Welcome to the next chapter! I just wanted to say thank you for helping this book to reach 3K views. It means so much to me and I'm so happy for all the support you've given this book. I hope you continue to enjoy it until the end. Now, about this chapter, it's going to mention violence and injuries, so please read with caution. And it has a couple new characters in it that definitely had to be included. With that said, I hope you enjoy chapter thirty six!

"Who is this?" Hyunjin asks, his blood running cold in his veins.

"My name is Changbin. I'm a member of Evermore and Jisung's friend," The voice says. Hyunjin frowns, not knowing whether or not to believe this stranger. Yes, if he's calling from Jisung's phone that probably means that the boy is in danger, but it could be because of this person that's calling him. He has no idea if he can even trust this supposed friend of Jisung's. His boyfriend rarely mentioned any of his gang friends to him and Hyunjin never pried, so he has zero clue who Changbin really is. "How do I know you're not lying to me?" Hyunjin questions, "You could have been the one that hurt Jisung."

"Why would I call you letting you know he's in danger if I was the one that hurt him?" Changbin asks.

"I don't know," Hyunjin mutters, "Maybe, you want something from me."

"The only thing I want from you is to save Jisung," Changbin states. Hyunjin falls silent after that, still not knowing what to do. The boy on the other side of this call sounds genuine, but anyone can pretend. Hyunjin can't just rush into this without thinking, even if it's about Jisung. He's no help to the boy injured. "Put it on speaker," A muffled voice says that Hyunjin recognizes. The sound of movement can be heard over the call and Hyunjin slowly sits up in bed. "Hyunjin," Chan states.

"Chan hyung?" Hyunjin questions, "Is that you?"

"Yes," Chan says, "You need to listen. Jisung is in danger and you're the only one that can get him out of there." Hyunjin frowns, Chan is there. That means this Changbin guy is telling the truth. He's actually Jisung's friend. This isn't a trap. "What happened?" Hyunjin asks, worried about his boyfriend.

"They went after him when he got back," Chan says, "They were waiting in his room and they jumped him."

"Why?" Hyunjin whispers, "Why now? They haven't bothered him at all this time...why did they go after him today?"

"I don't know," Chan says, "But, it's bad. They took him to the basement level. No one gets out of there alive."

"Have you seen him?" Hyunjin asks.

"Only over CCTV," Chan answers, "And he doesn't look good, Hyunjin. He can't even stand. They shot his feet. Cut up his legs. I'm sure they broke some of his bones too. His face is covered in bruises. He may have brain trauma. He's just lying there. He looks terrible...they're only keeping him alive to make him suffer a bit more before ending his life. We need to save him before that happens." Hyunjin shudders, imagining his boyfriend's condition. "He's in Evermore headquarters, right?" Hyunjin questions, "Why haven't you done anything?"

"We would have," Changbin says, "But, they've cut us off too."

"Us?" Hyunjin echoes.

"The others who helped you escape. We're all here right now and we're asking you to help us this time," Chan says, "We're all Jisung's friends and we were more than willing to help you get out, but it came with a price for us. We want nothing more than to get Jisung out of there, but our hands are tied."

"What does that mean?" Hyunjin asks.

"Remember that bracelet that you were wearing?" A new voice says.

"Yeah," Hyunjin says.

"Well, we have matching ones," The voice says with a huff.

"It restricts us from leaving the Evermore compound. Jinyoung and Jaebum know that Jisung wasn't able to free you by himself. It had to be us that helped you, so they slapped these lovely pieces of jewelry on us," Chan explains, "So even if we were able to help Jisung, we can't get him out of here."

"Only you can do that," Another voice states, "We'll help you break in, but you need to get him out of Evermore and somewhere safe. Somewhere he can get help."

"Okay," Hyunjin says, "I should tell my parents then. They'll be able to help me out."

"No," Changbin states in a gruff tone, "You can't tell anyone about this. I know who your parents are and they can't tag along on this mission. They'll attract too much attention."

"So, I have to do this alone," Hyunjin murmurs.

"Yes," Chan states, "It has to be this way. You'll have us to help you out though, so you really aren't alone. You don't need to worry."

"Are you up for it?" Changbin questions.

Hyunjin lets out a shaky breath, "Yes. What do I need to do?"

"Come to Evermore headquarters in an hour," Chan states, "We need to do this now while everyone is asleep."

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Hyunjin tugs at his hat, trying to conceal his identity a bit more. He is garbed in black sweats and matching shoes. A baseball cap is snug on his head and he has a face mask on which hides his face. If he's going to break into Evermore headquarters, no one can know it's him. Hyunjin thinks back to the plan that Jisung's friends created. It should be a simple and easy extraction, but that's only if they don't run into complications. And there's a lot of complications that could happen. The bracelets could go off, the security cameras could suddenly start working again, or Jinyoung and Jaebum could catch them in the act. This is a risky mission, but Hyunjin knows it's worth it. They need to save Jisung before the Evermore leaders kill him. Hyunjin takes a deep breath as he nears the back entrance of Evermore. He's never entered the compound from this side before, but he has to today. Jisung's friends tell him that this entrance is rarely monitored, so an easy way for him to get in. "Hyunjin?" A voice whisper shouts to him. Hyunjin looks to the source of the voice and sees a boy with purplish hair standing by the side doorway. Hyunjin jogs over to him, "Seungmin?"

