He leaves the door ajar; giving view to the stairs that will lead to the upper ground. It's their chance to escape, and it seems like Wooyoung is giving them one. They won't think about why he's doing it when he's been nothing but torturous towards them. Besides, he had said something to them that leaves them in a deeper state of confusion, but they are too busy worrying about their current situation to be able to comprehend his real intentions.

"Run. Don't ever look back because if I manage to catch you, I will make sure that I will kill you. Do you understand?" he had said to them, earning compliant nods from Hongjoong and Mingi, who were already huddled together with the still-unconscious Yeosang and Jongho.

It was as if time had become still as the captor eyed them one by one before saying slowly, his voice losing the hard edge he had before. This time, his voice had turned soft, making the captives shiver with dread, unable to understand how quick it was for him to bounce from a character to another. Maybe, both him and San-

"Go to the police and tell them every single thing that happened to all of you here. Mention our names and don't even leave a single detail out, from when you arrived here until now. Here-"

He threw the penknife to them, as Hongjoong held on tightly to Yeosang and Jongho, as if trying with all his might to protect them. They showed no signs of waking up, and he was already starting to feel the exhaustion from thinking about having to carry them all the way to safety. They could leave them but no; they came here as one and he would make sure that whoever was still alive would make it back. Despite not looking like how they came in the first place.

"Use this to cut those stitches or else you won't be able to say anything at the police station." He delivered another warning, but his voice still maintained the gentleness he had, sounding like he was worried for them; as if he wasn't the one who had subjected them to the long and torturous ordeal. "But make sure you do it once you leave the villa; I don't want to hear another peep from any of you."

Then he ascended the stairs and left as if nothing ever happened, leaving them shivering with both cold and fear.

What do they get out of this?

Hongjoong signals towards Mingi, saying that they each have to carry one person and the latter immediately agrees. Fearing that their captors will change their minds, Hongjoong quickly heaves Jongho on his back while Mingi goes for Yeosang. They wobble as they try to summon every last strand of strength they have to at least make it past the door and up. They look like they're fighting against strong winds as they carry forward, almost slipping on the stairs as they still haven't regained their full senses.

They emerge onto the first floor, which is eerily quiet. None of the two are present, so it seems that it's not a trap and Wooyoung is really sticking to his words of letting them go. Mingi lets Hongjoong lead them as he keeps a lookout. The stairs from the basement make way into a store, which holds a multitude of different items, from expired food that have started to smell and broken parts of automated machines. The shelves are dusty, decorated with cobwebs and they look like they're about to give way anytime soon.

With their hearts thumping against their ribcages as they navigate the first floor, they try to remember the way out. Hongjoong peeks from behind the door of the store, whipping his head around to take in any other possible threats. When the line is clear, making sure that Jongho is held firmly, he signals to Mingi to closely follow. Only when they make it to the living room do they realize that the world outside is dark, the pale moonlight casting shadows of the furniture on the marble floor.

They search around for a clock to find out about the time, but find none. Their only clue to the current time is only the sky outside, but even that does not give away much. They tiptoe as they steer past the living room, scared that emitting any noise will summon the demons hiding away in every crook of the house. With two bodies on their back, they amble carefully past the dark hallways and foyer. None of the lights downstairs are switched on, and they take a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the surrounding. Some shuffling of footsteps can be heard from the second floor, but they don't stop to wonder who they belong to. Their vision are limited to only the front door, taking no time to take in details of the surrounding.

They need to at least make it outside to be able to catch a breath.

Even without realizing, they hold their breaths, as to them oxygen feels scarce and is a luxury. Their chests feel tight like they are being smothered with a pillow. Their route of escape feels too far away now that they are creeping around with two loads on their backs, which prove to be heavier because the two are currently unconscious. The marble floor feels cold and slippery, their minds imagining themselves to be treading on the blood of their dead colleagues - Park Seonghwa and Jeong Yunho.

As they stand before the huge main doors, their heartbeats increase exponentially, hammering with such force they can hear them in their ears. With tachycardia accompanying them, they look upon the doors that were the starting point of their nightmares, the gates that had lead them to hell. Mingi reaches out for the handle impatiently, anxious to hear the door swing open. Slowly but surely, he presses the handle down, already forming a plan to break it open or use any other option to exit in case the door is locked.

