Chapter 25

Culmination

"MC? Where are you?" called a calm voice from the distance.

MC scrunched herself up tighter underneath what she assumed to be an old teacher's desk. The darkness surrounding her was beginning to become all consuming at this rate. She could barely see her hand in front of her face. Her nose tingled as she suppressed a sneeze. It was incredibly dusty. Not to mention the spiders and other things skittering about the place. Horrible multi-legged monstrosities. A shiver ran through her when something fluttered against her calf and she braced herself against the underside of the desk to stop herself from squirming. She couldn't afford to move. It wasn't safe yet.

"You can't hide forever MC. You know you'll never get away from me. Come out already," said the voice, slowly rising in volume as her captor presumably closed in on her. MC kept her eyes locked on what she could barely make out as the wall in front of her. No signs of light shown across the darkened room.

The doorway to the room lay behind the desk, shielding her from sight. Her body ached as she sat scrunched underneath the just large enough desk. Her leg was beginning to cramp up from the position. She didn't know how long she had been hiding in that room for, but it felt like forever. Fear bound her limbs as she listened for Kyle's voice to echo through the building. The sound of footsteps had long since faded from earshot.

MC's breathed deeply to try and calm the heart hammering against her ribs. A cold sting zapped through her nerves. It felt like her entire body had been dipped in ice water. She did her best to keep quiet as she wrapped the sock around her wrist tighter. The bleeding wasn't too bad, but she didn't want to take any chances. Last thing she needed was for the crazy bastard to find her from something as careless and cliche as a trail of blood. MC could only hope none of the other wounds on her body were quite as bad. She may not have a flashlight to see, but Kyle certainly did. It was only going to continue getting darker. At this rate, she might become blind within the next hour or so.

It almost seemed pointless. No matter where she had gone in the building, everywhere seemed to lead to some sort of dead end. One hallway had the entirety of the middle caved in towards the floor below. Lockers, bits of drywall and pieces of broken furniture leaned precariously over the edges of the black pit. It looked as if the building were being sucked down into some weird black hole of garbage and decay.

While it had been too dark for her to see properly down the chasm, she had guessed she was at least close to the bottom floor. How many floors could this place even have? She couldn't tell from the windows. Every single pane had been replaced by a slab of wood. The black mold seeping through told her it had been quite some time since they had been installed. Or perhaps it was just the horrible conditions inside of the building that had caused it to fester. Either way, she didn't want to spend one more second inside this hellhole. She needed to find a way out.

As the footsteps tapered into the distance, MC took a shaky breath. She pulled herself out from underneath the desk and popped her head up over the top. Surveying her surroundings, she made her move. The hallway outside the room was dark and covered in grime, graffiti and various spatterings of unknown substances. A small amount of light filtered down through a series of rotten holes in the ceiling. MC grimaced at her surroundings. Luckily it was also every bit as abandoned as it had appeared. Kyle was nowhere in sight so far. MC hesitantly glanced down both ends of the corridor. Still safe.

She patted her front hip pocket absentmindedly as she snuck down the hallway. MC wished she still had her phone on her. If only she could get a hold of Yoosung or Rachael. Or even the police. Though, they hadn't really been that much help as of yet. Given her current situation though, anything would be helpful at this point. She just wished she had some way of contacting someone outside of this decrepit, damp and dust engulfed building. All she needed was for the air to make her sneeze and give away her location.

From what she had managed to see, she figured she must be trapped inside some sort of school. Well, what remained of one anyway. It looked as if no one had been inside of this building in almost a decade or more. Well, not for its original purpose anyway. Everything was rotten, chewed on, or otherwise filthy beyond belief. A few rooms had evidence of human tampering though through all of the other natural decay. She assumed this wasn't the first time people had broken into wherever it was she was currently trapped inside of. If only she could see better she would be able to find her own way out of it as well. The planks against the windows blocked out the majority of the light in the building, leaving the strips and holes cut away in the ceiling as the only other source.

MC winced as she scooted along the wall down the hallway, paint chips flaking down to the floor with every sliding step she took. Her wrist still burned beneath the sock. Blood had started to show through the thin fabric. The rest of her body wasn't doing so good either, littered in small scrapes and cuts from her earlier fall through the floor. She wasn't about to start complaining though. It was probably the fall that had given her such a good head start against her captor. Even if it did suck like hell the whole time since. Who was she kidding? This entire scenario was hell incarnate.

