Chapter 26

Action

            POV: Ren

00:10. Baekho opens the doors and we realize that this will be harder than we had thought. This isn't like the cages. There's life here! It looks like... a normal place. The typical offices from American movies, with a carpeted floor and glass walls.

. This means we'll have to crouch down for half the time so that the people inside won't see us. I hope there aren't a lot, or else it'll be too easy to bump into someone on their way to get coffee... Baekho should be able to warn us in time. At least, I hope so... Although I suppose that it must be a little comical to leave the office for coffee and run into five people running in a crouching position, with clothes that are either tacky or a few sizes too big. Well, at least we'll be able to give them a laugh before we have to kill them. Huh, that sounded slightly psychopathic.

00:14. We move together until the next hall, and there we silently separate. Minhyun and the touchy-feely Aron go one way and Baekho, Jonghyun, and I go another. They head for the kids, we go to open the doors. There's no need to say anything and we're not going to risk ourselves by making any unnecessary sounds here. All we can do is exchange a knowing look and a nod. I hope those two will be fine on their own and that they don't even consider getting sidetracked by their mutual love struck habits. They totally would...

            POV: Baekho

00:17. We advance in silence, being as cautious as possible. In the halls there are windows to look into the offices across from each other, and there are times when we have to crouch low so the people inside won't see us. There aren't many, but running into just one would be catastrophic in our situation. Luckily, we can avoid the most commonly used places and we know where we can or can't cross. How are Minhyun and Aron getting on? From what I can see, they're fine at the moment. They move quickly, peeking into each hall before running across it. We're going more slowly because this is a busier area.

It's not just guards. The majority here are simple workers. Workers in accounting, on computers, receptionists, etcetera. But there are also our stylists, medics, cooks, and – of course – the people with black uniforms and white masks. All of them show signs of being here for several days. When our escape had been noticed, all the doors in this building had been closed and it's been nearly a week that no one has entered or exited this building. Maybe that's why they're so distracted. Maybe this will work in our favor.

It's a short trip, but we have to go in so many circles to avoid everyone that it becomes an eternity. And even so, no matter how careful we try to be, there are journeys that are simply impossible.

00:21. There are three possible paths. In all of them, there are people in the halls. We can't pass.

Since Minhyun and Aron are going further and will take a while to return, we decide to wait to see if one of the paths clear. However, the pair of girls gossiping don't seem to have any more intention to finish their chat than the man drinking coffee does to finish his drink, just like the group playing cards with their game that is nowhere near finished.

And we're here, needing to pass.

            POV: Minhyun

Aron and I move down the halls without speaking, very careful to not make any sounds. He moves ahead of me and I follow. I give a quick glance to the map. A left at the next corner.

He halts, pokes his head out just enough to make sure no one is coming, looks at me, nods and turns to the right. Eh? No!

I hurry to catch up to him and grab onto his shirt to stop him. He stares at me questioningly while I whisper in a low voice.

"Where are you going? It's to the left."

"What? No, if we go to the left we'll end up back in the kitchen. It's on the map."

"Huh?" I look at my map to make sure. "That's not true. It's not there. This way is much faster, look." I show him my map and point it out. "See?"

"Min, you're holding the map upside down. We're here, see?" He signals to a corner that is very far from the one I was looking at. "And we have to go here."

Oh, I had thought that the map looked weird... I think I'll just let my man lead. A sense of direction has never been my strong point.

I nod, admitting that he's right, and he smiles. Then he turns to continue walking, grabbing my hand. In some way, his hold calms me.

We arrive at the next corner. Aron peeks out. He looks back at me and shakes his head.

"There are two men sleeping on the floor."

Sleeping? I don't really understand what's going on. There are few people in this zone, but the few that we have seen are acting strangely. They're all a bit scruffy, a bit disheveled. No makeup. Dark circles, wrinkled clothing, like they've gone days without changing. The halls are filled with papers, soda cans, empty plastic cups. Because the trashcans are overflowing. Leftover food is on the tables, and there's a strong smell of being closed in, of sweat, of human. It's like they've been stuck here for days without even a little airing out.

I look at Aron and we agree without saying a word. We're going to look for another hall.

A woman, sitting on the floor, with a lost gaze directed at a plastic plate half full of spaghetti. . One more hall. A young man fighting with a photocopier. His hair is flat, his shirt is wrinkled and his blazer is stained with a milky substance of questionable origins. This one isn't a good option either.

"We shouldn't go any further. We'll have to make too many circles. We have to pass."

He's right.

"The best option is the two sleeping men."