They hear a click and light peeks in through the opening; the door is unlocked.

Wasting no more time they burst through the open doors, forgetting their silent shared resolution to keep everything quiet. They have never been so happy to be able to feel soil in between their bare toes, watching as their feet sink slightly into the damp ground. It must had rained because the soil is wet and dew formed on the tips of the leaves. At a glance, they try to locate the minivan they came here with, with wild hopes that maybe it could help them to escape. Of course, the vehicle is nowhere to be found, so they start their trek barefooted.

Everything looks different and menacing when it's dark; they search for the only proper road that lead to the villa. Looking around, Hongjoong points towards the far left as he spots the road and keeping mum, he gestures towards Mingi to say that they will tear the stitches on their mouths open when the villa is out of sight.

Mingi nods, securing his hold on Yeosang but as he looks over his shoulder, he catches sight of someone looking at them from the window on the second floor. He stands frozen, somewhat entranced by the appearance of the person at the window. He is too far below to be able to capture every detail of the person, but the only thing he can confirm is that the person is putting on a mocking smile, as if satisfied watching them scampering to escape. He tries to make out the face of the person but as he feels a tug on his sleeves from Hongjoong who is urging him to keep moving and he blinks, the person has disappeared.

Maybe I'm only imagining it.

After the villa is out of sight, Hongjoong doesn't look back, except for when Mingi gets too quiet with his movements and he is worried he might have lost him. When he guesses that they have put a considerable distance between them and the villa, he motions for them to stop for a while and put down the ones on their back so that they will be able to undo the stitches on their lips. Putting down Jongho carefully on a dry patch under a palm tree, he produces the penknife from his pockets, shoving the handle towards Mingi's direction, signalling for him to start first. The latter accepts the knife hesitantly.

Mingi closes his eyes, gritting his teeth as he slices the blade across the stitches in one swift motion, glad that none of the stitches make themselves hard to deal with. He unseals his lips with one try, massively appreciative for being able to open them again. Whimpering, he pulls out the severed threads from the wounds, throwing them on the ground while Hongjoong goes next, eager to get it over and done with. Some of the redhead's threads get stuck because they were knotted at some point, so his unsealing ritual is harder and more painful, and he unknowingly grips Mingi's arms to try and get through the pain.

They look at each other after they are done, the evidence of distress clear on both of their faces. They don't need any mirrors for them to know how they look like, as both of them seem to be a reflection of one another. They shift their gazes towards Yeosang and Jongho, who seem to be in deep sleep, in which they look much better than when they were conscious. Somehow, the two look more peaceful now that they have fainted.

They can't lie to themselves: they are tired and having extra baggage isn't helping them to walk properly. They share a knowing look and it takes Mingi to speak up first, the first words he is able to utter after a while, to snap themselves back into reality.

"We can't leave them here, no matter how tired we are. We came together, and we will leave together."

Hongjoong leans against a treetrunk, playing around with the dirt with his fingers. "I know, I never had the thoughts of leaving them. I was just thinking of a crazy idea to stop walking and rest here for a while. I know..." his voice trails off, before picking up volume again, "I shouldn't be so selfish because those psychopaths could catch up with us anytime, but I'm tired." He confesses, "I don't think I'm able to walk anymore. My body can't take this; I need to rest"

Mingi stays silent for a while, and Hongjoong prepares to get up, thinking that the former is sure to protest. But he nods slowly, patting a hand on his arm. "Honestly... me too," there is a tremor in his voice that he can't lose. "Maybe we can try to find a place somewhere that's hidden and rest for a while. But one of us should be looking out while the other gets rest."

"10 minutes, just let us rest 10 minutes," Hongjoong says to himself.

They saunter deeper into the lush greenery around them, getting swallowed by the dark and drowning among the callings of nocturnal animals. Fatigue overpowers their fear, thinking to themselves that being covered among the trees increase the chances of them being hidden away from the prying eyes of their hunters, rather than staying out in the open beside the asphalt road. They memorize the way they take, convincing themselves that they will be able to outrun them if they do ever get caught.

