Chapter Text
Turn the bus around! Now!
Who was he even talking to? There was no one in the front seat.
But someone listened.
Han watched, with growing alarm, as the steering wheel turned itself around and around, dragging the front of the bus with it. The wheels on one side hovered above ground for a second as the oversized vehicle made a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. Hyunjin gripped the seats as he fell under them, until the wheels slammed back to the ground, and he was thrown to the other side again. Changbin grabbed him then, pulling him up enough that he could hold on tight to one of the few metal poles between the seats. His saviour sat on the seat above him, gripping just as tight to the same pole… and crying just as hard.
Han never predicted this. Gripping tight to Felix, where they had both moved to huddle on the floor at the back of the bus, he wished he had some control over his ability. But it only ever seemed to work when he was calm and relax. This was definitely not calm and relaxed! He still had no idea why Changbin’s stunt had jumped into his head when they had been caught. He didn’t exactly feel at ease. But he did feel protected…
Right now, however, he only wished he knew what the hell Seungmin was thinking, turning the bus around at the last minute with apparently no one at the wheel other than maybe the drunk invisible man!
Another swerve this way, then that way and this way again. Hyunjin cried out with every turn while Han and Felix held tight to each other to stop from rolling around in the same way. With every swerve he felt nauseous. He just wanted it to stop!
And with a sudden loud screech of the tires, it did, flinging everyone towards the front with a simultaneous yell from everyone except Seungmin, who seemed unusually calm.
He rushed out the door, making everyone perk up with panicked curiosity as they stared after him.
He could see Chan’s face drop with disbelief when he looked out the window. While Changbin did the same, he couldn’t see his face, but he heard him. His unreadable whisper, “Now way.”
He wanted to know what they saw but he couldn’t bring himself to move, even when Felix let go to reluctantly rise for a better look.
It wasn’t until his huddle partner started trembling with fresh sobs, that he found out what all the fuss was about.
***
The guards never saw it coming. And if they did, they had no time to react, as the hulk of a bus came speeding into their small cluster and ragging them off to the side. It came so close to Minho that he jumped back, scuttling away until he could no longer feel the heat of the exhausted engine. He pretended not to hear the slap of metal against the semi-solid human structure, or to see the heap they fell into when they finally stopped rolling like ragdolls.
And then Seungmin was there. “Get up!” He yelled. The relief he felt at seeing a familiar face was overwhelming. “Get up! Let’s Go!” He was soon pulled to his feet, the aches and sharp pains of his wounds coming back with a vengeance. Seungmin threw his uninjured arm over his shoulder and hoisted him up by the waist. “You look like shit.” He said simply, as they both struggled up the steps of the bus.
When they were inside, he immediately noted two things: There was no one in the driver’s seat and everyone, including Felix and Changbin, were all here. Felix had tears streaming down his face, looking more pitiful than he’d ever seen him. Hyunjin was on the floor, clinging to a pole, Changbin beside him with a dumbstruck look on his face that resembled Chan’s, Jeongin’s and—
Han slowly got up. “I thought…” He breathed. He closed the gap slowly, tears falling, sobs escaping. By the time he reached Minho, he was hiccupping like a child. “I thought *hic* you were d-- *hic* dead! *hic* *hic*” He burst into tears, throwing his arms around Minho. The gesture was so foreign he could only stand there, awkwardly patting the boy on the back as he sobbed into his shoulder.
But after all he had been through to get here, all the injuries and pain he endured, his allies became his hope, and they meant more to him than he could say.
Despite himself, tears began welling up in his eyes and he wrapped his arms around Han, the boy that, without a doubt, had always been his closest friend.
***
“Let’s get going.” Seungmin told the driver, who nodded in response. Then he turned to the other’s, “Hold on tight.” This time, they took him a little more seriously and found something better to cling on to.
The driver soon resumed his I’m already dead so I can drive like a maniac acceleration towards the gate, and they were soon bursting through, chained and bolted or not. Who needs a wing mirror anyway?
After they were through the gate, the journey became a little smoother, albeit the roads were a little bumpy. But it was steady enough for Chan to bind up the deep cut on Minho’s arm, using the old white uniform that he tore up into bandages. Meanwhile, everyone searched through the abundance of clothes that they brought with them, to find whatever fit. It didn’t escape Seungmin’s attention, either, when Han found that denim jacket and put it on. It escaped Hyunjin’s though, as he kept looking through the clothes, half-dressed, until he saw it on Han and began his protests.
At the look of sorrow on Woojin’s face, still dressed in his pristine white attire, Seungmin grabbed an outfit from the leftover linens and left it on a seat next to him. He willed it with all his strength, but it may have been Woojin’s will alone that let him grab the pile and change his clothes. Probably that. Considering how the pile still sat on the seat in solid form.
He’d never seen Woojin smile so much, as he did when he put on his new clothes. Not just him, either; everyone was so much livelier after they stripped off the white and replaced it with colour. They all looked dishevelled, their hair in wild tangles, faces dirty, the clothes old, wrinkled and musty. But even still, they were the happiest they had ever been.
Because they were free.
