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Dream()scape. Jeno

"Remember. Survive. Run."

Pairing. Jeno x Reader ft Nct Dream

Synopsis. Jeno is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased. He finds himself not only drawn but also attracted to you and he doesn't know why. Soon learning they are all trapped in a maze that nobody wants to escape- he joins forces with you in order to escape.

Dream ( ) scape masterlist

Your heart is beating wildly as your eyes make out the speed rate in which the fire is spreading at. The building your standing on not being able to withstand the vast heat which melts all beams and poles holding it's structure. Any second now, it’ll collapse with you on it. Your gaze shifts back to Jeno who finally tramples on the ground after a hard jump-off off the building. He breathes deeply before arising turning back having his arms open. “I’ll catch you.”

You shake your head. “Jeno I’m scared.”

“Don’t be. I’m right here.” Jeno gulps breaking a sweat by how close he is at the ground to the fire. But he can’t leave, not without you. “Come on babe, jump.”

“Jeno, I’m scared.”

“Don’t be.” Jeno softens his tone understanding how you’re feeling. “I’m right here. I wouldn’t let you fall down. I’m right here, come on,”

You duck in fright when hearing another crush and the grounds rumble and shake indicating that the beams won’t hold on for so long. You feel the vibration of the ground and peek back at Jeno who’s still looking up at the large building three stories high.

“Do you trust me?”

“For hell’s sake Jeno. How many times do I have to say it?” You pant out when looking at him from the broken run down ledge you’re on. “I trust you.”

“Then jump. I promise. I’ll catch you.” Jeno emphasizes eagerly needing you to jump, while holding his arms out. “Don’t look down and just jump.”

Taking one last deep breath, you wobble your feet while closing your eyes losing all your thoughts when take a high step leaping into the unknown and jumping into the dark night air. The wind is fast in pressing your entire body causing you to squeal and shut your mouth leaving it all in Jeno’s hands. Watching you fall is enough is cause him a heart attack, but he knows he can’t miss you by a second which is why he’s calm in your rapid fall until you’re close enough! Crashing into him with rough and colliding speed Jeno humphs making sure not to fall. Your arms immeditaly latch around his neck breathing heavily crying out his name. “Jeno, Jeno.”

“Don’t worry I caught you,” He breathes out in relief. “Come on, if we run we can make it.”

“I don’t think I can run,” You’re still panting unevenly. Jeno doesn’t hold it against you, but secures you on his back making a run for it on the dark narrow street to a dark door in view.

-

Opening up his eyes, Jeno is awakened from the sleep induced nap. The lights up on the ceiling indicate he’s back in reality, especially when looking around at the white room filled with only machines and large screens that would be used to produce his dream into images. Getting up he stands up on his feet, just as the instructor removes the little wires attaching on his forehead tucking them back in the machine. “Well done. You came in first again. Completed the simulation in 7 minutes.”

“That’s great.” Jeno wipes on his forehead. “And Y/n?”

The instructor typing rapidly on his laptop peeks at Jeno with a sigh. “You really have to stop doing that. These simulations are not for you to go and look for her. They’re built with the purpose of studying the brain. What makes the strong, strong and what makes the weak, weak. Y/n is weak. These challenges are made with the purposes to create a better and fit new world where only the strong can survive.”

“Y/n is strong. She just needs-”

“No she’s not. Jeno you can’t keep protecting her.” The scientist gets up from his seat. “You’re our best pupil and we can’t have you chasing after her, which is why we changed the rules. The person who comes in first place will join hands with us, while we keep testing the remaining subjects.”

Jeno’s eyebrows furrow. “I’m not understanding.”

“Follow me.”

Walking out the white experiment room, Jeno has a bad feeling crawling up his mind. Ever since the Corona hit in 2020, the world went into shambles trying to look for a cure. The strong doctors and scientist joined forced in creating a cure. To no avail, it was unsuccessful. However, that didn’t stop the government from expanding their minds and thoughts. In each continent, billions of dollars were poured into building large facilities of ‘paradise’. Within these facilities, civilization would continue on as a new world. However, entry wouldn’t be given to the healthy and non-infected, but instead it would be given to the strong, fearless and fastest and those who’d fight for it. This New World Order permitted for anyone who wanted a chance at a new life to equip themselves and undergo several harsh trainings as well as tests in certain facilities, in order to see if they were fit for the New World. Jeno just as much as the rest of the world wanted to survive, so he, you and your brother Jaemin applied.

They called your section Project: ‘N’. With 50 test subjects. If all 50 of you passed, then you’d be selected into living in the new civilization. However, the tests have been grueling and merciless. From escaping dangerous situations, to remaining stealth in the face of trouble. Sometimes harsh training was done in order to prepare you. For those that failed, they were immediately cut and never given another chance to participate. Because as stated, if they died in the simulations or training, then there was nothing anyone could do. For a solid 4 months, Jeno, Jaemin and you have stuck together despite the unspeakable challenges. Even though you all slept in different chambers, once being tested in the lab, you’d all be in the same simulation… which is how Jeno was always able to find you. Without Jeno you would’ve been cut a long time ago. The challenges for you were unbearable, but you drew your strength from your brother and boyfriend who refused to leave you behind.

But things are about to be different, when Jeno steps into a white large hall and follows the judge on stage. Jeno faces the empty hall. “As you finished early, those who finished will come in.”

No later then said, Jeno’s heart simmers when seeing you enter into the hall with your doctor. He places you in the front. You look up to Jeno on the stage and smile. Jeno finds the strength to smile at you too. He just doesn’t like that he’s up on the stage, while you’re down there. The others soon begin to fill up the hall. In team ‘N’ there were 50 people, but after the challenges it went down to 40. So once all 40 subjects are in the hall, all the scientist go up on the stage. Jeno’s doctor, also the head of all operations steps forward. “Congratulations to you all. You’ve made it through to the next mission. As if you’ve noticed, subject 24, Lee Jeno has made it first again. This time around we’ve decided to switch things up. To give the rest of you a chance. Jeno will no longer be participating in the challenges.”

That’s news to all the subjects ears. The room falls dead silent with Jeno being worried.

“He’ll join the scientist team in testing you lot. Jeno has pushed through every challenge like a boulder breaking through mountains. He’s basically qualified himself as a worthy and resourceful member to join our New World Civilization.” The scientist says. “You lot are still weak, unworthy, an absolute disgrace on field. So with the help of Jeno, we will intensify the challenges in order to cut down you massive 40 to be just 14. This operations will begin from tomorrow. You may all take your rest, chambers open at 6AM sharp.”

Fear coats you when looking at Jeno as he keeps his eyes straight ahead. There’s no way you’d be able to make it now. Especially without him.

The challenges begin with a bang when the members are put under a simulation of battling an earthquake and finding a way to safety. Jeno is tasked to watch a subject, Lee Mark. His task is to increase the earthquake to make it difficult for Mark. While Lee Mark doesn’t come out first, he does make it out at 19’th place. Sending Mark back into his room, Jeno quickly makes it out the lab in search for you. Walking into your usual testing room, he sees your doctor watching the screen. Once noticing you, he smirks. “It was always a bummer watching her screen and seeing you make a run towards her. Finally she’s all alone and we can see just how slow she is in these challenges. My bet is that she’ll make it out last.”

Jeno watches the screen, his heart aching when seeing you trapped underneath a large truck. You’re screaming and crying trying to pull yourself out of the trap. But you can’t make it. Jeno keeps praying in his heart that you’ll make it. Time ticks by and you’re still trapped, while the doctor intensifies the earthquake. As the ground crumbles thankfully the truck wedges itself underneath giving you some room. Being badly bruised and blood gushing out of your stomach, you wobbly get up and begin running. Jeno is almost in tears of joy as well as agony when watching you weakly run trying to get to that one black door that always appears at the end of the challenges. When you pass through it, Jeno cheers inwardly. You made it through.

“Even though she made it, she’s too late.” The scientist begins packing up his laptop. “I’ll leave you to say you’re last goodbyes.”

Jeno glares at the door once it shuts and he’s next to your bed by an instant. Your eyeballs move underneath your eye sockets before they flicker open. You grunt out in pain holding onto your stomach. “Hey it’s okay, I’ve got you,” Jeno’s voice to your ears only makes you whimper and get up eagerly trying to get into his embrace. Jeno’s quick in holding onto you tightly. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“Jeno I can’t do it anymore,” You cry shaking. “Jeno it’s too hard,”

Jeno’s eyes spread with tears try to blink the tears away as he bends down, his hands resting on the sides of your head looking into your tearful eyes. “You’re my girl, and I believe in you. There’s no challenge that will over throw you. Okay?” He kisses your forehead. “I hate seeing you in pain, but you’re so brave. Keep it up, okay.” Jeno gives you one last hug before sending you back to your room to rest up.

As you leave, he finds himself sneakily opening up the scientist laptop. Checking the time you finished in, 45 minutes, Jeno erazes the number and puts in 15 minutes instead. He saves the progress and shuts the laptop. However he’s in for a rude awaken, when the results are revealed showing the times. You’re name is part of the 10 who finished early. Of course your scientist is shocked, but he hides it. The last performing member who lasted 30 minutes, Renjun automatically gets cut. Hearing that he’s cut, causes Jeno to stress. If they got cut, it means they were out. He had to make sure that you’d never be cut. And so in every challenge, every mission once Jeno is done with Mark, he quickly makes it to your room to watch you push through. If you passed well, he’d be proud of you, but if you passed but didn’t make it on time, he’d secretly change your scores.

“Jeno. We need to talk.” One evening, Jeno is called to the main lab where all the scientist would bring in their results. Never being in this part of the building before, Jeno is stunned when seeing large capsules filled with blue liquid. There’s a whole passage of these cylinder capsules. A lot of them are empty, but only a few are filled with blue water. Jeno makes out a face, Renjun’s face and he points at it.

“Hey, wasn’t he cut?”

“Once they’re cut, we send them to their final destination. If the manage to escape in the last simulation, they’ll leave and go back to their homes out of this facility and will be deemed as unfit for the New World Order. But, if they die in the simulation, they die in real life.” The scientist explains. “So you see, we do give them a chance. Although, we’ve noticed something strange. Dealing with Y/n’s scores.”

Jeno stiffens, avoiding eye contact with the scientist and keep his eyes on Renjun’s monitor screen. Renjun seems to be in a large field busy building some kind of shelter.

“If you change her results one more time, she’ll be cut.” Is all the scientist says before leaving the room, but stops and turns around to look at Jeno. “I’m serious Jeno. Do it again. And we won’t have any mercy on her. She’ll join her brother who’s already been cut.”

Jeno is stiff faced but nods his head. He wanted to save you, but he didn’t want you to die. Which is why, as he keeps watching Renjun, he notices that the other people that are also in the capsules, are in the same place as Renjun, because in the simulation, the people are building a hut. From there, Jeno gets an idea. He didn’t really want to be a part of the New World Order if you weren’t beside him. So orchestrating a plan, Jeno finds himself risking not only his life, but yours.

3 years later.

Choking on his own breath a guy awakens with a start when hearing (literally hearing) his life flash before his ears with sounds of sheer terror! Adjusting his eyes to the darkness he finds himself in a dark rigidity caged elevator shooting at a high speed into the unknown darkness. As the raging wind sweeps past his face, he's panicked and dares not to move being taken aback by the panic gripping him. The air that seems to be pressing and speeding against him as he lies still (in fear) has only grown since waking up in this strange place. He can't move or speak, and is too afraid to make any noise in case it may lead to his doom! He can't even think or dare wonder where he is as his mind can only scream out: Don't make a sound! His senses kick in peek fear when red lights begin flashing and warning siren sounds blurt in high frequency all over- causing the things in the darkness to awaken as they growl, snarl and screech. Proceeding to be silent he can only sit up gripping the edges of the bottom of the cage as he tries to level his breathing as the sweat drips from his forehead until –

Silence.

Unlike his shaky breath, the other shaky thing is the cage. Metal creaking while swaying side to side. His eyes are shut in pain upon the sudden dungeon-like sound of the cage doors opening. Just as the doors open up he snaps his head to the side being blind by the blazing light coming into the dark pit. He uses his hand to block out the protruding light coming from what looks like the sun and stilettos of figures. Forcing his eyes to adjust, he makes out human looking males peering down at him. It's already late to react in confusion as a man in all black suddenly jumps into the low cage. Causing the guy in the cage to grip the bottom by how heavy it sways with rigid sounds. "Fresh face." The man in black comments before grabbing the guy by the shoulders and with clutched strength he lifts him off the ground. The guy feels himself being lifted up roughly by other guys as they toss him out the cage on green spikey grass.

"Fresh face? More like stiff faced." Another one says as more men emerge blocking him, mockingly and even curiously peeking at him like some circus act. Being uncomfortable by the stares as well as being cramped and crowed on like some freak he's quick in swinging his fist at the first guy he sees before sprinting past with all his might. Not bothering by the sounds of shock laced with enthusiasm from the group of guys, he keeps running. He is running in panic, the weightless feeling of wind and sweat on the surface of his skin only edge him to run more until he takes note of his surroundings. It's enough to bring in more confusion and distortion in his mind as he trips and tumbles rolling in speed until he face-plants into the grass. Feeling incredibly discombobulated and confusion spreads in all his mind, he looks up high while panting out his last sanity. His nose hurts but he's way too focused on what he sees. Has he lost his mind? Is he in some weird frequency dream? Or is it real, that as he peeks high, his head keeps going up as his eyes try to understand the large wall with no ending. Being about tens of meters tall, the walls not only stretch high but are joint closed creating what looks to be an impenetrable wall of concrete. Complete silence blocks his ears. His eyes and head move around the four walls that keep him and the boys shut in green pastures of wilderness.

He can only stare in a trance. He shakes his head as he keeps turning around - not paying mind to the sounds of approvals and cheers from the group of boys all piled and standing near each other in uniforms of black. This isn't reality he tries to tell himself as he zones out staring at the high walls. It's not long before he's broken out of his trance and gripped from behind being forced to move by several guys until he's thrown into a brick like cage made as a prison. “Hey! What are you doing?” They don’t answer him, leaving him to look at his view…of the field, while rubbing on his sore nose. He stares at the field with curiosity and wonder, noting the different huts made of bricks and bamboo. He sees the guys moving into the cage and out of it carrying bags filled with food, water bottles, and stones.