Hongjoong squirms at the feeling of his bare feet touching the ground, trying to walk lightly even with Jongho on his back, as if it could help to keep his soles clean. Mingi struggles to stay upright with Yeosang on his back, muttering about how Yeosang likes to eat a lot and that is why he's so heavy. Still, even if his mouth is running off chastising Yeosang, he holds on tight so that he won't slip off. They stay sleeping like logs, their chests rising up and falling down the only proof that they are still breathing. They find a spot, mindful to lower the ones on their back carefully, resting them up against a treetrunk. Hongjoong adjusts their heads so they will be comfortable, while Mingi looks over to him, cracking a small, unnoticeable smile.

He can't help but say, "I've always heard you as someone who's hotheaded and always says whatever is on your mind straight away, but I'm seeing you in a different light now. If you were as self-centred as they say, you would be running away and leaving us behind."

After he's done talking, Hongjoong settles down beside Jongho and leans against the treetrunk, closing his eyes. He mutters, "I'm taking all of you with me because I would be scared to go alone. It's not like I care for any of you."

Mingi sticks out his lower lip. "Sure."

"Don't try to make me up into someone nice. Whatever Seonghwa had said about me that night is all true. I'm not a good person and I know that, but don't expect me to change who I am."

"People can always change," Mingi retorts. "Somewhere deep down you must be a nice-" he gets cut off when he hears a snore from Hongjoong, falling into sleep too fast. He quietly chuckles, undeniably amused by him.

In truth, Hongjoong has made up the sound in an effort to stop Mingi talking to him. However he soon falls into real sleep; before he does so, he thinks to himself, but I do wish that I had the chance to apologize to Seonghwa and make things right with him.

Being the only one who's awake, Mingi hums slowly, trying to ease the worry that's making his heart race. He taps his fingers to his humming, but it becomes out of rhythm that he soon stops. He is scared of being alone, and deep down he hopes that the other two would somehow wake up to accompany him. Whatever Hongjoong said was right; they can't go on with this condition, but if the lunatics can catch up with them after giving them a chance to run away, their fates would surely be worse. They should be running away for their lives, but their bodies don't allow them to.

He interlaces his fingers, brings it close to his wounded lips and he prays. He prays that they will make it to civilization, be found by someone other than their captors.

Hongjoong mumbles something in his sleep, before shifting his position so that his face is away from Mingi. He unknowingly slaps a hand to his neck when he feels a bite, but he doesn't open his eyes. Then he stops moving as his snore, this time real, fills in the silence. Mingi chuckles again, thinking about how before this he had always find the redhead annoying and distant. He barely deals with him because they're in different departments at the company, and the only time they usually bump into each other is during meetings. It seems that the redhead doesn't even go to the pantry at the office. People have been saying that he's a workaholic, and probably, that was why his assistant, Seonghwa, was dragged into his obsession towards work. Hongjoong is great at doing his job, but he has no regards towards the people around him.

Or maybe, that's only the rumours talking. The Hongjoong he's seeing now is different - someone who cares for others in silence, but doesn't know how to properly show it.

His expression suddenly turns sour as he remembers the figure he saw at the window when they were escaping; there is a tugging feeling inside him, but he keeps denying it. It could only be him making up images, the sillhouette his own imagination. If it was true...

His train of thoughts gets interrupted when he hears footsteps approaching towards where they are, but he finds it hard to locate the actual source of the sound. His fist tightens as he hastily stands up, searching around. The footsteps are coming closer, but he sees no one in the dark. He definitely hears them loud and clear, but why can't he see anyone? It's not too dark until he can't see anything.

He almost lunges towards the three sleeping, aiming to wake up Hongjoong and make a run for their lives. He reaches out his hand to wake the redhead up but trips backwards when he sees a face appearing over Hongjoong's shoulder, seemingly materializing out of thin air. The face rests his chin on the redhead's shoulder, blinking at him with his dewy eyes and flashing a lopsided grin.

"Found... you," the figure says. "This game is fun, now it's your turn!"

Mingi doesn't react with words, but instead, he screams.