After limping along in the dark for what felt like hours, every gasp of air hushed to a whisper to not draw attention to herself, the hallway seemed to finally reach an end. If she hadn't have been sliding her feet along as she was, she might not have even noticed the staircase right under her nose. MC winced and slid her foot down. The step seemed sturdy enough. Remembering how the floor had broken out from underneath her perhaps but an hour or two before did nothing to help her nerves. She forced herself to take the next step down.

As she descended ,a light appeared in the distance. Cursing, she scrunched herself up against the wall, her heart pounding underneath her ribs. She waited with bated breath. The light didn't move. There was no sway or flicker, no searching sweeps. It seemed stationary over at the end of the long hallway. MC calmed herself long enough to really look at it and gasped. Those colorful rays weren't from any flashlight. Red, blue, and green rays of light shone long against the wall down the long hall and over the floor. Clean, crisp white light danced around them, similar to the many cracks running throughout the walls of the building.

As cautiously as she could, MC limped her way towards the end of the hall. Her eyes squinted as she kept her eyes trained ahead. The shapes of the light laying against the walls and floor grew clearer as she drew closer. They almost looked like a puzzle. Pictures that had been torn and scattered into pieces. A face here, an arm there. It was almost as if the universe were mocking her for the fears that had been running through her head constantly the last few hours of her life.

With as much caution as she could manage, MC peeked her head around the corner of the wall, staring into the room just beyond. Her eyebrows shot up as she gazed at the scene before her. Large stained glass windows wrought with iron bars along the outside walls stood tall and overbearing along the room. Sections of designs splintered and cracked in places, holes burst through others as a bright white light shone through the gaps. Pews, broken and kneeling to the ground, filed down the long expanse before her. Then, in the center of it all, sat a podium with a large metal cross embedded in its front. MC had somehow found herself at the heart of a church.

It was then that the thought struck her. She knew exactly where she was. This wasn't just any school. This was the abandoned Christian Academy on River Street. She was right next to the old apartment structure, the one that had gone under so many years ago. Even with all of the vandalism, being in such a rundown neighborhood, the city had outright refused to take either of them down. How hadn't she realized before? This must have been the place Rachael and Yoosung had gone to before while trying to find Buster's owner. Well, it seems they had been going in the right direction after all. She couldn't believe Kyle had been hiding out in a place like this. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? So much for Yoosung wanting to keep her away from here. It had found her instead.

A small voice in the distance jolted her back to her senses. A cold sweat splashed down her back as she leapt around to face the doorway she had entered through. Pain seared up her right leg from the sudden movement. There was no one there. Perhaps her paranoia was making her hallucinate. At this point she wouldn't really be all that surprised. Her nerves were fried so far she wouldn't be shocked if she somehow had burn damage on the inside.

Suddenly, more voices joined the first. She could hear her own name ringing through the windows and into the dusty church. MC's heart leapt into her throat. She could hear Yoosung's voice. Her eyes burned as tears pricked at her eyes, threatening to spill over onto her cheeks as a sob ripped through her. Rachael's voice called through the crowd. They were getting closer. It wasn't just those two, she knew those other voicing mixing in through the calls. Everyone had come. They had actually found her!

"I'm in here!" MC yelled, smashing wildly through the window closest to her. Glass shattered to the ground as she yelled out to them. "I'm here, I'm here!"

She could see them now as she grasped at the bars caging her inside her prison. Yoosung, Rachael, Ashley, Carey, and even Geoff were standing outside with Buster trailing along beside them. A smile broke out across her face when her eyes met Yoosung's. He froze in his tracks, jaw dropping.

"MC is that you?"

"Yes, Yoosung! I'm in here! Please, you have to help me! Get me out, Kyle's in here! He's gone crazy! He's-"

"Found you."

Yoosung had just managed to scramble over the patchy lawn leading up to the small school building in front of him when MC let out a scream of terror. She bolted from the window before he could process what was happening.

"MC!" he yelled, hands grasping at the bricks in front of him. A shard of glass sunk into his palm as he reached past the bars. He yanked back in pain, cursing. "Shit! No, we have to get in there!"