He backs up when suddenly a face appears in front of his cage. "We started off roughly. So I’m hoping you’re calmer now," The stranger turns his face to the side showing his bruised face. "I'm not the best fighter so if you throw hands I'll get the boys who fight."

That doesn't make the new guy any less anxious as he balls his fists tighter trying to maintain distance by staying back in the corner of the cage. The stranger in black notices and with a little smile has his hands in the air. "Let's try a different approach shall we? Promise not to run, or punch and we'll get along just fine.” Opening up the caged bamboo prison cell, the stranger takes a seat on the ground peering at the new guy. "My name is Renjun. Yours?" The stranger’s voice sounds sweet, but his stiff face doesn’t resemble his tone. Looks dangerous.

With trembling lips, the guy's mind clouds when suddenly he can't remember his name. "I can't… I can’t remember my name?” The new guy shakes his head, hearing his raspy voice he clears it. Who is he?

"Relax, it's happened to all of us. You'll get your name in a day or two. It's the one thing they let us keep."

Already from the words coming out of Renjun's mouth, the new guy shakes his head. "This isn't normal." He looks at himself, seeing he's in a black buttoned down shirt and pants just like Renjun- only except the guy sees that his own shirt is tucked and everything he's wearing looks new but Renjun’s clothes look faded and old. It seems everyone is wearing the same uniform. "What is this place?"

"Can I show you?” With little trust in Renjun, the new guy coyly follows. "We eat here, sleep here, grow our own food, and build our own shelter. This is a new world. Whatever we need like clothes, ropes, tools etc. the box provides."

"Box provides?"

"Yes," Renjun turns around nodding his head to the center of the wilderness, the cage that the guy remembers he came out of. "Sends enough supplies up once a month, with a new fresh face."

"Fresh face being me?" the guy questions looking around. "Wait, I'm confused."

"It's normal for you to be–"

"No it's not. When you say new world, are you saying this is some sort of paradise? Who sent me here? Why am I here? Are we trapped inside these walls? Why can't I remember a thing? I can't even remember my name. Why?”

"I really wish I had the answers to your questions." Renjun shrugs his shoulders stating firmly, only letting the guy know that despite his height and petite frame, Renjun has a voice of authority.

"If I may say, it's something we all can't answer," Another guy startles the new guy when just answering out of nowhere. “I’m Donghyuck. Do you have a name?”

"And why are we all in uniform? Why are we all wearing black?"

Donghyuck chuckles. "Fresh face surely is a questioner. Look, let your mind chill for a bit," Donghyuck stretches out his hand but the new guy runs his hands over his head looking around. Donghyuck retreats his hands with a chuckle. "Just chill.”

“Fresh face, you need to pay attention otherwise, you’ll be confused forever. Donghyuck is second in command whenever I’m not around."

"Thank goodness he’s always around." Donghyuck jokes. “Anyway, I just came over to ask if we’re prepping for tonight.”

“Of course we are. We’ve got a new fresh face,” Renjun says and taps the new guy’s shoulder. “You sure are jacked. Get me Jisung,”

Donghyuck nods his head. "Yeah sure. Nice meeting you fresh face. That was some running you did back there. For a second I almost thought you were a dreamer, that's until you fell face first into the ground."

"Dreamer?" He questions. "What's that? Are we in a dream?"

"Again with the questions. Just relax." Donghyuck walks away.

"Come on," Leading the new guy toward a tree that's stacked with boards like some unfinished tree house, Renjun holds his hand out for the newly fresh face to take once they reach the top. The new guy gets a full view of the wilderness they seem to be in. "This is it. It's all we have. Life in the walls. We work hard. We build it all, and we survive. Respect this place and you'll get on just fine with everybody."

Renjun watches as curiosity pokes out of the new guy. "What's out there?" Looking at the walls, the new guy notices that there's a section of the walls that's opened up, only by a hefty gap. Beyond it, is a long corridor space revealing nothing else except darkness.

Renjun folds his arms. "I don’t know. But here are some rules that we strictly follow. Do your part. Never harm another person. And most importantly never go beyond those walls."

"Hey Renjy!" The chirpy and peaceful voice of someone below gets the attention of both the guys. The new guy looks down, seeing a bright smiling guy.

"Jisung, you're just in time." Renjun smiles. Seeing as it’s the end of the tour, the new guy following behind Renjun has a scowl on his face, the confusion still evident on his face. Once down, the bright face of Jisung bows and eagerly encourages the new guy to follow on while Renjun wishes him a great time. The guy known as Jisung moves along the wilderness where there’s several guys working on the fields. Making it to rows of trees and stacked woods built as shelter, the new guy sees beds… more like hammocks strapped on trees. Jisung finds himself making a new bed from scratch while the new guy stands idly watching.

"As tradition, I’ll be with you at all times. I was the last person last month, so it's an honor to show you your bed and be your buddy for the next few days. It's kind of like our own training system, to help you get around a bit. I feel like you'll do just fine," Jisung smiles. "I actually peed myself twice before they could even get me out the box. Speaking of which, you run really fast - oh shindigs!" Jisung cusses lowly when realizing that the new guy is already so far away while trailing towards the open gap of walls. "Hey! Fresh face!" he whisper yells while chasing. "You can't go there,"

"Why the hell not?" The new guy sounds more curious and angrier.

Jisung finally catches up to the new guy and stops him half way. "Because it's the rule-"

"That's not a rule. That's madness. I need to get out of here before I lose any more of my sanity."

Just as Jeno is about to pass Jisung, his eyes move quick to the walls when he spots two males… in jogging style running out from within the walls. Two guys with straps of body vests on them with things such as water bottles, knife sockets and such. Passing by Jisung, the guys acknowledge Jisung.

"What's this, a new face?" One guy laughs. "You've finally been promoted Jisung. How do you feel, good?"

"I feel good Jaemin," Jisung smiles. "Hey Y/n,"

Y/n. Is that a girl? The new guy tilts his head when you catch his eyes. At first you looked like a male, but with your hair plaited back, bare ladylike face, feminine figure. He's surprised by his face that just automatically coats in a shade of pink when you smirk and wink at him. "A new guy. Hey Jisung. Showing him around?”

"Yes,” Jisung answers.

You smile nodding your head once to the new guy. “Welcome,” Following along your path behind Jaemin you leave the new guy staring for a while before turning to Jisung.

"I thought it was only guys here." Survive and Run. The new guy hears in his head over and over again, but when looking at you, he can’t help but be curious about you.

"It is," Jisung chuckles. "She's as much of a guy as any of us, only except she's female."

"I thought no one was allowed to go in there." The new guy changes the topic when feeling his whole body become warm just from thinking about you.

"I said we're not allowed to go in there. They're different, they're dreamers, they know more about the maze more than anyone. So it's safer that way."

One too many things pop up in the new guy's head, one being the word 'dreamer' and the other being the word 'maze'. Not liking the sound of any of the words, he backs up. "Maze?"

"What?"

"You just said maze,"

"I did?" Jisung can only follow behind the new guy trying to stop him from getting close to the walls, but the new guy doesn't stop. "Dube please. We can’t-” Jisung holds him back but the new guy has some strength in him. "I told you we can't leave, especially not now. It's not safe."

"Fine." Despite saying fine, the new guy is filled with so much curiosity that if there was a cat around it would die. Being so close to the open wall and seeing far beyond another wall, only makes the new guy take slow ruling steps forward.

"Hey!"

Being shoved violently off his feet and straight onto the ground has the new guy panting in anger when trying to see who pushed him. Recognizing the face as the same guy who pulled him out the cage, the new guy bites his lip angrily. "Weren't you told politely not to leave?"

Instantly getting back up on his feet, the new guy shoves the other guy back and backs up when noticing that it causes quite a commotion among the other guys as they hazardously approach. "Hey, just calm down will you. Mark why'd you push him?"

"Why'd you let him so close to the wall Jisung?" The Mark guy retaliates.

"Relax," Spotting Renjun and Donghyuck running towards him, the new guy can only pant out in anger watching the group of boys surround him cautiously telling him to relax. If anything, he's even more paranoid with questions bursting out of his head. "What the hell is wrong with you guys?!"

"Just calm down ok-" Donghyuck appears in the front trying to settle the guy with Renjun also with open arms trying to motion for him to be calm.

"No! Why won't you guys just tell me what's out there-"

Renjun speaks up with stern. "We're trying to protect you."

"From what!? Just let me go!"

"Stop backing up into the wall, you'll only get hurt-"

"You guys just can't keep me here!"

"We can't let you leave either." Renjun persists in a tough tone.

"Why the hell not?!"

Renjun can barely get a word in when a loud bricked sound scraping the ground jolts everyone back. The new guy moves back too and stares at the massive walls closing in. The sounds are irritating and the scraping of concrete doesn't help the ear drums as they stand too close. The new guy can only watch in horror as the walls close further more until they are shut with such a loud bang, that birds from the trees begin flying off.

A whole moment of silence passes by before someone's shoulder bumps him. It's the same guy who knocked him over, Mark. "Next time, I'll let you leave. Damnit. We got an angry fresh face."

The new guy feels more than homesick, he feels confided in this small sinking space and just wants to leave. Unlike his intrusive thoughts, he's left alone standing and staring at the wall while the others leave. Minutes turn to hours with the new guy sitting in front of the wall just staring at it. He watches the sun disappear and the hue change color.

"Hey there,"

The new guy cracks his head back being surprised when seeing no light in the sky and all that's left is darkness and a distant quarter moon. But aside from the day turning to night, his eyes wonder over yours that are peering at him. It surely drives away all the questions and thoughts in his head. Your hair fanning around your face, curly and wavy being softly blown by the wind and your smirk, give a soft aura but your black pants and black vest with straps around holding different tools and weapons give a tough hard impression. You're standing up with a long stick in your hand rooted in the ground. Perhaps it's because you're a girl, or maybe because he feels this accepting presence with you, but all he knows is that he prefers your presence rather than the other guys. It even makes him cool off.

You tilt your head to the side and crouch before him. "You know, usually when a fresh face shows up, we throw a party for him. But it seems like you're out here sulking while your party is being run without you. Doesn't make sense now, does it?" It's your smile that has the new guy breathing deeply. You’re so close. "I don't feel like partying,"

"Come on, Donghyuck sent me to get you," You hold your hand out peering into his eyes. "And he had a feeling you wouldn't say no to a pretty girl. Unless of course you don't think I'm pretty,"

For the first time since arriving, the new guy feels himself being able to smile. He takes your hand in his but uses his own strength to get up not wanting to hurt you - however feeling your hand, he feels your strength and is stunned. "You're strong."

"Don't be fooled by these boobs, I can lift up 10 guys with these muscles." You joke, especially when motioning to your flat chest that's not so busty. It makes him smile and nervously rubbing his hands. "Now let’s go and enjoy your party. I’m Y/n by the way. I’m a dreamer. So I look forward to protecting you." Leading him to the celebration camp, the new guy's face watches as the group of boys around a center wait for you. The new guy can only watch as the other boys welcome you with shouts of joy before setting their sticks ablaze and with warrior cries chant out ‘welcome’ before throwing your sticks into the fire. Instantly rapid fire spreads on the branches just as loud drums and bongos beat together creating music. Drinks are served, food is roasted and passed around, everyone being happy and 'celebrating'. All but the new guy.

You take notice of this yet you’re stopped from approaching him when your vision and memory become one- you see an illusion of him looking at you and grinning from ear to ear before engulfing you in a hug. Blinking rapidly and forcing yourself to look away, your heart beats once when hearing a name from the memory. Muttering the name out, "Jeno…" You feel your heart beat faster. Your gaze shifts back to the new guy… He resembles the man in your dreams. The one you've seen almost every night, telling you that he'll come for you… Could it be?

"Of all people to look at with lovey dovey eyes," Your attention snaps back to Jaemin as he trumps beside you tucking you underneath his arm. "You chose the fresh face?"

You chuckle and lean your head on his avoiding to peer at Jeno again… "Jeno," you say much louder.

"What? Is that his name?" Jaemin questions.

“Jeno.” You surprise yourself when saying the name again. "I don't know. I just heard it."

Jaemin chuckles. "By chance, is he the one you've been dreaming about?"

Being a dreamer with Jaemin for more than 2 years, you've confided in him as a personal diary for all your worries, secrets and even dreams. The first time arriving into the field with only men, you had a tough time getting along with the guys, or even opening up to them, but amongst all the guys, the first guy who you found to be easier to get along with was Jaemin. He was almost like a big brother protecting, caring and even guarding. He guarded you. So knowing all your secrets, he's attentive to the way your eyes flicker every once in a while to the new fresh faces guy. Feeling protective, he even gives the new guy a stare down when he catches the new guy looking at you. In this wilderness with all these men, nothing has ever scared you because Jaemin has made you to be tough and strong just like him. He's almost groomed you like a younger brother he's always wanted. Made sure you could stand your own whenever he wasn't around. So his gaze challenges the new guy.

"It's something isn't it?" The new guy peeks his head to the side when seeing another figure leaning on the wall beside him. Donghyuck. He says nothing and looks away from the campfire that everyone is basking in and enjoying and faces the walls.

Donghyuck smiles and puts a drink in front of him. "Here, put something in your throat," Feeling thirsty, the new guy takes on the drink and chugs on it, only to quickly reflex and splurt it out of his mouth coughing out, while hearing a chortle coming from Donghyuck's direction. "What the hell is this?" The new guy asks, trying not to grunt.

"I don't even know. It's Mark’s secret drink to help loosen up. Tastes good after a couple of takes," Donghyuck shrugs his shoulders drinking it up. The new guy, after hearing Mark’s name internally rolls his eyes. "Looks like he’s not in your good books. Mark’s hot headed with everybody, so just ignore him. He’s beneficial in our little society, so we wouldn’t want to kill him just yet.”

"Society…" The new guy shakes his head and looks forward back to the walls that are surrounded in dark ominous shades, especially now that it's night time. The only thing visible to the new guy is how those walls closed, and he felt his freedom fleeing away. "We're trapped here, aren't we?"

Donghyuck, also looking at the walls sighs deeply and shakes his head. "For the moment," This causes the new guy to look at Donghyuck in doubt. After what he saw this evening, there's no way he can believe him. They refused him to leave and then the walls shut. What if that was his way out and those walls were clearly open for him? Celebration? What a joke. They purposely trapped him in here. But he won't say it out loud because the look in Donghyuck's eyes flickers into one of hope as he stands away from the wall and motions for the new guy to follow along. "Look there. Those two over there, are the dreamers. Y/n and Jaemin."

