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დ .•*””*• ★ •*””*•.★.•*””*• ★ •*””*•.დ
Hissing in pain, Mark pulled his arm back, sending Jeno a small glare. The said boy rolled his eyes at the older one's action before continuing to take care of his injuries. “Stay still and take it like a man, wimp.”, Mark scoffed. “It hurts, okay?! A man has the right to be in pain too...”.
Chenle let out a small chuckle, nodding his head in agreement. It was two in the morning and the eight of them were now resting inside the cave, taking care of their injuries while mentally preparing themselves for the final day of game. “Okay. All done.”, Jeno said, setting the first aid kit aside.
Mark scooted towards Jaemin who had also been treated by Jeno just before him. “Let's get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us.”, Mark said, earning nods in response.
Chenle cuddled up to Jisung, the younger one looking over at the older one in disgust. “Get your gay ass off of me.”, Chenle rolled his eyes. “I know you love me~ and I'm not gay.”, the boy narrowed his eyes at the younger one, earning a scoff from him.
“Just sleep for goodness sake! I'm sleep deprived.”, Renjun growled at them, immediately shutting them up. Zoey laughed at this, a soft smile planted on her lips. It was nice having these small interactions. It made her appreciate the luxuries she had now. A decent life, friends, a home... things she didn't have while living in the slumps.
Not to mention the appreciation she felt towards these seven guys in particular. They brought out a whole new side to her. Each and every day she'd find herself thinking back on their interactions. So this is what it feels like to have friends... people that genuinely care for you, she thought.
The luxury she currently had. The feeling of being loved, cared for. Something she hadn't felt for a very long time. “It's nice...”, she muttered.
“Hmm?”, Haechan glanced down at the girl sitting next to him, the look in his eyes portraying every ounce of feelings he held for her. Glancing up at him, Zoey shook her head with a light smile. “I wish we could be like this forever... like one big, happy family.”.
The seven of them all stared at her, sharing those same exact feelings. The other boys—besides Jisung—had known each other for years, but they had to admit, they had grown all the more closer with the presence of her smiling figure, bringing a feeling to them that they all had never experienced before.
Love.
“Yeah, me too...”, Jeno said, smiling down at the girl with a look of admiration. He admired how strong she was, going through every day of the game while keeping her composure. She had just recently been introduced to the world of violence, only training for a short while, but she was extremely capable, doing things he could've never imagined doing when he was at her level.
She is truly amazing, he thought.
“Just like I said, we'll make it out of here together. My intuition never fails me.”, Renjun gave Zoey a reassuring smile as Jaemin nodded continuously. “I hate to admit it, but his intuitions truly amaze me.”, he said, a smirk now plastered on Renjun's face. “Finally, some appreciation.”.
The cave filled with conversation and laughter, the comfortable vibe never seeming to fade. The moon slowly set as the sun lit up the arena, the eight of them now fast asleep.
The cave was silent for the last few hours, but a sudden rumble of the ground had woken them all up.
Zoey jolted up, feeling the vibration of the ground underneath her. Mark furrowed his brows, alarmed by the sudden act of mother nature. But was it actually her?
A loud screech filled the arena, the sound of the same robotic voice making Renjun groan in annoyance.
“The labrats have been defeated. The final battle will commence in the center of the arena. All participants must now proceed towards the center. May the best team win.”.
The announcements cut off, but the rumbling of the ground did not. Haechan widened his eyes at the loud noise that resulted from the ground shaking from underneath. “The cave is collapsing!!”, he shouted out, alerting the others of the current situation.
“Quick! Get out!”.
Zoey helped Jisung carry Jaemin out of the cave as the others were right behind their trail. As soon as Jeno stepped out, the cave collapsed from behind him, making the said boy flinch.
“Shit... there goes all our stuff.”, Renjun sighed, shaking his head. “What bad luck.”, Jisung nodded his head in agreement.
“So... where exactly is the center?”, she asked, earning complete silence in return. “That's a good question.”.
დ .•*””*• ★ •*””*•.★.•*””*• ★ •*””*•.დ
A long sigh escaped her lips as she placed her hands on her hips, glaring down at the younger boy. “Could I please be reminded why I ever trusted this guy?”, she said, pointing at the boy who wore a pout on his lips.
“No one ever trusted Chenle with directions to begin with. You're alone for this one, flower.”, Haechan snickered at the girl, earning a piercing glare from her. “I swear to god, this giant fucking teddy bear-”, “Hyung!”.
Zoey was cut off by Jisung's screeching, gaining the attention of the others. Jeno looked to his side, only to widen his eyes at the sight. “Green fog 2.0?”, Chenle questioned, earning a smack on the head from Renjun.
“That sounds terrifying, but I'm sure that's not it. It's almost invisible... and tall. Like a giant wall...”, Jeno said, Zoey slightly taken aback by the tall object coming right for them. “It's a forcefield.”, she said. “Yes. It's going to enclose us in the center of the arena.”, Jaemin said, recognizing the transparent wall.
The others were quick to respond to his words as they bolted through the tall trees and thick grass, the wall speeding towards them from behind.
As if their hands weren't already tied with the first one, another transparent wall was coming from the right. “Shit, go Northwest!”, Mark announced, his orders followed through their next actions.
In the distance, a large, white square could be seen. Familiar figures were huddled in the middle of it, weary of the people around them.
Just barely making it before the walls locked in place, the eight of them collapsed to the ground, out of breath. “Damn, at least give us some warning?!”, Renjun complained, irritated by the whole situation.
“Is he always this moody?”, Zoey asked, her brows furrowed at Renjun's foreign behavior. “He's a gentleman with a short temper. His true self tends to slip after he gets comfortable around someone.”, Haechan said, a nod given in return.
Suddenly, the same robotic voice from the last two days came over the loudspeakers from the rooftop.
“Thank you for gathering here. As there are still three teams left; Neo Zone, Power, and Blackmamba, we will now commence the death match. All participants must fight to the death until only one team remains.”.
“Blackmamba?! But, didn't we...”, her words trailed off as her eyes landed on the familiar figure already glaring at her. “Giselle....”.
“Now, let us commence the finale of the eighty-third round of Punch.”.
