Chapter Text
Blood. There was blood everywhere.
Mingyu had never thought that a person could experience such a crushing fear. He felt as if a sword had pierced his chest. Now, he knew. A feeling he wished he had never tasted.
Sometimes life can change in the blink of an eye. You miss a beat, you don't pay attention for a moment, and bam! Over and done with.
Mingyu felt incredibly sick, his whole body was shaking and his stomach was turning, he couldn't breathe, his heart was racing, wanting to burst his ribs. Someone screamed, someone else pushed him roughly aside and he stumbled, almost falling to the ground, if arms hadn't caught him. He was useless. His body was useless. Everything was useless.
And everything was red. And everything was loud, but Wonwoo ... Wonwoo was completely still. Calm. Lying there, unmoving.
Five minutes ago he had been laughing at Mingyu's dad joke and now he was ... just lying there. Draped as if it was all just a photo shoot, but a photo shoot didn't require having a giant knife sticking out of your stomach.
Time stood still before Mingyu's eyes. Flowed viscously like honey, poisonous honey. He was in shock. Someone next to him was talking on the phone. Somehow he recognized Seungcheol, who knelt by Wonwoo, but his face was strangely blurred. When Mingyu touched his cheek, he realized he was crying. He was crying. It all looked so fake. This was a movie. A very, very bad horror movie.
"He's still breathing!" Seungcheol. Suddenly Jeonghan was there too.
"We mustn't move him." Desperation. Like cold ice in his veins.
"Oh fuck, how did this happen?" Someone sobbed heartbreakingly, but Mingyu didn't know who. It might as well have been himself. But all he saw was Wonwoo. Pale and red.
Why was it that time was ticking way too fast when something bad happened and way too slow after it was over?
"The ambulance is on its way." Soonyoung.
"I'll ask if there's a doctor around here somewhere." That was ... probably Jihoon. Mingyu wasn't sure. They all sounded the same to his ears.
Someone touched him on the arm, Mingyu winced.
"Hey, Gyu. Come sit down." Joshua took his hand - blood-stained, as Mingyu realized with horror - and Mingyu followed the command like a will-free puppet. Sitting down on the floor, he leaned his back against the wall. His breaths were ragged, shaky.
"Wonwoo, can you hear me? Wonwoo, help is coming, okay? Look at me! That's it, that's it, that's it. Don't fall asleep. You can't fall asleep now."
Why was it that time was ticking way too fast when something bad happened and way too slow after it was over?
"The ambulance is on its way." Soonyoung.
"I'll ask if there's a doctor around here somewhere." That was ... probably Jihoon. Mingyu wasn't sure. They all sounded the same to his ears.
Someone touched him on the arm, Mingyu winced.
"Hey, Gyu. Come sit down." Joshua took his hand - blood-stained, as Mingyu realized with horror - and Mingyu followed the command like a will-free puppet. Sitting down on the floor, he leaned his back against the wall. His breaths were ragged, shaky.
"Wonwoo, can you hear me? Wonwoo, help is coming, okay? Look at me! That's it, that's it, that's it, brave boy, stay with me. Don't fall asleep. You can't fall asleep now."
Maybe Mingyu just needed to close his eyes for a moment. Then he would wake up and it would be morning again. Right, he had only fallen asleep for a short moment. Had forgotten to set a second alarm. In a second he would wake up and get up and make breakfast and forget this nightmare, sitting at the table with the others, talking, laughing.
In a moment, it would all be over. He would wake up and Wonwoo's blood would no longer drip from his fingers.
Mingyu waited. But nothing happened.