run.
the word echoed through the room. the twelve teens were nailed to the ground, helplessly frozen and faithfully wishing that what the word chan just said had been their imagination. but if it was, then what on earth was happening outside?
the screams and yells coming from outside only increased in volume and the bangs that resembled gunshots came closer the longer they waited inside. it all seemed so surreal, as if everything that happened around them was just a dream.
and chan's second scream was what woke them up from their slumber.
"please." he cried, helplessly looking from face to face "run. i'm serious. there's a man. gun. i. run!" slurs of words and whimpers left chan's mouth as he was barely able to make normal connections between sentences.
"okay, listen to me carefully everyone." seungcheol's voice sounded awfully calm for the events that were taking place "now don't panic when i say this, but we're going to have to run. chan is right, there seems to be a man with a gun outside. now i want every one of you to directly run into the forest. we're probably forced to split up, so i want you all to just run as hard as you can and to hide away as deep as your feet can carry you. ready?"
with much hesitation, the twelve remaining boys nodded one by one, swallowing away their fear as they got ready to run outside. the shots that echoed the terrain got louder, meaning the shooter was nearing their cottage the more seconds that passed. which also meant, there was no more time to waste and they had to flee away into the forest to hide away in the shadow of the night.
"i don't wanna go.." chan cried, clasping himself onto the doorframe in an attempt to keep himself up on his feet. his legs were trembling horribly, meaning the few meters he had to run to the forest were going to be a tough few.
however, jeonghan confidently stepped forward, reaching out his hand to the youngest who seemed to fear this whole situation the most among the group. "grab my hand, i'm not going to leave you in the forest all by yourself."
"there's no more time to waste! run!" seungcheol gently pushed his boyfriend along with chan forward to make space for everyone to run.
a large number of students were still aimlessly running around over the terrain, desperately trying to find a hiding spot so they would survive through the night. seokmin noticed that only a small amount went into the forest, which was in his opinion the best place to be in that moment. the woods would guarantee more safety than an entirely open spot. even in the pitch black night.
"jisoo!" he yelled, desperately looking around him in order to find the only familiar face he needed to see. "jisoo! where are you!"
however, he followed seungcheol's advise and kept running towards the forest as if his life depend on it. and in this case, it really did. because the chances of surviving were slim if he stayed on the camping terrain.
in the corner of his eyes he saw soonyoung tightly holding onto a visibly sobbing jihoon, who seemed to be too scared to keep up with soonyoung's pace. the sight even managed to strike seokmin's heart, who barely knew the composer, but his panic managed to hurt him in some way.
it wasn't just that, because the overall panic that circulated over the entire terrain hurt him. the peaceful camp they were experiencing just got violently disturbed. the good time they were having. the group they made. everything, was now ruined in the mere of a second.
because here he was, tears streaming down his cheeks as he was running as fast as his legs could carry him, screaming his lungs out in an attempt to find jisoo.
"JISOO!" he called his name out for what felt like the millionth time, trying to top all the surrounding screams.
but it was too late, because before he knew it he got engulfed by the intimidating shadows of the wood, swallowed away by the trees and darkness of the forest. and he just kept on running, despite all the sharp twigs that scratched and nearly cut through his smooth exposed skin.
screams seemed to fade the further he ran, even the sound of bullets being fired got less intense. trees grew closer the deeper he ran into to the forest, making it harder for him to keep on running on the same pace. his system started running out of oxygen, making it harder for him to keep on going as well.
but he was so desperate to entirely mute the screams that pained him so much. he wasn't brave enough to face everything and even if that made him a coward, he kept on running. and how he felt so sorry that he left jisoo behind. what even happened to him?
please tell me he hasn't been shot.
and seungkwan as well, he hasn't seen him disappearing into the forest like soonyoung. what even happened to the rest of the group? did they make it?
until his train of thoughts got interrupted by an indistinct scream calling out a way too familiar name; his name.
"seokmin! where are you?"
momentarily, seokmin took a break, panting heavily as he took in as much air his lungs could handle. hesitantly, he raised the volume of his voice as he called out "jisoo!" once again. with his entire body trembling, he looked at his surroundings, scared the unknown shooter might have heard him. even though his location was still unclear.
"seokmin!" jisoo's warm voice came closer, making seokmin take a sprint in the direction of the familiar sound. he ignored the stinging of twigs that cut deeper through his bruised flesh and his lack of oxygen, the only thing on his mind being jisoo and jisoo only.
until his eyes managed to make out a way too familiar silhouette in the distance. "jisoo!" he whisper hissed, instantly lowering his volume now he also came near the edge of the forest again.
"seokmin? where are you? i-i can't see anything?" there was a shake in jisoo's voice, making seokmin hurry in his direction and engulf the older boy inside his arms, who instantly loosened up his tensed body and released a muffled sob against seokmin's shoulder.
"i'm.. i'm so scared.." jisoo whimpered, weakly holding onto seokmin's waist to keep himself standing "i.. i just saw a dead body.. sh- she lay right in... in front of me... and he... he saw me.."
jisoo emphasized the word 'he', worrying seokmin who this so called he was and what he had done to him.
"jisoo, you're safe now. shhh.. please explain to me who this he is." seokmin reassured him, tightening the grip around his shoulder after the horrifying explanation jisoo gave him.
"a...a man." he paused shortly, collecting enough courage to say the last words as he looked directly into seokmin's eyes.
"a man with a gun."