Rachael nodded quickly, running to find the entrance as Yoosung stumbled behind her. Harsh white light from the streetlight above them lit up the front of the building. The doors were chained shut. Rachael shouted in a rage as she grabbed and yanked at the chains, clattering them against the door. Distant shouting met her ears and she pulled harder in vain.

"Fuck, we have to find another way in! It's not gonna budge!" she called behind her.

Everyone scrambled around, trying to find another means of access. Every window was boarded up as far as they could see. Wooden panels had been nailed across every opening of the building, barring them from entering. How had Kyle managed to drag MC into this place? There wasn't anywhere to get in. Yoosung snarled through his teeth as his fist made contact with one of the boards against the windows. It wouldn't budge.

"I'm coming for you MC! Please hold on!" he called desperately, slamming his fist once more before his vision began to swim again. His heart stuttered in his chest and he shook his head. No, not right now. He couldn't afford to break right now. It didn't matter if he didn't get back to his own world. It didn't matter if the connection was getting weaker. It didn't matter if he was going to disappear. He didn't care. He needed to get into this building and save MC. Until then, he would just have to keep fighting. He had to…. He had to…

"Yoosung, come on, we have to move!" yelled Rachael, snapping him back to reality. She shook him by the shoulder before dragging him along with her. His feet stumbled and tripped over themselves as he tried to keep up with her. "Geoff found a way in!"

Yoosung huffed with new determination and urged his legs to keep going. The burn searing through his muscles was nothing compared to the urgency in his heart, pumping along with adrenaline through his veins. The only thing keeping him going was a sheer force of will. He couldn't afford to stop. If it was the last thing he'd ever do, he was going to get MC out of this building.

Blinking harshly to clear his eyes, he followed Rachael around a corner as Buster trailed at their heels to find Geoff beating at one of the paneled windows. The wood was bending, separating from the wall surrounding it. It hadn't been attached as well as the rest. Realization flickered behind Yoosung's eyes and he clenched his teeth in outrage. With a loud cry, Yoosung ran towards the window, pushing everything he could into the force of his blow. Ashley just managed to pull Geoff out of the line of fire when Yoosung's shoulder slammed into the wooden slab, completely tearing it from the wall and causing him to tumble inside. Buster yelped at the sudden noise.

A plume of dust erupted around him and poured out of the building. The others gasped as he fell to the ground with a crash. Stars flickered before his eyes and his shoulder screamed from the effort of pushing himself back up. As he brought himself to his feet the world titled and swayed before him, causing him to stumble and hold his head against his palm. A heavy cough fell from his lips and an ache spread outwards from the ribs on his side.

"Yoosung, oh my god are you okay?" asked Ashley, her hand still grasping onto Geoff's shirt from surprise. Yoosung nodded weakly, pressing onward.

"Yoosung, you have to be careful! You could have-" started Rachael, climbing into the building along with him.

"It doesn't matter!" he cut her off. "We have to get to her! Come on!" he yelled, forcing himself to work up to a jog as he blinked the stars away. The others rushed in after him, following his lead. Rachael ran after him, worry pulling at her features.

Their footsteps echoed throughout the halls as they ran towards their destination. Every twist and turn brought them closer to the voices yelling in the distance. Yoosung fought the thickening feeling threatening to take over his body. It was almost like he was being pulled down under himself. His head going light and his feet heavy as he pressed onward. It was getting worse with every passing moment. The vague feeling of a vibration tickled up his side as his phone went off in his pocket. He ignored it. No matter what it said, it couldn't be as important as this. He needed to get to MC.

As they rounded the corner, a shine of multicolored rays greeted their eyes. Yoosung gasped as he slammed into the corner of the doorway, stumbling backwards and almost losing his footing. Rachael managed to grab him as Geoff, Ashley and Carey caught up to them. MC's eyes shot up to see them. She was standing up behind the podium, arms out to her sides, braced to run. Kyle stood in between them. The knife from before sat heavy in his hand as he turned to the sudden intrusion.

"What?" Kyle yelled in exasperation. "You've got to be kidding me, get the fuck out of here!" He swung the knife dangerously towards the group of people standing behind him in the doorway. Ashley and Carey gasped in unison, taking a step back. Yoosung merely grit his teeth, pressing forward and pulling against Rachael's grip. A heavy sweat had broken out across his brow.

