Kyungsoo's feet slammed against the pavement and he raced down the street. His heart pounded in his ear, overpowered only by the sound of him panting. He glanced at his watch. 6:52AM. He only had eight minutes until his train arrived. At last he reached the station. And in record time he was sitting in his seat, gasping for air. Kyungsoo leaned his head back. He had been staying up so late and getting up so early, his body finally rebelled. On the worst day possible, he slept right through his alarm and woke up in a panic.

The train pulled out from the station. Kyungsoo closed his eyes. Maybe he should have been excited to be riding the train alone for the first time, he was finally an independent adult. But he loathed the feeling. How he longed for the days he had people to rely on. His mother never would have let him sleep through his alarm. His sister would have complained about "being forced" to ride with him. But she never would have let him ride alone. And his friends... Kyungsoo's mind drifted back to his most familiar memories. The countless days he spent in that tiny classroom, after school hours, studying with his friends.

"Ugh!" Yifan let out a long groan as he stretched.

"Are you finished already?" Tao asked glancing up from his papers.

"Not even close," Yifan said.

They both looked over at Kyungsoo, who was just turning over the fifth page.

"How the-" Yifan started.

"Okay," Luhan said, looking up from his own half-finished pages. "I think we should take a break for a bit. Why don't we go get some drinks from the vending machine?"

"Hm," The three other boys looked at each other. Was it worth it?

"We don't want to fall behind everyone else in the class," Tao said.

"What if I run and get the drinks so you guys can keep working?" Kyungsoo suggested.

The other boys were slightly surprised by his sudden input. But they all smiled at his offer.

"That's perfect," Luhan said, pulling some coins out of his bag and handing them to Kyungsoo.

Tao and Yifan did the same. Kyungsoo didn't bother asking what they wanted. He knew. He left the class room and rushed through the vacant halls. It was like a completely different place when all the students and teachers had left. Kyungsoo gazed out the windows into the court yard. It was completely bare. He couldn't even see the stray student or two rushing across it to get to class in time, or a teacher strolling around on break. Kyungsoo smiled. It seemed to him that the whole world was completely empty. And his world really was empty, this school was his world. He got up early in the morning for the long school day only to stay after hours to study until late into the night just to keep up with his peers.

Kyungsoo made it to the stairs and practically hopped down them. He was in a good mood today. His little world seemed so comfortable then. Kyungsoo found the vending machine and walked over to it. But his happiness faded as he read the piece of paper taped to the front.

"Out of order," Kyungsoo sighed. "Of course it is."

Kyungsoo turned slowly, trying to think if there was another vending machine with those drinks. But as far as he knew, that was the only one. Kyungsoo trudged slowly up the stairs, dreading their disappointment.

As he reached the third floor, a strange sound echoed down the halls. Kyungsoo stopped. He looked around for the source of the sound. What was it? He had never heard anything like it. Then it boomed out again. Kyungsoo froze. It was coming from the classroom his friends were in. He took off running down the hall. His world started spinning. He turned the corner and threw the door to the classroom open.

Everything stopped.

Tao was leaning back in his chair, limp, blood pouring from his head. Yifan was on the ground, one arm reaching for the door, his blood slowly inching towards the doorway as if it was still trying to escape. Luhan was lying under the table, face down. Kyungsoo couldn't scream. He couldn't move. He couldn't begin to process the horror before him. His legs gave out and he fell to the ground, unable to rip his eyes away. Suddenly he heard a desperate gasp for air.

"Luhan!" Kyungsoo cried.

He forced himself up. He stumbled to Luhan's side. Gently, he turned his friend over. The crimson blood soaked through Luhan's shirt, onto Kyungsoo's pants. Kyungsoo pressed down on the wound, his hands were trembling.

"L-Luhan, what-" Kyungsoo couldn't even finish.

Luhan's mouth was open, he desperately tried to breathe. His eyes drifted to meet Kyungsoo's. Tears made tracks through the blood on his face.

"Help me," The words barely escaped his mouth before his eyes rolled back in his head.

"N-no! No!" Kyungsoo screamed.

Hysteria flooded over Kyungsoo. He needed help. Someone had to help. He had to find help. Kyungsoo struggled to his feet and staggered out of the room. Then he saw it. The gun. It lay on the floor, mere feet from the lives it had just ravaged. He was still nearby. Whoever did this was still here. Kyungsoo grabbed the gun and took off down the hall. He had to find someone. There had to be someone else here.

Kyungsoo ran through the winding hallways, up and down flights of stairs in an instant. Someone. Anyone. He looked through every classroom, every bathroom, every storage closet. He thought he saw something. There had to be someone. He could've sworn he heard someone down this hallway. When he swung the principal's door open and found it empty like all the other rooms, Kyungsoo was barely able to stand. He had to go back.

Every moment blurred together as he ran back down the endless halls. He flung the classroom door open, praying that Luhan was still alive. His heart stopped. There was a... a... a pair of scissors sticking out of Luhan's head.

"No!" Kyungsoo fell on the ground next to him.

Desperately he tried to pull them out. But his hands were shaking too much.

"Please... no,"

The sound of the door slamming opened barely registered in Kyungsoo's ears. He couldn't even react to the police screaming at him to drop the gun. All he could do was stare at his friends. Someone pushed him to the ground and began to handcuff him. But all Kyungsoo could think was "I should've stayed."

They dragged him from the room, practically limp, down the halls, and to the entrance. Then, as he stepped outside, he saw them. Seven students and his principal. They all stared at him as the police pulled him to the car. But even then, as he looked back at them, he knew he was there. The monster was right there. But they were all looking at him like he'd done it. The fear and loathing in their eyes pierced Kyungsoo's soul.

And for months those looks continued. No one had any compassion. There wasn't a moment his guilt was doubted. No matter how hard he tried to explain, no one believed him. The investigation was all but non-existent. The trail was short. And then he was thrown into prison, no longer the people's problem. All the people who had failed to help could have clear consciences with someone in jail. It didn't matter who it was.

Kyungsoo opened his eyes as the train came to a screeching halt. A little boy several seats over stared at him, wide eyed and confused. Kyungsoo realized he'd been crying. He wiped at his eyes and stood up. As he stepped off the train, he heard the boy's mother gasp. There wasn't a single person inside of Busan who hadn't heard of the murders. Kyungsoo pulled the hood of his coat up. He wished they wouldn't look at him.

Kyungsoo stood in front of an unfamiliar home. This was it. This was the house that held the first suspect. Kyungsoo stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

"Hello?" A voice called from the monitor.

"Is this the home of Kim Jongin?" Kyungsoo asked.