THE DREAMERS NIGHTMARE

7 The Mysterious White Feathers

The next morning, Taeyong, Johnny, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Jeno, and Mark ventured out of the city using the young ones' technique — wearing lenses to navigate through the watchers unnoticed even during the day. Their goal was twofold: search for resources to replenish their dwindling supplies and locate the remaining seven citizens.

Jungwoo walked a bit slower than the others, his attention caught by a peculiar sight — a white feather gently descending from the sky. Dismissing it as a passing curiosity, he refocused when a woman collapsed nearby. Concerned, the group rushed to help her, speculating that she might be weakened or dehydrated. Thankfully, the area seemed watcher-free.

After offering the woman water, she gradually sat and then stood up. Taeyong assisted her, and as she regained her stride, a laugh echoed from behind them.

"Look at that, what kind kiddos," the voice taunted.

A chill ran through them as they froze, uncertain of how to respond.

"Hey, why don't you face us for a while, huh? We saw you already," the voice insisted.

"We have no choice now," Jungwoo whispered.

Slowly turning around, they confronted the man who spoke. To their dismay, he wasn't alone; two others, clad in black shirts, flanked him — unmistakably watchers. The unexpected encounter heightened their tension, leaving them unsure of the imminent challenges they would face.

"Jackpot," the first man exclaimed.

"We're so lucky we already saw 6 of them," the second man chimed in.

"Let's report it now to Sir Eros," the third man added.

Frozen in place, uncertainty hung in the air. One of the watchers reached for a microphone device, likely intending to report their presence. Time seemed to slow until Taeyong, Johnny, and Jaehyun sprang into action, charging toward the watchers.

Taeyong shouted as they approached, and just as the watcher aimed to press the button on the device, they inexplicably collapsed. The group exchanged puzzled glances, confusion clouding their faces.

"What did you do?" Jeno questioned, eyeing Taeyong.

"I've done nothing," Taeyong insisted.

"But why did they just collapse?" Mark asked.

"Look at their backs," Jaehyun pointed out, directing their attention to the watchers' backs. There, a small arrow was embedded, with a white feather at the end. The unexpected turn of events left them perplexed, wondering who or what intervened in their encounter with the watchers.

"I think this arrow is from a crossbow because it's smaller," Taeyong observed.

"Look at this, there's a white feather in the arrow. A while ago, I also saw a feather like this," Jungwoo explained.

"Let's just talk about it at the base; we can't stay here for so long," Jaehyun suggested.

Returning home, they contacted the others to share the day's events.

"Three watchers died earlier," Taeyong began.

"You killed them?" Doyoung asked.

"No, we don't. Someone shot them using a crossbow arrow," Jeno clarified.

"Just an arrow?" Renjun questioned in confusion.

"I think that's not just an ordinary crossbow arrow. I believe it has poison," Jungwoo added.

"Yes, I also think those arrows have a deadly poison," Johnny agreed.

"But who killed them?" Taeil inquired.