"Let her go!" He spat at the crazed man holding the knife. His knuckles were white with the force from clenching the doorway as he steadied himself. Kyle's eyebrows rose as a lopsided smile spread across his face. A small laugh cut through the air.

"Oh you just wait your turn, I'll get to you soon enough," Kyle threatened, eyes darting back to MC currently frozen behind the podium. "After I deal with you."

MC shook her head vigorously as her eyes flickered from his gaze to the knife in his hand. She needed to do something but she couldn't think. Even if he was currently outnumbered she knew they were no use against that kind of weapon. Her eyes drifted back to Yoosung leaning against the door frame. Anger pulled at his features as he glared at Kyle. She had never seen such pure hatred before in her life. A sting of panic shot through her heart as she saw Yoosung's eyes lose focus, his face going slack for a moment. It had already started.

"You don't lay a hand on her!" shouted Rachael, shoving herself into the room. Her teeth were set on edge as she glared daggers at the man she once considered a friend. "What the fuck is wrong with you? What happened to you to make you do something like this? You sick bastard!"

"Rachael, my old friend-"

"Don't you ever call me that!" she spat back with venom. Kyle made no move to retreat from her burning stare. Instead, he shifted the knife in his hand to face her, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't mess with me, Woods. I'm not afraid to tear you to shreds with the rest of them," he threatened. "You're just as much at fault here." Rachael scoffed incredulously.

"What are you talking about, you complete psycho?" she yelled, taking another step forward. Kyle stepped towards her, brandishing the knife in his hand.

"If it weren't for you, none of this would have even happened," he said, voice taking on the tone one might use to explain math to a toddler. "You're the one who set me up with her. You knew how I felt about her."

"Well I didn't realize you were fucking insane at the time!" she defended, throwing her arms in the air. Her eyebrows pinched as her gaze flickered from his face back to the knife.

MC knew that look. Rachael was furious, there was no doubt about that. But she was frightened. They all were. Kyle rolled his eyes and let out a huff.

"Now that's just insensitive," he remarked. "It's not my fault. What, are you jealous? Is that why you decided to try and keep her away from me?" His expression twisted, eyebrows scrunched together as his lips pulled back in contempt. Rachael looked at him like he sprouted another head. Her eyes darted from MC, to Kyle and back to the knife in his hand. Before she could muster any words from her mouth, a shout sprang from behind her.

"No one would be jealous of you, you- you creep!" yelled Ashley, popping out from behind Carey. Her friend nodded affirmingly. "Yo-you're just a big bully! I can't believe we ever thought you were a good person."

"Yeah!" shouted Carey, hardening her expression. Kyle's eye twitched and a sneer crossed his face before he let out an irritated huff.

"Holy shit, will you two just SHUT UP? Oh my god, like, could you be anymore annoying? Fucking hell," he spat, imitating them both as he turned his back to MC to berate them. "I have literally never met anyone more annoying than the two of you, no one gives a fuck what you think!" Ashley and Carey both clenched their fists in indignation. Geoff's eyes widened as he stared ahead at the scene unfolding before him. He licked his lips and stepped forward into the room with Rachael.

"I do!" he said, voice cracking slightly before he gave a small cough. He hardened his resolve and took another step forward. Ashley and Carey looked at him in surprise. Kyle looked equally confused.

"I'm sorry, who are you even?" Kyle asked, twirling the knife in his hand lazily. Something clicked in his eyes and he nodded to himself. "Oh, right. You were my replacement weren't you? I saw you in there. How old are you even, kid? You should go home to your mommy before this all gets ugly."

MC watched as the back and forth continued between Kyle and the group standing before the entrance to the room. Kyle's back was turned towards her. His attention was drawn entirely away from her by the scathing words and angry retorts from her friends. They were distracting him on purpose. Realization dawned on her and she nodded, inching her way from her spot behind the podium. If she could be quick enough, she could get around him and out of the doorway before he could grasp what was going on. But she needed to move fast. Yoosung's eyes met hers as she inched forward, prepared to run. She gave a small nod and his lips pulled into a tight line.