He nods and so we undo our footsteps back to the first corner. Aron looks again.

"They're still there. They haven't moved.

"Let's go."

We tiptoe into the hall to the sound of their snores. They're lying in the middle, so we'll have to step over them. Aron is in front and I follow. I get past the first just fine and lift my leg to jump over the second. But it doesn't respond. I lose my balance and collapse to the floor, but not before accidently kicking the heavier of the two men. .

"Mmmm... What is...?"

I see his eyes flicker open. My body doesn't react. , , .

Something picks me up from the floor and, in seconds, we've left behind the hall and are hide behind the next corner. We sigh in relief as Aron places me back down.

"Are you okay?"

I nod. He takes a peek into the hall again.

"He's still asleep, just rolled over. What happened?"

"I don't know... My leg didn't respond all of a sudden... I guess the drugs they gave me still haven't lost their effect completely..."

Aron gives me a small, quick kiss full of affection, leaving a dumb smile on my lips.

"How about I carry you? That way, we'll move faster and avoid something like that happening again."

I nod, knowing he's right. I feel a bit useless. From when we left, I haven't done anything right.

I climb into his back and wrap my arms around his neck. The warmth of his body makes me feel a little better.

            POV: Aron

We move faster now that Min is on my back. I glance into each hall carefully. I bend low when we get to the sections with offices that have glass windows. I avoid all of the people we bump into.

Another corner, a blocked hall. Damn it. Baekho warned us about these. We move back and circle around a few offices. We're almost there. We just have to turn one more corner.

We pass in front of a door and, suddenly, it opens. A man in a suit with a bottle of water in his hand. He sees us and his face is a poem. He opens his mouth to scream, but he doesn't get a chance to. The water from his bottle has flown to his mouth and forced itself into his lungs. Muffled gasps escape him as he grabs a hold of his neck with his hands and falls to his knees. He shakes, panicking. He can't breathe.

We leave him there and head off. We don't have time. I'm sorry for him, but I hope he doesn't recover. We have to get there. I can feel Min trembling against my back.

"I didn't want to..."

"Don't feel guilty, there was no alternative. Don't torture yourself, okay? We should keep going."

He doesn't respond, but his hands tighten against my shoulders. I'd like to stop to comfort him, but we don't have time. My boy is strong. He'll overcome this.

I continue running.

0:24. We find ourselves in front of a white and massive door. At eyelevel is distorted glass to let in light but it doesn't let us see what's inside. This is it.

I innocently turn the doorknob in hopes that it'll open. It's obviously locked, but I had to try it, right?

Let's try something else. I step back and kick it. The door breaks into smithereens. Good.

Min slides off my back. He holds out his hand for me to take and, together, we enter carefully. I can finally see his face and it calms me to know he's okay.

            POV: Minhyun

A carpet of lively colors on the floor, blue and yellow walls, pictures of animals. Beside the door, a green ball with a drawing of a butterfly, a teddy bear with a red ribbon and a bell around its neck. A remote controlled, metallic blue car. A bit further away, a low table covered in papers. Drawings and a ton of colored pencils, accompanied by a pair of stools. It's like entering another world.

On the other side of the room are two beds. A small one with pink, princess sheets and a larger one with green bedding and a cartoon alien with three eyes. Beside these is a large TV, hooked up to a video game console. And in front of it is a boy, the game controller in his hand, staring at us expressionlessly, as if he's analyzing us.

Okay, and the girl? I search the room with my eyes. Have they taken her somewhere else?

Aron pulls on my shirt. When I turn, he points to the ceiling. And there she is. A little girl, maybe two years old, flies in the middle of the room. She's painting the ceiling happily with lilac crayons. How the hell...?

And cameras. One in each corner. Almost without thinking, I've turned them to ash in seconds and put out the fire. Aron hasn't even had the time to realize. Or, at least, he hasn't screamed. I hope no one has seen us.

            POV: Baekho

0:25. We decide on the path with the two girls. Not just because they seem the most distracted and defenseless, but also because I don't see any guards near that route. We prepare ourselves to run and mentally count to three. Five. Ten.

"Baekho." JR whispers. "We can't wait any longer. We have to go."

I nod because I know he's right. But I don't want to. There are so many things that could go wrong...

Too many. So many that it's better not to think of them. So this time I don't count, don't think about it. I simply go running, hoping they follow.

            POV: JR

0:26. We pass by the girls. They scream. More people come out from the offices. We keep running.

The alarms go off. They're deafening, overwhelming. A man who tries to intercept us goes flying against the wall with a beam of light. We keep running.