That gets the new guy's attention as he peeks from the little wall he's on and looks beyond the fire. His eyes linger on you. You’re drinking and talking looking just as intimidating even when doing nothing, yet your smile once in a while makes you appear less threatening. "The dreamers, they're the ones who can run in the maze right? I just don’t see why we all can’t just run out this place."

"That guy, Jaemin is the leader and Y/n, is his loyal front-runner. They used to be more but now it's just them. We joke and call them Bonnie and Clyde because of how close they are. Every morning once the walls open they run into the maze, mapping it, memorizing it and trying to find a way out,"

"Finding a way out?” That’s news to his ears. “How long have they been looking?"

Donghyuck bites the inside of his lip before speaking. "Three years,"

The new guy is left dumbfounded. "Three years? And they haven't found anything?" The new guy grunts. “He’s probably getting his dick wet while the rest of us-”

“Yikes man.” Donghyuck chortles. “Did we catch you on a bad day or something, or is this how you are everyday?”

“I don’t know how you expect me to react, three years?”

"It's much easier said then done," Just in time Donghyuck holds a hand to his ear. "Listen," The new guy can only watch him, yet when distant churning sounds and scrapes can be heard, his attention moves to the walls. The sound is coming from there. It sounds like light thunder however he knows it's not thunder because there's an eerie pull sound to it. "Hear that? It's the maze. It changes every night,"

It's when the new guy hears it again, that he realizes that it's the only sound that has been moving all night and he didn’t even realize it. "How… How is that even possible?" he whispers.

Donghyuck scoffs. "I wish I knew. The people who put us in here have made every limit to keep us in. Maybe it’s for our own safety, maybe not. But listen, the truth is, the dreamers are the only ones who know more about the maze. It's confidential information and the rest of us know half, maybe even little of what's going on out there. They're the fastest and believe it or not the strongest, even Y/n, which is a good thing. If they don't make it back before those walls close, then we can kiss our freedom goodbye because then they're stuck out there for the night."

The new guy can only listen, as for the first time he's getting information to go by. "Let me guess, that's how they became just two. The other guys got stuck?"

"No one survives the maze once those walls close." Donghyuck says, his tone changing just as the look of hope flickers out of his eyes. “Especially at night.”

"How come?"

"There are things out there. We call them, Cybertech." Donghyuck sighs. "Haven't seen one, no one has and lived to tell about it. But they're out there. According to the dreamers, these things could be robotic scorpions that are larger than our nightmares. That's enough for one night. I get chills just talking about it." Donghyuck's charismatic smile returns as he gets the new guy under his arm and walks forward into the fun music blasting crowd. "I'll introduce you to the members of our clan. You’ve kinda created a strong reputation as an angry guy, might wanna loosen up,"

The new guy sighs, despite being dismayed he follows along as Donghyuck points out a variety of people and their positions. Mark in charge of building. Everything made here in this society, he built it together with his builders. Chenle and Doyoung have been tasked with nursing those who got sick and bandage up those who were hurt, basically unqualified doctors. Then there was Kun and the- "What if I wanna be a dreamer?" The new guy asks, not feeling interested to hear about the other roles. "Why do you even call them dreamers?"

Donghyuck stops in his tracks blinking once at the new guy. "Have you not been listening to a thing I said? No one wants to be a dreamer. You end up dead, if you're not fast enough, strong enough, besides you have to get chosen,"

"Chose-"

The new guy doesn't get to finish his sentence as he's once again knocked into the ground by another tramped person on the ground. Looking back in confusion, he spots another guy on the ground grunting and groaning. Looking up to the culprit he makes out Mark who's cracking his knuckles. "Fresh meat, wanna give me a try?"

"A what?"

Donghyuck crouches down and pats the new guy's shoulder. "May look weak, but Mark uses his mind to fight instead of his fists. Always knocks out the strongest with wit. He's asking if you wanna fight him."

"Fresh face, fresh face, fresh face, fresh face, fresh face," The chants reach his ears as everyone slowly hypes him up before it's a full on roar of the boys chanting ‘fresh face’.

"Come one fresh meat, wanna see what you're made of, aside from anger?" Mark says. Cheers and applauds bounce all around his ears when the new guy steps into the circle of stones. "Rules are simple as biting an apple. Try to last more than five seconds in the circle,"

Getting into wrestling positions, the new guy takes a look at Mark and measures him out. Donghyuck said that Mark fights with his mind, meaning he must be strong. Taking a deep breath, the new guy makes a run for it towards Mark in attempts to spear him down- only to get side tracked when Mark ducks last minute and whisks the feet of the new guy up and off the ground causing him to flip right over the top of Donghyuck. The new guy lands hard on his back and rolls twice before hitting the floor again groaning. A few people cheer, some scream and others feel the pain voicing it out.

"For an angry bastard you are fast," Mark says in mockery. "Come on fresh meat,

The new guy gets up on his feet when seeing he's not out of the circle. Attempting to strike the lower abdomen again, Mark is quick to lock his elbows around the new guy's neck and use the strength of the new guy against him. "Dang fresh meat."

"Stop calling me fresh meat."

Mark is sharp when the new guy tries to trip him but trips himself instead when Mark jumps and jabs on the side of the new guy while sticking a sharp side arm on the neck. "You don't wanna be called Fresh meat? How about fresh meal?" Mark is having fun while feeling thrills. “You look like a snack. I’m gonna enjoy devouring you.”

The new guy gets off the ground panting but not giving up. You stand up and move away from Jaemin just to get a better view of the fight unfolding. Your eyes on the new guy and he’s speed and strength. He's got zeal and determination…just like the guy in your dreams.

The first few rounds are filled with clean fights and no need of brutality, but it sinks in Mark that in order to win he'd need to use force, that's when the fight becomes physical with fists. People shriek occasionally but don't stop the fight because they love watching a good match. The angry new guy surely has a fire that the guys haven’t seen in a long time. Mark penetrates one last combo of a fist to the back and a kick combo, then uses the new guy's momentum when he tries going in for a punch- but Mark swings the new guy's arm back and instead the new guy punches himself and then Mark shoves him straight to the ground roughly. Something about fighting this new guy makes Mark glad. It’s like some personally grudge. He doesn’t know why, but he knows that he needs to beat up this guy.

But just when everyone is hyped up they're cheers rumble even louder when Mark is suddenly dropped to the ground by his feet. The new guy gets up and manhandles Mark quickly and then tossing him around before throwing him on the ground. “Your first mistake was stooping to my level.” The new guy smiles while understanding that Mark has stooped down from his mind to fight physically, and for some reason that was the new guy's domain. The crowd is boiled in cheers, just as you smile when looking at the new guy. His eyes find yours being entranced but it's short lived when a rough kick to the side of the head gets him straight on the ground.

Mark pants in furry. No one has ever tossed him.

But the new guy is way too deep in pain but suddenly a vision like memory pass through his mind. It's a woman, slapping him across the face yelling. "JENO!"

Jeno… Jeno… Blinking his eyes several times to clear his head he pants up and mutters the name over and over again until it makes sense to him. "Jeno-"

Mark cracks his knuckles. "What?"

"Jeno. Jeno. That's my name!" The new guy, feeling the name and hearing that it makes sense to him is jubilated when recollecting the name, his name. "Jeno! Jeno! That’s my name!"

Renjun with a proud smile leads the crowd in another feast of screams as the boys all cheer out and scream out the name of the new boy, no longer fresh face. "JENO! JENO! JENO!"

Meanwhile your eyes enlarge as your ears are struck when hearing the name. Abruptly the face of your dreams become clear and you identify the face truly to be Jeno. Your head turns back to Jaemin, who looks astonished even though you already predicted his name. You turn back seeing Jeno being welcomed and accommodated by his name. He's given a drink to drink, Mark’s special drink and even though he makes a face, he still chugs it all down. Mark moves past the bodies smirking when doing a bro handshake with Jeno. "Not a bad name, for a fresh angry face like yourself. Good job, Jeno,"

“I beat you,” Jeno teases- but the joy is quickly finished- turned down by everyone when a vulgar raging roar breaks through the bliss in wrath beyond the walls. It even causes the huts and builds to shake a little. The sound echoes and no one makes a sound till it's done. "What the hell was that?" Jeno asks when he's sure that it's done.

Mark answers. "That my friend, is what we're trying to keep you away from."

"Cybertech." Your voice gets to Jeno's ears and he turns to look at you. "Don't worry, you're safe here with us." Your assurance to Jeno is sedative.

"Alright guys, let's tuck it in for the night." Renjun's voice speaks through calmly. Low mummers fall as everyone begins cleaning up and packing up. Jeno helps Jisung before following Jisung back to their space where they sleep. Laying on his hammock bed. He looks out to the walls re-hearing the sound of the cybertech. He can’t stay here forever. He needs to find a way out.

-

Jeno makes out sounds, a voice, female, calling his name as images flash in his head of being in some sort of facility with machines and water inside and people inside. He can't make out their faces, but he makes out himself typing, writing and documenting. The female's voice calls his name telling him that he shouldn’t do it, that he shouldn’t chose her, that he should chose freedom and to forget her. The images flash by rapidly in his head, he sees water, poison and so much more. The females face is blurred but Jeno can tell that she’s addressing him. There’s a point where she slaps him yelling his name before she’s grabbed from all sides and is taken away. The last thing he hears from her is his name-

"Jeno."

Shooting his eyes open he's breathless when a hand covers his mouth. His vision blurs out and he sees Renjun with a finger to his own lips. "Shhh. Follow me."

Jeno looks around, seeing the hues of the sky still dark but faintly turning to light. He gets up scratching his head, puts on his shoes and begins following behind Renjun. Maybe because it's early morning that Jeno can't find himself asking questions like he wants to do, or maybe it's the fact that Renjun is holding a thick knife while walking. Drawing near to the closed walls, Renjun sighs and looks into the field of the little huts and things they've built. "It's hard to believe, but it wasn't always like this. We've come far since then. Established order. Made peace. Despite the toughness of the situation, we've persisted on."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jeno asks in a hushed voice.

"Because, you're not like the others." Renjun mentions. "You're curious. So damn inquisitive. Strong and I can guess also smart. But you're one of us now. And you need to know what that means." Renjun lifts up Jeno's hand and places the knife in it. "Take a look at this wall," Turning around, Jeno takes note of the names that have been engraved into the walls. He sees your name at the bottom with a rigidly looking heart. Some names he's heard of, others he's met, but nevertheless, they're a lot. Despite being a lot, some have a few scratches over.

"What happened to them?"

"Like I said, tough days come." Taking note of the tone in Renjun's voice, Jeno moves closer to the wall seeing how sacred and important a brotherhood is within this space. “Put your name on the wall.” He finds a space between the names of Jaemin and Chenle and with the knife and hammer in hand, he begins to carve in his name. Tapping on the knife and creating the letters, he's left in silence as Renjun mentions he'll go wake up the others. It doesn't take long to carve in the four letters, yet he takes his time in observing the wall with all the names. There's a diversity of people in their mist. After what Renjun said that he's different and curious, Jeno wonders truly how long these people have been in here and haven't once been curious. His attention shifts to the entrance of the wall whereby you and Jaemin arrive.

Preying in on the early morning activity, Jeno watches you and Jaemin hold hands bowing your heads down…assuming it's prayer. Once done you both stretch and prepare to run as you get on your marks. The gurgling sound of concrete jolts Jeno and begins to open up, but by the little of the gap opened you and Jaemin have already pounced with speed into the maze. All he can do is watch. But in his heart there's this deep conviction in him, that if he doesn’t do anything now, he'll not only be helpless later in the future, but all he'll do is watch and be a spectator. Following on with Renjun's next words, Jeno makes his way back to the sleeping heads. He spots Jisung, and Jisung leads him into the ground field, where they'll work with vegetation together with Mark. Donghyuck is already on the field, winding the plants over the metal bars. Light conversation is made, but all the guys do it work. Hours pass, tasks are switched, food is prepared, people eat, the dreamers arrive and everyone goes back to work as the sun is still up and the sandglass shows it's afternoon around 4pm.

"Can I ask you something?" Jeno starts off causing Donghyuck to chortle.

"You've still got more questions?"

Ignoring the comment, Jeno questions. "Hasn't anyone tried climbing to the top?"

"Climbing what? The wall? We aren't exactly the best rock climbers, that wall is 50 meters high. It would take decades to even build something its height. Besides where are you gonna go after that? Jump to your death in the maze?"

"Okay, then what about the box?" Jeno thinks fast. "Like, next time it comes up you just put someone in and-"

"We've tried that too." Donghyuck continues planting the seeds into the soil while answering Jeno, who just stands with a shovel and asks questions. "The box won't go back down with someone in it."

"How about-"

"Geez Jeno-" Donghyuck has his hands in his head. "Trust me when I say, everything you're thinking about has already been thought. We've already tried it, not once, not twice, but more than we can count. There's no way out except through the maze."

"So why don't we-"

"The dreamers are working as hard as they can day in day out. With their determination, we're put to ease and we can rest. Because when it'll be time to run into the maze with them, we'll be safe." Donghyuck concludes and claps his hands. "I appreciate your need to want to help our society, but if you really wanna help, you'll take that bucket, and get us more fertilizer."

Giving Donghyuck a dead look, Jeno takes the basket and sighs continuing in the path towards the woods. All Jeno wants to do is help in finding a way out- not help in finding a way to make life comfortable. It's unusual how everyone here is just so calm about staying here. Goodness, how long did Donghyuck say they've been here? Jeno grunts when seeing he's been walking so far into the woods. "Should I even be getting fertilizer here?" He grumbles his way through the uneven soil and passes by some trees with cross markings and deep soil. Being curious again, Jeno crouches down by one of the trees base. The name: 'Taeil' is engraved on it. And the soil covering on top barely does a thing, because Jeno makes out a pile of bones. His heart hammers when picking up a decayed skull with cracks. Standing up feeling off about the entire place, he realizes that it's a homemade cemetery.

