The Clan Part 1: Lost (Monsta X / Reader)

Chapter 17

"We have to move and quickly."

Minhyuk's grip slackened considerably although his hand had seemed to become a permanent addition to your wrist. He never let go throughout the entirety of the conversation. And although you didn't have a problem with Minhyuk's protective brotherly affection, Hyungwon's stare was making you a bit uncomfortable. His big brown eyes never seemed to stop shifting from meeting your confused gaze, to Minhyuk's fingers curled your arm, down to the splintered wood of the floor, then back to your eyes again.

At one point you raised your eyebrows at him in a silent question, but his only response was to glue his eyes to the floor for the remainder of Minhyuk's talk.

"We don't know much about the towns that neighbor ours," Minhyuk explained, gesturing wildly with his free hand. His excitement was a bit overwhelming, but his movements kept your interest peaked. "Are they controlled as well? How far does the power reach? Does it even end?"

He kept going, not waiting for anyone to answer. "We don't know any of this information because they've done a damn good job keeping it from us. However, when we get out-"

"-If we get out-" you quipped as the possibility of failing flooded your mind.

Minhyuk's gaze met yours, his confidence slicing through your worry. His fingers tightened around your wrist in reassurance. "-when we get out, we'll learn it ourselves. If it so happens that there's more control even outside of our small town, then we keep moving until we're either caught, dead, or outside of their control."

Your eyes flitted momentarily to Hyungwon's whose uncertainty mirrored your own. "But then how do we get out of here?"

The transition from a hopeful smile to an unsure frown on Minhyuk's face gave you the answer you needed, but dreaded. His eyes lowered a bit as he began to wrack his brain for a response; one that would sooth your worries so that you'd be convinced the best option was to go with them. Of course, you'd have gone with them no matter what - they're family after all. But even so you couldn't help feeling discomfort in knowing that his claim of having a plan was not entirely true. Your gut told you that from here on out, the lot of you would be improvising much of your escape.

"I've been charting their patrol," a familiar voice piped from behind you and interrupted your thoughts. You spun in surprise to find Wonho leaning against the door frame. Changkyun peered over his shoulder like a shadow. A faint smile graced Wonho's face as he met your wide eyes.

Wonho sauntered next to you, plopping down to speak with the rest of the gathered group. Changkyun awkwardly stepped into the light that was shed across the small room. His face was sullen and tired. You noted the dark circles under his eyes, but his expression was one of determination.

Minhyuk's tense expression eased into a small smile, clearly relieved to see that someone else had covered for his lack of knowledge on the topic.

"Okay, so we all know that the patrol never stops," Wonho began. "They're always out and about either trying to keep the citizens in or unwanted guests out. It almost seems like they never sleep. But there's a chance for us to slip through without them noticing until it's too late."

Minhyuk grinned and nodded, signaling Wonho to keep talking. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed that Changkyun had found a spot to rest and was leaning his back against the wall. Hyungwon was still keeping his gaze glued to the floor.

Wonho matched Minhyuk's wide grin with a smirk of his own. "They switch shifts every six hours. Usually, the men are fast at getting to their post before the person before them is finished. That way, nothing can slip by them while they're changing out positions. However, there's one soldier who takes longer than the rest to get to his post so there's about a seven-minute slot of time where no one is watching. I think the ranking officers know about how this man takes his time, but they don't give him any crap about it so instead they positioned him in a spot that hardly any of the citizens even know about."