POV: Ren

Baek looks at me in a way he's never done before. He has a lusty glint in his eyes, like he's mentally undressing me. And we're alone.

"You know, Rennie, seeing those two has given me interesting ideas that I'd like to try out... but, of course, without you they wouldn't be half as fun... Do you want to play with me?"

While he speaks in a slow, seductive voice, his hands move over my chest. They're hot and my skin feels like it's burning with his touch. I don't answer – there's no need to. I simply kiss him like I never have before, finally acting on all the urges I've accumulated over these few days. Watching him train, sweat, smile, kiss me... He's horribly hot and I can't go on any longer.

"I can't hold back anymore, Rennie..." He whispers in my ear while he pulls me against him. I can feel each and every one of his muscles pressed against my chest. I'm left unable to do anything but tangle my fingers in his hair, wishing the clothes between us would disappear.

"Do it, Baekho... my tiger..."

"I'll do it."

What...? What happened to his voice? That's not the voice of my man... it's more... feminine. It's a voice I know. The traitorous fox.

"Do it. Do what I don't have the courage to do."

What the hell is JR doing here? What is he talking about?

"I'm serious; I'm going to kill you!"

WHAT?

My eyes snap open and I realize that, one, Baekho is asleep. That was a dream. And, two, the voices weren't. I look around and find JR, awake, with that woman pointing a knife at his throat. Wait... WHAT? .

I KNEW IT. SHE'S GOING TO KILL HIM. WHAT DO I DO?

My gun! I grasp at the floor around me but only find Baekho. I elbow him, shake him and push him away to look for my weapon. Where is it?! I have to hurry! , . !

"It's better this way, right?"

WHAT is better this way? Whatever. Let him keep talking, it'll keep her occupied. WHERE IS MY DAMN GUN?

            POV: Baekho

Five more minutes...

"Baek, Baek, Baekho, come on. She's going to kill him!"

His low but insistent voice forces me awake while he smacks me with his elbows and feet.

Kill? But what...? I open my eyes, more intrigued than anything else. And I see it.

Lime, with a knife, about to behead JR.

I hear my own yell in my ears before I even think about yelling. The weapon goes flying to a corner and, seconds later, a flash of light shoves Lime a few meters back.

            POV: Minhyun

A deafening shriek tears me from my world of dreams. It's Baekho's voice. What the hell is going on now?!

The instant my eyes open, there's a huge explosion of light. That ing hurts! God damn!

I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my face with my hands, trying to get rid of the burning sensation, while I roll on the floor in disorientation.

I crash into something, no, someone who whines like I do, who's eyes have also been burned with the explosion, who also doesn't understand anything.

"What? What's going on...?"

            POV: Baekho

"FOX! I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO KILL US! YOU ! I'LL KILL YOU!"

I grab onto Ren before he jumps her. I snatch away the gun in his hands and hold him firmly at my side. I don't even know why. JR closes his eyes and swallows thickly. I'm not sure if he's thankful that we saved him.

"SCUM! WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER TRUSTED YOU! AND WE'RE THE MONSTERS? MURDERER!"

Lime, still dazed, tries to get to her feet. Aron is faster and tackles her back down, immobilizing her against the floor. He raises a fist and brings it down to her face before they even hit the floor. Minhyun yells. A burst of wind leaves a buzzing in my ears and Ren's screams literally seem like lightning.

They're going to kill her.

And she deserves it.

I let go of Ren and he immediately takes back his gun.

"STOP!"

            POV: JR

No, please no... I don't want to add more lives to my list of regrets. Leave her alone...

They all give me stunned looks. Why do I defend her? Why me? Me who feels the sting of her cut and the hot blood dripping from the shallow wound she made.

I know she didn't want to do it. She was trembling. She wanted us to stop her. I don't know what brought her to think she should kill us, but she didn't want to do it.

"Please, let her go."

And for some strange reason, they obey. Aron backs away. Minhyun and Baekho relax. Ren... well, Ren doesn't lower his weapon, but he doesn't shoot either.

Lime looks at me with eyes full of tears.