***
Hyunjin ached more than the day after taking inventory with Chan. He lay on the floor of the bus, too tired to fight for a stupid jacket. He’d found an oversized sweater instead, that he bet was way more comfy, anyway.
“We’re coming up to the edge.” Changbin interjected, standing at the front with Chan, both watching the road through the windshield. Chan had told them about the simulated view of nature. And to be honest, none of them were surprised. Nothing else could have explained the suffocation they felt, and still felt, within the grounds of the institute. When they announced their proximity, Hyunjin all of a sudden felt the tightness in his chest. It felt like he was drowning; like he was looking up at the surface from under the water, weighed down by a ball and chain. He had to stand and watch. He needed to breathe!
He had no idea how Changbin could tell; all he could see in front of them was more of the same stretch of road, same colourless expanse of concrete, and nothing more beyond that except the darkness of the simulated, starless sky.
“Wait.” Changbin said, suddenly. Seungmin repeated it, for whatever reason, and the bus rolled to a stop. After that moment, Chan looked at Seungmin with an expression that could have been confusion or concern. “Seriously!” He began in a quiet desperation. “Who is driving?” Or what? Hyunjin thought was more appropriate. He didn’t want to imagine what Seungmin’s ability made him see.
Anyhow, when the bus finally screeched to a halt, Changbin delivered worrying news. And Hyunjin felt that breath of air slip further and further away.
***
Changbin could sense the electricity in the wall, long before they approached. He realised, now, that he had always sensed it. It explained why he felt so on edge all the time, always hyper-aware of something. He supposed this must have been it. In any case, the closer they got, the more aware he became of the structure and workings of its circuits. Although, he couldn’t begin to understand its complications.
He stopped the bus the moment he came to realise the sheer strength they were up against; the wall was thick—too thick for a rickety old bus to smash through. From what he could tell, comparing it to the wall on either side of the road, they were currently facing some kind of invisible door. It wasn’t as thick as the wall around it, but just as impenetrable.
“We have a problem.” He explained. “There’s no way we’ll get through just by driving into it.”
Chan cursed. “We should have grabbed a weapon, or something, to weaken it first.”
Their hope was dwindling. He could see it on all their faces. What were once smiles of relief, slowly twisted into growing concern and mild panic.
“What do we do now?” Hyunjin’s terrified voice broke the silence, asking the question they were all trying desperately to answer. Until…
“We do have one thing that might work.”
***
Everyone turned to Minho. His right eye was more swollen than before, the bruising all over his face growing darker. He looked awful, but Chan had never seen someone so calm amongst the chaos.
“Well?” He prodded.
“Well…” Minho looked a little uncertain. Not nervous, just thinking things through. “When I was in that room with Felix…” Felix shifted next to him. He had been doting on him, since he arrived, constantly apologising until Minho let him massage up and down his uninjured arm. It was odd considering how stoic he had looked before. But he supposed it was the difference between how he looked at his friends and how he faced his enemies. And how he looked at his friends… It was warm.
Minho continued. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but whatever Felix did, it had a lot of power. One more second and I would have been toast.”
“Wait. What!?” Hyunjin stared at Felix, wide-eyed, while the younger boy kept his gaze to the floor.
“Felix did that!?” Jeongin joined in with the staring. In fact, they all looked at Felix in shock. They knew he was powerful, but what they had witnessed of the aftermath was…
But Chan had already guessed, and looking at Changbin and Seungmin next to him, he could see that he wasn’t the only one.
Changbin tsked, waving a dismissive hand “What does it matter, anyway? If it wasn’t for him, we may never have made it out.” This was true, and everyone knew it.
They took their gazes away, all solemnly agreeing that whatever happened was for the best. He didn’t see any fear on anyone’s faces either, which was a relief, even knowing what he was capable of. It didn’t seem right, after all they’d done to rescue him, to peg him as a danger now.
Changbin addressed Felix directly. “What do you say? You want to put that power to use?” Felix looked up at him, his big doleful eyes full of worry and doubt.
“It’ll be okay.” Chan added. “We’ll help you guide it.”
“If you can’t do it, we’ll look for another solution.” Changbin’s eyes were soft, and he smiled reassuringly at Felix. Chan could see a caring big brother that he never expected in a boy so quick to cause trouble. But remembering how quick he was to take on that group of soldiers, he had never trusted anyone so much.
Felix got up, slowly, and Changbin took his hand. His other hand went to Felix’s back, and he stood behind him like a shield. Chan did the same, planting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze, while they brought him closer to the broken windshield.
Felix took a deep breath and closed his eyes. And then it was as if he turned into a magnet, gradually growing stronger by the second. Chan felt as if he was being pulled in, almost like his life force was being sucked away. But it didn’t feel wrong; it actually felt good, it felt welcome, like Felix was asking permission and gently tugging it bit by bit. And he gladly gave it away.
***
The magnetic power growing around Felix was intense. Jeongin could feel every hair on his body being pulled toward him. And he was kind of… glowing. It was like looking at a lightbulb gradually warming up and getting brighter, without realising it was getting brighter. At some point, Jeongin noticed Felix’s reflection in the broken glass of the windshield, his skin swimming with a fascinating blue light, moving like the ripples in a crystal-clear lake.