"Oh god." Jeno backs up and looks around seeing the other places of burials and making out some skeletons of different shapes. Turning to leave, Jeno halts in his tracks when encountering another being. Up on the little hill, he notices an eerie looking Jaemin who's breathing erratically. Glaring into Jeno's eyes, Jeno peeks back to see if there's anyone behind him. But there's no one. Meaning that Jaemin is glaring at him… "Jaemin is it?" Jeno starts off politely. Maybe this is a territory he shouldn't cross. "Sorry, I was just trying to get some fertilizer. I know right… Send a new guy to a place he doesn't know." Jeno attempts to joke, but gets Jaemin's lip twitching and his visible teeth grating. Jaemin's hair is covering his eyes, but Jeno still sees red, literal red around Jaemin's eyes. Seeing as Jaemin isn't saying anything, Jeno just backs up. "I'll just go. Leave you to your business." Turning around and taking another crocked step on the branch Jeno hears leaves rustling by haste steps following him. Turning around rapidly he sees Jaemin down the hill still panting erratically in seething anger. "Hey, man. Are you okay?"

The question alone gets Jeno’s heart to shake in shock when Jaemin lunges towards him with violent and aggressive strength. Being knocked onto the ground with force Jaemin pounds on top of him. Jeno panics shouting for Jaemin to get off him! But Jaemin slobbers out like a wild dog trying to land a punch- across Jeno's face while seething out ruefully hissing: "It's all your fault! Why’d you put us in here! I saw you- You did this!"

Jeno stares in complete horror still dodging the rueful attempts of attack from Jaemin- it gets worse when Jaemin's hands grips and clutches Jeno's arms. Jeno screams out in agony trying to find a way to escape. It's useless because Jaemin's hands find a way to Jeno’s neck circling it and keeping him in a tight choke, trying to strangle him. With a free hand Jeno's heated hands pat around desperately trying to find anything on the ground. His right hands lands on a bone and gripping it forcefully- he uses all his strength to strike down onto Jaemin's head- giving him enough time to scram off from Jaemin without looking back- Jeno runs! His voice echoes’ out when screaming for help- Jaemin is fast and heavy on his feet sounding deadly when running- catching up to Jeno without trouble tripping him down. But unfortunately the unleveled ground causes Jaemin to also trip and they both fall down the little hill tossing and turning. That doesn't stop Jeno from twisting in speed and running with his arms out while yelling out! Seeing the sunlight and getting closer to the open area- Jeno keeps yelling.

From the Dreamers hut located in the woods, you hear the screaming and walk out the hut in confusion. Your eyes spot two furiously running males and you twist your head to the side wondering why're they're making such a noise- seeing Jaemin and Jeno you squint your eyes. “What are they doing?” Jeno's on the run screaming for his dear life, and Jaemin looks unruly and almost infec- Not having time to think your legs carry you as you crush the leaves and branches, hurtling towards the pair.

Just like you, the boys in the open field watch as a panicky stricken Jeno runs with his arms flaring all over in deep fright. Jaemin jumps and lunges onto Jeno, his fists striking trying to get Jeno. And even though Jeno dodges the punches his heart beats over the limit and he breathes roughly trying to stop the manic from hitting him. Getting to them first before the others you grab the nearest shovel and spank it over Jaemin's head hearing a loud crack- just in time for the others to cuff him straight to the ground.

"Time! What the hell is happening here?"

Jeno's able to breathe again before coughing out feeling his throat so dry. "He attacked me for no reason. Jumped me!” Jeno pants out, watching as they try to stabilize Jaemin who won't quit squirming and moving around no matter what the guys say.

"Lift up his shirt." Your voice breaks through Jaemin's growls and hisses and upon following your words they discover something so terrifying. You cover your mouth as instant tears pool around your eyes. Although you don't let the tears fall, you let your breath drag out especially when seeing the outsized wound Donghyuck on Jaemin's abdomen. It's purple and spreading all over like wild veins.

Another guy, Chenle gasps in horror. "He's been stung."

"In broad daylight?" Mark questions, still helping the boys. "How's that possible?"

Jaemin seemingly hearing the commotion with faint ears shakes his head when seeing you standing with your hand to your face as you shake your head. "No- no- listen to me- I- wasn't s-stung-"

"Put him in the pit." Renjun orders but Jaemin grunts and curses out- only causing more guys to grab a hold of him in trying to send in off into the pit.

"NO! LISTEN TO ME-" Jaemin tries to implore but no one listens as they lift him off the ground dragging his restless body away.

Jeno is in pure shock, confusion being an understatement of how overwhelmed everything feels. Everyone is disturbed and work doesn't even go on as others sit idle watching from a distance just as others crouch and clamp their heads. Jeno too finds himself following Jisung to their hammock beds watching the distorted field. He spots you standing motionless by a tree folding your arms looking lifeless. He's head brewing questions in all forms. And thankfully, it's Renjun who draws near to Jeno. "Mind if I sit?"

Nodding his head, they're both seated on the hammock facing the field. Jisung from behind has his ear when Renjun speaks. "I know you've got questions, but before that care to help me piece pieces together?"

Jeno goes onto explaining how Donghyuck told him to get fertilizer, and Jeno found himself in the home made cemetery of piles of bones. He gives great detail in how Jaemin didn't look okay and then all of a sudden pounced on him. When he's done giving out the details, he asks. "What happened to him?"

Renjun breathes in. "It’s like a changing. A process leading to being infected. It's what happens when someone gets stung. It’s like contamination, except this one spreads around the whole body so quick. Cybertechs are the ones that sting this poison." Renjun leaves a moment for Jeno to question, but Jeno is in deep thought. Which leaves a que for Renjun to keep speaking. "Listen. We haven't been able to get a word out of him since we put him in the pit. It's only gonna get worse at this rate. He doesn't have full control of his body, and the infection is making him dangerous. He's only saying your name. That you did this. Do you know what he's talking about?"

Jeno recalls the words of hatred being spitted out of Jaemin's mouth. "I don't know. But he said the same thing when attacking me. That it's my fault. That he saw me and I did it. I have no idea what he's talking about. How's it my fault? What did I do? I don’t even know him." Jeno skips the part about Jaemin saying that Jeno is the one who put him here… That part made no sense to him.

Renjun who's usually calm and composed, has no answer at all to the situation at hand. But not to create more panicky, he gets up. "If you were hurt, get Chenle to check you out. But otherwise, get some rest."

"Wait, Renjun." Jeno gets up, just in time to see you sitting down the on the ground beside a tree looking like you're about to cry. "Is he going to be alright? You said it's an infection, so can he be treated right?"

Renjun pokes the inside of his cheek. "If we had a cure, the other dreamers would've still be here with us…"

"So, what's going to happen to him?" Jeno's question rests in the air as Renjun walks away.

All activities seem to halt, as the boys are in no commotion to move around. Jeno lies in his hammock observing the movements. It's not until the sun has set and the weather seems gloomy, does he follow robotically the other boys who move closer to the walls of the maze. Jeno's guard is up when seeing the boys carrying pitch forks and sharp spears. No one makes a sound when Jeno watches Jaemin being grabbed from out the pit and with his arms tied in the back of his head- you take charge and push him forward from the back. The distance is long, the walk is long, and yet within those long minutes, Jeno takes note of the setting and realization slowly dawns on him. The maze is about to close, everyone has their pitch forks sharpened. They're bringing Jaemin into the center…” Are they going…to kill him?” Jeno asks Jisung. Jisung looks solemn.

Once again, Jeno can only watch as you push Jaemin despite his attempts for you to listen to him. Jeno can hear how Jaemin is pleading, but still you throw him to the ground. The semi-circle closes around him, while Jeno peeks his head above to see what's happening. Jaemin weakly kneels, looking bruised, sick and beat up…but with much understanding, Jeno can guess that it is the infection spreading. Despite being in pain, Jaemin only watches you. His blurry vision, his bloody and tearful vision only on you. He calls weakly onto your name. "Please remember…the visions aren't lies…you're my sister…please… you need to believe me… I'm not in-infected ow-"

You cut off the rope used to tie his arms and his hands making sure to cut his wrists in the process, and you bite your lip tightly as you walk to the middle ignoring his cries. Jaemin struggles to breathe, feeling a shortness of breath. If he can only try to get you to listen, he knows you'll help him out. After all, he doesn’t know how he got stung, but all his memories came rushing back and suddenly the visions made sense. Why they were here, the purpose and who they all are. But he could care less about that, the most important thing to him now, is making you believe him. The visions of you being someone important to him were never just visions, they were real memories from their past. You're his sister. His baby sister who he vowed to protect at all cost. Despite coming into the maze months after him, he knew that he always had to protect you at all costs. But now seeing you, with tears in your eyes as you toss a water bag into the maze, Jaemin shakes his head and gets up, trying to get to you.

Calling your name softly, your own mouth trembles when looking into his bloodshot red eyes. "Jaemin, what happ-"

"Back away from the infected, Y/n."

You back away but Jaemin begs you and even stumbles. He's trying as hard as he can to control himself, to not let the infection spread- especially when he crawls to you in attempts for you to-

He breaks down crying when a strong gush of wind surges past him and the all too familiar sound of the scraping walls closing in occur- just as Renjun yells the words push- does he suddenly get separated from you when Mark appears in front of you with a sharp pitch fork walking slowly forward. Jaemin yells your name still begging. Your heart hammers in your chest biting your lip as you step back clutching onto your heart while forcing yourself not to cry. Your neck is stiff, the tears are wedged on your throat. Jaemin is only screaming your name begging you to help him. Your ears ringing with sorrow and regret. He's forced to sprint weakly and tiredly into the long corridor that's slowly closing in. Making it to the other side, he pants out wearily afraid of death, afraid of leaving you. He cries when his other vision blurs out entirely and all he can see is the once familiar faces of his clan- "Please-" He cries and drops to his knees when just before the walls close you step into view and Jaemin breaks down entirely. "SISTER!"

Clutching your teeth, you equally fall to your knees crying out. A large whole in your chest being formed when hearing the words 'sister'…

-

The night is cold and dark only lit up by a few flames held up on high stakes. Crickets and the walls of the maze changing, is all Jeno can hear. Aside from that, he makes out the flickering sounds flames of the guys that are close to the wall scraping out Jaemin's name. "Do you think, he's going to make it?" Jeno asks. After sentencing Jaemin into his death in the maze, the mood was brought down low. Your crying was raw and unruly and caused a lot of the guys to freeze and just stare at the walls. They had just lost a member.

Jisung being close to Jeno and can hear him, shakes his head. "No."

"But he's a dreamer."

"And infected." Jisung sighs. "No one survives in the maze at night."

Jeno's heart breaks just thinking of what you must be going through at this moment. Since the walls closed, your agony broke you down as you cried and mourned your former friend, partner, dreamer…brother. Even right now, as Jeno looks over to the other bunker, he sees you and Renjun sitting together silently. "What's going to happen to Y/n?"

Jisung turns to look at you and his heart also crumbles. "She'll be… strong." It's his first time seeing you like this… hearing you cry too. You’ve never once cried for any other dreamer, or any other member who's been banished. You always stood by Jaemin as he was the one who’d throw in the water bottle into the maze and lead everyone to banish the said infected.

"Jaemin must've been important to her."

"He was." Jisung mummers.

In the depths of the night, Jeno is awakened again after the hectic dream of drowning in water while being watched and hearing strange voices. Panting out as well as sitting up on his hammock, he tries to gather himself together before he can sleep. As darkness clouds the night sky, and stars form above, he smells the familiar scent of rain. Stepping out the shady space for sleeping, he looks up to the skies in the dearest night, feeling the cool air pass through him. The dreamers were his only way out, but now without Jaemin, Jeno wonders if you’ll still go into the maze. Maybe he could offer himself to help… His vision isn't limited to the sky, and he looks around the field when spotting movement. Not being able to see in the darkness, he watches as the stiletto of the person makes their way to the closed walls. Suddenly fire is lit on a branch and Jeno makes out long hair, he familiarizes it with you. Gulping and freezing, his heart swarms in sadness all over again, upon observing you.

What sadness you must be feeling. It doesn’t cross his mind, why his own heart hurts, but he knows for sure that he’s melancholy seeing you being sad. He's pushed by an unknown force to approach you. So when his feet point in your direction and he begins walking, he doesn't regret it as he gets closer to the little fire you've built and takes a seat. He doesn't peek in your direction, because he knows just how burdensome you're feeling. Just as much as he wants to be here for you, he's respecting your space.

"Thought I'd hear him," You tiredly whisper. “But it’s been silent.”

Jeno just listens to the sounds of your breathing, your soft breaths causing his heart to ache. Non-disruptive and humbled down, Jeno also looks at the walls trying to hear something… anything. It's not until light water drops land on his face does he peer up noting the drizzling rain. "We should go."

You nod your head. "Go on."

"It's going to rain." Jeno says.

"A little rain never killed anybody,"

"Yeah, but this isn't a little. And actually, a lot can kill you." Jeno finds himself getting up, when the droplets pick up in speed quenching out your little fire. "You'll get sick if you stay here, plus you need to rest up."

"Rest up for what?" You sniff back not caring that the rain is now pouring over you. "My brother just died." Even saying the words out loud, confirming that he was your brother only breaks your heart. “My brother…”

Jeno covers his head wanting to run back. But he feels off just thinking of leaving you behind. But with your unwillingness to get up, he finds himself sitting back down next to you getting soaked but still shielding his face with his hands his head. This gets your attention as you peek at him. "What are you doing?"

"Aside from wondering why you're purposely getting sick to follow your brother to his grave, I'm just sitting next to you."

Jeno's word hit your chest, and it's enough to bring tears to your eyes. “He’s not dead. I know him. I k-know him.” You bury your head in between your knees, allowing yourself to cry. “He’ll make it. He’ll survive. He always has. He will.”

Being mindful and empathetic to your tears, Jeno's hand carefully finds itself on your back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have sa-”

"Get a grip of yourself Y/n." Jeno gets his hand away from your back when identifying the voice belonging to Mark. He looks up to the palm trees large leaves, that Mark uses as an umbrella to shield the rain from hitting them. Y/n forces herself to stop crying, but she keeps hiccupping and sniffing back. "Fresh face you can go back. I'll take over."

For some reason, that bothers Jeno. Even as he gets back underneath the shade by the bunks of beds, he watches Mark and you underneath the man-made umbrella not moving. That should’ve been him… Ignoring the feelings Jeno gets on his bed.

-

"How come Renjun gets to go inside the maze?"

"Are you kidding me Jeno?" Donghyuck questions as he and Mark take turns smashing their large chopping axes against the root edges of a tree.