"Yes," Seungmin states, "You're right on time. Come on." Hyunjin nods and enters the compound, his heart racing. Seungmin lets the door shut behind him and glances around before taking off down the hallway. Hyunjin follows close behind, careful not to make too much noise as he runs. "Do you remember the plan?" Seungmin asks.

Hyunjin nods his head, "Elevator and I should meet Felix there. Take it down to the last floor where Changbin-ssi and Jeongin are. Then, take Jisung down the hall and to the right. Chan hyung should be there and he'll lead me to a secret passage that connects directly to the garage where Minho-ssi has a getaway car waiting for me."

"Good," Seungmin says, "Don't mess this up."

"Just cause Jisung calls me a princess, doesn't mean I actually am one," Hyunjin states, "You don't need to worry about me messing up. I've been on missions before."

"Alright," Seungmin states as they come to a stop in front of an elevator. The purple-haired boy presses the button and the elevator automatically opens, revealing a blonde boy with freckles sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Going down?" Felix asks, his eyes not moving from the computer he has on his lap.

"Yes," Seungmin states before practically pushing Hyunjin inside the elevator. Hyunjin stumbles inside and turns to look at Seungmin, who has a grim look on his face. "Save Jisung," Seungmin states as the elevator doors shut. Hyunjin takes a deep breath, feeling the pressure to save Jisung weighing heavily on him. He looks to the floor where Felix is sitting. The computer in the boy's lap has wires going from it to the elevator. Hyunjin glances at the screen and sees what he believes to be CCTV footage on it. "Did you hack into the cameras?" Hyunjin asks.

"Yeah," Felix answers, "I'm a hacker. It's my job."

"Did you try to hack into the-," Hyunjin starts.

"The bracelets?" Felix finishes, "Yeah...didn't take..."

"Hm," Hyunjin mutters, feeling sort of awkward in this situation. He looks at the top of the elevator and stares at the decreasing numbers. His heart is clenching in his chest, but he's trying his best to keep his emotions at bay. He won't be able to properly rescue Jisung if he gets too emotional. "I'm sorry," Felix states, "Normally, I'm not like this. If we were meeting each other in any other situation, I'm sure we would be talking up a storm and becoming great friends...but this isn't a good time."

"I know," Hyunjin says, agreeing with the boy's words. Everyone is focused on one thing. Save Jisung. That's the mission. There's no time to become acquainted with one another. They need to move quickly if they want to get Jisung out of here. "Shit," Felix says suddenly. Hyunjin looks over at the boy and frowns as he sees the grimace on his face. "What is it?" Hyunjin asks.

"Changbin is fighting security in the basement," Felix states.

"I thought you guys said they don't put security down there," Hyunjin says.

"They don't," Felix huffs, "But, they clearly decided to tonight."

"Should we be worried?" Hyunjin asks.

"No," Felix says, "Changbin hyung can handle them. I'm more worried about Jeongin. I don't see him..."

"Is he by Jisung's cell?" Hyunjin asks. Felix doesn't answer for a couple minutes as his fingers fly across his keyboard. After a few minutes, Felix answers, "Yeah...he's picking the lock...he's distracted though. There's too much commotion." Suddenly, the elevator dings as they arrive at the basement level. "Well, I'll go help out," Hyunjin says, clenching his hands into fists and rushing out of the elevator. Hyunjin follows the sounds of fighting down the hall until he finds a man with blue hair fighting guys garbed in leather. Hyunjin launches into the fight, helping out the best he can. He kicks one of the guys in the head and knees another in the gut. He growls as one grabs him by the waist and lifts him into the air. He brings his head down and slams it back, wincing as pain blossoms at the back of his head. It was worth it though as the man drops him and staggers backwards. Hyunjin delivers a quick punch to the man's face to finish him off before turning to face the other boy. He is out of breath, but other than that okay. "I can see why Jisung likes you," The boy says as he looks around at the men that lay on the floor passed out.

"Changbin-ssi," Hyunjin states, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," The boy says, "Yo, Jeongin! You done picking the lock!?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you!" A voice shouts from down the hall, "Does it kill you to fight a little quieter!?"

"That's not how fighting works, kid!" Changbin yells back, "Go down the hall and make a sharp left. Jisung's in the cell down there." Hyunjin nods and breaks into a jog. He follows Changbin's directions and stops in front of a kid with black hair on his knees. There's a lock beside him and in his hands are metal lock picks. "Get Jisung," The kid says.