"The only thing ugly around here, is you and your cold black heart, you monster," said Yoosung, straightening himself up and staring right at Kyle. "And you'll never have someone as pure as MC. You don't deserve her." Kyle glared at him, hand gripping his weapon tighter. Yoosung swallowed thickly and stepped forward, vision never leaving the man in front of him. He had to keep his attention. Kyle's eyes burned with a fiery rage and he clenched his teeth. A low snarl erupted from behind Yoosung as the two men closed in on each other. Buster had crept into the room, head low and hackles raised. Kyle's eyebrows shot up, mouth opening in surprise as the, relatively not so small anymore, puppy walked past Yoosung. Buster's eyes crinkled as he bared his teeth, guarding Yoosung from the threat in front of them.

"Bandit?" Kyle asked, his armed hand dropping as he watched Buster snarl his way. "Hey, buddy, it's me. What're you doing?" He looked genuinely confused, almost hurt in the way he looked down at the puppy that had once belonged to him.

"His name's Buster," said Yoosung, watching carefully. His brain felt fuzzy again and he shook his head. "And he doesn't seem to like you very much. Even he knows you're no good."

MC had inched as far as could, trying to stay out of Kyle's line of sight. She swallowed down the pit in her throat as she watched Buster defending Yoosung. Worry welled in her stomach as Kyle's expression flipped from sadness to anger once again. His shoulders raised dangerously as his face scrunched in frustration.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you, you son of a bitch!" he yelled, eyes locked on Yoosung as he lunged forward. Yoosung's eyes widened and he raised his arms to defend himself, stumbling backwards. Buster leapt forward. His teeth clamped onto Kyle's leg painfully before being kicked to the side, landing against one of the pews. He gave a small yelp at the contact. Kyle tore forward, eyes ablaze before abruptly being knocked to the ground. MC landed on him in a heap. Her arms scrambled all over, trying to grab at the weapon in his hand.

"Let go, you crazy bitch!" Kyle yelled, flailing wildly as he tried to get his bearings. He swung the knife down, barely missing MC's arms as she grappled with him.

"I won't let you touch him!" MC cried, determination burning in her chest. She didn't know what had come over her. The fear had completely vanished when Kyle had jumped towards Yoosung. Her right hand gripped at his fist, sweaty palms tugging at his fingers desperately while her left beat every inch of him she could reach. A roar ripped from Kyle's chest as he finally managed to fling her from him. She landed with a crash, shattering one of the pews at the back of the room. Multiple pairs of hands grabbed at her, pulling her to her feet as Kyle stumbled on himself, trying to stand.

Rachael stood beside her, Buster held in her arms as Carey and Yoosung helped her right herself. Her body ached as she put pressure on her right foot. Kyle grabbed at his face, a bloody nose evident underneath his palm. He looked forward at the group of friends murderously with his one uncovered eye and raised his knife.

"Run!" cried MC, flailing as the fear returned to her. She grasped at Yoosung's arm and tugged him forward, stumbling over her own injured leg. The seven of them filed hurriedly into the hallway, darting for the exit as Kyle staggered forward.

As they ran for their lives, Yoosung's mind filled with fog, tripping over his own suddenly numb legs. His body felt like it was composed of nothing but static. The words of MC fell on deaf ears as his hands pressed against the ground. Something vaguely registered in his mind that he was being pulled upwards, his center of gravity shifting. Colors and shapes swam before his eyes. Then, with the same suddenness as before, all of his senses came flooding back to him.

"Yoosung, come on Yoosung, sweetie please we have to go! Snap out of it, please!" came a choked sob from in front of him. He willed his legs to move forward as he was tugged along. He registered MC's tear-stricken face as she dragged him forward urgently. Glancing behind them, he saw as Kyle rounded the corner, hand still pressed to his face. Blood had started to pour down his throat from his face.

"Get back here!" Kyle demanded, coughing at the edge of his words. His balance wavered as he stomped his way towards them.

Yoosung gasped and gripped his hand on one of MC's arms pulling him forward. His legs felt like lead as he forced himself to push forward. MC pulled him desperately, face red from the effort. Her words sounded distorted through his ears as he watched her mouth. Everything was starting to fade. A small voice inside him willed him to keep going. He had to stay conscious. They didn't have time to carry on like this. His heart constricted as he let out of a huff of breath.