"No I'm not, he's not a dreamer." Jeno question looking at the agape walls. He needed to be there trying to find a way out. "And what do they even do in there? You mean to tell me that from early dawn till now, they're just… spending time in there and not bringing out results? I'm sure if more people go, then results will be brought forth- I'm not trying to be biased, but sending her in the maze after what happened yesterday has no meaning. She needs to rest while someone else goes in there. Plus, I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while now, she’s a female why put her in such a dangerous environment-"

"Damn. You weren't joking when you said he asks too many questions." Mark strikes again with another force before he wipes the sweat off his head facing Mark. "Look fresh face-"

"My name is Jeno. Not fresh face-"

"Geez, why're you pissing so early? Jisung, what'd you do to him?"

Jisung minding his own business while chopping little pieces of the log shrugs his shoulders. "I didn't do anything. He's asked a valid question and you're not answering it calling him Fre-"

"Seriously it was a rhetorical question. You're obliged not to answer it." Mark grunts out when cutting again. "This is why I can't do rotational work with any new beans. Always so quick to talk but not work. Hey, Fresh face. Are you gonna help or keep questioning?" Mark glares at Jeno who equally stares daggers into Mark’s eyes. Mark lets out a cuss dropping his axe. "Should I teach you a lesson-"

"That's not necessary Mark. I think we're all just tired from this heavy work. Just keep working and then we can get out of each other’s hair." Donghyuck steps in between Mark and Jeno who looks like he'll gladly beat up Donghyuck. Picking up the axe and forcing it into Mark’s grip Donghyuck continues to strike down on the roots. "Okay look Jeno. The thing is, talking about the maze and dreamers is a touchy subject right now. We're all at a loss of words, because as it is Y/n is the only dreamer left-"

"What do you mean she's the only dreamer left? Aren’t they others on standby?"

"Well if you didn't cut him off then-"

"Mark it's okay." Donghyuck dreads before continuing. "Let me explain it like this. Every month, the box comes up with one new member. This month was you, last month was Jisung, the month before was Hendry and before that was Shotaro and so on, next month will be somebody else. Somebody male and young and fit. Our clan is supposed to be encompassed with 38 members by now, because we've been here for 3 years and 2 months. Before us all, 1 member was here in this whole forest like woods for a full month. 1 person spent an entirety here by themselves, trying to understand, survive and live. Can you imagine facing a cybertech by yourself? How about spending days without food because the supply you have finished? How about the maze? Can you just imagine, picture it, 1 person having to figure out that those walls close before sundown, and if you're not back by then, you spend a night with a cybertech. 1 member who'd spend the entirety of 1 whole month by themselves trying to figure out how on earth to get out, how on earth to understand where the heck he was and what he was doing. That one member, that 1 person was Renjun. He figured out how to survive all on his own in this forest and each month as 1 more person kept being added, finally there was a chance at really escaping and understanding. But. There's a big but. We're not 38 anymore, we're 21. Why 21? Because we've lost 17 members of our clan. 11 of them were runners, runners was a term we used for those who'd run the maze and try to find a way out. 6 a few of them had dreams, vivid dreams pointing at a way out, and because they had dreams, they had good memory skills, as well as visions of how to get out by using certain routes. We lost all those 17 men to the cyberpunks. Those 17 men are the results of trying to find a way out. When I say that we've tried and tested a lot of things to escape, I mean that it was all at the cost of the lives. Lives that were taken so that we could move forward in progress. Now in all those lives taken, Jaemin and Y/n emerged the strongest. For 2 whole years, they've survived the horrors of the maze-"

"And they have brought back results- they just don't report to you, Dumb meat." Mark’s voice cuts in between the air.

"Mark," Donghyuck warns before continuing. "But now the balance is off because Jaemin got stung. Things are different now because Y/n is the only dreamer, so Renjun went with her so retrace Jaemin's footsteps. And trying to make out what the hell happened for Jaemin to get stung." Donghyuck stands up straight after pulling out one big root with his hands groaning out when hitting his head on the ground.

"I'm confused." Jeno looks to Jisung, who's been invested in the conversation ever since. Unlike himself, Jeno was confident in asking all the questions he's ever wanted to ask. "Did you just say dreamers have dreams? Is that… don't we all have dreams?"

"Dreams of finally finishing this damn tree so I can get away from you guys, yes." Mark grumbles.

Donghyuck dusts his hands off. "No. I'm not talking about aspirations; I'm talking about dreams. When you sleep, do you get dreams?"

"Yes?" Jeno answers as a question, because he's not too sure what to understand. He's sense thicken in confusion when both Mark and Donghyuck stop cutting and stare at Jeno in shock. Even Jisung looks to Jaemin with wide eyes. "What's wrong? Don't you guys get dreams?"

"What type of dreams do you get?" It's Mark's turn to ask the questions. "Have you had dreams since you got here?"

Jeno nods hesitantly. "I can't understand the dreams I get, but it's like… I'm in a lab or something like that and I'm drowning."

"Just when this angry bastard couldn't get weirder." Mark curses before standing up and untucking the gloves from his fingertips before throwing it to the ground. Glaring at Jeno. "So what? You're fucking telling me, we're all gonna drown?"

"What?" Jeno’s eyebrows pinch.

"Mark," Donghyuck gets up in surprise. "No, you idiot. He's not yet been trained, we need to tell Renjun and Y/n when they get back." Donghyuck stares into the distance. "Maybe with new dreams, they might be a clear path out."

"As if I'd trust his vision, he just said drowning.”

“Don’t you think they should be back by now?” Jeno questions looking up to gloomy sky that fills up with clouds.

Donghyuck peeks up spotting the rain clouds. He’s too wrapped up in the thoughts that they might be hope with a new dreamer, he even feels a bit hopeful when thinking of Jeno as a dreamer, Jeno seems eager to deliver results and do things. But first he’d need to wait for Renjun so that they could discuss the fate of what happens now that Jaemin has… The thought of Jaemin brings Donghyuck back to reality into a solemn mood. “Keep working guys. We can clear these trees up before rain hits. Jeno, I’d really appreciate it if you worked just as much as you spoke.”

Work continues on in the field, but as more clouds fill the sky, work is on pause as the rain begins pouring. However, alarm starts to raise in everyone’s heads when you and Renjun have not yet arrived. It’s past 5pm. The walls would close soon. “What happens if they don’t make it back on time? Are we going to send someone after them?”

“Jeno.” Mark sternly calls. “Stop talking. You’re making everyone anxious.”

“I’m just asking-”

“They’re going to make it.” Donghyuck says with his arms folded. “Just…keep quiet please.”

“Here, put something in your throat.” Another guy offers Jeno a drink. Jeno drinks up, but his beady eyes are on the wall. Once the rain clears up partially, it’s an understatement when saying the boys all rush to the walls waiting impatiently. It’s frightful waiting, it’s nerve-wrecking looking at the sky when feeling rain again, but it’s even more dreadful when the all too familiar boom sounds from both the agape walls. The crunching, grinding sound of stones against stones indicate the sounds of the closing doors. Now it’s panic washing over the hearts of all the boys. Then a flicker of movement to the left catches Jeno’s eyes deep in the walls, he sees two forms, stumbling along the alley towards the corridors.

“There!” Jeno points out when seeing you with one of Renjun’s arms draped across your shoulders, practically dragging and carrying Renjun on your back. “Shit.”

You look up, eyes immediately landing on Jeno’s petrified face. “It got him!” You screech out, almost crying, exhaustion wreaking from your voice with every strangled step. Jeno’s whole body wants to run into the maze to help you, but the rule about leaving seems to hold him in place. The one time he wants to help, he finds himself unable to react. Renjun slips out of your clutches and you cry as you catch onto him again- voices raging out for you to let him go, to run- all the boys yelling out in heaps of panic. Your conscious can’t allow you to let go of Renjun. You’re hundreds of feet away from the doors but with seething strength you bulk up grappling Renjun over your shoulders and hurrying- your eyes moving to the walls which are closing in faster.

They’re no chance of you making it. Jeno watches the walls, willing them to stop, but they don’t. Jeno turns to look at Donghyuck who’s staring in terror. Jeno’s eyes look back to the closing walls. Only a few more feet. You stumble up ahead when finally reaching the closing doors leading to the corridor. But already time was up- you weren’t going to make it. Not while dragging Renjun- not while crying, especially not at your speed.

Jeno hears the clan of boys’ screech something from behind him. “Jeno no!” But before his mind can even take control of his body- adrenaline bolts Jeno within the little gap of the walls alarming his ears which hear crunching, grinding noises of the stone doors grinding annoyingly on the floors squeezing and pressing into him. Deafening his ears- barely squeezing through- Jeno feels like a moth drawn to a flame- your teary eyes call onto him- giving him all that power- edge- verge and will to reach you just before you fall to the ground!

The walls slam shut behind him- just as he leaps down and you land straight into his arms with a heavy Renjun on your back. The boom from the walls echo and bounce off like mocking laughter. For a few seconds, Jeno can’t feel anything. It feels like time has frozen. The sun is frightened away by what lurks in the maze, as a thick silence follows a thunderous rumble. The air is splattered with rain drops as the skies darken with grey clouds shutting out any light. Instinctively Jeno leans forward shielding you from the rain with his body.

“You idiot.”

Jeno bends his head down to hear you better. “What?”

“Why’d you do that?”

Jeno’s thoughts are just as terrified of coming out. What had he just done? He ran into the maze. “I’m as good as dead, aren’t I.”

Your tears make an appearance again, as your head wedges on Jeno’s legs again. “We’re all dead now.” Jeno nervously gets his hands on your head patting it down.

“We just need to find a shelter and we’ll be fine.” He mumbles lightly, despite the thrashing rain.

You sit up on your knees facing him. Your hand itches to slap him, but you hold yourself and bite your lip instead. “What fucking part of we’re dead don’t you understand.”

Jeno ignores you, hearing a grunt coming from a weak Renjun. “What happened to him?”

This time you don’t hold it as your arm swings and your hand rods up when slapping Jeno’s face. “We’re dead! All of us!”

The slap seems to do the trick in plunging all of Jeno’s thoughts to come out. He leaves his face to one side, the side you slapped him before huffing out and getting up. He doesn’t say anything when lifting up Renjun swiftly and getting him on his back. Turning his head left and right, he begins walking into the open path he sees on the right. The rain is pissing him off, but not as much as your anger. He was just trying to help. He doesn’t know why he ran into the maze. He was terrified. But in him, there wasn’t even a thought in him to run. He just did it, because he saw you. Your tears were like a sirens call. But now being here, he feels helpless. “Shit.”

“It’s a dead end stupid.”

Hearing your voice, Jeno’s thoughts come back to reality when seeing that he bumped into a wall. He turns around and looks for another route. Every route he takes leads to another dead end, and he passes by you so many times that he wonders if he’s walking around in a circle. With the sky getting darker, Jeno adjusts Renjun on his shoulder.

“You should ditch him.” Jeno hears you say. “The first section is laced with so many open ended walls and he’ll only wear you out.”

“Now you wanna help?”

You sigh out thankfully when the rain clears and only drizzles are left. You’re drenched but Jeno is just as soaked and looks tired from carrying Renjun up and down in circles. You catch up to him and grab his arm from walking into another corridor. You don’t seem distressed anymore. You’re calmer now. “Sorry for slapping you.”

“It’s pointless apologizing for that. Now-”

You stand in front of him holding your hand out on his chest stopping him. “I said I’m sorry for slapping you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Jeno peers down at you, your petite wet frame looking earnest and sincere. “I accept your apology.”

You look up to him once before turning around. “Can you run with him on your back?”

“I can try.”

“No. I need a clear answer from you.” You say as your eyes scope up the area you’re in. “Cybertechs will come out any second now. It’s either we ditch him and run, or get caught and be eaten.”

“Neither.” Jeno adjusts Renjun on his back. “If you know where to go, I’ll follow you.”

That gets you to peek at him from behind before nodding your head when seeing how ready Jeno looks. “Renjun will slow us down. Let’s try hiding him.” Your idea is accompanied by Jeno spotting a vine wall full of leaves. You’re both at the same level of thinking, when getting to the wall and you pull out some rope. Removing your gear vest, you drape it on Renjun and attach the rope on it. Hooking your foot on the vine branches, you begin to climb up the vine with the other end of the rope, once reaching the top, you hook the rope around it before climbing down. Jeno is ahead of you, when he catches the end of the rope and begins pulling. Renjun’s body begins to elevate higher, the more Jeno pulls on it. You fall back behind him, joining on pulling. However, you halt when hearing something. Your heart beats fast and you feel your legs turn to jelly. “We have to go.”

“Just a little more.” Jeno leans back pulling a little higher.

“No. I’m serious. We have to go now, otherwise we’ll-”

The sounds of metal clinking onto the grounds, does the talking for you. Jeno’s tense as his neck hairs rise. But he’s focused on pulling. A hollow moan fills the air just as something like clanking of chains rattles on the ground. Before a bellowing howl fills the air. That only makes you shriek. “Jeno don’t make me leave you again.” You grate through your teeth, your eyes and heart ready to just jump out of your body.

Jeno is just as scared, but he can’t express it. Not when his eyes are trained on Renjun who’s almost covered- You push Jeno into vines, disappearing into the lengths of the leaves as you both hold onto each other. You in keeping Jeno away from view and Jeno in trying to protect you whilst holding onto the rope with all his strength.

Its’s like nails suddenly tapping onto glass, when Jeno sees it. Freezing in place. Something rounds the corner and walks slowly past the vines. Jeno stares in horror at the monstrous thing making its way past. It looks like an experiment gone terribly wrong. Something from a nightmare. Part animal, part machine. The cybertech was a scorpion look alike but with deformed parts that a machine tried holding together- but failed. The thing rolls and clicks along the stone pathway. Its body resembled a gigantic slug, covered in hair and glistening with slime, parts of it terribly pulsating out. It has no distinguishable head or even body… come to think of it, it doesn’t look like it’s facing front of back, it’s just… randomly placed mechanical arms stuck here and there and the thing is just slurping and clicking by. With chain like legs, and metal legs, even gooey hairy legs. The source of sounds makes sense now. While your grip over Jeno tightens, his own arm around you loosens. Here he was thinking he’d protect you. Against that? Impossible. They were dead.

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Click-click-click-click-click

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Click-click-click-click-click

But then all of a sudden a deactivating sound fills the air, and the cybertech thing stops and the lanky head as well as robotic parts visibly stop.