0:27. Baekho halts, hesitating a second to look back. He sees that we can't go back and continues forward. We don't stop and, four steps later, I see his reason. Two guards come running around a corner in our direction. We quicken the pace and skid around the next crossing. Baekho in front, Ren in the middle, and then me in the very back. I can feel them nearly on top of my heels. Right behind me. Right there.

Something pulls on my jacket and I fall to the floor. The unmistakable black baton descends towards my face. I don't even get the chance to react before a foot enters my line of sight. It shoves away the arm that was to hit me and another arm grabs hold of the leg, holding it in the air for an instant. The baton comes down again, hitting its mark on the leg this time.

Everything has happened in a thousandth of a second, but I've heard the snap and I've felt the warm liquid against my face. And I know exactly what's happened. Ren falls over me, screaming, crying. He clutches onto his severely injured leg.

Baekho yells. Both guards crash against the wall and collapse. Bullets shower us but Baekho stops them with his voice. Ren cries, people scream, and I feel the blood on my face, on my lips.

The smell of metal.

I can't. I can't. I can't.

Everything goes dark. I feel nothing but the smell of blood. Of rust. The pained wails from Ren, the howls from Baekho that protect us, the screams of spectators. People running. Gunfire.

I have to endure. I can.

I open my eyes. I dig through my bag and everything trembles. Ointments, pills, tablets, anything. Nothing. I look at Ren. His hands are soaked in blood, and between the red fluid flowing and the broken bone, I have to look away. I search, but there's nothing.

I pour water over the wound. I tie a rag right over his knee. I give him another rag to bite on. And that's all I can do.

Everything shakes. The edges of my vision are dark. There's blood everywhere.

0:28. Baekho grabs Ren by the arm. With a swift motion and without looking, he pulls him onto his back and runs as fast as he can while carrying him. Ren grits his teeth. He nearly strangles him with his arm. The pain explodes with each step. I run behind them, praying that the bullets won't reach us, defending us as best I can with the gun I don't know how has gotten into my hands.

And we run.

            POV: Ren

Pain. Only pain. I'm barely conscious of what's going on around me. I just know that we're running and that Baekho has me on his back. Each step is torture, it's like a knife is being stabbed into my leg again and again. I make an effort not to scream and open my eyes, trying to find out what's going on.

I hear gunshots behind me but they don't seem to be very effective. JR barely knows how to shoot. The guards are catching up to us and Baekho is running slower and slower. He can't fight while he's carrying me. I have to do something. A stronger jarring than before and, for a few moments, everything goes dark. Endure, Ren, don't be a weakling.

I have to do something. If I don't, I'll just be a deadweight that makes it easier for them to kill us. But what? I can barely concentrate on keeping my focus on my surroundings. I don't know if I'll be able to use my power...

I close my eyes and stop trying to focus on what's around me. I stop trying to hold in the screams with each shake. I concentrate solely on trying to bring out all of my ability. I search for it, feeling it and building it up to its full potential as much as I can. Then I let it go all at once, the feeling of light exploding from my body rushing through me and then... nothing. Only darkness. It squeezes me, suffocates me. But I won't let it win. I take a deep breath and, gradually, I can feel Baekho's body underneath my arms again. The insufferable pain in my leg and JR's footsteps behind us. I can't hear guards. I've succeeded.

            POV: Minhyun

The alarms go off. .

The girl is on her feet in front of us. Her hair is pulled up into two pigtails and she's wearing some type of pink pajama. She looks at us curiously.

I kneel down to be at her height and try to speak in a calmed voice, smiling.

"Hello."

"Hello. Who awe you?"

"My name is Minhyun, he's Aron, and we're—"

"You'we Minhyun and Awon?! Wooooow!"

Her face brightens up in excitement.

"Yes..." I say hesitantly.

"You know of us?" Aron kneels beside me.

"Of couwsh! They auways talk about you! You'we powaurs awe incwedible! You'we awesome! I want to be like you when I'm older!"

She starts bouncing around excitedly and jumps up to wrap her arms around our necks in a hug. We return the embrace, confused.

"I love you! They told me that you'we my pawents! That they took you'we cellulars and made me wit them." Cellulars? I suppose she means cells... "I wanted to meet you a wooooot! Have you come to pway wit me?"

"No... Actually, we've come to look for you."

"To look fow us? Where awe we going?"

"We're going to leave this building."

"Why? Awe we going to pway outside?"

"Well..."

"Yes, we're going to play outside." Aron says confidently. I don't like lying to her, but I don't see any other way. "You see, we're going to see the sun. Would you like to see the sun?"

