The monster caught up to the slowest one of the three students.

  Its head which couldn't be distinguished from the rest of its body suddenly showed a slit that hid inside of it a frog-like tongue surrounded by numerous sharp teeth.

  Its tongue shot out with incredible speed, and before the student could realize it, the monster's tongue had pierced right through him.

  "Blee?"

  Blood shot out of his mouth as its tongue wrapped around his body before dragging him into its mouth, swallowing him whole as not even blood leaked out.

  The group watched as the monster ate him. Even his scream couldn't escape its slit-like mouth once caught.

  The other two ran with all their might, each one holding onto a bag for dear life. Their facial muscles were stretched in horror as sweat ran down their foreheads and their legs wobbled in pain.

  "Hide!" Screamed one of the two at the group before they separated, one going to the left and one going to the right at the 4-way-corridor.

  ‘What?!’ was what Jake wanted to shout back, but no sound came out of his mouth. A red cloud of mist filled with killing intent was quickly spreading around the monster as it approached the corridor intersection.

  “Let’s go! What are you two waiting for?!” Screamed Hyunwoo at his friends, waiting for them to follow as he stood near one of the two paths, but they didn’t follow him. Jake and Han Suho were standing frozen with wide eyes.

  ‘Why are they just standing there?!’

  The monster had quickly closed the distance between itself and the group, leaving Hyunwoo no choice but to grab the wrists of the two who were standing stiffly in place and forcefully throw them inside a small, tight room used to store the janitor's tools before going in himself and closing the door shut.

  "What's wrong with you two?!" He asked, but the two didn't reply.

  The three were pushed against each other’s backs inside the overloaded closet. The noise of heavy breaths resounded as sweat ran down their necks and the echoing of the monster’s feet crushing the floor tiles drew closer and closer.

  Hyunwoo glanced behind him and was shocked to find the two fear-struck.

  ‘Damn it!’

  He wanted to scream at them to wake them up but the thought of their death ran wildly inside of his head forcing his mouth shut, so instead, he kicked at them with his leg as he leaned against the door to keep it closed.

  The monster was deformed, but by no means slow nor stupid. It didn’t slow at all even while eating its prey, and instead of following one of the two that went in different directions, it chose to go for the Hyunwoo’s group.

  Dust scattered each time its legs hit the floor, leaving behind it a bloody trail as it crashed full speed into the school’s entrance which was now closed the same way as the dome outside.

  The monster didn’t immediately turn into ashes when it touched the glowing bars of the entrance. Unlike the hell hound, it only let out a groan of pain as smoke flew from where its flesh touched the bars.

  It leaned its large body against the door before suddenly its flesh started vibrating violently.

  As the vibrating slowly subsided, a disgusting eye suddenly formed and stared directly at Hyunwoo's eyes that were behind the said door.

  "What the fuck?!"

  The monster was so close that its features were now on full display.

  Black flesh that was stitched together and harbored numerous veins throbbing with polluted blood, its red eye was clearly plucked out of someone.

  “Kukuku?”

  Its ominous giggle brought the other two back awake.

  Its eye changed shape into a crescent moon at the sight of three handsome, and physically fit males who were behind one wooden door that couldn’t possibly hold it back.

  Soon, arms that didn't exist before emerged on the monster’s flesh. Veins quickly connected through the arms and the polluted, black blood ran through as its muscles ballooned in size and nails sharpened.

  Its monstrous arms started chipping away the door at a horrifyingly fast paste.

  "Do something!" Screamed Hyunwoo at the two. His body weight pushing against the door was the only thing stopping it from flying out of its hinges.

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  ‘The entrance behind was instantly blocked by those green bars. The two brats who brought the monster toward us ran away while the monster had already reached the 4-way-corridor. We were sacrificed!’ Thought Jake.

  The closet didn’t have many tools that could help but Han Suho took the broom that was hanging on the wall from a small metallic part, broke it into a sharp edge, and launched it into the monster’s eye in one swift motion.

  “Kuieeeeek?”

  The monster splattered black blood everywhere and roared in pain, but Han Suho wasn’t satisfied with the attack.

  “Tch? It's too shallow!” He shouted.

  The hit couldn’t connect with the monster properly due to how cramped it was inside the closet.

  “Suho-ssi, is there any air ventilation?!” Shouted Hyunwoo.

  "There's one on the ceiling!" Han Suho replied.