Jeno’s senses are sharp when carefully stepping out only for you to hold him back. “No. Not yet. I’ve seen this in my vision. We run, it chases. Don’t move.” You stress out.

“Visions.”

You shush Jeno trying to hold yourself together. “When I say move. We move. Don’t move.”

Jeno despite wanting to run, is obediently tucked into the wall, holding tighter with all his strength. “He’s getting heavier.”

“Shhh.”

You reach into your pockets, bring out a few bolts and pins. “It can’t see. But it can hear. Very weak ears, but it’ll be able to tell when you’re around if you make sharp sounds. Watch and learn Jeno. Tie Renjun up tightly. Secure him and I’ll be back.”

“Don’t you do it.”

“I’m fast.”

This is what it must’ve felt like for the other boys watching him leap into his death in the maze- because the moment you leap out yelling out “Move!” The creature springs and roars to life whirring and clicking just as you thrash the bolts on the ground picking up speed when running for your life into the abyss. Jeno holds his tongue back from yelling. Instead his shaky hands pull and he bends down with his feet hanging to the wall while grabbing the rope tighter and wrapping the rope around the vine. He lets it go, falling to the ground. But he doesn’t stop there when seeing Renjun looking lifeless hanging from above. Using the same method, you did, Jeno climbs up the vine, but he holds onto the rope and wraps and ties each gap. He doesn’t have much time as he hears the raging roars emitting your struggle. It’s good that he’s not hearing silence, but it’s terrifying thinking that you’re running for your life being shitless scared. Finally reach to wear Renjun is, Jeno tucks him in between the leaves. It’s a pity if all this was done and Renjun was in deed lifeless.

Getting back on the ground, Jeno makes sure that Renjun is all secured like you said before he runs! It’s a fucking maze when Jeno tries following the sounds and hits a dead end! Trying and trying and trying- all last bits of hope draining from his body when the maze goes silent for just a second. But like a beacon of hope Jeno crashes onto the wall of vines again and falls flat on the ground.

His eyes land on the bolt that’s on the ground and his head ticks in realization- you made a pathway! Perhaps it is- Jeno doesn’t think when running while following the bolts and nail pins on the ground- the scarcer they become the more panicked Jeno gets. He yells out your name only causing an out bursting rage from the cybertech.

“I’m here!” Jeno hears somewhere in the maze, but it’s enough hope in him.

“I’m coming!”

Two corridors down Jeno suddenly feels something reaching out grabbing his hand- you direct him to follow you just as he becomes glad by your presence- heading deeper into the maze while the sounds of the clinking are no longer coming from just the ground but also the walls. He doesn’t need to look back knowing that the thing is following them. Pushing off with his feet as strongly as he can, he feels you pulling him forward in front. “Go! Keep going straight! Turn left and then-”

“I’m not leaving you!” Jeno holds onto your hand tighter as you take turns after turns.

“Turning makes it slow down to try and collect itself. It may be big, ugly and scary but it sure is dumb as dirt!” You pant out. “If we can make it to section 7 before the walls close then we’ll lose it.”

Your legs run so fast with Jeno equally catching up with you. You thank the heavens the moment your ears hear the boom and rough grinding of the walls beginning to change. “Jeno-”

“I’m not letting go.” His hand seals tighter on yours as suddenly the floors begin to rise where you’re both running. You keep running hearing how hasty and nastily the creature’s clinks grip the walls climbing it and then hurdling towards you both. “Jeno we have to jump down- we can make it.”

You’re both running on adrenaline when taking a huge leap as the wall continues to rise up. You both tumble and plunge straight into the ground- but you’ve got no time to react as you keep sprinting without delay. You stretch your hand back and Jeno locks his finger grips over yours again. Dodging incoming walls that are falling over, left wing walls closing in and sudden death floors rising, you and Jeno are soaring through the maze in sync and speed. It’s not until Jeno sees a pathway closing that you rush into without delay, does Jeno let go of your hand. “Go!”

“No!” You stop in fright looking back and forth. “Are you crazy the walls are gonna close-”

“The thing may be dumb as dirt but it’s still chasing us.” Jeno keeps pushing you to run, but you fight him holding him tight.

“Let’s keep running-”

“It’s either we end it here, or we keep running till sunrise-”

“Jeno-” The rueful roar never ceases to terrify you. “What are you doing!?”

Jeno breaks free from your hands running back, you don’t waste time in running forward and waiting by the walls begging and pleading for Jeno to make it out fast.

“Jeno don’t look back just run!”

“Come on!” Jeno yells back to the cybertech trying to detangle itself after getting caught in some vines. Upon detangling itself, almost in a mocking whirring and clicking sound, the cybertech creature jolts and pounces towards Jeno. Jeno head first running like a chicken doesn’t look back when running towards you, as you’re standing close to the exit while watching the walls close praying for Jeno to make it.

Thunder strikes the sky perfectly just as the all too familiar boom sound and scraping of the stones on stone stop. Everything hurts, but you’re still breathing. And even though flat on the ground with Jeno slumped down on top of you, you still chuckle in astonishment. Jeno trying to catch his breath leans up a little looking at your face, before he shakes his head with a little smile rolling off from your body. The last minute jump could’ve costed him his legs- but it was all worth it. With adrenaline high, and their light cackles whisking into the light and rain filled sky, they don’t notice the squashed bug like cybertech thing literally compressed and spilling guts.

“Jeno,” You shut your eyes still chuckling. The high faintly fades away, before your hands pats on the ground until you find another cold hand. Jeno’s a bit startled when you take it in yours and place it over your heart. “Is my heart beating? Or am I dead right now and just blissfully being a ghost.”

Jeno’s lip tugs upwards when turning to look at you. You’re already looking at him, your eyes getting lost in the dark pits of his gaze. Jeno takes a hold of your hand before bringing it to his own chest over his heart. “Feel my heartbeat instead. What do you hear?”

“Ba dum, ba dum,” Your whispering tone slowly slows down with each thump from Jeno’s heart. The longer he looks at you, the slower his heart paces.

His hand leaves yours against his chest, before his hand breezes past the wet strand of your hair and then tucking behind your ear. You adjust yourself, your posture to lean sideways while drawing closer to Jeno, still with your hand over his heart. It’s calming. You remember a vision so faint, a vision so real of you laying on his chest as you fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

“I know you… don’t I?” Jeno questions quietly, not knowing why the thoughts of your face pass over his mind like a soft wave. “I can hear you laughing in my head. I think I’ve even seen you once or twice in my dreams too. Slapping me…telling me to-”

“Come find me.” Your heart beats expressively fast and you pull yourself closer to him. His hand goes down your face, just as leans closer to you until he is touching your lips with his own, initiating a kiss. Your hands go up his shoulders to cup the back of his neck, pulling him closer, kissing back. His other hand reaches for your waist as he holds you, both of you feeling warm and relaxed in each other’s embrace as you fall into this moment, this memory. It’s only a kiss but from the kiss, waves of emotions flow through him… of having done this before. He can see you and feel how familiar your lips are on his. He could feel it in his body that he’s been eagerly waiting for you. When your fingers touch his cheek, the way they felt on the back of his neck and the slight pressure against them as they curl over his hair, he automatically moans out. “Who are you?” Your soft hair faint smell of flowers gets him dizzy when diving deeper into the kiss. He felt all of those things from you. Whispering your name feels like a superpower because it ignites a fire in his heart.

But for you, you feel more things when he kisses you. Such as your visions and dreams… were never really dreams because he has always been real.

Memory…

“Promise me something.” Jeno’s voice fades into your ear as you hold hands when entering a dim dark lab. You’re scared and tense, but with Jeno’s hand in yours you feel all the confidence and courage. “We’ll get through this together, like always. No matter what, just promise me something…”

“Okay,” You timidly say, looking up to him. “What is it?”

“Never forget me.”

You gulp and nod your head. “I won’t. You know I won’t. But…” You cling onto his hand tighter the moment the double doors begin to open. “I’m not strong enough, smart enough, or even fast enough. I might even fail this next test and they’ll find me out to be weak. Jeno, wherever they’ll put me…please… I know it’s impossible, but please Jeno…come find me.”

Jeno stops walking, not minding the guards who take notice of the sudden delay. Jeno holds onto the sides of your head leaning down and he pressing his forehead to yours. “You’re not weak. Not in my eyes.” His lips meeting yours, taking away all the pain you felt, all the nerves and even giving you strength. “I’ll come find you. You know I will. However, before that, I want you to push on and strive. You’re my girl. And my girl is strong, intelligent and fiercely fast. Remember that.”

End of memory…

You didn’t even know it would feel like that, but when he pulls away from the kiss you feel something different in you. Tears of joy, tears of gladness. When finally looking at Jeno in the rainy darks of the night. Your heart still pounds rapidly against your ribs, but somehow you feel more at peace than before. He looks up at you through his lashes, looking like a little kid who did something wrong. “I’m sorry.” He apologizes. “I don’t know why I did that,”

“It’s okay.” You smile lightly biting your lip. “I liked it.”

Jeno’s cheeks heat up even underneath the rain. Of course he didn’t see what you saw just now. But knowing his identity and seeing him look so confused at knowing yet not knowing that he knows you somehow makes your heart warm. Jeno was your boyfriend… Is your boyfriend. And he came back for you. He found you… which could mean a variety of things. But your memory isn’t that clear to see the trouble ahead.

“If I had to tell you right now, that this rain is artificial, would you believe me?” You find yourself asking, wanting to just bask in this ambiance with him now. “That this is some sick twisted pattern that happens every year. Would you believe me?”

That’s news to Jeno’s ears. Not wanting to look away from your own galaxy eyes that sparkle, Jeno quickly peeks up getting eye stabbed by a droplet of rain before he quickly looks back to your smiling figure. He wipes on his eye before peering at you. “What do you mean?”

“It isn’t real. The sky.” You say, your hand daring to rub his chest. “It’s all just science. The weather all the way to the ground, is all artificial gadgets and technology imbedded into our minds.”

“Wait, what?” Jeno frowns a little, and you nod your head.

“The weather is fake.” You whisper. “What you’re seeing now is all mental. It’s all in your head. None of it, is real.”

“What?”

You chuckle lightly and shake your head. “Never mind. It’s too much to grasp right now,”

You look away from him, facing upwards again but closing your eyes this time. Jeno doesn’t do the same. Instead, his eyes analysis, every feature on the side of your face. Your face is familiar, but he can’t put a face on it. Not wanting to break his mind, he just dwells on the thought that he kissed you. “The ground is quite hard, do you wanna lay your head on my chest?”

Jeno’s surprised by the sudden words that leave his mouth, and he quickly retreats. To you though, his mind is beginning to question a lot of things. Without hesitation, you’re on his chest. He feels warm against your body, not in a way that makes you uncomfortable, just in the right position for him to be comfortable with his arms around you nervously. You don’t say anything, just lie there quietly enjoying each other presence. His breathing is steady and calm, trying not to draw attention to how fast his heart is beating, Jeno settles onto how you were. “You know. Out there when dealing with that cybertech thing, you were actually brave, fast and so damn clever.” Jeno complements. “Obviously if it weren’t for you, I’d run straight into that thing. So I’m really thankful to have had you here, to find you.”

The night calmly flies by with little to no conversation, just your body on his. While his mind wanders and forms all types of curiosity. “Why do they call you dreamer? Is it because you have dreams?”

“Mhm,” You nod your head. “The dreamers are like, a selected few who can just see outside of this maze. It’s like… we can see beyond. Like prophecy. So, Jaemin…he used to have dreams about the maze and all the sections. From memory we’d run the maze from front to end, using every inch of time we had, yet to no avail. We’ve found no way out. I’ve run every inch of it myself, at times Jaemin and I would split up, trying to see if each section had something new. What we did find, is that per day, per night 1 section opens up. Yesterday night section 7 was closing, while section 4 was opening. It’s a pattern that we’ve learnt. 5 9 7 4 1 2 3 6 8. With each new open section, a cybertech comes out. The cybertech only comes out at night, but recently something odd has been happening, it’s what got Jaemin accidently stung, as well as Renjun.”

“What happened?” Jeno’s ears tingle with interest when he’s finally getting all the answers about the maze.

“We started seeing them more frequently in the mornings. They’re less energetic and don’t do much chasing, however they do shoot out poison like venom. Jaemin probably never noticed it till it was too late. I was able to see it shoot out and then hit Renjun. The affects didn’t start immediately, but just as we were about to head on back…he attacked me.” Jeno’s eyes enlarge when your fingers pull down the shirt showing your shoulder. Huge in size but faintly red rough scratches are over your shoulder. “I tried getting away from him, but he was just too fast under the influence of the poison. And so, I hit him. Really hard with my fist and ran. I ran so fast and was close to the doors, but… just the thought of leaving Renjun broke my heart. Jaemin kept saying that he wasn’t stung, and I felt like maybe if we weren’t so quick in banishing him then we’d be able to learn something. So I ran back to Renjun. He was still unconscious and I thought that if I bring him back then we could tie him up and just… ask him what he’s feeling. I mean it’s Renjun after all. He didn’t want to bite me and he kept holding himself back and even hitting himself, but he was under the control of the poison. So I really had the hope… I still have the belief that if we speak to him, he might explain something that will really be helpful to us.”

Jeno instinctively wants to lean in and place smooth kisses over your shoulder. However, having kissed you already out of the blue in the dead of the night alerted him to not do it again. But yet he finds his fingers glazing over your skin giving you light tingles. “It sounds to me like you wanna get out this maze just as much as me.”

You smirk when looking into his eyes. “Trust me when I say Jeno, the others don’t want to get out. Staying longer here has brainwashed everyone that we’re safer in the walls then whatever is in the maze. When we told Renjun that we might now a way out, but it’ll require us to act fast and leave fast, he told us to just keep it a secret until we were sure.”

“A way out?”

“It’s hypothetical, but it’s not unreasonable.” You let go of your shirt, yet Jeno’s hand still rests on your shoulder gently moving over the scar. He doesn’t know why he keeps his hands there, but his heart just tingles in pain when feeling the scar. Something in him just recognizes that he doesn’t like when seeing you hurt. From your cries all the way to your physical pain, he doesn’t like it.

“What’s your hypothesis?”

“That the cybertechs way into the maze, could be our way out. See it like this, we’re trapped in the center, and the cybertech is trapped in the maze. We both want to get out. They’re most active at night, however at night that’s when the maze doors are shut, so they’re trying to find a way in the center. And with us it’s the same as wanting to get out, only except we can only move in the morning but all exits are shut in morning and only open up at night.”