"Yeeeeesh! The sun! The sun! I want to see the sun!"

I didn't think it would be so easy to convince her, but it seems to have worked. Now she's flying around again in excitement. It's not very difficult to figure out what her ability is.

And then I look at the boy. He's still in the same position, the remote in his hand, staring at us. Expressionless. He hasn't moved, he hasn't even opened his mouth. What a strange boy. It's kind of creepy.

"What a strange boy. It's kind of creepy." What? He can't have just said that. His voice is very weird. How...? "My boy is so handsome when he doesn't understand something."

"Huh?" Now Aron is the one with a disoriented face.

Alright, he's read our minds.

"Yes." The boy replies, this time with a voice that is more... normal.

"So you know what we've come for."

"Yes. I know that your intentions  are good, but I also know that the guards are waiting for us out there with weapons and guns. They don't exactly want to play with us."

"It's true... but it's the price of a better life."

"It's suicide and you know it. They treat us well here."

They treat you well now, but you know how they treated us, so you can imagine how they'll treat you when you grow up a bit more.

His face changes suddenly. I know that he's 'heard' me and that he knows I'm right. The stoic expression on his face and in his eyes becomes one of panic.

"Appa... What does Shamuel mean? The gauwds want to hurt us?"

Aron hugs her and her hair to calm her. He gives her a beautiful smile that could melt ice.

"Yes, the guards are bad, that's why we want to leave. But they won't hurt you because we're here to protect you. Understand?"

"Yesh..."

            POV: Aron

I carry the girl in my arms. Her pigtails are ticklish against my neck. She's so innocent and adorable... I truly hope that they don't manage to hurt her.

The boy... Is his name Samuel? He gets up abruptly and walks closer. He stares at Min. It looks like he's told him something mentally.

"Fine, I'll trust you. This is better than staying here. I hope we make it." He turns towards the girl. "No, Shinhye, you can't take Teddy."

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"She wants to take her teddy bear, but she can't because it has a bell on it and it's noisy."

Min bends down to grab the bear and unties the ribbon from its neck to take off the bell. He hands it to the girl.

"See, Shinhye? Now you can take Teddy."

Her eyes go as wide as plates, shining with emotion as she jumps into his arms.

"Tank you, umma!"

Umma? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Min's face is poetic material. Meanwhile, my gut starts to hurt from laughing and my eyes well up. Samuel laughs along with me. For the first time, he looks like a kid.

            POV: Baekho

0:33. With Ren still on my back, panting from the pain of his broken leg, we duck into a small room that JR has found.

We've gotten rid of the people chasing us with light. Ren nearly fainted right after. But no, he's still conscious.

I lower him and examine his injury. It's horrible. JR pours water over it. We remove the improvised bandaging and everything becomes covered in blood. We wrap it in rags. If I want to put the scarring ointment on it right now, with the bone out of place, we have to set it right first. But I can't. We don't dare to touch him. If I even brush against him, he wails in pain. I don't know what to do. I can't do anything. I feel so useless...

"What do I do...?" Who am I asking? I don't know what to do... someone tell me what I can do...

"Nothing. Wait for Minhyun and Aron. They must be on their way by now."

"AND LEAVE REN LIKE THIS?"

"What do you want to do? Do you happen to know how to fix broken bones?"

"..." I have to do something... I have to... Rennie...

But I can't do anything. Nothing more than stay by his side. I give him my hand and he squeezes me tightly. I can't do anything more than this...

            POV: Ren

It hurts. It hurts a lot. ! I try to think about something else, about our situation. I try to stay alert of my surroundings, but I can't. I can only think of the pain. Breathe, Ren, breathe. Inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale... That's it. I'm not going to let a damn broken leg make me cry. No, no one is going to see me cry. I'm strong. I can handle this.

Baekho grabs my hand and I hold it tightly. I'd like to talk and tell him not to worry, that I'll be fine... But I don't dare to. I don't know if I'll be able to say two sentences right after one another with a normal voice and without crying so I just squeeze his hand and take deep breaths.

            POV: JR

00:34.

00:35.

00:36.

I stare at the watch while we wait for them to arrive. While we wait.

Ren is in agony and neither Baekho or I know what to do. We have to do something, even if it won't do much. Not doing anything is killing us.

If only I could do something for Ren. I can't stop thinking that he's like this because he wanted to protect me. And I can't even look at him, the blood, the pain, his agonized groans.

00:37.

