√ 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 // 𝐻𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑗𝑖𝑛

forty two.

     At Chenle's rather bored, unbothered words, Taeyong whirled around, disbelieving eyes settling on his young member. When he glimpsed the blood pooling on the floor, his brain clouded, and he began to see through a red haze.

     "No!"

     The guttural shriek that ripped from his throat snagged Mark's attention from the tunnel, and he immediately spun back, determined only to get everyone back safely. Just as he reached his leader, Taeyong drew his guns.

     Mark dropped to the floor, throwing an arm around Chenle's neck and dragging him back across the ground, red streaks trailing on the wood beneath them.

     Uncaring and unaware of anything else around him, static filling his head, Taeyong aimed his guns and fired.

     The six unlucky men who had snuck up on them mere seconds before weren't even able to blink before the enraged leader's bullets entered the centers of their foreheads, their blood spraying and soaking the walls. They were all dead before the first one even hit the floor.

     With them out of the way, Taeyong's vision began to clear, and he skidded over to Chenle, who's unconcerned gaze looked down at his injuries.

     "Ow," he commented causally, raising his brows as more blood leaked onto his clothes. Taeyong rolled his eyes, gesturing for Mark to mind their flank.

     "I can't bring you anywhere," Taeyong grumbled, arms clenching as he picked the boy up, fingers brushing his wounded leg.

     "Oh, ow!"

     "Hush."

     Not two minutes had passed during the little scuffle, so the others were confused as the NCT members caught up with them, having thought that they were with them the whole time.

     "Where were you guys?" Minho asked incredulously, noting the fact that Taeyong was carrying Chenle and they were all out of breath. Fed up, Taeyong pointed grumpily at the boy in his arms.

     "Nothing. Just an accident."

     He thought it better not to say any more, so Minho pressed his lips together and focused on the tunnel ahead of them.

     As they reentered the circular tunnel room, Hyunjin jerked his chin towards the door just left of the one they had come in through.

     "That one will take us to the rendezvous point. Johnny should have the van there by now."

     Even as their legs and arms ached, their wounds burned, and they just wanted to stop, the team ran along the mossy stone floor, the echoes of their enemies ringing behind them.

     Nari almost slipped from Hyunjin's grasp, and his footing wobbled, feet catching on each other. But Chan caught him and placed his back on his feet, eyes never moving from the beckoning darkness.

     "Almost there," Hyunjin was finally able to say, lungs burning from the amount of energy he had spent in the past hellish hour.

     Taeyong growled as Chenle's fluttering eyes finally shut, his struggle to stay conscious through the shock of his injuries and blood loss failing. He smacked the boy's arm sharply, attempting to keep him as alert as possible.

     "Come on, Chenle! Wake up!"

     The frustrated words reverberated off of the concrete, driving the others forward as they read the desperation in them. A soft glow grew ahead of them, emanating from the other end of the tunnel.