we the cursed, nct dream ✔

part forty-two

⇉ the one with an escapade.

part forty-two

Think, think.

Juno forces herself to take a deep breath in and out. Yes, her kitten has, inadvertently, led her to a massive hidden manhole. And yes, it might be a way out of the building she'd been explicitly led to believe was entirely inescapable. And yes, she should probably be smart and get the others so they can figure it out together.

But then Shawty leaps inside.

Juno's mouth drops open. Helplessly, she glances around her. No one is hanging around this area. She can't walk all the way back to her group of friends; who knows where Shawty would've gotten to by then? And what if there's something that could be dangerous to her down there?

Juno follows the kitten.

Not one of her more intelligent decisions, that much she's aware of. The thought is punctuated by a sharp pain that ricochets through her ankle when Juno lands hard on the dirt floor. Wincing, she hobbles onward, keeping an eye out for her kitten. She heaves a sigh of relief when she sees her, and Juno bends down to scoop Shawty into her arms. They could head back, but now the curiosity is much too strong.

The space is dark and smells musty, but it also seems to be some sort of narrow tunnel. Juno takes shaky, tentative steps forward, realizing now that she's completely unsure of what could be on the other side. Even Shawty is quiet, sensing the gravity of the situation.

Juno says a quick prayer. Please don't let this be how I go out.

Hours pass. In reality, they've been walking for about five minutes, but it seems like eons to Juno. The suspense and fear seize her throat, causing her fingers to tremble as she grimaces in pain with every step. There isn't much to see inside the tunnel, just a floor and walls carved out of the dirt. And that's when she looks down and notices the almost inconspicuous indentations on the ground.

This tunnel is in use.

Before Juno can mull over that new piece of information, she sees it: another metal rectangular plate. Except, this time, it is directly above where she's stopped to stand. Juno gingerly sets her kitten down and uses both hands to push upwards. It takes her so much effort that she stumbles again after lifting it just enough to climb out.

The first thing she sees is the foliage.

The hole opens up into some kind of thicket, too dense to be shrubbery but too small to be a full-blown forest. Shards of light peek in through the spaces between the leaves at the tops of the trees, and a thick layer of grass covers the dirt floor. The air smells light and fresh, even better than the air outside of the school building. And that's when she realizes. They're outside. Really outside.

Freedom.

Juno glances down at Shawty, who is calmly licking her paws without a care in the world, the most relaxed she's been all day. "Do you know what this means? We're out of that wretched place, baby! We're free to roam around, whatever we want."

Shawty blinks.

"You know, you were so anxious to get here. And now you don't seem to care. Is this all you wanted to show me?" Juno continues, but the kitten isn't even looking at her anymore. "Where's your family? This is where you came from, right? Unless you were imported from Siberia or something." Juno is really just speaking to herself now, trying not to think about the fact that she just stumbled upon an underground tunnel that leads outside of the school.

Why is it here? What is it being used for?

Hesitantly, she takes a step forward. She feels Shawty's presence behind her, following. And together they make their way out of the maze of trees and step right onto the shore of a sandy beach. It makes sense, because this is a private island. But the sight of the ocean still surprises Juno.