POV: Ren

The door opens with a slam.

Guards.

They've found us.

We're on our feet in an instant, preparing ourselves to attack. But it's much too late. There are too many.

Screams. Everything happens too quickly.

A guard grabs Minhyun. Aron lunges forward to help him but three guards jump on top of him. They stun and stab him with the batons while Minhyun screams his name relentlessly. But he's not strong enough.

JR approaches the guards with his uninjured arm outstretched in front of him. They back away from him, knowing of his ability all too well. I grin. Maybe we do still have hope left. But another guard pulls out a gun. They can't hurt him from up close, but they can from a distance. They shoot him. His unwounded shoulder bleeds and he falls with a scream.

And then they come for me. Two of them come close and I throw an explosion at them with the rest of the strength I have left. It blinds them but doesn't hurt them. It just makes them angry. The taller one holds up a knife with a sadistic smirk on his face. He's coming closer. I back up and end up against the wall. I'm cornered. The knife comes down... and someone comes between me and the weapon. Baekho. He smiles while blood trickles from between his lips. No. No. No. It can't be. No.

I scream as hard as I can. And then I feel strong arms wrap around me.

"Shhh, it's okay, Rennie, you're okay. It was just a bad dream..."

A nightmare... but... it was so real.

I hold him tightly, burying my face against his neck.

"I was so scared... it was so real... I thought I had lost you forever... and it was my fault..."

I can't hold back the tears. I feel breathless. Baekho gently touches my hair.

"It's okay, it's over... no one will hurt us... I promise."

            POV: JR

Ren has woken us all up with his scream. He's really scared. Not even Baekho's hug seems to calm him. He clutches on to him like he'll disappear at any moment.

"The guards," he murmurs, "They came. They'll catch us. They killed you. All of you. They found us. They're going to kill us."

Baekho tries to calm him although it's useless at the moment. He speaks to him, whispering to him softly that we're fine, that he's by his side, that they won't catch us, that we'll make it...

Minhyun goes to him as well, hugging him, but the only thing the two of them manage is for his screams to transform into sobs.

"Sing him something, Baekho." I suggest. He stares at me, puzzled. "It helped me."

He nods, thinking for a few seconds and then the notes start.

It's a slow, tranquil song, motherly. Minhyun joins, adding a second voice to the song. His voice is beautiful too. It brings me back to when my own mother rocked me to sleep as a child. That warm, soothing feeling. And they must be remembering the same because it sounds sad.

Ren stops crying, at last he's calmed down. And I also feel much more relaxed.

"I'm sorry." He apologizes, wiping his tears. "I scared myself..."

"It's fine, blondie." Minhyun responds. "Don't worry."

He nods and looks up to Baekho who is giving him a loving smile. He hides his face against his chest and allows himself to be cradled in his arms as his eyes close.

"Are you guys alright with me keeping watch now?" Baekho pipes up.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep..." Aron says.

"Scared?" He mocks.

"Not as much as you are."

"Enough! You pair of roosters..." I interrupt them, "I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again either."

Minhyun agrees with a nod while Ren tightens his hold on Baekho, his eyes wide. I don't think our little blond will be able to sleep either.

"Then... should we continue with last night?" Minhyun suggests.

"Yes," I decide, "We were planning what to do now."

"We said we'd stay in hiding here," Aron continues, "but I don't think—"

"That's already decided; shut up." Again, Baekho interrupts.

"I'm referring to the cold, idiot."

And they begin again...

"That's fine," I cut them off, "Aron's idea is reasonable. We'll try to find somewhere else to hide."

"Or a blanket..." Minhyun chips in, "that would work too..."

I smile at his idea. A warm blanket doesn't sound bad at all...

"And food please," adds Ren, "I'm starving."

No one has objections to that. It's been hours since our stomachs began grumbling. Right now, even that weird dark mush with bits of meat in it that they gave us seems delicious to me.

"Yes, food, important." I nod. "And weapons. If we're going to go up against the guards, we'll need them." Everyone agrees.

"Then... should we go?" Aron asks impatiently.

"I don't feel strong enough to go anywhere..." Ren replies with a tired gesture. Of course; he's abused his power in order to escape, he's covered in bruises and scrapes, and I don't want to even think of the ways they must've tortured him. And that's just the physical exhaustion...

"I don't think I can do much either," Minhyun joins in with him, "I still feel like I'm more of a burden than anything else." He forces a smile.

He has all the reason in the world. It's true that he's not as drowsy because of the drugs but... how long has it been since he's truly eaten? He looks much too thin...

"So then should we wait?" Baekho asks.

No, that's not an option. We need everything that we've just listed. And medicines, I remember as a spike of pain goes up my arm. If Minhyun and Ren stay behind, someone has to stay with them to protect them in case something happens. Alright then.

I suppose that I have to go. Letting those two go on their own is definitely not an option...

"Aron, you stay with these two. Baekho, you and I will go."

Baekho grimaces, conflicted over having to separate from 'his' blond, but nods and gets to his feet.

I stand too, only for my surroundings to spin and, in the next instant, I collapse on the floor. Oh... my head...