"I couldn't..."

"I know."

She gasps and gulps while tears begin to fall from her eyes.

"I had to..."

"I know. I understand you, but I want to live. I'll let myself be a little selfish."

I smile, and she shuts her eyes.

The left side of her forehead is bleeding from Aron's punch. She lets herself fall to the floor, and with her eyes closed she almost seems dead.

I grab the first aid kit and, under the puzzled stares of my companions, apply a generous amount of cream for scars over the injury. Minhyun realizes what I'm doing quickly and stumbles over to help.

"Do we have any sedatives left?" I ask.

"Three."

"Give her one."

Lime opens her eyes and she stares at me fixedly. Thankful? Begging? I honestly don't know. She doesn't say anything.

Aron brings over the syringe and Minhyun buries the needle into her arm without thinking twice.

"You're sedating her?" Ren screams indignantly. "You should cut off her head! And rip out her heart! If she even has one..."

But he doesn't do anything. He's angry but he stays where he is. Baekho tries to calm him by hugging him.

"I can't believe it..." Minhyun murmurs. "I trusted her..."

I ruffle her turquoise hair for the last time and get to my feet.

"Gather our things." I tell them. "We're leaving."

            POV: Aron

We've abandoned our refuge at last. The place we've been able to more or less feel safe during these few days. With the intention to never return. Hoping everything will turn out well and that we'll be able to, finally, breathe fresh air.

JR has forbid us to kill Lime. So, because of our confusion and the lunatic's orders, we've sedated, tied and gagged her so she won't be able to follow us. When she wakes up she won't be able to even move.

We grabbed our bags quickly. Each one of us carries one, filled to the point they nearly overflow, and we walk towards the lift Baekho says will take us to the offices. Once we've gone up, our peace will have ended. This could be our last moment of peace.

We don't walk slowly but the pace isn't very hurried either. The air is heavy. Lime's betrayal has saddened us all because, aside from Ren, we all trusted her. We've spent so many hours together that we considered her a friend. Finding her in the middle of an attempt at JR's life has been a hard hit. We still feel confused and disbelieving.

Baekho is walking in front of us to guide us. He's using his ability to orient himself in the midst of these huge storehouses. He walks absentmindedly, in silence. Actually, none of us speak. Except Ren. He walks right behind our guide and doesn't tire of scrubbing our faces with how right he was, with how we should have listened to him, how he had known we shouldn't have trusted in her... All of that accompanied with an innumerable collection of cussing. Although I admit that he was right, so no one dares to contradict him.

His squeaky voice is giving me a headache.

"I ing told you guys! I knew I shouldn't have slept, that she'd attack at night. But of coooourse, Ren is paranoid and Lime is veeery gooood. AND SHE ALMOST KILLS US."

"Shut up, blondie."

Min, behind me, is the only one trying to calm him. But his aggressive words only manage to fuel Ren's rampage.

JR is walking at the back of the group. He seems to be the most depressed and it doesn't surprise me. He walks slowly, and I turn every now and then to make sure he doesn't go into one of his crazed moods, and that he doesn't get lost in this darkness. He walks with his head down. Occasionally, he looks back, like he's looking for something in the dark but can't see anything.

In the end, I slow down to meet up with JR. He has a gauze pad held tightly against his neck so that his own blood won't make him dizzy, but even so he doesn't look too good.

"Hey, are you alright?"

He lifts his head to look at me, lost in his own thoughts. He just nods and returns his gaze to the floor.

Ren's yells, Min's replies, Baekho's absence and JR's depression... The atmosphere is getting worse. I should say something. Maybe I can get Ren to shut up and this will be a little better. So I speak with a strong voice to catch everyone's attention.

"Why do you think Lime tried to kill JR with a knife? Wouldn't it have been easier to use a gun? It would've been faster to finish us with bullets. She could've killed us all before we could even react..."

"Because she didn't want to do it. She wanted us to stop her." JR answers without hesitation, confident that he's right.

