, trailing the object in his hands on her shoulder. I couldn't make out what it was, only knowing it was shiny and probably metallic. 

“I was kinda hoping the bomb didn’t kill you, and sure enough it didn’t. I still want to have fun with you!”

Dongwoo stood beside her, arms resting on her shoulder. He had a look of indifference on his face, yet his eyes burned, an emotion I felt oh so familiar with.

Insanity

C’mon Myungsoo! Move this GODDAMN BODY!

I was screaming in my head, at whoever was running this body right now. After that explosion, there was no way of knowing which one we were, which one’s in charge. All I knew was, if we didn’t do something, both of us were going to die tonight.

I managed to pull myself up, putting all of my weight against the baseball bat as support. I could use a good dose of adrenaline, bloodlust, anything to get me standing on my own right now. My mind was walking on the line right now, on the verge of wiping out and trying to keep my body up. I was so bent on keeping my body up, I didn’t realise what time it was. The sound of an alarm snapped my focus back to Krystal. Only now did I realise the clock wrapped around her feet, a countdown showing 00:00.

Time was up.

“Look at that. You managed to get here in time. But you’re not “HERE” here. You’re “there” here. So, forgive me for being a stickler but I do remember saying every minute you’re late, she loses a bone.”

Instantly the timer starting counting. It didn’t even take long, and one minute passed.

“Tick-tock

Once you’re late, the bones get socked!”

With a swing, the hammer crashed down, a sickening squish and a scream piercing my ears.

I couldn’t stand it.

I saw red.