GLACIAL CROSSROAD
A resting place for bone-rotting bitterness.

Her tears flow freely now. Tears for her dead brother. Tears for her fallen friends. Her frail heart must now turn to the only one left. Her enemy.

"It's coming for us next... isn't it? We won't be spared, Jaejoong. Just like the others. We'll—"

"Just shut up! Just shut up and run, dammit!"

Her grip tightens on his jacket as they run. The wind is silent at last. The trees are still, haunted by lost spectres.

"Xinling... turn off your ing flashlight. It's blinking. Why the hell is it blinking? It'll set off an alert."

She looks down at her other hand... the one not holding on to him. Her flashlight. Her brother's special flashlight. It is, indeed, blinking. The light bounces off the rocks and leaves... like a signal... like it is saying... 'they are here... come and get them.'

But, this... this is impossible.

"It's... it's not possible. Jaejoong... there's no batteries inside."

"What?"

"There's no batteries in this flashlight!"

"Then why the are you holding it?!"

She attempts to switch it off. Nothing. She switches it on, then off. Nothing seems to work. It keeps flashing like an obnoxious beacon.

"This isn't possible... this isn't right..."

"Xinling! This isn't the time to be joking... do you think it's funny? Are you trying to get us killed sooner? No. , no. We are not going to die. Not tonight."

Panic grips as she tries to make sense of things. It does not add up. "I'm not... I'm not lying." She lets go of his jacket and stops. Her trembling hands unscrew the bottom of the blinking flashlight.

Nothing. Nothing drops. Nothing drops except for her heart. 

This is stupid. Everything is all ed up. She slowly flips the flashlight, half expecting to see some kind of creature nested within.

Nothing. There is nothing inside. The light continues to blink... playing off the trees like the final scene of the final act.

"... , Xinling! I told you not to let go of me. We're better off sticking together!" Jaejoong grabs her by the shoulder and shakes hard.

Her eyes are dry now. Completely dry as she tilts her head back and looks directly into his eyes. "You need me, don't you, Jaejoong... You need me as a last shield. When they come, you're planning to throw me at them and run. Just like you did back then... just like... you're... you've always been the same. Just like back then."

"Xinling... listen to me. Don't let it in. Don't let it get to you. They're trying to turn us against each other. It's all—"

"I'm tired. I'm really tired, Jaejoong."

Of this. Of him. Of everything.
 

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