How long are Minhyun and Aron going to take? What are we going to do when they come? Will they come? I hope nothing happens to them. But even if they arrive, even if they come in perfect conditions with the kids... We can't even touch Ren in this state. He obviously can't walk, and even if we carry him... with his leg like this... He's losing a lot of blood. Do we have any hope of success?

We've always had it difficult, but there are moments in which I really don't see how we can end well.

But I can't let despair win, because if I do, if I despair, I'll lose all possibilities of making it.

00:38.

I can't do anything. I can't even think. Because if I think, I'll realize that we're doomed. That there's too much against us. That we've chosen a very simple objective – escape – and even if we achieve it, what happens after? Where do I go?

But no, I shouldn't let myself think that. I have to concentrate on more practical things, in more immediate things. In what I can solve at the moment.

Ren.

What can we do for him? I can't even look at his wound.

Nothing. I can't do anything, just like with everything else.

Distract Baekho, maybe? He looks like he's about to collapse.

"Baekho, where are the others?" Even if it's just with that.

He doesn't look at me, barely hears me. He continues clutching onto Ren's hand, staring at him intently, tense.

"Baekho!" He doesn't hear me, doesn't listen to me. I don't exist to him right now. Completely understandable. "Baekho!" I shake him. At last he looks at me. "Where are the others?"

His expression clearly says how can you think about that, about anything that isn't REN? But he closes his eyes and searches.

"They're on their way."

And that's all. I stop existing again.

"Baekho, we can sedate him. He'll stop hurting."

I don't think Ren will accept that either... Is it better to have him sleeping or in pain?

            POV: Ren

"Ren, I'm going to do it. I'm going to sedate you."

What...? Baekho has gone crazy from the stress. So I simply laugh. Sedate me. Me. Yes, man, what a joke. I prefer to squirm in pain over spending hours sleeping like a trunk while they risk their lives. Not a chance in hell. Awake, I can at least use my powers to defend myself, even if it exhausts me. I can do SOMETHING.

"Do what you want, but don't put me to sleep." I manage to speak and not scream with my teeth pressed together. Good, progress.

"Ren, you're hurting."

"No kidding."

Exactly, it's my pain, my leg, my conscious.

"Don't be an idiot."

I close my eyes and concentrate on recovering my self control. , don't make me talk more than necessary. Leave it... Baekho takes my silence as a yes and approaches with the sedative. No, I've said no. I take another deep breath and open my eyes.

"No."

He stops and caresses my cheek, with an expression of not understanding why all of this is happening.

"But... why?"

"I want... to be conscious... until the very end."

I squeeze his arm, begging for him to stop insisting and to stop making this more difficult. I know he's doing it for me, because he's worried, but I'm not going to give in.

Finally, Baekho nods his head slightly. He leaves the syringe on the floor and takes my hands between his. They're warm, large, comforting. Only then do I allow myself to close my eyes again. I concentrate on breathing. Inhale, exhale, inhale...

            POV: Aron

00:41. We move as quickly as we can, but it still seems like we're too slow to me. I can't ask them for anything more. Alone, I would've gotten there a long time ago, but I should accustom myself to the rhythm of these three. I can't carry them all along with the bags. On top of everything, we have to go unnoticed, avoid the office workers, the security cameras, not make too much noise... it's not an easy task. Come on, we don't have much left to go.

I'm in front with the map in hand, trying to read it quickly while we run through the halls of gray walls and large windows, covered in fine curtains that allow us to see into the bright offices. I cross my fingers, hoping I don't make a mistake. I think we're going fine.

Behind me is Min. My boys moves as fast as he can but the years of immobility still cause his legs to fail when he tries to run. He makes a large effort to continue and not to fall. He has his hand around Samuel's. The kid doesn't say anything, he still has that curious face of concentration as he follows us without complaint.

And then there's Shinhye, hovering at my side. It's still shocking to see a human lift herself from the floor this way. Her innocent and extremely happy face is proof that she's not aware of the situation we're in. In the end, it's better that way. She's barely more than a baby.

Let's go, onward. There's only a little left.

I glance back to make sure that Min and Samuel can keep up with the pace. And when I turn to look forward again, I'm left frozen. My heart thumps.

00:50. A group of people in white masks appear from behind a corner. Guards. I count one, two, three... eight. There's too many. They're far, but they're approaching at a fast rate.

I stop abruptly and grab Shinhye so she stops flying. I hold her against my chest, protecting her instinctively.

"What...? !" I hear Min curse behind me.

"They want to kill us. I can read it in their minds, they want to kill us..."

Min kneels beside him and tries to make himself seem confident to calm him. But I know my boy and I know that he's scared, as much or even more than the little guy.