"YOU STILL DEFEND HER? THAT TRIES TO KILL YOU AND YOU DEFEND HER? NO, IF RIGHT NOW WOULD BE AN ACCIDENT, I'D TRY TO SPLIT YOUR HEAD IN TWO..."

JR doesn't despond, he simply lowers his head again. This time Baekho is the one who speaks in an attempt to calm his boyfriend. Finally, the radar has returned from his absence.

"Ren, leave it. He's hurt enough..."

"But if—"

"Seriously, leave it. We all apologize for not listening to you, but we really weren't expecting his. Understand that it has surprised us and... leave it..."

Ren looks like he's about to reply but holds back.

"Fiiiine." He says and, at last, goes silent with a sigh, not very convinced.

Minhyun walks closer to JR and speaks loud enough for all of us to hear.

"I don't understand why you've left her there, tied and sedated. What are you hoping to achieve with that? You know they won't come down to look for her and I doubt you left her there to die..."

"If we manage to escape, I'll find a way to tell someone where she is so they'll come looking for her. If not... she'll stay trapped here and die with us..."

JR speaks again without hesitation and confident of his plan. Although thought out with good intentions, it doesn't seem like a bad idea. Lime has betrayed us. She tried to foil our revolt. Now, her future is tied with ours, and her life depends on ours.

No one says anything more and we continue walking through the darkness in silence. I move closer to Min and grab his hand. He squeezes mine tightly. He's scared and shaking a bit. I won't deny it; I am as well. Whatever happens today, I'm happy to have met him, to have been able to hold his hand for possibly the last time. Whatever happens today, he is and will always be the most important person in my life. My first and only true love.

            POV: Baekho

The air is tense and heavy. Honestly – no matter how much Ren repeats that he warned us, no matter that I also suspected that something was wrong – no one expected this. Whether we want to admit it or not, we had withdrawn into our bubble of 'everything is okay' and the return of reality has been harsh and painful...

And with this heavy atmosphere, we arrive at the fridge. The large food storehouse from which we'll climb into a lift that will take us to the kitchens of the upper floors.

Before anything else, I make sure the coast is clear, check if anyone is waiting for us on the other side. It doesn't seem so.

We wait a few seconds for someone to say something, until I realize that they're all looking at me expectantly. JR still has his eyes on the floor, and I suppose I should be the one to guide them in this situation. In the end, I'm the only one who knows where he's going...

"Alright," I start, "You all remember what you have to do?" They nod. "Then set the clocks to twelve on the dot."

We found the watches on one of our expeditions. Four of them still worked although they didn't have batteries. We found batteries, and now we have four perfectly working clocks on a wrong time. We set them all to the same time so we'll be able to synchronize ourselves. Minhyun and Aron share theirs, since neither one has any intention to separate. The rest of us either, but in the end...

The next point is the maps. I hand them out one by one and bask in their surprised expressions proudly.

"When did you do this?"

            POV: Minhyun

Wow, they're very detailed. It must've taken a long time to make these. Why did I not notice when he worked on them? When...? Oh, no. Don't tell me he made them while...

            POV: Baekho

"Wow, they're amazing."

"It's really crooked." Aron, I'm going to break your face...

But Minhyun reacts before I do. He scolds him affectionately. You're lucky, dwarf.

"Hey, shush you. What have you contributed to the group? Huh? At least my boyfriend does something useful..." Thank you, Rennie... He's so cute, defending me. I grin and his response is a quick kiss on my lips.

"No, seriously, when did you make these?" Minhyun, is it that important?

"Well... in intervals..."

"While you two ed." Thanks, Ren...

            POV: Minhyun

He said it. , I'm going to die from embarrassment.

            POV: Baekho

I made the first while Ren slept, when I returned with JR and Lime from our expedition of hall searching. And from then on I've been copying down the rest. I would've needed a ruler, a carpenter's square, something to lean on, and a protractor for it to turn out well, but it's an acceptable mess.

I ignore Ren's comment and Minhyun's shame and continue my explanation, gesturing to my map.

"I've marked down the control room, the kids' room, the lift – where we're going to leave from now – and the doors. And this cross is the meeting point. Everything clear?