“That’s interesting.” Jeno finally lets your shoulder go. “That’s actually not a bad hypothesis. In fact, we could explore it….”

Your eyes enlarge a little. “You want to explore the maze?”

“Since day one,” Jeno mentions. “I wanted to be a dreamer. But if what you said is true, that they don’t want to leave then they could overthrow the idea of leaving. How about this, we only present an option to them.” Jeno says finally turning his head to the large bloody chunk of mashed dead cells and tech parts being squashed in the wall. “Those that want to leave, can leave and the others can stay.”

You’re in a trance just watching Jeno. Despite his lack of memory, the kiss you shared allowed you to calm down a bit knowing that he’s here with you and will help you out like always. So as he stands up and moves to the machine crushed animal in the wall, you follow him.

“You said one cybertech comes out per night from a different section, so if this was section 7’s cybertech that means tonight section 4’s cybertech will come out.”

“Right.”

Jeno’s brain is quick in thinking but so are his hands when being sharp in digging into the squishy bloody gooey parts of the thing and pulling out something that he sees flashing. It’s cylinder machine piece that blinks red every second. Jeno looks at your wondrous face smiling a little. “I have an idea.”

-

It’s barely sunrise, but already a few members have awoken and patiently wait by the walls. What a scary sight it was to witness not one but three members disappear into the maze walls. There was great confusion, anger and even worry filling in through the members. First they lost a dreamer, but losing the second and last dreamer only caused panic in them. Not to mention for Donghyuck who thinks that Jeno could’ve been a dreamer, really threw all his hope in the gutter. They lost all the dreamers and their leader. What would happen? However, those thoughts were kept at bay when Jisung repeatedly had hope that Jeno would survive the maze. So as the sun slowly peeks and the familiar ground shaking doors grumble up opening up slowly, eager eyes peek into the dark maze trying to make out responses of human life. From the hammocks, the others awaken running to the doors as it continues to open up.

“Where are they?”

It’s the lost voice of disappear that the boys all hear when seeing nothing emerge from within the maze. Sadness washes over their faces as they stare in shock-

“Wait. I can see something.” Someone points out into the maze. “There on the ground. Look.” Without sunlight it’s hard to see the sitting figure on the ground, but with squinted eyes surely they can see it.

“Hey!” Mark yells out repeatedly. “It’s not moving.”

“I don’t think it’s dead either.” Donghyuck says. “It’s a person.” He breathes in deeply. “I’m going to get it.”

No offers to come, no one offers to help as Donghyuck in all timidity slowly moves into the maze. The corridor is long and overwhelming. He doesn’t peek back, he only looks forward to the hunched sitting figure. The closer he gets the more he sees that the person is tied up. He can even hear faint breathing coming from the person. “Don’t touch me.” It whispers out trying to control its breathing.

“Renjun?” Donghyuck bends down quickly going to make sure that Renjun is alright- before making it there he kicks on a pile of little bolts and screws on the ground. Looking down on the floor… he sees letters formed by the bolts. ‘EEP HIM.’ Donghyuck comprehends it as ‘keep him’. The hesitancy flies out his system when quickly picking him up ignoring his faint whispers to let him go. Trudging back to the field, Mark is the first notice the hands.

“Donghyuck don’t you dare bring it in here, it’s been stung!”

“There was a sign saying keep him.” Donghyuck ignores Mark and keeps walking sideway with Renjun over his shoulder. “I think Y/n and Jeno might still be alive.”

“What? Are you crazy!” Mark follows after Donghyuck in heaps. “News flash there was no one in the maze-”

“Renjun was there.”

“Besides him you idiot!” Mark gets worked up.

“Chenle, Doyoung help me get him inside.”

Work is cut for the day as majority of the hours are spent in the council room with all the members, trying to figure out what’s plan ‘B’. Some prefer to kick Renjun back into the maze. They can’t have him on the hospital bed for long knowing that he’s stung. While a few want to keep Renjun, they’re initially converted to kicking him out once seeing no use to him now that the dreamers are gone. Majority of the vote prefer in continuing life without Renjun and the dreamers, in their defense Jeno had a big head and went into the maze- Y/n risked her life trying to save Renjun and Renjun was a fool for trying to retrace Jaemin’s steps.

“You guys can’t be serious.” Donghyuck shakes his head when listening to the nonsense being imposed and spread.

“Donghyuck what’s crazy, is you trying to create more dreamers.” Sungchan, one of the cooks speaks up. “We never needed them in the first place. What if this place was made with the purpose to keep us in to protect us?”

“Exactly.” The others gang up in believing that message. “This is a utopia, and the people who put us in here probably did it preserve young boys. Society is in need of strong men who can create a world. This could be training for us.”

Donghyuck turns to Mark who nods his head agreeing. “I feel exactly the same way.”

“Do you guys, not feel remotely trapped? Don’t you sense that something is off?” Donghyuck questions with his eyebrows raised in concern. “You mean to tell me that you guys aren’t brewing with curiosity? Ever since Jeno came, it’s made me realize just how fired up, we all were when first arriving to leave.”

“I still feel that way,” Jisung shyly lets his voice be heard. “Look, I don’t know if Jeno was brave or stupid for entering into the maze. But his act should push us to bravery to run into the maze-”

“Curiosity got him killed.” Another member Yangyang, who deals with stocking up all their tools speaks up. “And it’ll get you killed too if you even think of entering into that maze.”

“Jeno.” Mark scoffs. “That guy has been having a death wish since he came here. He refuses to work, continuously questions our intelligence and on top of that, did you guys know that he had dreams?” Mark poses gaining reactions of surprise. “Exactly. So here’s my theory all over again. The runners as well as the dreamers were moles in clan, trying to lead us to our deaths. Thank god we didn’t follow or listen to them, otherwise, we would’ve ended up like all of them. Does it ever strike you that the only people we lost were the runners and dreamers? This says a lot. And I’m betting that the people who sent us here knew that we needed to get rid of them, that’s why-”

Mark’s speech is halted, when a weirdly familiar sound reactivates itself and the blaring horn of the box arrives. Not just Donghyuck, but everyone else is up and heading out the commune hall and into the center of the field where the box kept ringing announcing that it’s coming up.

“It shouldn’t be coming up.” Whispers and mummers begin to go around. “It hasn’t been a month yet. What’s going on?”

Once the horn stops indicating that the box has arrived, with one glance to Jisung next to him, Donghyuck finds himself bouncing into the cage and then opening it up. Expecting to see a male figure like all the other times, he’s surprised when seeing a box. A tiny box. Getting inside to pick up the box, Donghyuck is startled just as the cage violently shifts and breaks a little. “Shit I’ve seen this in my dreams before.” Donghyuck’s eyes widen. “Give this Y/n, she’ll know what to do.” Tossing the box overboard into the hands of Mark- the other boys try to assist in getting Donghyuck out. Yet by another creak and drop- all jaws are dropped open in yelling out when the cage doors itself close and the box sinks vanishing into darkness.

Panic wafts through the field and area where the boys are standing. “What just happened? Did the box fall? Did Donghyuck just say he saw in his dreams?”

As others panic and cower in fear and worry of just suddenly losing Donghyuck to the box, Mark’s eyes read over the note that came with the box. On one end ‘Times up’ is written, and when turning the card around it reads ‘This might help to slow down the poison. Use it wisely.’ Despite cries of worry going around, Mark opens up the box and inside is a large syringe with blue liquid. “Does anyone have an idea of what I’m looking at?”

Eyes now wonder away from the closed box to Mark’s hand holding up a syringe. But their reactions are slow when another phenomena happens and it all starts with your yelling. “Guys! We found a way out!”

It’s like looking at pairs of ghosts watching you and Jeno run out from the maze. Jeno and you are blazing with large smiles when reaching the other boys. “Guys, we think we found a way out.”

“You think or you know?” Mark’s sharp voice cuts through their smiles. He tosses the box aside storming to you. “What’s this?”

You step back a little from Mark’s rapid attitude towards you. Standing right in front of you holding up a syringe, your eyes move to his hand and then his eyes. But just as he can say more, you’re backup as Jeno pulls you behind him standing in front of Mark staring him down. “What’s your problem?” Jeno’s low voice speaks up. “Didn’t you hear what she said? We found a new passage, we think it could be our way out-”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Jeno is slow to react when Mark pushes on his chest violently. Jeno holds himself from knocking you down. “I’m getting fed up of seeing and hearing your stupid face and voice. Ever since you’ve come nothing but chaos has been upon us! Because of you we lost Jaemin, Renjun and Donghyuck!”

“Mark you can’t put all that blame on Jeno. If anything Jeno has played a huge part in finding a way out-”

“What, now you’re kissing his ass? Was Jaemin’s dick not big enough for you-” Mark glares wholes at you but his gaze sharply turns to Jeno when Jeno forces him back.

“Respect the dead.”

“Where’s Renjun?” Your iced voice laced in annoyance speaks up as you turn to walk away in anger. “Jeno let’s go. They’re clearly not in any mood to talk.”

“And so what? You’re going to talk to Renjun? No. I’m sick and tired of all these secrets, we should have you guys kicked out of this place because all you want to do is run to your deaths in the maze. But you know what, I’m not going to stop you two dimwits this time. If you want to leave and end up like that misfortunate cockblock Jaemin then go. You’re smarter then this Y/n. Your place is here with us.”

The word misfortune has you stopping in your tracks even though you so desperately want to ignore him. “Just ignore him.” Jeno reads your mind, but you just can’t stop as you harshly turn around tramping to him.

“Now that Jaemin’s gone you think you can say all types of shit to me. Huh? Misfortunate?” You stand in front of him not being afraid of his height and size. “Do you know how many people lost their lives trying to keep you and everyone ‘safe’?”

“You mean those stupid, pathetic, useless, worthless assholes who left the field to die in the maze?”

“You haven’t a clue of what we’re going through trying to get down to the bottom of this all. Finally, we’ve got a chance- a real shot at being free and you’re being a coward. But you know what, if you want us to leave we’ll leave.”

Stomping away from him with Jeno following next to you, you stop one last time when hearing Mark’s final way. “The only way to leave officially is through banishment.” Mark pokes the side of his check. “Take this while you’re at it. Donghyuck said you’d need it.”

Reaching the little infirmary room which was used to keep any of the sick, another clan member Doyoung sits with a roughly panting Renjun. “How’s he doing?” You ask while getting inside with Jeno following behind you.

“Have no idea. He’s stung for sure, so he must be in so much pain.”

“I’ve seen that before.” You look down to your hand by the item Jeno points out. “I can’t remember it well, but…”

“Me too.” You mention while pulling out it’s cup seeing the thin firm needle. “I think it might help him relax,”

“And it might bring back his memory.” Jeno underlines when looking at it recalling it being used as some sort of memory device. “After Jaemin and Renjun got stung, they clearly had a few brain cells left that reminded them of who they were. If what we saw back there in the maze is real then, I think this might help in reviving our memories.”

Jeno simply stares at you while unbuttoning his black wrist button and pulling it up revealing his skin. Your thoughts are in sync when, but it still has you feeling nervous. “Are you sure?”

“Not really. But I really do think it’ll bring my memories back.” Jeno breathes out. “Plus I wanna know why you keep looking at me like that,” Like you love him.

“Jeno, we just got each other back, we can’t lose each other again.”

“We won’t.” He tilts his head to the side looking into your eyes. It feels like he knows you, but it’s so weird that his mind doesn’t, yet his heart yearns so much for you. The kiss just added onto their intimacy. You’re someone he doesn’t mind following. Looking at you, he knows for sure that the reason he was sent up here was to find you. “I promise, we won’t lose each other again.”

-

Challenge after challenge, Jeno finds himself to be top of the ranks surpassing all the scientists’ expectations. He flies through the speed tests, excels in accuracy when put into logical thinking solutions and fights hard for his survival… as well as yours. Being put through hell from crazy challenges by the doctors in lab coats, to being put in a level of authority and power over subject and finally rendering in a place of power in order to keep you safe and alive. Even while reducing down Mark’s scores in order to boost you up. Once Mark is cut and sent to the maze grid, Jeno’s next subject is Donghyuck. And just like Mark, Jeno purposely reduces Donghyuck’s marks to give you a shot.

“Jeno, you can’t keep choosing me to stay.” You timidly speak, your gaze on the floor just as your confidence is non-existent. “The others already hate me.”

Jeno being fervently touched when seeing you broken hits his chest hard like a punch. He hates seeing you upset, he gets on his knees before you and shakes his head. “Baby, I’m aware that they have a strong distaste towards you, but it’s not about them, it never has been. It’s about staying alive till the end. Who knows, we might get chosen and all of this would’ve been worth it.”

“At what cost?” You tearfully look into Jeno’s eyes. “I can’t keep watching as the others get cut while we try to survive.”

“I know you hate it,” Jeno has his hands over your arms. “But it is, what it is. I promise you, it’ll all make sense when we’re finally chosen to go into the Neo Tech. Virus free, poverty free, this is our ticket. Plus, you’re also doing your part. You’re working hard and trying to survive.”

“I’m not strong like you, and there others can already-”

“You are strong.” Jeno stops you from discouraging and undermining yourself. “And brave, and fierce. You never give up, and that’s all that matters.”

“Have you purposely been making the others lose just so that I could get ahead?” You look up at Jeno in disbelief. Jeno’s mouth halts before clearing his throat. “I’m not brave, fierce or even strong, because you keep cheating me. My doctor told me that I was supposed to be cut a long time ago.”

“Don’t listen to them.”

“How can I not listen to them, when they told me that you willingly sacrificed to put Jaemin in the cut zone, just to save me. Jeno?” Your tears fill your eyes. “You sacrificed my brother’s freedom, just so that you and I could be together? No. How can I accept that?”

“Baby listen-”

“No. I’m done listening to you.” You get up and shake your head. “This isn’t love anymore. You’re obsessed with me now.”

“I love you that’s why I’m doing this-”

“This is obsession! This isn’t love! What have they done to make you so hell bent on wanting to save just me? Jeno! Please. This isn’t normal anymore.” You shake your head but Jeno holds your wrist back being confused. You yank his hand away from yours. “I’m turning myself in.”

“No.” Jeno’s eyes open widely. “You can’t do that.”

“I will.”