"It's okay, we'll take care of them. Back up a bit and make sure they don't hurt you."

"And watch over her, please." I add, handing over Shinhye. It's better that she's not in my arms while we fight.

Samuel nods and moves away, little convinced. In the end, he can read our minds and knows that we're not sure of being able to win.

I hear gunshots and shiver, but no bullets touch us. They halt before getting close to us and fall uselessly to the floor. Min gasps. Creating a current of air strong enough to stop them couldn't have been easy.

Instants later, a few of the guns in their hands go up in flames. The guards let go and scream in fear.

Fire. No, not that. My body shakes.

"Min, don't do that!"

"Sorry..."

The flames go out but the guns have been left unusable. Or some have, at least.

Now it's my turn.

I jump towards them with a baton in my hand and hit one in the head and another in the back. They both fall to the floor. A third manages to strike me in the back as well, and I return the hit. Another two come to his aid. I try to defend myself against all of them. I have to do it. I have to win.

            POV: Minhyun

There are still guards that have guns left. One aims at me but I'm faster. I pull out mine and shoot. The bullets connects with his wrist. The gun tumbles from his hand as he screams.

I shoot a few more times. Some hit their targets, but others are dodged. Until I'm left with an empty cartridge. I don't have time to change it. A couple of guards approach quickly, knife in hand. I create a wall of air that lifts them and throws them against a wall.

Aron screams. He's fighting against too many. I should help him.

I focus on moving the material of the floor. I create a type of hand to grab two guards that are fighting him and move them away. I squeeze the dirt holding them tightly against their bodies. I hear a crunch and a wail of pure pain. I shiver.

"MIN!"

Aron's yell distracts me. I look at him and his eyes are filled with terror. Not for himself, but for me. I turn quickly. Behind me is a heavy guard with a knife raised high, ready to pierce directly into my heart. I was too distracted with helping Aron. The knife descends too fast. I won't be able to stop him. I can only close my eyes. It's finished.

Something pushes me. I fall to the floor. Aron cries out right beside me and my face is splattered in a sticky liquid.

I open my eyes and the first thing I see is the body of my man collapsing before me. A huge knife is sticking out from his back, the one that the heavy guard has stabbed into him and twisted out again. He laughs in a low voice and I'm overcome with rage.

Two seconds later, his body is in flames and reduced to ashes.

I scream in despair, and with my scream a massive wave of fire rolls around me. A current of air pushes it to all of the guards around us. To get them away from us, so they won't hurt him anymore.

And I let myself fall at his side, screaming his name, touching his blood-covered cheek, hoping for some kind of reaction.

He tries to speak but chokes and spits blood. His lung must've been punctured. He won't survive, , it can't be. , . !

"Aron! ARON!"

            POV: Aron

I feel an intense pain in my back. And cold. It's so cold...

Min touches me but I can barely feel the warmth of his hands... I want to see him but my vision is fogging over...

I try to gulp in air but I choke. I can't breathe. There's no way of getting out of this alive.

Min, I told you I'd give my life for you if ever necessary. I'm sorry for not being able to leave this place at your side. I hope you'll find happiness. I love you.

            POV: Baekho

He suffers. He grits his teeth tightly, sweating in streams. He looks like he's about to faint, but he continues insisting that we don't sedate him. I sing for him, to alleviate the pain. I whisper of how much I love him, how important he is to me. Rennie... my boy... Stay by my side...

I wipe his forehead, drying his sweat, and with my forever expanding mind I feel someone approaching. Guards? Yes, a lot, very close to here. I hope they don't find us. But there's something more, someone more. The boys are on their way back with the two children. Crossing paths is inevitable. Hell!

"JR! Minhyun and Aron are going to run into the guards!" He opens his eyes wide, frightened. How wouldn't he be. "They're in the hall over. We have to go..."

Ren can't go. I can't leave him here. JR doesn't have any way to find them on his own. Can I leave Aron and Minhyun to fight alone?

"Go..." I hardly manage to hear him when he whispers to me. "I'm fine..."

How are you fine, Rennie? My god... what do I do? What should I do?

"Stay with him!" I yell at JR.

00:51. I go running, leaving Ren without looking back. I realize that JR follows me.

"We're more useful there."

And he's right. I know he's right. But... Rennie... We can't do anything for him by being at his side either.

Hold on, my little warrior.

We run into the children, a boy of maybe ten years with a girl in his arms. We tell them to continue down this hall to reach Ren. And we keep running. Upon turning the next corner, I feel it. How they corner Minhyun, how Aron intercepts to take the hit, how the knife goes through him, how he falls.