"Thanks, Jeongin," Hyunjin murmurs as he enters the cell. It's a large area that reeks of sewage and mold. The air is damp and the sound of water dripping echoes in the empty area. The thing that stands out the most is the dark liquid streaked across the wall. There are handprints scattered around in the same shade like a child's finger painting gone wrong. In the center of the cell is Jisung. His hands are tied behind his back and he lays sprawled on the ground. Hyunjin approaches the boy tentatively. His stomach churns as he scans over his boyfriend's injuries. Chan's description didn't do Jisung's injuries justice. It's ten times worse than Hyunjin could've imagined. Jisung's face is swollen to the point where it's basically unrecognizable. His feet are in tatters, flesh hanging around what Hyunjin assumes is bone. There are huge gashes along his legs to the point where the skin looks like it could be peeled off of his bones like a sticker. His left arm is bent at a weird angle and there's a bulge around his rib area. Jisung sits in a pool of his own blood and his eyes are sealed shut. Hyunjin can see Jisung's chest rising slowly which offers some comfort to him, albeit not a lot. "Stop crying," Changbin growls from behind him, "I know you're worried, but he'll be okay as soon as you get him out of here." Hyunjin turns to look at Changbin and realizes that he in fact is tearing up. He never expected Jisung to be this bad and it hurts to see him this way. He's scared and worried. He wants to just break down in tears and rush to Jisung's side, but that's not going to be of any help to him. Hyunjin is here to rescue Jisung and that's what he must do now. He wipes at the tears before getting to his knees and untying Jisung's wrists. The skin underneath the rope is pink and raw. Hyunjin lets his finger brush over them, "You'll be okay, Sungie. I promise." He tosses the rope to the side and gestures for Changbin to come help him. The boy enters the cell and bends down to assist. Together, they carefully lift Jisung up and onto Hyunjin's back. Hyunjin winces as the boy groans in pain. "Hmmmmm," Jisung murmurs.

"I need you to hold onto me," Hyunjin says to Jisung, even though he has no idea if the boy is even awake or not, "Can you do that for me, Sungie?" Hyunjin doesn't know if Jisung heard him or is just reacting, but the boy wraps his uninjured arm around Hyunjin's neck and buries his face into the crook of his neck. Hyunjin slowly stands and takes a hold of Jisung's upper thighs, trying to be careful of the cuts lining the boy's legs. "You need to go," Jeongin urges, "There's no time to waste." Hyunjin nods and walks as quickly as he can out of the cell. He moves down the hallway and towards the right as he was told to over the phone. As he walks, he murmurs sweet-nothings to Jisung in hopes of offering some comfort to the boy. "Hurry," Chan says from where he stands beside an open hole in the wall. Hyunjin nods as Chan enters the secret passageway. Hyunjin follows behind him, careful not to brush Jisung against the sidewalls or injure him any more with sudden movements. "How is he?" Chan asks.

"Breathing," Hyunjin answers.

"Good," Chan states, "Get him to a doctor, okay?"

"Yeah," Hyunjin states as the two keep moving. It's dark in the passageway, the only light coming from a flashlight that Chan holds in his hands. Hyunjin has no idea where they're going, but they somehow end up in the garage. They step out of another hole in the wall and make their way over to where a black car is parked. A boy with red hair stands beside it, twirling keys around one of his fingers. "Took you long enough," Minho huffs, "You're behind schedule."

"Is the car ready?" Chan asks.

"Yeah," Minho states, leaning into the vehicle and sticking the key into the ignition. He turns it, starting the car, before coming back out. "Give Jisung to me. I'll put him in the back," Chan says. Hyunjin nods and they carefully maneuver Jisung from off his back and into the back of the vehicle. "You can drive, right?" Minho asks.

"Yes," Hyunjin says.

Minho nods, "You drive fast. Get him help. He needs it."

"I know," Hyunjin murmurs before getting into the driver's seat, "Thank you. For helping me get Jisung out of here and for saving me last time."

"Don't mention it," Minho says.

"Hyunjin," Chan says, "Before you go, you need to know that there are others like Jisung in Evermore. A lot of people who are done with Jinyoung and Jaebum. Like us...we helped you get out cause your Jisung's boyfriend but also because we don't agree with our leaders' ways."

"Okay," Hyunjin mutters, not really understanding why Chan is telling him this.

"Just remember that," Chan says, "Evermore is not your enemy." Hyunjin nods as Chan shuts his car door for him and taps on the hood of the vehicle, telling him to drive. Hyunjin still doesn't know what to make of the boy's words, but he doesn't have time to worry about it. He needs to get Jisung to a doctor. He presses on the gas pedal and drives out the open garage door.

Finally, Stray Kids have appeared! This chapter was pretty dark, but they were able to get Jisung out of there and hopefully he'll be okay after seeing a doctor. I won't say how that goes. You'll just have to wait for the next chapter. Oh, what did you think of Chan saying Evermore isn't his enemy? Do you think that's true? What could this mean? Let me know what you think in the comments. Also, let me know how excited you are for SKZ comeback. I am so looking forward to it. I can't wait until the end of the month. Anyway please vote, comment, follow me, add this story to your library and check out my BTS AU Night of Sin. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Bye, Stays :)