"JR!"

Baekho hurries to me, Minhyun crawls closer. Aron and Ren stretch to see if I'm okay.

"It's nothing..." I say while I let Baekho sit me up against the wall. "I just got dizzy..."

"It must be because of the blood." Minhyun frowns. "That cut..."

I nod. Yes, he's right, I've lost a lot of blood. I need to rest. That leaves two people.

The two roosters together? No, that's not an option. That's too much testosterone concentrated in one place.

"Then... will you two go?" Ren asks without knowing of their constant bickering. The both of them look at each other with what I would say is disgust. But they sigh and agree.

I hope they don't fight while they're on their own...

            POV: Minhyun

Aron and Baekho alone? I'm almost sure they'll be saving the guards some trouble by killing one another... And our supplies and safety is apparently depending on them. Now we really are doomed...

Aron approaches and kneels beside me to be at my height. My heart quickens at having him so close.

"I feel bad having to leave you on your own. Will you be alright?"

"Of course!"

I try to sit up to show him that I can move well and so he won't worry but my body betrays me and I don't manage it.

He grabs my hand.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you food and medicine and you'll see how quickly you'll heal."

I smile, once again overjoyed to see his protective character directed at me.

He brings his hand to my cheek and gently traces my face before placing it on the back of my neck.

"Will you give me a goodbye kiss to motivate me?"

He points to his lips with his other hand to show me exactly where he wants it.

I feel my face burn. I must be blushing. A kiss? On the mouth? But... but... here, in front of the others? No, no, no, I can't. It's embarrassing. How can he ask me that? Yes, I kissed him yesterday, but it was dark and everyone was asleep...

His face moves in closer to mine. What do I do? What do I do?!

When our lips are about to touch, I grab his face carefully with my hands and turn it so that my lips connect with his cheek. I kiss him here instead. Before he can say anything, I pull him closer so that my mouth is by his ear and whisper softly enough so only he can hear me.

"I'll give you whatever you ask of me when we're alone. For now, be satisfied with this, okay?"

I pull away from him and find that he looks a bit confused. I smile and wink with a hint of suggestiveness. He returns the smile and nods.

"Alright. But remember that you owe me one."

I nod. He gets up and goes to where Baekho is waiting for him. The blond has already said goodbye to Ren and the both of them leave.

The three of us are left alone. I glance at my companions. Ren is sprawled out on the floor. It looks like his whole body is in pain, he got quite the battering so it's not so surprising. JR makes a pained face each time that he moves his injured arm. He moves one hand across his forehead. His face is red and he's trembling. He must have a fever because of that cut. I attempt to sit up and this time I manage to do so. Each movement is less affected by the drugs. But dizziness pushes me back to the floor. I don't have the strength to do anything. We really are a pitiful sight. I hope Aron and Baekho return soon. If the guards find us three here alone, we're dead.

            POV: Baekho

I part from Ren with a kiss on his forehead, feeling like a part of me is staying here with him. I wait for Aron who is pressing an overly flustered Minhyun for a goodbye kiss. He's so fussy...

We exit the room and immediately hide in a back hall where there aren't any cameras. Until now, we've been breaking them whenever we passed one in the main halls so they won't record us but the path of destruction is much too obvious. It's better to just avoid them. We also duck around the guards searching for us. Thanks to my perception, it isn't difficult but it does force us to circle around a lot. The journey ends up becoming very long.

"We've already passed by here." He growls lowly for the umpteenth time. He sounds like a broken record.

"I've already told you that we haven't." I reply tiredly.

"Bah, admit it; you're lost."

He's starting to piss me off.

"I'm not lost."

"Stubborn."

"You're the stubborn one!" I snap. Now I'm angry. "We're not going in circles. All these halls just look the same!"

"Whatever you say..."

I sigh. This old man has the ability to have me dying of stress for any darned thing.

"Look; the kitchens." I gesture to the double doors at the end of the hall. "We're not lost." I add with a hint of smugness in my voice. The tadpole should eat his own words.

He huffs and rolls his eyes in response.

Feeling a bit superior, I open the doors knowing there's no one on the other side. The room is large, divided in two by an American bar. On one side there are tables and chairs for the guards to sit to talk or drink coffee on their free time. On the other are ovens and stoves, pans, pots and other kitchen utensils, the majority of which I don't know the names of. Cold coffees and full plates are scattered over the tables. Vegetables are left in the midst of being chopped up, pieces of meat over a stove that isn't on. There's half-cooked stew inside a huge pot and even a few overturned bowls. It's clear that they all ran the moment that the alarm went off, hiding themselves on the floor above us.

We wander between the stoves looking for something we can take and something to put it in. I can't help but toss a bit of sandwich that someone abandoned on the table into my mouth. I really am starving, and this just further deepens my appetite.

We're in luck. We find various bags that must've belonged to guards. We waste no time in filling them with anything we think will be useful to us. Bread, cookies, a few apples, bottles of water and more.

Maybe if we return with enough food, maybe if we find medicines and somewhere else to rest in, a few days to recover and a smack of luck... Maybe, with all that, we'll make it.

It's not impossible... right?