00:52. Feeling like I'm out of breath, I can do nothing but continue running, praying that we'll reach them in time.

            POV: Minhyun

Someone shoves me away from Aron. Jonghyun. He leans over the body of my man and places his bare hand over his wound.

No, not that. Is he planning to disintegrate him?! HAS HE GONE COMPLETELY INSANE?! The blood. He's seen too much blood and he's under the influence of one of his attacks. He's crazy, he's out of control, and he's going to disintegrate my man. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

            POV: JR

I'm not even sure of what I'm thinking. I don't think. There's blood everywhere. It flows from Aron and expands, enveloping everything. Absorbing everything.

But there's something more than blood here. Aron is dying.

I push away Minhyun. My hands go directly to his wound. I'm soaked in blood, my vision goes red, but I ignore it.

I can feel his flesh on my fingers, the flesh that has split open with this injury, but that still remembers... The particles of his body still have the strength to rejoin. Like when I reconstructed batteries. I can still feel the energy in them. Although I'm not the one who destroyed him, I can still reconstruct it.

I summon that practically unknown part of my ability, the inverse of what I've always done, and feel how his body regenerates and the wound closes.

00:55. I fall to the floor, dizzy. The guards that were left have gone. Aron's wound has closed without leaving anything more than smears of blood, but he's still unconscious. Minhyun shakes him in an attempt to wake him, staining his shoulders with his bloody hands. He screams desperately. If he's not crying, it's only because he still doesn't want to believe it. Neither do I.

"We have to go back." Baekho advises. "We're not safe here."

His voice shakes. Everything shakes. Baekho, Minhyun, Aron, even the walls seem to tremble. Everything blurs and becomes red...

No, don't let it overwhelm you.

I gulp, close my eyes and breathe. When I open them again, the walls are stable. I grab Aron by his arm and help Baekho drag him to the small room where Ren is waiting for us.

            POV: Baekho

00:56. We return to the room, to Rennie and the children. Ren's eyes open wide when he sees us. The girl breaks into tears and the boy backs away, frightened, pressing himself against the wall.

Minhyun falls beside Aron. He continues shaking him, calling to him. He begs him to come back, begs him to stay with him. He cries and screams. I go to him and try to calm him, but he doesn't even hear me.

JR shuts and bars the door. He slides down against it and curls up on the floor, closing his eyes so he won't have to see the blood anymore. He tries to breathe, covering his face with hands soaked in red. The mere smell of blood is unsupportable.

Ren asks me what has happened. Screaming from hysteria and his own pain. He tries to move close but his face twists with the smallest movement. He can't hold back the tears anymore.

The girl continues crying, bawling like a baby. She is a baby. I try to approach her, to calm her, but she runs away. I'm also covered in blood.

The boy, in a corner of the room, holds his head in his hands tightly. "Stop screaming," he shouts at the top of his lungs again and again.

And Aron... Aron lays unmoved, pale and covered in red. His eyes are closed. I move closer for verification of something I don't want to know.

He has no pulse.

            POV: Minhyun

No, I can't accept this, I don't want to. He can't be dead. I instinctively press my lips against his to give him what I fear is our last kiss. He doesn't move, he doesn't return it. I can't accept the idea of this. I feel as if my heart is going to stop.

I pull away from him. He's not breathing. I feel for a pulse and realize that it doesn't exist anymore. His heart doesn't beat. We've gotten here too late. No, I won't believe that. I won't accept it so easily. While I can still breathe, I won't give up on his life. I must be able to do something. At its basics, seventy-five percent of a body is water, right? I have to at least try it.

I close my eyes and focus on his body, on feeling the water in his cells and the ones that make up part of his blood. And I move it – with difficulty – through his veins, arteries and capillaries, to every corner of his body. In a desperate attempt to keep his tissues from dying from lack of blood. Then I move the air. I push it in and out of his lungs to keep the exchange of gases going to his blood. But I know that this isn't enough. This won't get his heart beating again. I need to make a bigger effort.

Someone touches my back.

"Minhyun, I know how you feel, but I think we should—"

I shove away Baekho's hand from me with a slap, outraged.

"SHUT UP! I'm not going to leave him! Not while I can do something! If he dies, I die with him!"

"Minhyun, please... He hasn't given his life for you to throw away yours..."

No... I didn't want him to give his life for me... He told me once that he'd do it and I believed him. I didn't need him to prove it. Damn ! I'm not going to let him die this way... He's not going to die, especially not for me...

"Let me try it... I know I can do something... please..."