"Y-you need to go on without me," he pleaded through the haze. His vision sharpened enough to see MC's look of horror. "I'm not gonna make it. Go, hurry."

"I'm not going without you!" MC yelled, but Yoosung's eyes had fluttered closed. His breathing stuttered as one of his feet slid forward. MC shook as heavy tears slid down her cheeks. She couldn't handle this. He had to be okay, this couldn't be happening. Her gaze flickered up to see Kyle closing in on them.

"MC, Yoosung, hurry!" called Rachael, near the open hole in the wall the rescue party had entered by. MC looked back to see moonlight filtering in from the outside, sparkling in all directions thanks to the wetness in her eyes. She turned back and tugged at Yoosung the best she could but found his legs planted firmly to the peeled and rotting tile. He shook his head, swaying dangerously. Her heart snapped in half.

A loud buzzing brought her attention away from Yoosung and down to the floor, several feet from where they stood. Yoosung's phone lay on the tile, screen lighting up as another buzz rippled through the air. MC gasped and made to grab for it. She stopped in her tracks as Kyle lunged forward, snatching it from the ground between them with his blood covered hand. She flinched back, and arm blocking Yoosung protectively from Kyle.

"I don't think so," Kyle said, his voice sounding as if he had been gargling glass. He clutched the vibrating phone tighter in his grasp. "You're not calling for help. You're not getting out of here. You're staying right the fuck there, or I'm gonna kill that fucking bastard behind you. Understand?"

"You're not going to touch him, I'm not afraid of you," spat back MC, her face reddened in anger as she better blocked Yoosung from view. A clammy hand tugging gently at her shirt brought her attention behind her.

"Go…MC..." Yoosung said weakly. MC's heart pulsed painfully. She refused to listen. Not after everything they had been through together.

"You listen to him, and you're both dead," snarled Kyle, swaying dangerously with a crazed look in his eye. He was too close for her to do anything. The buzzing ripped through the air again, echoing off the walls, louder than before. "FUCK!"

Kyle flinched and threw the phone to the floor. He waved his hand around as if it had been burned and MC's breath caught in her throat. The name on the caller ID lit up again, 707 shining into the dark as the phone buzzed and vibrated violently against the rotten tiles. The time blinked against the screen- 10:00 on the dot. MC jumped in place, tugging at Yoosung with all her might, a new shot of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Move, move, move!" she chanted as she managed to get him stumbling forward. Kyle snarled at them before stepping forward, inches from the phone he had previously tossed to the ground. MC could feel the static in the air before it happened.

A sudden blast sent her flying forward, ears deafened and vision whiting out as she crashed against one of the walls in the hallway. She felt a body slump against her. Bits of dirt and rock crumbled around them as a cough wrenched itself from her throat. She fought to sit up and her body screamed in protest. Sharp ringing pierced her ears. As she blinked her eyes open, squinting at the light shining in her face, her mind went blank.

Through the settling dust and crumbling rocks surrounding her, a large, glowing, rippling sheet of light flickered in the center of the hallway. She had never seen something like it before in her life. What was even more peculiar was the man currently standing in front of her. Red hair, black and yellow jacket and glasses to match with bright yellow eyes. It couldn't be.

"MC! Are you alright!?" came a call that took her a moment to register as Rachael's voice. MC could do nothing but stare at the man before her before her eyes darted all around. Kyle was nowhere to be found.

"Oh wow, are you alright?" echoed the man in front of her. "You shouldn't have been standing so close, I could have actually obliterated you by mistake!" He reached a hand forward in offering.

MC gazed at him in awe before looking to the body slumped to her side. Yoosung was blinking rapidly, rubbing at his face like he had just woken up after a very long nap.

"Wh-what happened?" he asked, purple eyes opening back up to the sight before him. "Seven?"

"The one and only!" Seven smiled, reaching to grab at Yoosung's rumpled jacket collar and tugging him up to his feet. Yoosung winced before turning to see Seven gently helping MC to stand. The indignation was clear on his face.

"Hey, what gives!" asked Yoosung, gesturing at his own jacket collar.