It was beautiful!
Jeongin couldn’t tear his gaze away.
But then Felix opened his eyes. And in his reflection, with shimmering skin and an aura about him that danced with his hair and clothes in a silent harmony, his eyes glowed a blindingly bright, beautiful green. Jeongin was entranced by the sight of it.
But it only lasted a moment.
With the silent hum of a distant explosion, the glow, the light, the magnetic power, all burst from Felix in an impalpable force that shattered the windshield into oblivion and collided with the invisible wall.
The rest of them felt nothing more than a breeze, watching the energy burst through the front of the bus. But even then, they could feel the sheer power of it, as it washed over them like a wave of warm ocean water.
And then, where there seemed to be nothing before, a web of cracks spread out above the road.
***
“Step on it.” Seungmin told the driver, and despite his permanent grin, Seungmin could sense him smile. He switched the gear to reverse and backed up quite a bit, before switching back and slamming the accelerator all the way.
The bus screeched in protest but revved forward, gaining speed with each anxiety inducing second.
“Hold on!” Chan called out to the group, to which Hyunjin whimpered and hugged his usual pole, taking up his usual curled up position on the floor.
Everyone found the best hold they could find and gripped tight. However, despite that, the moment the bus connected with the wall, everyone was thrown to the floor. There were some damages amongst the group; Felix, who was left light-headed from his previous expel of power, was thrown violently into Changbin, who had wrapped his arms around him, already taking most of his weight. Meanwhile, Minho let out a cry of pain, falling onto his already tender injuries. Han and Jeongin, who were nearby, both immediately crawled over to check on him and protect him from further movement as the bus lurched forward in bursts.
It was almost anti-climactic, the way the exhaust chuffed and blew out before the engine really died. The butt of it was still protruding the smashed wall when it finally gave out.
Everyone slowly got up, nursing their fresh bruises, and looked out the windows at the new world that lay before them.
***
Empty. Barren. Wasteland.
The road stretched for miles into the near darkness, but the silver grass below them was illuminated by a breathtaking sky, filled with millions of twinkling lights and a glowing moon, remarkably twinned by the faint shadow of another behind it. It shed enough light to paint silhouettes on the landscape; ghosts of buildings that told of the once thriving outskirts of a city.
Felix followed Chan and Changbin off the bus, helping Han carry Minho, who seemed more injured now after taking a hit to his pre-existing cuts and bruises. He wanted to ask what had happened to him, but figured it was best to let him heal first, mentally as well as physically. He could sense that he had been through a lot.
They looked out at the silver wasteland before them, already exhausted. It was odd how new it was but how familiar it felt. His head ached with distant memories of chaos and war. He had a feeling about why they were a part of the institute, and wondered then if they were making a big mistake. Even knowing what they were about to do to him, and how the methods they used were wrong, he still wondered.
He knew that they came willingly, he remembered that much. He remembered thinking that they were moving towards a better future. He had a faint memory of a hell he once lived in, and a strong need to be lifted from the fire.
And so, the question remained: Were they escaping Hell and finding freedom? Or were they sacrificing peace… and falling back down to Hell?
***
Woojin watched the boys leave one by one, really considering what he was still doing here. Even the bus driver followed the last of them out. When Woojin got off, he was taken aback by the bright twinkling sky and the sounds of barren nature. The look of it, in all honesty, was a little disappointing. He didn’t know what he expected, but they were surrounded by almost nothing. Even the dome over the institute had been camouflaged to the horizon, making it seem like the bus was protruding out of a hole in the air.
Still, the breeze caressed the sun-dried grass in a way he didn’t remember seeing, but it felt right, like when something missing or forgotten is finally found again. He watched it play with everyone’s hair, although they didn’t seem to take much notice while they looked around. He envied it. He knew that the wind blew right through him, and he couldn’t feel a thing.
He would have cried at the unfairness of it, but as it happened, he was stuck in a constant state of contentment and had no tears to shed.
He should count his blessings instead; every member of the group had made it out. They were free.
He looked over at the driver. He was free too. He had never been able to leave, since he’d died inside the walls. He extended a hand to Woojin. They could both move on. They were ready to move on.
And he almost took it, the opportunity to surrender to peace.
But then Seungmin caught his eye and gave him a smile. And in that smile, he could see the happiness and relief, that they were all there, but also the readiness to take on the inevitable challenges that they still faced in the future.
It wasn’t over. It wouldn’t be for a long time.
Woojin smiled.
He had started out as a part of this group. And here he was, still. Ready or not, they had all found themselves astray, and all they had was each other. He was, for the first time, a part of something he really cared about: A group of runaways; a stray kid. They had been abandoned by everyone who knew them before, they had been abandoned by the world they belonged to.
And no, he wasn’t going to abandon them now.
He watched the bus driver disappear into the breeze and turned back to the sad group of kids with no plan and nowhere to go. This was the right place for him, at least for now. For now, he would stay.
After all he was, and forever will be, a stray kid.