  There was one vent on the ceiling for air circulation, but it was far out of reach.

  "I got this!" Jake answered. He had gone for the chains thrown on the floor and wrapped them around his waist.

  "Suho, give me your hand!" He shouted before putting his foot on Han Suho's hand and reaching for the vent on the ceiling.

  In a show of dexterity, Jake had swiftly taken a sharp knife out of a secret pocket sewn into his school uniform's jacket.

  The knife's blade cut through the metal making the vent like butter.

  Han Suho watched in amazement as the metal didn't put up any resistance against Jake's knife. In just 4 strokes the vent that was maintained well was now lying on the ground.

  "Why do you have a knife on you?" Han Suho asked in shock at the sight before him. But Jake was having none of it.

  "Shut up! I can clearly see the sloppy work you made in hiding yours in the sleeves!"

  Just like Jake said, there was a secret pocket that looked self-made inside of Han Suho's sleeve hiding an identical blade to the one he was holding.

  Jake pointed upwards with his thumb as he spoke to Han Suho in urgency.

  "Hold me up properly, I'll go up there first and you guys come after me using the chain."

  But he was met with a skeptical stare instead.

  "Hmm…"

  But their moment was short-lived because directly next to them was Hyunwoo and the door that was holding up fiercely, fighting for their lives.

  "Can you guys go any faster?! I'm dying here!"

  The monster was chipping away at the door and actively bruising and cutting Hyunwoo as its monstrous arm occasionally passed through.

  "Kuaaaaak?!"

  Met with the hastened pace of the monster who sensed its prey getting away, both Han Suho and Jake had to compromise.

  "Don't you dare betray us." Threatened Han Suho.

  "I'm not as scummy as I act," replied Jake to his threatening before making his way up the vent.

  The chain dangled around his waist as he made his way up there with difficulty from the moist and slippery metal surface.

  "Ugh? Any progress?!" Asked Hyunwoo. His nose was bleeding, and bloody scratch and bruise marks were all around his torso as the top half of his uniform became colorful rags.

  The door was giving away faster and faster, his legs were wobbling strength in desperation, and amidst their urgency, all of the three failed to notice the faint green glowing around Hyunwoo's hands.

  The glowing extended from his hands, to the door cracks, to his failing legs. The more they glowed, the more they held up.

  "Almost!" Replied Jake. He was close to reaching the top of the vertical vent canal.

  After helping Jake, the shortest among them, reach the vent, Han Suho went to Hyunwoo's aid. The two held up the glowing door together as Jake climbed up with all his might.

  The chain made thunderous hits as it dangled between the ground and the vent. And before long, Jake reached the point where the rest of the vent system connected horizontally.

  Jake went further and supported himself in preparations to pull the two before he screamed for them to climb.

  "Come!" He screamed.

  His voice went and echoed throughout the whole vent system.

  "Hyunwoo-ssi, hold for a second I'll make this quick!" Said Han Suho before he took the other end of the chain, wrapped it around his friend's body swiftly, as if he had done this hundreds of times before, and climbed up himself.

  Han Suho's climb was the epitome of perfection. His leg and hand placement, finger handling, and arm movement were moving in total synchronization to allow for the most efficient climb.

  ‘Faster…!’

  His mind played the word faster on repeat, his face tensed as if he had been through this situation before. He was climbing up the chain with a speed that would put a monkey’s speed to shame.

  And within seconds, he was up the vent canal next to jake who was holding up quite at a world-record speed.

  Han Suho lined himself the most efficient way in front of Jake and prepared to pull Hyunwoo as they both screamed in unison.

  “Hyunwoo! We’re pulling you up!”

  “Hyunwoo-ssi! Cover your head!”

  Hyunwoo until then was holding up the fierce door for dear life. His eyes were becoming redder by the second, his joints were cracking at every impact the monster's arms made against the door, and his muscles were almost torn apart.

  His hands and the door were glowing brighter than the dome outside, but he didn’t utter a word. His entire brain process revolved around the word ‘Push’, and his entire body followed through.

  It was then the door broke down.

  Hyunwoo fell forward as his muscled pushed against the hard floor. his lunges were completely emptied and the dark green glow was fading.

  The monster's arms went for his neck. But just before it could grab it, Han Suho and Jake pulled up the chain that was tightly wrapped around his body with every ounce of strength they had. Barely avoiding its arms as blood dripped out of Hyunwoo’s chin that was grazed by its sharp nails.