Baekho backs away silently and my attention returns to my man. I continue moving his blood and concentrate on his heart. It has to beat again. How can I do that? I have to, no matter what. All of my strength is focused on that organ that belongs to me. I don't notice anything that happens around me. All that exists are him and me, my voice desperately screaming his name and my powers in his body.

Beat. Come on, beat. Please. Beat.

            POV: Baekho

"Aron! Aron, don't go! Please no! You can't leave me! Aron!"

"Blood... dead... Blood... everything's red.... everything's dark..."

"Waaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaah!"

"What happened? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? , IT HURTS! SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!"

"Stop screaming! Shut up! Stop screaming...!"

I keep still, unmoving and useless in the middle of this chaos. And, on top of all this noise, I hear something else.

Banging on the door. Strikes. Someone on the other side, wanting to make us come out.

01:00. There are guards on the other side.

            POV: Minhyun

All of a sudden I feel a sharp prick in my head. It hurts a lot. Something's wrong. My powers abandon me and my body stops functioning. I think I've used it too much. I wasn't prepared for this.

Aron's blood no longer moves. The air that had been entering his lungs doesn't obey my will. And his immobile, cold and pale body continues lifeless.

My strength leaves me. My muscles no longer support me and I crumble and collapse over Aron. My head falls against his bare chest, which has been left uncovered under his torn clothes. Over his motionless heart.

I can't move. I can't do anything. My body doesn't respond. My eyes are open but I can't see anything. I'll lose consciousness soon.

I'm sorry, Aron. I'm sorry. I've done what I can. I thought I could save you. I hope you can forgive me. I love you...

            POV: Baekho

Minhyun leans over Aron. He kisses him, still fighting to keep him here. He doesn't want to accept it. He doesn't want to believe it.

And, suddenly, he collapses. He faints, falling over his lifeless body.

With a smile on his lips.

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ActionTranslation
I'm terribly late with Ch 28! I'm so sorry ;w; I'm proofreading it now. It's the (really long) last ch, but don't forget to stick around for the epilogue ^^

Comments

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ninive
#1
Chapter 29: I liked how much MinRon was in this, interesting story.
bubbles501
#2
It was a beautiful story and its AU.... I like how they have special abilities, I even played Action while reading this.
like other readers.. I'm also kind of want a sequel just maybe a one-shot or just a few chapters. I'm curious how they live their life outside. I'm so happy that Minron stay together and they got a daughter (ARon's daughter with Baekho LOL. i didn't see that coming) too.. and I love your writing too. Good Job Authornim... wish you will make more minron stories..
JenniferHyun
#3
Chapter 29: Just wondering that has the original author made sequel? This is so good story, and the end made me laugh so much. And I really like how Aron is acting, even though it doesn't fit in my own image of him. And the fact of Baekho and Aron having a daughter. Can't even tell how hard i laughed :D However, I really love this story, definitely one of the top ten I have ever read. The descriptions are so good and... Don't even know what to say. But pass my greetings to the origin author, please :)
bine84 #4
Thats a really super good story...i am really flashed. If nuest would make this as a movie i would buy it. -----i love nuest-----
chiff_624
#5
Chapter 29: Wild_white_tiger? Hahha! It's enough to make me blush....>\\\\<
Finally, jr n Minnie have a happy [email protected]'s perfect T^T
Kyaa! Minron, why dI'd they made that infront of their child? But it still sweet~they are the best parents ever....haha! Aron is housewife? Cant believe,and thehousewife's username name is LArapper? That's a rock housewife! Yeah!
And last but not least, ohhh~ BeakRen.... They're swèeť! ^^ the precious moment about this story,to me, it's when they met they family,...how wonderful life after three years spending time in a stupid 'cage', and met their family after that,.. I can't imagine my life without family T^T.... HAPPY ENDING^~^ <3 YEAH! Daebak author-nim!
DaebakStarlight #6
Chapter 27: Please please update soon! I just just know something is gonna happen!
-lalala-
#7
Chapter 27: Urk!
Why do I get the feeling something else bad will happen before they even step outside?
Now I'm anxiously biting my nails until tomorrow >.<
SoapFlavoured
#8
Chapter 27: Finally! :') Update soon! <3
SoapFlavoured
#9
Chapter 26: OHMYGOSH. TEARS HERE. NO AROONNN!
gdragonlollipoplove #10
Chapter 25: hehe Baekho being a ert watching Minhyun & Aron..>//.\\< Baekho's "Does my opinon count?" made me laugh XD Super excited for the next chapter! \(^0^)/