“No.” His grip gets tighter on your wrist, and there’s a bit of a wrestle for him to set you free. But he’s so strong that in the end you twist your body back and your arm flies to his face with a strong 5 finger slap. Jeno backs up in shock and stares at you.

“Jeno! Snap out of it! I am turning myself in. Right now. I’m going to do it. Because you have lost your mind.” You storm out giving him one last glance. “And this time don’t follow me. I never want to see you again.” Your voice breaks when staring at him in the eyes. “It’s over.”

Jeno watches you walk away in complete shock, at how strange the conversation turned out to be. What did he do wrong? In shock, he doesn’t follow you and simply stays behind in your room. Trying to understand what he did wrong. Emptiness fills him up as he ponders. He just wanted to survive and have you near to him. Was that wrong? Even if he had to put others out and chose to save you, didn’t mean that he didn’t do it out of love. If anything, everything he’s ever done while here was to save and protect you. The night comes quick, when Jeno hears that the next person to have gotten in the maze was you. He can’t bring himself to even go on normally as he’s stuck in limbo, in a wave of seas of confusion..

The rest of the days pass with Jeno focusing on his tasks of watching the others trying to survive in the simulations. All the girls have made it through and since only 14 people were required to move on, Jeno chose to stay and remain as part of the scientist. A part of him only wanted to watch you, but the other part of him wanted to join the subjects in the new world… It’s within training the new subjects that he realized something.

Whenever he realized something, he’d go back in the grid to watch you peacefully sleeping in your capsule while dreamt an endless dream of being in the maze. He’d watch you take charge on your own, without memory, he watched you fight and train and realize your own worth and what it meant to be free. It took 1 whole year to realize what he did wrong, and why his head was so deeply into the gutter. You realized it. You left him because you longer felt his love was genuinely about you… it was always about freedom. Freedom is limited by so many things, and it can never truly or properly be achieved… but it always depends on a person. Do they want to be free or not?

When watching you survive and hold up your own in a world full of boys, Jeno admired your will and emotion strength. Without him butting in your freedom, you became stronger. And Jeno realized that he almost took your freedom of choice away. “I’m sorry.” He’d whisper when watching you float in the capsule. Other times, he’d purpose speak into your mind, saying that he was sorry. For you however, it was a dream that you’d see if a guy you never knew apologizing to you.

Jeno now had a choice. To join the new subjects in the New World as a new person, or keep being a scientist and watching you trapped in a capsule. It’s weird because the capsules were designed to keep the ‘failures’ for a limited amount of time. Yet, for some reason, these failures didn’t want to die by going into the maze. They preferred to stay in, in order to stay alive. Because they didn’t know their own fate, would they live or die. And so when a plan to over throw everyone in the grid comes to motion, Jeno forsakes his new dream of freedom in the new world, by staying true to what he’s always wanted, which was just to be with you. He wants to be free, but what he’s always wanted, was for you to be free too. After seeing your progression and your strong will, and how you’d take charge on most situations and how you were respected, he couldn’t let you die, just like that. You deserved to be free too. To do what you want, and not be dictated.

So, after setting up the machines, Jeno sets a timer for his last mission. He locks himself inside the capsule as the blue water begins to rise. He wasn’t going into the maze, for his own freedom. He was going there to free you, so that you could be free. He needed to remember that. He needs to remember that. He needs to make you escape, so that you can be free. The doctors and scientist are in shock when storming into the room seeing that the breach was actually Jeno trapping himself with the other failures. To the scientists, Jeno was a force to reckon with, a beacon for the new world. They adored Jeno and felt he would play a huge part in the new society, so seeing him getting in a ticking timer that would only over through all the failures is a gable. They could decide to save Jeno, or kill him and the others.

“We’ll give him 5 days.” Jeno’s doctor looks at Jeno who’s fallen into trance, a dreamlike state as his mind enters the simulation. “Knowing him, he’ll want to defeat the challenge as fast as possible.”

“The only problem is that he’s in grid full of failures who refuse to leave.”

“He’ll change it.” Jeno’s doctor motions. “I have faith in him.”

Y/n’s old scientist scoffs. “I’ll bet you, he’ll go look for her and try to bring her out.”

It’s no secret that Jeno pulled all sorts of strings to save you, so it is a big gamble the doctors are taking. “Whatever. If he fails after 5 days, we kill them all.” Jeno’s scientist walks to the capsule pod that Jeno is in and speaks into the earpiece. “Jeno. Remember this. Survive and Run. You have no other purpose. Survive and Run.”

“JENO! WAKE UP!”

Bolting his eyes open like being struck over the head by lightening, Jeno’s whole body shoots up. He’s in pain but can’t even begin to process it- because all around him, there’s chaos. Jeno sees fire first, feels the heat and then realizes where he is. The grid? Why is it in flames? Why is it burning up? The field is something out of the pits of hell. Trees are on fires, huts are on fire, and demon like creatures are jumping and crashing from hut to hut, trampling over people. He makes out the demons to be cybertechs- “What the hell?”

“Jeno!”

You’re crying voice gets to his ears again, and he realizes that’s who was crying out his name. Seeing you underneath him, Jeno feels how bumpy his ride is- that’s because you’re carrying him and running with him on your back. Noticing this, he doesn’t rest on your back any longer and twists his body side ways falling straight to the ground. You’re panting and breathing and your eyes are wet with tears. “Y/n- what the hell happened?”

“There’s no time to explain- we need to run!”

Running seems to be the only thing that everyone underneath the dark sky is doing. Jeno notices that indeed it’s night time and the only light coming is from the fire. His memory fully comes into him when remembering the plan to kill all the failures. “Shit!” He curses out but you grab his hand running as fast as you can while dragging his distorted out phase. It only took him being under sedative for a while for the chaos to begin. Outside, Mark was already ready to throw you, Renjun and Jeno out. So, they picked all three of you up and tied you up to poles. They’d wait for Sundown when the maze would close to finally push you all inside and let you die inside. But as the sun set, and the maze didn’t close, they all sensed that something was wrong. Mark only blamed Jeno saying this such as ‘One night in the maze, and already he’s caused trouble’. Just in time, all the other shut walls began opening up. It was terrifying, because on one hand, Renjun and Jeno were both out unconscious and the other hand, the boys in the maze began scampering around to all the open walls wondering what the hell was happening. With pitch forks and fire open up in defense mode, Jisung ran to you and cut you open trying to help you.

However it was too late because just as he cut you lose- a large animalistic piece of tech with a large roar grunged into the field and bit him. The mere sight of the roaring monster alerted everyone in the field! You knew what it was, it was a cybertech! Not one, but 4 came out from all sides of the walls and began devouring all the little males running and screaming. There was no time! You had to run- and you did run! But when seeing the cybertech draw fiercely close to Jeno- you lunged with your knife! Screaming in raw anger you jumped and stabbed it in the eye- it roared in agony- falling back and going blind and chasing in rage. Creating time for you to cut Jeno open. Carrying him on your back, you began running towards the entrance of the maze! This was it. You needed to escape. Jeno was heavy- but your will to carry him was even heavier. You kept calling out his name- screaming for him to wake up! Boys you once knew began falling and dying, left and right, but you kept running dodging and avoiding the cybertech. Even though you’d fall, you’d insistently get up with tears in your eyes as you groped Jeno’s toned body and force him on your back. The field is covered in darkness and fright! Everywhere you turn there’s just shouts and screams and you can hear everyone being devoured. “Jeno!” You yell out trampling over and cowering away from open spaces when seeing the cybertechs lunging and lacing.

If he hadn’t woken up- you don’t know if you’d be able to escape with him on your back. “Come on!” Running into the maze, and cutting corners following the familiar pattern, you finally stop hearing the screaming of the former members as it’s only you and Jeno’s panting. “We need to keep moving.” You turn back seeing Jeno’s running, but his attention on the ground. “Jeno?”

“Yeah?” He whispers out.

“What’s wrong?”

Jeno’s tongue tied. His heart feeling like it’s breaking. “We broke up.”

“What?”

And just like that, Jeno lets go of your hand and stops running. He can’t look at you. You also stop running, looking at him in confusion. You grab his run to run again, but he yanks his hand away. “Go, without me.”

“No,”

Jeno shakes his head. “I remember it all. It’s all my fault.”

“Jeno?” Your whimpering voice comes into view when hearing him down.

“I took your freedom away from you. We broke up because I kept trying to save you and free you.” Jeno mentions with his hands drawn to his side. “I only came up, to make sure that you run out. That you run free. You’ve got so much life, so much potential ahead of you, and I just didn’t want to see you die. I know it’s selfish for me to make a decision like this, but all the time I’ve been watching you, I’ve seen you become so strong and fierce. Go without me and be-”

A fiver finger slap across Jeno’s face as him looking up to you with tears. You’re equally crying while biting your bottom lip. “If you tell me to be free one more time, I will slap you again. But please Jeno, I promise I’ll tell you why I left, but first we need to get out of here.” A loud raging roar and hearing clicking on the ground, alarms you, but for some reason, Jeno stays on place. “Please. We just found each other again, and I’ll be a damn fool if I let you go again. Please let’s run.” You beg Jeno, feeling the tears fall.

Not thinking twice, Jeno follows you as you lead him just like you did in the morning. Together, you reach the exit of section 7. Running inside, and running towards a door that has a pin, Jeno shakes his head. “I wondered what this door was.”

“Never thought I’d be glad to see this door.” You smile while typing out the sequence numbers of the changing of the maze. “Seeing this door, always meant an escape from this nightmare dream.”

But just before you can enter the door- Jeno holds your hand back. “Once we go in there, we won’t have any time to ourselves. Let’s talk now,”

“But the cybertech-”

“Won’t get to us, not while we’re here. All it takes is walking through this door to stop the simulation.” Jeno says, his heart simmering down but he breaks in a little smile when seeing your face. His thoughts can finally flow normally. He can’t believe that he forgot you, that he forgot who you were. “I’ve missed you. So much.”

Hearing his confession, the dreams as well as memories flow back to you. Still with his hand in yours, you find yourself taking a seat on the ground. Jeno follows you to the ground, folding his legs and holding your hand securely. “You know, Jaemin and I realized something. That the dreams we were having, weren’t dreams, but that they were some kind of reality we lived. I’d tell him everything I dreamt. From all the challenges, to this one guy who kept coming to look for me. In every challenge, this guy would come like my knight and shining armor. He’d not only come for me, but he’d save me from the challenges. It was you.”

Jeno recalls every challenge, beginning to end, he was supposed to save himself, but he’d first run to look for you, when finding you, he’d help you find your way out. “You didn’t like me saving you, right?”

“Wrong.” You bring his hands up and place a kiss on them before laying your head on it, looking at him lovingly. “In fact, I missed you saving me. It’s been hard dreaming about this guy who’d save me all the time, to realizing that I needed to save myself. I…” Your tears blur your vision. “When the doctors and scientist told me what you were doing, that you would purposely grade the others low just so that I wouldn’t be last place, always touched my heart. Even though you had so much power, you used it for me. I felt guilty. Jeno… in all this mess, you’ve always been the strongest, fastest and smartest. I was holding you down-”

“Never-”

You shrug your shoulders when Jeno leans his forehead on yours. “It’s what I felt. I felt useless and weak. I couldn’t even save myself without my boyfriend cheating. I was… insecure. The other girls made it through without any help. It was just me who’d continuously fail in all the missions.” You look at his hands clasping yours and you kiss his fingers. “I broke up with you, because I reached my breaking point. I convinced myself that I was a hindrance to you, that I was a burden. So I left. I left in hopes that you could finally go into the new world order, and get a girl who was just as fast, and smart and brave and all the traits you possessed.”

Jeno wants to speak, but you shake your head and smile lightly.

“When I told Jaemin that, he nearly hit me.” You chuckle lightly. “He told me, that, the fact that you’d willingly risk it all to save me, spoke in volumes of how much you loved me. I didn’t believe it, because I didn’t feel like there was a need to love me. I was weak-”

“I never understood, why you kept saying you were weak. Despite others saying I was strong and whatever, I was only that way because I knew that you would push on. You kept pushing yourself, you kept trying, and seeing you put your all, made me not give up on you. You didn’t have muscles, but that didn’t stop you from trying. You weren’t the strongest, but seeing you withstand forces greater then you, was powerful. The only reason, why I always ran to you at the start of every simulation was because I wanted to be with you, I never wanted to see you go it alone. I was prepared to be your strength and shield, when you couldn’t find a reason to keep going. I guess I failed. Your determination, was my motivation. Even if I had to cheat, I never once doubted you, you kept me going. Everything, I did, was just to be with you. I just wanted to get past this mile and just be with you. I knew that even if you took time, you’d still pass. I fell in love with you, because of you never ending determination. Even if it could take years, you’d still always find a way out. The other girls had nothing on you, because you already had my heart, from the day you jumped into my arms, my life was yours. It broke my heart, when you left. I… lost my motivation. But I’ll tell you something crazy. That day, that day that the maze doors were about to close… seeing you try to drag Renjun out, awakened something in me. You were giving your all, while we were all watching. That fire that only bursted when I was with you, flamed inside of me, and I just ran into the maze, because I wanted to reach you. To be with you.”

Your smile is genuine, and the tears falling from your eyes are happy instead of being sad. “You looked possessed. And I was so upset, because I didn’t want you to die. Your eyes shined so brightly with this will. And I’m like, if I can’t lead these people out, I know Jeno might. Renjun kept saying that too. Unfortunately we didn’t’ save anyone else,”

“Unfortunately, I never cared about them. My only red flag, is being obsessed with you,” Jeno timidly smiles when recalling it’s the words you used to describe him. “In fact, I was an intern for 3 years and only watched you. The only reason I came up, was for you,”

“I’m glad you came back for me. I’m happy you came to find me.” Your lips tilt upwards when Jeno pulls you into his lap.

“I’m thankful for giving you time to find yourself, your unknown strength- babe you literally carried me and my heavy body,” You laugh sitting on his lap. “You’ve grown ever since then, and I’m proud of you.”

“Babe- I missed you calling me that. Thanks baby,” you whisper closing your eyes and enjoying his holds again on you. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jeno mumbles in your ear allowing your back to flutter with emotions. “No matter what, I won’t let you go,”

“Me too,” You nod your head. “Just promise me one thing,”

“It’s already a yes, to whatever it is.”

“Once we get out of here, promise that no matter what, we’ll never lose each other,”

“I’m prepared to see that promise out till the end.”

-

Dream ( ) Scape