Rennie and Minhyun are still locked in a fierce staring contest. JR is lost in his own depressed world and Aron just looks at me superiorly.

"If we can even understand this... Seriously, these halls don't go anywhere. What kind of mess have you made?"

"No, it's... the way they are..."

Yes, although it seems like a lie, the halls don't lead anywhere. There are rooms without doors and diagonal halls. Triangular rooms and square intersections. Some walls are thicker than others, just like with the halls. A mess, okay. A medal should go to the architect who designed this building...

"Seriously?"

"The person who made this must've been drunk at least."

"Yeah, the cells were like this too, remember?" They nod. "I know it's not a hundred percent accurate," I apologize, "but I didn't have the materials for anything more. I think this is useful enough..."

"It's perfect, sweetheart. Don't listen to them."

Okay... heheh.

            POV: Minhyun

Maps, watches, and bags. Everything is prepared. Now all that's left is to go up.

We look at each other, hesitant and silent. In reality, no one wants to take the first step. Leaving this peace in order to make a run for freedom... or for dearth. The situation is scary.

I clutch onto Aron's arm tightly and swallow with difficulty.

At last, Baekho, our guide, breaks the silence.

"Everyone remembers everything we've said?" We nod. "You all know what you have to do?" We nod again. "Yes? You're sure?"

"We've gone through it a million times. Do you think we're stupid?"

Baekho glares at Aron but doesn't take the bait. My man just stares back with a superior air.

I sigh. Always the same...

"Up, then." Our guide says. We approach the lifts.

There's only one that works and two people fit in each, although it's a bit of a tight fit. We'll have to take turns.

Baekho and Ren go first so that our guide will be able to detect if a danger is nearing while they're upstairs. They both squeeze into the lift, closer than necessary. It doesn't seem to bother them at all that they have to be pressed so close together. How I understand that.

The doors close slowly and the two blonds begin to rise.

A few minutes later, the cubicle is empty in front of us three again.

"You guys go first. I'll stay here to keep watch, just in case."

Jonghyun and I nod and climb into the lift. It hurts me to leave Aron alone, but there's no other choice. I won't be okay until I see him safe and sound on the upper floor.

Jonghyun's expression is still not very good. He's having a rough time. I feel sorry for him.

While the door closes, I lean closer to whisper in a soothing tone.

"Are you okay, Jonghyun?"

He nods sadly without lifting his gaze.

The doors shut and we're left in darkness.

            POV: Aron

Min and JR have gone into the lift together. In that tiny space. In the dark and pressed close together. What I could've done with my boy in a situation like that...

But he's with JR. And Min whispers something to him. I know nothing is going to happen between them... right?

My boy and JR. Together. And I was the one to suggest it. I'm an idiot.

            POV: Ren

After a less than graceful exit, we close the lift again and listen to it descend for the others. We wait, hugging in silence, not daring to make any unnecessary sound now that we're up here. After a few minutes, JR and Minhyun arrive to wait in silence as well. JR simply continues on in his own world, his eyes glued to the floor, and Minhyun stares at the door anxiously in wait of his lover. As if something could happen to him in five minutes of being alone. I know we're awfully jinxed, but not that much...

When Aron finally arrives, Minhyun jumps into his arms before he can even exit and kisses him. Again. Aron is left with a dazed, drunken expression and I'm positive that the shine in his eyes is pure lecherousness. I'm starting to wonder if I liked them better while they were fighting, when they didn't faces so much.

No one is in a hurry to leave. No one says anything, waiting for someone else to give an order in the middle of this huge, empty cooling room. It's a disquieting room. Industrial white like everything else and full of tables and benches. In the dark, it gives off a bad feeling...

"Well, we're all here so... let's go kick those guards in their butts!" The majority come out of their daydreams when they hear me. Except for JR, who limits himself to nodding. This guy is starting to seriously worry me...

"Yes, let's go. Over here."

My man guides us through the room to the exit door. To the halls, enemy territory. We're about to enter battle ground again, but this time we're more prepared. We've trained, we have maps. They won't be able to take us.