"Well I'm not about to manhandle a lady, now am I? Or are you saying you want me to treat you like a lady?" Seven smirked before letting his eyes wander around and letting his jaw drop. "Waaa…. Where even are we?"

Both Yoosung and MC froze at his statement, jumping in place as they glanced all about the hallway. Kyle was still nowhere to be found. Seven looked at them with confusion clear on his face.

"Uh… are you guys alright? Besides the uh, wow you guys are beat up. What happened?" Seven asked, caution starting to show in his stance.

"Who the hell are you?" yelled a voice to their left and all three of them turned to see Rachael still holding, albeit a much more alert and happy, Buster in her arms. She was staring right at Seven.

"Ah, yes, this must be very confusing for you. My name is 707, and I'm here to-"

"Oh, it's you!" Rachael said, cutting him off. Seven's mouth snapped shut and he blinked in surprise. "I know you! Holy shit, you're actually real?" Seven opened and closed his mouth a few times before turning to look at Yoosung.

"How many people did you tell?" he hissed through his teeth. Yoosung shook his head, his hands waving in front of his face defensively.

"Woah what is that?" said a mystified voice from down the hall. Ashley and Carey came to stand back inside what was left of this side of the building, careful to avoid the rubble shifting all over from the ceiling and walls that had crumbled around them. Seven looked positively uncomfortable at the appearance of more people. When Geoff popped his head over the hole in the wall, Seven let out a groan.

"Where's Kyle?" said Rachael suddenly, pulling Buster closer to her. He lapped at her face affectionately.

"Kyle?" said Seven, flabbergasted. "There's MORE of you? This was supposed to be- wait Kyle?" he stopped himself mid sentence as the gears started turning.

"He… he was standing by Yoosung's phone when it blew up," said MC quietly, glancing towards the portal shimmering behind them. There was no sign that anyone had been standing there prior. Seven glanced behind himself and then threw his hands over his face, cursing slightly.

"What, what happened to him?" sputtered Yoosung, an arm wrapping around MC protectively. "Is he dead?" A shiver rippled through him as the words left his lips.

"No… more like… Well, if he really was standing where you said he was when this little baby went off, I'd say somewhere between the walls of the multiverse," Seven groaned. "Oh, that can't be pleasant…"

Yoosung let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and hugged MC as tightly as he could, tears threatening to spill as he buried his face into her neck. MC hugged him back just as fiercely and let out several words of relief. It was actually over. They couldn't believe it. Evan Rachael let out a string of profanities and rolled her head towards what remained of the ceiling. Geoff, Carey and Ashley looked relieved as well, with a hint of confusion still poking through.

"Multiverse?" asked Geoff, eyebrows slanted in concern. His gaze kept flickering back to the large shimmering disc of light floating in front of them. He was having trouble processing all of this.

"I'd love to elaborate, I really would-" said Seven, pulling a forced smile, "but I really need to get going. Lovely meeting you all, Yoosung, come on we have to get out of here before it closes up." Seven gestured to yoosung and Mc before swinging his hands towards the portal.

"But Seven, what about," started Yoosung, looking out to the group of people that had helped him in the most hopeless time of his life. "I need more time-"

"Yoosung," Seven said, concern and urgency clear in his voice. "I can only keep this thing open for maybe more minutes. We have to go. If we don't, you're going to disappear. I won't be able to get you back…"

It suddenly struck Yoosung that, for the first time that day, he actually felt like himself again. The portal's opening must have offered a reconnect for his brain back to the other side. The memory of lead filling his legs and cotton filling his brain surfaced and he shuddered. He looked back to his group of friends, then back to MC. She looked just as conflicted as he did. They knew the time was coming soon but, after all that happened to them, they didn't really feel like they were really ready after all.

"It's alright," said Rachael's voice softly from beside them. Her eyes glittered as she bit her lip, sniffing and forcing a smile onto her face. "You can go. I'm just... I'm just so happy you guys are okay." Sincerity dripped through her words and MC's face twisted in anguish, running forward to collide with her. Buster barked happily and licked at her face before wriggling himself out of Rachael's grasp and down onto the floor.

"Oh, Rachael! I-I don't know what to say!" MC cried, squeezing the life out of her friend. Rachael hugged her back, patting her lightly before drawing away.

"Hey, hey, look at me," she said softly. MC's lip trembled as she looked up at her best friend. Rachael smiled a teary smile. "We knew this was coming, yeah? We already agreed what was going to happen."

She sniffed and hugged MC tightly to her again before drawing away once more, her hand clasped with MC's. Rachael looked back to their friends behind them before looking to Yoosung and Seven. She nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, sharpening her resolve.

"You go with him. And you be happy, okay?" she sniffed. "Because I swear, if you start keeping to yourself again, locking yourself up in your room, I'll do whatever it takes to rip myself through whatever the hell I have to to come and knock some sense into that stubborn head of yours, got it?" MC nodded, blubbering at her words. Their three friends could do nothing but stand in confusion behind them.

"Are you going away, MC?" asked Ashley softly. MC nodded sadly, eyes darting towards the ground. Ashley looked over to Carey and Geoff before looking back, a sad smile on her face as she nodded back. She swallowed thickly. "We're going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," cried MC, finally tearing herself away from Rachael to walk over to them. As MC hugged her friends, Seven started dancing anxiously in the background. He glanced at his watch and as if on schedule, the portal pulsed behind him.

"Uh, I hate to say this, but we really do need to leave now," said Seven, distress clear in his voice. His main objective to bring one of his best friends back from the brink of death, along with his girlfriend at his request, was cutting it a little close. Guilt gnawed at his stomach as he watched the friends giving their tearful goodbyes. He wished there could be another way.

"Here," said Rachael, reaching down to grab Buster. "You should take him with you… to remember us by." MC shook her head and gave Buster a small pat on the head before backing away.

"No…" MC replied, thinking back to the large empty house waiting for Rachael once they were gone. She didn't know if Rachael was even going to be there much longer, but the thought of Rachael all on her own was too much for MC to bear. "He's yours. He's been yours since we brought him home." She smiled. Rachael smiled tearfully back at her. MC swallowed back a sob and turned back to Seven and Yoosung standing near the portal.

"Hey!" called Rachael again as MC stood beside her boyfriend. "I'm gonna miss you. You too Yoosung. Don't forget about me alright?" Both of them nodded in promise. An eerie quiet overcame the group of people as they surrounded the pulsing light before them. MC gave one last look to the friends behind her before clasping her hand in Yoosung's. He bit his lip and nodded solemnly to her.

"Ready?" he asked carefully. She gave a pitiful laugh and shook her head, a small sad smile pulling at her lips. "Me either…" With one last remorseful wave goodbye, they stepped inside the portal. Blinding light consumed them as white rays shot out from the center. Seven shielded his eyes with the back of his hand before turning to face the other.

"Well…" he started awkwardly. "Great to meet you all, but I have to get going now." Seven smiled sheepishly before turning towards the portal and taking a step forward. As Rachael and the rest watched him, he froze in his tracks. It looked as if he was arguing with himself before he finally turned around once more, eyes locking on Rachael's.

"You're Rachael, right?" he asked, slightly uncertain as his hand dug into his pocket. She nodded slowly, confusion plain on her face. Seven nodded and pulled something out of his pocket before tossing it to her. Rachael scrambled to catch the object flying towards her. A red and yellow smartphone stood in her palm. "It's just a backup, so don't worry about anything… Keep in touch, yeah?"

A shaky smile broke out on Rachael's face and she licked her lips.

"Y-yeah… Thank you," she said earnestly, clutching the phone to her chest. Seven returned her smile before adding his own little quip.

"Also, don't worry. That one won't be exploding on you anytime soon!" He flashed a smile as he adjusted his glasses. "See ya later, 707 out!"

And with that he leapt backwards into the shining portal at his back. The disc of light pulsed again before zapping out of existence. And just like that, it was over.

There was a long silence following the disappearance of the blinding light shining only moments ago. Moonlight, dull in comparison, filtered down through the large gaping holes in the ceiling. The four friends left behind looked forlornly into the sky.

"So... Is anyone going to explain what just happened?" Geoff finally said, voice cracking towards the end. Even through her sadness Rachael couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Her hand buzzed lightly and she glanced down at the screen. Yoosung's name had popped up in the notifications. Her smile softened before she turned to look back at her friends.

"It's a long story…"